The altar wall paintings of the catholicon "The Nativity of the Virgin", Rila Monastery, Bulgaria: Identification of the painting materials by means of vibrational spectroscopic techniques complemented by EDX, XRD and TGA analysis.

The purpose of the present study is to deepen our knowledge about the painting materials and technology characteristics of iconography during the Bulgarian National Revival. Our efforts have focused on studying the murals in the catholicon (main church) "The Nativity of the Virgin" of the Rila Monastery, which is one of Bulgarian leading historical monuments. A series of micro samples from the altar mural paintings were analyzed by a combination of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), micro-Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Optical microscopy (OM). The data analysis showed that the painter's palette is made up of nine mineral pigments: smalt, chrome yellow, emerald green, vermilion, red lead, green earths, yellow ochre, sienna and calcite. The impression of rich colorful palette was achieved by using various pigment mixtures. The presence of egg binder in many paint samples suggested that the murals were executed by the traditional egg tempera technique, with the only exception of the smalt paint of the background where carbohydrate glue is present as binder.

Analytical studies of the Alexandrovo Thracian tomb wall paintings.

A profound study of samples obtained from Thracian tomb wall paintings at Alexandrovo, Bulgaria (dating back to the fourth century BC) were carried out by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FTIR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The current work provides a glimpse of the ingenious construction and painting techniques used in Thracian tomb at Alexandrovo. The results suggest that beeswax was used as a paint binder and also revealed presence of various nano-materials.

Comparative Study on the MDR Reversal Effects of Selected Chalcones.

Based on the structure of three previously established lead compounds, fifteen selected chalcones were synthesized and evaluated for their multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal activity on mouse lymphoma cells. The most active chalcones were stronger revertants than the positive control, verapamil. In the model of combination chemotherapy, the interactions between the anticancer drug doxorubicin and two of the most effective compounds were measured in vitro, on human MDR1 gene transfected mouse lymphoma cells, showing that the type of interaction for one of these compounds was indifferent while that for the other one was additive. Furthermore, two chalcones inhibited 50% of cell proliferation in concentration of around 0.4 µg/mL and were from 2- to 100-fold more active than the most chalcones. The structure-activity relationships were obtained and discussed in view of their usefulness for the design of chalcone-like P-gp modulators and drugs able to treat resistant cancers.

DFT-GIAO-NBO and 13C NMR study of the delta-syn-axial effect in 2,4-disubstituted adamantanes.

Six groups of diastereomeric 2,4-disubstituted adamantanes were studied with DFT-GIAO-NBO (natural orbital analysis) methods. The calculated (13)C chemical shifts reproduce well the experimental data. It was found that among all diastereomers, those bearing substituents in delta-syn-axial positions showed the largest overall deshielding, i.e. the sum of all (13)C chemical shifts [Sigmadelta((13)C)] was the greatest and also had the highest delocalization contribution to the molecular energy evaluated with NBO. The higher delocalization energy is proposed to be the origin of the deshielding delta-syn-axial effect.

IR spectral and structural changes caused by the conversion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (vanillin) into the oxyanion.

The spectral and structural changes, caused by the conversion of the vanillin molecule into the corresponding oxyanion have been studied by IR spectra and normal coordinate calculations within the Onsager self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) model, using a density functional theory (DFT) method at the Becke3LYP/6-31+G** level. Structures of all conformational isomers of vanillin and of its anion have been located, as well as their total and relative energies have been determined. The conversion leads to geometry changes in the whole species, due to the strong O-/acceptor polar resonance through the para phenylene ring. The conversion causes a 41 cm(-1) decrease in the frequency of the carbonyl stretching band nu(C=O), strong intensity increases (1.6 - 7.2-fold) of the aromatic skeletal nu8 and nu19 as well as formyl nu(CH) bands. According to the calculations the oxyanionic charge is delocalized over aldehyde group (0.25 e-), phenylene ring (0.13 e-), methoxy group (0.07 e-) and oxyanyonic center (0.55 e-).

IR spectral and structural changes caused by the conversion of 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde into the oxyanion.

The spectral and structural changes, caused by the conversion of the 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde molecule into the corresponding oxyanion have been studied by IR spectra, and MP2 and DFT force field calculations. The conversion causes a 13 cm(-1) decrease in the frequency of the carbonyl stretching band nu(Cz=O), a 1.3-fold increase in its integrated intensity, strong intensity increases (2.1-5.3-fold) of the aromatic skeletal nu8 and nu19 as well as formyl nu(CH) bands. According to the calculations the oxyanionic charge is delocalized over aldehyde group (0.37 e-), phenylene ring (0.12 e-) and oxyanionic center (0.52 e-). The conversion into the oxyanion leads to geometry changes in the whole species, but it remains planar.

Experimental and ab initio MO studies on the IR spectra and structure of pyridinium dicyanomethylide and trimethylammonium dicyanomethylide.

The structures of the title ylides have been studied by both quantitative infrared (IR) spectra and ab initio HF and MP2 force field calculations. Good agreement has been found between theoretical and experimental data for their spectral and structural characteristics. According to both IR data and geometry parameters the dicyanomethide groups in the ylides studied have a pronounced carbanionic character. The analysis of the calculated net electric charges however shows only moderate (below 0.6 e-) intramolecular charge transfers between the pyridinium (trimethylammonium) and dicyanomethide fragments of the species studied.

Vibrational spectra and structure of benzophenone and its (18)O and d10 labelled derivatives: an ab initio and experimental study.

Infrared (4000-100 cm(-1)) and Raman (4000-10 cm(-1)) spectra of benzophenone, benzophenone-d10 and benzophenone-(18)O have been studied in the solid state and in solution and their fundamental frequencies have been assigned using isotopic frequency shifts and differential infrared linear dichroic spectra of oriented polycrystalline layers (4000-400 cm(-1)). Ab initio MO calculations have been carried out for the three benzophenone isotopomers at the HF/3-21G, 6-31G and 6-31G** levels and the computed vibrational frequencies have been compared with the experimental ones. Best agreement is achieved with the 6-31G data, the mean deviation being 25.4 cm(-1). The calculated isotopic frequency shifts induced by the (18)O and d10 labelling, are also in a good accordance with the measured ones. All geometry parameters calculated for the isolated molecule are in good agreement with the X-ray data for the benzophenone single crystal.