An experimental study of the intersystem crossing and reactions of C2(X1Sigmag+) and C2(a3Pi(u)) with O2 and NO at very low temperature (24-300 K)

A low-temperature gas-phase kinetics study of the reactions and collisional relaxation processes involving C2(X1Sigma(g)+) and C2(a3Pi(u)) in collision with O2 and NO partners at temperatures from 300 to 24 K is reported. The experiments employed a CRESU (Cinétique de Réaction en Ecoulement Supersonique Uniforme) apparatus to attain low temperatures. The C2 species were created using pulsed laser photolysis at 193 nm of mixtures containing C2Cl4 diluted in N2, Ar, or He carrier gas. C2(X1Sigma(g)+) molecules were detected via pulsed laser-induced fluorescence in the (D1Sigma(u)+ <-- X1Sigma(g)+) system, and C2(a3Pi(u)) molecules were detected via pulsed laser-induced fluorescence in the (d 3Pi(g) <-- a 3Pi(u)) system. Relaxation of 3C2 by intersystem crossing induced by oxygen was measured at temperatures below 200 K, and it was found that this process remains very efficient in the temperature range 50-200 K. Reactivity of C2(X1Sigma(g)+) with oxygen became very inefficient below room temperature. Using these two observations, it was found to be possible to obtain the C2(X1Sigma(g)+) state alone at low temperatures by addition of a suitable concentration of O2 and then study its reactivity with NO without any interference coming from the possible relaxation of C2(a3Pi(u)) to C2(X1Sigma(g)+) induced by this reagent. The rate coefficient for reaction of C2(X1Sigma(g)+) with NO was found to be essentially constant over the temperature range 36-300 K with an average value of (1.6 +/- 0.1) x 10(-10) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). Reactivity of C2(a3Pi(u)) with NO was found to possess a slight negative temperature dependence over the temperature range 50-300 K, which is in very good agreement with data obtained at higher temperatures.     

An FT-IRRAS study of nitrophenyl mono- and multilayers electro-deposited on gold by reduction of the diazonium salt

Formation of an organometallic junction by direct bonding of 4-nitrobenzene monolayer on gold surface by diazonium chemistry has been demonstrated by Fourier transform reflection-absorption spectroscopy with s- and p-polarized radiation.     

Morphology and mechanical response of S–B star block copolymer – Layered silicate nanocomposites

The influence on the mechanical response by incorporation of oligostyrene-modified montmorillonite (MMT) and oligostyrene-modified bentonite (BET) into star shaped styrene–butadiene block copolymer has been investigated. The modified silicates are highly intercalated with a gallery distance of more than 9 nm and partly exfoliated. The array of tactoids consisting of 1–8 layers showing uniform state of distribution as revealed from TEM. The layers of the modified MMT and BET are observed to undergo nano-confinement, i.e. restricted to the PS-domains of the styrene–butadiene star block copolymer with impinging/bridging effects of silicate layers through the SB soft phase. DMA studies have showed an appreciable shift of the glass transition temperatures of PB- and PS-rich phases towards higher temperatures in addition to an increase of the storage modulus due to nanoclay reinforcement. Generally the Young’s modulus and yield stress was strongly increased with the incorporation of modified nanoparticles whereas at the same time the strain at break reduces slightly. The elastic–plastic hysteresis–stress and the hysteresis–work are largely increased due to effective interfacial effect; an effect that is largely attributed to the presence of highly intercalated and partially exfoliated silicate layers. The extent of increase was more in the modified MMT than in the modified BET based nanocomposites. The stress-decay and the strain-recovery aspects have also been critically analyzed in relation to their micro-structural attributes. Our study fundamentally demonstrates two critical aspects related to mechanical properties and particularly with regard to elastic–plastic hysteresis response. Firstly, partial confinement of the silicate layers is promoted by PS-aided surface modification facilitating enhancement in mechanical properties and secondly, the nano-confinement of modified MMT seems to be more effective in improving the hysteresis performance when compared to BET with higher charge density.     

Entropy analysis of the dynamics of El Niño/Southern Oscillation during the Holocene

This study explores temporal changes in the dynamics of the Holocene ENSO proxy record of the Laguna Pallcacocha sedimentary data using two entropy quantifiers. In particular, we analyze the possible connections between changes in entropy and epochs of rapid climate change (RCC). Our results indicate that the dynamics of the ENSO proxy record during the RCC interval 9000-8000 BP displays very low entropy (high predictability) that is remarkably different from that of the other RCCs of the Holocene. Both entropy quantifiers point out to the existence of cycles with a period close to 2000 years during the mid-to-late Holocene. Within these cycles, we find a tendency for entropy to increase (predictability to decrease) during the two longer RCC periods (6000-5000 and 3500-2500 BP) which might be associated with the reported increased aridity of the low tropics.     

The use of thermogravimetry as a means of predicting the performance of coke in delayed coking of a residue of Venezuelan origin

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - A study, which shows the similarities in the results obtained through this technique and those corresponding to a process of delayed coking at...     

Reaction of poly‐L‐lysine with aryl acetates and aryl methyl carbonates. A mechanistic study

The pH profile (log k vs. pH) of the reactions of poly‐L ‐lysine (PL) with a series of aryl acetates and aryl methyl carbonates in aqueous solution show the same conformational changes as those determined by potentiometric titrations. When PL is a random coil, the most probable mechanism for the reactions studied is through the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate and its breakdown to products as the rate‐determining step. The tetrahedral intermediate is stabilized by a hydrogen bond interaction between the nitro groups in the substrate and the NH group of the principal chain or some NH₂ groups of the lateral chains. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient and Reliable Algorithms for the Computation of Non-Twist Invariant Circles

Foundations of Computational Mathematics - This paper presents a methodology to study non-twist invariant circles and their bifurcations for area preserving maps, which is supported on the...     

Comparison of shikimic acid determination by capillary zone electrophoresis with direct and indirect detection with liquid chromatography for varietal differentiation of red wines

Two capillary zone electrophoretic (CZE) methods for determination of shikimic acid in Chilean red wine were developed and compared with a HPLC method. Both electrophoretic methods were carried out by using a reversed electroosmotic flow induced by trimethyl(tetradecyl)ammoniumbromide (TTAB) with indirect detection at 260 nm using p-aminobenzoic acid as a UV-absorbing co-ion or by direct detection at 213 nm. In both cases, the separation was carried out in a 50 microm I.D. uncoated capillary with an effective length of 48 cm, a negative power supply of 30 kV, using a buffer based on bis[2-hydroxyethyl]imino-tris[hydroxymethyl]methane (Bis-Tris), pH 7.0 or 7.5 and hydrodynamic injection. The chromatographic separations were carried out on a C-18 reversed phase column followed by a sulfonyl-styrene-divinylbenzene (S-DVB) ion exclusion column at 70 degrees C with H2SO4 0.02 M as isocratic mobile phase and a flow rate of 0.5 mL min(-1). The three methods allowed the quantification of shikimic acid with quantification limits between 1.0 and 12.0 mg L(-1) and precision between 7.3 and 10.1%, however, only the concentrations obtained by CZE with direct detection were statistically similar to those of HPLC. This parameter was evaluated as analytical tool to verify varietal authenticity of red wines. In all cases, the Cabernet Sauvignon wines presented higher concentrations of shikimic acid, compared with Merlot or Carmenère wines.     

Exploring structural effects of levoglucosenone derived chiral auxiliaries in asymmetric Diels-Alder cycloadditions

New chiral auxiliaries derived from levoglucosenone were developed in a simple and efficient way and evaluated as chiral inductors in asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions between the corresponding acrylate derivatives and cyclopentadiene. The results showed an important influence of the absolute configuration of the C(2) center of the auxiliary on the level of stereoinduction obtained.     

(1)H- and (13)C-NMR analysis of a series of 1,2-diaryl-1H-4,5-dihydroimidazoles

An analysis of the (1)H- and (13)C-NMR spectra of a series of 1,2-diaryl-1H-4,5-dihydroimidazoles and comparisons with 4,5-dihydroimidazoles having different substitution patterns are presented. The influence of different 1-aryl and 2-aryl group substituents on spectroscopic parameters of the heterocyclic ring and on the contributions of possible mesomeric structures in the system was determined. Spectroscopic features are coherent with the presence of two conjugated systems (Ar(1)-N and Ar(2)-C=N) which compete with the delocalization characteristics of the amidine system.