Electrochemical reactivity of Li–Mn–O and Li–Fe–Mn–O spinels

Electrochemical reductive dissolution of Li–Mn–O and Li–Fe–Mn–O spinels and Li⁺ extraction/insertion in these oxides were performed using voltammetry of microparticles. Both electrochemical reactions are sensitive to the Fe/(Fe+Mn) ratio, specific surface area, Li content in tetrahedral positions, and Mn valence, and can be used for electrochemical analysis of the homogeneity of the elemental and phase composition of synthetic samples. The peak potential (E _P) of the reductive dissolution of the Li–Mn–O spinel is directly proportional to the logarithm of the specific surface area. E _P of Li–Fe–Mn–O spinels is mainly controlled by the Fe/(Fe+Mn) ratio. Li⁺ insertion/extraction can be performed with Mn-rich Li–Fe–Mn–O spinels in aqueous solution under an ambient atmosphere and it is sensitive to the regularity of the spinel structure, in particularly to the amount of Li in tetrahedral positions and the Mn valence. Electronic Publication     

On hydrolysis of Ba–Bi–O and K–Ba–Bi–O oxide systems

Fundamentally different behavior of Ba–Bi–O (Ba : Bi = 11 : 4, 1 : 1, 2: 3, and 1 : 5 mol/mol) and K_nBa_mBi_m+nO_y (m = n = 1, 2,...; exhibiting superconducting properties with T_c = 28–32 K) oxides and BaO₂ in hydrolysis reactions has been revealed by means of potentiometry and chemical analysis. Products of the oxides treatment with water do not contain H₂O₂, evidencing the absence of peroxide ions in their structure. The perovskite-type barium-bismuth(III) oxides are completely hydrolyzed into Ba(OH)₂ and Bi₂O₃ at room temperature.     

Organometallic Heterocubane Clusters with Co–O and Co–S Framework

The reaction of [{(η⁵-Me₅C₅)Co}₂(μ-η⁶:η⁶-toluene)] with water under different conditions leads to formation of the clusters [{(η⁵-Me₅C₅)Co}₃(μ₃-O)₂] (1), [{(η⁵-Me₅C₅)Co}₄(μ₃-OH)₄] (2) and [{(η⁵-Me₅C₅)Co}₃(μ₃-OH)₄]₂Co (3), whereas its reaction with hydrogen sulfide leads to [{(η⁵-Me₅C₅)Co}₃(μ₃-S)₄]Co(μ₃-S)₂[(η⁵-Me₅C₅)Co]₂ · Et₂O (4). 1, 2 and 4 were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. 1 is composed of a central Co₃O₂ unit, with two O^2- units in an apical postion. The three cobalt atoms form a regular triangle with Co–Co distances of 2.438(2) Å, and the two oxygen atoms are located in apical positions of the triangular arrangement. The pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*) ligands are terminally bonded to the Co atoms in a η⁵-fashion. The Co and O atoms of 2 form a cubane-type Co₄O₄ cluster, with η⁵-bonded Cp* ligands. The central unit of 3 consists of a Co₇O₈ double cubane framework. Two Co₄O₄ cluster sharing a common corner (Co atom). Each of the other six Co atoms of the double cubane bound terminally a Cp* ligand. 4 is composed of a [{(η⁵-Me₅C₅)Co }₂(μ₃-S)₄](μ₃-S)₂[(η⁵-Me₅C₅)Co]₂ and an ether molecule. 4 contains a central Co₄S₄ cubane-like unit. One of the four Co atoms is bonded via two μ₃-S atoms to two additional (η⁵-Cp*Co) units. The other three Co atoms are η⁵-coordinated to a Cp* ligand.     

Sol–gel synthesis and optical behavior of Mg–Ce–O nano-crystallites

The Mg–Ce–O powder are shown to contain periclase-type MgO and/or fluoride-type cerium oxide (CeO₂) depending upon the composition (x) defined by Ce/(Ce + Mg) atomic ratio. Lattice contraction of pariclase phase of MgO (average crystallite size ~8.8 nm) at Ce content of ‘x’ = 0.20 in comparison to pure MgO (crystallite size ~9.5 nm) has been realized due to oxygen vacancy formation. The optical band gap values of CeO₂ varies (3.0–3.2 eV) due to oxygen vacancy formation in CeO₂ phase, crystallite size and/or Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ ratio. Further, the addition of Ce has shown to reduce the physisorption and chemisorption of water significantly as reflected by (1) suppression of related absorption peaks and (2) absence of magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)₂, bands in Fourier transform infrared spectra.     

Features of strong O–H⋯O and N–H⋯O hydrogen bond manifestation in vibrational spectra

The work deals with the establishment of the dependence of the vibrational frequencies of strong O–H?O and N–H?O hydrogen bonds for the diagnosing the bonds themselves. To this end, the Raman spectra of a large number of different normal and deutero-substituted crystals characterized by the presence of strong O–H?O and N–H?O bonds are measured and the quantum chemical calculation is performed for one of these compounds. The dependence of the O–H stretching frequency on the O?O distance is constructed differing from that previously known for short O?O contacts. The mechanisms of significant broadening of the O–H vibration band in strong O–H?O hydrogen bonds are considered. Different dependences of the N–H vibrational frequencies in N–H?O bonds are reported and the causes of this diversity are discussed.     

Synthesis and characterization of Na2O–CaO–SiO2 glass–ceramic

The Na₂O–CaO–SiO₂ ternary glass–ceramic with the composition of 49 mass% Na₂O, 20 mass% CaO, and 31 mass% SiO₂ was prepared by the conventional method. The ternary glass–ceramic was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The Na₂CaSiO₄ phase, having the cubic crystal system, with the crystallite size of 25.14 nm and lattice parameter of 0.7506 nm was determined from the XRD pattern. The activation energy of the glass–ceramic calculated from the DTA curves was found to be 162.02 kJ mol^?1. The Avrami exponent was found to be ~2 indicating a one-dimensional growth process. The mass loss percent from ambient temperature to 1,173 K is less than 1 %. The density was calculated to be 2,723 kg m^?3. The fine-grained microstructure with the particle sizes less than 1 μm was confirmed by the scanning electron microscope micrograph.     

Phase diagram and crystal chemistry of the La–Ca–Co–O system

The phase diagram of the La–Ca–Co–O system at 885 °C in air has been determined. The system consists of two materials that have interesting thermoelectric properties, namely, the misfit layered thermoelectric oxide solid solution, (Ca,La)₃Co₄O₉, and Ca₃Co₂O₆ which consists of 1D chains of alternating CoO₆ trigonal prism and CoO₆ octahedra. The reported La₂CaO₄ and the Ca-doped (La,Ca)₂CoO_4−z phases were not found at 885 °C. As a result of the absence of these phases, the phase diagram is significantly different from that reported at 1100 °C. Small solid solution regions of (La_1−xCa_x)₂O_3−z (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.08), (Ca_1−xLa_x)₃Co₄O₉ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.07), and (La_1−xCa_x)CoO_3−z (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) were established.     

Comparative studies in subsolidus areas of ternary oxide systems PbO–V2O5–In2O3 and PbO–V2O5–Fe2O3

Thermal stability of PbO was studied. Reactivity of oxides in the systems PbO–M₂O₃ (M = In, Fe) was investigated up to 650 °C. Using the DTA and XRD methods, parts of investigated ternary oxide systems, labelled by compounds: V₂O₅, Pb₈V₂O₁₃ and M₂O₃ (M = In, Fe), have been divided into partial ternary systems. IR spectra of compounds Pb₂MV₃O₁₁ (M = In, Fe) have been compared.     

Studies of the Henry reaction catalyzed by Cu–O and Zn–O complexes with dimethoxysilane-bridged derivatives

Dimethyldimethoxysilane, methylphenyldimethoxysilane, and diphenyldimethoxysilane have been synthesized by a one-step, simple method and used as catalysts in the Henry reaction with Cu(OAc)₂·H₂O and Zn(OAc)₂·2H₂O, affording 60–96% conversion under the optimum catalytic conditions.     

Thermodynamics,structure and kinetics in the system Ga–O–N

Within the ternary system Ga–O–N we performed experimental and theoretical investigations on the thermodynamics, structure and kinetics of new stable and metastable compounds.We studied the ammonolysis of β-Ga₂O₃ at elevated temperatures by means of ex situ X-ray diffraction, ex situ neutron diffraction, and in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). From total diffraction pattern refinement with the Rietveld method we analyzed the anionic occupancy factors and the lattice parameters of β-Ga₂O₃ during the reaction. Within the detection limits of these methods, we can rule out the existence of a crystalline oxynitride phase that is not derived from wurtzite-type GaN. The nitrogen solubility in β-Ga₂O₃ was found to be below the detection limit of about 2–3 at.% in the anionic sublattice. The kinetics of the ammonolysis of β-Ga₂O₃ to α-GaN and of the oxidation of α-GaN to β-Ga₂O₃ was studied by means of in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy. In both cases the reaction kinetics could be described well by fitting linear combinations of β-Ga₂O₃ and α-GaN spectra only, excluding that other crystalline or amorphous phases appear during these reactions. The kinetics of the ammonolysis can be described well by an extended Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorow model with nucleation and growth of GaN nuclei, while the oxidation kinetics can be modeled by a shrinking core model where Ga₂O₃ grows as a layer. Investigations by means of TEM and SEM support the assumptions in both models.To investigate the structure and energetics of spinel-type gallium oxynitrides (γ-galons) we performed first-principles calculations using density-functional theory. In addition to the ideal cubic γ-Ga₃O₃N we studied gallium deficient γ-galons within the Constant-Anion-Model.In highly non-stoichiometric, amorphous gallium oxide of approximate composition GaO_1.2 we found at a temperature around 670 K an insulator–metal transition, with a conductivity jump of seven orders of magnitude. We demonstrate through experimental studies and density-functional theory calculations that the conductivity jump takes place at a critical gallium concentration and is induced by crystallization of stoichiometric β-Ga₂O₃ within the metastable oxide matrix. By doping with nitrogen the critical temperature and the conductivity in the highly conducting state can be tuned.     

Structure and properties of glasses in the system Li2O–SnO–B2O3

Glasses in the system Li₂O–SnO–B₂O₃ system were prepared by a melt-quenching method. Thermal and viscous properties and local structure of these glasses were investigated. The SnO–B₂O₃ glasses exhibited relatively low glass-transition temperatures (T_g) around 350 °C and excellent thermal stability against crystallization. Viscosity measurements in the vicinity of T_g indicated that the glasses were considerably fragile compared to alkali borate glasses. Fraction of four-coordinated boron was maximized at the composition with 50 mol% SnO and that of nonbridging oxygen, which is not purely ionic in alkali borate systems but partially covalent, augmented with an increase in the SnO content. Correlation between glass properties and structure was discussed in the SnO–B₂O₃ binary system.     

Phase Diagrams of Fullerenol-d–LaCl3–H2O and Fullerenol-d–GdCl3–H2O Systems at 25°С

Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry A - Isothermal phase diagrams of ternary systems fullerenol-d–LaCl3–H2O and fullerenol-d–GdCl3–H2O at 25°C are studied via...     

Infrared,Raman and XPS spectroscopic studies of Bi2O3–B2O3–Ga2O3 glasses

Glasses with compositions 60Bi₂O₃–(40?x)B₂O₃–xGa₂O₃ (x = 5, 10, 15, 20 mol%) are prepared by conventional melting method. The thermal properties are investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and the structures of the glasses were probed by Infrared, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that density, refractive index and optical basicity increase with the increase of Ga₂O₃. The glass transition temperature (T_g), the onset crystallization temperature (T_x), ΔT (T_x?T_g) decrease with the content of Ga₂O₃. The cut-off edges in ultraviolet and infrared shift to longer wavelength with the increase of Ga₂O₃. On the other hand, the addition of Ga₂O₃ causes a progressive coordination number change of the boron atom from 3 to 4. XPS result indicates both Bi⁵⁺ and Bi³⁺ exist in 5 mol% Ga₂O₃ content, while Bi⁵⁺ amounts decrease with the increase of Ga₂O₃ contents. The glass is mainly composed of [BiO₆], [BO₃], [BO₄] and [GaO₄] polyhedra. Glasses are supposed to have layer structure. [BO₃] triangle and [BO₄] tetrahedra may be located between the [GaO₄] tetrahedral and [BiO₆] octahedra to prevent crystallization and to compensate electric charge.     

Four-membered ring cyclic ketene –O,O–, –O,S–, –O,N–, –S,S–, –S,N–, and –N,N–acetals and their corresponding cations: a computational study

A systematic computational study of four-membered cyclic ketene –O,O–, –O,S–, –O,N–, –S,N– and –N,N-acetals as well as their protonated analogs have been performed at the second order M?ller Plesset level with a polarized triple zeta basis set. The main purpose of this study was to make predictions about the nucleophilicity of these systems and the variations in nucleophilicity with the hetero atoms. Our calculations suggest that all six target molecules are good nucleophiles, and that the N,N analog is the strongest and the S,S analog the weakest nucleophile. Our results include molecular geometries, bond lengths, proton affinities, vibrational frequencies, and calculated charges.     

Transition metals catalyzed C–C and C–O bonds formation: facile synthesis of flavans and benzoxepines

A simple and practical method has been developed based on intermolecular [Pd]-catalyzed C–C and an intramolecular [Cu]-catalyzed C–O bond formations for the synthesis of flavans and benzoxepines. Interestingly, the method is amenable for the synthesis of a wide variety of flavans and benzoxepines with dense functionalities on aromatic moieties. Significantly, flavans and benzoxepines are present as core/part-structures in many biologically active natural products.     

C–H...O and C–H...N interactions in RNA structures

Small molecule studies indicate that C–H...X interactions (X: O,N) constitute weak H-bonds. We have performed a comprehensive analysis of their occurrence and geometry in RNA structures. Here, we report on statistical properties of the total set of interactions identified and discuss selected motifs. The distance/angle distribution of all interactions exhibits an excluded region where the allowed C–H...X angle range increases with an increasing H...X distance. The preferred short C–H...X interactions in RNA are backbone-backbone contacts between neighbour nucleotides. Distance/angle distributions generated for various interaction types can be used for error recognition and modelling. The axial C2′(H)...O4′ and C5′(H)...O2′ interactions connect two backbone segments and form a seven-membered ring that is specific for RNA. An AA base pair with one standard H-bond and one C–H...N interaction has been identified in various structures. Despite the occurrence of short C–H...X contacts their free energy contribution to RNA stability remains to be assessed. Received: 17 May 1998 / Accepted: 4 August 1998 / Published online: 2 November 1998     

Mechanisms of Reactions of H2O and NH3 Molecules with (≡Si–O)3Si⋅and (≡ Si–O)3Si–⋅ Radicals on the Silica Surface

Spin traps, which are diamagnetic centers (SiO)₂Si, are used to register low-molecular radicals OH, NH₂, and H formed by the reactions of H₂O and NH₃ molecules with the radicals (Si–O)₃Si and (Si–O)₃Si–O stabilized on the silica surface. The experimental data and the results of quantum-chemical calculations for model systems are used to determine the mechanism and thermochemical characteristics of these reactions. A new paramagnetic center (Si–O)₂SiNH₂ was identified on the silica surface, and its radiospectroscopic characteristics are determined.     

Phase diagram studies of methanol–CHF3 and methanol–H2O–CHF3 mixtures

Comprehensive phase diagrams of methanol/CHF₃ and methanol/H₂O/CHF₃ mixtures over the temperature range of 25–100°C and pressure range of atmospheric to 340 atm are reported. Fluoroform is expected to be useful as an alternative to CO₂ for enhancing the fluidity of liquid mixtures due to its high polarity and low viscosity. Therefore, these mixtures will be studied as mobile phases for enhanced-fluidity liquid chromatography and extraction. The phase behavior of methanol/CHF₃ and methanol/H₂O/CHF₃ was compared to that of methanol/CO₂ and methanol/H₂O/CHF₃. Fluoroform is markedly more miscible with methanol or methanol/H₂O than is CO₂. Data for methanol/CHF₃ binary mixtures were also modeled by the Peng–Robinson equation of state. The correlation results showed that the PR equation of state with two temperature-independent binary parameters was capable of representing the experimental data over the entire temperature range with an average relative deviation within 6%.     

Influence of SrO content on microstructure and crystallization of glazes in the SiO2–Al2O3–CaO–MgO–K2O system

The effect of the SrO addition on the microstructure and structure of the glazes from the SiO₂–Al₂O₃–CaO–MgO–K₂O system was investigated in this study. The results were obtained by testing the ability of the frits crystallization, the stability of the crystallizing phases during the single-step fast-firing cycle depending on their chemical composition and the effect of addition of strontium oxide. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves showed that all glazes crystallized, and diopside and anorthite were mainly identified as dominant phases in the obtained glazes, while the size and amount of each depended on the amount of SrO introduced. The thermal characteristic of the frits was carried out using DSC, and crystalline phases were determined by X-ray diffractometry. The glaze microstructure was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Additional information on the microstructure of frits was derived from spectroscopic studies in the mid-infrared range.