Topological complexity of potential surfaces and application to C2H2 molecule

Summary In this work, we search for the simplest complete surfaces of systems with three and four atoms, i.e. the minimal sets of critical points with their index, which are topologically consistent in the whole configuration space. Then we show the smallest change in the A₂B₂ system by requiring at least one stable acetylene configuration and one stable vinylidene configuration, like on the C₂H₂ surface. Finally, we give complete sets of minima, saddle points and maxima obtained for C₂H₂ with analytical potentials proposed in the literature and with a semi-empirical method at the CAS-CI level.     

Is Chromatography a Science, a Process, a Method, or a Scientific Discipline?

In the controversy over an article entitled Chromatography as a Scientific Discipline by V.G. Berezkin, it was pointed out that the subdivision of chromatographic processes into sorption–sieve chromatography and field nonsorption chromatography is inadmissible. It was demonstrated that all chromatographic processes, including flow fractionation in a transverse force field, are in principle two-phase (or polyphase) processes. It was illustrated that a longitudinal field in a flow cannot introduce a chromatographic component into the system. An additional definition of chromatography as a phenomenon was proposed on the basis of key points revealed by Professor Berezkin.     

New algorithm for nonorthogonal ab initio valence bond calculations II: Subgraph-driven method

The permanent method for nonorthogonal VB calculations is extensively developed, and the so-called subgraph-driven procedure is proposed. To achieve high efficiency, the summation of a huge number of permanents is treated as a whole system, and the intermediate quantities, the contracted-cofactors of various orders, are introduced for the systematic summation. These intermediate quantities can be characterized by pairing graphs of 2n elements (n = 1, 2, ... 1/2N – 2). Some test calculations for systems of up to 20 electrons are performed. The practice shows that this method is highly efficient, and the CPU time increases in a quite moderate way with the increasing number of electrons.On leave from Chemistry Department, Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, PR China.     

Multivariate Statistical Assessment of Air Quality: A Case Study

The present paper deals with the application of several chemometrical methods (cluster and principal components analysis, source apportioning on absolute principal components scores) to an aerosol data collection from Unterloibach, Austria. It is shown that seven latent factors explaining almost 80% of the total variance are responsible for the data structure and are conditionally identified as secondary aerosol, mineral dust, oil burning, lead smelter, coal burning, salt and fertilizer emission sources. Furthermore, the contribution of each identified source to the formation of the particle total mass and chemical compounds total concentration is calculated. Thus, a reliable assessment of the air quality in the region is performed. The requirements of the sustainability concept for ecological indicators in this case is easily transformed into a multivariate statistical problem taking into account not separate indicators but the specific multivariate nature of aerosol pollution.     

Studies of solvent effects

The effect of water on the conformational preferences of acetylcholine has been studied within the discrete, the continuum and the combined discrete-continuum models described in parts I and II of this series. All the models lead to the conclusion that the trans-gauche form which is, following refined quantum-mechanical computations, the intrinsically preferred one and the one observed in the crystal of acetylcholine and of a number of analogues should remain also the preferred conformation in water. This result agrees with NMR studies. The results of the empirical discrete model used here compare favorably to those obtained by an ab initio super-molecule treatment. The continuum model utilized here represents a net improvement above such models utilized in other works.     

Meeting the need for reference measurements

Summary Reference materials do fulfil a very useful function in that they provide means to check, verify and calibrate measurement procedures and instrumentation. However, the material is often idealized compared to real life samples: it is either (very) pure or does not correspond in concentration level or matrix to the real life case. It is shown how this situation could be remedied if real life samples with carefully assessed reference values could be made available regularly as unknowns to measurement laboratories. Comparison of the latter's measurements with the reference values then would provide a picture of the real performance of the particular measurement community in general and of each participating laboratory in particular. The opinion is expressed that isotope-specific methods have now matured to the stage that, if they are correctly applied under rigorous control and based on highly skilled expertise, they can provide such reference values against which laboratories can then evaluate their routine performance in regular Interlaboratory Measurement Evaluation Programmes (IMEPs).

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Wie der Notwendigkeit von Referenzmessungen entsprochen werden kann

     

Natural flavours of wine: correlation between instrumental analysis and sensory perception

Summary The aroma of wine consists of 600 to 800 aroma compounds from which especially those, typical for the variety, are already present in the grapes. The aroma extracts — received by extraction with trichlorofluoromethane — are separated by gas chromatography. There are significant varietal differences between the aromagrams (fingerprint pattern). Thus the amount of some flavour compounds (key substances) shows typical dependence on the variety. Especially monoterpene compounds play an important role in the differentiation of wine varieties.The German white wines can be differentiated into three groups only by quantitative determination of 12 monoterpenes (terpene profile). These groups are: Riesling type, Muscat type and Silvaner-Weißburgunder type. Such terpene profiles are also useful for the separation of real Riesling wines from others called Riesling (e.g. Welschriesling, Kap Riesling, Emerald Riesling) but not produced from grapes of the variety Riesling. Including further components and by means of statistical methods as for example linear discriminant analysis even the different varieties within the mentioned groups (for instance the Riesling-group: Riesling, Kerner, Ehrenfelser, Bacchus, Müller-Thurgau) can be separated from each other.To identify compounds causing off-flavours the sniffing technique is the method of choice. The off-flavour is pinpointed during gas chromatography separation of the complex aroma mixture by effluent sniffing. Once allocated, the chemical nature of the off-flavours is elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Substances contributing to the green pepper taint, the strawberry note, mousiness, corkiness etc. in wine could be found in this way.     

The influence of substituted alcohols on the temperature of maximum density of water

The influence of various substituted (including halogenated) alcohols on the temperature of maximum density (TMD) of water has been investigated. Evaluation of the structural contribution to the shift in the TMD demonstrates that trifluoroethanol, hexafluoroisopropanol, and neopentyl alcohol are structure makers, whereas trichloroethanol and tribromoethanol are structure breakers. The results are discussed in terms of an excluded volume model.     

On the recognition of structural features: Some general problems illustrated by hamiltonian paths in polyhexes

Human and machine recognition skills are discussed, though not comprehensively reviewed, and some of the difficulties are illustrated by algorithms written to search for Hamiltonian paths in polyhexes. The most successful strategy for this is based upon the branching graph, a recently introduced graph-theoretical device which can aid the recognition of edges that arenot part of a Hamiltonian path. Another, more widely applicable approach that is interesting, although in this preliminary form only a little better than random methods, uses the metaphor of biological evolution, and tries to breed and grow paths subjected to natural selection.     

An investigation of micro-brownian motions in polydimethylsiloxane by complementary incoherent-neutron-scattering and nuclear-magnetic-resonance experiments below room temperature

Two different experimental methods, neutron scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance are used to investigate the random methyl group and segmental rotational jump motions in polydimethylsiloxane. It is shown that nuclear magnetic relaxation and line width experiments are complementary to incoherent neutron scattering fixed-window experiments, the principle of the fixed-window experiments being discussed in somewhat detail. Satisfactory agreement of these experimental techniques is achieved as to the determination of the two model parameters of the motional processes in question, i. e. the activation energy and the preexponential factor of the Arrhenius ansatz made for the correlation time or jump time, respectively.Contribution partly presented during the meeting of the Macromolecular Club, June 8–10, 1983 in Uppsala, the spring conference of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, March 12–17, 1984 in Münster and the Fourth International Seminar on Polymer Physics, October 22–26, 1984 in Eyba (GDR).     

Understanding the properties of isospectral points and pairs in graphs: The concept of orthogonal relation

The mathematical property orthogonal relationship is used in proving the fact that isospectrality, isocodality and isocoefficiency of vertices within a graph are all equivalent. The same is true for isospectrality, strict isocodality and strict isocoefficiency of pairs (including edges) within a graph, whereas the weak versions of the latter properties are necessary but not sufficient for isospectrality of pairs. Similarly, necessary and sufficient conditions for isospectrality of vertices and pairs in different graphs are derived. In all these proofs, the concept of orthogonal relation plays a major role in that it allows the use of tools of elementary linear algebra.     

A new computational microscope for molecules: High resolution MEDLA images of taxol and HIV-1 protease,using additive electron density fragmentation principles and fuzzy set methods

Based on the molecular electron density lego assembler (MEDLA) method, a computational microscope was developed that generates accurate images of bodies of large molecules at a resolution far exceeding current experimental techniques. The MEDLA microscope can be tuned to display the high electron density regions of formal chemical bonds; or to show the low density regions of hydrogen bonds and secondary interactions, or to display local shape requirements important in molecular recognition. The power of the method is illustrated by examples of detailed images of taxol, an important anti-cancer agent, and HIV-1 protease, a protein of 1564 atoms. A mathematical framework of the approach, based on fuzzy sets, and the fundamentals of several additional applications of the additive, fuzzy fragmentation principle are presented.     

Structure-reactivity problem in cycloaddition reactions to form heterocyclic compounds

The steric and electronic effects of substituents in both diene and dienophile components have been considered as the main factors that control the electronic character of (4+2)-cycloaddition leading to transitions between normal, neutral, and inverse Diels-Alder reactions.Institut für Organische Chemie der Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany. Published in Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1307–1322, October, 1995. Original article submitted August 15, 1995.     

Interplay of Thermochemistry and Structural Chemistry,the Journal (Volume 13, 2002) and the Discipline

As practiced disciplines, structural chemistry and thermochemistry need not be related. In the current study they are: the contents of the journal Structural Chemistry (Vol. 13) for the year 2002 have been reviewed and then most articles that appeared therein were given a thermochemical commentary, spin or slant.     

Potential theory in the problems of interfraction at small gap widths. A solid sphere and a droplet

A solid sphere approaches a spherical droplet at small gap widths. The radii of the particles are identical. Potential theory is applied and the problem of interaction brought to the solution of an integrodifferential equation for radial velocity at the droplet/ thin layer interface. Asymptotic formulae are reported for interface velocity and drag force for small and large viscosity ratios. The results are compared with the solutions for a solid sphere and flat tangentially mobile interface. Thus, two major effects may be distinguished: opening of the gap and curving of the streamlines inside the droplets. The latter is shown to cause a relative increase in the drag force.     

Zur Bildung der „roten Kohle”

Zusammenfassung Es wird die Induktionsphase bei der sogenannten Polymerisation von Kohlensuboxid zur roten Kohle sowie die rote Kohle selbst IR- bzw. UV-spektroskopisch untersucht. Dabei werden Ketencarbonsäure bzw. deren Derivate und Acetondicarbonsäureanhydrid (=3-Oxoglutarsäure-anhydrid) als Polymerisationsstarter nachgewiesen und eine Polypyronostruktur der Polymeren—im Gegensatz zu den Arbeiten vonDiels ¹ undWojtczak et al.²—bestätigt.

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Formation of red coal

The induction phase of carbon suboxide polymerization to red coal has been investigated by IR-and UV-spectroscopy. It is shown that ketene carboxylic acid, or its derivatives, and 3-oxoglutaric anhydride are the polymerization initiators, and that the polymer has a polypyrone structure. This latter finding conflicts with results obtained byDiels ¹ andWojtczak ².

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Herrn Prof. Dr.R. Tschesche, Bonn, zum 65 Geburtstag gewidmet.     

A Note on Distance Matrices Yielding Elementary Landscapes for the TSP

Symmetric and antisymmetric distance matrices in the single agent traveling salesman problem (TSP) are not the only distance matrices to generate elementary landscapes for swap and 2-opt neighborhoods.     

Analogs of pyrimidine nucleosides

N₁-(-Tetrahydrofuranyl)- and N₁-(-tetrahydropyranyl)uracils and the corresponding 6-azauracils have been obtained by the condensation of bistrimethylsilyl derivatives of uracils and 6-azauracils with-chlorotetrahydrofuran and-chlorotetrahydropyran. The superiority of the silyl method over the mercury method used previously has been demonstrated.For part III, see [9].     

A constitutional diagram of the system VC0.88−HfC0.98−(MoC)

The system VC_0.88–HfC_0.98–MoC was investigated by means of melting point, differential-thermoanalytical, X-ray diffraction and metallographic techniques on hot pressed and heat treated as well as melted alloy specimens and a constitutional diagram from 1500°C through the melting range established.The small miscibility gap within the HfC–MoC system (T _c=1630°C) interacts at lower temperatures with the solvus in a monotectoid-like reaction at 1575°C. Additions of VC to the HfC–MoC solid solution gradually increase its critical temperature.Solid state phase behaviour and melting behaviour was established within the isopleths VC_0.88–MoC as well as within (V_0.5Hf_0.5)C–MoC and (V_0.75Hf_0.25)C–(Hf_0.75Mo_0.25)C.Phase equilibria within VC_0.88–HfC–MoC are characterized by an extreme large miscibility gap at 1500°C connecting the VC–HfC and HfC–MoC systems.Originating at the VC–HfC binary an eutectic trough proceeds into the VC–HfC–MoC ternary with rising temperatures, connecting the maximum critical point of the disappearing miscibility gap [(V_0.31Hf_0.49Mo_0.20)C] by a limiting tie line (2750±20°C). Isothermal sections have been calculated assuming regular solutions.With 5 Figures     

Computer-aided library search of combined LC-Retention and diode-array-UV-spectral data

An automated library search system for computer-aided identification of organic compounds using combined UV-spectral and LC-retention data, as acquired by HPLC with linear diodearray-UV-detection, is presented.The keystone of the system is a set of similarity indices which have been developed on the basis of mathematical-statistical models of the reproducibility of the spectral and retention data. The similarity indices have the form of a significance probability, a quantity originating from the general theory of hypothesis testing. The output of the LC-UV retrieval system is a compound identity or a list of identities (if any) for which the relevant similarity index has a value above a preset threshold. The data base used in this investigation contained 186 sets of UV-spectral and LC-retention data of 74 organophosphorus pesticides measured from standard solutions under various experimental conditions. A test set consisted of 186 alternative data sets of the same compounds as contained in the data base, however measured under different experimental conditions. The performance of the LC-UV reproducibility-based retrieval (LUVRR) system was evaluated using recall/reliability plots. The results appeared to be quite promising: for 95% of the unknowns, the target reference (correct positive) was on top of the hit list with a similarity index value being significantly higher than values found for false positives.The software is written in Pascal. The present (experimental) version of the system runs on a Data General Eclipse MV/4000 minicomputer.