An air-stable [Cu(NHC)(OR)] (R = C(H)(CF)) complex for C-H, N-H and S-H bond activation.

The synthesis, isolation and full characterisation of a [Cu(IPr)(OC(H)(CF))] (IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) complex are reported. This new Cu(I) complex is a versatile synthon and can activate numerous X-H bonds including C-H, N-H and S-H bonds. [Cu(IPr)(OC(H)(CF))] was investigated as a pre-catalyst in several catalytic reactions.

N-Heterocyclic carbene complexes enabling the α-arylation of carbonyl compounds.

The considerable importance of α-arylated carbonyl compounds, which are widely used as final products or as key intermediates in the pharmaceutical industry, has prompted numerous research groups to develop efficient synthetic strategies for their preparation in recent decades. In this context, the α-arylation of carbonyl compounds catalyzed by transition-metal complexes have been particularly helpful in constructing this motif. As illustrated in this contribution, tremendous advances have taken place using palladium- and nickel-NHC (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes as pre-catalysts for the arylation of a wide range of ketones, aldehydes, esters and amides with electron-rich, electron-neutral, electron-poor, and sterically hindered aryl halides or pseudo-halides.

Spatially Resolved Kinetic Model of Parahydrogen Induced Polarisation (PHIP) in a Microfluidic Chip.

We report a spatially resolved kinetic finite element model of parahydrogen-induced polarisation (PHIP) in a microfluidic chip that was calibrated using on-chip and off-chip NMR data. NMR spectroscopy has great potential as a read-out technique for lab-on-a-chip (LoC) devices, but is often limited by sensitivity. By integrating PHIP with a LoC device, a continuous stream of hyperpolarised material can be produced, and mass sensitivities of have been achieved.

Accessing the long-time limit in diffusion NMR: The case of singlet assisted diffusive diffraction q-space.

The latest developments in the field of long-lived spin states are merged with pulsed-field gradient techniques to extend the diffusion time beyond what is currently achievable in standard q-space diffusive-diffraction studies. The method uses nearly-equivalent spin-1/2 pairs that let diffusion times of the order of many minutes to be measured allowing access to the long-time limit in cavities of macroscopic size (millimeters). A pulse sequence suitable to exploit this regime has been developed and validated with the use of numerical simulations and experiments.

Thallium speciation in plant tissues-Tl(III) found in Sinapis alba L. grown in soil polluted with tailing sediment containing thallium minerals.

Besides the dominant species in plants-Tl(I), noticeable amounts of Tl(III) (about 10% of total Tl content) were found in extracts of plants cultivated in the presence of tailing sediments, which are the main source of anthropogenic thallium already present in the environment. It is an important step of gaining knowledge about the detoxification mechanisms developed by Sinapis alba. This plant species is highly tolerant to Tl and it is able to cumulate high amounts of Tl and transport it into the above-ground organs.