Quasi-homogeneous hydrogenation with platinum and palladium nanoparticles stabilized by dendritic core-multishell architectures

Platinum and palladium nanoparticles, supported and stabilized by polymeric core-shell architectures, proved to be active catalysts for hydrogenation reactions. Here, two different reactions were used as probes to investigate the influence of the polymeric support: the hydrogenation of α-methyl styrene (AMS) to cumene and the partial hydrogenation of 1,5-cyclooctadiene (COD). We found that the stability of the nanoparticles and the rate of reaction are higher in the presence of a hydrophobic octadecyl shell within a three-shell polymer system. The kinetic study of AMS hydrogenation showed much higher activities for palladium nanoparticles than for platinum nanoparticles, and the obtained results (e.g., 35 kJ/mol for the activation energy) are of the same order of magnitude as reported earlier for palladium supported on alumina. A methanol/n-heptane biphasic mixture was tested for catalyst recycling and allowed for highly efficient catalyst separation with very low metal leaching.     

Unimolecular dissociation of anthracene and acridine cations: the importance of isomerization barriers for the C2H2 loss and HCN loss channels

The loss of C(2)H(2) is a low activation energy dissociation channel for anthracene (C(14)H(10)) and acridine (C(13)H(9)N) cations. For the latter ion another prominent fragmentation pathway is the loss of HCN. We have studied these two dissociation channels by collision induced dissociation experiments of 50 keV anthracene cations and protonated acridine, both produced by electrospray ionization, in collisions with a neutral xenon target. In addition, we have carried out density functional theory calculations on possible reaction pathways for the loss of C(2)H(2) and HCN. The mass spectra display features of multi-step processes, and for protonated acridine the dominant first step process is the loss of a hydrogen from the N site, which then leads to C(2)H(2)/HCN loss from the acridine cation. With our calculations we have identified three pathways for the loss of C(2)H(2) from the anthracene cation, with three different cationic products: 2-ethynylnaphthalene, biphenylene, and acenaphthylene. The third product is the one with the overall lowest dissociation energy barrier. For the acridine cation our calculated pathway for the loss of C(2)H(2) leads to the 3-ethynylquinoline cation, and the loss of HCN leads to the biphenylene cation. Isomerization plays an important role in the formation of the non-ethynyl containing products. All calculated fragmentation pathways should be accessible in the present experiment due to substantial energy deposition in the collisions.     

Generation of potential energy surfaces in high dimensions and their haptic exploration

A method is proposed for the automated generation of potential energy surfaces in high dimensions. It combines the existing algorithm for the definition of new energy data points, based on the interpolating moving least-squares algorithm with a simulated annealing procedure. This method is then studied in a haptic quantum chemistry environment that requires a fast evaluation of gradients on a potential energy surface with automatic improvement of its accuracy. As an example we investigate the nitrogen binding pathway in the Schrock dinitrogen fixation complex with this set-up.     

Determination of carbonyl compounds in the low ppb-range by capillary electrophoresis

Summary A new method for analysing carbonyls (aldehydes and ketones) by capillary electrophoresis (CE) is described. The carbonyls are derivatized with DNSH [5-(dimethylamino)naphthalene-1-sulphonehydrazide, Dansylhydrazine] to form detectable compounds and also to form negative charged molecules (buffer pH 7.1). Detection is carried out by UV or, alternatively, by fluorescence. Eight carbonyls are separated in less than 8 min. Electrokinetic injection is made by using a new experimental set-up. The electroendosmatic flow (EOF) is reversed during sample injection by pressure. Results are compared with HPLC-analysis as the most common method in carbonyl analysis.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Wilhelm Fresenius on the occasion of his 80th birthday     

Bemerkungen zum Begriffsbild der Quantenphysik

We discuss the idealizations which have to be made when one speaks about a physical system, its set of states and the measurement process. Some simple models of state spaces which are more general than those appearing in quantum physics are briefly described.     

All possible generators of supersymmetries of the S-matrix

A generator of a symmetry or supersymmetry of the S-matrix has to have three simple properties (see sect. 2). Starting from these properties one can give a complete analysis of the possible structure of the pseudo Lie algebra of these generators. In a theory with non-vanishing masses one finds that the only extension of previously known relations is the possible appearance of “central charges” as anticommutators of Fermi charges. In the massless case (disregarding infrared problems and symmetry breaking) the Fermi charges may generate the conformal group together with a unitary internal symmetry group.     

Local observables and particle statistics I

We consider the family of those states which become asymptotically indistinguishable from the vacuum for observations in far away regions of space. The pure states of this family may be subdivided into superselection sectors labelled by generalized charge quantum numbers. The principle of locality implies that within this family one may define a natural product composition (leading for instance from single particle states ton-particle states). Intrinsically associated with then-fold product of states of one sector there is a unitary representation ofP ⁽ⁿ⁾, the permutation group ofn elements, analogous in its role to that arising in wave mechanics from the permutations of the arguments of ann-particle wave function. We show that each sector possesses a statistics parameter which determines the nature of the representation ofP ⁽ⁿ⁾ for alln and whose possible values are 0, ±d ^–1 (d a positive integer). A sector with 0 has a unique charge conjugate (antiparticle states); if =d ^–1 the states of the sector obey para-Bose statistics of orderd, if =–d ^–1 they obey para-Fermi statistics of orderd. Some conditions which restrict to ± 1 (ordinary Bose or Fermi statistics) are given.