Synthesis of polysiltrimethylenes with trimethylsilyl groups in the branch of the main chain

The thermally initiated and platinum-catalyzed polymerization of 1-silacyclobutanes with substitutents containing a trimethylsilyl group was carried out. Soluble, high-molecular-weight, heterochain siltrimethylene polymers were obtained, containing trimethylsilyl groups removed from the main chain by various bridges.A. V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117912 Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 223–225, January, 1992.     

Application of microwave digestion to the preparation of sediment samples for arsenic speciation

Several extraction procedures are described allowing arsenic speciation in sediments. The extraction of organometallic compounds such as dimethylarsinic acid or monomethylarsonic acid is quite simple since these compounds are stable in the different extraction media (HCl/ HNO₃, H₃PO₄, ammonium oxalate) and are easily released independent of the extraction mode (magnetic stirring or microwave solubilization). Extraction yields are higher than 96% for these two arsenic forms. An HCl/HNO₃ microwave solubilization procedure allows the quantitative solubilization of mineral arsenic, but the differentiation between the two oxidation states is not possible owing to the oxidation of As(III) to As(V). Extractions with orthophosphoric acid or ammonium oxalate allow the solubilization of mineral arsenic with extraction yields ranging from 90 to 95% and the differentiation between As(III) and As(V). Nevertheless, the amount of As(III) is underestimated owing to its partial oxidation. The usefulness and advantages of microwave solubilization compared with conventional extraction procedures are discussed. Received: 17 May 1996 / Revised: 19 September 1996 / Accepted: 25 September 1996     

Geometrical restrictions of water diffusion in aqueous protein systems. A study using NMR field-gradient techniques

Geometrical restrictions of water diffusion in different aqueous protein systems were studied using two versions of the NMR field gradient technique. The samples were aqueous systems of bovine serum albumin, gelatin and horse myoglobin at concentrations ranging from diluted solutions to almost dry powders being only partly hydrated. Hydrated protein aerogels were produced by the aid of a special preparation procedure and studied in addition. The experiments referred to the, temperature and concentration dependences of the water diffusion coefficient above and below the free-water freezing temperature. The diffusion coefficient within clusters of overlapping hydration shells is reduced by one order of magnitude compared with that of bulk water. Geometrical restrictions manifest themselves (a) by the obstruction effect observed at low protein concentrations, (b) by the topologically two-dimensional diffusion in the network of overlapping hydration shells, (c) by the percolation threshold appearing at about 15%_b.w. water and (d) by the anomalous diffusion behaviour concluded from the protein aerogel study.     

Regioorientation in the reaction of side chain activated alkylpyridines with electrophiles

X-ray structural data has shown that condensation of sym-3-nitrocollidine with benzaldehyde occurs at the 6-methyl group. The presence of an acceptor group in the side chain of 2,6-dimethyl-4-cyanomethyl-3-nitropyridine causes condensation to occur at the activated methylene group in the 4-position.M. V. Lomonosov State University, Moscow 119899. A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelemental Compounds, Moscow 117813. Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 11. pp. 1543–1550, November, 1995. Original article submitted June 10, 1995.     

Isovector solitons and Maxwell's equations

We present an isovector Lagrangian, which admits stable, nonsingular soliton solutions in three space dimensions. The spherical solution and its total energy are obtained via a variational procedure. An antisymmetric, second-rank tensor is defined in terms of the isovector field and its derivatives. This tensor satisfies Maxwell's equations. The corresponding current is identically conserved and the total charge is topologically quantized.     

Crossing of shears bands in196Pb

High-spin states in¹⁹⁶Pb have been populated using the reaction¹⁷⁰Er(³⁰Si,4n). The previously observed shears bands in this nucleus have been extended and some of their transitions have been reordered. They now form regular bands with band crossings. One of the bands splits into two pathways at high spin.     

A notch filter for 140 GHz microwave radiation

The construction of a notch-filter for 140 GHz with very low passband insertion loss is described. It is based on a single-mode rectangular waveguide and cylindrical cavities matched to it. The typical transmission characteristic is also presented.     

On the ordering in [(C2H5)4N]2CuCl4 crystal: an X-ray study and theoretical considerations

The crystal structure [(C₂H₅)₄N]₂CuCl₄ has been determined by X-ray diffraction at 243K. The room temperature phase (phase I) belongs to the space group P4₂/nm [1] whereas the low temperature phase (phase II) is orthorhombic and belongs to the space group Pnna. The phase transition at T_c=258K is of improper ferroelastic type and it is associated with the ordering of the CuCl₄ ^2? and a partial ordering of the [(C₂H₅)₄N]⁺ ions which are disordered in the high temperature tetragonal phase. At lower temperature, there occurs another instability which could correspond to a complete ordering in the crystal.