A Scanning Electron Microscopy study of water in soil

Cold stage Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with a rapid cooling technique makes it possible to investigate the water phase within unsaturated porous media. It is thought that this technique preserves the main features of the micromorphology of the water menisci as it exists in the liquid phase in soils. Saddle-shaped elements, as well as pendular rings of water, were observed with concave and convex curvatures of the water-air interface. The hydraulic conductivity of an unsaturated soil may be inferred from SEM photographs. Observations of isolated water menisci indicate the existence of an immobile water domain. The surface geometry of the water menisci was analyzed quantitatively and surface tension and capillary pressure were determined.     

Spherical dye-doped silica particles

Organic dyes such as water soluble porphyrins were incorporated into monodispersed SiO₂ particles using the sol-gel technique (the Stober synthesis) and their monomeric and dimeric properties were investigated by aiming at the microcavity effect. Doping efficiencies of dyes into SiO₂ particles depended on dye's hydrophilic properties. The doping efficiency of a porphyrin, TTMAPP, decreased with increasing the nominal content in the starting solution and the doping content showed the maximum value of 1.6×10^–5 mol/g SiO₂. With increasing the TTMAPP content, spectra of doped particles were changed from dimeric to monomeric nature; the absorption peak due to dimers disappeared and halfwidth of absorption at Soret band decreased. This unusual change was caused by the decrease of particle sizes by dye doping. The TTMAPP-doped sample having monomeric spectrum showed the fluorescence life time of 8.5 nsec and photochemical hole burning at about 5 K.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of 1,3,5-tris [4-(phenylethynyl)phenyl]benzene

The crystal structure of 1,3,5-tris[4-(phenylethynyl)phenyl]benzene (1) has been investigated. Compound1 represents a model of the repeating unit of the most typical polyphenylene, which contains 1,3,5-trisubstituted benzene rings (chain centers) and acetylenic groups (complex-forming and cross-linking centers) in the main chain. The acetylene groups of neighboring molecules have a tendency to close mutual arrangement, which is favorable for their topochemical interaction. However, the relative conformational rigidity of molecules1 restricts not only the possibility of the optimal adjustment of the reactive sites of neighboring molecules to one another, but also hampers the close packing of molecules in the crystal, which contains channels filled by the solvent molecules (chloroform).Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 1986–1992, November, 1994.The work was carried out with the financial support of the International Science Foundation and the American Crystallographic Association.     

Flaked capillary columns with crown ether complexes for gas-liquid chromatography

Flaked capillary columns with an OV-101/CE-Na{in3}PO{in4} hydrophobic-hydrophilic sorbent have been suggested. This sorbent provides for the analysis of polar and nonpolar substances, including amines and aminoalcohols, in aqueous and organic solvents. The efficiency of new columns was demonstrated for the analysis of 25 organic substances of various classes.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2169–2173, December, 1994.The work was financially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Project No. 93-03-4969.     

Anharmonic effects in large-amplitude vibrations of metal clusters

Two types of extreme collective motion, large-amplitude many-phonon vibration of the ionic core and rotation of the cluster with high angular momenta, are considered. The interplay between vibration and collective motion towards fission is discussed. A new mechanism of formation and rupture of the neck is proposed which is based on the Franck-Condon principle, and accounts for the interplay between vibration and fission. Under rotation, the change of the shape of the cluster and a phase transition from axially symmetric to triaxial ellipsoid are predicted. For studying the effects, vibrational motion can be induced by laser radiation. Rotational motion may arise in collisions of clusters. Received 26 April 2001 and Received in final form 15 October 2001     

ON SOME INTERPRETATIONS OF CLASSICAL LOGIC

In distinction from the well-known double-negation embeddings of the classical logic we consider some variants of single-negation embeddings and describe some classes of superintuitionistic first-order predicate logics in which the classical first-order calculus is interpretable in such a way. Also we find the minimal extensions of Heyting's logic in which the classical predicate logic can be embedded by means of these translations.     

Influence of concentration on the activation energy for diffusion in polymer-solvent systems

The self-diffusion of benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene in polystyrene have been analyzed using the Vrentas/Duda free-volume diffusion model. Diffusion coefficient predictions suggest an exponential concentration dependence of the activation energy required to overcome attractive forces, E. Without the use of any diffusion data approximating E as zero over the entire concentration range yields self-diffusion coefficient predictions which are in good agreement with experimental data. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the ion exchange defects in aluminosilicate lattices

Summary Samples of synthetic leucite and boron-substituted leucite are investigated by infrared spectroscopy and spectrally resolved thermoluminescence. Evidence is obtained in favour of the assumption that point defects in aluminosilicate lattices are originated by exchanges of Si⁺⁴ and Al⁺³ ions lying in different cells.     

Morphology of Nylon-6 blends with styrenic polymers

The morphology of blends of styrenic polymers in a matrix of 75% Nylon-6 prepared in a Brabender Plasti-Corder was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Styrene/acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN) form smaller particles as the AN level increases owing to the corresponding decrease in the SAN–polyamide interfacial tension. Various styrenic polymers containing functional groups, maleic anhydride or oxazoline type, that can react with Nylon-6 during melt processing were added to the SAN phase which also led to a decrease in the particle size owing to the graft copolymer formed in situ. The effects of functional group type, amount of functional groups per chain, amount of functional polymer added, and the miscibility of the styrene/maleic anhydride (SMA) and SAN copolymers on the morphology of the styrenic phase in the Nylon-6 matrix are described. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.