Effect of particle geometry on phase transitions in two-dimensional liquid crystals

Using a version of density-functional theory which combines Onsager approximation and fundamental-measure theory for spatially nonuniform phases, we have studied the phase diagram of freely rotating hard rectangles and hard discorectangles. We find profound differences in the phase behavior of these models, which can be attributed to their different packing properties. Interestingly, bimodal orientational distribution functions are found in the nematic phase of hard rectangles, which cause a certain degree of biaxial order, albeit metastable with respect to spatially ordered phases. This feature is absent in discorectangles, which always show unimodal behavior. This result may be relevant in the light of recent experimental results which have confirmed the existence of biaxial phases. We expect that some perturbation of the particle shapes (either a certain degree of polydispersity or even bimodal dispersity in the aspect ratios) may actually destabilize spatially ordered phases thereby stabilizing the biaxial phase.     

Über die Messung geringer Mengen Radium und Radon

Zusammenfassung Zur Messung geringer²²⁶Radium- und²²²Radongehalte werden auch auf dem Gebiet der Strahlenhygiene verschiedene Verfahren verwendet. Eine zylindrische Szintillationskammer günstigster Abmessungen bietet die Möglichkeit, Personen, die²²⁶Ra inkorporiert haben, ohne vorhergehende Anreicherung des Atem-Radons zu kontrollieren sowie Lebensmittel und andere Proben von niedrigem²²⁶Ra- und²²²Rn-Gehalt zu analysieren.

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Measurement of small amounts of radium and radon

Summary Various procedures employed for the measurement of slight²²⁶radium and²²²radon contents have also been used for the radiation hygiene. A cylindrical scintillation chamber of the most favorable dimensions offers the possibility of checking persons who have incorporated²²⁶Ra, without prior concentration of the breath-radon, and also in the analysis of foods and other samples that contain minute amounts of²²⁶Ra and²²²Ra.

     

Mineral speciation of copper and zinc in flying ash from a thermal power plant

Summary We studied the mineral speciation of Cu, Zn and Hg in fly ash from a large thermal plant burning lignite. By applying various treatments carried out under different conditions and taking into account the solubility and physical properties (boiling and melting point, etc.) and the behaviour towards combustion of the different possible compounds, we concluded that the ash assayed contained 109.6, 114.4 and 14.30 g/g of zinc silicate, zinc oxide and/or zinc sulphide and metal zinc, respectively, as well as 24.5 g/g of copper silicate and 31.2 g/g of a mixture of copper oxide, sulphide and metal. The formation of these compounds in the combustion of lignite is discussed.     

Structure of the alkaloid kalidine

The spatial structure of the alkaloid kalidine obtained from the epigeal part ofKalidium gracile Fenzl. has been determined by IR and NMR spectroscopy and x-ray structural analysis. It has been established that it is the chloride of the trimethyl derivative of glycinamide.Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances of the Uzbek SSR Academy of Sciences, Tashkent. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 4, pp. 558–561, July–August, 1987.     

Palladium-catalyzed electrophilic substitution of allyl chlorides and acetates via bis-allylpalladium intermediates

Palladium-catalyzed electrophilic allylic substitution of functionalized allyl chlorides and allyl acetates can be achieved in the presence of hexamethylditin under mild and neutral reaction conditions. This efficient one-pot procedure involves palladium-catalyzed formation of transient allylstannanes followed by generation of a bis-allylpalladium intermediate, which subsequently reacts with electrophiles. Using this catalytic transformation, various aldehydes and imines can be allylated providing highly functionalized homoallyl alcohols and amines. Furthermore, tandem bis-allylation reactions could be performed by employing tosyl isocyanate and benzylidenemalonitrile as substrates. A particularly interesting mechanistic feature of this reaction is that palladium catalyzes up to three different transformations in each catalytic cycle. Various allylic functionalities, including COOEt, CONH(2), COCH(3), CN, Ph, and CH(3), are tolerated in the catalytic reactions due to the application of neutral and mild reaction conditions. The substitution reaction occurs with very high regioselectivity at the branched allylic terminus. Moreover, in several reactions, a high stereoselectivity was observed indicating that this new catalytic process has a high potential for stereoselective synthesis. The regioselectivity of the reaction can be explained on the basis of DFT calculations. These studies indicate that the allylic substituent prefers the gamma-position of the eta(1)-allyl moiety of the reaction intermediate.     

Rheological and Electrokinetic Properties of Sodium Montmorillonite Suspensions

Because of their particular electric surface properties and crystal structure, most clay minerals possess a very high ion exchange capacity. Furthermore, the surface charge distribution is anisotropic: while faces of the laminar clay particles have a negative, pH-independent charge, edges may be positive or negative, depending on pH. In this work, we propose to contribute new data on particle-particle interaction and charge distribution, by means of measurements of the low-frequency dielectric dispersion (LFDD) of the clay suspensions. Because of the nonspherical shape of clay particles, there are no theoretical models capable of explaining the experimental relaxation spectra. Hence, we limit ourselves to obtaining indirect information by comparing LFDD spectra in different experimental conditions. The quantities of interest in LFDD are the value of the low-frequency dielectric constant, epsilon'(r)(0), and the characteristic or relaxation frequency, omega(cr). These two parameters were measured varying the weight fraction, straight phi, of clay (0.5, 1, and 1.5% w/v) and the pH of the dispersion medium (5, 7, and 9), while maintaining the ionic strength constant ([NaCl]=10(-4) M). It was found that the characteristic relaxation frequency of the dielectric constant was pH-dependent, with a significant minimum at pH 7 in all cases. The results are interpreted as the superposition of two independent relaxation phenomena, associated with edges and faces. With respect to the weight fraction influence, we have found a linear behavior of epsilon'(r)(0) with straight phi at pH 9, indicating the existence of no significant interaction between particles. However, at pH 7 a slight deviation of linearity is observed, and at pH 5 we observe a clearly nonlinear behavior, indicating a stronger degree of interaction between particles. This is in good agreement with the initial assumption that at acid pH values, the electric surface charge of faces is negative, whereas the edges possess a positive charge, thus favoring attractive face-to-edge interaction. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Experiences and practical hints on using the DDRP method,illustrated by the example of the H2 + H reaction

By using the dynamically defined reaction path (DDRP) method and starting from various initial polygons, the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) of the H₂ + H → H + H₂ reaction has been calculated. The numerical stability of the method is illustrated by the evolution phases of the reaction path. Techniques and experiences on the parameter choice and effects of the parameter values on the stability and computer time consumption are discussed. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.