On the layering transition of an SOS surface interacting with a wall. II. The Glauber dynamics

We continue our study of the statistical mechanics of a 2D surface above a fixed wall and attracted towards it by means of a very weak positive magnetic fieldh in the solid on solid (SOS) approximation, when the inverse temperature is very large. In particular we consider a Glauber dynamics for the above model and study the rate of approach to equilibrium in a large cube with arbitrary boundary conditions. Using the results proved in the first paper of this series we show that for allh(h _k+1 ^* ,h _k ^* ) ({h _k ^* } being the critical values of the magnetic field found in the previous paper) the gap in the spectrum of the generator of the dynamics is bounded away from zero uniformly in the size of the box and in the boundary conditions. On the contrary, forh=h _k ^* and free boundary conditions, we show that the gap in a cube of sideL is bounded from above and from below by a negative exponential ofL. Our results provide a strong indication that, contrary to what happens in two dimensions, for the three dimensional dynamical Ising model in a finite cube at low temperature and very small positive external field, with boundary conditions that are opposite to the field on one face of the cube and are absent (free) on the remaining faces, the rate of exponential convergence to equilibrium, which is positive in infinite volume, may go to zero exponentially fast in the side of the cube.Work partially supported by grant SC1-CT91-0695 of the Commission of European Communities.     

Solid-state supramolecular organization, established directly from powder diffraction data, and photoluminescence efficiency of rigid-core oligothiophene-S,S-dioxides

The "rigid-core" material 3,5-dimethyl-2,3'-bis(3-methylthiophene)-dithieno[3,2-b:',3'-d]thiophene-4,4-dioxide (DTTOMe4) has the highest photoluminescence ever reported for thiophene-based molecules in the solid state. We report the structure of this material, determined directly from powder X-ray diffraction data using the Genetic Algorithm method for structure solution, followed by Rietveld refinement, and the structural properties are discussed in relation to the structures of the corresponding subsystems DTTO and DTTOMe. While the crystal structures of the latter compounds contain cofacial dimers, the crystal structure of DTTOMe4 comprises layers of molecules aligned in an antiparallel fashion. Intermediate neglect of differential overlap with single configuration interaction (INDO/SCI) calculations on the intermolecular interactions in the three crystal structures show that the different solid-state photoluminescence efficiencies of DTTOMe4, DTTOMe, and DTTO cannot be correlated with the different types of dipole-dipole alignment in the solid state. Instead, photoluminescence efficiencies correlate well with the rate of formation of nonradiatively decaying charge-transfer pairs upon photoexcitation. Because of larger intermolecular distances in DTTOMe4, the photoluminescence is less effectively quenched by charge-transfer processes than in DTTOMe and DTTO.     

Photodegradation of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins in Liquid Samples by Near UV Light Irradiation

Photodegradation of 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (1,2,3,4-TCDD) in hexane solution was studied under controlled near-UV light exposure in the spectral region from 325 to 269 nm. GC-MS was used to detect the amount of unreacted dioxin and to characterize the relevant degradation products. Irradiation experiments carried out at a constant light energy (700 mJ) showed that the percentage of 1,2,3,4-TCDD left in the solution after irradiation changed from about 55 to 75%, with a minimum of 55% at 310 nm. Further irradiation experiments carried out at two wavelengths, namely 310 and 269 nm, and light energy ranging from 0 to 4000 mJ, showed that the photodegradation reaction of the TCDD always followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic, with a rate constant of 8 × 10⁻⁴and 5 × 10⁻⁴mJ⁻¹, respectively. These experiments also showed that trichloro- and dichloro-dibenzo-p-dioxins were produced with less than 15% of the initial quantity of TCDD, leading to the conclusion that the dechlorination process is a minor photolysis pathway.     

Electronic structure of BeH2

Nonorthogonal single‐configuration and multiconfiguration ab initio calculations are carried out on the BeH₂ molecule in its equilibrium (D_∞h) geometry, using a highly optimized even‐tempered Slater‐type orbital (STO) basis set. The results are used as a basis for a discussion of the electronic structure of the molecule in modern‐VB terms. A value of R_e = 1.329 Å is obtained. Values are also obtained for the symmetric‐stretch harmonic frequency (2053 cm^?1), electric quadrupole moment (?5.60 Buckingham), and nuclear quadrupole coupling constants (?3.59 MHz for ⁹Be and 0.0915 MHz for ²H). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006     

Multielemental analysis of food and agricultural matrixes by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

The suitability of quadrupole inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for multielemental analysis of food following microwave closed vessel digestion of samples was evaluated in relation to analytical challenges presented by some major food and agricultural matrixes. Fifteen key analytes (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn, V, Zn) were determined in 9 reference materials representative of 3 major groups of staple foods (cereals, seafood, and meat). For all measurements, the method of external calibration was used and Rh was selected as internal standard. Matrix-induced interferences were evaluated for each material, and suitable methods to overcome them were applied. Spectral interferences caused by C, Cl, and Ca content of digestates were quantitated and corrected by entering a simple system of mathematical correction equations into the instrument software before each analytical run. Full mastering of interferences together with adoption of a series of measures to control the reliability of analytical measurements produced accurate results for all the analytes. A standard analytical protocol is outlined for the benefit of both research and routine high-throughput laboratories that perform ICP-MS analyses of food.     

Reduction of cyclohexanone 2-nitrophenylhydrazone. Formation of cyclohexane-3-spiro-3,4-dihydro-1,2,4-benzotriazine

The structure of compound C₁₂H₁₅N₃, obtained by Perkin and Riley in 1923, through the reduction of cyclohexanone 2-nitrophenylhydrazone, was reexamined. This compound, considered originally as 3,4-cyclotetramethylene-4,5-dihydro-1,2,5-benzotriazepine (I) and later as 2-aminophenylazocyclohexene (II), is now defined through the nmr spectrum and chemical behaviour as cyclohexane-3-spiro-3,4-dihydro-1,2,4-benzotriazine (V). It is formed by spontaneous oxidation of the cyclic form of cyclohexanone 2-aminophenylhydrazone (namely, cyclohexane-3-spiro-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1,2,4-benzotriazine) obtained through amino group addition on the hydrazone double bond.     

Carbamoylation of B6 vitamins

The reaction of B₆ vitamins 1–3 with cyanate, in the presence of equivalent amounts of hydrochloric acid, yields different adducts according to the structure of the starting material. Regiospecific attack on the amino group or the phenolic hydroxy group was found for 2a,b and 3a,b , respectively. From the aldehydes 1a,b , the 2H-pyrido[3,4-e]-1,3-oxazin-2-ones 7a,b were obtained through an attack on both the phenolic and aldehyde group.     

On absence of diffusion near the bottom of the spectrum for a random Schrödinger operator onL 2(ℝ)+

We consider a random Schrödinger operator onL ²(^v) of the form , {C _i} being a covering of ^v with unit cubes around the sites of ^v and {q _i} i.i.d. random variables with values in [0, 1]. We assume that theq _i's are continuously distributed with bounded densityf(q) and that 0<P(q ₀<1/2)=<1. Then we show that an ergodic mean of the quantity dx|x|²|(exp(itH ))(x)|²t ^–1 vanishes provided =g _E(H ), where is well-localized around the origin andg _E is a positiveC -function with support in (0,E),EE*(, |f|). Our estimate ofE*(, |f|) is such that the set {x ^v |V (x) E*(, |f|)} may contain with probability one an infinite cluster of cubes {C _i} which are nearest neighbours. The proof is based on the technique introduced by Fröhlich and Spencer for the analysis of the Anderson model.Work supported in part by C.N.R. (Italy) and NAVF (Norway)On leave of absence from Instituto di Fisica Università di Roma, Italia     

Molecular structure of ethynylbenzene from electron diffraction and ab initio molecular orbital calculations

The molecular structure and benzene ring distortions of ethynylbenzene have been investigated by gas-phase electron diffraction and ab initio MO calculations at the HF/6-31G^* and 6-3G^** levels. Least-squares refinement of a model withC _2v, symmetry, with constraints from the MO calculations, yielded the following important bond distances and angles:r _g(C _i -C _o )=1.407±0.003 Å,r _g(C _o -C _m )=1.397±0.003 Å,r _g(C _m -C _p )=1.400±0.003 Å,r _g(Cr _i -CCH)=1.436 ±0.004 Å,r _g(C=C)=1.205±0.005 Å, C _o -C _i -C _o =119.8±0.4°. The deformation of the benzene ring of ethynylbenzene given by the MO calculations, including o-C_i-C_o=119.4°, is insensitive to the basis set used and agrees with that obtained by low-temperature X-ray crystallography for the phenylethynyl fragment, C₆H₅-CC-, in two different crystal environments. The partial substitution structure of ethynylbenzene from microwave spectroscopy is shown to be inaccurate in the ipso region of the benzene ring.     

Metal-catalyzed anaerobic disproportionation of hydroxylamine. Role of diazene and nitroxyl intermediates in the formation of N2, N2O, NO+, and NH3

The catalytic disproportionation of NH(2)OH has been studied in anaerobic aqueous solution, pH 6-9.3, at 25.0 degrees C, with Na(3)[Fe(CN)(5)NH(3)].3H(2)O as a precursor of the catalyst, [Fe(II)(CN)(5)H(2)O](3)(-). The oxidation products are N(2), N(2)O, and NO(+) (bound in the nitroprusside ion, NP), and NH(3) is the reduction product. The yields of N(2)/N(2)O increase with pH and with the concentration of NH(2)OH. Fast regime conditions involve a chain process initiated by the NH(2) radical, generated upon coordination of NH(2)OH to [Fe(II)(CN)(5)H(2)O](3)(-). NH(3) and nitroxyl, HNO, are formed in this fast process, and HNO leads to the production of N(2), N(2)O, and NP. An intermediate absorbing at 440 nm is always observed, whose formation and decay depend on the medium conditions. It was identified by UV-vis, RR, and (15)NMR spectroscopies as the diazene-bound [Fe(II)(CN)(5)N(2)H(2)](3)(-) ion and is formed in a competitive process with the radical path, still under the fast regime. At high pH's or NH(2)OH concentrations, an inhibited regime is reached, with slow production of only N(2) and NH(3). The stable red diazene-bridged [(NC)(5)FeHN=NHFe(CN)(5)](6)(-) ion is formed at an advanced degree of NH(2)OH consumption.