1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition reaction of D-glucose-derived nitrone with allyl alcohol: synthesis of 2-hydroxy-1-deoxycastanospermine analogues - Karanjule, Narayan S.; Markad, Shankar D.; Sharma, T.; Sabharwal, Sushma G.; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Dhavale, Dilip D. (Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2005)
The synthesis and evaluation of glycosidase inhibitory activity of polyhydroxylated indolizidine alkaloids namely 2-hydroxy-1-deoxycastanospermine 3a,b and 2-hydroxy-1-deoxy-8a-epi-castanospermine 3c,d is reported. The key step involves the intermolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of allyl alcohol to D-glucose-derived nitrone 4, followed by tosylation, that afforded four diastereomeric sugar-substituted isoxazolidines 5a-d with the desired regioselectivity. The one-pot conversion of 5a-d to pyrrolidines 8a-d by hydrogenolysis, removal of 1,2-acetonoide functionality, and hydrogenation afforded corresponding target molecules 3a-d.

1,4-Dipolar cycloaddition in organic synthesis: a facile route to isoquinoline fused heterocycles - Nair, Vijay; Sreekanth, Anakkalil R.; Abhilash, N.; Biju, Akkattu T.; Varma, Luxmi; Viji, Sreemathi; Mathew, Saumini (Arkivoc, 2005)
The three component condensation reactions involving isoquinoline, dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate and carbonyl dipolarophiles such as o- and p-benzoquinones and Nsubstituted isatins constitute a one-pot synthesis of a variety of [1,3]oxazino isoquinoline derivatives via 1,4-dipolar cycloaddition.

Absence of food aversion learning in the polyphagous noctuid, spodoptera litura (F.) following intoxication by deleterious chemicals - Ghumare, S. S.; Mukherjee, Samindra N. (Journal of Insect Behavior, 2005)
The objective of this study was to determine whether the presence of a deleterious chemical in a preferred host plant could alter the feeding preference of a polyphagous insect. The preference of the Asian armyworm, Spodoptera litura (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) for castor, Ricinus communis (L.) (family: Euphorbiaceae) relative to cabbage, Brassica oleracea (L.) (family: Brassicaceae) was quantified by two separate two-way choice tests (without treatment and with treatment of the test chemicals used in the present study) with naive third instar larvae each time. This was followed, by continuous feeding (48 h) on the preferred host treated with the test chemicals and using naive third instar larvae for conditioning. Each treatment consisted of one of nine compounds, including seven naturally occurring allelochemicals (viz. (-)-alpha-pinene, (-)-beta-pinene, beta-myrcene, D-limonene, cineole, rutin, and ajwain oil) and two synthetic insecticides (viz. alphamethrin and malathion). Following this, a two-way choice test was repeated with the same batch of larvae without any test chemical. Larvae continued to maintain preference for castor despite exposure to the deleterious chemicals. Among the test chemicals, D-limonene and alphamethrin caused significant reduction in growth. Preference for castor was not overcome by exposure to novel deleterious chemicals, suggesting that aversion, though experienced is not learned.
Keywords: aversion learning; deleterious chemicals; polyphagy; preference; Spodoptera litura

Aromatic polyimides from m-phenylene diamines containing pendant groups: synthesis and characterization - Pal, R. R.; Patil, P. S.; Dere, R. T.; Salunkhe, M. M.; Maldar, Noormahamad N.; Wadgaonkar, P. P. (Journal Applied Polymer Science, 2005)
Two diamine monomers, 4-[4-(1-methyl-1-phenyl)phenoxy]-1,3-(diamino benzene and 4-{-[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]phenoxy}-1,3-diamino benzene, were synthesized, and both diamines were polycondensed with three commercial dianhydrides to obtain aromatic polyimides containing pendant groups. The polyimides were characterized by solubility tests, viscosity measurements, IR, H-1-NMR, and C-13- NMR spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction studies, and thermogravimetric analysis. The polymides had inherent viscosities of 0.33-0.58 dL/g in m-cresol at 30 +/- 0.1 degrees C. All the polyimides were amorphous and were soluble in solvents such as NNdimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N,N-dimethylformamide, and in-cresol. Thermogravimetric analysis of the polymides indicated no weight loss below 410 degrees C under a nitrogen atmosphere. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: heteroatom-containing polymers; High performance polymers; polyimides

Assessing the role of FecB mutation in productivity of Indian sheep - Pardeshi, V. C.; Sainani, Mohini N.; Maddox, J. F.; Ghalsasi, P. M.; Nimbkar, C.; Gupta, V. S. (Current Science, 2005)
DNA samples from four Indian sheep breeds, viz. Garole, Deccani, Bannur and Madras Red were screened by PCR-RFLP to determine the presence of FecB mutation in these breeds. The Garole was the only breed, which carried the FecB mutation. The FecB mutation was introgressed from Garole sheep into Deccani sheep and Bannur sheep, and the performance of the crossbred sheep is being monitored in subsequent generations. Approximately half of the first backcross ewes (progeny of FecB heterozygote F1 rams) was found to carry one copy of FecB mutation, as expected. The FecB PCR-RFLP test was found to be fast, accurate and useful as a tool for making breeding decisions.
Keywords: FecB (Booroola) gene; Garole sheep; PCR-RFLP test; prolificacy

Asymmetric total synthesis of eicosanoid - Mohapatra, Debendra K.; Yellol, G. S. (Arkivoc, 2005)
An asymmetric total synthesis of eicosanoid 4 starting from 2,2- dimethyl-( R)- 1,3- dioxolane-4- carbaldehyde is described. The key steps involved for the synthesis include modified Simmons-Smith cyclopropanation, stereoselective reduction, ring-closing metathesis (RCM) and Nozaki- Hiyama- Kishi coupling reaction.
Keywords: cyclopropanation; eicosanoid; lipoxygenase inhibitors; Ring-closing metathesis; Stereoselective

Bis(2-[alpha-hydroxyethyl]benzimidazolato)copper(II) anchored onto chloromethylated polystyrene for the biomimetic oxidative coupling of 2-aminophenol to 2-aminophenoxazine-3-one - Maurya, Mannar R.; Sikarwar, S.; Joseph, Trissa; Halligudi, Shivappa B. (Journal of Molecular Catalysis A - Chemical, 2005)
2-(alpha-Hydroxyethyl)benzimidazole (Hhebmz) has been covalently anchored to chloromethylated polystyrene cross-linked with 5% divinylbenzene. This polymer-anchored chelating resin reacts with cupric acetate in presence of Hhebmz to give polymer-anchored copper(II) complex PS-[Cu(hebmz)(2)]. Elemental analyses, FT-IR, electronic, scanning electron micrographs (SEM) and TGA-DTA pattern have been used to characterize the complex. Oxidative coupling of 2-aminophenol (OAP) to 2-aminophenoxazine-3-one (APX) catalyzed by PS-[Cu(hebmz)(2)] in presence of air at 70 degrees C in DMF gave 62% substrate conversion over a period of 8 h. Kinetics of the above reaction indicated that the rate of oxidative coupling of OAP has a first order dependence with respect to substrate, catalyst and air pressure (dissolved O-2) concentrations in the range of conditions evaluated. Based on these observations, a plausible mechanism for the above reaction has been proposed. From, the study on the effect of temperature on the rates of oxidative coupling, an activation energy 34.2 kcal/degree mole was evaluated from Arrhenius plot of -ln rate versus 1/T. Enthalpy, entropy and free energy were calculated using standard thermodynamic equations for the above reaction. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 2-aminophenol; 2-aminophenoxazine-3-one; bis(2-[alpha-hydroxyethyl]benzimidazolato)copper(II); chloromethylated polystyrene; oxidative coupling

Carbon-free dry reforming of methane to syngas over NdCoO3 perovskite-type mixed metal oxide catalyst - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Mondal, Kartick C.; Mamman, Ajit Singh; Joshi, Upendra A. (Catalysis Letters, 2005)
CoNdOx (Co/Nd = 1) is a highly promising catalyst for the carbon-free CO2 reforming of methane. Influence of the Co/Nd ratio on the catalyst performance in the CO2 reforming and also on the crystalline phases and reduction by temperature programmed reduction (TPR) of the CoNdOx catalyst has also been investigated. The CoNdOx (CoNd = 1.0) catalyst consisted of mainly NdCoO3 perovskite- type mixed metal oxide and it showed not only a high resistance to carbon formation at different process conditions ( viz. temperature = 750 - 900 degrees C and gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) = 10000 - 50000 cm(3) g(-1) h(-1)) but also high activity and selectivity in the CO2 reforming process. The high resistance to carbon formation for this catalyst is attributed mostly to strong metal (Co degrees) - support (Nd2O3) interactions.
Keywords: CO2 reforming of methane to syngas; CoNdOx catalyst; NdCoO3 perovskite; resistance to carbon formation in CO2 reforming

Chiral 2-C-methylene glycosides and carbohydrate-derived pyrano[2,3-b][1]benzopyrans: synthesis via InCl3 catalyzed stereoselective ferrier rearrangement of 2-C-acetoxymethyl glycal derivatives - Ghosh, R.; Chakraborty, A.; Maiti, D. K.; Puranik, Vedavati G. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2005)
2-C-Acetoxymethyl glycal derivatives react with aliphatic alcohols in the presence of InCl3 (30 mol %) to furnish the corresponding 2-C-methylene glycosides in excellent yields and with exclusive alpha-selectivity except for the methyl 2-C-methylene glycosides, which are formed in similar to 2:1 anomeric ratio in favour of the alpha-anomer. The reaction of 2-C-acetoxyglycals with phenols, however, produces the corresponding chiral carbohydrate-derived pyranobenzopyran derivatives via initial Ferrier rearrangement followed by tandem cyclization in excellent yields and moderate to high stereoselectivities in favour of the corresponding 10a-R-pyrano[2,3-b][1]benzopyran derivatives. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 2-C-methylene glycoside; InCl3; pyranobenzopyran; Stereoselective

Comparison of the pervaporation separation of a water-acetonitrile mixture with zeolite-filled sodium alginate and poly(vinyl alcohol)-polyaniline semi-interpenetrating polymer network membranes - Naidu, B. V. K.; Bhat, S. D.; Sairam, M.; Wali, A. C.; Sawant, D. P.; Halligudi, Shivaraj B.; Mallikarjuna, N. N.; Aminabhavi, Tejraj M. (Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2005)
The pervaporation (PV) separation performance of ZSM-5- and Na-Y-type zeolite-filled sodium alginate (NaAlg) membranes were compared with those of pure NaAlg and semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) membranes of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with polyaniline (PANI) for the dehydration of acetonitrile. The PV separation characteristics of the zeolite-filled membranes showed a dependence on the nature of the zeolites. The variation of the acidity function of the ZSM-5 zeolite had an influence on the flux and selectivity of the membranes when compared to unfilled membranes. The crosslinked membranes were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Increasing the PANI content of the semi-IPN network increased the separation selectivity. Among the NaAlg membranes, the plain NaAlg membrane showed the highest selectivity of 414 at 30 mass % water in the feed mixture, whereas the Na-Y- and ZSM-5 (40)-filled NaAlg membranes exhibited much lower values of selectivity, that is, 7.3 and 4.3, respectively for 30 mass % water in the feed. When the flux and selectivity data of ZSM-5 (250)-filled NaAlg membranes were compared with that of Na-Y- or ZSM-5 (40)-filled NaAlg membranes, a noticeable increase in the selectivity for the ZSM-5 (250)filled NaAlg membrane was observed, but a somewhat comparable flux was observed compared to the plain NaAlg membrane. For the first time, PANI was polymerized with PVA to yield a semi-IPN. The total flux and water flux increased systematically, whereas the selectivity decreased greatly from 251.87 to 5.95 with increasing amounts of water in the feed. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: Diffusion; interpenetrating network (IPN); zeolites

Convenient synthesis of 5-methylene-4-substituted-2(5H)-furanones - Mahajan, Vishal A.; Shinde, Popat D.; Borate, Hanumant B.; Wakharkar, Radhika D. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2005)
A synthesis of novel 4-(substituted)benzyl-5-methylene-2(5H)-furanones involving Stobbe condensation of substituted aldehydes with ethyl levulinate followed by treatment with acetic anhydride in the presence of sodium acetate, has been developed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 5-methylene-2(5H)-furanones; acetic anhydride; arylaldehydes; ethyl levulinate; sodium acetate

Convenient synthesis of the enantiomerically pure beta-blocker (S)-betaxolol using hydrolytic kinetic resolution - Joshi, Ramesh A.; Garud, Dinesh R.; Muthukrishnan, Murugan; Joshi, Rohini R.; Gurjar, M. K. (Tetrahedron-Asymmetry, 2005)
Enantiopure (S)-betaxolol was prepared in an extremely simple and practical way using hydrolytic kinetic resolution of a terminal epoxide by Jacobsen's catalyst. High enantiomeric purity (99% ee) has been achieved and the method is amenable to industrial scale-up. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Density functional response approach for electric properties of molecules - Pal, Sourav; Sophy, K. B. (International Conference on Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering (ICCMSE 2005), 2005)
We review in this paper an implementation of the response approach to the Kohn-Sham (KS) density functional theory (DFT) for obtaining the linear and non-linear electric response properties of molecules using Gaussian type orbital basis centered on atoms. We have made a formulation in which the response of the electron density through the solution of the coupled perturbed Kohn-Sham (CPKS) equations has to be obtained only once, instead of iteratively as in the case of completely analytic procedure. Our method is based on a numerical finite-field solution of derivative KS operator, followed by analytic solution of CPKS equation. Further, using the response of the electron density, the dipole moment, polarizability and first-hyperpolarizability of the molecules are evaluated. The method is particularly useful for large systems. We tested our method using HF, BH, H2O and CO as test molecules, for which, high quality ab initio results are available. Further, our study of possible incorporation of non-dynamical electron correlation by studying BH and HF at several internuclear distances is discussed.
Keywords: Density functional theory; molecular properties; polarizability; Response approach

Deposition and characterization of silver nano-films by a novel solid liquid interface reaction technique (SLIRT) - Godbole, P. D.; Mitra, A.; Pasricha, R.; Mandale, A. B.; Patil, K. R. (Materials Letters, 2005)
Solid-liquid interface reaction technique (SLIRT) is used to deposit silver film on glass substrate. The solid film of silver nitrate is formed by modified spin coating method. This film is subsequently processed by dipping it in a reducing solution so as to initiate a reaction at the interface and ultimately transform it to totally silver film. In situ transformation of silver nitrate to silver is studied with respect to time spectrophotometrically. The characterization of silver film is done by various physicochemical techniques namely XRD, XPS, ED, TEM and UV visible spectroscopy. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Electron microscopy; Nano-Particles; solid-liquid interface reaction; thin film

Deposition of indium nitride films by activated reactive evaporation process - a feasibility study - Patil, Sheetal J.; Bodas, Dhananjay S.; Mandale, A. B.; Gangal, S. A. (Applied Surface Science, 2005)
Indium nitride (InN) films are deposited by `activated reactive evaporation (ARE)' process using parallel plate coupled nitrogen plasma (radio frequency source of 13.56 MHz) and evaporation of pure indium powder by resistive heating. Depositions are carried out by varying RF plasma power, on n-type silicon &LANGBRAC; 1 0 0&RANGBRAC; substrate, maintained at room temperature, at a nitrogen gas pressure of 1.06 x 10(-1) Pa (8 x 10 (-4) Torr). The film's crystallinity was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and topography by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The diffraction pattern shows polycrystalline nature of the deposited films with characteristics of hexagonal structure. XRD peak intensity increases with increase in power. SEM observations show a smooth and pinhole free surface having improved quality of film with hexagonal structure as the power is increased from 60 to 120 W. Primary X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show binding energies of the In 3d levels and N 1s level matching well with that of stoichiometric InN. Further, the refractive index of the films, measured by ellipsometry, is in the range of η = 2.79-2.91 with the variation of plasma power, which is in good agreement with the standard value for indium nitride (η = 2.9). These results indicate the feasibility of using, `activated reactive evaporation (ARE)' process for indium nitride depositions on silicon &LANGBRAC; 1 0 0&RANGBRAC; substrates maintained at room temperature. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: activated reactive evaporation; ellipsometry; indium nitride; SEM; XRD

Deposition of PTFE thin films by RF plasma sputtering on < 100 > silicon substrates - Bodas, Dhananjay S.; Mandale, A. B.; Gangal, S. A. (Applied Surface Science, 2005)
Polymers have been studied extensively due to the wonderful array of properties presented by them. Polymer materials can be coated/deposited by various techniques like sputtering (magnetron, ion beam, RF or dc), plasma polymerization, etc. and can be used in coatings, paint industries, etc. The present study deals with the RF sputter deposition of poly(tetrafluoro ethylene) (PTFE), commonly known as Teflon. Depositions were carried out on mirror polished silicon (1 0 0) substrates at different powers in the range of 100-200 W. The deposition time was kept constant at 60 min. The sputtered film shows lower contact angle of 50&DEG; with water and 44&DEG; with diiodomethane, a lower interfacial tension value of 0.76 dyne/cm, indicating hydrophilicity and good adhesion of the film with the substrate. FHR indicates presence of C-F, C-F-2 bonding groups in the deposited film. Further, XPS study shows presence of CF3 (292.2 eV), CF2 (290.8 eV), C-F (288.0 eV) and C-CF (286.4 eV) moieties indicating deposition of PTFE films at higher power levels of plasma. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Contact angle measurement; FTIR; PTFE; RF plasma sputtering; XPS

Effect of 2-(2-pyridyl)azole-based ancillary ligands (L1-4) on the electrophilicity of the nitrosyl function in [Ru-II(trpy)(L1-4)(NO)](3+) [trpy=2,2 `: 6 `,2 `'-terpyridine]. synthesis, structures, and spectroscopic, electrochemical, and kinetic aspects - Chanda, N.; Paul, D.; Kar, S.; Mobin, Shaikh M.; Datta, Anindya; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Rao, K. K.; Lahiri, Goutam Kumar (Inorganic Chemistry, 2005)
Ruthenium nitrosyl complexes [Ru(trpy)(L1-4)(NO)](3+) (13-16) [trpy = 2,2':6',2"-terpyridine, L-1 = 2-(2-pyridyl)-benzoxazole, L-2 = 2-(2-pyridyl)benzthiazole, L-3 = 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole, L-4 = 1-methyl-2-(2-pyridyl)-1H-benzimidazole] were obtained in a stepwise manner starting from [Ru-II(trpy)(L1-4) (Cl)]ClO4 (1-4) &RARR; [Ru-II(trpy)(L1-4) (H2O)](ClO4)(2) (5-8) &RARR; [Ru-II(trpy)(L1-4) (NO2)ClO4 (9-12) &RARR; [Ru-II(trpy)(L-1,L-2,L-4) (NO)](ClO4)(3) (13, 14, 16)/[Ru-II(trpy)(L-3) (NO)](Cl)(4))(2)(NO3) (15). Crystal structures of 1, 2, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15, and 16 established the stereoretentive nature of the transformation processes. Though the complexes of L1, L3, and L 4 were isolated in the isomeric form A (π-acceptor trpy and azole ring in the equatorial plane and the pyridine and chloride donors in the axial positions), complexes of L 2 preferentially stabilized in form B (trpy and pyridine in the equatorial plane and the azole ring and chloride donors in the axial positions). The v(NO) stretching frequency varied in the range of 1957-1932 cm(-1), 13 &MGT; 14 &MGT; 15 > 16, primarily depending on the electronic aspects of L as well as the isomeric structural forms. The coordinated nitrosyl function underwent successive reductions of [Ru-II-NO+](3+) &RARR; [Ru-II-NO&BULL;](2+) and [Ru-II-NO&BULL;](2+) - [Ru-II-NO-](+), and the first reduction potential follows the order 14 > 13 &MGT; 15 &AP; 16. The nearly axial EPR spectra having nitrogen hyperfine splittings (A &AP; 26 G) at 77 K of 13(-)-16(-) with (g) &AP; 2.0 established that the reduction process is largely centered around the nitrosyl function. Despite an appreciably high v(NO), the complexes were found to be unusually stable even in the aqueous medium. They transformed slowly and only partially into the corresponding nitro derivatives in H2O (k &AP; 10(-4) s(-1) and K = 0.4-3.8). The chloro (1-4), aqua (5-8), and nitro (9-12) derivatives displayed reasonably strong emissions near 700 nm at 77 K (φ = 10(-1)-10(-2)). The aqua derivative 7 was found to interact with the calf thymus and the circular form of p-Bluescript SK DNA.

Effect of RuO2 in the shape selectivity of submicron-sized SnO2 structures - Ramgir, N. S.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; Vijayamohanan, K. P. (Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2005)
Several dissimilar types of tin oxide microstructures including bipyramids, cubes, and wires synthesized effectively by means of a simple approach were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry/ differential thermometric analysis (TG-DTA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A possible growth mechanism is proposed using the results of these studies. The texture coefficient values of all the structures, indexed to a tetragonal lattice, exhibit amazing variation in the preferred orientation with respect to their shapes. Although XPS data indicate that wires and cubes have a strong SnO2 type signal, bipyramids interestingly exhibit both SnO and SnO2 signals and a correlation of the binding energy helps in understanding the growth kinetics of such submicron structures. The. results suggest that the bipyramids are formed because of the vapor-solid process (VS) while wires and cubes are formed by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) progression.

Efficient and selective cleavage of the tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) group under basic condition - Mohapatra, Debendra K.; Durugkar, Kulbhushan A. (Arkivoc, 2005)
A simple, efficient and mild method for the selective cleavage of tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) from dicarbamates and a carbonyl or aromatic ring in conjugation with the nitrogen atom bearing the Boc-group is described under basic condition.
Keywords: alpha-amino acids; celogenitins; di-t-butylimidodicarbonate; racemization; Selective deprotection

Electrochemical studies of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) PEDOT/VS2 nanocomposite as a cathode material for rechargeable lithium batteries - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Vijayamohanan, K. (Electrochemistry Communications, 2005)
Here, we demonstrate the electrochemical characterization of a new type of layered poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) PEDOT/ VS2 nanocomposite. It has been prepared via flocculation of delaminated VS2 with subsequent in situ oxidative polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) with VS2 as a host material in the presence of an external oxidizing agent. The interlayer spacing Of VS2 expands from 5.71 to 14.01 A and this interlayer separation is consistent with the existence of a monolayer of PEDOT in the VS2 framework. X-ray diffraction, XPS and TEM studies have been;shown the change in interlayer separation is consistent with the existence of two phases of organic and inorganic species in the nanocomposites corresponding to the intercalation of PEDOT in the VS2 framework. The application potential of the nanocomposite as a cathode material for rechargeable lithium batteries is also demonstrated by the electrochemical intercalation of lithium into the PEDOT/VS2 nanocomposite, where a significant enhancement in the discharge capacity is observed (similar to130 mAh/g) compared to that (80 mAh/g) for pristine VS2. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Keywords: layered nanocomposite; lithium batteries; polythiophene; vanadium disulfide

Electronic spectra and ionization potentials of halogen oxides using the fock space coupled-cluster method - Vaval, N; Manohar, Prashant Uday; Pal, S (Collection of Czechoslovac Chemical Communications, 2005)
The ionization potentials and excitation energies of halogen monoxides and dihalogen oxides are studied using fully size-extensive Fock space version of multi-reference coupled-cluster theory. The low-lying excited states of ClO-, FO-, Cl2O and F2O are obtained along with the ionization spectra of Cl2O and F2O. The adiabatic electron affinity of ClO, FO and the vertical detachment energy of ClO- and FO- are also presented.

Enhanced selectivity to decalin in naphthalene hydrogenation under supercritical carbon dioxide - Hiyoshi, Norihito; Miura, R.; Rode, C. V.; Sato, O.; Shirai, M. (Chemistry Letters, 2005)
A charcoal-supported rhodium catalyst was highly active and selective to decalin for the hydrogenation of naphthalene at very low temperature (333 K) under supercritical carbon dioxide.

Enhancement of double-layer capacitance behavior and its electrical conductivity in layered poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-based nanocomposites - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Viswanath, A. K.; Campet, Guy; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Vijayamohanan, K. (Applied Physics Letters, 2005)
In this letter, we report on the enhanced double-layer capacitance of a layered poly (3, 4-ethylene dioxythiophene) PEDOT-MoO3 nanocomposite, which has been synthesized by a novel microwave irradiation method. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows the changes in electron density and the shift in binding energy suggesting charge transfer from sulfur atoms upon PEDOT intercalation between MoO3 layers. The room-temperature conductivity for the PEDOT-MoO3 composite is found to be 1.82x10(-1) S cm(-1), which is four orders of magnitude higher than that of the pristine oxide (3.78x10(-5) S cm(-1)). The enhanced double-layer capacitance of the PEDOT-MoO3 nanocomposite (similar to 300 F g(-1)) compared to that (similar to 40 mF g(-1)) of pristine MoO3 is attributed to higher electronic conductivity, enhanced bidimensionality, and increase in surface area of the nanocomposite.

Entrapment of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) between VS2 layers to form a new organic-inorganic intercalative nanocomposite - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Quintin, M.; Delville, M. H.; Campet, Guy; Vijayamohanan, K. (Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2005)
Here we report the synthesis and characterization of a new class of nanocomposite by direct in situ oxidative polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) with VS2 as a host material in the presence of an external oxidizing agent. Upon intercalation, the interlayer spacing of VS2 expands from 5.71 Angstrom to 14.01 Angstrom, followed by exfoliation and a restacking process facilitating expansion of the lattice in a direction perpendicular to the dichalcogenide layers. This change in interlayer separation is consistent with the existence of two phases of organic and inorganic species in the nanocomposites corresponding to the intercalation of PEDOT in the VS2 framework. The resulting nanocomposite is characterized by thermal analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction, FTIR, SEM, TEM, and four-probe electrical conductivity measurements. The application potential of the nanocomposite as a cathode material for rechargeable lithium batteries is also demonstrated by the electrochemical intercalation of lithium into the PEDOT-VS2 nanocomposite, where a significant enhancement in the discharge capacity is observed (similar to130 mA h g(-1)) compared to that (80 mA h g(-1)) for pristine VS2.

Facile oxidation of flavanones to flavones using [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene in an ionic liquid - Muthukrishnan, Murugan; Patil, P. S.; More, Shivaji V.; Joshi, Ramesh A. (Mendeleev Communications, 2005)
A method for the oxidation of flavationes to flavones has been developed using [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo] benzene (HTIB) in the room-temperature ionic liquid 1,3-di-n-butylimidazolium bromide ([bbim]Br-+(-)).

Gradual transitions in morphology of diamond films grown by using N-2 admixtures of CH4+H-2 gas in a hot filament assisted chemical vapour deposition system - Kshirsagar, S. T.; Kshirsagar, R. B.; Patil, P. S.; Kulkarni, A.; Mandate, A. B.; Gaikwad, A. B.; Gokhale, Suresh P. (Diamond and Related Materials, 2005)
A study of the evolution of morphology of diamond films grown as a function of N-2 gas additions to the CH4+H-2 precursor in an HF-CVD system is presented. With the increase of admixture of N2 fraction, in contrast to earlier studies, the morphology was observed first to gradually change from {111}-faceted crystallites texture to that of an intermediate cubo-octahedral crystallite texture and then gradually but finally to transform completely into that of {100}-faceted crystallites. The threshold nitrogen concentration, [N-2](thr), required to bring about the said transition in morphology was much larger than it was reported previously. Moreover, the morphology transition required a larger [N-2](thr) when a large fraction of methane was employed. Further additions of nitrogen, that just exceeded the [N-2](thr), resulted in growth of films containing slightly bigger {100}-multi-layered grains or isolated planar {100}-platelets. For extremely large nitrogen additions, the growth of nanocrystalline or amorphous carbon films was observed. The N-2 additions more than 50 vol.% did not yield any deposition. Raman scattering and photoluminescence measurements were used respectively for characterizing the quality and nitrogen doping in the films. These results are attributed to the possible catalytic role of atomic nitrogen at the growing surface. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: diamond film; hot filament CVD; morphology transitions; nitrogen

Growth kinetics and thermodynamic stability of octadecyltrichlorosilane self-assembled monolayer on Si (100) substrate - Kulkarni, S. A.; Mirji, S. A.; Mandale, A. B.; Gupta, R. P.; Vijayamohanan, K. P. (Materials Letters, 2005)
We have studied the growth kinetics and thermodynamic stability of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) self-assembled monolayers on Si (100) substrate in order to understand its role in controlling the adhesion and surface hydrophobicity. Time-dependent contact angle measurements, using water as a function of OTS concentration, show rapid monolayer formation in the initial stage followed by a slow attainment of full coverage and the overall kinetics approximately follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The adsorption rate constant (k(a) = 150 M-1 s(-1)) is found to be significantly greater than the desorption rate constant (k(d) = 0.156 s(-1)) while the Gibbs free energy (Delta G(ads)) change amounts to -4.2 kcal/mol suggesting thermodynamic stability of OTS monolayer on a silicon surface. Partial monolayer formation by a `uniform' growth mechanism, even at low coverage, is revealed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in conjunction with grazing angle FTIR spectroscopy. Analysis of the interfacial adhesion properties using Zisman plot suggests a critical surface tension (gamma(c)) of 20.7 dyn/cm for OTS monolayer on Si (100) surface. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Gibbs's free energy (AG); growth kinetics; octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS); self-assembled monolayers (SAMs); Zisman plot

Growth of PbS nanopyramidal particulate films for potential applications in quantum-dot photovoltaics and nanoantennas - Hawaldar, Ranjit R.; Mulik, Uttam P.; Patil, K.; Pasricha, R.; Sathaye, S.; Lewis, A.; Amalnerkar, Dinesh P. (Materials Research Bulletin, 2005)
We report a simple interfacial process called the liquid-liquid interface reaction technique (LLIRT) that leads to the formation of nanosized PbS particulate films with hitherto unreported pyramidal morphology. The resultant PbS films were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray diffractometery (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), near field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The pyramidal morphology is speculated to originate from the preferred orientation of the 2 2 0 plane of cubic PbS. Our nanopyramidal PbS particulate films display remarkably sharp excitonic peak centered around 656 nm that accounts for a band gap of 1.8 eV suggesting, in turn, their potential application in QD photovoltaics. Interestingly, the feasibility of such nanopyramids to potentially act as nanoantennas (as revealed by the NSOM) is also suggested. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Atomic force microscopy; Chemical synthesis; Electron microscopy; Nanostructures; Optical properties

Highly active new alpha-diimine nickel catalyst for the polymerization of alpha-olefins - Liu, Hua-Rong; Gomes, P. T.; Costa, S. I.; Duarte, M. T.; Branquinho, R.; Fernandes, A. C.; Chien, J. C. W.; Singh, R. P.; Marques, Maria M. (Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, 2005)
A new silylated alpha-diimine ligand, bis[N,N `-(4-tert-butyl-diphenylsilyl-2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imino]acenaphthene 3, and its corresponding Ni(II) complex, {bis[N,N `-(4-tert-butyl-diphenylsilyl-2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imino]acenaphthene} dibromonickel 4, have been synthesized and characterized. The crystal structures of 3 and 4 were determined by X-ray crystallography. In the solid state, complex 4 is a dimer with two bridging Br ligands linking the two nickel centers, which have square pyramidal geometries. Complex 4, activated either by diethylaluminum chloride (DEAC) or methylaluminoxane (MAO) produces very active catalyst systems for the polymerization of ethylene and moderately active for the polymerization of propylene. The activity values are in the order of magnitude of 10(7) g PE (mol Ni [E] h)(-1) for the polymerization of ethylene and of 10(5) g PP (mol Ni [P] h)(-1) for the polymerization of propylene. NMR analysis shows that branched polyethylenes (PE) are obtained at room or higher temperatures and almost linear PE is obtained at 0 degrees C with 4/DEAC. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: alpha-diimine nickel complex; Ethylene polymerization; late transition-metal; propylene polymerization

High-temperature stable and highly active/selective supported NiCoMgCeOx catalyst suitable for autothermal reforming of methane to syngas - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Mondal, Kartick C.; Mamman, Ajit Singh (Journal of Catalysis, 2005)
Low-surface-area, macroporous, zirconia-haffnia-supported NiCoMgOx and NiCoMgCeOx (Ni/Co/Mg/Ce = 1/0.2/1.2/0.0 or 1.2) catalysts, precalcined at high temperature ( 1400 degrees C for 4 h), showed both high activity (> 98% conversion) and selectivity ( > 95%) in the catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPOM) to syngas. Their performance remained unchanged even after they were subjected to higher temperature (> 2000 degrees C for 30 min) or a number of high-temperature (> 2000 degrees C) shocks, due to their direct exposure to an oxyacetylene flame. The supported NiCoMgCeOx, however, showed superior performance in the steam and CO2 reforming reactions because of its much higher lattice oxygen mobility. Hence it is more suitable for the autothermal reforming of methane. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: autothermal reforming of methane; Catalyst; catalytic partial oxidation of methane; CO2 reforming of methane; high-temperature stable supported NiCoMgCeOx catalyst; steam reforming of methane; zirconia-haffnia-supported NiCoMgCeOx catalysts; zirconia-haffnia-supported NiCoMgOx

Identical molecular strings woven differently by intermolecular interactions in dimorphs of myo-inositol 1,3,5-orthobenzoate - Bhosekar, Gaurav V.; Murali, Chebrolu; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Shashidhar, M. S.; Bhadbhade, Mohan M. (Crystal Growth & Design, 2005)
myo-Inositol 1,3,5-orthobenzoate exhibits polymorphic behavior depending upon the solvent and time allowed for crystallization. Long plates (form I, monoclinic P2(1)/n) are produced on crystallization from methanol, while crystallization from ethyl acetate mostly yielded squarish plates (form II, monoclinic P2(1)/c). The latter could also be obtained by achieving rapid nucleation from a supersaturated solution of methanol. Remarkably, the overall conformation of the individual molecules is very similar in both polymorphs, although free rotations were possible for the phenyl ring and for the three O-H groups. O-H center dot center dot center dot O linked one-dimensional isostructural molecular strings in the two forms weave differently by weak intermolecular interactions to produce the dimorphs. Striking difference is seen in the ``zipping'' of molecular layers via phenyl center dot center dot center dot phenyl contacts; thermodynamic crystals of form I utilize a well-recognized ``edge-to-face'' herringbone pattern, making C-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions, whereas the kinetic crystals of form II show rather uncommon ``edge-to-edge'' organization, which makes short Ph-H center dot center dot center dot H-Ph contacts.

Immobilized molybdovanadophosphoric acids on SBA-15 for selective oxidation of alkenes - Raj, N. K. K.; Deshpande, S. S.; Ingle, Rohit H.; Raja, T.; Manikandan, Palanichamy (4th International Symposium on Nanoporous Materials, 2005)
Vanadium substituted molybdophosphoric acids have been immobilized on amine functionalized SBA-15 and characterized by different techniques. Small angle X-ray scattering analysis and SEM technique provide evidence for the structural integrity of the samples. UV-Vis, NMR and IR data confirm the incorporation of molybdovanadophosphoric acids onto the amine functionalized SBA-15. The textural properties of these materials were studied by nitrogen sorption studies. Oxidation of cyclooctene and norbornene was carried out with oxidants in aqueous (aq. H2O2) and non-aqueous (TBHP extracted in dichloroethane) medium. The reactions were carried out with both the neat catalysts (homogeneous) and the immobilized catalysts (heterogenized) and the results were compared. The selectivity of the desired products was always > 99% with the immobilized catalyst with both aq.H2O2 and TBHP. However, while the leaching was negligible in the non-aqueous medium, the aqueous medium leads to considerable leaching. The immobilized catalysts could be separated after the reaction and the reusability of the catalyst has also been demonstrated especially with oxidant in the nonaqueous medium.

Inactive enzymatic mutant proteins (phosphoglycerate mutase and enolase) as sugar binders for ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate regeneration reactors - De, Dinesh; Dutta, D.; Kundu, M.; Mahato, S.; Schiavone, M. T.; Chaudhuri, S.; Giri, Ashok P.; Gupta, Vidya; Bhattacharya, S. K. (Microbial Cell Factories, 2005)
Background: Carbon dioxide fixation bioprocess in reactors necessitates recycling of D- ribulose1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) for continuous operation. A radically new close loop of RuBP regenerating reactor design has been proposed that will harbor enzyme-complexes instead of purified enzymes. These reactors will need binders enabling selective capture and release of sugar and intermediate metabolites enabling specific conversions during regeneration. In the current manuscript we describe properties of proteins that will act as potential binders in RuBP regeneration reactors. Results: We demonstrate specific binding of 3-phosphoglycerate (3PGA) and 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde ( 3PGAL) from sugar mixtures by inactive mutant of yeast enzymes phosphoglycerate mutase and enolase. The reversibility in binding with respect to pH and EDTA has also been shown. No chemical conversion of incubated sugars or sugar intermediate metabolites were found by the inactive enzymatic proteins. The dissociation constants for sugar metabolites are in the micromolar range, both proteins showed lower dissociation constant (Kd) for 3-phosphoglycerate ( 655 - 796 mu M) compared to 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde ( 822 - 966 mu M) indicating higher affinity for 3PGA. The proteins did not show binding to glucose, sucrose or fructose within the sensitivity limits of detection. Phosphoglycerate mutase showed slightly lower stability on repeated use than enolase mutants. Conclusions: The sugar and their intermediate metabolite binders may have a useful role in RuBP regeneration reactors. The reversibility of binding with respect to changes in physicochemical factors and stability when subjected to repeated changes in these conditions are expected to make the mutant proteins candidates for in-situ removal of sugar intermediate metabolites for forward driving of specific reactions in enzyme-complex reactors.

Increasing the sensitivity of 2D high-resolution NMR methods applied to quadrupolar nuclei - Amoureux, J. P.; Delevoye, L.; Steuernagel, S.; Gan, Zhengting; Ganapathy, Subramanian; Montagne, L. (Journal of Magnetic Resonance, 2005)
Gan and Kwak recently proposed a soft-pulse added mixing (SPAM) idea in the classical two-pulse multiple-quantum magic-angle spinning scheme. In the SPAM method, a soft pi/2 pulse is added after the second hard-pulse (conversion pulse) and all coherence orders in between them are constructively used to obtain the signal. We, here, further extend this idea to distributed samples where the signal mainly results from echo pathways and that from anti-echo pathways dies Out after a few t(1) increments. We show that, with a combination of SPAM and collection of fewer anti-echoes, an enhancement of the signal to noise ratio by a factor of ca. 3 may be obtained over the z-filtered version. This may prove to be useful even for samples with long T'(2) relaxation times. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: high-resolution; quadrupolar nuclei; sensitivity; Solid-state NMR

India: apremier destination for outsourcing - Chorghade, Mukund S.; Chorghade, V. M.; Gurjar, Mukund K.; Ramana, Chepuri V.; Kamerkar, A. V.; Zafran, H.; Mashelkar, Raghunath Anant (Speciality Chemicals Magazine, 2005)

Influence of silica source in the catalytic activity and heterogenity of mesoporous vanadosilicates - Shylesh, S.; Mirajkar, Subhash P.; Singh, A. P. (Journal of Molecular Catalysis A-Chemical, 2005)
Vanadium-substituted ordered mesoporous silicates (V-OMS) were synthesized hydrothermally using two common silica sources, viz. fumed silica and tetraethyl orthosilicate, and their surface properties and catalytic activities were evaluated in the liquid phase oxidation of 1-napthol using aqueous H2O2 as an oxidant. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, N-2, adsorption-desorption, DRUV-vis and TPR to evaluate the mesostructural ordering and the local environment of vanadium in the MCM-41 matrix. Characterization data of the fresh calcined catalysts reveal a more ordered hexagonal structure for the V-MCM-41 catalyst prepared by using tetraethyl orthosilicate as the silica source while spent catalyst showed that the material is less stable than the V-MCM-41 catalyst prepared by using fumed silica as the silica source. Further, the observed differences in the selectivity behavior of extracted and calcined forms of both vanadium catalysts shows that the treatment conditions had a decisive role in the formation of extra framework metal species and further in the mesoscopic structural ordering. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 1-napthol; MCM-41; Mesoporous; Oxidation; Vanadium

Insight into the mechanism of selective mono-N-methylation of aniline on Cu1-xZnxFe2O4: a DRIFTS study - Vijayaraj, M.; Murugan, B.; Shubhangi B. Umbarkar; Hegde, S. G.; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S. (Journal of Molecular Catalysis A - Chemical, 2005)
Mechanism of selective mono-N-methylation of aniline with methanol on Cu1-xZn2FeO4 catalysts was investigated in detail. The interaction of reactants (aniline. methanol and methanol: aniline) and possible products (N-methylaniline (NMA), N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) and o-toluidine (OT)) on catalysts surface was studied by temperature-dependent in situ FTIR spectroscopy. Methanol adsorbs dissociatively over catalysts surface at 373 K as methoxy species and is oxidized to formate species at high temperature through dioxymethylene and/or formaldehyde as a surface intermediate species. On the other hand, adsorption of aniline:methanol mixtures shows that methanol oxidation was completely hindered in the presence of aniline. Aniline adsorbs on the Lewis acid sites at <= 373 K with phenyl ring oriented in a perpendicular manner to the catalyst surfaced however, N-H bond scission occurs above 373 K. A comparison of adsorbed NMA and methanol: am line (3:1) mixture on Cu0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 shows NMA forms from the reaction mixture at 473 K. However, maximum activity at 573 K in catalytic reaction studies suggests that desorption limits the methylation kinetics. FTIR study displays stable aniline and methyl species on ZnFe2O4 even at 573 K; however. no methyl species is detected on Cr0.95Zn0.05Fe2O4 at 473 K due to methanol reforming reaction and that limits the overall reaction and hence low catalytic activity. It is proposed that methanol is protonated on catalysts surface by the labile H+ due to N-H bond scission. Co-adsorption of acidity probes with aniline and methanol indicates that aniline methylation takes place at single acid-base site. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Aniline; Cu1-xZnxFe2O4; desorption limited; DRIFT; IR; Methanol; N-methylaniline; N-methylation; reaction mechanism

Integrated fuel cell processor for a 5-kW proton-exchange membrane fuel cell - Ratnamala, G. M.; Shah, N.; Mehta, V.; Rao, P. V.; Devotta, S. (Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2005)
A fuel processor is a combination of a few reactors to generate hydrogen required for a fuel cell. The study deals with the production of hydrogen suitable for a 5-kW proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) for household applications using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as the fuel. The aim is to energy integrate the five reactors in a fuel processor, i.e., desulfurizer, steam reformer, high-temperature shift reactor, low-temperature shift reactor, preferential oxidation reactor, and various heat exchangers. Heat-exchanger network synthesis analysis has been carried out for the entire process to make the process efficient. The results obtained from the studies show that the steam reforming with LPG gives a higher concentration of hydrogen in the product of about 74%. The fuel cell efficiency is around 34%, and the thermal efficiency including lean gas is about 93%. The model developed can serve as the basis for the development of an integrated PEMFC decentralized power pack for household applications.

Interfacing biology with nanoparticles - Mandal, Sujata; Phadtare, S.; Sastry, M. (Current Applied Physics, 2005)
New approaches are constantly being developed for both the synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials and their surface modification for sensing and electronic applications. Insofar as surface modification of gold nanoparticles is concerned, thiol chemistry is the most popular approach to bind ligands to their surface. We have been pursuing the possibility of using amine functionality to bind ligands to the surface of gold nanoparticles and have found that amine binding is as strong as thiol binding. The advantages of using amine chemistry for surface modification of nanogold are many, the possibility of complexing a large variety of biomolecules such as amino acids and proteins being one of the most important. In this article, we review the work from this laboratory on the stabilization of gold nanoparticles using amino acids as well as using amino acids as reducing agents to obtain stable aqueous solutions of gold nanoparticles of variable size. We also discuss the possibility of forming bioconjugates of enzymes with gold nanoparticles decorating the surface of polymer microspheres and their application as reusable biocatalysts. There is much to be gained by marrying nanomaterials with biology with considerable spin-offs likely in both nanotechnology and biotechnology. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: amino acids' enzyme immobilization; Nanoparticles; Proteins

Keggin ion mediated synthesis of hydrophobized pd nanoparticles for multifunctional catalysis - Mandal, Sujata; Das, Amitava; Srivastava, R.; Sastry, M. (Langmuir, 2005)
Development of simple and reliable protocols for the synthesis of organically soluble catalytically active metal nanoparticles is an important aspect of research in nanomaterials. We demonstrate herein the formation of Pd nanoparticles by reduction of aqueous Pd(NO3)(2) by photoexcited Keggin ions (phosphotungstate anions). This results in the formation of Pd nanoparticles capped with with Keggin ions that render the particles negatively charged. The Keggin ion capped Pd nanoparticles may then be phase transferred into nonpolar organic solvents such as toluene by electrostatic complexation with cationic surfactants such as octadecylamine at the liquid-liquid interface. This results in a new class of catalyst wherein both the Pd core and Keggin ion shell may be used in a range of catalytic reactions leading to a truly multifunctional catalyst dispersible in organic solvents.

Kinetics of the complete combustion of dilute propane and toluene over iron-doped ZrO2 catalyst - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Deshmukh, G. M.; Mishra, D. P. (Energy & Fuels, 2005)
The kinetics of the complete combustion of propane and toluene at very low concentrations in air (0.45 and 0.3 mol % in air, respectively) over iron-doped ZrO2 (cubic) catalyst (Fe/Zr = 0.25) at different temperatures (598-723 K) in kinetic control regime have been investigated. The combustion rate data could be fitted very well to both the power-law and redox (Mars-Van Krevelen) models. However, the redox model provided a better fit to the kinetic data for the propane combustion. It also showed a better fit to the toluene combustion data at the lower temperatures (623 K). The reaction order (with respect to the hydrocarbon), apparent activation energy, and frequency factor (from the power-law model) for the propane combustion were 0.96 (average), 21.16 kcal/mol, and 4.67 x 10(5) Mol g(-1) h(-1) kPa(-n), respectively, and those for the toluene combustion were 0.77 (average), 26.08 kcal/mol, and 1.48 x 10(7) mol g(-1) h(-1) kPa(-n), respectively.

Measuring organizational scientific productivity: a study at NCL - Mehta, Neeta (Current Science, 2005)

Mesityllithium - Mhaske, Santosh B. (Synlett, 2005)

Miscibility of chitosan-hydroxyethylcellulose blends in aqueous acetic acid solutions at 35 degrees C - Wali, A. C.; Naidu, B. V. K.; Mallikarjuna, N. N.; Sainkar, S. R.; Halligudi, Shivaraj B.; Aminabhavi, Tejraj M. (Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2005)
The miscibility of blends of chitosan and hydroxyethylcellulose in a 2% acetic acid solution was studied by viscometry, densitometry, and refractometry at 35 degrees C. The data suggest that the blends were completely miscible in all proportions. Further, the membranes were fabricated from concentrated blend solutions. The solid-state compatibility of the blends was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: blends; miscibility; refractive index; viscosity

Mitochondrial sequence reveals high levels of gene flow between breeds of domestic sheep from Asia and Europe - Meadows, J. R. S.; Li, K.; Kantanen, J.; Tapio, M.; Sipos, W.; Pardeshi, V.; Gupta, V.; Calvo, J. H.; Whan, V.; Norris, B.; Kijas, J. W. (Journal of Heredity, 2005)
Sequence variation present within the mitochondrial genome was used to investigate genetic diversity within sheep breeds from Asia and Europe. Comparison of 2027 bp of sequence from 121 animals revealed 44 phylogenetically informative nucleotide positions and a single insertion/deletion. A total of 57 haplotypes were observed which formed two distinct clades. Type A haplotypes were found in breeds from Asia (India, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Tibet), while type B haplotypes were observed at the highest frequency in breeds sourced from Europe (nine breeds from Austria, angstrom land, Finland, Spain, and northwestern Russia). The distribution of haplotypes indicates sheep appear to have the weakest population structure and the highest rate of intercontinental dispersal of any domestic animal reported to date. Only 2.7% of the sequence variation observed was partitioned between continents, which is lower than both goat (approximately 10%) and cattle (approximately 50%). Diagnostic restriction fragment length polymorphism polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR) tests which distinguish type A and B haplotypes were used to test an additional 223 animals from 17 breeds of European and Asian origin. A mixture of the two lineages was found in every breed except Suffolk and the Indian Garole, indicating introgression has played a major part during breed development and subsequent selection.

Nanostructured tin oxide: synthesis and gas-sensing properties - Niranjan, R. S.; Hwang, Young Kyu; Kim, D. K.; Jhung, S. H.; Chang, J. S.; Mulla, Imtiaz S. (Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2005)
Pure and Ru-doped nanostructured SnO2 sensing materials were synthesized using a modified Pechini route. Incorporation of Ru in SnO2 results in the reduction of particle size (8.3 nm) compared with that of the pure SnO2 (28.2 nm). Moreover, the sensor exhibited a reasonably good sensitivity towards both H-2 and liquified petroleum gas (LPG). The effect of Ru incorporation, operating temperature, and gas concentration on the structure, morphology, and sensitivity is discussed using the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with sensing performance. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: hydrogen and hydrocarbon sensor; Nanostructure; ruthenium; tin oxide

Nature of manganese species in Ce1-xMnxO2-delta solid solutions synthesized by the solution combustion route - Murugan, B.; Ramaswamy, A. V.; Srinivas, D.; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Ramaswamy, V. (Chemistry of Materials, 2005)
A series of manganese-cerium oxide composites with Mn concentrations in the range of 1-20 mol % in ceria was prepared by the solution combustion technique using urea as fuel. The nature, type, and oxidation state of Mn species in ceria were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance UV-visible spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed reduction techniques. The study reveals that the method of preparation significantly influences the type of manganese species in ceria. Wet-impregnation, coprecipitation, and solid-state synthesis techniques lead to clustered MnOx-like species in the ceria matrix, while the present method of preparation (solution combustion route) yields a highly dispersed form of Mn species. In the reported series of samples, Mn is present mainly in +2 and +3 oxidation states and there is no evidence for the presence of Mn 41 species. Powder X-ray diffraction studies at variable temperatures (298-1323 K) indicate the formation of Ce1-xMnxO2-delta Solid solutions. No separate MnOx-type phase was detected even at 1323 K. EPR studies reveal that the isolated Mn2+ and Mn2+ species are present in at least three different structural locations: species A, Mn ions in ceria-lattice defect sites; species B, Mn ions in framework Ce4+ locations; and species C, Mn ions in interstitial locations and at the surface of ceria. The Mn3+ ions in ceria exhibit a facile reduction and reoxidation behavior when exposed to dry hydrogen and subsequently to air at elevated. temperatures. A highly dispersed state of Mn3+ and Mn2+ in ceria, facile redox behavior, and a synergistic Mn-ceria interaction are some of the unique properties of this material prepared by the solution combustion procedure.

New approach to the synthesis of bromochloromethane as a biocide intermediate - Muthusubramanian, L.; Mitra, Raiat B. (Journal of the Society of Leather Technologists and Chemists, 2005)
Preservatives are essential in the leather industry in particular to protect wet tanned and crust leather against mould damage. Preservative selection is made on the basis of ecological and toxicological aspects, statutory requirements, official regulations and their effectiveness and cost. Until legislation restricted the use of pentachlorophenol (PCP), phenolics were the predominant wet blue fungicides, but afterwards Busan 30L (Buckman Laboratories) was widely adopted in the industry. The active ingredient of Busan 30L is 2-(thiocyanomethyl)-thiobenzothiazole (TCMTB). This paper reports the synthesis of bromochloromethane (BCM) which is an important intermediate for the synthesis of TCMTB. The process which we have developed is simple and offers cleaner, low-waste technology for the synthesis of BCM using non-toxic and non-hazardous raw materials. The BCM was characterized by conventional methods, IR, (HNMR)-H-1 and mass spectra data.

New approaches to the synthesis of anisotropic, core-shell and hollow metal nanostructures - Sastry, M.; Swami, A.; Mandal, Sujata; Selvakannan, P. R. (Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2005)
The synthesis of nanomaterials with control over size, shape and chemical composition continues to be a major challenge in nanoscience. The requirements of nanomaterial synthesis are becoming more sophisticated and, in addition to anisotropic structures, there is much excitement surrounding the development of recipes for the synthesis of core-shell and hollow nanostructures. Much of the motivation for research in this direction stems from the unusual optoelectronic and chemical properties exhibited by such nanostructures. In this article, we review the work from this laboratory on the synthesis of flat gold nanostructures at the air-water interface, either by confining the reductant or the precursor metal ions to the air-water interface. We also describe the synthesis of phase-pure core-shell nanoparticles by immobilizing UV- and pH-dependent reducing agents on the surface of the core nanoparticles as well as the synthesis of organically soluble hollow-shell nanostructures via transmetallation reactions.

New method for the preparation of 1,2-benzisoxazole-3-carboxaldehyde - Kalkote, Uttam R.; Panchgalle, S. R.; Mahakal, K. K.; Choudhary, S. M.; Chavan, Sayalee R. (Journal of Chemical Research, 2005)
Synthesis of 1,2-benzisoxazole-3-carboxaldehyde is achieved from 3-methyl 1,2-benzisoxazole via 3-ethoxymethyl-1,2-benzisoxazole (4).
Keywords: 1; 2-benzisoxazoles; benzylic bromination; indoxazenes

New synthetic approach to a [1.1.6] metapara cyclophane derivative via Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling and ring-closing metathesis - Kotha, S; Mandal, K; Arora, KK; Pedireddi, R (Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis, 2005)
The synthesis of a [1.1.6] metapara cyclophane derivative, 1,5(1,4),3(1,3)-tribenzenacycloun-decaphan-8-ene-6,11-dione, has been achieved via the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of alpha,alpha'-dibromo-m-xylene with an arylboronic acid derivative followed by an allylation and ring-closing metathesis reaction sequence.
Keywords: Cyclophanes; olefin metathesis; Palladium; ruthenium; Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling

Noncovalent and nonspecific molecular interactions of polymers with multiwalled carbon nanotubes - Baskaran, Durairaj; Mays, Jimmy W.; Bratcher, Matthew S. (Chemistry of Materials, 2005)
Polymer composites containing variable amounts of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have been prepared using solution dispersion and melt-shear mixing. Various polymer composites with 1 wt % MWNTs have been found to dissolve homogeneously in organic solvents. The amount of polymer coated or wrapped MWNTs dissolved in the solution was quantified using UV-vis absorbance at 500 nm and the concentration ratio of [MWNTs](solution)/[MWNTs](composite) was close to 1. A nonspecific polymer adsorption through multiple-weak molecular interactions of CH groups with MWNTs in the composites has been identified through FTIR spectroscopy. The composites of polybutadiene with different wt % of MWNTs showed slight changes in the CH bending vibrations, indicating the presence of intermolecular CH-pi interactions. The dissolution of various polymer composites containing low concentration of MWNTs in organic solvents was attributed to polymer coating on the MWNTs via noncovalent and nonspecific CH-pi interactions. The dissolution of MWNTs in organic solvents using common polymers used in this study indicates that the coating or wrapping is a general phenomenon occurring between polymers and carbon nanotubes.

Novel polymer-inorganic solid-state reaction for the synthesis of CdS nanocrystallites - Kanade, K. G.; Hawaldar, Ranjit R.; Pasricha, R.; Radhakrishnan, S.; Seth, T.; Mulik, Uttam P.; Kale, B. B.; Amalnerkar, Dinesh P. (Materials Letters, 2005)
We offer a novel polymer-inorganic solid-state reaction route for the in situ generation of nanochalcogenide semiconductor in the network of polymer which itself acts as a chalcogen source. We have exemplified feasibility of this route by reacting CdI2 with engineering thermoplastic polyphenylene sulphide (PPS). These two reactants in 1:1 and 10:1 molar ratios were simply heated at the crystalline melting temperature of PPS. The resultant products were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM, with selected area electron diffraction). The prima facie observations revealed the formation of cubic nanocrystallites of US with the particle size ranging from 6 to 20 nm entrapped in modified (cyclized) PPS matrix when the reactants were taken in 10:1 molar ratio. A tentative mechanism has been suggested for such hitherto unattempted solid-state reaction. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: CdS nanocrystallites; Semiconductor; solid-state reaction; Thermoplastic polymer matrix

Novel tridentate nitrogen donor as ligand in copper catalyzed ATRP of methyl methacrylate - Mittal, A.; Sivaram, S. (Journal of Polymer Science Part A-Polymer Chemistry, 2005)
A tridentate ligand, BPIEP: 2,6-bis[1-(2,6-diisopropyl phenylimino) ethyl] pyridine, having central pyridine unit and two peripheral imine coordination sites was effectively employed in controlled/''living'' radical polymerization of MXU at 90 degrees C in toluene as solvent, (CuBr)-Br-I as catalyst, and ethyl-2-bromoisobutyrate (EBiB) as initiator resulting in well-defined polymers with polydispersities M-W/M-n <= 1.23. The rate of polymerization follows first-order kinetics, k(app) = 3.4 x 10(-5) s(-1), indicating the presence of low radical concentration ([P*] <= 10(-8)) throughout the reaction. The polymerization rate attains a maximum at a ligand-to-metal ratio of 2:1 in toluene at 90 degrees C. The solvent concentration (v/v, with respect to monomer) has a significant effect on the polymerization kinetics. The polymerization is faster in polar solvents like, diphenylether, and anisole, as compared to toluene. Increasing the monomer concentration in toluene resulted in a better control of polymerization. The molecular weights (M-n,M-SEC) increased linearly with conversion and were found to be higher than predicted molecular (M-n,M-Cal). However, the polydispersity remained narrow, i.e., <= 1.23. The initiator efficiency at lower monomer concentration approaches a value of 0.7 in 110 min as compared to 0.5 in 330 min at higher monomer concentration. The aging of the copper salt complexed. with BPIEP had a beneficial effect and resulted in polymers with narrow polydispersitities and higher conversion. PMMA obtained at room temperature in toluene (33%, v/v) gave PDI of 1.22 (Mn = 8500) in 48 h whereas, at 50 degrees C the PDI is 1.18 (Ma = 10,300), which is achieved in 23 h. The plot of In kapp versus 1/T gave an apparent activation energy of polymerization as (Delta E-app(not equal)) 58.29 KJ/mol and enthalpy of equilibrium (Delta H-eq(0)) to 28.8 KJ/mol. Reverse ATRP of MMA was successfully performed using AIBN in bulk as well as solution. The controlled nature of the polymerization reaction was established through kinetic studies and chain extension experiments. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: 2; 6-bis [1-(2; 6-diisopropyl phenylimino) ethyl] pyridine (BPIEP); Activation energy; apparent rate constant; Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP); diphenylether; ethyl-2-bromoisobutyrate (EBiB); methyl methacrylate; polydispersity index (PDI); Toluene

O-H center dot center dot center dot O-bridged dimers linked via C-H center dot center dot center dot O and C-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions in 4,6-di-O-benzyl-myo-inositol 1,3,5-orthoformate - Manoj, Kochunnoonny; Devaraj, Subramanian; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Bhadbhade, Mohan M.; Shashidhar, M. S. (Acta Crystallographica Section C-Crystal Structure Communications, 2005)

One pot four component reaction of isocyanides, dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate and cyclobutene-1,2-diones: synthesis of spiro heterocycles - Nair, Vijay; Menon, Rajeev S.; Deepthi, Ani B.; Devi, Rema; Biju, Akkattu T. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2005)
Isocyanides, dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate, and cyclobutene-1,2-diones react in one-pot to afford novel spirocyclic compounds with double insertion of the isocyanide.

Optimization and scale up of production of alkaline protease from Conidiobolus coronatus - Laxman, Ryali Seeta; Sonawane, A. P.; More, Shivaji V.; Rao, B. S.; Rele, M. V.; Jogdand, Vitthal V.; Deshpande, V. V.; Rao, M. B. (Process Biochemistry, 2005)
Alkaline protease secreted by Conidiobolus coronatus has been evaluated extensively in tanneries and finds application in pre-tanning operations in leather manufacture. It is important to produce the enzyme in inexpensive and optimized media on large scale for the process to be commercially viable. The present paper describes optimization of fermentation conditions in shake flasks and scale up of production to 100 L in fermentors. The production is complete in 2-3 days comparable to bacterial fermentations. The organism utilized several carbon sources such as starch, sucrose, lactose, glucose and fructose for production. Soyabean meal at an optimum concentration of 2-3% was found to be best inducer. Diammonium hydrogen phosphate, casamino acids and Hi-media peptone gave activities comparable to yeast extract. Preservation and stabilization studies showed that glycerol conferred considerable stabilization at room temperature while ammonium sulphate precipitated enzyme at 0.9 saturation was best with stability up to 2 years even at room temperature. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Alkaline Protease; Conidiobolus; Fermentation; Optimization; scale up

Oxidation of norbornene over vanadium-substituted phosphomolybdic acid catalysts and spectroscopic investigations - Raj, N. K. K.; Ramaswamy, A.; Manikandan, Palanichamy (Journal of Molecular Catalysis A-Chemical, 2005)
Oxidation of norbornene has been carried out over mono-, di- and tri-vanadium-substituted phosphomolybdic acid catalysts with aqueous hydrogen peroxide (aq. H2O2) as an oxidant in different solvents. Monovanadium-substituted phosphomolybdic acid catalyst was found to be better than other catalysts for the above reaction and acetonitrile was the suitable solvent. At the optimum temperature of 60 degreesC, the norbornene conversion was 70% and the selectivity for 2,3-epoxy norbornane was 58%. The side products were norborneols and 2-norbornanone. The lower selectivity of 2,3-epoxy norbornane with aq. H2O2 is attributed to the simultaneous formation of other products, norborneols and 2-norbornanone. The norborneols are formed from norbornene by acid-catalyzed reaction. Other oxidants like urea-hydrogen peroxide adduct (UHP) and tert-butyl hydrogen peroxide (TBHP) were also tested for norbornene oxidation reaction. With UHP, the conversion was almost same (69%) as that of aq. H2O2 reaction; however, 2,3-epoxy norbornane was the main product with >97% selectivity. Thus, the overall yield was 66.9% at 60 degreesC after 4 h. The high selectivity with UHP is attributed to the controlled release of H2O2, absence of water and less acidic nature of UHP. With TBHP the selectivity for the epoxide was >96%; however, the conversion was low (27%). A mechanism for the norbornene oxidation is believed to be proceeding via V(5+)-peroxo and V(4+)-superoxo intermediates. NMR, EPR and UV-vis spectroscopic techniques were employed to understand the reaction intermediates and reaction pathways. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 2; 3-epoxy norbornane; aq. H2O2; epoxidation; EPR; NMR; norbornene; urea-H2O2 adduct; UV-Vis; vanadium-substituted phosphomolybdic acid

Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene over vanadia-alumina catalysts in the presence of nitrous oxide: structure-activity relationship - Shiju, N. R.; Anilkumar, Mettu; Mirajkar, Subhash P.; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Rao, B. S.; Satyanarayana, C. V. (Journal of Catalysis, 2005)
A series of vanadia-alumina catalysts with different vanadia contents were prepared by a wet impregnation method. The influence of the local structure of vanadia in these catalysts on the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene with nitrous oxide was investigated. The use of N2O as a co-feed remarkably enhanced the styrene yield compared with the use of N-2. Characterization of these vanadia catalysts by XRD, FTIR, UV-vis, TPR, XPS, and V-51 NMR techniques suggests that the nature of the VOx species depends on the vanadia loading: the predominant species are monomeric vanadia at lower loadings, two-dimensional polyvanadates at intermediate loadings, and bulk-like V2O5 and AlVO4 at higher loadings. The rate of oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethylbenzene per vanadium atom increases with vanadia loading and reaches a maximum at 10 wt%, the loading at which the surface predominantly contains polyvanadate species. The observed variation in the selectivity of products with vanadium loading indicates that the monomeric V5+ species favors dehydrogenation, whereas bulk-like V2O5 preferentially participates in the dealkylation of ethylbenzene. The vanadium species remains at a higher oxidation state in the presence of N2O, leading to a higher styrene yield. than in a N-2 atmosphere. The ODH turnover rates increased with decreasing energy of the absorption edge in the UV-vis spectrum, at low VOx coverages of less than one monolayer on the Al2O3 surface. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: absorption edge energy; Alumina; ethylbenzene; Nitrous oxide; oxidative dehydrogenation; polyvanadates; styrene; vanadia

Partial ring hydrogenation of naphthols over supported metal catalysts in supercritical carbon dioxide solvent - Mine, Eiichi; Haryu, E.; Arai, K.; Sato, T.; Sato, O.; Sasaki, A.; Rode, C. V.; Shirai, M. (Chemistry Letters, 2005)
Selective ring hydrogenation of naphthols to tetrahydronaphthols and tetralones proceeded at 323 K over a charcoal supported rhodium catalyst in supercritical carbon dioxide.

Photodegradation of ethylene/propylene/polar monomers co- and terpolymers. I - Prepared by group 4 catalyst systems - Fernandes, Susete N.; Correia, Sandra; Prasad, A. V.; Reddy, K. R.; Rana, S.; Lonkar, Sunil P.; Marques, Maria M.; Singh, R. P. (Journal of Macromolecular Science-Pure and Applied Chemistry, 2005)
The photooxidative degradation behavior of polyethylene, its copolymers (propylene/polar monomers) and terpolymers, synthesized by a group 4 catalyst system, has been studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and confirmed with scanning elecrton microscopy for morphological changes. The kinetics of photodegradation has also been studied. Surface damage caused by polychromatic (>= 290 nm) at 55 degrees C in air is presented in different micrographs. The rate of photodegradation is very fast in terpolymers containing polar monomers as compared with copolymers and polyethylene. Morphological study of these photodegraded samples showed a very good relation with photodegradation results.
Keywords: functional polyolefins; Photodegradation; UV irradiation

Poly(acrylonitrile) ultrafiltration membranes. I. polymer-salt-solvent interactions - Phadke, M. A.; Musale, D. A.; Kulkarni, Sudhir S.; Karode, Sandeep K. (Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 2005)
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to study the interactions among LiCl, ZnCl2, and AlCl3 with NN-dimethylformamide (DMF) and poly (acrylonitrile) (PAN). It was observed that all three salts complex with DMF as well as PAN. The strength of the cation interaction with the > C=O oxygen of DMF was found to be higher than that with the -CN group of PAN. The > C=O stretching frequency of DMF with ZnCl2 was red shifted, indicating stronger complex formation compared with other two cations. With the addition of salt, the salt-DMF pseudo solvent was found to become a 0 solvent for PAN compared with neat DMF. This change in PAN solvation power was primarily the result of DMF-salt complexation. As a result of the complexation, Mark-Houwink constant a, was found to reduce from 0.75 (for pure DMF) to similar to 0.6 for DMF-salt solvents, indicating decreased PAN chain expansion. Comparison of intrinsic viscosity [n] values indicated that addition of salts to PAN-DMF solutions resulted in: (i) decrease in the DMF solvation. power, which causes less expanded polymer coils, and (ii) increased interpolymer chain entanglements via salt-promoted chain association. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: activation energy viscosity; Additives; FT-IR; Poly(acrylonitrile); solution properties

Poly(acrylonitrile) ultrafiltration membranes. II. membrane morphology and permeation characteristics - Phadke, M. A.; Kulkarni, Sudhir S.; Karode, Sandeep K.; Musale, D. A. (Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 2005)
The rheology and phase-boundary characteristics of various solutions comprising three polyacrylonitrile (PAN) grades dissolved in solutions of N,N-dimethylformamide + salt (LiCl, ZnCl2, or AICl(3)) additives were correlated with the resulting membrane morphology as determined by microscopy and permeability measurements. The phase separation characteristics of the dope solution were not markedly affected by the PAN molecular weight (MW); however, they were affected by the salt additive. For higher MW grades, the effect of salt addition can also be masked by the increased self-association tendency of the polymer chains. PAN-B and -C membranes were clearly less asymmetric in structure than the lower MW PAN-Abased membranes. This is attributed to the higher viscosity/lower diffusivity of the PAN-13 and -C solutions, which results in slower solvent-nonsolvent exchange during the phase inversion process. Two factors reduce the incidence of surface defects (increased bubble points): (a) higher solution viscosity dampens surface perturbations during phase inversion, and (b) phase inversion pathways resulting in more homogenous morphology lead to membranes with higher bubble points. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: bubble point; membranes; Morphology; phase inversion; salts; viscosity

Pyrazole-tethered heteroditopic ligands and their transition metal complexes: synthesis, structure, and reactivity - Mukherjee, Anuradha; Subramanyam, U.; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Mohandas, T. P.; Sarkar, A. (European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, 2005)
Various pyrazole-based PN (2a-c) and N,N (3a-b) ligands have been synthesized. Using representative ligands, Ni-II, Co-II, Cu-II, and Cu-I complexes have been prepared and structurally characterized by crystallography. During complexation of Co-II and Cu-II salts, the phosphane part of the PN ligand oxidized to phosphane oxide. For N,N donor ligands, a dimeric chloro-bridged Ni-III complex was obtained. Ni-II complex 4 is an active catalyst for ethylene oligomerization. ((c) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheirn, Germany, 2005).
Keywords: cobalt; Copper; hemilabile ligands; Nickel; oligomerization; Pyrazole

Quantitative method for normalization of transfection efficiency using enhanced green fluorescent protein - Dandekar, D. H.; Kumar, M.; Ladha, J. S.; Ganesh, Krishna N.; Mitra, Debashis (Analytical Biochemistry, 2005)

R&D spending patterns of global firms - Bowonder, B.; Racherla, J. K.; Mastakar, N. V.; Krishnan, S. (Research-Technology Management, 2005)
R&D spending by the top 320 companies in 2004 was US\$ 331 billion. The R&D intensity of these globalfirms has decreased marginally, as there was a decrease in R&D spending by pharmaceutical firms. R&D spending as a percentage of sales is the highest in the biotechnology industry followed by pharmaceuticals and network communications. At the same time, more firms are seeking to acquire intellectual assets from external sources. Managing intellectual assets will require competence to integrate external and internal knowledge assets so that innovation efficiency can go up while idea-to-market time goes down and product pipelines get richer.
Keywords: distributed innovation; globalization; R&D spending

Reaction of diaryl-1,2-diones with triphenylphosphine and diethyl azodicarboxylate leading to N, N-dicarboethoxy monohydrazones via a novel rearrangement - Nair, Vijay; Biju, Akkattu T.; Abhilash, K. G.; Menon, Rajeev S.; Eringathodi, Suresh (Organic Letters, 2005)
A mechanistically novel reaction of diaryl-1,2-diones with diethyl azodicarboxylate and triphenylphosphine to afford N,N-dicarboethoxy monohydrazones is described. The reaction proceeds via a nitrogen to nitrogen migration of a carboethoxy group.

Reactivity descriptors: conceptual and computational developments - Pal, Sourav (International Conference on Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering (ICCMSE 2005), 2005)

Rearrangement of allyl phenyl ether over Al-MCM-41 - Mathew, Nevin T.; Khaire, S.; Mayadevi, S.; Jha, Ratnesh Kumar; Sivasanker, S. (Journal of Catalysis, 2005)
Claisen rearrangement of allyl phenyl ether to o-allylphenol and a dihydrobenzofuran derivative was investigated over MCM-41 with different Si/Al ratios. Higher aluminum content, higher reaction temperatures, and longer run duration favor the formation of the ring compound 2,3-dihydro-2-methyl benzofuran. There is a close relationship between acidity and conversion, which suggests that the reaction occurs inside the large pores of MCM-41. The influence of temperature and catalyst Si/Al ratio on the reaction are examined by kinetic analysis, under the assumption of a first-order consecutive reaction. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Al-MCM-41; allyl phenyl ether; Claisen rearrangement; Mesoporous material; molecular rearrangement; Solid acids

Recent advances in biodegradable nanocomposites - Pandey, J. K.; Kumar, A. P.; Misra, M.; Mohanty, A. K.; Drzal, L. T.; Singh, R. P. (Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2005)
There is growing interest in developing bio-based products and innovative process technologies that can reduce the dependence on fossil fuel and move to a sustainable materials basis. Biodegradable bio-based nanocomposites are the next generation of materials for the future. Renewable resource-based biodegradable polymers including cellulosic plastic (plastic made from wood), corn-derived plastics, and polyhydroxyalkanoates (plastics made from bacterial sources) are some of the potential biopolymers which, in combination with nanoclay reinforcement, can produce nanocomposites for a variety of applications. Nanocomposites of this category are expected to possess improved strength and stiffness with little sacrifice of toughness, reduced gas/water vapor permeability, a lower coefficient of thermal expansion, and an increased heat deflection temperature, opening an opportunity for the use of new, high performance, lightweight green nanocomposite materials to replace conventional petroleum-based composites. The present review addresses this green material, including its technical difficulties and their solutions.
Keywords: cellulose; layered silicates and properties; Nanocomposite; poly(caprolactone)s; poly(hydroxy alkanoate)s; polyiactic acid; Starch

Ring-closing metathesis mediated total synthesis of microcarpalide and herbarumin III - Gurjar, M. K.; Nagaprasad, R.; Ramana, C. V.; Karmakar, S.; Mohapatra, Debendra K. (Arkivoc, 2005)
Total synthesis of naturally occurring microcarpalide and herbarumin III are described. The ring-closing metathesis (RCM) approach to coin the medium sized rings present in their molecular structures form the basic premise of this investigation.
Keywords: herbarumin III; microcarpalide; microfilament; phosphodiesterase; ring-closing metathesis (RCM)

Room temperature nitric oxide sensor actualized from Ru-doped SnO2 nanowires - Ramgir, N. S.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; Vijayamohanan, K. P. (Sensors and Actuators B - Chemical, 2005)
We report synthesis of the novel Ru-doped SnO2 nanowires and their distinctive response towards NO., and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in air. These nanowires have been prepared by a simple approach of evaporation of metal oxide at elevated temperature, The sensor exhibits three order of magnitude changes in the conductivity on exposure to NO2 in air at room temperature, Furthermore. Ru being one of the excellent sensitizers towards LPG these wires also exhibits sensitivity at 250&DEG; C. The amount of Ru plays a crucial role in modulating the sensitivity and lowering the operating temperature. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: LPG; Nanowires; NO2; tin oxide ruthenium oxide

Self-assembly of nanostructured PbS for solar photovoltaic applications - Hawaldar, Ranjit R.; Kanade, K. G.; Patil, K. R.; Sathaye, S. D.; Mulik, Uttam P.; Amalnerkar, Dinesh P. (Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2005)
In the present communication, the self-assembly of nanocrystalline PbS at the liquid-liquid interface is reported. The PbS nanocrystals were, subsequently, transformed in the form of thin films by dip coating. The resultant Q-PbS films were characterized by SEM-EDAX, TEM-SAED, XRD, XPS and UV-vis Spectroscopy. Pyramidal features at the nanometer scale, preferred orientation along (2 2 0) and (4 0 0) planes of cubic structure and a sharp excitonic peak at 656 run are the salient aspects of this work. The band-gap of the order of 1.8 eV (associated with the excitonic feature) is ideally suited for solar photovoltaic applications. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Liquid-liquid interface; nanopyramid; Nanostructures; PbS

Short S=O center dot center dot center dot C=O contacts associate diastereomers of 2,4(6)-di-O-benzoyl-6(4)-O-[(1S)-10-camphorsulfonyl]-myo-inositol 1,3,5-orthoformate in their inclusion complexes - Manoj, Kochunnoonny; Sureshan, K. M.; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Bhadbhade, Mohan M.; Shashidhar, M. S. (Crystal Growth & Design, 2005)
Diastereomers of 2,4(6)-di-O-benzoyl-6(4)-O-[(1S)-10-camphorsulfonyl]-myo-inositol 1,3,5-orthoformate are linked via short S=O&BULL;&BULL;&BULL; C=O contacts ranging from 2.890 to 3.140 &ANGS; (sum of the van der Waals radii of O and C atoms 3.22 &ANGS;) in all the inclusion complexes formed with organic guest solvents having a C2 symmetry. Although a search for S= O&BULL;&BULL;&BULL; C=O interactions in the CSD showed a sizable number of structures, this communication recognizes its significance for the first time in the formation of molecular assemblies. In all the crystals in the present study except the solvent-free form, the S=O bond points almost perpendicularly to the Csp2 atom of the C=O group. This was also the most frequently observed geometrical approach in CSD analysis. The solvent-free form shows dimer formation via C-H&BULL;&BULL;&BULL; O interaction, which has longer S=O&BULL;&BULL;&BULL; C=O contacts.

Silicotungstate-modified zirconia as an efficient catalyst for phenol tert-butylation - Devassy, Biju M.; Shanbhag, G. V.; Mirajkar, Subhash P.; Bohringer, Walter; Fletcher, Jack C. Q.; Halligudi, Shivaraj B. (Journal of Molecular Catalysis A-Chemical, 2005)
The alkylation of phenol with tert-butanol was investigated using zirconia modified with silicotungstic acid (STA) as catalysts. The catalysts with different STA loading (5-25 wt.% calcined at 750 degrees C) and calcination temperature (15 wt.% calcined from 350 to 850 degrees C) were prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction and NH3-TPD measurements. The XRD results indicate that STA stabilizes the tetragonal phase of zirconia. The catalyst with 15% STA on ZrO2 calcined at 750 degrees C shows the highest acidity and hence highest activity. Under the reaction conditions of 140 degrees C, tert-butanol/phenol molar ratio of 2 and LHSV of 4 h(-1), phenol conversion was 95.4% with selectivity to 2-tert-butyl phenol 4.3%, 4-tert-butyl phenol 59.2% and 2,4-di-tert-butyl phenol 35.8%. The reaction was studied as a function of time for 50 It without appreciable change in phenol conversion and product selectivity. The deactivated catalyst could be regenerated by calcination with out appreciable lose in catalytic activity and product selectivity. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: phenol; Silicotungstic acid; tert-butylation; Zirconia

Silver nanoparticles of variable morphology synthesized in aqueous foams as novel templates - Mandal, Sujata; Arumugam, S. K.; Pasricha, R.; Sastry, M. (Bulletin of Materials Science, 2005)
In this paper, we describe the synthesis of silver nanocrystals within aqueous foams as a template More specifically, we show that aqueous Ag+ ions may be electrostatically complexed with the anionic surfactants aerosol OT (sodium bis-2-ethylhexyl-sulfosuccinate, (AOT) and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)) in a highly stable liquid foam. After drainage of the foam, the silver ions are reduced in situ by introducing sodium borohydride into the foam by capillary flow. This leads to the formation of silver nanoparticles of spherical, tape- and sheet-like morphology in the foam. The structure of the foam is extremely complex and presents reaction sites of different spatial extent. The differences in foam reaction-site geometry are believed to be responsible for the morphology variation in the silver nanoparticles observed. The silver nanoparticles are observed to be extremely stable in solution suggesting that the AOT or SDS molecules stabilize them. This approach appears promising for application in large-scale synthesis of nanoparticles and may be readily extended to other chemical compositions.
Keywords: Chemical synthesis; composites; foam; Intercalation; Nanoparticles

Simple procedure for the synthesis of gamma-hydroxy-alpha,beta-(E)-alkenoic esters: formal synthesis of (+)-macrosphelides A and B - Rao, K. Srinivasa; Mukkanti, K.; Reddy, D. Srinivasa; Pal, Manojit; Lqbal, Javed (Tetrahedron Letters, 2005)
A highly trans-selective conjugate reduction of 7-hydroxy-alpha,beta-alkynoic esters to produce gamma-hydroxy-alpha,beta-(E)-alkenoic esters using LiAlH4 is reported. The application of this methodology is demonstrated by a formal synthesis of the potent cell-cell adhesion inhibitors (+)-macrosphelides A and B. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous conversion of methane and methanol into gasoline over bifunctional Ga-, Zn-, In-, and/or Mo-modified ZSM-5 zeolites - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Mondal, Kartick C.; Mulla, Shafeek Abdul Rashid (Angewandte Chemie-International Edition, 2005)
Keywords: gallium; heterogeneuos catalysis; methane activation; Molybdenum; zeolites

Sodium methylsulfinylmethylide: a versatile reagent - Mondal, Mukulesh (Synlett, 2005)

Stereoselective syntheses of (+)-proto, (-)-gala quercitols and carba-L-rhamnose from D-(-)-quinic acid - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Yadav, A. K.; Gurjar, M. K. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2005)
Efficient syntheses of (+)-proto, (-)-gala quercitols and carba-L-rhamnose front D-(-)-quinic acid are described. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: (+)-proto quercitol; (-)-gala quercitol; carba-L-rhamnose; cyclohexanepentols; D-(-)-quinic acid; stereoselectivity

Stereoselective synthesis of spiroannulated cyclopentenones by the Pauson-Khand reaction on carbohydrate derived enynes - Hotha, Srinivas; Maurya, S. K.; Gurjar, M. K. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2005)
The stereoselective synthesis of spiroannulated cyclopentenones by the Pauson-Khand reactions on hexose and pentose derived enynes was achieved under carbon monoxide free conditions using a stoichiometric quantity of Co-2(CO)(8). The cobalt complex of the alkyne was cleaved using dimethoxyethane-acetonitrile at 85 degrees C to furnish spiroarmulated cyclopentenones in 75-94% yields. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: carbohydrates; cyclopentenone; diversity oriented synthesis; Pauson-Khand reaction

Studies on characterization of nano CaCO3 prepared by the in situ deposition technique and its application in PP-nano CaCO3 composites - Mishra, Satyendra; Sonawane, S. H.; Singh, R. P. (Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 2005)
The elegant approach of in situ deposition technique was used for the synthesis of nano CaCO3 the nanosize of particles was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used for determination of the enthalpy. The nano CaCO3 polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared by taking 2 and 10 wt % of different nanosizes (21-39 nm) of CaCO3. Conversion of the alpha phase to beta was observed in the case of 2 wt % of a 30-nm sized amount of CaCO3 in a PP composite. The decrement in DeltaH and percent. crystallinity, as well as the increment in melt temperature were recorded for 6 wt % nano CaCO3 with a decrease in nanosize from 39 to 21 nm. The increment in tensile strength with an increase in the amount of nano CaCO3 was observed, and the tower particle size shoved Greater improvement. The improvement in thermal and mechanical properties is because of the formation of a greater number of small spherulites uniformly present in the PP matrix. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: Crystallization; DSC; mechanical and thermal properties; nano CaCO3; polypropylene; XRD

Study of correlation of structural and surface properties with electrochemical behaviour in carbon aerogels - Hebalkar, Neha; Arabale, G.; Sainkar, S. R.; Pradhan, S. D.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; Vijayamohanan, K.; Ayyub, P.; Kulkarni, S. K. (Journal of Materials Science, 2005)
Carbon aerogel is a promising material for electrochemical double layer capacitors. In this paper carbon aerogels prepared by subcritical drying method are investigated for the change in the structure and surface properties at different pyrolysis temperatures. The important relations between structure, morphology, surface area and electrical properties were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface area measurement and cyclic voltametry. It is shown that structure and the surface functional groups play important role in enhancement of electrochemical capacitance. The specific capacitance achieved was 114 F/gm which is quite large value for subcritically prepared carbon aerogels without any kind of activation process. (c) 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.

Swelling behavior and diffusion studies of high-water-retaining acrylamide/potassium methacrylate hydrogels - Mohan, Y. M.; Murthy, P. S. K.; Rao, K. M.; Sreeramulu, J.; Raju, K. M. (Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2005)
Poly(acrylamide-co-potassium methacrylate) hydrogels were prepared by free-radical simultaneous polymerization with aqueous solutions of acrylamide (AAm) and potassium methacrylate (KMA) with a redox initiator. The copolymerization was performed with eight different compositions of KMA at a fixed concentration of oil-soluble crosslinkers, including 1,4-butanediol diacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). For every composition of AAm/KMA copolymer, the percentage swelling, swelling equilibrium, and diffusion characteristics were investigated. The copolymers were further studied for deswelling properties. The power law relationships of the hydrogels were evaluated for variation in terms of saline concentration. The AAm/KMA copolymers were confirmed by IR spectroscopy. Thermal studies of hydrogels were performed with differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. EGDMA was found to be a better crosslinker for obtaining higher swelling and deswelling properties for the AAm/KMA hydrogels. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: Diffusion; hydrogels; swelling

Synthesis and analysis of ZnO and CdSe nanoparticles - Ashtaputre, S. S.; Deshpande, Aparna; Marathe, Sayali; Wankhede, M. E.; Chimanpure, J.; Pasricha, R.; Urban, J.; Haram, Santosh K.; Gosavi, S. W.; Kulkarni, S. K. (Pramana-Journal of Physics, 2005)
Zinc oxide and cadmium selenide particles in the nanometer size regime have been synthesized using chemical routes. The particles were capped using thioglycerol in case of ZnO and 2-mercaptoethanol in case of CdSe to achieve the stability and avoid the coalescence. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were doped with europium to study their optical properties. A variety of techniques like UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to carry out structural and spectroscopic characterizations of the nanoparticles.
Keywords: chemical capping; Doping; Nanoparticles; photoluminescence

Synthesis and assembly of gold nanoparticles in quasi-linear lysine-keggin-ion colloidal particles - Sanyal, A.; Mandal, Sujata; Sastry, M. (Advanced Functional Materials, 2005)
The formation of fiber-like colloidal particles of the amino acid lysine complexed with Keggin ions is demonstrated. The lysine-phosphotungstic acid (PTA) colloidal particles act as excellent templates for the synthesis and assembly of gold nanoparticles wherein the lysine-PTA complex acts as a UV-switchable reducing agent for gold ions. This novel bio-organic-inorganic template shows excellent potential as a regulated nanoreactor for application in programmed nanoparticle synthesis and assembly in a single step.

Synthesis and characterization of aromatic polyamides containing an s-triazine ring with thiophenoxy linkages - Pal, R. R.; Patil, P. S.; Salunkhe, M. M.; Maldar, Noormahamad N.; Wadgaonkar, P. P. (Polymer International, 2005)
A series of aromatic polyamides containing an s-triazine ring with thiophenoxy linkages was synthesized from two new diacids, namely 2,4-bis-(4-carboxyphenoxy)-6-thiophenoxy-s-triazine and 2,4-bis-(3-carboxyphenoxy)-6-thiophenoxy-s-triazine, and commercially available aromatic diamines by using Yamazaki's phosphorylation reaction. The polyamides were obtained in good yields and were characterized by solubility tests, viscosity measurements, FTIR, H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction studies and thermogravimetric analysis. The polyamides were found to have inherent viscosities in the range of 0.35 to 0.56 dl g(-1) in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) at 30 +/- 0.1 degreesC. All the polyamides were readily soluble in solvents such as DMAc, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and m-cresol. Thermogravimetric analysis of the polyamides indicated no weight loss below 345 degreesC under a nitrogen atmosphere. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.
Keywords: 2; 4-bis-(3/4-carboxyphenoxy)-6-thiophenoxy-s-triazine; direct polycondensation; polyamide; s-triazine ring

Synthesis and characterization of ferrocenylchalcogenopropargyl complexes [Fe(eta(5)-(C5H4ECH2C)-C-I CH)(2)] (E-I = Se, S) and their reactions to form unusual ferrocenyl-containing metal clusters with eclipsed Cp rings and new five-membered (FeECH)-C-I = - Mathur, P.; Singh, V. K.; Mobin, Shaikh M.; Srinivasu, C.; Trivedi, R.; Bhunia, A. K.; Puranik, Vedavati G. (Organometallics, 2005)
{The new bis(chalcogenopropargyl)ferrocene complexes [Fe(eta(5)-C(5)H(4)E(I)CH(2)CdropCH)(2)] (E-I = Se, 1; E-I = S, 2) have been prepared by treatment of the dilithiated [Fe(eta(5)-C5H4Li)(2)] with Se or S powder, followed by reaction with propargyl bromide. Reaction of 1 and 2 with [Fe2M(mu(3)-E)(2)(CO)(9)] (E = S, Se and M = Fe, Ru) forms new clusters which feature an unusual five-membered (FeECH)-C-I=CCH2 ring with a pi bond between the olefinic unit and the Fe atom, and the Cp rings adopt an eclipsed arrangement. The structures of 1 and [Fe(eta(5)-C5H4E(I)-CH(2)CdropCH) (eta(5)-C5H4{Fe2M(CO)(8)(mu-E)((ECHCCH2)-C-I)})] (M = Fe

Synthesis and intramolecular nitrile oxide cycloaddition of 3,5 `-ether-linked pseudooligosaccharide derivatives: an approach to chiral macrooxacycles - Sengupta, J.; Mukhopadhyay, R.; Bhattacharjya, A.; Bhadbhade, Mohan M.; Bhosekar, Gaurav V. (Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2005)
[GRAPHIC] 3,5'-Ether-linked pseudooligopentose derivatives were synthesized for the first time from readily available carbohydrate precursors. The 1,2-isopropylidene-protected ether-linked oligopentoses are potentially important as precursors of novel RNA analogues. Intramolecular cycloaddition of the nitrile oxides prepared from these derivatives led to the diastereoselective formation of chiral isoxazolines fused to 10-16-membered oxacycles. The stereochemistry of some of these isoxazolines was established by X-ray diffraction and NOESY analysis.

Synthesis, characterization and catalytic potentials of polymer anchored copper(II), oxovanadium(IV) and dioxomolybdenum(VI) complexes of 2-(alpha-hydroxymethyl)benzimidazole - Maurya, Mannar R.; Sikarwar, S.; Joseph, Trissa; Manikandan, Palanichamy; Halligudi, Shivappa B. (Reactive & Functional Polymers, 2005)
{2-(alpha-Hydroxymethyl)benzimidazole (Hhmbmz) has been covalently anchored to chloromethylated polystyrene cross-linked with 5% divinylbenzene. This chelating resin reacts with cupric acetate, vanadyl sulphate and [MoO(2)-(acac)(2)] (Hacac = acetylacetone) in presence of Hhmbmz to give complexes PS-[Cu(hmbmz)(2)], PS-[VO(hmbmz)(2)] and PS-[MoO(2)(hmbmz)(2)] (where
Keywords: 2-(alpha-hydroxymethyl)benzimidazole; oxidation of styrene and ethyl benzene; oxidative bromination of salicylaldehyde; polymer anchored-complexes

Synthesis of Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 at 100 degrees C - Dhage, S. R.; Gaikwad, S. R.; Muthukumar, P.; Ravi, V. (Ceramics International, 2005)
A simple gel to crystal conversion route has been used for the preparation of Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 phase at 80-100degreesC under refluxing conditions. Freshly prepared metal hydroxides gel from cerium and zirconium salt solution is allowed to crystallize under refluxing and stirring conditions for 4-10 h. Formation of nano crystallites of Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 is confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations revealed the average particle size of these powders to be 5 nm. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd and Techna S.r.l. All rights reserved.
Keywords: CeO2; chemical preparation; Electron microscopy; powders; X-ray methods

Synthesis of hydroxyapatite crystals using amino acid-capped gold nanoparticles as a scaffold - Rautaray, D.; Mandal, Sujata; Sastry, M. (Langmuir, 2005)
Inorganic composites are of special interest for biomedical applications such as in dental and bone implants wherein the ability to modulate the morphology and size of the inorganic crystals is important. One interesting possibility to control the size of inorganic crystals is to grow them on nanoparticles. We report here the use of surface-modified gold nanoparticles as templates for the growth of hydroxyapatite crystals. Crystal growth is promoted by a monolayer of aspartic acid bound to the surface of the gold nanoparticles; the carboxylate ions in aspartic acid are excellent hinging sites for Ca2+ ions. Isothermal titration calorimetry studies of Ca2+ ion binding with aspartic acid-capped gold nanoparticles indicates that the process is entropically driven and that screening of the negative charge by the metal ions leads to their aggregation. The aggregates of gold nanopartictes are believed to be responsible for assembly of the platelike hydroxyapatite crystals into quasi-spherical superstructures. Control experiments using uncapped gold nanoparticles and pure aspartic acid indicate that the amino acid bound to the nanogold surface plays a key role in inducing and directing hydroxyapatite crystal growth.

Synthesis, structure, electrochemistry and ROMP-activity of new ferrocenyl analog of Grubbs' metathesis catalyst - Maishal, T. K.; Mondal, Biplab; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Wadgaonkar, P. P.; Lahiri, Goutam Kumar; Sarkar, A. (Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, 2005)
Treatment of [(PCy3)(2)Cl2Ru=CH-Ph] (1) with vinylferrocene 1 and 1-ferrocenyl-1,3-butadiene 2 yielded solid products. These new complexes were characterized by H-1 NMR, P-31 NMR and C-13 NMR spectroscopy. X-ray crystal structures of both the complexes have been solved. The crystal structure of II confirmed the assigned structure and revealed existence of two sets of intermolecular C-H-Cl(M) type interactions, viz. (Ru)Cl-H-C(ferrocene) and (Ru)Cl-H-CHCl2. The air-stable, dark solid II is all efficient catalyst for ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of cyclopentene, norbornene and cycloocta-1,5-diene. Electrochemical behavior of the complexes clearly reflects electronic communication between two metal centers. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Electrochemistry; ferrocene; Metathesis; non-covalent interactions; ring-opening metathesis polymerization; ruthenium carbene

Thermal degradation kinetics of polyesters containing mesogenic aromatic diols - Mule, Smita Atmaram; Ghadage, R. S.; Jacob, Nalini E.; Rajan, C. R.; Ponrathnam, Surendra (Journal Applied Polymer Science, 2005)
A series of polyesters were synthesized by reacting structurally differing aromatic diols with either saturated (flexible) or unsaturated (rigid) dicarboxylic acid halide by a stirred interfacial polycondensation technique. Thermal degradation kinetics of these polyesters were investigated by applying Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzger nonisothermal procedures. The dynamic thermogravimetry experiments were conducted in nitrogen to obtain differential thermogravimetric plots. Thermal stability of these polyesters was discussed on the basis of semiquantitative methods such as differential procedural decomposition temperature, integral procedural decomposition temperature, and fraction decomposition temperature (e.g., 10 % DT). Degradation proceeded in multiple stages. The thermal degradation patterns and activation energies in these stages were discussed in relation to central bridging moieties of aromatic diol. The activation energies of these polyesters were found to be in the range of 100 to 200 kJ/mol. The effect of spacer type on activation energy was also reported. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: Activation energy; Degradation; kinetics (polym.); Polycondensation; polyesters

Thidiazuron-induced morphogenesis in tamarind seedlings - Mehta, Urmil J.; Sahasrabudhe, N.; Hazra, Sulekha (In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology-Plant, 2005)
Germination of tamarind seeds in medium containing thidiazuron (TDZ) resulted in induction of nodular protrusions in and around the cotyledonary node meristem. The structures developed radially in well-defined circles and subsequently spread towards the cotyledonary bridge and also in the proximal part of the hypocotyl. The structures developed into shoots on transfer to medium devoid of growth regulators. Histological studies revealed that the protrusions initiated from the nodal meristem and extended to the non-meristematic region between the two meristems and also in the proximal part of the hypocotyl in seedlings germinated in 9.08 mu M TDZ. Newly formed cell layers and less-differentiated meristematic protrusions were also seen. With the increase in the distance from the meristem, the buds were less differentiated; in the proximal part of the hypocotyl only the multiple layers of meristematic cells were noted. With extension of the period of incubation, the TDZ-induced meristematic activity extended laterally in circles towards the neighboring region. The radial spread of the meristematic activity from the center of the nodal meristem was also evident at 18.16 mu M TDZ. From the pattern of the morphogenic development and the histological studies it may be hypothesized that in tamarind, TDZ influences the existing meristems specifically. Subsequently de novo organogenesis is triggered in the neighboring cells.
Keywords: Caulogenesis; Histology; morphogenesis; protrusions; thidiazuron

Unusual monodentate binding mode of 2,2 `-dipyridylamine (L) in isomeric trans(acac)(2)Ru-II(L)2, trans-[(acac)(2)Ru-III(L)(2)]ClO4, and cis-(acac)(2)Ru-II(L)(2) (acac = acetylacetonate). Synthesis, structures, and spectroscopic, electrochemical, and magn - Kar, S.; Chanda, N.; Mobin, Shaikh M.; Urbanos, F. A.; Niemeyer, M.; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Jimenez-Aparicio, Reyes; Lahiri, Goutam Kumar (Inorganic Chemistry, 2005)
{The reaction of cis-Ru(acac)(2)(CH3CN)(2) (acac = acetylacetonate) with 2,2'-dipyridylamine (L) in ethanolic medium resulted in facile one-pot synthesis of stable [(acac)(2)Ru-III(L)]ClO4 ([1]ClO4), trans-[(acac)(2)Ru-II(L)2] (2), trans[(acac)(2)Ru-III(L)(2)[ClO4 ([2]ClO4), and cis-[(acac)(2)Ru-II(L)(2)] (3). The bivalent congener 1 was generated via electrochemical reduction Of [1]ClO4. Although in [1](+) the dipyridylamine ligand (L) is bonded to the metal ion in usual bidentate fashion, in 2/[2](+) and 3, the unusual monodentate binding mode of L has been preferentially stabilized. Moreover, in 2/[2](+) and 3, two such monodentate L's have been oriented in the trans- and cis-configurations, respectively. The binding mode of L and the isomeric geometries of the complexes were established by their single-crystal X-ray structures. The redox stability of the Ru(II) state follows the order 1 < 2 much less than 3. In contrast to the magnetic moment obtained for [1]ClO4

Vapor phase oxidation of 4-fluorotoluene over vanadia-titania catalyst - Maurya, S. K.; Patil, P.; Shubhangi B. Umbarkar; Gurjar, M. K.; Dongare, Mohan K.; Rudiger, S.; Kemnitz, E. (Journal of Molecular Catalysis A - Chemical, 2005)
The vapor phase oxidation of 4-fluorotoluene has been carried out over vanadia-titania catalysts with moderate conversion and selectivity for 4-fluorobenzaldehyde. Two series of V2O5/TiO2 catalysts with 1-10 mol% vanadia were prepared by sol-gel technique using vanadium and titanium peroxide as vanadia and titania precursors respectively and by impregnation technique using vanadium peroxide on anatase titania support. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, NH3-TPD, FT-IR and BET surface area measurements. The XRD of the catalysts prepared by impregnation technique showed retention of the anatase titania whereas the catalysts prepared by sol-gel technique showed the formation of rutile titania with minor amount of anatase phase at lower vanadia content (1-3 %), which completely transformed into anatase phase at higher vanadia loading. The samples prepared by sol-gel method showed higher acidity and surface area compared to the samples prepared by impregnation. Pyridine adsorption study by FT-IR revealed the presence of Lewis acidity at lower vanadia loading (1-3 %) and presence of both Lewis as well as Bronsted acidity at higher vanadia loading. The catalytic activity for oxidation of 4-fluorotoluene increased with vanadia loading in the sol-gel catalysts. The catalysts prepared by impregnation technique were found to be less active. However the selectivity for 4-fluorobenzaldehyde decreased with increase in vanadia content. The influence of vanadia loading, reaction temperature and contact time on the catalytic activity for 4-fluorotoluene oxidation has been investigated. The structure of the catalyst and its catalytic activity has been correlated. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Catalyst; fluorotoluene; Oxidation; vanadia-titania; vapor phase

Wet-chemical templateless assembly of metal nanowires from nanoparticles - Maddanimath, Trupti; Kumar, Anil; D'Arcy-Galla, J.; Ganesan, P. G.; Vijayamohanan, K.; Ramanath, G. (Chemical Communications, 2005)
We describe a new, simple, room-temperature wet-chemical approach for assembling Au and Ag nanoparticles into nanowire networks, without the use of lithographic templates. Five to 35 nm-diameter nanowires passivated with a thin organic layer were synthesized by mechanically agitating a biphasic liquid mixture of an aqueous hydrosol containing the nanoparticles, and toluene. Nanowire structure and surface chemistry are discussed based on electron microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses.

Who patented what in 2004 - Bowonder, B.; Krishnan, S.; Mastakar, N. V. (Research-Technology Management, 2005)

X-ray crystallographic studies on C-phycocyanins from cyanobacteria from different habitats: marine and freshwater - Satyanarayana, L.; Suresh, C. G.; Patel, A.; Mishra, Satyendra; Ghosh, P. K. (Acta Crystallographica Section F-Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications, 2005)

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic investigations of Cu2O nanoparticles - Nikesh, V. V.; Mandale, A. B.; Patil, K. R.; Mahamuni, Shailaja (Materials Research Bulletin, 2005)
Cuprous oxide nanoparticles of five different sizes were obtained by electrochemical as well as chemical routes. Various capping agents were used to passivate the nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction studies show formation of single phased, cubic Cu2O nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies indicate formation of CuO phase on the surface of Cu2O nanoparticles for uncapped as well as for those, capped by tetraoctylammonium bromide. On the other hand polyacrylamide and polyvinyl pyrrolidone capped samples did not show presence of CuO. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy also indicates formation of a Cu2+ complex with the capping material on the surface of Cu2O nanoparticles. The results were discussed in terms of capability of passivation of various additives. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Nanostructures; Oxides; photoelectron spectroscopy; Surfaces

2,4,6-tris(2-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine (tptz)-derived [Ru-II(tptz)(acac)(CH3CN)](+) and mixed-valent [(acac)(2)Ru-III(mu-tptz-H+)(-)Ru-II(acac)(CH3CN)](+) - Ghumaan, Sandeep; Kar, S.; Mobin, Shaikh M.; Harish, B.; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Lahiri, Goutam Kumar (Inorganic Chemistry, 2006)
Mononuclear [Ru-II(tptz)(acac:)(CH3CN)]ClO4 ((ClO4)-Cl-[1]) and mixed-valent dinuclear [(acac)(2)Ru-III{(mu-tptz-H+)(-)}Ru-II(acac)(CH3CN)]ClO4 ([5]ClO4; acac = acetylacetonate) complexes have been synthesized via the reactions of Ru-II(acac)2(CH3CN)(2) and 2,4,6-tris(2-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine (tptz), in 1:1 and 2:1 molar ratios, respectively. In [1]ClO4, tptz binds with the Ru-II ion in a tridentate N,N,N mode (motif A), whereas in [5]ClO4, tptz: bridges the metal ions unsymmetrically via the tridentate neutral N,N,N mode with the Ru-II center and cyclometalated N,C- state with the Ru-III site (motif F). The activation of the coordinated nitrile function in [1]ClO4 and [5]ClO4 in the presence of ethanol and alkylamine leads to the formation of iminoester ([2]ClO4 and [7]ClO4) and amidine ([4]ClO4) derivatives, respectively. Crystal structure analysis of [2]ClO4 reveals the formation of a beautiful eight-membered water cluster having a chair conformation. The cluster is H-bonded to the pendant pyridyl ring N of tptz and also with the O atom of the perchlorate ion, which, in turn, makes short (C-H––-O) contacts with the neighboring molecule, leading to a H-bonding network. The redox potentials corresponding to the (RuI)-I-I state in both the mononuclear {[(acac)(tptz)Ru-II-N=-C-CH3]ClO4 ([1]ClO4) >> [(acac)(tptz)Ru-II-NH=C(CH3)-OC2H5]ClO4 ([2]ClO4) > [(acac)(tptz)(RuNH2)-N-II-C6H4(CH3)]ClO4 ([3]ClO4) > [(acac)(tptz)Ru-II-NH=C(CH3)-NHC2H5]ClO4 ([4]ClO4)} and dinuclear {[(acac)(2)Ru-III-{mu-tptz-H+)(-)}Ru-II(acac)(N equivalent to C-CH3)]ClO4 {(mu-tptz-H+)(-)}Ru-II(acac)(N equivalent to C-CH3)]ClO4 ([5]ClO4), [(acac)(2)Ru-III[(mu-tptz-H+(N-O ([6]ClO4), [(acac)(2)Ru-III{(mu-tptz-H+)(-)}Ru-II(acac)(NH=C(CH3)-OC2H5)]ClO4( [7]ClO4), and [(acac)(2)Ru-III{(mu-tptz-H+)(-)}Ru-II(acac)(NC4H4N)]ClO4 ([8]ClO4), complexes vary systematically depending on the electronic nature of the coordinated sixth ligands. However, potentials involving the Ru-III center in the dinuclear complexes remain more or less invariant. The mixed-valent (RuRuIII)-Ru-II species ([5]ClO4-[8]ClO4) exhibits high comproportionation constant (K-c) values of 1.1 X 10(12)-2 x 109, with substantial contribution from the donor center asymmetry at the two metal sites. Complexes display Ru-II- and Ru-III-based metal-to-ligand and ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transitions, respectively, in the visible region and ligand-based transitions in the UV region. In spite of reasonably high K, values for [5]ClO4[8]ClO4, the expected intervalence charge-transfer transitions did not resolve in the tpical near-IR region up to 2000 nm. The paramagnetic (RuRuIII)-Ru-II species ([5]ClO4-[8]ClO4) displays rhombic electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra at 77 K (< g > similar to 2.15 and Delta g similar to 0.5), typical of a low-spin Ru-III ion in a distorted octahedral environment. The one-electron-reduced tptz complexes [RuII(tptz center dot-)(acac)(CH3CN)] (1) and [(acac)(2)Ru-III{mu-tptz-H+)(center dot 2-)}-Ru-II(acac)(CH3CN)] (5), however, show a free-radical-type EPR signal near g = 2.0 with partial metal contribution.

Adsorption of methanol on Si(100)/SiO(2)and mesoporous SBA-15 - Mirji, S. A.; Halligudi, Shivaraj B.; Mathew, Nevin T.; Ravi, V.; Jacob, Nalini E.; Patil, K. R. (Colloids and Surfaces A-Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2006)
Adsorption of methanol on SiO(100)/SiO2 substrate and mesoporous SBA-15 has been studied by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Contact angle technique is employed to study the adsorption kinetics of methanol on SiO(100)/SiO2 and thermal stability of adlayer. Thermogravimetric (TGA) technique is used to understand the thermal behavior of methanol layer on SBA-15. Adsorption kinetics fit fairly well with Langmuir isotherms giving adsorption rate constant, k(a) = 0.0021 W s(-1). FTIR results show formation of methoxy silicon (SiOCHA silicon polyhydride (SiH2), carboxylate, molecular water and hydroxyl groups on Si(100)/SiO2 surface and only methoxy silicon on SBA-15. XPS results confirm methanol adsorption and support FTIR results. The methanol adlayers are found to be thermally stable up to a temperature of similar to 262 degrees C on both Si(100)/SiO2 and SBA-15 and decompose between 262 and 450 degrees C. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Adsorption; desorption; kinetics; Methanol; SBA-15; Si(100)/SiO2; thermal stability

Adsorption of octadecyltrichlorosilane on mesoporous SBA-15 - Mirji, S. A.; Halligudi, Shivaraj B.; Sawant, Dhanashri P.; Jacob, Nalini E.; Patil, K. R.; Gaikwad, A. B.; Pradhan, S. D. (Applied Surface Science, 2006)
Adsorption of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) on mesoporous SBA-15 has been studied by using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. BET surface area analysis shows decrease of surface area from 930 to 416 m(2)/g after OTS adsorption. SEM pictures show close attachment of SBA-15 particles. EDAX measurements show increase of carbon weight percentage and decrease of oxygen and silicon weight percentage. XPS results closely support EDAX analysis. FTIR spectra shows presence of methyl (-CH3) and methylene (-CH2) bands and oriented OTS monolayer on SBA-15. Thermo-gravimetric analysis shows that the OTS adsorbed on SBA-15 are stable up to a temperature of 230 degrees C and that the OTS monolayers decompose between 230 and 400 degrees C. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Adsorption; OTS; SBA-15; Self-assembly; thermal stability

Adsorption of octadecyltrichlorosilane on Si(100)/SiO2 and SBA-15 - Mirji, S. A. (Colloids and Surfaces A-Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2006)
Adsorption of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) on Si(100)/SiO2 substrate and mesoporous SBA-15 has been studied by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Contact angle technique is used to study the adsorption kinetics of OTS on Si(100)/SiO2 and thermal stability of adsorbed OTS layer. Thermogravirnetric (TGA) technique is employed to understand the thermal behavior of OTS adlayer on SBA-15. Langmuir isotherms fit very well with OTS adsorption kinetics data on Si(100)/SiO2 and furnish adsorption rate constant, k(a) = 236 M-1 s(-1), desorption rateconstant, k(d) = 0.0082s(-1) and Gibbs free energy of adsorption, Delta G(ads) = -6.28 kcal mol(-1). EDAX and XPS results both show increased carbon content due to OTS adsorption and decreased oxygen and silicon content due to screening of these elements by OTS adlayer. FTIR data shows methylene (-CH2) and methyl (-CH3) stretching bands, in close agreement with reported data. The OTS layers are found to be thermally. stable up to a temperature of approximate to 260 degrees C on both Si(100)/SiO2 and SBA-15. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Adsorption; Gibbs free energy; OTS; SBA-15; Self-assembly; Si(100)/SiO2; thermal stability

Amino functionalized novel cholic acid derivatives induce HIV-1 replication and syncytia formation in T cells - Salunke, Deepak B.; Ravi, D. S.; Pore, V. S.; Mitra, Debashis; Hazra, Braja G. (Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2006)
Synthesis of C-11 azido/amino functionalized cholic acid derivatives has been achieved in excellent yields. Contrary to the previous prediction of analogous compounds to be HIV-1 protease inhibitors, in the present study these novel cholic acid derivatives induced host cell fusion during the progress of HIV-1 infection and produced multinucleated giant cells. This is the first report of syncytia induction and enhancement of viral replication in HIV-1 infected T cells by cholic acid derivatives.

Analysis of single PEM fuel cell performances based on current density distribution measurement - Ghosh, P. C.; Wuester, T.; Dohle, H.; Kimiaie, N.; Mergel, J.; Stolten, D. (Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology, 2006)
A new in situ measurement method of mapping the current density distribution in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) is used to analyze the performance of a fuel cell under different operating conditions. The present method is useful in investigating the current density distribution in a single cell as well as a stack, which carries the information about the local reactant activity over the electrode area It was found that the current density close to the gas inlets is strongly influenced by the reactants' relative humidity. The performance close to the gas outlets is greatly influenced by the inlet gas pressures and the stoichiometry factors of the reactant gases, mainly on the cathode side. It was also observed that the performance of the fuel cell drops with the increase in operating temperature if the reactant gases are not sufficiently humidified.
Keywords: current density distribution; fuel cell performance; PEFC

Bis(2-diphenylphosphinoxynaphthalen-1-yl)methane: transition metal chemistry, Suzuki cross-coupling reactions and homogeneous hydrogenation of olefins - Punji, Benudhar; Mague, Joel T.; Balakrishna, Maravanji S. (Dalton Transactions, 2006)
Transition metal complexes of bis(2-diphenylphosphinoxynaphthalen-1-yl)methane (1) are described. Bis(phosphinite) 1 reacts with Group 6 metal carbonyls, [Rh(CO)2Cl]2, anhydrous NiCl2, [Pd(C3H5)Cl]2/AgBF4 and Pt(COD)I2 to give the corresponding 10-membered chelate complexes 2, 3 and 5–8. Reaction of 1 with [Rh(COD)Cl]2 in the presence of AgBF4 affords a cationic complex, [Rh(COD){Ph2P(–OC10H6)(µ-CH2)(C10H6O–)PPh2-κP,κP}]BF4 (4). Treatment of 1 with AuCl(SMe2) gives mononuclear chelate complex, [(AuCl){Ph2P(–OC10H6)(µ-CH2)(C10H6O–)PPh2-κP,κP}] (9) as well as a binuclear complex, [Au(Cl){µ-Ph2P(–OC10H6)(µ-CH2)(C10H6O–)PPh2-κP,κP}AuCl] (10) with ligand 1 exhibiting both chelating and bridged bidentate modes of coordination respectively. The molecular structures of 2, 6, 7, 9 and 10 are determined by X-ray studies. The mixture of Pd(OAc)2 and 1 effectively catalyzes Suzuki cross-coupling reactions of a range of aryl halides with aryl boronic acid in MeOH at room temperature or at 60 °C, giving generally high yields even under low catalytic loads. The cationic rhodium(I) complex, [Rh(COD){Ph2P(–OC10H6)(µ-CH2)(C10H6O–)PPh2-κP,κP}]BF4 (4) catalyzes the hydrogenation of styrenes to afford the corresponding alkyl benzenes in THF at room temperature or at 70 °C with excellent turnover frequencies.

Characterization of Cd1-xZnxSe thin films deposited at low temperature by chemical route - Hankare, P. P.; Chate, P. A.; Asabe, M. R.; Delekar, S. D.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; Garadkar, K. M. (Journal of Materials Science-Materials in Electronics, 2006)
Optoelectronic technologically important pseudo-binary Cd1-xZnxSe thin films with a variable composition ( 0 < x < 1) has been developed by chemical bath deposition method. The objective to study growth kinetics, physical, microscopic, compositional, optical, electrical and structural changes. Cd1-xZnxSe have been deposited on non-conducting glass substrate in tartarate bath containing Cd+2 and Zn+2 ions with sodium selenosulphate with an aqueous alkaline medium at 278 K. The quality and the thickness of the films are depends upon deposition temperature, deposition time and pH, etc. X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic absorption spectroscopy, optical absorption, scanning electron microscopy and thermoelectric technique characterized the films. The XRD study indicates the polycrystalline nature in single cubic phase over whole range of composition. Analysis of absorption spectra gave direct type band gap, the magnitude of which increases non-linearly as zinc content in the film is increased and dc electrical conductivity at room temperature was found to decreases from 10(-7) to 10(-8) (Omega cm)(-1). All the films show n-type conductivity. The promising features observed are the formation of continuous solid solutions in a single cubic phase.

Chemical methods to synthesize FeTiO3 powders - Mona, J.; Kale, Sangeeta N.; Gaikwad, A. B.; Murugan, A. Vadivel; Ravi, V. (Materials Letters, 2006)
Three different techniques were used to synthesize FeTiO3 powders. The first method is simple coprecipitation of both Fe and Ti ions under basic conditions using standard ammonia solution from aqueous ferric nitrate and titanium oxy chloride. This precipitate on heating at 400 degrees C produces ilmenite phase. The second method is to digest hydroxide precipitates at 100 degrees C to form FeTiO3 phase. The third technique is to make use of citrate process to form FeTiO3 powders. The phase contents and lattice parameters were Studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Particle size and morphology were studied by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All tights reserved.
Keywords: Chemical synthesis; Electron microscopy; electronic materials; X-ray methods

Chemistry of recently isolated naturally occurring quinazolinone alkaloids - Mhaske, Santosh B.; N. P. Argade (Tetrahedron, 2006)
The present review portrays a concise account of the isolation, bioactivity, and synthesis of bioactive quinazolinone-based natural products for the period 1983-2005 and the recent developments in the area of complex quinazolinone natural products with a special emphasis on new synthetic routes and strategies. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 1983-2005; bioactivity; concise account; isolation; natural quinazolinones; synthesis

Chemoselective dithioacetalization of aldehydes using silica sulfuric acid as a reusable catalyst - Pore, D. M.; Desai, Uday V.; Mane, R. B.; Wadgaonkar, P. P. (Indian Journal of Chemistry Section B-Organic Chemistry Including Medicinal Chemistry, 2006)
Silica sulfuric acid has been found to be an efficient and reusable catalyst for chemoselective dithioacetalization of aldehydes over ketones, in excellent yields.
Keywords: Chemoselective; dithioacetalization; silica sulfuric acid

Claisen rearrangement of allyl phenyl ether over zeolites beta, mordenite and Y - Wagholikar, S. G.; Mayadevi, S.; Jacob, Nalini E.; Sivasanker, S. (Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 2006)
The Claisen rearrangement of allyl phenyl ether (APE) to o-allylphenol was investigated over zeolites beta (BEA), mordenite (MOR) and Y (FAU) with different Si/Al ratios. Over the zeolite catalysts, the allylphenol cyclized to produce 2,3-dihydro-2-methyl benzofuran. Larger catalyst loading, higher reaction temperatures and longer run duration favored the formation of the ring compound. Conversion was small over MOR and FAU although they possessed higher acidity (as measured by the temperature programmed desorption of ammonia) compared to BEA. Studies using BEA revealed that the nature of the solvent influenced the reaction rate. The order of reactivity in the solvents was, benzene > EDC (1,2-dichloroethane) > toluene > TCE (1, 1,2,2-tetrachloroethane) >> ACN (acetonitrile). The intermediate allylphenol reacted with the aromatic solvents to produce byproducts when benzene and toluene were used as solvents. A kinetic analysis assuming first order series and parallel reactions is presented. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: allyl phenyl ether; allylphenol; Benzofuran; Claisen rearrangement; zeolites

Clay-mediated selective hydrolysis of 5 `-O-acetyl-2 `,3 `-isopropylidene/cyclohexylidene nucleosides - Gurjar, Mukund K.; Mondal, Dhananjoy; Ravindranadh, S. V.; Chorghade, Mukund S. (Synthetic Communications, 2006)
A generalized procedure for the selective hydrolysis of 5'O-acetyl-2',3'-isopropylidene/cyclohexylidene nucleosides with a solid catalyst, Montmorillonite K-10 in refluxing methanol, to furnish 5'-O-acetyl-nucleosides is described.
Keywords: 5-O-acetylnucleosides; isopropylidene-nucleoside hydrolysis; montmorillonite K 10

CO2 reforming of methane combined with steam reforming or partial oxidation of methane to syngas over NdCoO3 perovskite-type mixed metal-oxide catalyst - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Mondal, Kartick C. (Applied Energy, 2006)
CO2 reforming with simultaneous steam reforming or partial oxidation of methane to syngas over NdCoO3 perovskite-type mixed metal oxide catalyst (prereduced by H-2) at different process conditions has been investigated. In the simultaneous CO2 and steam reforming, the conversion of methane and H2O and also the H-2/CO product ratio are strongly influenced by the CO2/H2O feed-ratio. In the simultaneous CO2 reforming and partial oxidation of methane, the conversion of methane and CO2, H-2 selectivity and the net heat of reaction are strongly influenced by the process parameters (viz. temperature, space velocity and relative concentration of O-2 in the feed). In both cases, no carbon deposition on the catalyst was observed. The reduced NdCoO3 perovskite-type mixed-oxide catalyst (Co dispersed on Nd2O3) is a highly promising catalyst for carbon-free CO2 reforming combined with steam reforming or partial oxidation of methane to syngas. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords: Co/Nd2O3 catalyst; methane; NdCoO3 perovskite-type mixed metal-oxide catalyst; Oxy-CO2 reforming of methane; simultaneous CO2 and steam reforming of methane

CO2 reforming of methane to syngas over CoOx/MgO supported on low surface area macroporous catalyst carrier: Influence of Co loading and process conditions - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Mondal, Kartick C.; Choudhary, Tushar V. (Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2006)
The effect of Co loading (5-30 wt %) and process parameters ( reduction pretreatment, reaction temperature, and space velocity) have been investigated over CoOx/MgO(5%)/SA-5205 catalyst for the CO2 methane reforming process. The Co loading had a profound effect on the methane conversion and the hydrogen selectivity ( initial and time-on-stream activity) for the unreduced catalysts. While negligible methane conversion was observed for the 5 and 10 wt % Co loading catalyst, methane conversions > 95% were obtained over the high Co loading ( 20 and 30 wt %) catalysts; hydrogen selectivity followed the same trend as methane conversion. The Co loading level had a relatively smaller influence in the case of the reduced catalysts. While the 5 wt % Co catalyst showed low methane conversion activity (< 30%), the 10 wt % Co catalyst showed methane conversion levels comparable to those of the high Co loading catalysts. The high Co loading catalysts showed an excellent time-on-stream performance for the CO2 methane reforming reaction. X-ray diffraction and temperature-programmed reduction experiments indicate that the interesting activity behavior exhibited by the catalysts is related to the different phases ( and their reducibility) present in the catalysts at different Co loadings. The hydrogen selectivity was found to decrease with decreasing reaction temperature and increasing space velocity due to the increased simultaneous occurrence of the reverse water-gas shift reaction along with the CO2 reforming reaction.

Concise asymmetric route to the antibiotic macrolides patulolide A and pyrenophorin - Rao, K. Srinivasa; Reddy, D. Srinivasa; Mukkanti, K.; Pal, Manojit; Iqbal, Javed (Tetrahedron Letters, 2006)
In this letter, we describe an enantiospecific route to patulolide A and pyrenophorin through the synthesis of known protected seco acid precursors starting from commercially available (S)-ethyl lactate. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Constrained variational response to Fock-space multi-reference coupled-cluster theory: Some pilot applications - Manohar, Prashant Uday; Vaval, Nayana; Pal, Sourav (Journal of Molecular Structure-Theochem, 2006)
Fock space (FS) multi-reference (MR) coupled-cluster (CC) has been established to be state-of-the-art method for energies of open-shell radicals, ionized, electron attached states and excited states. Due to the multi-root nature of the method, the linear response of MRCC, however, is non-trivial. Constrained variation approach (CVA) makes it plausible to calculate response of the MRCC method efficiently. However, the approach is used for only one root of the problem at a time. In the present article, we make first implementation of the approach and present test results of dipole moments of small radicals. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: constrained variation; coupled-cluster; Dipole moment; Multi-reference; response

Control of stereoselectivity in 4-tert-butylphenol hydrogenation over a carbon-supported rhodium catalyst by carbon dioxide solvent - Hiyoshi, Norihito; Mine, Eiichi; Rode, Chandrashekhar V.; Sato, Osamu; Ebina, Takeo; Shirai, Masayuki (Chemistry Letters, 2006)
cis-4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol was obtained with a high cis ratio (cis/(cis + trans) = 0.9) in the hydrogenation of 4-tert-butylphenol over a carbon-supported rhodium catalyst along with hydrochloric acid in supercritical carbon dioxide solvent.

Co-precipitation technique for the preparation of ferroelectric BaBi2Ta2O9 - Dhage, S. R.; Pasricha, R.; Murugan, A. Vadivel; Ravi, V. (Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2006)
A simple co-precipitation technique had been successfully applied for the preparation of pure ultrafine single phase BaBi2Ta2O9 (BBT). Ammonium hydroxide and ammonium oxalate were used to precipitate Ba2+, Bi3+ and Ta5+ cations simultaneously. No pyrochlore phase was found while heating powder at 800 degrees C and pure BaBi2Ta2O9 phase was found to be formed by X-ray diffraction. Particle size and morphology was studied by transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM). The room temperature dielectric constant at 1 kHz is 350. The ferroelectric hysteresis loop parameters of these samples were also studied. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Ceramics; Chemical synthesis; electronic material; ferroelectricity; Oxides

Coprecipitation technique to prepare Sr0.5Ba0.5Nb2O6 - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Gaikwad, A. B.; Samuel, V.; Ravi, V. (Bulletin of Materials Science, 2006)
An aqueous mixture of ammonium oxalate and ammonium hydroxide was used to coprecipitate barium and strontium ions as oxalates and niobium ions as hydroxide under basic conditions. This precursor on calcining at 750 degrees C yielded Sr0.5Ba0.5Nb2O6 phase. This is a much lower temperature than that prepared by traditional solid state method (1000 degrees C) as reported for the formation of Sr0.5Ba0.5Nb2O6 (SBN). Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) investigations revealed that the average particle size was 80 nm for the calcined powders. The room temperature dielectric constant at I kHz was found to be 1100. The ferroelectric hysteresis loop parameters of these samples were also studied.
Keywords: Ceramics; Electron microscopy; ferroelectricity; Oxides; X-ray diffraction

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray characterization of a thermostable low-molecular-weight 1,4-beta-D-glucan glucohydrolase from an alkalothermophilic thermomonospora sp. - Manikandan, K.; Jagtap, Sharmili; Rao, M.; Ramakumar, S. (Acta Crystallographica Section F-Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications, 2006)
{Cellulases catalyze the hydrolysis of beta-1,4-glycosidic linkages within cellulose, the most abundant organic polymer on earth. The cellulase (TSC; EC 3.2.1.4) from an alkalothermophilic Thermomonospora sp. has a low molecular weight of 14.2 kDa. It is optimally active at 323 K and stable over the wide pH range of 5 - 9. Moreover, it has bifunctional activity against cellulose and xylan polymers. In this study, TSC was purified from the native source and crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 49.9

Cu(I)-catalyzed cycloaddition of constrained azido-alkynes: access to 12- to 17-membered monomeric triazolophanes incorporating furanoside rings - Ray, A.; Manoj, Kochunnoonny; Bhadbhade, Mohan M.; Mukhopadhyay, R.; Bhattacharjya, A. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2006)
A strained monomeric 12-membered triazolophane was formed by the Cu(I)-catalyzed intramolecular cycloaddition of an azide to an alkyne having a constrained tether incorporating ail aromatic ring and a furanoside ring. Similar cycloadditions of azido-alkynes having ester, furanoside and peptidic tethers led to the formation of monomeric triazolophanes of higher ring sizes. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Double intramolecular oxymercuration: stereoselective synthesis of highly substituted bis-tetrahydrofuran - Mohapatra, Debendra K.; Mohapatra, Seetaram; Gurjar, Mukund K. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2006)
Stereoselective intramolecular oxymercuration has been demonstrated as the key reaction for the efficient preparation of mono- and dihydroxylated unsymmetrical bis-tetrahydrofuran skeletons present in naturally occurring biologically active acetogenins using carbohydrates. These trans- and syn-selective intramolecular oxymercurations were explored in an enantio selective synthesis of the bis-tetrahydrofuran skeleton of mucoxin. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: acetogenins; Barton-McCombie deoxygenation; demercuration; intramolecular oxymercuration; unsymmetrical bis-tetrabydrofuran; Wittig reaction

Effect of annealing on properties of ZrSe2 thin films - Hankare, P. P.; Asabe, M. R.; Kokate, A. V.; Delekar, S. D.; Sathe, D. J.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; Chougule, B. K. (Journal of Crystal Growth, 2006)
Thin films of ZrSe2 have been prepared on stainless steel and fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated glass substrates using electrodeposition technique at potentiostatic mode. Double-distilled water containing precursors Zr and Se with ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid disodium salt as a complexing agent was used to obtain good quality deposits by controlling the rate of reaction. The preparative parameters such as concentration of bath, deposition time, bath temperature, pH of the bath and annealing temperature have been optimized using photoelectrochernical (PEC) technique. The films deposited at optimum preparative parameters are annealed at different temperatures. The film annealed at 200 degrees C shows more photosensitivity. The as-deposited and annealed films at 200 degrees C have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive analysis by X-ray (EDAX), optical absorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD analysis of the as-deposited and annealed films showed the presence of polycrystalline nature with hexagonal crystal structure. EDAX study reveals that deposited films are almost stoichiometric. Optical absorption study shows the presence of direct transition and band gap energies are found to be 1.5 and 1.38 eV, respectively, for the as-deposited and annealed films. SEM study revels that the grains are uniformly distributed over the surface of substrate for the as-deposited as well as annealed film, which indicates formation of good and compact type of crystal structure. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: band gap; EDAX; Electrodeposition; PEC; SEM; XRD; ZrSe2 thin films

Effect of spacer groups on the performance of MCM-41-supported platinum cluster-derived hydrogenation catalysts - Maity, Niladri; Basu, Susmit; Mapa, Maitri; Rajamohanan, Pattuparambil R.; Ganapathy, Subramanian; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Bhaduri, Sumit; Lahiri, Goutam Kumar (Journal of Catalysis, 2006)
MCM-41 was functionalized with (EtO)(3)SiCH2Cl, (MeO)(3)SiCH2CH2CH2Cl, and (CH3)Cl2SiCH2Cl. The functionalized materials were characterized by solid-state NMR (CPMAS, Si-29 and C-13) and XPS. The NMR data indicate that three new silicon environments were created by(EtO)(3)SiCH2Cl and (MeO)(3)SiCH2CH2CH2Cl, whereas with (CH3)Cl2SiCH2Cl, two new silicon environments were obtained. XPS results from Si 2p core level and the valence band from the material functionalized by (MeO)(3)Si(CH2)(3)Cl was found to be the same as that of the corresponding fresh catalyst (1a), in contrast to that of the materials functionalized by the other two silane reagents. After further functionalization with triethylamine, these materials were used as inorganic anion exchangers to support the cluster anion [Pt-12(CO)(24)](2-). Solid-state NMR (29Si, C-13, N-15) was used to establish the presence of the quaternary ammonium group in the cluster-supported species. Analogous materials were also created using fumed silica as the support, and all of the cluster-supported materials were tested as catalysts for the hydrogenation of methyl pyruvate, acetophenone, nitrobenzene, benzonitrile, ethylacetoacetate, 4-nitrotoluene, cyclohexanone, allyl alcohol, and styrene. The best activity was obtained for the catalyst that had MCM-41 as the support and chloropropyl as the spacer group. TEM showed that the supports and the spacer groups had observable effects on the platinum crystallite size of the catalysts. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: functionalized inorganic oxides; hydrogenation catalysts; MCM-41; platinum carbonyl cluster; Solid-state NMR; spacer groups; XPS

Electrochemical organization of monolayer protected gold nanoclusters on single-walled carbon nanotubes: significantly enhanced double layer capacitance - Mahima, Subhramanyam; Chaki, N. K.; Sharma, J.; Kakade, Bhalchandra A.; Pasricha, R.; Rao, A. M.; Vijayamohanan, K. (Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2006)
This paper reports a novel electrochemical route for anchoring monolayer protected gold nanoclusters (size 8 +/- 0.2 nm) on single-walled carbon nanotube bundles, resulting in the formation of hybrid materials. Monolayer protected gold nanoclusters prepared by modified Brust synthesis route were organized on SWNT bundles by cycling-the potential in dichloromethane between -1 to +1 V at a scan rate of 50 mV/s. Monolayer protected nanoclusters in electrolyte solutions possess ionic space charge around them (double layer charging), making them suitable for organization on nanotube bundles, by tuning the electrostatic interactions. More significantly, analysis of the double layer capacitance of these hybrid materials shows almost ten times increase in capacitance compared to that of bare SWNT bundles. We believe that these hybrid materials are potentially useful in nanoelectronics.
Keywords: double layer capacitance; double layer charging; hybrid materials; monolayer protected gold nanoclusters; single-walled carbon nanotubes

Electron beam induced surface cross-linking of functional monomers coated on silicon substrate - Mahapatra, S. K.; Bodas, Dhananjay S.; Mandale, A. B.; Gangal, S. A.; Bhoraskar, Vasant N. (Materials Letters, 2006)
A 3: 1 composition of functional monomer: multifunctional acrylate was spin coated and later cross-linked under the influence of keV electron irradiation on the surface of silicon to generate a surface-anchored cross-linked network bearing functional moieties. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as wetting angle measurements were used for the analysis of functional monomer cross-linked surfaces. Results of the surface reconstruction of surfaces and electron irradiated on coated silicon wafers reveal that long-term hydrophilic surfaces can be achieved. Thus, the surface architecture can be favorably manipulated by using this remarkable technique with a Suitable combination of functional monomers and cross-linkers. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: electron beam irradiation; FTIR; Polymers; surface modification; XPS

Engaging zwitterions in carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bond- forming reactions: a promising synthetic strategy - Nair, Vijay; Menon, Rajeev S.; Sreekanth, A. R.; Abhilash, N.; Biju, Akkattu T. (Accounts of Chemical Research, 2006)
An Account of carbon−carbon and carbon−nitrogen bond-forming reactions mediated by zwitterions generated by the addition of organic nucleophiles to activated unsaturated systems highlighting their synthetic potential is presented.

Eu3+ doped lanthanum oxide nanowhiskers: microwave hydrothermal synthesis, characterization and photoluminescence properties - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Viswanath, Annamraju Kasi; Kakade, Bhalchandra A.; Ravi, V.; Saaminathan, V. (Journal of Physics D-Applied Physics, 2006)
We report here a straightforward and rapid microwave - hydrothermal route providing an easy synthesis of Eu3+ doped La2O3 nanowhiskers. The nanostructured Eu3+ doped La2O3 is characterized by x-ray diffraction studies, scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence (PL). The emission spectrum shows transitions from the excited 5D(0) state to F-7(J) (J = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) levels of the Eu3+ ion. The most intense peak around 611 nm is due to the D-5(0) -> F-7(2) transition, expected from the Judd-Ofelt selection rules. PL spectra measurements demonstrate that the lanthanum oxide nanowhisker shows higher PL intensity.

Exfoliation-induced nanoribbon formation of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) PEDOT between MoS2 layers as cathode material for lithium batteries - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Quintin, M.; Delville, M. H.; Campet, Guy; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Vijayamohanan, K. (Journal of Power Sources, 2006)
A new type of layered nanocomposite synthesized by delaminated MoS2 nanosheets and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) are restacked to produce alternate polymer nanoribbons between layers Of MoS2 with an interlayer distance of similar to 1.38 nm. The unique properties of resulting nanocomposite are investigated by powder XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, and four-probe conductivity measurements. The obtained nanocomposite can be used as a cathode material for a small power rechargeable lithium battery as demonstrated by the electrochemical insertion of lithium into the PEDOT/MoS2 nanocomposite. A significant enhancement in the discharge capacity (100 mAh g(-1)) is observed compared with that (40 mAh g(-1)) for MoS2. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.
Keywords: cathode material; lithium batteries; MoS2; organic-inorganic nanocomposite; PEDOT-nanoribbons

Facile synthesis of 1,3,7-trihydroxyxanthone and its regioselective coupling reactions with prenal: simple and efficient access to osajaxanthone and nigrolineaxanthone F - Mondal, Mukulesh; Puranik, Vedavati G.; N. P. Argade (Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2006)
A facile five-step synthesis of naturally occurring 1,3,7-trihydroxyxanthone has been described starting from 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene via NBS-induced nuclear bromination, lithiation followed by an in situ benzoylation with methyl 2,5-dibenzyloxybenzoate, selective deprotection of the two benzyl groups, base-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization, and demethylations pathway with 62% overall yield. The regioselective coupling reactions of 1,3,7-trihydroxyxanthone with prenal in the presence of calcium hydroxide at room temperature and under thermal conditions at 140-150 degrees C have been demonstrated to exclusively obtain the natural products osajaxanthone in 75% yield and nigrolineaxanthone F in 98% yield, respectively.

Field emission from oriented tin oxide rods - Deshpande, A. C.; Koinkar, Pankaj M.; Ashtaputre, S. S.; More, Mahendra A.; Gosavi, S. W.; Godbole, P. D.; Joag, Dilip S.; Kulkarni, S. K. (Thin Solid Films, 2006)
Tin oxide (SnO2) films were grown on silicon substrates by a wet chemical route. It was found from scanning electron microscopy investigations that oriented SnO2 rods normal to the substrates were obtained. Field emission studies were carried out in diode configuration in an all metal ultra high vacuum chamber at a base pressure similar to 1.33 x 10(-8) mbar. The `onset' field required to draw 0.1 mu A/cm(2) current density from the emitter cathode was found to be similar to 3.4 V/mu m for SnO2 rods. The field emission current and applied field follows the Folwer-Nordheim relationship in low field regime. The observed results indicate that the field emission characteristics of chemically grown SnO2 structures are comparable to the vapor grown nanostructures. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: field emission; microstructures; scanning electron microscopy; tin oxide

Field emission studies of novel ZnO nanostructures in high and low field regions - Ramgir, Niranjan S.; Late, Dattatray J.; Bhise, Ashok B.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; More, Mahendra A.; Joag, Dilip S.; Pillai, Vijayamohanan K. (Nanotechnology, 2006)
A study of the field emission characteristics of novel structures of ZnO, namely marigolds, multipods and microbelts, has been carried out in both the close proximity configuration and the conventional field emission microscope. The use of a conventional field emission microscope overcomes the drawback of arc formation at high field values. The nonlinearity in the Fowler - Nordheim ( F - N) plot, a characteristic feature of semiconductors has been observed and explained on the basis of electron emission from both the conduction and the valence bands. The current stability exhibited by these structures is also promising for future device applications.

Flufenoxuron, an acylurea insect growth regulator, alters development of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera :tenebrionidae) by modulating levels of chitin, soluble protein content, and HSP70 and p34(cdc2) in the larval tissues - Salokhe, S.; Sarkar, A.; Kulkarni, A.; Mukherjee, Samindra N.; Pal, J. K. (Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, 2006)
The effect of sublethal concentrations, 0.00141% (LC20), 0.00251% (LC30), and 0.0036% (LC40) of a dispersible formulation of an acylurea insect growth regulator, flufenoxuron (Cascade) on certain biochemical parameters in the larvae of Tribolium castaneum was investigated. When neonates were fed on diet treated with sublethal concentrations for 24 It, it was observed that at all concentrations tested, there was a significant reduction in chitin content on the 15th day of development. Total soluble protein content at LC20 and LC30 decreased with increasing age of the larvae. At LC20 and LC40 concentrations there was a progressive increase in the protein: chitin ratio as a function of increase in age of the larvae. SDS-PAGE analysis of the larval tissue extracts indicated gross quantitative changes in some of the protein bands (MW 50-97 kDa). Western blot analysis revealed significant increase in the level of HSP70 in the extracts of larvae fed on LC30 treated diet, on the 7th and 10th day of development in the decreasing order. Conversely, a significant decrease in the hyper-phosphorylated form of p34(cdc2) kinase due to flufenoxuron treatment indicating modulation of cell cycle regulation was observed. Thus, sublethal concentrations of flufenoxuron alter expression of developmentally regulated proteins, HSP70 and p34(cdc2) and chitin formation in a stage-specific manner thereby resulting developmental abnormalities in T castaneum. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: chitin; Development; flufenoxuron; HSP70; p34(cdc2); phosphotyrosine; sublethal effects; total soluble proteins; Tribolium castaneum

Formation of linear polymers with pendant vinyl groups via inclusion complex mediated polymerization of divinyl monomers - Satav, S. S.; Karmalkar, Rohini N.; Kulkarni, M. G.; Mulpuri, Nagaraju; Sastry, G. N. (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2006)

Formation of poly(o-anisidine) coatings on copper from aqueous salicylate solution - Chaudhari, Sudeshna; Mandale, A. B.; Patil, K. R.; Sainkar, S. R.; Patil, P. P. (Surface & Coatings Technology, 2006)
Poly(o-anisidine) coatings have been electrosynthesized by using cyclic voltammetry on copper from an aqueous salicylate medium. Cyclic voltammetry, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize these coatings, which indicates that the aqueous salicylate solution is a suitable medium for the electrochemical polymerization of o-anisidine on copper substrate. Cyclic voltammetry accompanied by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to characterize the surface modifications induced by polarizing the copper substrate in the aqueous salicylate solution (without monomer). It was shown that the polarization of the copper in the aqueous salicylate medium results into the passivation of its surface via the formation of Cu(2)O and/or copper salicylate complex. It was found that the electrochemical polymerization of o-anisidine takes place after the passivation of the copper substrate via fort-nation of Cu(2)O and/or copper salicylate complex and results into the formation of shiny, uniform and strongly adherent poly(o-anisidine). The optical absorption spectroscopy reveals the formation of emraldine salt form of poly(o-anisidine). This study offers an electrochemical polymerization recipe to synthesize strongly adherent poly(o-anisidine) coating on copper from aqueous media for possible use in corrosion protection application. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: conducting polymers; Copper; corrosion protective coatings; cyclic voltammetry; poly(o-anisidine) coatings

General strategy for a short and efficient synthesis of 3-hydroxy-4-methylprolines (HMP) - Mohapatra, Debendra K.; Mondal, Dhananjoy; Chorghade, Mukund S.; Gurjar, Mukund K. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2006)
The non-proteinogenic amino acid 3-hydroxy-4-methylproline (HMP) is an active constituent of some potent antimicrobials including echinocandins, nostopeptins, pneumocandins, sporiofungin and mulundocandins. A synthesis has been achieved in 10 steps with 29% overall yield; the Evans' aldol reaction using Crimmins' modified method was pivotal to the success of the strategy. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 3; 4-disubstituted proline; Crimmins' aldol reaction; Garner's aldehyde; non-proteinogenic amino acids; RUO4 mediated oxidation

High performance poly(styrene-b-diene-b-styrene) triblock copolymers from a hydrocarbon-soluble and additive-free dicarbanionic initiator - Matmour, Rachid; More, Arvind S.; Wadgaonkar, Prakash P.; Gnanou, Yves (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2006)

Highly efficient organic-inorganic poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-molybdenum trioxide nanocomposite electrodes for electrochemical supercapacitor - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Viswanath, Annamraju Kasi; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Vijayamohanan, K. (Journal of Applied Physics, 2006)
In this paper, we report a highly efficient organic-inorganic nanocomposite electrode with enhanced double layer capacitance, which has been synthesized using 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene and crystalline molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) in the presence of an external oxidizing agent. The interlayer spacing of MoO3 upon intercalation expands from 6.93 to 13.46 A and is followed by an exfoliation and restacking process. The resulting nanocomposite is characterized by powder x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and four probe conductivity measurements. The application potential of this nanocomposite as an electrode material for electrochemical supercapacitors has been investigated, highlighting the unusual enhancement of double layer capacitance of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiphene) (PEDOT-MoO3) nanocomposites (similar to 300 F g(-1)) compared to that of pristine MoO3 (similar to 40 mF g(-1)). The improved electrochemical performance is attributed to the intercalation of electronically conducting PEDOT between MoO3 layers with enhanced bidimensionality and an increase in the surface area. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

In situ optical emission spectroscopic investigations during arc plasma synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles by thermal plasma - Banerjee, Indrani; Joshi, N. K.; Sahasrabudhe, S. N.; Kulkarni, Naveen V.; Karmakar, Soumen; Pasricha, R.; Ghorui, S.; Tak, Atul K.; Murthy, Shri P. S. S.; Bhoraskar, S. V.; Das, A. K. (IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 2006)
Investigations using in situ precursor spectroscopy during the growth of nanoparticles of iron oxide by thermal plasma induced gas phase condensation method have been shown to be useful for correlating the size of nanoparticles with existing plasma parameters. The relative abundance of ionized Fe species inside the plasma plume is seen to directly establish the relation between particle size, arc current, arc length, and ambient pressure of the reacting oxygen gas. The argon plasma from a transferred arc reactor is made to impinge on the anode that is allowed to vaporize and react with oxygen. The spectral line profiles of both Ar and Fe along the plasma column during the synthesis of nanoparticles have been proved to be useful in understanding the growth mechanism. Band intensities of FeO molecular states indicated the inverse relation with particle sizes that have been correlated to the two competitive processes in which energy is released, namely: 1) one involving the radiative transition and 2) the other that of the growth by coagulation. Atomic Boltzmann plots are used for estimating the temperatures of the zones, whereas particle sizes have been inferred using transmission electron microscopic measurements.
Keywords: plasma arc device; plasma-materials processing applications; spectroscopy

Irradiation effects of 12 eV oxygen ions on polyimide and fluorinated ethylene propylene - Majeed, Riyadh M A Abdul; Purohit, V. S.; Bhoraskar, S. V.; Mandale, A. B.; Bhoraskar, Vasant N. (Radiation Effects and Defects in Solids, 2006)
Polyimide (PI) and Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) samples (15mm x 15mm x 50 mu m ) were exposed to atomic oxygen ions of average energy similar to 12 eV and flux similar to 5x10(13) ions cm(-2) s(-1) , produced in the Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma. The energy and the flux of the oxygen ions at different positions in the plasma were measured by a retarding field analyzer. The fluence of the oxygen ions was varied from sample to sample in the range of similar to 5x10(16) to 2x10(17) ions cm(-2) by changing the irradiation period. The pre- and the post-irradiated samples were characterized by the weight loss, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) techniques. The weight of the PI and FEP samples decreased with increasing the ion fluence. However, the erosion yield for the PI is found to be higher, by almost a factor five, when compared with that of FEP. On the surface region of irradiated samples, the concentrations of the carbon, fluorine, and oxygen and their corresponding chemical bonds have changed appreciably. Moreover, blisters and nanoglobules were also observed even at a fluence of similar to 10(17) ions cm(-2) . This oxygen ion fluence is almost two orders of magnitude lower than that of the 5 eV atomic oxygen, which a satellite encounters in the space, at the low Earth orbit, during its mission period of about 7 years.
Keywords: atomic oxygen; ECR plasma; FEP; FTIR; Polyimide; SEM; weight loss; XPS

La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 nanoparticles coated with fatty amine - Rajagopal, Rajashree; Mona, J.; Kale, Sangeeta N.; Bala, Tanushree; Pasricha, Rem; Poddar, P.; Sastry, M.; Bhagavatula L. V. Prasad; Kundaliya, Darshan C.; Ogale, S. B. (Applied Physics Letters, 2006)
We report on the synthesis of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) nanoparticles having perovskite structure and particle size of the order of 30 rim. The process involves citrate-gel synthesis, size filtering, and; surface coating with a shell of octadecyl amine (ODA) using electrostatic interaction-assisted novel chemical route. Magnetic measurements show the Curie temperature of similar to 360 K establishing the desired stoichiometry and phase. Fourier transform infrared-studies bring out. that the amine group of ODA interacts with the LSMO surface. Refluidization yields uniform redispersion of the coated and dried powder. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Liquid phase alkylation of phenol with 1-octene over large pore zeolites - Wagholikar, Smita; Mayadevi, S.; Sivasanker, S. (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2006)
A comparative study is presented of the liquid phase alkylation of phenol with 1-octene over different zeolite catalysts: H-beta (BEA(15)), H-mordenite (MOR(11)) and H-USY (FAU(15)). A wide spectrum of monoalkylated products, identified as isomers of phenyl octyl ether (O-alkylate) and octyl phenol (C-alkylate), was formed in the reaction. The reaction was studied in detail over BEA(15), such studies included the influence of process variables such as temperature, reactant mole ratio, catalyst amount and alkali metal (K) poisoning on its performance in the alkylation reaction. A kinetic analysis of the reaction over BEA(15) was also carried out assuming a second order parallel reaction mechanism. The activity of the different catalysts for the reaction followed the order: BEA(15) > FAU(15) > MOR(11). The poisoning of BEA(15) with potassium resulted in a decrease in the catalyst activity concomitant with a decrease in the number of strong acid centres in the catalyst. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 1-octene; alkyl phenols; Alkylation; phenol; zeolites

Low temperature hydrogenation of tetralin over supported rhodium catalysts in supercritical carbon dioxide solvent - Hiyoshi, Norihito; Mine, Eiichi; Rode, Chandrashekhar V.; Sato, Osamu; Shirai, Masayuki (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2006)
Hydrogenation of tetralin was studied over supported rhodium catalysts in supercritical carbon dioxide solvent at 333 K. The results were compared with those in an organic solvent and under neat conditions. Higher cis-decalin yield was obtained in supercritical carbon dioxide solvent than under non-supercritical conditions. It was observed that higher hydrogen concentration at the surface in supercritical carbon dioxide solvent led to fast direct hydrogenation of tetralin to cis-decalin; the flipping of the intermediate, octalin, to give trans-decalin could be prevented. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: cis-decalin; Hydrogen storage; Hydrogenation; Supercritical carbon dioxide; supported rhodium catalysts; tetralin

MCM-41-supported platinum carbonyl cluster-derived catalysts for asymmetric and nonasymmetric hydrogenation reactions - Basu, Susmit; Mapa, Maitri; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Doble, Mukesh; Bhaduri, Sumit; Lahiri, Goutam Kumar (Journal of Catalysis, 2006)
Anionic platinum carbonyl Cluster ([Pt-12(CO)(24)](2-)) was ion-paired with the 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilyl-ammonium group chemically bound to the surface of MCM-41. The materials undergo quick decarbonylation and have been characterized before decarbonylation by IR and UV-vis spectroscopy and after decarbonylation by XPS and TEM. They have been used as catalysts for the hydrogenations of methyl pyruvate, acetophenone, nitrobenzene, benzonitrile, and ethylacetoacetate. The support and the quaternary ammonium groups have significant effects on surface platinum concentration, crystallite size, and observed activity. In the hydrogenation of the prochiral substrates methyl pyruvate or acetophenone, the cinchonidine-based catalyst gives significant enantioselectivity under optimum conditions. A kinetic model that includes an enantioselective product-formation step and a hydrogen pressure-dependent step for the deactivation of the enantioselective sites gives reasonable agreement between predicted and observed enantioselectivity. The model is also in accordance with the XPS and TEM data. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: asymmetric/non-asymmetric catalysis; Enantioselectivity; functionalized MCM-41; hydrogenation catalysts; platinum carbonyl cluster

Metal-induced reductive ring opening of 1,2,4,5-tetrazines: Three resulting coordination alternatives, including the new non-innocent 1,2-diiminohydrazido(2-) bridging ligand system - Maji, Somnath; Sarkar, B.; Patra, S.; Fiedler, Jan; Mobin, Shaikh M.; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Kaim, Wolfgang; Lahiri, Goutam Kumar (Inorganic Chemistry, 2006)
{Reaction of 3,6-diaryl-1,2,4,5-tetrazines (aryl = R = phenyl, 2-furyl or 2-thienyl) with 2 equiv of Ru(acac)(2)(CH3-CN)(2) results in reductive tetrazine ring opening to yield diruthenium complexes [
Keywords: crystal engineering; hydrogen bonds; molecular; recocynition; Self-assembly; supramolecular chemistry

Methane reforming over a high temperature stable-NiCoMgOx supported on zirconia-hafnia catalyst - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Mondal, Kartick C.; Choudhary, Tushar V. (Chemical Engineering Journal, 2006)
The unusually high temperature stable NiCoMgOx (Ni/Co/Mg: 1:0.2:1.2)/zirconia-hafnia catalyst has been investigated for syngas generation via the catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPOM), oxidative steam reforming of methane (OSRM) and oxidative CO2 reforming of methane (OCRM) processes. The catalyst, even when calcined at 1400 degrees C for 4 h, showed excellent activity/selectivity for the CPOM, OSRM and the OCRM reactions. On account of its high thermal stability, hot spots in the catalyst bed and/or high temperatures prevailing at the catalyst surface during the oxy-reforming processes would have little or no effect on the catalytic activity/selectivity of the NiCoMgOx/zirconia-hafnia catalyst, thus making the catalyst suitable even for operating under adiabatic conditions. While the selectivity for CO increased considerably with increasing reaction temperature for the CPOM process, the selectivity for H-2 was affected to a much lesser extent. The selectivity for CO and H-2 in the CPOM reaction was found to decrease with increasing space velocity; the H-2 selectivity was however affected to a greater extent. For the OSRM process, the H2O/CH4 ratio profoundly influenced the H-2/CO ratio and the heat of the reaction. Depending on the H2O/CH4 ratio, the OSRM process could be operated in a mildly exothermic, thermoneutral or mildly endothermic mode. The CO2 conversion increased rapidly with increasing OCRM temperature and correspondingly the exothermicity of the OCRM reaction was found to decrease with increasing reaction temperature. At 900 degrees C, the OCRM reaction was mildly exothermic and provided high methane conversion and syngas selectivity. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: high temperature stable catalyst; methane; oxy-dry reforming; oxy-steam reforming; Partial oxidation

Micellar behavior of dodecyldimethylethyl ammonium bromide and dodecyltrimethyl ammonium chloride in aqueous media in the presence of diclofenac sodium - Mehta, S. K.; Bhasin, K. K.; Kumar, Anil; Dham, S. (Colloids and Surfaces A-Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2006)
The micellar properties of cationic surfactants (S) viz. dodecyldimethylethyl ammonium bromide (DDAB) and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) in aqueous media in the presence of diclofenac sodium (D) have been investigated by spectroscopic and conductivity measurements. The UV-vis and H-1 NMR studies suggest possible packing of diclofenac sodiurn molecules in the micelles. The conductivity studies were carried out over the temperature range 288.15-308.15 K. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) and degree of counterion binding (beta) of the micelles were determined at different temperatures. Delay in micellisation was observed for both DDAB and DTAC. Thermodynamic parameters (Delta G(m)(0) Delta H-m(0) and Delta S-m(0).) for the micelle system were estimated by applying the charged pseudo-phase separation model. The results of the ternary S/D/W system were analysed in comparison with the reported results of binary SAV system. The Delta G(m)(0) values for the ternary S/D/W system in both the cases show an increase in comparison to the respective binary SAV system. However, Delta S-m(0) decreased with temperature and remained positive in both the systems. At lower temperatures, the micellisation was found to be entropy-driven while at higher temperatures it was enthalpy-dfiven. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: diclofenac sodium; dodecyldimethylethylammonium bromide; dodecyltrimethylammoniurn chloride; Electrical conductivity; spectroscopic measurements

Modeling of rotary cement kilns: applications to reduction in energy consumption - Mujumdar, Kaustubh S.; Arora, Amit; Ranade, V. V. (Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2006)
Rotary cement kilns are used for converting calcineous raw meal into cement clinkers. In this paper, we discuss and evaluate possible ways of reducing energy consumption in rotary cement kilns. A comprehensive one-dimensional model was developed to simulate complex processes occurring in rotary cement Kilns. A modeling strategy comprising three submodels. viz. a model for simulating the variation of bed height in the kiln, a model for simulating reactions and heat transfer in the bed region, and a model for simulating coal combustion and heat transfer in the freeboard region, was developed. Melting and formation of coating within the kiln were accounted for. Combustion of coal in the freeboard region was modeled by accounting for devolatilization, finite-rate gas-phase combustion, and char reaction. The simulated results were validated with the available data from three industrial kilns. The model was then used to understand the influence of various design and operating parameters on kiln performance. Several ways of reducing energy consumption in kilns were then computationally investigated. The model was also used to propose and to evaluate a practical solution of using a secondary shell to reduce energy consumption in rotary cement kilns. Simulation results indicate that varying kiln operating variables, viz. solid flow rate or RPM, can result only in small changes in kiln energetics. Use of a secondary shell over the kiln and energy recovery by passing air through the annular gap between the two appears to be a promising way to achieve significant energy savings. The developed model and the presented results will be useful for enhancing the performance of rotary cement kilns.

Molecular interactions between the specialist herbivore Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) and its natural host Nicotiana attenuata. VII. changes in the plant's proteome - Giri, Ashok P.; Wuensche, Hendrik; Mitra, Sirsha Sribas; Zavala, Jorge A.; Muck, Alexander; Svatos, Ales; Baldwin, Ian T. (Plant Physiology, 2006)
When Manduca sexta attacks Nicotiana attenuata, fatty acid-amino acid conjugates (FACs) in the larvae's oral secretions (OS) are introduced into feeding wounds. These FACs trigger a transcriptional response that is similar to the response induced by insect damage. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we characterized the proteins in phenolic extracts and in a nuclear fraction of leaves elicited by larval attack, and/or in leaves wounded and treated with OS, FAC-free OS, and synthetic FACs. Phenolic extracts yielded approximately 600 protein spots, many of which were altered by elicitation, whereas nuclear protein fractions yielded approximately 100 spots, most of which were unchanged by elicitation. Reproducible elicitor-induced changes in 90 spots were characterized. In general, proteins that increased were involved in primary metabolism, defense, and transcriptional and translational regulation; those that decreased were involved in photosynthesis. Like the transcriptional defense responses, proteomic changes were strongly elicited by the FACs in OS. A semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR approach based on peptide sequences was used to compare transcript and protein accumulation patterns for 17 candidate proteins. In six cases the patterns of elicited transcript accumulation were consistent with those of elicited protein accumulation. Functional analysis of one of the identified proteins involved in photosynthesis, RuBPCase activase, was accomplished by virus-induced gene silencing. Plants with decreased levels of RuBPCase activase protein had reduced photosynthetic rates and RuBPCase activity, and less biomass, responses consistent with those of herbivore-attacked plants. We conclude that the response of the plant's proteome to herbivore elicitation is complex, and integrated transcriptome-proteome-metabolome analysis is required to fully understand this ubiquitous ecological interaction.

Nitridation of high speed steel by electron cyclotron resonance plasma - Majeed, Riyadh M A Abdul; Purohit, Vishwas; Bhide, Rajesh; Mandale, A. B.; Bhoraskar, S. V.; Bhoraskar, Vasant N. (Journal of Physics D-Applied Physics, 2006)
Plasma nitridation of high speed M2 steel is studied using a microwave assisted electron cyclotron resonance plasma source. A mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen with a proportion of 7 : 3 was used as the nitriding gas. The density of plasma for this forming gas was measured to be similar to 10(18) m(-3) as estimated by a double probe method. The M2 steel was nitrided at various temperatures of 400, 450, 500 and 550 degrees C under similar reactor conditions. The nitrided layer was characterized by using various analytical techniques which included structural, morphological, chemical and microhardness measurement. The maximum thickness of the nitrided layer was found to be 48 mu m for samples nitrided at 550 degrees C. No layer corresponding to white/compound layer is seen in our analysis. The hardness is seen to increase from similar to 580HV to similar to 1190HV for samples nitrided at 550 degrees C. Electron cyclotron resonance plasma nitridation is observed to be much faster and a cleaner process as compared with the conventional nitriding process.

Non-catalytic pyrolysis of ethane to ethylene in the presence of CO2 with or without limited O-2 - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Mondal, Kartick C.; Mulla, Shafeek Abdul Rashid (Journal of Chemical Science, 2006)
Influence of the presence Of CO2, which is a mild oxidant, on the performance of the thermal cracking of ethane to ethylene in the absence or presence of limited O-2 at different temperatures (750-900 degrees C), space velocities (1500-9000 h(-1)) and CO2/C2H6 and O-2/C2H6 mole ratios (0-2.0 and 0-0.3 respectively) has been investigated. In both the presence and absence of limited 02, ethane conversion increases markedly because of the presence Of CO2, indicating its beneficial effect on the ethane to ethylene cracking. The increased ethane conversion is, however, not due to the oxidation of ethane to ethylene by CO2; the formation of carbon monoxide in the presence Of CO2 is found to be very small. It is most probably due to the activation of ethane in the presence Of CO2.
Keywords: ethane; ethane cracking in presence Of CO2; ethane cracking in presence of CO2 and limited O-2; Ethylene; thermal cracking of ethane

Novel chemical synthetic route and characterization of zinc selenide thin films - Hankare, P. P.; Chate, P. A.; Delekar, S. D.; Asabe, M. R.; Mulla, Imtiaz S. (Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solid, 2006)
Zinc selenide (ZnSe) thin film have been deposited using chemical bath method on non-conducting glass substrate in a tartarate bath containing zinc sulfate, ammonia, hydrazine hydrate, sodium selenosulfate in an aqueous alkaline medium at 333 K. The deposition parameter of the ZnSe thin film is interpreted in the present investigation. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical absorption, electrical measurements, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The ZnSe thin layers grown with polycrystalline zinc blende system along with some amorphous phase present in ZnSe film. The direct optical band gap `E-g' for the film was found to be 2.81 eV and electrical conductivity in the order of 10(-8)(Omega cm)(-1) with n-type conduction mechanism. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: chalcogenides; electronic materials

Novel synthesis of highly functionalized pyrazolines and pyrazoles by triphenylphosphine mediated reaction of dialkyl azodicarboxylate with allenic esters - Nair, Vijay; Biju, Akkattu T.; Mohanan, Kishor; Eringathodi, Suresh (Organic Letters, 2006)
Reaction of the Huisgen zwitterion, derived from triphenylphosphine and dialkyl azodicarboxylate, with allenic esters affords highly functionalized pyrazolines and pyrazoles. The crystal structure of pyrazoline derivative 7a showed extensive C−H···O interactions. Pyrazole formation proceeds via a novel nitrogen to carbon migration of the carboalkoxy group.

Oxovanadium(IV) complex of 2-(alpha-hydroxyethyl)benzimidazole covalently bonded to chloromethylated polystyrene for oxidation of benzoin - Maurya, Mannar R.; Sikarwar, Sweta; Manikandan, Palanichamy (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2006)
Vanadyl sulphate reacts with 2-(alpha-hydroxyethyl)benzimidazole covalently bonded to chloromethylated polystyrene (PS-Hhebmz) cross-linked with 5% divinyl benzene to give PS-[VO(hebmZ)(2)]. Characterisation of the catalyst was carried out by IR, electronic and EPR spectroscopic studies, thermogravimetry, scanning electron micrographs and elemental analyses. Catalytic potential of the complex was tested for the oxidation of benzoin using tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as an oxidant in methanol where benzil, methylbenzoate, benzoic acid and dimethylacetal were obtained as products. Various parameters such as different solvents and concentration of the substrate as well as oxidant have been taken into consideration for the maximum oxidation of the benzoin. Under optimised reaction conditions, a maximum of 98.9% conversion of the benzoin was achieved after 6 h of reaction time where selectivity of the obtained reaction products varied in the order: methylbenzoate (48.5%) > benzil (19.5%) > dimethylacetal (17.1%) > benzoic acid (11.5%). Neat complex was also prepared to compare its catalytic property with polymer-anchored one. EPR spectra of neat and polymer anchored catalyst are characteristics of V(IV) complexes with typical axial pattern and possible square pyramidal geometry. The identical EPR spectral patterns of both freshly prepared and recovered anchored catalysts indicate that the complex is stable and the coordination environment is retained at the end of the catalytic reaction. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 2-(alpha-hydroxyethyl)benzimidazole; oxidation of benzoin; polymer-anchored complex; Polystyrene; vanadium(IV) complex

Oxy-CO2 reforming of methane to syngas over CoOx/CeO2/SA-5205 catalyst - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Mondal, Kartick C.; Choudhary, Tushar V. (Energy & Fuel, 2006)
The oxy-CO2 methane reforming (OCRM) process has been investigated over the CoOx/CeO2/SA-5205 catalyst at varying reaction temperatures (750-900 degrees C), O-2/CH4 ratios (0.3- 0.45), and space velocities (20 000 - 100 000 cm(3)/g/h). With an increasing OCRM reaction temperature, the contribution from the CO2 methane reforming reaction increased while that from methane combustion reactions decreased. Correspondingly, there was an increase in the H-2/CO ratio and a sharp decrease in reaction exothermicity. At 900 C (gas hourly space velocity = 46 000 cm(3)/g/h and O-2/CH4 = 0.4), the OCRM reaction over the CoOx/CeO2/SA-5205 catalyst was mildly endothermic with > 90% CH4 conversion, > 95% H-2 selectivity, and a H-2/CO ratio of 1.63. CH4 conversion was relatively unaffected by the O-2/CH4 ratio used in the OCRM reaction; however, CO2 conversion decreased on increasing the O-2/CH4 ratio. While H-2 selectivity was not significantly affected by the O-2/CH4 ratio, the H-2/CO ratio increased linearly with an increasing O-2/CH4 ratio. The endothermicity of the reaction was found to decrease with an increasing CH4/O-2 ratio, which can be explained on the basis of increased contribution from the methane partial oxidation reaction with an increasing O-2/CH4 ratio.

Oxy-CO2 reforming of methane to syngas over CoOx/MgO/SA-5205 catalyst - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Mondal, Kartick C.; Choudhary, Tushar V. (Fuel, 2006)
The OXY-CO2 methane reforming reaction (OCRM) has been investigated over CoOx supported on a MgO precoated highly macroporous silica-alumina catalyst carrier (SA-5205) at different reaction temperatures (700-900 degrees C), O-2/CH4 ratios (0.3-0.45) and space velocites (20,000-100,000cc/g/h). The reaction temperature had a profound influence on the OCRM performance over the CoO/MgO/SA-5205 catalyst; the methane conversion, CO2 conversion and H-2 selectivity increased while the H-2/CO ratio decreased markedly with increasing reaction temperature. While the O-2/CH4 ratio did not strongly affect the CH4 and CO2 conversion and H-2 selectivity, it had an intense influence on the H-2/CO ratio. The CH4 and CO2 conversion and the H-2 selectivity decreased while the H-2/CO increased with increasing space velocity. The O-2/CH4 ratio and the reaction temperature could be used to manipulate the heat of the reaction for the OCRM process. Depending on the O-2/CH4 ratio and temperature the OCRM process could be operated in a mildly exothermic, thermal neutral or mildly endothermic mode. The OCRM reaction became almost thermoneutral at an OCRM reaction temperature of 850 degrees C, O-2/CH4 ratio of 0.45 and space velocity of 46,000 cc/g/h. The CH4 conversion and H-2 selectivity over the CoO/MgO/SA-5205 catalyst corresponding to thermoneutral conditions were excellent: 95% and 97%, respectively with a H-2/CO ratio of 1.8. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: methane; oxy-CO2 reforming; Syngas

Palladium mediated cycloisomerization of sugar alkynols: synthesis of cyclic enol-ethers and spiroketals - Ramana, C. V.; Mallik, Rosy; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Gurjar, Mukund K. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2006)
Functionalized bicyclic enol-ethers and spiroketals are prepared by Pd catalyzed cycloisomerization of 3-C-alkynylfuranosyl derivatives. Cycloisomerization of differently substituted alkyne derivatives revealed a preference for 6-endo-dig cyclization over 5-exo-dig if the substituent is not sufficiently electron withdrawing. The scope of these cycloisomerizations has been further extended by integrating with conjugate addition. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: c-alkynylfuranose; cycloisomerization; enol-ether; Palladium; Spiroketal

Partial oxidation of methane to syngas with or without simultaneous steam or CO2 reforming over a high-temperature stable-NiCoMgCeOx supported on zirconia-hafnia catalyst - Choudhary, Vasant R.; Mondal, Kartick C.; Choudhary, Tushar V. (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2006)
A NiCoMgCeOx (Ni/Co/Mg/Ce: 1:0.2:1.2:1.2)/zirconia-hafnia catalyst with unusually high thermal stability has been investigated for syngas generation via a process that includes the catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPOM), the oxidative steam reforming of methane (OSRM) and the oxidative CO2 reforming of methane (OCRM). The catalyst calcined at 1400 degrees C (for 4 h) showed excellent activity/selectivity for the CPOM, OSRM and the OCRM reactions; furthermore no catalyst deactivation was observed for a period of 20 h. For the CPOM process, the selectivity for H-2 was > 95% at reaction temperatures > 650 degrees C however temperatures above 800 degrees C were required to achieve > 95% CO selectivity. While the reaction temperature had a considerable influence on the CPOM product H-2/CO ratio, the space velocity (at 850 degrees C) did not affect it to any significant extent. For the OSRM process, the H2O/CH4 ratio and the reaction temperature had a strong effect on the product H-2/CO ratio and the heat of the reaction; depending on the H2O/CH4 ratio and reaction temperature, the OSRM process could be operated in a mildly exothermic, thermoneutral or mildly endothermic mode. The CO2 conversion was very strongly affected by the reaction temperature in the OCRM process; reasonably high CO2 conversion ( > 40%) could only be obtained at high OCRM reaction temperatures ( > 850 degrees C). The exothermicity of the OCRM reaction was found to decrease with increasing reaction temperature. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: dry (CO2) reforming; high-temperature stable; methane; oxy-steam reforming; Partial oxidation; Steam reforming; Syngas

Phase evolution of NiTiO3 prepared by coprecipitation method - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Samuel, V.; Navale, S. C.; Ravi, V. (Materials Letters, 2006)
A simple coprecipitation technique was used for the preparation of NiTiO3 powders. Ammonium carbonate solution was added to a solution mixture containing stoichiometric amounts of Ni(NO3)(2) and TiOCl2 to precipitate nickel as carbonate and titanium as hydroxide under basic conditions. The precipitate was calcined at different temperatures ranging from 100 to 800 degrees C and phase evolution of NiTiO3 was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. It is observed that nickel titanate was formed at 750 degrees C. For comparison, NiTiO3 was also prepared by standard ceramic process. Particle size and morphology was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All fights reserved.
Keywords: Ceramics; Chemical synthesis; Electron microscopy; NiTiO3; Oxides; X-ray diffraction

Photoelectrochemical properties of electrochemically deposited CdIn2S4 thin films - Kokate, A. V.; Asabe, M. R.; Delekar, S. D.; Gavali, L. V.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; Hankare, P. P.; Chougule, B. K. (Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, 2006)
Thin films of CdIn2S4 have been deposited on to stainless steel and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass substrates from aqueous acidic bath using an electrodeposition technique. Ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) disodium salt is used as complexing agent to obtain good-quality deposits by controlling the rate of the reaction. The different preparative parameters like concentration of bath, deposition time, bath temperature, pH of the bath have been optimized by the photoelectrochemical (PEC) technique in order to get good-quality photosensitive material. Different techniques have been used to characterize CdIn2S4 thin films. Optical absorption shows the presence of direct transition with band gap energy 2.17 eV. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the as-deposited and annealed films showed the presence of polycrystalline nature. Energy-dispersive analysis by X-ray (EDAX) study for the sample deposited at optimized preparative parameters shows that the In-to-Cd ratio is almost 2 and S-to-Cd ratio is almost 4. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for samples deposited at optimized preparative parameters reveals that spherical grains are uniformly distributed over the surface of the substrate indicates the well-defined growth of polycrystalline CdIn2S4 thin film. PEC characterization of the films is carried out by studying photoresponse, spectral response and photovoltaic output characteristics. The fill factor (ff) and power conversion efficiency (eta) of the cell are 69 and 2.94%, respectively. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Thin films; X-ray diffraction

Photoluminescence studies of Eu3+ doped Y2O3 nanophosphor prepared by microwave hydrothermal method - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Viswanath, Annamraju Kasi; Ravi, V.; Kakade, Bhalchandra A.; Saaminathan, V. (Applied Physics Letters, 2006)
In this letter, the authors report the photoluminescence studies of Eu3+ doped Y2O3 nanorods, which have been synthesized by rapid microwave hydrothermal route within 6 min. The nanostructured Eu3+ doped Y2O3 is characterized by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence. The emission spectrum shows transitions from the excited 5D(0) state to F-7(J) (J=0,1,2,3,4) levels of the Eu3+ ion. The most intense peak around 612 nm is due to the D-5(0)-> F-7(2) transition, expected from the Judd-Ofelt selection rules [B. R. Judd, Phys. Rev. 127, 750 (1962); G. S. Ofelt, J. Chem. Phys. 37, 511 (1962)]. Photoluminescence measurements demonstrated that the nanocrystalline Eu3+:Y2O3 phase shows higher photoluminescence intensity. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Photooxidation of vulcanized EPDM/montmorillonite nanocomposites - Morlat-Therias, Sandrine; Fanton, Elisabeth; Tomer, Namrata S.; Rana, Sravendra; Singh, R. P.; Gardette, Jean Luc (Polymer Degradation and Stability, 2006)
The photooxidation of a vulcanized ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM)/montmorillonite nanocomposite as well as EPDM/nanocomposite with stabilizers was studied under accelerated UV-light irradiation (lambda >= 300 nm, 60 degrees C) for different times. The development of functional groups during oxidation was monitored by infrared spectroscopy. Photodegradation of the neat polymer and composites took place and the increases of absorbance in hydroxyl and carbonyl groups with irradiation times and also the decreases of the EPDM unsaturations were measured. The data indicated that the photooxidation products were not changed in the presence of the nanofiller. However, the presence of MMt was observed to dramatically enhance the rate of photooxidation of EPDM with a shortening of the oxidation induction time, leading to a decrease of the durability of the nanocomposites. On the other hand, it was observed that addition of stabilizers, either Tinuvin P or 2-mercaptobenzimidazole, was efficient in inhibiting the degradative effect of MMt. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: EPDM; Nanocomposite; photooxidation rate; stabilization

Pictet-Spengler cyclization in room temperature ionic liquid: a convenient access to tetrahydro beta-carbolines - Muthukrishnan, Murugan; More, Shivaji V.; Garud, Dinesh R.; Ramana, C. V.; Joshi, Rohini R.; Joshi, Ramesh A. (Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry, 2006)
1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-beta-carbolines have been synthesized in moderate to good yields in short reaction time using the ionic liquid [bbim] BF4 as reaction medium and promoter. There was no need for the use of an additional catalyst normally employed in Pictet-Spengler condensation.

Plastics materials flow analysis for India - Mutha, N. H.; Patel, M.; Premnath, V. (Resources Conservation and Recycling, 2006)
Forecasting material flows is essential for sound policy making on issues relating to waste management. This paper presents the results of the plastics materials flow analysis (MFA) for India. In the recent past, India has witnessed a substantial growth in the consumption of plastics and an increased production of plastic waste. Polyolefins account for the major share of 60% in the total plastics consumption in India. Packaging is the major plastics consuming sector, with 42% of the total consumption, followed by consumer products and the construction industry. The relationship observed between plastic consumption and the gross domestic product for several countries was used to estimate future plastics consumption (master curve). Elasticities of the individual material growth with respect to GDP were established for the past and for the next three decades estimated for India thereby assuming a development comparable with that of Western Europe. On this basis, the total plastics consumption is projected to grow by a factor of 6 between 2000 and 2030. The consumption of various end products is combined with their corresponding lifetimes to calculate the total waste quantities. The weighted average lifetime of plastics products was calculated as 8 years. Forty-seven percent of the total plastics waste generated is currently recycled in India; this is much higher than the share of recycling in most of the other countries. The recycling sector alone employs as many people as the plastics processing sector, which employs about eight times more people than the plastics manufacturing sector. Due to the increasing share of long-life products in the economy, and consequently in the volume of waste generated, the share of recycling will decrease to 35% over the next three decades. The total waste available for disposal (excluding recycling) will increase at least 10-fold up to the year 2030 from its current level of 1.3 million tonnes. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: employment; India; material flow analysis (MFA); plastics; plastics consumption; plastics waste; Recycling; reuse

Polymer supported vanadium and molybdenum complexes as potential catalysts for the oxidation and oxidative bromination of organic substrates - Maurya, Mannar R.; Kumar, Umesh; Manikandan, Palanichamy (Dalton Transactions, 2006)
{The Schiff base (H(2)fsal-ohyba) derived from 3-formylsalicylic acid and o-hydroxybenzylamine has been covalently bonded to chloromethylated polystyrene cross-linked with 5% divinylbenzene ( abbreviated as PS-H(2)fsal-ohyba, I). Treatment of [
Keywords: Bile acids; bis-steroids; hybrids; Peptides; polyamines; saponins; steroidal conjugates; synthetic ionophores

Poly(o-toluidine) coatings on copper: electrochemical synthesis from aqueous media - Shinde, V.; Mandale, A. B.; Patil, K. R.; Gaikwad, A. B.; Patil, P. P. (Surface & Coating Technology, 2006)
Poly(o-toluidine) (POT) coatings were synthesized on copper (Cu) by electrochemical polymerization of o-toluidine using aqueous sodium oxalate solution as supporting electrolyte. The resulting coatings were uniform, compact and strongly adherent to the Cu substrate. These coatings were characterized by using cyclic voltammetry, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results of these studies reveal that the sodium oxalate is suitable supporting electrolyte for the electrochemical polymerization of o-toluidine on Cu substrate. It is found that the electrochemical polymerization of o-toluidine takes place after the passivation of the Cu substrate via formation of copper oxalate (CuC2O4, H2O) layer, which is confirmed by XRD and XPS. The optical absorption spectroscopy study reveals the exclusive formation of the pernigraniline base (PB) form of POT. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Conducting polymer coatings; Copper; Corrosion resistant coatings; cyclic voltammetry; poly(o-toluidine) coatings

Preparation and characterization of sulfonated syndiotactic polystyrene ionomers/organoclay nanocomposites - Govindaiah, P.; Mallikarjuna, S. R.; Ramesh, C. (Macromolecules, 2006)

Preparation of nanocrystalline ferroelectric BaBi4Ti4O15 by Pechini method - Murugan, A. Vadivel; Navale, S. C.; Ravi, V. (Materials Letters, 2006)
A gel was formed when an aqueous solution of BaCl2, BiNO3, TiOCl2 and citric acid in stoichiometric ratio is heated on a water bath. This gel on decomposition at 600 degrees C produced the nano crystallites of ternary oxide, BaBi4Ti4O15 (BBT). The phase contents and lattice parameters were Studied by the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Particle size and morphology was studied by transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM). The room temperature dielectric constant at I KHz is 90. The ferroelectric hysteresis loop parameters of these samples were also studied by a home built Sawyer-tower circuit. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: dielectric properties; Electron microscopy; ferroelectric properties; powders chemical preparation

Regioselective nitration of cumene to 4-nitro cumene using nitric acid over solid acid catalyst - Mathew, Sanyo M.; Biradar, Ankush V.; Shubhangi B. Umbarkar; Dongare, Mohan K. (Catalysis Communications, 2006)
The regioselective nitration of cumene to 4-nitro cumene (4-NC) has been carried out using 70% nitric acid over MoO3/SiO2 solid acid catalyst with high conversion (62%) and selectivity (68%) for 4-NC. A series of MoO3/SiO2 catalysts with different MoO3 loadings (1-20 mol%) were prepared by sol-gel technique and characterized using different characterization techniques. XRD analysis revealed the amorphous nature of the catalyst up to 10-mol% MoO3 loading and formation of alpha-MoO3 crystalline phase on amorphous high surface area mesoporous silica support at higher MoO3 loading. Maximum conversion and selectivity has been obtained with slower addition of nitric acid and simultaneous azeotropic removal of water formed during the reaction. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: cumene; nitration; ring nitration; side chain nitration; solid acid catalyst

Ring hydrogenation of naphthalene and 1-naphthol over supported metal catalysts in supercritical carbon dioxide solvent - Shirai, M.; Rode, C. V.; Mine, Eiichi; Sasaki, A.; Sato, O.; Hiyoshi, Norihito (Catalysis Today, 2006)
Catalytic ring hydrogenations of naphthalene and 1-naphthol were studied over several supported metal catalysts in supercritical carbon dioxide solvent at low temperature. Higher concentration of hydrogen in supercritical carbon dioxide and lower reaction temperature were responsible for higher catalyst activity and selectivities to the desired partial ring hydrogenated products as compared with those observed in organic solvent for the same catalyst. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 1-naphthol; Hydrogenation; Naphthalene; Supercritical carbon dioxide; supported metal catalyst

Ruthenium(II), copper(I) and silver(I) complexes of large bite bisphosphinite, bis(2-diphenylphosphinoxynaphthalen-1-yl)methane: Application of Ru(II) complexes towards the hydrogenation of styrene and phenylacetylene - Punji, Benudhar; Mague, Joel T.; Balakrishna, Maravanji S. (Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, 2006)
Ruthenium(II), copper(I) and silver(I) complexes of large bite bisphosphinite Ph2P{(-OC10H6)(μ-CH2)(C10H6O-)}PPh2 (1) are described. Reactions of bisphosphinite 1 with [Ru(η6-p-cymene)(μ-Cl)Cl]2 and RuCl2(PPh3)3 afford mono- and bis-chelate complexes [RuCl(η6-p-cymene){η2-Ph2P{(-OC10H6)(μ-CH2)(C10H6O-)}PPh2-κP,κP}]Cl (2) and trans-[RuCl2{η2-Ph2P{(-OC10H6)(μ-CH2)(C10H6O-)}PPh2-κP,κP}2] (3), respectively. Treatment of 1 with CuX (X = Cl, Br and I) furnish 10-membered chelate complexes of the type [Cu(X){η2-Ph2P(-OC10H6)(μ-CH2)(C10H6O-)PPh2-κP,κP}] (4, X = Cl; 5, X = Br; 6, X = I), whereas [Cu(MeCN)4]PF6 affords a bis-chelated cationic complex [Cu{η2-Ph2P(-OC10H6)(μ-CH2)(C10H6O-)PPh2-κP,κP}2][PF6] (7). Reaction between 1 and AgOTf produce both mono- and bis-chelated complexes [Ag{η2-Ph2P(-OC10H6)(μ-CH2)(C10H6O-)PPh2-κP,κP}(SO3CF3)] (8) and [Ag{η2-Ph2P(-OC10H6)(μ-CH2)(C10H6O-)PPh2-κP,κP}2][SO3CF3] (9), respectively; whereas the similar reaction of 1 with[Ag(OTf)PPh3] affords chelate complex of the type [Ag{η2-Ph2P(-OC10H6)(μ-CH2)(C10H6O-)PPh2-κP,κP}(PPh3)(SO3CF3)] (10). All the complexes were characterized by 1H NMR, 31P NMR, elemental analysis and mass spectrometry, including low-temperature NMR studies in the case of silver complexes. The molecular structures of 4 and 6 are determined by X-ray diffraction studies. Ruthenium complexes 2 and 3 promote catalytic hydrogenation of styrene and phenylacetylene with good turnover numbers.

Selective hydrogenation of naphthols to tetralones over supported palladium catalysts in supercritical carbon dioxide solvent - Mine, Eiichi; Hiyoshi, Norihito; Sato, Osamu; Rode, Chandrashekhar V.; Shirai, Masayuki (Chemistry Letters, 2006)
Naphthols were selectively hydrogenated to the corresponding tetralones over supported palladium metal catalysts in super-critical carbon dioxide solvent.

Stereoselective synthesis of the polyketide chain of nagahamide A - Mohapatra, Debendra K.; Chaudhuri, Siddhartha Ray; Sahoo, Gokarneswar; Gurjar, Mukund K. (Tetrahedron-Asymmetry, 2006)
A carbohydrate based approach for the enantioselective synthesis of the polyketide acid unit present in nagahamide A has been reported. Reductive ring opening of a chiral cyclopropane ketone group to enantioselectively install the methyl and propyl groups, is a salient feature of this synthesis. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subtle crossover from C-H center dot center dot center dot O to S=O center dot center dot center dot C=O short contacts in the association of diastereomers of 2,4(6)-di-O-benzoyl-6(4)-O-[(1S)-10-camphorsulfonyl]-myo-inositol 1,3,5-orthoformate upon format - Manoj, Kochunnoonny; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Bhadbhade, Mohan M.; Shashidhar, Mysore S. (Crystal Growth & Design, 2006)
Diastereomers of 2,4(6)- di-O-benzoyl-6(4)-O-[(1S)-10-camphorsulfonyl]-myo-inositol 1,3,5-orthoformate associate via weak interactions to form ``head-to-head'' dimers in their crystals. Molecular association through C-H center dot center dot center dot O short contacts do not leave any void for the guest inclusion, while association through S=O center dot center dot center dot C=O bridging produces pseudopolymorphs. Three crystalline modifications are observed for the title compound: form I, monoclinic P2(1), without any guest solvent, and solvated forms II and III, that belong to monoclinic space groups P2(1) and C2, respectively. A majority of solvates, which include pyridine, dichloromethane, benzene, tetrahydrofuran, and cyclohexanone as guests, belong to form III. All these guests have 2-fold symmetry axes ( C2) with their electron count within 40-62 electrons; guest selectivity experiments indicate that planar aromatic guests ( pyridine, benzene) bind better to the host molecules as compared to nonplanar guests ( dioxane, cyclohexanone). The molecular packing that is created thorough channels in the crystal ( avoiding interpenetration of the layers) are of interest because of their potential application in molecular separation by forming selective inclusions. The diastereomeric association via S=O center dot center dot center dot C=O dipolar short contacts, a consistent feature observed in all the solvates, is thought to have relevance in the binding of sulfonyl drugs to the C=O moieties of the receptor proteins.

Suppression of electron-transfer characteristics of ferrocene by OTS monolayer on a silicon/electrolyte interface - Kulkarni, S. A.; Kakade, Bhalchandra A.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; Pillai, V. K. (Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2006)
The passivating behavior of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) on an n-type Si(100) electrode with and without a redox species like ferrocene in a polar non-aqueous medium has been investigated using techniques like contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to understand the role of the monolayer. The electron-transfer behavior of ferrocene is found to be drastically affected by the presence of monolayer and the reasons for these are analyzed as a function of the change in resistance, dielectric thickness and coverage of the monolayer. Electrochemical impedance analysis in the presence of ferrocene gives the monolayer coverage as 0.998 and the apparent rate constant calculated from this gives 4.85 x 10(-12) cm s(-1) in comparison with 4.4 x 10(-8) cm s(-1) for a similar electrode without any monolayer. A positive shift of 200 mV in the flat-band potential after monolayer formation also suggests the covalent coupling of the silane nionolayer offering a protective barrier. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: cyclic voltammetry; ferrocene; impedance analysis; octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS); rate constant; self-assembled monolayer (SAM)

Surface characterization of diblock copolymers containing poly(ethylene oxide) and various hydrophobic moieties - Logan, Jennifer; Marcano, Kyle; Palaskar, Dnyaneshwar; Wadgaonkar, Prakash; Jost, Robert W.; Wudl, Fred; Baker, Shenda M. (231st National Meeting of the American-Chemical-Society, 2006)

Synthesis and characterization of aromatic copolyesters containing siloxane linkages in the polymer backbone - Waghmare, P. B.; Idage, Susheela B.; Menon, Shamal K.; Idage, Bhaskar B. (Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2006)
A new series of aromatic copolyesters containing siloxane linkages were prepared by the melt polymerization of bisphenol A (BPA) with eugenol end-capped siloxane (EuSi), diphenyl terephthalate (DPT), and diphenyl isoplithalate (DPI) in varying ratio in the temperature range 220-290 degrees C under reduced pressure in the presence of dibutyl tin dilaurate (DBTL) catalyst. The siloxane copolyesters prepared were characterized by FTIR, H-1-NMR spectroscopy, solution viscosity, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction. The effect of incorporation of eugenol end-capped siloxane was studied on the properties of BPA/DPI/DPT copolyesters. The glass-transition temperature of copolyester was decreased from 184 to 70 degrees C by incorporation of 20% of eugenol endcapped siloxane. All copolyesters were found to be soluble in commonly used aprotic polar solvents and had film-forming properties. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: aromatic copolyesters; Bisphenol A; diphenyl isophthalate; diphenyl terephthalate; eugenol end-capped siloxane; melt polymerization

Synthesis of neutral (PdII, PtII), Cationic (PdII), and water-induced anionic (PdII) complexes containing new mesocyclic thioether-aminophosphonite ligands and their application in the suzuki cross-coupling reaction - Punji, Benudhar; Mague, Joel T.; Balakrishna, Maravanji S. (Inorganic Chemistry, 2006)
Mesocyclic thioether−aminophosphonite ligands, {−OC10H6(μ-S)C10H6O−}PNC4H8O (2a, 4-(dinaphtho[2,1-d:1‘,2‘-g][1,3,6,2]dioxathiaphosphocin-4-yl)morpholine) and {−OC10H6(μ-S)C10H6O−}PNC4H8NCH3 (2b, 1-(dinaphtho[2,1-d:1‘,2‘-g][1,3,6,2]dioxathiaphosphocin-4-yl)-4-methylpiperazine) are obtained by reacting {−OC10H6(μ-S)C10H6O−}PCl (1) with corresponding nucleophiles. The ligands 2a and 2b react with (PhCN)2PdCl2 or M(COD)Cl2 (M = PdII or PtII) to afford P-coordinated cis-complexes, [{(−OC10H6(μ-S)C10H6O−)PNC4H8X-κP}2MCl2] (3a, M = PdII, X = O; 3b, M = PdII, X = NMe; 4a, M = PtII, X = O; 4b, M = PtII, X = NMe). Compounds 2a and 2b, upon treatment with [Pd(η3-C3H5)Cl]2 in the presence of AgOTf, produce the P,S-chelated cationic complexes, [{(−OC10H6(μ-S)C10H6O−)PNC4H8X-κP,κS}Pd(η3-C3H5)](CF3SO3) (5a, X = O and 5b, X = NMe). Treatment of 2a and 2b with (PhCN)2PdCl2 in the presence of trace amount of H2O affords P,S-chelated anionic complexes, [{(−OC10H6(μ-S)C10H6O−)P(O)-κP,κS}PdCl2](H2NC4H8X) (6a, X = O and 6b, X = NMe), via P−N bond cleavage. The crystal structures of compounds 1, 2a, 2b, 4a, and 6a are reported. Compound 6a is a rare example of crystallographically characterized anionic transition metal complex containing a thioether−phosphonate ligand. Most of these palladium complexes proved to be very active catalysts for the Suzuki−Miyaura reaction with excellent turnover number ((TON), up to 9.2 × 104 using complex 6a as a catalyst).

Synthesis of spiroannulated dihydroisobenzofuranylated monosaccharides - Maurya, S. K.; Hotha, Srinivas (Tetrahedron Letters, 2006)
An efficient synthesis of spiroannulated dihydroisobenzofurans is achieved using easily accessible carbohydrate-derived furanyl propargyl ethers via an AuCl3 promoted intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) reaction. The scope of the spiroannulation protocol was demonstrated using a diverse range of pentofuranosyl, hexofuransoyl and hexopyranosyl derived substrates in order to synthesize spiroannulated dihydroisobenzofurans. The reaction is high yielding, moisture tolerant, fast and uses only a catalytic amount of AuCl3. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of the spiro fused beta-lactone-gamma-lactam segment of oxazolomycin - Mohapatra, Debendra K.; Mondal, Dhananjoy; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Chorghade, Mukund S.; Gurjar, Mukund K. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2006)
An effective synthetic strategy for construction of the novel spiro-bicyclic beta-lactone-gamma-lactam system present in oxazolomycin has been demonstrated. The 3,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine ring system was constructed via an Evans aldol reaction. The spiro-beta-lactone ring was elaborated from a gem-hydroxymethyl moiety that was successfully installed by an aldol followed by a crossed Cannizzaro reaction. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: crossed Cannizzaro reaction; Evans' aldol reaction; Garner's aldehyde; intramolecular Mitsunobu reaction; ruthenium tetroxide oxidation

Synthetic studies toward macrocidins: an RCM approach for the construction of the central cyclic core - Ramana, C. V.; Mondal, Mohabul A.; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Gurjar, Mukund K. (Tetrahedron Letters, 2006)
The central macrocyclic core of the macrocidins was constructed using RCM as the key reaction. A preliminary investigation dealing with the key reactions, that is, the Dieckmann cyclization and the RCM, revealed that RCM of the beta-ketoamide is better than RCM of the corresponding acyltetramic acid. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: acyltetramic acid; Lacey-Dieckmann cyclization; macrocidins; Ring closing metathesis

Thermotropic behavior of lithocholic acid derivative linked hydroxyethyl cellulose - Shaikh, V. A. E.; Maldar, Noormahamad N.; Lonikar, Shrikant Vitthal; Rajan, C. R.; Ponrathnam, S. (Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2006)
Various mesogenic lithocholic acid (LA) derivatives [3-acetyl LA (LAAC); 3-propionyl LA (LAP), 3-cinnamoyl LA (LACin); 3-benzoyl LA (LAB), 3-(4-nitrobenzoyl) LA (LANB); and methyl-3-(3-carboxypropionyl) LA, i.e., LA methyl ester monosuccinate (LAMeMS)] were reacted with hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) to obtain a series of LA derivatives of HEC. These polymers were characterized by the mesogen content, 1.1, differential scanning calorimetry, and hot-stage coupled polarizing optical microscopy. The degree Of Substitution (DS) ranged from 0.27 to 1.11. Polymers HEC-LAB (DS = 1.11), HEC-LANB (DS = 0.80), HEC-LACin (DS = 0.76), and HEC-LAP (DS = 0.27) exhibited a mesophase on heating whereas HEC-LAB also showed a mesophase on cooling. The other polymers HEC-LAAC (DS = 0.89) and HEC-LAMeMS (DS = 0.36) did not reveal mesophase formation with either heating or cooling. It is observed that the formation of a mesophase is affected by the type of mesogen that is used rather than the mesogen content of the polymer. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Keywords: hydroxyethyl cellulose; lithocholic acid; thermotropic

Transesterification of cyclic carbonates with methanol at ambient conditions over tungstate-based solid catalysts - Sankar, M.; Nair, C. Madhavan; Murty, K. V. G. K.; Manikandan, Palanichamy (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2006)
Dimethyl carbonate synthesis with 80 mol% yield is achieved through transesterification of ethylene carbonate with methanol at ambient conditions (RT and atmospheric pressure) using alkali and alkaline-earth tungstates as solid catalysts. The catalysts are efficient even at the sub-ambient temperatures. Reactions under CO2 pressure indicate that CO2 atmosphere retards the transesterification reaction completely below 100 degrees C. Experimental conditions of 150 degrees C and 3.4 MPa CO2 pressure are required to obtain maximum DMC yield of 71 mol%. Synthesis of DMC by one-pot synthesis using epoxide, CO2 and methanol is not as effective as that by two-step method with the present catalyst system. Raman and IR spectra of methanol-interacting tungstates indicate the formation of a methoxide ion species adsorbed at the catalyst surface as one possible reaction intermediates. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Dimethyl carbonate; ethylene carbonate; heterogeneous catalyst; Raman spectroscopy; sodium tungstate; transesterification

Treatment of spentwash using chemically modified bagasse and colour removal studies - Mane, Jyoti D.; Modi, Shewta; Nagawade, Swati; Phadnis, S. P.; Bhandari, Vinay M. (Bioresource Technology, 2006)
Studies were carried out on derivatisation of bagasse into an ion exchange material and application of this chemically modified bagasse in the treatment of distillery wastewater. It was found that CHPTAC bagasse with HCl treatment and DEAE-bagasse in its free base form were most effective in colour removal and the mechanism of colour removal indicated significant contribution of both, the conventional ion exchange and the chemical sorption. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights
Keywords: decolourisation; distillery effluent; modified biomass; vinasse

Unfavorable coordination of copper with methyl vinyl ketone in atom transfer radical polymerization - Mittal, A.; Sivaram, S.; Baskaran, D. (Macromolecules, 2006)

Well-defined poly(4-vinylbenzocyclobutene): synthesis by living anionic polymerization and characterization - Sakellariou, G.; Baskaran, D.; Hadjichristidis, Nikos; Mays, Jimmy W. (Macromolecules, 2006)
Living anionic polymerization of 4-vinylbenzocylobutene was performed in benzene at room temperature using sec-butyllithium as the initiator. Results of the kinetic studies indicated the termination- and transfer-free nature of the polymerization. Homopolymers with predictable molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions were produced, excluding the interference of the cyclobutene rings during initiation and propagation. Thermogravimetric analysis of poly( 4-vinylbenzocyclobutene) in air showed a small weight gain at similar to 200 degrees C, a rapid decomposition at similar to 455 degrees C, and a gradual decomposition at similar to 566 degrees C. This behavior was attributed to the formation of radicals from the pendent benzocyclobutene functionality through o-quinodimethane intermediates and simultaneous decomposition/ cross-linking reactions at high temperature. The living nature of the polymerization was also examined via sequential copolymerization with butadiene to form diblock copolymers.

ZnO multipods, submicron wires, and spherical structures and their unique field emission behavior - Ramgir, Niranjan S.; Late, Dattatray J.; Bhise, Ashok B.; More, Mahendra A.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; Joag, Dilip S.; Vijayamohanan, K. (Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2006)
A simple method of vapor deposition for the shape selective synthesis of ZnO structures, namely, multipods, submicron wires, and spheres, has been successfully demonstrated. A plausible growth mechanism based on the studies of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is proposed. Our studies suggest that the growth of a multipod structure is governed by the screw dislocation propagation while the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism is responsible for the formation of submicron wires and spheres. Moreover, the flow rate of the carrier gas plays a crucial role in governing the morphology. Further, these structures exhibit an enhanced field emission behavior. The nonlinearity in the Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) plot, a characteristic feature of electron emission from semiconductors, is explained by considering the contributions from both the conduction and the valence bands of ZnO.

Acylation of anisole with long-chain carboxylic acids over wide pore zeolites - Wagholikar, S. G.; Niphadkar, P. S.; Mayadevi, S.; Sivasanker, S. (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2007)
The acylation of anisole with long-chain carboxylic acids (hexanoic, octanoic and decanoic) has been studied over three large pore zeolites-beta (BEA), faujasite (FAU) and mordenite (MOR). The acylation of anisole with the long chain acids produced mainly the ketone (4-methoxy phenyl alkyl ketone) and small amounts of the ester (phenyl alkanoate). The results revealed the reaction to be influenced by the type of zeolite and its Si/Al ratio (acidity) besides the chain length (carbon number) of the carboxylic acid. In the acylation of anisole with hexanoic acid, the activity of the zeolites increased with dealumination as it led to the generation of mesopores that resulted in a decrease in diffusion resistance of the zeolites. The reactivity of the acids in the acylation reaction was found to decrease with increase in the carbon number. The experimental data have been fitted into a pseudo first order kinetic model. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Acylation; Anisole; decanoic acid; hexanoic acid; octanoic acid; zeolites

Adsorption of methanol on mesoporous SBA-15 - Mirji, S. A.; Halligudi, Shivaraj B.; Mathew, Nevin T.; Jacob, Nalini E.; Patil, K. R.; Gaikwad, A. B. (Materials Letter, 2007)
The adsorption of methanol onmesoporous SBA-15 has been studiedbyrising Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoclectrom spectroscopy (XPS) and tbennogravimettic analysis (TGA). The BET surface area analysis shows decreases of the surface area from 387 to 383 m(2)/g, pore volume from 0.88 to 0.81 cm(3)/g and pore diameter from 9.07 to 8.4 mm after methanol adsorption. The appearance of strong IR bands at 2862 and 2964cm(-1) due to methyl (-CH3) symmetric and asymmetric stretching demonstrate the presence of methanol and evidence of successful methanol adsorption. XPS results show increase of carbon and oxygen content on the surface of SBA-15. Thermogravirriettic analysis shows that the methanol adsorbed on SBA-15 is stable up to a temperature of 265 degrees C and that the methanol adlayers decompose between 265 and 588 degrees C. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Adsorption; Electron microscopy; Methanol; SBA-15; Surfaces; thermal stability

Adsorption of zinc from aqueous solution using chemically treated newspaper pulp - Chakravarty, S.; Bhattacharjee, S.; Gupta, K. K.; Singh, M.; Chaturvedi, Hema T.; Maity, S. (Bioresource Technology, 2007)
Adsorption of zinc was studied using chemically modified newspaper pull) as an adsorbent in the aqueous medium. Quantitative chemical analysis showed the presence of trace quantities of some inorganic elements along with phosphorous in TNP. The experimental adsorption data fitted reasonably well to both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm. pHzpc of TNP was 5.1, which indicated that the adsorbent was more potential for cationic adsorption. The adsorption kinetic data followed a pseudo-second order model for zinc. Optimum Zn2+ loading was 9.20 mg/g for 10.31 mg/l initial zinc concentration at pH 5.80. Zn2+ loading on TNP was dependent on initial zinc concentration. TNP was a potential adsorbent for the removal of Zn from the effluent of electroplating industry. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Adsorption; newspaper pulp; TNP; zinc

All-solid-state' electrochemistry of a protein-confined polymer electrolyte film - Parthasarathy, Meera; Pillai, Vijayamohanan K.; Mulla, Imtiaz S.; Shabab, Mohammed; Khan, Mohammad Islam (Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2007)
Interfacial redox behavior of a heme protein (hemoglobin) confined in a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, Nafion (a perfluoro sulfonic acid ionomer) is investigated using a unique `all-solid-state' electrochemical methodology. The supple phase-separated structure of the polymer electrolyte membrane, with hydrophilic pools containing solvated protons and water molecules, is found to preserve the incorporated protein in its active form even in the solid-state, using UV-visible, Fluorescence (of Tryptophan and Tyrosine residues) and DRIFT (diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform) spectroscopy. More specifically, solid-state cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance of the protein-incorporated polymer films reveal that the Fe2+-form of the entrapped protein is found to bind molecular oxygen more strongly than the native protein. In the `all-solid-state' methodology, as there is no need to dip the protein-modified electrode in a liquid electrolyte (like the conventional electrochemical methods), it offers an easier means to study a number of proteins in a variety of polymer matrices (even biomimetic assemblies). In addition, the results of the present investigation could find interesting application in a variety of research disciplines, in addition to its fundamental scientific interest, including protein biotechnology, pharmaceutical and biomimetic chemistry. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: all-solid-state; cyclic voltammetry; hemoglobin; Impedance; Nafion; redox behavior

Analysis of a membrane reactor: influence of membrane characteristics and operating conditions - Tanna, Nikunj P.; Mayadevi, S. (International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering, 2007)
Modeling of an esterification reaction in a batch pervaporation membrane reactor (PVMR), and an analysis of the PVMR performance under different reaction conditions for different membrane characteristics are presented. Esterification of ethyl alcohol with acetic acid was considered as the model reaction. The PVMR performance for this reaction could be represented by a 2-step series model. The PVMR performance was similar to that of the batch reactor when both the reactors were in the kinetic regime. However, the performance of the PVMR was superior to that of the batch reactor when both were in the intermediate/equilibrium regime of the reaction. In these regions, the PVMR performance was influenced/limited by the membrane flux and selectivity. The analysis showed that the membrane flux affected the PVMR performance in the intermediate region and the membrane selectivity affected the performance in the equilibrium regime. Further, the limitations introduced by a low-flux membrane could be overcome by appropriate selection of the membrane area and that due to poor selectivity could be compensated to a certain extent by adjusting the feed ratio.
Keywords: comparison; Esterification; membrane reactor; performance; pervaporation membrane

Anionic vinyl polymerization - 50 years after Michael Szwarc - Baskaran, Durairaj; Mueller, Axel H. E. (Progress in Polymer Science, 2007)
We present a review on the present status of anionic polymerization of important non-polar and polar vinyl monomers. After presenting the historical background-the ``pre-Szwarc'' era-we discuss the mechanisms of this polymerization, in particular several types of carbanions, their ion-pairs and their aggregates occurring in the initiation and propagation of non-polar and polar monomers, including recent developments. Finally, we discuss some important scientific and industrial applications of anionic polymerization. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Anionic polymerization; carbanions; history; ion-pairs; kinetics; mechanisms

Bio-milling technique for the size reduction of chemically synthesized BiMnO3 nanoplates - Mazumder, Baishakhi; Uddin, Imran; Khan, Shadab; Ravi, Venkat; Selvraj, Kaliaperumal; Poddar, Pankaj; Ahmad, Absar (Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2007)
Wet- chemical techniques for the synthesis of complex oxide materials have advanced significantly; however, achieving finely dispersed nanoparticles with sizes less than 10 nm still remains challenging, especially for the perovskite family of compounds. On the other hand, a fungusmediated synthesis technique has recently shown potential to synthesize perovskites such as BaTiO3 with sizes as small as 5 nm. Here we report, for the first time, the use of fungal biomass, at room temperature, to break down chemically synthesized BiMnO3 nanoplates ( size similar to 150 - 200 nm) into very small particles (, 10 nm) while maintaining their crystalline structure and the phase purity. This novel technique that we have named as `` bio- milling'' holds immense potential for synergically utilizing both chemical and biological synthesis techniques to synthesize complex oxide nanoparticles with particle sizes less than 10 nm with the proper crystalline phase.

Carbohydrate based approach towards the synthesis of aspercyclide C - Ramana, C. V.; Mondal, Mohabul A.; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Gurjar, Mukund K. (Tetrahedron Letter, 2007)
A formal total synthesis of aspercyclide C (3) is described in which D-ribose is employed as a chiral pool material. The key step is a ring closing metathesis. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: chiron approach; D-ribose; Mukaiyama reagent; ring closing metathesis (RCM); Ullmann coupling

CO2 reforming of methane to syngas over highly active and stable supported CoOx (accompanied with MgO, ZrO2 or CeO2) catalysts - Mondal, Kartick C.; Choudhary, Vasant R.; Joshi, Upendra A. (Applied Catalysis A-General, 2007)
{Catalytically inactive CoOx-MgO (calcined at 900 degrees C) becomes highly active and selective in the CO2 reforming of methane to syngas when it is deposited on a commercial low surface-area macro-porous silica-alumina support (SA-5205) or when CoOx is deposited on the support precoated with MgO. Both the supported CoOx and MgO containing catalysts (CoOx -MgO/SA-5205 and CoOx/MgO/SA-5205) show high methane conversion (> 98%) activity and H-2 selectivity (> 94%) and also high stability against carbon deposition [
Keywords: arylboronic acids; diarylmethylidenefluorene; dibromomethylidenefluorene; Pd-mediated coupling; Suzuki reaction

Concise synthesis of beta-blockers (S)-metoprolol and (S)-betaxolol using hydrolytic kinetic resolution - Muthukrishnan, Murugan; Garud, Dinesh R.; Joshi, Rohini R.; Joshi, Ramesh A. (Tetrahedron, 2007)
Enantiopure (S)-metoprolol and (S)-betaxolol were prepared in an extremely simple and practical way using Jacobsen's hydrolytic kinetic resolution of terminal epoxides in isopropanol. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: beta-blockers; betaxolol; Hydrolytic kinetic resolution; metoprolol

Constrained variational response to fock-space multi-reference coupled-cluster theory: formulation for excited-state electronic structure calculations and some pilot applications - Manohar, Prashant Uday; Pal, Sourav (Computational Methods in Science and Engineering Vol 1: Theory and Computation: Old Problems and New Challenges, 2007)
Fock-space (FS) multi-reference (MR) coupled-cluster (CC) method has emerged as compact tool to account for electronic structure of open-shell systems and molecules in low-lying excited states. Development of linear response (LR) has been one of the challenging problems in FSMRCC due to multiple-root nature of effective Hamiltonian. The recently developed constrained variational approach (CVA) has opened up a promising tool for efficient evaluation of analytic response properties. In this article, we present formulation of the method for excited state calculations. We discuss the decoupling of equations as a result of spin-adaptation and present some preliminary results for analytical dipole moments and polarizabilities of some molecules in low-lying triplet excited states.
Keywords: CVA; Dipole moment; excited states; FSMRCC; polarizability