Electron transfer of carbonylmetalate radical pairs: femtosecond visible spectroscopy of optically excited ion pairs

Charge transfer excitation at 640 nm of the cobaltocenium tetracarbonylcobaltate ion pair, [Cp{sub 2}Co{sup +}{vert_bar}Co(CO){sub 4}{sup -}], was monitored in 1,2- dichloroethane solution by femtosecond transient visible absorption spectroscopy. The absorption prepares a neutral radical pair that can undergo spontaneous back electron transfer, and which shows a double peaked spectrum with features at 760 and 815 nm at 3 ps delay time. Transient decay times of 5.8{+-}0.5 ps were measured by monitoring the decay of Co(CO){sub 4} at 757 nm and 780 nm, and these are assigned to the back electron transfer step. The ET kinetics are consistent with the previously reported rates of electron transfer that were measured for specific vibrational states by picosecond transient IR

Controlling plasmon line shapes through diffractive coupling in linear arrays of cylindrical nanoparticles fabricated by electron beam lithography

The effect of diffractive coupling on the collective plasmon line shape of linear arrays of Ag nanoparticles fabricated by electron beam lithography has been investigated using Rayleigh scattering spectroscopy. The array spectra exhibit an intricate multi-peak structure, including a narrow mode that gains strength for interparticle distances that are close to the single particle resonance wavelength. A version of the discrete dipole approximation method provides an excellent qualitative description of the observed behavior

Mitochondrial genome data alone are not enough to unambiguously resolve the relationships of Entognatha, Insecta and Crustacea sensu lato (Arthropoda)

An analysis of the relationships of the major arthropod groups Was undertaken using mitochondrial genome data to examine the hypotheses that Hexapoda is polyphyletic and that Collembola is more closely related to branchiopod crustaceans than insects. We sought to examine the sensitivity of this relationship to outgroup choice, data treatment. gene choice and optimality criteria used in the phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial genome data. Additionally we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of ail archaeognathan, Nesomachilis australica. to improve taxon selection in the apterygote insects, a group poorly represented in previous mitochondrial phylogenies. The sister group of the Collembola was rarely resolved in our analyses with a significant level of support. The use of different outgroups (myriapods, nematodes, or annelids + mollusks) resulted in many different placements of Collembola. The way in which the dataset was coded for analysis (DNA, DNA with the exclusion of third codon position and as amino acids) also had marked affects on tree topology. We found that nodal Support was spread evenly throughout the 13 mitochondrial genes and the exclusion of genes resulted in significantly less resolution in the inferred trees. Optimality criteria had a much lesser effect on topology than the preceding factors; parsimony and Bayesian trees for a given data set and treatment were quite similar. We therefore conclude that the relationships of the extant arthropod groups as inferred by mitochondrial genomes are highly vulnerable to outgroup choice, data treatment and gene choice, and no consistent alternative hypothesis of Collembola's relationships is supported. Pending the resolution of these identified problems with the application of mitogenomic data to basal arthropod relationships, it is difficult to justify the rejection of hexapod monophyly, which is well supported on morphological grounds. (c) The Willi Hennig Society 2004