Pressure response of Raman spectra of water and its implication to the change in hydrogen bond interaction

In situ Raman spectroscopic measurements of water in the region of OH vibration were conducted up to 0.4 GPa at 23 and 52 degrees C. The frequencies of the decomposed OH stretching bands initially decreased with increasing pressure, reached a minimum at 0.15 GPa and increased up to 0.3 GPa and then decreased, which corresponds to the variations of the strength of hydrogen bonding. This variation was observed at 23 degrees C, but not at 52 degrees C, which suggests a change in pressure dependence on the hydrogen bond interaction between these two temperatures. Based on the equilibration model between hydrogen-bonded and nonhydrogen-bonded molecules, the present experimental results indicate that the pressure variation of the viscosity depends on the ratio of hydrogen-bonded molecules, rather than the strength of hydrogen bonding between molecules.     

Complexation of a hydrophobic thiazorylazophenol with Ni2+ at sodium dodecylsulfate micellar surface

Complexation of thiazorylazododecylphenol (TADP) with Ni2+ at the surface of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) micelles has been spectrophotometrically studied. Complicated spectral changes are analyzed by a factor and multivariate analysis, which implies the formation of [TDAP(OH-)Ni]0 as well as a simple 1:1 complex of Ni2+ with TDAP at the micellar interface. All of the equilibrium constants required to describe this system are substantially affected by electrolyte concentrations. Coexistent electrolytes vary the surface potential of the micelle, and in turn influence the equilibria taking place on the micellar surface. The electrostatic potential estimated based on the equilibrium shifts is more negative than that calculated according to Poisson-Boltzmann theory, which simply involves electrostatic effects. This disagreement is possibly caused by different aqueous environments around the micelle from bulk solution, which also facilitate the formation of unusual complex such as [TDAP(OH-)Ni]0.     

AC calorimetric study of phase transitions in phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol systems

Using an ac calorimetric method, detailed behaviour of the heat capacity in dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol system was studied in the cholesterol concentration less than 5 mol%. It was revealed that the heat capacity near the main transition was composed of at least four anomalies, i.e., multipeak took place in the heat capacity. This fact indicates that a simple theory explaining coexistence of two phases in two component systems does not work in the multipeak region. Then, relation between the multipeak heat capacity and the change of the ripple structure with the cholesterol concentration should be taken into account, when we consider thermodynamical behaviour of the systems.

---

Zusammenfassung Mittels AC-Kalorimetrie wurde bei Cholesterol-Konzentrationen von weniger als 5 mol% das Verhalten der Wärmekapazität im System Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholin-Cholesterol untersucht. Es wurde gezeigt, daß sich die Wärmekapazität in der Nähe der Hauptumwandlung aus mindestens vier Anomalien zusammensetzt, d.h. bei der Wärmekapazität kann ein Multipeak beobachtet werden. Diese Tatsache zeigt, daß eine einfache Theorie, welche die Koexistenz zweier Phasen in einem Zweikomponenten-System erklärt, für die Multipeakregion nicht geeignet ist. Weiterhin sollte bei Überlegungen zum thermodynamischen Verhalten von Systemen eine Beziehung zwischen der Multipeak-Wärmekapazität bzw. der Welligkeitsstruktur und der Cholesterol-Konzentration berücksichtigt werden.

     

Evaluation of Photocatalytic Activity of Transparent Anatase Nanocrystals-Dispersed Silica Films Prepared by the Sol-Gel Process with Hot Water Treatment

Anatase nanocrystals were precipitated mainly at the surface of the silica-titania gel films with hot water treatment, whereas the addition of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in the films led to the dispersion of anatase nanocrystals in the whole of the films after the treatment. Both films with and without PEG showed high photocatalytic activities for acetaldehyde, NO _x and stearic acid in the gas-solid system, and for methylene blue and potassium iodide in the liquid-solid system. The addition of PEG improved the photocatalytic activities of the resultant films due to the smaller anatase crystallites and the porous film structure. The residual silica under-layer of the superficially anatase-precipitated films is expected to act as a protective one for an organic polymer substrate against the photocatalytic degradation.     

Approximate empirical formula for X-ray intensity in radioactive nuclides

Known intensities of X-rays emitted from radioactive nuclides have been plotted against atomic number, and a distinct correlation has been found only for EC-decay type nuclides, as follows: 2.75 Z^1.06>X>0.507 Z^1.06, and X_{most probable}=1.18 Z^1.06, where X is the absolute percentage and Z is the atomic number of the decay product.     

Evaporation behavior of water from aqueous dispersions of multihollow particles prepared by the stepwise alkali/acid method

In order to clarify the formation mechanism of multihollow structures inside styrene–methacrylic acid copolymer particles prepared by the stepwise alkali/acid method, which we proposed in 1990, the evaporation behavior of water from aqueous dispersions of the original carboxylated particles and those after the alkali treatment and the stepwise alkali/acid treatments was examined. It is concluded that the particle after the alkali treatment had a number of small water pools inside. Received: 22 February 2001 Accepted: 20 June 2001