Co(II)5(OH)6(SO4)2(H2O)4: the first ferromagnet based on a layered cobalt-hydroxide pillared by inorganic...OSO3-Co(H2O)4-O3SO..

The synthetic mineral Co(II)5(OH)6(SO4)2(H2O)4 (1), obtained by hydrothermal reaction of CoSO4.7H2O and NaOH at 165 degrees C and consisting of brucite-like Co4(OH)6O2 layers pillared by OSO3-Co(H2O)4-O3SO, is a ferromagnet (T(Curie)= 12 K, Hc= 580 Oe).     

Comparative reactivity of glycols in PET glycolysis

The kinetics of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) glycolysis by diethylene glycol (DEG), dipropylene glycol (DPG), glycerol (Gly) and mixtures of these glycols have been studied with two experimental procedures: uncatalysed at 220 °C and catalysed at 190 °C. An experimental device was set up allowing the isothermal kinetics to be monitored. A precise initial reaction time was obtained by separately warming the glycol and the polyester at the temperature of reaction before mixing them.The reactivity order of different glycols varies according to the conditions of temperature and catalysis. Schematically, the global reactivity does depend not only on the chemical reactivity of the glycol but also on its physico-chemical properties: ability to solvate the solid polyesters and polarity of the reaction mixture. Attempts to find synergic effects failed for almost all mixtures, except the mixture DPG + Gly in which the PET is digested more quickly than in pure DPG or Gly.     

Chiral discrimination within disordered adlayers on metal surfaces

Using a novel non-linear optical technique enantiomeric excess within a translationally disordered overlayer on a metal surface has been monitored for the first time.     

Ternary and tetrahedral symmetry in hybrid fluorides, fluoride carbonates and carbonates

Tren amine cations and carbonate anions adopt a ternary symmetry while tetra amine cations are tetrahedral. The symmetry of these constitutive ions influences strongly the nature of the solids which crystallise from solutions. Large fluorinated aluminate polyanions with tetrahedral symmetry appear in the presence of tren amine, while infinite chains of AlF₆ octahedra are observed with tetra amine and that noncentrosymmetric structures are frequently encountered in rare earth fluoride carbonates.     

Synthesis, nuclear, and magnetic structures and magnetic properties of [Mn3(OH)2(SO4)2(H2O)2

[Mn(3)(OH)(2)(SO(4))(2)(H(2)O)(2)] and its deuterated analogue were synthesized by a hydrothermal technique and characterized by differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and IR spectroscopy. Its nuclear structure, determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis and Rietveld analysis of neutron powder-diffraction data, consists of a 3D network of chains of edge-sharing Mn(1)O(6), running along the c axis, connected by the apices of Mn(2)O(6) and SO(4) units. It is isostructural to the nickel analogue. Determination of the magnetic structure and measurements of magnetization and heat capacity indicate the coexistence of both magnetic long-range ordering (LRO) and short-range ordering (SRO) below a Néel temperature of 26 K, while the SRO is retained at higher temperatures. The moments of the two independent Mn atoms lie in the bc plane, and that of Mn(1) rotates continuously by 54 degrees towards the c axis on decreasing the temperature from 25 to 1.4 K. While the SRO may be associated with frustration of the moments within a Mn(3) trimer, the LRO is achieved by antiparallel alignment of the four symmetry-related trimers within the magnetic unit cell. A spin-flop field, measured by dc and ac magnetization on a SQUID, is observed at 15 kOe.     

Two-proton correlations in the target fragmentation region of nuclear collisions at 200A GeV

Correlations between protons are studied in the target fragmentation region of reactions of protons and¹⁶O with C, Cu, Ag, Au and of³²S with Al and Au at 200A GeV. The emitted protons were measured with the Plastic Ball detector in the WA80 experiment at the CERN SPS. The comparison of the correlation function with calculations, assuming a spherical, gaussian shaped source with a lifetime τ=0 fm/c, allows the extraction of radius parameters. The values are very close to those expected from the geometry of the target nuclei and increase with the target mass as αA _Target ^1/3 . Even in proton induced reactions the whole target nucleus is involved. The dependence of the radii on centrality, polar angleθ _lab, and energy, and their relation to measured proton yields are presented.