Search for: All records

The opening of a quantum confinement gap in nanostructured graphene yields extremely sensitive photodetectors, with electrical noise equivalent power lower than 10⁻¹⁵W Hz^−0.5at temperatures below 3 K, for detection of radiation in a very broad frequency range, including ultraviolet, visible and terahertz. Here we demonstrate the operation of these detectors in the presence of magnetic field as high as 7 T, paving the way toin situspectroscopy of molecular nanomagnets.

 

Orbital angular momentum is a prerequisite for magnetic anisotropy, although in transition metal complexes it is typically quenched by the ligand field. By reducing the basicity of the carbon donor atoms in a pair of alkyl ligands, we synthesized a cobalt(II) dialkyl complex, Co(C(SiMe 2 ONaph) 3 ) 2 (where Me is methyl and Naph is a naphthyl group), wherein the ligand field is sufficiently weak that interelectron repulsion and spin-orbit coupling play a dominant role in determining the electronic ground state. Assignment of a non-Aufbau (d x 2 –y 2 , d xy ) 3 (d xz , d yz ) 3 (d z 2 ) 1 electron configuration is supported by dc magnetic susceptibility data, experimental charge density maps, and ab initio calculations. Variable-field far-infrared spectroscopy and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements further reveal slow magnetic relaxation via a 450–wave number magnetic excited state. 

Mackinawite has unique structural properties and reactivities when compared to other iron sulfides. Herein we provide evidence for the mackinawite‐supported reduction of KCN into various reduced compounds under primordial conditions. We proposed a reaction mechanism based on the nucleophilic attack by the deprotonated mackinawite ‐SH surface groups at the carbon atom of HCN. The initial binding of the substrate and the subsequent reduction events are supported by DFT calculations and further experiments using other substrates, such as KSCN, KOCN and CS₂. Until now, conversion of CN⁻into CH₄and NH₃has been limited to nitrogenase cofactors or molecular Fe‐CN complexes. Our study provides evidence for mackinawite‐supported cleavage of the C−N bond under ambient conditions, which opens new avenues for investigation of other substrates for mackinawite‐supported reactions while shedding light on the relevance of this type of reaction to the origin of life on Earth.