2-pyrrolidone - capped Mn<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanocrystals

Water-soluble Mn₃O₄ nanocrystals have been prepared through thermal decomposition in a high temperature boiling solvent, 2-pyrrolidone. The final product was characterized with XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR and Zeta Potential measurements. Average crystallite size was calculated as ∼15 nm using XRD peak broadening. TEM analysis revealed spherical nanoparticles with an average diameter of 14±0.4 nm. FTIR analysis indicated that 2-pyrrolidone coordinates with the Mn₃O₄ nanocrystals only via O from the carbonyl group, thus confining their growth and protecting their surfaces from interaction with neighboring particles.      

Kinetic study of the decomposition of Prussian Blue electrocatalytic layer during cathodic reduction of hydrogen peroxide

Kinetic study on the decomposition of Prussian Blue electrocatalytic layer during electrochemical reduction of hydrogen peroxide has been studied in relation to biosensor application of this electrocatalyst. The decomposition has been shown to proceed as a nearly exponential decay process and the corresponding first-order rate coefficients were determined. It has been shown that the decomposition proceeds about 10 times faster in pH 7.3 buffer solution as compared to pH 5.5 buffer. A linear dependence of the decomposition rate on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide has been found.      

Characterizations of postman sets

Using results by McKee and Woodall on binary matroids, we show that the set of postman sets has odd cardinality, generalizing a result by Toida on the cardinality of cycles in Eulerian graphs. We study the relationship between T-joins and blocks of the underlying graph, obtaining a decomposition of postman sets in terms of blocks. We conclude by giving several characterizations of T-joins which are postman sets.     

The Hosoya polynomial decomposition for catacondensed benzenoid graphs

For a graph G with the vertex set V(G), we denote by d(u,v) the distance between vertices u and v in G, by d(u) the degree of vertex u. The Hosoya polynomial of G is H(G)=∑_{u,v}⊆V(G)x^d(u,v). The partial Hosoya polynomials of G are for positive integer numbers m and n. It is shown that H(G₁)−H(G₂)=x²(x+1)²(H₃₃(G₁)−H₃₃(G₂)),H₂₂(G₁)−H₂₂(G₂)=(x²+x−1)²(H₃₃(G₁)−H₃₃(G₂)) and H₂₃(G₁)−H₂₃(G₂)=2(x²+x−1)(H₃₃(G₁)−H₃₃(G₂)) for arbitrary catacondensed benzenoid graphs G₁ and G₂ with equal number of hexagons. As an application, we give an affine relationship between H(G) with two other distance-based polynomials constructed by Gutman [I. Gutman, Some relations between distance-based polynomials of trees, Bulletin de l’Académie Serbe des Sciences et des Arts (Cl. Math. Natur.) 131 (2005) 1-7].     

PMo or PW heteropoly acids supported on MCM-41 silica nanoparticles: Characterisation and FT-IR study of the adsorption of 2-butanol

Mesoporous silica, prepared in basic conditions, has been loaded (20% weight) with 12-molybdophosphoric (PMo) or 12-tungstophosphoric (PW) acid and calcined at different temperatures ranging between 250 and 550 °C. The samples have been characterised by N₂ adsorption-desorption at −196 °C, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), UV-visible diffuse reflectance, Raman spectroscopy and temperature programmed reduction (TPR). The acidity and catalytic activity have been, respectively, examined by monitoring the adsorption of pyridine and 2-butanol by FT-IR spectroscopy. The results indicate that PW and PMo acids are highly dispersed on mesoporous silica MCM-41 spherical nanoparticles. While PMo retains its Keggin structure up to 550 °C, PW decomposes at this temperature into crystalline WO₃ and phosphorous oxides. In both cases, the morphology, hexagonal symmetry and long-range order observed for the support are preserved with calcination up to 450 °C. The Brönsted-type acid sites found in all samples, whose surface concentration decreases as the calcination temperature increases, are responsible for the selective formation of cis-butene detected upon adsorption of 2-butanol. The sample containing PW calcined at 450 °C also shows selectivity to methyl ethyl ketone.     

人参属中药腐解化感作用研究进展

人参、西洋参和三七为人参属近缘物种,形态和化学成分相似,均具有连作障碍的特性。人参属中药连作后,土壤环境逐渐变得不适宜其生长,植株长势变弱易患病,导致生长发育受到抑制,出现严重的根腐病、须根脱落,甚至植株死亡现象。而造成人参属连作障碍的主要原因之一是化感物质的自毒作用,人参残体降解物作为人参化感物质主要来源之一,会导致种子发芽率下降,种苗死亡率升高、根腐病等病害加重,最终造成连作障碍。在人参属中药连作过程中,通过化感物质与土壤交流,也会直接或间接影响土壤理化性质的变化。对人参属中药腐解化感作用的研究进展以及腐解对土壤成分的影响进行综述,以期为人参属中药腐解化感作用及土壤利用的相关研究提供借鉴。     

Decomposition Reaction of Zn-MPA（3-Mercaptopropionic Acid） Complex Under Microwave Irradiation

The thermal decomposition of Zn-MPA complex was investigated under microwave irradiation. ZnO and ZnS nanocrystals could be obtained by decomposing Zn-MPA（3-mercaptopropionic acid） complex under different reaction conditions. It was found that both the pH value of the solution and the molar ratio of Zn2＋ and MPA can play an important role in the formation of ZnO and ZnS nanocrystals. MPA mainly acts as an S source or as a complexing agent. This study provides a new route for the controllable preparation of semiconductor nanocrystals.     

High-speed line-focus Raman microscopy with spectral decomposition of mouse skin

Line-focus Raman microscope system was designed and constructed for high speed quantitative analysis of Raman spectral maps. Laser line generator lens was used for formation of homogeneous laser power distribution thought the line. Three-dimensional Raman maps of mouse skin were obtained using point and line illumination modes. It was shown that laser line illumination can provide Raman spectrum with signal to noise ratio comparable to point illumination mode. The speed of scanning in line-focus mode achieved is two orders of magnitude faster compared to the point illumination mode, which enables ex vivo measurements of large areas of skin surface during a few minutes. Non-negative least squares (NNLS) decomposition of mouse skin spectral maps was done using keratin, lipids, water, lactate, urea and natural moisture factor (NMF) components as library spectra. Fluorescence background of measured spectra was corrected using the fluorescence profile obtained from time-lapse Raman skin measurements, which was used as additional component in NNLS decomposition procedure. The lateral and depth distribution of major skin components obtained from Raman maps mainly correlates with histological information. High-quality line-focus Raman maps from large sample area expand the possibilities of studying skin chemical components distribution.     

Degradation of γ-irradiated linear perfluoroalkanes at high dosage

The effects of the carbon backbone chain length on the EPR spectra of linear perfluoro-n-alkanes (PFAs) γ-irradiated at 77 K was studied for the short chain n-C₆F₁₄, n-C₈F₁₆, n-C₁₂F₂₆, and n-C₁₆F₃₄ molecules as well as the polymer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The experimental data show that the processes occurring during radiolysis of perfluoro-n-alkanes and polytetrafluoroethylene are very similar. EPR spectra of irradiated perfluoro-n-alkanes at low radiation dose show superimposed signals from three radicals: -F₂CCFCF₂-, -CF₂CF₂ and F₃C. The signal intensity decreases with perfluoro-n-alkanes chain length. At doses above 2.0 MGy, a constant increase in concentration of the radicals -F₂CCFCF₂- and -CF₂CF₂ is observed with decreasing chain length. The concentration of these radicals formed during radiolysis of PFA is described by the ratio: [-CF₂CF₂]/[-F₂CCFCF₂-] ≈3/(n − 2), where n is the number of carbon atoms in the linear perfluoroalkanes. Density functional theory was used to calculate the structures of the radicals and C-F bond energies in model perfluoro-n-alkanes as well as the EPR spectra of the associated radicals. This data is used to provide further insight into the radiation stability of PTFE. Four topographical structures of polytetrafluoroethylene, one amorphous and three crystalline, were identified by thermomechanical analysis. In the crystal phase, γ-irradiation results in their transformation to the amorphous form. The helical structure of individual perfluroalkanes readily distorts on removal of a fluorine and this will have an impact on the overall structure of the material. Such structural reorganization can lead to loss of the mechanical stability of polytetrafluoroethylene.     

Influence of decomposition parameters on agglomeration process and total soda content in precipitated Al(OH)3

Grain size composition of precipitated Al(OH)₃ is dependent on the mechanism of decomposition process of the caustic solution which determines crystal growth process, agglomeration process and secondary nucleation. Because the literature data shows that the growth rate is very low, the agglomeration process plays an important role in increasing the initial particle size. On the other hand, the agglomeration process enables the inclusion of impurities by the grain boundary of sticking Al(OH)₃ particles, above all, the inclusion of soda Na₂O.

In this paper we investigate the influence of caustic soda concentration Na₂O_(c), that is the supersaturation of the solution, seed charge and seed grain size on the agglomeration and secondary nucleation processes and total soda content in precipitated Al(OH)₃. The results have shown that the factor which causes the increase of the agglomeration process also causes the increase of total soda content in precipitated Al(OH)₃.