An imino-N-heterocyclic carbene underwent three sequential benzyl migrations upon reaction with tetrabenzylhafnium, resulting in complete removal of the carbene carbon from the ligand. The resulting eneamido-amidinato hafnium complex showed alkene polymerization activity comparable to that of a precatalyst containing the intact iminocarbene ligand.

Two complementary Kumada coupling methods for the conversion of monotriflated 1,1'-binaphthalene-2,2'-diol (BINOL) into 2'-substituted binaphthyl monoalcohols under mild conditions are reported. A protocol using NiCl2(dppe), in combination with an improved preparation of the monotriflate, is effective for 1,1'-binaphthalene-2-ols containing unsubstituted or electron-poor aryl or benzyl 2'-substituents. An alternative procedure, using a potentially hemilabile-bidentate phosphinan-4-ol ligand, is superior for products containing neopentyl or electron-rich aryl 2'-substituents. The obtained binaphthyl alcohols represent potentially useful synthons for chiral ligands and auxiliaries.

Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is a serious health problem in Sri Lanka especially among agricultural communities in dry zone since 19th century. In the present study, several water quality parameters were studied in well water samples and only four parameters, namely, hardness, cadmium level, fluoride level, and strontium level have shown a relationship with the CKDu prevalence. Higher percentage of well water samples collected from CKDu prevalent area in both pre and postmonsoon seasons have exceeded the WHO recommended levels of hardness. Further, water samples collected in postmonsoon seasons had significantly higher hardness than the well water samples collected in premonsoon season ( P < 0.05 ). This may be due to the dissolution of calcium carbonate by water recharge. Moreover, cadmium and fluoride contents have exceeded the recommended levels in high-risk area during the premonsoon period. Furthermore, according to principal component analysis (PCA), four clusters were identified depending on the different levels of fluoride, cadmium, hardness, and strontium contents. The control area (Am) fell in to separate cluster with low contents of fluoride, cadmium, hardness, and strontium than in CKDu prevalent area. Since it has been found that the above species are directly involved in renal damage, it can be concluded that a synergetic effect of cadmium, fluoride, hardness, and strontium in well water may be a main cause for CKDu in Sri Lanka.

No abstract

Variable temperature, solid-state deuterium (H) NMR spectroscopy has been used to probe the rather complex head group dynamics of the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide- d (CTAB- d) in bulk. Heating and cooling runs were made as the surfactant underwent supercooling. H NMR line shape simulations were used to identify the hierarchy of the molecular motions of CTAB as a function of temperature. Fast continuous methyl rotations about the N-C axes and 3-fold jumps about the main chain C-N axis were present at all of the temperatures from -40 to 120 °C. With heating, the spectra were consistent with CTAB molecules starting 180° flips about the hydrocarbon chain molecular axis around 0 °C, which continued to flip with increasing flip rates up to 80 °C. At 90 °C, the flips changed to rotation of the CTAB molecules about the hydrocarbon chain axis and that rotation continued to 120 °C. Comparison of spectra of bulk CTAB at different temperatures from heating and cooling runs revealed that the rotation about the long axis of the hydrocarbon chains started at around 90 °C on heating, however, it does not freeze out until between 70 and 80 °C because of supercooling.