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  • Novel laser-induced luminescence resulting from benzophenone/O-propylated p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene complexes. A diffuse reflectance study
    Publication . Ferreira, Luís F. Vieira; Ferreira, Margarida R. Vieira; Silva, José P. da; Machado, Isabel Ferreira; Oliveira, A. S.; Prata, José V.
    Laser-induced room temperature luminescence of air-equilibrated benzophenone/O-propylated p-tert-butylcalix[ 4] arene solid powdered samples revealed the existence of a novel emission, in contrast with benzophenone/p-tertbutylcalix[ 4] arene complexes, where only benzophenone emits. This novel emission was identified as phosphorescence of 1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione, which is formed as the result of an hydrogen atom abstraction reaction of the triplet excited benzophenone from the propoxy substituents of the calixarene. Room temperature phosphorescence was obtained in air-equilibrated samples in all propylated hosts. The decay times of the benzophenone emission vary greatly with the degree of propylation, the shortest lifetimes being obtained in the tri- and tetrapropylated calixarenes. Triplet - triplet absorption of benzophenone was detected in all cases, and is the predominant absorption in the p-tert-butylcalix[ 4] arene case, where an endo-calix complex is formed. Benzophenone ketyl radical formation occurs with the O-propylated p-tert-butylcalix[ 4] arenes hosts, suggesting a different type of host/guest molecular arrangement. Diffuse reflectance laser. ash photolysis and gas chromatography - mass spectrometry techniques provided complementary information, the former about transient species and the latter regarding the final products formed after light absorption. Product analysis and identification clearly show that the two main degradation photoproducts following laser excitation in the propylated substrates are 1-phenyl-1,2- propanedione and 2- hydroxybenzophenone, although several other minor photodegradation products were identified. A detailed mechanistic analysis is proposed. While the solution photochemistry of benzophenone is dominated by the hydrogen abstraction reaction from suitable hydrogen donors, in these solid powdered samples, the alpha-cleavage reaction also plays an important role. This finding occurs even with one single laser pulse which lasts only a few nanoseconds, and is apparently related to the fact that scattered radiation exists, due to multiple internal reflections possibly trapping light within non-absorbing microcrystals in the sample, and is detected until at least 20 mus after the laser pulse. This could explain how photoproducts thus formed could also be excited with only one laser pulse.
  • Synthetic versus natural receptors: supramolecular control of chemical sensing in fish
    Publication . Silva, José P. da; Choudhury, Rajib; Porel, Mintu; Pischel, Uwe; Jockusch, Steffen; Hubbard, Peter; Ramamurthy, Vaidhyanathan; Canario, Adelino V. M.
    The encapsulation of odorants by the synthetic receptor cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) reduces the response of olfactory receptors in Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) in vivo. For example, the olfactory receptor response to the odorant adamantan-1-amine, as measured by electro-olfactography, was suppressed by 92% in the presence of CB[7]. A reduction in olfactory response of 88% was observed for pentane-1,5-diamine (cadaverine), an odorant associated with carrion avoidance in some fish. The results reveal how the association constants and the concentrations of natural and synthetic receptors play a determinant role and show that synthetic receptors can be used to remove bioactive molecules from fish olfaction.
  • Photolysis of 4-chloroanisole in the presence of oxygen: formation of the 4-methoxyphenylperoxyl radical
    Publication . Silva, José P. da; Ferreira, Luís F. Vieira; Machado, Isabel Ferreira; Silva, Abílio M. da
    The photochemistry of 4-chloroanisole was studied in cyclohexane, with and without molecular oxygen. The triplet state is the main transient in argon purged solutions. In air equilibrated conditions the triplet state was not detected and a new broad absorption band was observed above 450 nm. This absorption was assigned to the 4-methoxyphenylperoxyl radical. The formation of phenylperoxyl radicals after direct photolysis of the parent chlorinated compound in the presence of oxygen is reported here for the first time. Anisole is one of the main photoproducts in both conditions. Bicyclohexane was detected only in argon purged conditions while cyclohexyl ether is only formed in the presence of molecular oxygen. The formation of phenylperoxyl radicals after direct photolysis of chloroaromatics can be used to detect the homolyfic cleavage of the C-Cl bond. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
  • Aqueous photochemistry of pesticides triadimefon and triadimenol
    Publication . Silva, José P. da; Ferreira, Luís F. Vieira; Silva, Abílio M. da
    The photochemistry of pesticides triadimefon and triadimenol was studied in aqueous solution and in methanol/water mixtures, in controlled and natural conditions. The photodegradation kinetics and product distribution are strongly dependent on the solvent and on the irradiation wavelength. The degradation rates are faster at 254 nm than at 313 nm. The kinetics is faster in water than methanol. Direct photoreaction is an important dissipation pathway of triadimefon in natural water systems while triadimenol is stable in these conditions. 1,2,4-Triazole and 4-chlorophenol are two of the major photodegradation products. The formation of the 4-chlorophenoxyl radical was detected for both pesticides in methanol and methanol/water mixtures. In methanol/water mixtures the reaction of both pesticides also occurs with 4-chlorophenolate formation, which increases with the water content. The photochemical studies of pesticides and other pollutants should be made in conditions as similar as possible to those observed in environmental systems. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
  • Release of guests from encapsulated masked hydrophobic precursors by a phototrigger
    Publication . Jayaraj, Nithyanandhan; Jagadesan, Pradeepkumar; Samanta, Shampa R.; Silva, José P. da; Ramamurthy, V.
    Examples of release of organic acids from encapsulated p-methoxyphenacyl esters provided here demonstrate the value of a phototrigger strategy to release chemicals of interest in water from hydrophobic precursors. In this study, a photochemical beta-cleavage process centered on the p-methoxyphenacyl group is exploited to release the acid of interest from a water-soluble capsule made up of octa acid.
  • Surface photochemistry: dibenzo-p-dioxin adsorbed onto silicalite, cellulose and silica
    Publication . Ferreira, Luís F. Vieira; Silva, José P. da; Machado, I. Ferreira; Branco, T. J. F.; Moreira, J. C.
    Laser-induced luminescence of argon purged and air-equilibrated samples of dibenzo-p-dioxin adsorbed onto three different solid powdered supports, silicalite, cellulose and silica, revealed the existence of both fluorescence and phosphorescence emissions at room temperature. A remarkable difference in transient absorption spectra was found when dibenzo-p-dioxin was included within the narrow internal channels of silicalite: triplet-triplet absorption of dibenzo-p-dioxin was detected in the silicalite case as a host, simultaneous with radical cation formation immediately after pulsed laser excitation (in the hundreds of nanoseconds time scale) while in the case of cellulose and silica as adsorbents, absorption transients arising from 2,2'-biphenylquinone and possibly from the spiroketone were found. For all hosts dibenzo-p-dioxin exhibits a transient band peaking at 330-340 nm in the microsecond and millisecond time scales, which we assigned to the biradical of dibenzo-p-dioxin. Diffuse reflectance laser flash photolysis and chromatographic techniques provided complementary information, the former about transient species and the latter regarding the final products formed after laser irradiation at 266 nm. Product analysis and identification clearly show that the photodegradation products are dependent on the host, the photochemistry being much more rich and complex in the cellulose and silica cases, where the main detected photoproduts were 2,2'-dihydroxybiphenyl and 1-hydroxydibenzofuran. In the case of silicalite as host, which has a channel-like internal structure and reduced space available for the guest dioxin, photodegradation reactions are highly reduced or even inhibited and no photodegradation products were detected. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
  • Surface photochemistry: benzophenone as a probe for the study of silica and reversed-phase silica surfaces
    Publication . Ferreira, Luís F. Vieira; Machado, I. Ferreira; Silva, José P. da; Branco, T. J. F.
    This work reports the use of benzophenone, a very well characterized probe, to study new hosts: two reversed-phase silicas. Laser-induced room temperature luminescence of argon purged solid powdered samples of benzophenone adsorbed onto the two different reversed-phase silicas, RP-18 and RP-8, revealed the existence of a low energy emission band in contrast with the benzophenone adsorbed on 60 A pore silica, where only triplet benzophenone emits. This low energy emission band was identified as the fluorescence of the ketyl radical of benzophenone, which is formed as the result of a hydrogen atom abstraction reaction of the triplet excited benzophenone from the alkyl groups of the surface of the reversed silicas. Such emission does not exist for benzophenone adsorbed onto 60 A pore silica. Room temperature phosphorescence was obtained in argon purged samples for all the surfaces under use. The decay times of the benzophenone emission vary greatly with the alkylation of the silica surface when compared with "normal" silica surface. A lifetime distributions analysis has shown that the shortest lifetimes for the benzophenone emission exist in the former case. Triplet-triplet absorption of benzophenone was detected in all cases and is the predominant absorption in the case of 60 A pore silica, while benzophenone ketyl radical formation occurs in the case of the reversed silicas. Diffuse reflectance laser. ash photolysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques provided complementary information, the former about transient species and the latter regarding the final products formed after laser irradiation, both at 266 nm or 355 nm. Product analysis and identification show that the degradation photoproducts are dependent on the excitation wavelength, the photochemistry being much more rich and complex in the 266 nm excitation case, where an alpha-cleavage reaction occurs. A detailed mechanistic analysis is proposed.
  • Surface photochemistry of pesticides: an approach using diffuse reflectance and chromatography techniques
    Publication . Silva, José P. da; Ferreira, Luís F. Vieira
    The photochemistry of pesticides triadimenol and triadimefon was studied on cellulose and beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) in controlled and natural conditions, using diffuse reflectance techniques and chromatographic analysis. The photochemistry of triadimenol occurs from the chlorophenoxyl moiety, while the photodegradation of triadimefon also involves the carbonyl group. The formation of 4-chlorophenoxyl radical is one of the major reaction pathways for both pesticides and leads to 4-chlorophenol. Triadimenol also undergoes photooxidation and dechlorination, leading to triadimefon and dechlorinated triadimenol, respectively. The other main reaction process of triadimefon involves alpha-cleavage from the carbonyl group, leading to decarbonylated compounds. Triadimenol undergoes photodegradation at 254 nm but was found to be stable at 313 nm, while triadimefon degradates in both conditions. Both pesticides undergo photochemical decomposition under solar radiation, being the initial degradation of rate per unit area of triadimefon 1 order of magnitude higher than the observed for triadimenol in both supports. The degradation rates of the pesticides were somewhat lower in beta-CD than on cellulose. Photoproduct distribution of triadimenol and triadimefon is similar for the different irradiation conditions, indicating an intramolecular energy transfer from the chlorophenoxyl moiety to the carbonyl group in the latter pesticide.
  • Comparative study of the dissipation of triadimefon in greenhouse and field conditions
    Publication . Silva, José P. da; Silva, Abílio M. da
    The dissipation of triadimefon, {1-(4-chlorophenoxy)-3,3-dimethyl-1-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)butanone}, was studied after its application to melon leaves, glass and paper, both in greenhouse and field conditions. The dissipation rate of triadimefon in its commercial formulation Bayleton 5 was found to be lower in greenhouse than field. The results for different samples in the same conditions show that the dissipation of triadimefon was found to be biphasic. This result can be accounted by a semi-empirical model which assumes an initial fast decline of the dissipation rate, attributed to an exponential decay of the volatilization rates, followed by a second phase where the dissipation is due to a first order degradation processes.The dissipation of triadimefon, {1-(4-chlorophenoxy)-3,3-dimethyl-1-(1H- 1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)butan-one}, was studied after its application to melon leaves, glass and paper, both in greenhouse and field conditions. The dissipation rate of triadimefon in its commercial formulation Bayleton 5 was found to be lower in greenhouse than field. The results for different samples in the same conditions show that the dissipation of triadimefon was found to be biphasic. This result can be accounted by a semi-empirical model which assumes an initial fast decline of the dissipation rate, attributed to an exponential decay of the volatilization rates, followed by a second phase where the dissipation is due to a first order degradation processes.
  • A diffuse reflectance comparative study of benzil inclusion within p-tert-butylcalix[n]arenes (n=4, 6, and 8) and silicalite
    Publication . Ferreira, Luís F. Vieira; Machado, I. Ferreira; Oliveira, A. S.; Ferreira, M. R. Vieira; Silva, José P. da; Moreira, J. C.
    Diffuse reflectance and laser-induced techniques were used to access photochemical and photophysical processes of benzil in solid supports, namely p-tert-butylcalix[n]arenes with n = 4, 6, and 8. A comparative study was performed using these results and those obtained with another electronically inert support, silicalite, which is a hydrophobic zeolite. In the latter substrate, ground-state benzil has the two carbonyl groups in an s-trans planar conformation while in the calixarenes a distribution of conformers exists, largely dominated by skew conformations where the carbonyl groups are twisted one to the other. In all substrates, room-temperature phosphorescence was obtained in air-equilibrated samples. The decay times vary greatly and the largest lifetime was obtained for benzil/p-tert-butylcalix[6]arene, showing that this host cavity well accommodates benzil, enhancing its room-temperature phosphorescence. p-tert-Butylcalix[6] and [8]arene molecules provide larger hydrophobic cavities than silicalite, and inclusion complexes are formed with these hosts and benzil as guest; p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene does not include benzil. This probe is deposited outside the calix[41 cavity, in the form of microcrystals. Triplet-triplet absorption of benzil was detected in all cases and is predominant in the silicalite channel inclusion case. Benzil ketyl radical formation occurs with inclusion in calix[6]arene and calix[8]arene. In the three cases, benzoyl radical was detected at long times (in the millisecond time scale). Product analysis and identification clearly show that the main detected degradation photoproducts in all substrates are benzoyl radical derivatives. Calix[6] and [8]arenes are able to supply hydrogen atoms that allow also another reaction, the reduction to benzoin through benzil ketyl radical formation.