The structure and first ¹H NMR spectral assignment of piperazine-C₆₀ adducts

The 1H NMR spectrum of the piperazine-C60 monoadduct has been assigned for the first time almost 10 years after it was synthesised. The preparation and characterisation of the first (C2-substituted piperazine)-C60 monoadduct are also described, revealing the C2-substituent as occupying an exo position on the addend

A recent bat survey reveals Bukit Barisan Selatan landscape as a chiropteran diversity hotspot in Sumatra

Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park is one of the last refuges protecting intact forest and a representative mammalian fauna in Sumatra. However, knowledge of bat diversity in the area is limited. From 2010 to 2012, 47 bat species were recorded through a series of surveys in 12 localities within and around the national park. An additional six species from the area were identified from the mammal collection of the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Indonesia. At least seven of the species reported in this study are new records for Sumatra, including Kerivoula krauensis, K. lenis, K. minuta, Murina rozendaali, Myotis horsfieldii, Myotis cf. borneoensis, and Rhinolophus borneensis/celebensis. Moreover, a finding of two distinct morphs of Chironax melanocephalus coexisting in the study area indicates another possible undescribed species. With 60 species, we consider Bukit Barisan Selatan Landscape to be a Southeast Asian bat diversity hotspot and of critical importance in maintaining bat diversity in Sumatra.Sigit Wiantoro, Tigga Kingsto

Molecular Self-Assembly of Functionalized Fullerenes on a Metal Surface

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the self-assembly of C-60 molecules functionalized with long alkane chains on the (111) surface of silver. We find that the conformation of the functionalized C-60 changes upon adsorption on Ag(111) and that the unit cell size in the self-assembled monolayer is determined by the interactions between the functional groups. We show that C-60 molecules can be assembled in ordered 2D arrays with intermolecular distances much larger than those in compact C-60 layers, and propose a novel way to control the surface pattern by appropriate chemical functionalization

Three-dimensional energy transport in highly luminescent host-guest crystals: A quantitative experimental and theoretical study

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study on energy transfer processes in a well-defined three-dimensional host-guest system, which allows for high chromophore concentrations while maintaining the highly luminescent properties of the molecules in solution. The self-assembled, nanostructured system with a defined ratio of included donor and acceptor molecules is amenable to quantitative comparison between experiment and theory. Experimentally, energy migration is monitored by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. From the theoretical side, the energy transfer process is modeled by a Monte Carlo approach including homo and hetero transfer steps with multi-acceptor distribution. In this dense system, the classical Forster point-dipole approach for energy transfer breaks down, and the hopping rates are therefore calculated on the basis of a quantum-chemical description of the donor and acceptor excited states. Thereby, the true directionality of the excitation diffusion is revealed. Excellent agreement with experimental donor and acceptor decays and overall transfer efficiencies is found. Even at low acceptor concentrations (down to 0.1%), efficient energy transfer over distances as large as 25 nm was observed due to rapid energy migration through a series of homo-transfer steps with preference along one direction of the structure