Vibration frequencies of Ca3Fe2Si3O12 andradite: an ab initio study with the CRYSTAL code

The vibrational spectrum of Ca3Fe2Si3O12 andradite is calculated at the Gamma point by using the periodic ab initio CRYSTAL program that adopts an all-electron Gaussian-type basis set and the B3LYP Hamiltonian. The full set of frequencies (17 IR active, 25 Raman active, and 55 inactive modes) is calculated. The effect of the basis set on the calculated frequencies is discussed. The modes are characterized by direct inspection of the eigenvectors and isotopic substitution. The present calculations permit us to clarify some of the assignment problems raised by experiments. The mean absolute differences of the various modes with respect to the available experimental IR and Raman data are as small as 9 and 5 cm(-1), respectively.     

The katoite hydrogarnet Si-free Ca3Al2([OH]4)3: a periodic Hartree-Fock and B3-LYP study

The structure of the Si-free katoite hydrogarnet (116 atoms in the unit cell) has been investigated at the periodic ab initio quantum mechanical level with the CRYSTAL program, by using a Gaussian type basis set and both the HF and the hybrid B3-LYP Hamiltonians. The structure has been fully optimized at various pressures in the 0-46 GPa range; the modifications of the structure, and in particular of the (OH)4 group, as a function of pressure are analyzed. At the B3-LYP level and P greater than 15 GPa, a O-H...O interaction of increasing strength appears, with important modifications in the local geometry of the tetrahedral site. The calculated omega01(O-H) fundamental vibrational frequency at zero pressure is in excellent agreement with experiment (3674 and 3663 cm(-1), respectively); the omega01(O-H) stretching frequency remains essentially constant in the 0-15 GPa interval, whereas it dramatically decreases at higher pressures with a corresponding anharmonicity increase, as a consequence of the formation of a strong hydrogen bond. The hydration energy of grossular and the formation energy of Si-free katoite have also been computed, and the B3-LYP results are in quite good agreement with experiment.     

The "invisible" 13C NMR chemical shift of the central carbon atom in [(Ph3PAu)6C]2+: a theoretical investigation

The experimental 13C NMR chemical shift of the central carbon atom in the octahedral [(Ph3PAu)6C]2+ cluster was investigated on the basis of relativistic density functional calculations. In order to arrive at independent model conclusions regarding the value of the chemical shift, a systematic study of the dependence of the cluster structure on the phosphine ligands, the chosen density functionals, and the basis set size was conducted. The best structures obtained were then used in the NMR calculations. Because of the cage-like cluster structure a pronounced deshielding of the central carbon nucleus could have been expected. However, upon comparison with the 13C NMR properties of the related complex [C{Au[P(C6H5)2(p-C6H4NMe2)]}6]2+, Schmidbaur et al. have assigned a signal at delta=135.2 ppm to the interstitial carbon atom. Our calculations confirm this value in the region of the aromatic carbon atoms of the triphenylphosphine ligands. The close-lying signals of the 108 phenyl carbon atoms can explain the difficulties of assigning them experimentally.     

Determination of Organochlorine Pesticides in Sediments from Authie Bay Using Microwave Assisted Solvent Extraction

The aim of this study was to develop an analytical method to determine the organochlorine concentrations in sediments. Combination of Microwave assisted Solvent Extraction (MASE) and capillary gas chromatography with specific detection (electron capture detector) was a viable approach for the determination of pesticides in solid matrixes. In this study, MASE development was focused on the selection of a suitable extraction solvent for all the target analytes. MASE procedure was validated by comparison with conventional methods such as Soxhlet and sonication extraction. The proposed method was then applied to determine the organochlorine insecticides concentrations in samples from Authie Bay (France). Environmental water samples were analysed and five target analytes were detected in concentrations from 0.03 to 0.56 ng/g of dry sediment. These investigations showed the accumulation and the persistency of these products in sediments in spite of the fact they were banned a few decades ago.     

低温原子化石墨炉原子吸收法测定环境和生物样中的镉

本文描述了以氩/氢混合气体作保护气体,测定环境和生物样品中痕量镉的石墨炉原子吸收法。实验证明,与纯氩气作保护气体相比较用氩/氢混合气体作保护气体,能够降低镉的原子化温度(100℃),并且减少基体物质如MgCl_2和NaClO_4的干扰。这种改善氯化物和高氯酸盐基体干扰的机理,主要是由于氢的存在与基体中的氯形成高离解能的氯化氢,从而避免了通常在镉原子化之前形成易挥发的氯化镉而损失。用本方法测定了七种标准参考物质,结果与标准值一致,证明方法是可靠的。     

Etude asymptotique des enlacements du mouvement brownien autour des droites de l'espace

Summary The existence of a joint asymptotic distribution for the windings of a three-dimensional Brownian motion around a finite number of straight lines is obtained. This complements the recent studies, by Pitman- Yor, and the authors, of the joint asymptotic distribution for the windings of planar Brownian motion around a finite number of points.The following principle governs the passage from results in the plane to results in space:Let B be a three-dimensional Brownian motion, and P ₁, ..., P _k, k planes which intersect two by two. Then, the convergences in distribution concerning the planar Brownian motions B ⁱ (1ik), defined respectively as the orthogonal projections of B on P _i (1ik), take place jointly, and the corresponding limit variables are independent.     

160Tb nuclear orientation in yttrium single crystal

First experimental results of¹⁶⁰Tb nuclear orientation in yttrium single crystal matrix are described. The influence of external magnetic field in combination with the crystal field interaction is discussed.