Halogen Bonding in 2,5-Dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone: Insights from Experimental and Theoretical Charge Density Analysis

Experimental charge density distribution in 2, 5-dichloro-1, 4-benzoquinone has been carried out using high resolution X-ray diffraction data at 90 K to quantitatively evaluate the nature of C-Cl center dot center dot center dot O=C halogen bond in molecular crystals. Additionally, the halogen bond is studied from geometrical point of view and the same has been visualized using Hirshfeld surface analysis. The obtained results from experimental charge density analysis are compared with periodic quantum calculations using B3LYP 6-31G(d,p) level of theory. The topological values at bond critical point, three-dimensional static deformation density features and electrostatic potential isosurfaces unequivocally establish the attractive nature of C-Cl center dot center dot center dot O=C halogen bond in crystalline lattice.

Mean-field theory of charge ordering and phase transitions in the colossal-magnetoresistive manganites

We study phase transitions in the colossal-magnetoresistive manganites by using a mean-field theory both at zero and non-zero temperatures. Our Hamiltonian includes double-exchange, superexchange, and Hubbard terms with on-site and nearest-neighbour Coulomb interaction, with the parameters estimated from earlier density-functional calculations. The phase diagrams show magnetic and charge-ordered (or charge-disordered) phases as a result of the competition between the double-exchange, superexchange, and Hubbard terms, the relative effects of which are sensitively dependent on parameters such as doping, bandwidth, and temperature. In accord with the experimental observations, several important features are reproduced from our model, namely, (i) a phase transition from an insulating, charge-ordered antiferromagnetic to a metallic, charge-disordered ferromagnetic state near dopant concentration x = 1/2, (ii) the reduction of the transition temperature TAF-->F by the application of a magnetic field, (iii) melting of the charge order by a magnetic field, and (iv) phase coexistence for certain values of temperature and doping. An important feature, not reproduced in our model, is the antiferromagnetism in the electron-doped systems, e.g., La1-xCaxMnO3 over the entire range of 0.5 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 1, and we suggest that a multi-band model which includes the unoccupied t(2g) orbitals might be an important ingredient for describing this feature.

Modulation of lifetimes and diastereomeric discrimination in triplet-excited substituted butane-1,4-diones through intramolecular charge-transfer quenching

Triplet lifetimes have been determined for the diastereomers of a broad set of butane-l,4-dione derivatives (1-3). A remarkable dependence of lifetimes on conformational preferences is revealed in that the lifetimes are shorter for the meso diastereomers of 1-3 than those for the racemic ones. The intramolecular beta-phenyl quenching is promoted in the case of meso diastereomers by virtue of the gauche relationship between the excited carbonyl group and the beta-aryl ring, while a distal arrangement in the lowest energy conformation (H-anti) in racemic diastereomers prevents such a deactivation. The involvement of charge transfer in the intramolecular beta-phenyl quenching is suggested by the correlation of the triplet lifetimes of the meso diastereomers of compounds 2 with the nature of the substituent on the beta-phenyl rings. In the case of racemic diastereomers, beta-methoxy substitution on the beta-phenyl ring (2-OCH3, 3-OCH3) also led to a decrease of the triplet lifetimes when compared to those of the nonsubstituted compounds (2-H, 3-H). This shortening is accounted for by the deactivation of a small proportion of the excited molecules through beta-phenyl quenching. In addition to the above factors, the lifetimes in the case of meso diastereomers can further be controlled by increasing the energy spacing between the T-1 and T-2 states, since beta-phenyl quenching occurs from the latter for compounds 2 and 3. Through a rational conformational control, a surprisingly long triplet lifetime (300 ns) has been measured for the first time for a purely n,pi* triplet-excited beta-phenylpropiophenone dimer (1-rac).

Nonlinear electrical conduction and broad band noise in the charge-ordered rare earth manganate Nd0.5Ca0.5MnO3

Measurements of the dc transport properties and the low-frequency conductivity noise in films of charge-ordered Nd0.5Ca0.5MnO3 grown on Si substrate reveal the existence of a threshold field in the charge-ordered regime beyond which strong nonlinear conduction sets in along with a large broad band conductivity noise. Threshold-dependent conduction disappears as T --> T-CO, the charge-ordering temperature. This observation suggests that the charge-ordered state gets depinned at the onset of the nonlinear conduction. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)05247-X].

Structural instability of the charge ordered compound Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 under a magnetic field

We report an anomalous magnetostriction behavior of the charge ordered compound Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3. We have found that the applied magnetic field not only gives rise to a large negative magnetoresistance but also produces a huge positive magnetovolume effect. This unusual effect is explained considering that the applied magnetic field induces a structural transition at which the volume drastically increases. This effect is also seen in the anisotropic magnetostriction which shows clear anomalies at the field induced transition.

Synthesis and characterization of novel charge transfer complexes formed by N,N%-bis(ferrocenylmethylidene)-p-phenylenediamine and N-(ferrocenylmethylidene)aniline

N,N'-Bis(ferrocenylmethylidene)-p-phenylenediamine 1 and N-(ferrocenylmethylidene) aniline 2 are readily synthesized by Schiff base condensation of appropriate units. Iodine (I-2), 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ), tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone (CA), tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) form charge transfer complexes with 1 and 2. IR spectroscopy suggests an increase in the amount of charge transferred from the ferrocenyl ring to the oxidant in the order, I-2 < CA < TCNQ < TCNE approximate to DDQ. EPR spectra of the oxidized binuclear complexes are indicative of localized species containing iron- and carbon-centered radicals. The Mossbauer spectrum of the iodine oxidized complex of 1 reveals the presence of both Fe(III) and Fe(II) centers. Variable temperature magnetic and Mossbauer studies show that the ratio of Fe(III)/Fe(II) centers varies as a function of temperature. The larger Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratio at lower temperatures is best explained by a retro charge transfer from the iodide to the iron(III) metal center. There is negligible solvent effect on the formation of the iodine oxidized charge transfer complex of 1. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

The complexity of certain incremental code generation problems

This paper looks at the complexity of four different incremental problems. The following are the problems considered: (1) Interval partitioning of a flow graph (2) Breadth first search (BFS) of a directed graph (3) Lexicographic depth first search (DFS) of a directed graph (4) Constructing the postorder listing of the nodes of a binary tree. The last problem arises out of the need for incrementally computing the Sethi-Ullman (SU) ordering [1] of the subtrees of a tree after it has undergone changes of a given type. These problems are among those that claimed our attention in the process of our designing algorithmic techniques for incremental code generation. BFS and DFS have certainly numerous other applications, but as far as our work is concerned, incremental code generation is the common thread linking these problems. The study of the complexity of these problems is done from two different perspectives. In [2] is given the theory of incremental relative lower bounds (IRLB). We use this theory to derive the IRLBs of the first three problems. Then we use the notion of a bounded incremental algorithm [4] to prove the unboundedness of the fourth problem with respect to the locally persistent model of computation. Possibly, the lower bound result for lexicographic DFS is the most interesting. In [5] the author considers lexicographic DFS to be a problem for which the incremental version may require the recomputation of the entire solution from scratch. In that sense, our IRLB result provides further evidence for this possibility with the proviso that the incremental DFS algorithms considered be ones that do not require too much of preprocessing.

Theory of coexisting charge and spin-density waves in (TMTTF)(2)Br, (TMTSF)(2)PF6 and alpha-(BEDT-TTF)(2)MHg(SCN)(4)

We discuss a recently formulated microscopic theory of the unusual coexistence of spin density waves (SDWs) and charge density waves (CDWs) that has been seen in recent experiments on (TMTTF)2Br, (TMTSF)2PF6 and α-(BEDT-TTF)2MHg(SCN)4.

Theory of coexisting charge and spin-density waves in (TMTTF)(2)Br, (TMTSF)(2)PF6, and alpha-(BEDT-TTF)(2)MHg(SCN)(4)

Recent experiments indicate that the spin-density waves (SDWs) in (TMTTF)(2)Br, (TMTSF)(2)PF6, and alpha-(BEDT-TTF)(2)MHg(SCN)(4) are highly unconventional and coexist with charge-density waves (CDWs). We present a microscopic theory of this unusual CDW-SDW coexistence. A complete understanding requires the explicit inclusion of strong Coulomb interactions, lattice discreteness, the anisotropic two-dimensional nature of the lattice, and the correct hand filling within the starting Hamiltonian. [S0031-9007(99)08498-7].

Correlated conformation and charge transport in multiwall carbon nanotube-conducting polymer nanocomposites

The strikingly different charge transport behaviours in nanocomposites of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and conducting polymer polyethylenedioxythiophene-polystyrene-sulfonic-acid (PEDOT-PSS) at low temperatures are explained by probing their conformational properties using small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). The SAXS studies indicate the assembly of elongated PEDOT-PSS globules on the walls of nanotubes, coating them partially, thereby limiting the interaction between the nanotubes in the polymer matrix. This results in a charge transport governed mainly by small polarons in the conducting polymer despite the presence of metallic MWNTs. At T > 4 K, hopping of the charge carriers following one-dimensional variable range hopping is evident which also gives rise to a positive magnetoresistance (MR) with an enhanced localization length (similar to 5 nm) due to the presence of MWNTs. However, at T < 4 K, the observation of an unconventional positive temperature coefficient of resistivity is attributed to small polaron tunnelling. The exceptionally large negative MR observed in this temperature regime is conjectured to be due to the presence of quasi-1D MWNTs that can aid in lowering the tunnelling barrier across the nanotube-polymer boundary resulting in large delocalization.

Advantage of the ether linkage between the positive charge and the cholesteryl skeleton in cholesterol-based amphiphiles as vectors for gene delivery

Twelve novel cationic cholesterol derivatives with different linkage types between the cationic headgroup and the cholesteryl backbone have been developed. These have been tested for their efficacies as gene transfer agents as mixtures with dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE). A pronounced improvement in transfection efficiency was observed when the cationic center was linked to the steroid backbone using an ether type bond. Among these, cholest-5-en-3b-oxyethane-N, N,N-trimethylammonium bromide (2a) and cholest-5-en-3b-oxyethane-N, N-dimethyl-N-2-hydroxyethylammonium bromide (3d) showed transfection efficiencies considerably greater than commercially available reagents such as Lipofectin or Lipofectamine. To achieve transfection, 3d did not require DOPE. Increasing hydration at the headgroup level for both ester- and ether-linked amphiphiles resulted in progressive loss of transfection efficiency. Transfection efficiency was also greatly reduced when a 'disorder'-inducing chain like an oleyl (cis-9-octadecenyl) segment was added to these cholesteryl amphiphiles. Importantly, the transfection ability of 2a with DOPE in the presence of serum was significantly greater than for a commercially available reagent, Lipofectamine. This suggests that these novel cholesterol-based amphiphiles might prove promising in applications involving liposome-mediated gene transfection. This investigation demonstrates the importance of structural features at the molecular level for the design of cholesterol-based gene delivery reagents that would aid the development of newer, more efficient formulations based on this class of molecules.

Single-Generation Network Coding for Networks with Delay

A single-source network is said to be memory-free if all of the internal nodes (those except the source and the sinks) do not employ memory but merely send linear combinations of the incoming symbols (received at their incoming edges) on their outgoing edges. Memory-free networks with delay using network coding are forced to do inter-generation network coding, as a result of which the problem of some or all sinks requiring a large amount of memory for decoding is faced. In this work, we address this problem by utilizing memory elements at the internal nodes of the network also, which results in the reduction of the number of memory elements used at the sinks. We give an algorithm which employs memory at all the nodes of the network to achieve single- generation network coding. For fixed latency, our algorithm reduces the total number of memory elements used in the network to achieve single- generation network coding. We also discuss the advantages of employing single-generation network coding together with convolutional network-error correction codes (CNECCs) for networks with unit- delay and illustrate the performance gain of CNECCs by using memory at the intermediate nodes using simulations on an example network under a probabilistic network error model.

A reinforcement learning approach to automatic generation control

This paper formulates the automatic generation control (AGC) problem as a stochastic multistage decision problem. A strategy for solving this new AGC problem formulation is presented by using a reinforcement learning (RL) approach This method of obtaining an AGC controller does not depend on any knowledge of the system model and more importantly it admits considerable flexibility in defining the control objective. Two specific RL based AGC algorithms are presented. The first algorithm uses the traditional control objective of limiting area control error (ACE) excursions, where as, in the second algorithm, the controller can restore the load-generation balance by only monitoring deviation in tie line flows and system frequency and it does not need to know or estimate the composite ACE signal as is done by all current approaches. The effectiveness and versatility of the approaches has been demonstrated using a two area AGC model. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystal structure, thermal expansion and electrical conductivity of Nd0.7Sr0.3Fe1-xCoxO3 (0 <= x <= 0.8)

The crystal structure, thermal expansion and electrical conductivity of the solid solution Nd0.7Sr0.3Fe1-xCoxO3 for 0 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 0.8 were investigated. All compositions had the GdFeO3-type orthorhombic perovskite structure. The lattice parameters were determined at room temperature by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). The pseudo-cubic lattice constant decreased continuously with x. The average linear thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) in the temperature range from 573 to 973 K was found to increase with x. The thermal expansion curves for all values of x displayed rapid increase in slope at high temperatures. The electrical conductivity increased with x for the entire temperature range of measurement. The calculated activation energy values indicate that electrical conduction takes place primarily by the small polaron hopping mechanism. The charge compensation for the divalent ion on the A-site is provided by the formation of Fe4+ ions on the B-site (in preference to Co4+ ions) and vacancies on the oxygen sublattice for low values of x. The large increase in the conductivity with x in the range from 0.6 to 0.8 is attributed to the substitution of Fe4+ ions by Co4+ ions. The Fe site has a lower small polaron site energy than Co and hence behaves like a carrier trap, thereby drastically reducing the conductivity. The non-linear behaviour in the dependence of log sigmaT with reciprocal temperature can be attributed to the generation of additional charge carriers with increasing temperature by the charge disproportionation of Co3+ ions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Grain size effects on charge-ordering, phase segregation and related properties of rare-earth manganates, Nd(0.5)A(0.5)MnO(3) (A = Ca or Sr)

Grain size has marked effects on charge-ordering and other properties of Nd(0.5)A(0.5)MnO(3) (A=Ca or Sr). Thus, the anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) transition in Nd0.5Ca0.5MnO3 is observed distinctly only in samples sintered at 1273 K or higher. The sample with a small grain size (sintered at 1173 K) shows evidence for greater ferromagnetic (FM) interaction at low temperatures, probably due to phase segregation. The FM transition as well as the charge-ordering transition in Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 becomes sharper in samples sintered at 1273 K or higher. The sample sintered at 1173 K does not show the AFM-CO transition around 150 K and is FM down to low temperatures; the apparent T-c-T-co gap decreases with the increase in the grain size. The samples sintered at lower temperatures (<1673 K) show evidence for greater segregation of the AFM and FM domains. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.