Experimental study of light diffraction by standing ultrasonic wave with cylindrical symmetry

We report a new acousto-optic arrangement based on ultrasonic wave with cylindrical symmetry. The theory of light interaction with standing cylindrical ultrasonic wave is experimentally verified in the Fraunhofer region. A very good agreement of experimental results with numerical calculations based on the proposed theory is found. The diffraction pattern consists of ring-shaped diffraction orders which posses a fine structure. The time average light intensity of the whole zeroth diffraction order as a function of the Raman-Nath parameter is investigated. The modulation properties of presented system are examined by means of single photon counting technique. Finally, some potentially useful applications in the laser and fibre technology are suggested.     

The IINS, IR and DFT studies of hydrogen bonds in 6-Furfuryl and 6-Benzylaminopurines

FTIR and IINS spectra of 6-Furfurylaminopurine (6-FAP) and 6-Benzylaminopurine (6-BAP) taken at different temperatures have been analysed and compared with the spectra calculated by the ab initio DFT/B3LYP method and the semiempirical PM3 method in the isolated molecule approximation, for the tautomers N3-H, N7-H and N9-H, and dimers with hydrogen bonds. For 6-FAP the best agreement between the calculated and experimental (at 20 K) spectra has been found for the N9-H tautomer, whose structure was established by X-ray diffraction. For 6-BAP the analogous agreement for the N9-H tautomer structure has been poor and much better for the N7-H tautomer. The vibrational spectra calculated for dimers of the molecules studied involved in hydrogen bonds, permitted also an interpretation of the bands whose positions and FWHM in the FTIR spectra changed with temperature.     

Ca(2.5)Sr(0.5)GaMn2O8: diamagnetic Ga in control of the structural and electronic properties of a bilayered manganate

The temperature dependence of the crystal structure and electronic properties of brownmillerite-like Ca(2.5)Sr(0.5)GaMn(2)O(8) has been studied by neutron powder diffraction and muSR spectroscopy. The results show that short-range 2D magnetic order begins to develop within the perovskite-like bilayers of MnO(6) octahedra approximately 50 K above the 3D Néel temperature of approximately 150 K. The bilayers show a structural response to the onset of magnetism throughout this temperature range whereas the GaO(4) layers that separate the bilayers only respond below the 3D ordering temperature. XANES spectroscopy shows that the sample contains Mn(3+) and Mn(4+) cations in a 1:1 ratio, and the behavior in the region of the Néel transition is interpreted as a local charge ordering. Electron diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy have been used to show that the local microstructure is more complex than the average structure revealed by neutron diffraction, and that microdomains exist in which the GaO(4) tetrahedra show different orientations. It is argued that the bonding requirements of diamagnetic gallium control the electronic behavior within the perovskite-like bilayers.     

Alkoxy/siloxy group exchange in the system vinyltrialkoxysilane-iridium(I) siloxide complex

A study of reactions of dimeric siloxide iridium complex, [[(cod)Ir(mu-OSiMe3)]2] (1) with vinyltriethoxysilane and vinyltrimethoxysilane has revealed a new type of the reation--alkoxy group transfer from silicon to iridium with a simultaneous transfer of a siloxy group from iridium to silicon--as a result of which vinyldialkoxytrimethyldisiloxane and dimeric alkoxide iridium complex [[(cod)Ir(mu-OR)]2] (3) are formed. The structure of [[(cod)Ir(mu-OEt)]2] (3a) has been solved by X-ray diffraction.     

Performance of density functional theory in computing nonresonant vibrational (hyper)polarizabilities

A set of exchange‐correlation functionals, including BLYP, PBE0, B3LYP, BHandHLYP, CAM‐B3LYP, LC‐BLYP, and HSE, has been used to determine static and dynamic nonresonant (nuclear relaxation) vibrational (hyper)polarizabilities for a series of all‐trans polymethineimine (PMI) oligomers containing up to eight monomer units. These functionals are assessed against reference values obtained using the Møller–Plesset second‐order perturbation theory (MP2) and CCSD methods. For the smallest oligomer, CCSD(T) calculations confirm the choice of MP2 and CCSD as appropriate for assessing the density functionals. By and large, CAM‐B3LYP is the most successful, because it is best for the nuclear relaxation contribution to the static linear polarizability, intensity‐dependent refractive index second hyperpolarizability, static second hyperpolarizability, and is close to the best for the electro‐optical Pockels effect first hyperpolarizability. However, none of the functionals perform satisfactorily for all the vibrational (hyper)polarizabilities studied. In fact, in the case of electric field‐induced second harmonic generation all of them, as well as the Hartree–Fock approximation, yield the wrong sign. We have also found that the Pople 6–31+G(d) basis set is unreliable for computing nuclear relaxation (hyper)polarizabilities of PMI oligomers due to the spurious prediction of a nonplanar equilibrium geometry. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Bioactive Phenolic Compounds from Primula veris L.: Influence of the Extraction Conditions and Purification

Our experiments may help to answer the question of whether cowslip (Primula veris L.) is a rich source of bioactive substances that can be obtained by efficient extraction with potential use as a food additive. A hypothesis assumed that the type of solvent used for plant extraction and the individual morphological parts of Primula veris L. used for the preparation of herbal extracts will have key impacts on the efficiency of the extraction of bioactive compounds, and thus, the health-promoting quality of plant concentrates produced. Most analysis of such polyphenolic compound contents in extracts from Primula veris L. has been performed by using chromatography methods such as ultra-performance reverse-phase liquid chromatography (UPLC−PDA−MS/MS). Experiments demonstrated that the most effective extraction agent for fresh study material was water at 100 °C, whereas for dried material it was 70% ethanol. The richest sources of polyphenolic compounds were found in cowslip primrose flowers and leaves. The aqueous and ethanol extracts from Primula veris L. were characterized by a quantitatively rich profile of polyphenolic substances, and a high antioxidative potential. Selective extraction with the use of mild conditions and neutral solvents is the first step to obtaining preparations from cowslip primrose with a high content of bioactive substances.