Bound D‐states of helium atom under Debye screening

We have investigated the 1snd^1,3D (3 ≤ n ≤ 7) state energies of helium atom embedded in weakly coupled plasma environments using the Rayleigh–Ritz variational method. The effect of the plasma environment is taken care of using a Debye screening model. A correlated wave function involving exponential expansion has been used to represent correlation between the charge particles. The bound 1snd^1,3D (3 ≤ n ≤ 7) state energies of helium for various Debye lengths along with the excitation energies of few singlet and triplet states are reported. Our results are useful references to atomic physics, plasma physics, and astrophysics research communities. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Role of charge transfer interaction and conjugation length on electrical polarizability of doped trans-polyacetylene oligomers

The effects of charge transfer and molecular chain length on the electrical polarizability of doped trans-polyacetylene oligomers have been investigated using a series of quantum chemical methods ranging from Hartree-Fock to current density functional theory. Polarizability tensors of pristine and metal-doped trans-polyacetylene oligomers have been estimated. The nature of variations of polarizability tensor components are quite different for pristine and doped oligomers. For doped samples, distinct minima in the average static polarizabilities per acetylene unit have been observed. The results suggest that the competitive role of charge-transfer interaction and oligomer chain length are responsible for the observed minima. To simulate the ab initio results on polarizability variation, we propose a mathematical model that describes the minima quite satisfactorily.     

Characterization of oil sands naphthenic acids treated with ultraviolet and microwave radiation by negative ion electrospray Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Naphthenic acids (NAs) are concentrated in oil sand process water (OSPW) as a result of caustic oil sands extraction processes. There is considerable interest in methods for treatment of NAs in OSPW. Earlier work has shown that the combination of ultraviolet (UV) and microwave treatments in the laboratory was effective in reducing the concentration of classical NAs. Here we apply Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT‐ICR MS) to further characterize NAs treated with (a) UV (254 nm) in the presence of TiO₂ catalyst; and/or (b) microwave irradiation (2.45 GHz). FT‐ICR MS was used to characterize the NA fraction before and after treatment. Acidic oxygen‐containing classes were most abundant in all samples whereas other heteroatomic classes were least abundant or not present in some samples. For example, the SO₂‐containing species were absent in UV‐ or combined UV‐ and microwave‐treated samples. The O₂ class was dominant in all samples, indicative of NAs. However, samples treated with UV and microwave radiation have a lower relative abundance of other heteroatomic classes. We observed O₂, S₁O₂, O₃, S₁O₃, O₄, O₅, and O₆ classes, whereas the species with relatively high O_n content, namely, the O₃, O₅, and O₆ classes, were present only in UV‐ and microwave‐treated samples. The relatively high O_n content is consistent with oxidation of the parent acids in treated samples. There may thus be potential implications for environmental forensics. For example, the monitoring of the ratio of SO₂:O₂ or tracking the relative abundances of O₂, O₃, O₄, O₅, and O₆ classes may provide insights for distinguishing naturally derived oil sands components from those that are process‐related in aquatic environments. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Studies on solute solvent interaction. Charge transfer band maxima of N-alkyl pyridinium iodides in solution — A correlation with a dielectric parameter

The longest wavelength band of n-alkyl pyridinium iodides (NAPI) in solution, which is due to charge transfer processes within a contact ion pair species, serves as an empirical measure of solute-solvent interaction for a polar solute in polar solvents. An attempt has been made to correlate the energy of the transition with the chemical potential of the dipolar ion pair in a solvent. The latter quantity has been calculated using a dielectrically saturable Block-Walker reaction field model. It has been found that, for protic solvents there is a good linear correlation between the two parameters enabling the calculation of the transition energy in water. An alternative correlation involving the individual molecule dipole reaction field is also discussed. For dipolar aprotic solvents both correlations yield poorer results indicating a single parameter correlation is not sufficient. In alcoholic binary systems the solute-solvent interaction is a linear function of the bulk reaction fields of the component solvents. But in the case of aprotic-alcoholic solvents, where specificities of interaction differ, the solute sees an environment the composition of which differs from that of the bulk.     

UV-visible spectroscopic study of solvation in ternary solvent mixtures: ketocyanine dye in methanol + acetone + water and methanol + acetone + benzene

Solvation characteristics of a ketocyanine dye have been studied in completely miscible ternary solvent mixtures, namely, methanol + acetone + water and methanol + acetone + benzene, by monitoring the solvatochromic absorption band of the dye. The maximum energy of absorption (E) of the solute in a ternary solvent mixture differs significantly from the mole fraction average of the E values in the component solvents. Results in the corresponding binary solvent mixtures also show a deviation of the E value from the mole fraction averaged E values. The results have been explained in terms of preferential solvation using a two phase model of solvation. The excess or deficit over the bulk composition of a solvent component in the vicinity of the solute molecule in a ternary solvent mixture has been estimated using the knowledge of solvation in the corresponding binary mixtures.     

Corrigendum to the paper “Ovoidal packings of PG(3,q) for even q”

We point out that the proof of Theorem 3.3 of Bagchi and Sastry (2013) contains a serious flaw. Accordingly, this theorem needs to be modified. In consequence, we also have to retract Corollary 3.4, Corollary 3.6 and Theorem 3.8 of Bagchi and Sastry (2013).     

On site coulomb repulsion dominates over the non-local Hartree-Fock exchange in determining the band gap of polymers

The present study deals with the relative performance of the various density functional approaches in evaluating the band gap of polymer materials. Several density functional approximations that includes pure generalized gradient approximated (GGA) functional, meta-GGA, hybrid and range separated hybrid functionals have been used to evaluate the electrical band gap or transport gap of the studied polymers and compared with that obtained using Hubbard U corrected GGA functional (GGA+U). It has been observed that the experimental band gap of the polymers studied is satisfactorily reproducible when GGA+U approach is adopted. The band gap analyses further suggest that range separated hybrid functional, CAM-B3LYP, largely overestimates the band gap of all the polymers studied while the performance of hybrid B3LYP functional and other range separated hybrid functional like HSE is moderate. Better performance of the GGA+U method clearly indicates that short range coulomb correlation plays more significant role over the non-local Hartree-Fock (HF) exchange in determining the electrical band gap of polymer materials. It is also noticeable that the Hubbard U parameter used for the various polymers under consideration is relatively large, indicating the semi-empirical nature of the GGA+U level of calculations. The present finding will help us design new low band gap polymer through estimating band gap by the GGA+U method and this could be very useful for solar cell research.     

Paradox of enrichment: A fractional differential approach with memory

The paradox of enrichment (PoE) proposed by Rosenzweig [M. Rosenzweig, The paradox of enrichment, Science 171 (1971) 385–387] is still a fundamental problem in ecology. Most of the solutions have been proposed at an individual species level of organization and solutions at community level are lacking. Knowledge of how learning and memory modify behavioral responses to species is a key factor in making a crucial link between species and community levels. PoE resolution via these two organizational levels can be interpreted as a microscopic- and macroscopic-level solution. Fractional derivatives provide an excellent tool for describing this memory and the hereditary properties of various materials and processes. The derivatives can be physically interpreted via two time scales that are considered simultaneously: the ideal, equably flowing homogeneous local time, and the cosmic (inhomogeneous) non-local time. Several mechanisms and theories have been proposed to resolve the PoE problem, but a universally accepted theory is still lacking because most studies have focused on local effects and ignored non-local effects, which capture memory. Here we formulate the fractional counterpart of the Rosenzweig model and analyze the stability behavior of a system. We conclude that there is a threshold for the memory effect parameter beyond which the Rosenzweig model is stable and may be used as a potential agent to resolve PoE from a new perspective via fractional differential equations.     

Absorption spectral band width of charge transfer transition of E(T)(30) dye in homogeneous and heterogeneous media

Solvation characteristics in homogeneous and heterogeneous media have been probed by monitoring the band width of ICT band of 2,6-di-phenyl-4(2,4,6-triphenyl-1-pyridino) phenolate, the indicator solute for E(T)(30) scale, in pure, mixed binary solvents and aqueous micellar solution. Non-ideal solvation behaviour is observed in all the binary solvent mixtures. Index of preferential solvation has been calculated as a function of solvent composition. Study in micellar media indicates that the dye is located at the micelle-water interface. The effects of variation of micelle concentration, temperature and electrolyte concentration have also been studies.