Quantifier problems beyond uniformity

An error in the work of W. H. Young is used to show how quantification problems still arose after uniformity was well understood.     

The codimension of singular matrix pairs

The singular pairs of n × n matrices [those satisfying det(A? λB)  0] form a closed set of codimension n + 1 inside the space of all matrix pairs. The same holds for singular symmetric pairs. For Hermitian pairs, the singular ones form a closed set of codimension n+ 1 orn + 2 according as n is odd or even. The irreducible components of these closed sets are determined by various basic singular summands.     

Near-infrared mass median particle size determination of lactose monohydrate, evaluating several chemometric approaches

The influence of particle size on near-infra red (NIR) spectra is typically considered a 'nuisance factor' which many scatter correction methods attempt to eliminate, e.g., multiplicative scatter correction. However, particle size is a key issue in the formulation of many pharmaceutical products and has a profound effect on the behaviour of both raw materials and drug substances during formulation. NIR has already been demonstrated as a potential alternative particle sizing technique to current accepted methodology. This investigation assessed several chemometric approaches that model this information, using lactose monohydrate as the raw material. A variety of modelling techniques were applied to both zero order and second derivative spectra namely multiple linear regression, partial least squares, principal component regression and artificial neural networks. One further data transformation evaluated was polar coordinates, although no statistical data were generated. Typically, cross-validation root mean square errors of calibration and cross-validation root mean square errors of prediction of approximately 5 microns were calculated for all of the modelling techniques. These values are comparable to those associated with the reference technique (laser diffractometry). Correlation coefficients of approximately 0.98 for all techniques were also calculated. The predictive abilities for models generated using second derivative spectra were found to be comparable to those obtained using zero order spectra.     

Coupling of carbon monoxide molecules over oxygen-defected UO2(111) single crystal and thin film surfaces

While coupling reactions of carbon-containing compounds are numerous in organometallic chemistry, they are very rare on well-defined solid surfaces. In this work we show that the reductive coupling of two molecules of carbon monoxide to C2 compounds (acetylene and ethylene) could be achieved on oxygen-defected UO2(111) single crystal and thin film surfaces. This result allows in situ electron spectroscopic investigation of a typical organometallic reaction such as carbon coupling and extends it to heterogeneous catalysis and solids. By using high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS) it was possible to track the changes in surface states of the U and O atoms as well as identify the intermediate of the reaction. Upon CO adsorption U cations in low oxidation states are oxidized to U4+ ions; this was accompanied by an increase of the O-to-U surface ratios. The HRXPS C 1s lines show the presence of adsorbed species assigned to diolate species (-OCH=CHO-) that are most likely the reaction intermediate in the coupling of two CO molecules to acetylene and ethylene.     

Comparison of Optical Transport Schemes for LMDS with Optical Fiber Backbone

We investigate and compare the performance of four optical transport schemes for distributing Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) signals using an optical fiber backbone.     

Quantifying the Contribution of Hot Electrons in Photothermal Catalysis: A Case Study of Ammonia Synthesis over Carbon-supported Ru Catalyst

Photothermal catalysis is one of the most promising green catalytic technologies, while distinguishing the effects of hot electrons and local heating remains challenging. Herein, we reported that the actual reaction temperature of photothermal ammonia synthesis over carbon-supported Ru catalyst can be measured based on Le Chatelier′s principle, enabling the hot-electron contribution to be quantified. By excluding local heating effects, we established that the activation energy via photothermal catalysis was much lower than that of thermocatalysis (54.9 vs. 126.0 kJ mol⁻¹), stemming from hot-electron injection lowering the energy barriers for both N₂ dissociation and intermediates hydrogenation. Furthermore, hot-electron injection acted to suppress carbon support methanation, giving the catalyst outstanding operational stability over 1000 h. This work provides new insights into the hot-electron effects in ammonia synthesis, guiding the design of high-performance photothermal catalysts.     

A single glucose derivative suitable for gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry

The incorporation of stable isotopes improves the assessment of glucose metabolism and, with some researchers using two tracers, (2)H-glucose assessed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and (13)C-glucose by gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS), a common derivative for both is advantageous. The most commonly used derivatives for GC/MS are inappropriate for GC/C/IRMS as additional functional groups dilute the label. We therefore considered the suitability of six derivatives for both GC/MS and GC/C/IRMS. Glucose alkylboronates were prepared by adding the appropriate alkylboronic acid (butyl- or methylboronic acid) in pyridine to desiccated glucose. The derivatisation was completed by reacting this with either (a) acetic anhydride or trifluoroacetic anhydride (acetate derivatives) or (b) bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide BSTFA (TMS derivatives). All six derivatives were assessed using GC/MS and (13)C GC/C/IRMS.Neither TMS derivative exhibited any signal intensity in the molecular ion, although a M-15 ion showed good agreement between experimental and theoretical data and, whilst still low in intensity, could be suitable for isotope work. Similarly, none of the acetate derivatives showed any intensity at the molecular ion although three key fragmentation series were identified. The most attractive sequence, initiated by the loss of 1,2 cyclic boronate, resulted in the main fragment ion of interest, m/z 240, corresponding to the fluorinated methylboronate derivate. Minimal carbon and hydrogen atoms are added to this derivative making it an excellent choice for stable isotope work, while proving suitable for analysis by both GC/MS and GC/C/IRMS.     

Photolabile protecting groups in metal-organic frameworks: preventing interpenetration and masking functional groups

Photolabile groups can be incorporated into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and then quantitatively cleaved following MOF formation. Here, a 2-nitrobenzyl ether prevents lattice interpenetration (catenation) in a cubic MOF derived from zinc(II). Subsequent photolysis unmasks a hydroxyl group, and produces an open MOF that cannot be synthesized directly.