Salts of the 1,1,2,3,3,-pentacyanopropenide anion: crystallographic and spectroscopic studies

Method to derive the infrared complex refractive indices n(λ) and k(λ) for organic solids from KBr pellet absorption measurements

Obtaining the complex refractive index vectors n(ν~) and k(ν~) allows calculation of the (infrared) reflectance spectrum that is obtained from a solid in any of its many morphological forms. We report an adaptation to the KBr pellet technique using two gravimetric dilutions to derive quantitative n(ν~)/k(ν~) for dozens of powders with greater repeatability. The optical constants of bisphenol A and sucrose are compared to those derived by other methods, particularly for powdered materials. The variability of the k values for bisphenol A was examined by 10 individual measurements, showing an average coefficient of variation for k peak heights of 5.6%. Though no established standards exist, the pellet-derived k peak values of bisphenol A differ by 11% and 31% from their single-angle- and ellipsometry-derived values, respectively. These values provide an initial estimate of the precision and accuracy of complex refractive indices that can be derived using this method. Limitations and advantages of the method are discussed, the salient advantage being a more rapid method to derive n/k for those species that do not readily form crystals or specular pellets.

Absolute Band Intensity of the Iodine Monochloride Fundamental Mode for Infrared Sensing and Quantitative Analysis

Iodine monochloride (ICl) is a potential off-gas product of molten salt reactors; monitoring this heteronuclear diatomic molecule is of great interest for both environmental and safety purposes. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of infrared monitoring of ICl by measuring the far-infrared absorption cross section of its fundamental band near 381 cm^-1. We have performed quantitative studies of the neat gas in a 20 cm cell at 25, 35, 50, and 70 °C at multiple pressures up to ∼9 Torr and investigated the temperature and pressure dependencies of the band's infrared cross section. Quantitative measurements were problematic due to sample adhesion to the cell walls and windows as well as reactions/possible hydrolysis of ICl to form HCl gas. Effects were mitigated by measuring only the neat gas, using short measurement times, and subtracting out the partial pressure of the HCl(g). The integrated band strength is shown to be temperature independent and was found to be equal to 9.1 × 10^-19 (cm²/molecule) cm^-1. As expected, the temperature dependence of the band profile showed only a small effect over this limited temperature range. We have also investigated using the absorption data along with inverse least squares multivariate methods for the quantitative monitoring of ICl effluent concentrations under different scenarios using infrared (standoff) sensing and compare these results with traditional Beer's law (univariate) techniques.

Improved Infrared Optical Constants from Pressed Pellets: II. Ellipsometric n and k Values for Ammonium Sulfate with Variability Analysis

Infrared reflectance analysis is facilitated via the comparison of spectra recorded in situ to a databank of actual or synthetic infrared reflectance spectra. It has recently been shown that reference spectra corresponding to the many different morphological forms of the same chemical can be generated synthetically using the imaginary, k, and real, n, components of the complex refractive index, n∼ = n + ik. One method to obtain the n and k vectors is infrared ellipsometry, which measures the changes in amplitude, tan Ψ, and phase, Δ, of polarized light reflected from the sample both as a function of wavenumber and angle of incidence. The method requires specularly reflected light, so best results are usually obtained with polished planar samples of large surface area. Due to the difficulties of obtaining such samples, however, we investigate the possibility of pressing powders of neat materials and obtaining the corresponding optical constants from the pellets. In this paper, variability in the sample pellet and preparation method is investigated, as is variability in the fitting procedure for the derived optical constants. The n/k vectors are derived from the measured ellipsometric parameters, tan ψ and Δ, as they are fit by an oscillator model which yield n(ν∼) and k(ν∼) vectors as a function of wavenumber, ν∼. Construction of the oscillator model is not automatic and depends on significant input from the analyst as well as the sample's physical characteristics. For pellet pressing, the experimental variability was found to be minimized for size-selected powdered samples as gauged by the minimal variance in ψ and Δ for three different pellets; similarly, the analytical precision for multiple measurements of the same pellet was also quite good, suggesting that a pressed pellet is a viable sample preparation method. Experimental variabilities were comparatively small; the greatest variability came in the analytic fitting procedure with differences in the k-peak values up to 10% for only the sharpest bands arising from four different fits to the same data set. The final ellipsometric n/k data are compared to literature values obtained from crystalline ammonium sulfate ((NH₄)₂SO₄) samples as well as single-angle reflectance measurements that also used pressed pellets. Comparison with the previous literature values shows generally good agreement, although larger k-values are observed for the independent sets of data derived from pressed pellets. These data are suggested as an improved set of optical constants for (NH₄)₂SO₄.

Multiple anion...π interactions in tris(1,10-phenanthroline-κ(2)N,N')iron(II) bis[1,1,3,3-tetracyano-2-(2-hydroxyethyl)propenide] monohydrate

In the ionic structure of the title compound, [Fe(C12H8N2)3](C9H5N4O2)2·H2O, the octahedral tris-chelate [Fe(phen)3](2+) dications [Fe-N = 1.9647 (14)-1.9769 (14) Å; phen is 1,10-phenathroline] afford one-dimensional chains by a series of slipped π-π stacking interactions [centroid-to-centroid distances = 3.792 (3) and 3.939 (3) Å]. The 1,1,3,3-tetracyano-2-(2-hydroxyethyl)propenide anions, denoted tcnoetOH(-), reveal an appreciable delocalization of π-electron density, involving the central propenide [C-C = 1.383 (3)-1.401 (2) Å] fragment and four nitrile groups, and this is also supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B97D/6-311+G(2d,2p) level. Primary noncovalent inter-moiety interactions comprise conventional O-H...O(N) and weak C-H...O(N) hydrogen bonding [O...O(N) = 2.833 (2)-3.289 (5) Å and C...O(N) = 3.132 (2)-3.439 (2) Å]. The double anion...π interaction involving a nitrile group of tcnoetOH(-) and two cis-positioned pyridine rings (`π-pocket') of [Fe(phen)3](2+) [N...centroid = 3.212 (2) and 3.418 (2) Å] suggest the relevance of anion...π stackings for charge-diffuse polycyanoanions and common M-chelate species.

The infrared spectra of Bacillus bacteria part II: sporulated Bacillus--the effect of vegetative cells and contributions of calcium dipicolinate trihydrate, CaDP.3H2O

Our previous paper showed that certain infrared (IR) peaks, e.g., the peak at 1739 cm(-1), are due to varying (trace) amounts of vegetative cells amongst the Bacillus spores and that these and other vegetative bands are associated with lipid-soluble compounds, likely an ester or phospholipid. This work investigates the infrared spectra of eight different sporulated Bacillus bacteria. For the endospores it is observed that peaks at 1441, 1277, and 1015 cm(-1) along with a distinct quartet of peaks at 766, 725, 701, and 659 cm(-1) are clearly associated with calcium dipicolinate trihydrate, CaDP.3H2O. It is emphasized that the spore peaks, especially the quartet, arise from the calcium dipicolinate trihydrate and not from dipicolinic acid or other dipicolinate hydrate salts. The CaDP.3H2O infrared peaks and the effects of hydration are studied using quantum chemistry in the PQS software package. The quartet is associated with many modes including contributions from the Ca2+ counterion and hydration waters including Ca-O-H bends, H2O-Ca-O torsions, and O-C-O bends. The 1441 and 1015 cm(-1) modes are planar pyridine modes with the 1441 cm(-1) mode primarily a ring C-N stretch and the 1015 cm(-1) mode primarily a ring C-C stretch.