Adsorption of water molecules in slit pores

We report molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the adsorption of water in attractive and repulsive slit pores, where the slit and a bulk region are in contact with each other. Water structure, surface force and adsorption behavior are investigated as a function of the overall density in the bulk region. The gas–liquid transition in both types of pores occurs at similar densities of the bulk region.     

Quantum-Chemical Investigation of Intermediates in the Addition of Phenylsulfenium Cation to Substituted Acetylenes

The reaction paths for the transformations of substituted acetylenes (X—CC—Y; X, Y = H, Me, Ph, CN) in reaction with phenylsulfenium cation were studied by quantum-chemical methods. It was shown that the reactions take place with the formation of acyclic and cyclic cationic intermediates. The factor that determines the structure and characteristics of these cations is the induction and polarizing action of the substituents in the acetylenes and to a lesser degree their electron-donor characteristics. The resonance effect of the phenyl substituent has a predominantly levelling action on the distribution of charges.     

Thermal properties of rare earth dodecaborides

We have measured heat capacity and thermal expansion of rare earth dodecaborides REB₁₂ (RE=Y, Tb-Tm, Lu). YB₁₂ and LuB₁₂ are diamagnetics whereas the other dodecaborides are ordered antiferromagnetically. The amplitude of the heat capacity discontinuity at the Néel temperature and the shape of the heat capacity variation in the critical region for all these antiferromagnetics are characteristics for amplitude-modulated magnetic structures. In the ordered state TbB₁₂ reveals two first-order phase transitions, most likely due to magnetic structure changes. The heat capacity of ErB₁₂ just below the Néel point shows an anomaly of unclear origin. From the Schottky contribution to the heat capacity we have determined crystal field parameters. They are completely different than that is estimated from Point Charge Model.     

Copper(I) hexafluoroantimonate - an example of a compound with Cu in a solely fluorine environment

Yellow-orange single crystals of CuSbF₆, were prepared by reacting Cu wire (∼10 mmol) with SbF₅ (∼3 mmol) in liquid anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (aHF) and by reduction of Cu(SbF₆)₂ with Cu metal in aHF. CuSbF₆ crystallizes rhombohedral at 296 K with the LiSbF₆ structure type, with a = 530.4(4) pm, c = 1453(1) pm and Z = 3, space group R (no. 148). The structure is dominated by isolated layers of regular [SbF₆]⁻ octahedra and Cu⁺ cations.An attempt to prepare CuF by reaction between CuSbF₆ and CsF in aHF at ∼190 K failed. Instead of CuF, a mixture of Cu and CuF₂ was obtained.     

Die Phase La2U2N5

In the system U–La–N a new phase of composition La₂U₂N₅ was observed. The differaction pattern of this phase can be indexed with a tetragonal unit cell:a=8.43 Å,c=8.50 Å andc/a=1.008. The pseudocubic sub-cell withaca/2 is closely related to the CsCl-type.

Auszug aus der von der Technisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakuktät der TU Wien approbierten Diplomarbait des Herrn Dipl.-Ing.J. Waldhart.     

Insights on the origin of the structural phase transition in BaV10O15 from electronic structure calculations and the effect of Ti-doping on its structure and electrical transport properties

Band structure calculations at the level of LMTO-ASA provide insight into the electronic structure of BaV₁₀O₁₅ and the origin of the structural phase transition. A crystal orbital Hamiltonian population/integrated crystal orbital Hamiltonian population analysis provides evidence that the crystallographic phase transition is driven by V-V bond formation. As well, the energy bands near the Fermi level are very narrow, <1 eV, consistent with the fact that the observed insulating behavior can be due to electron localization via either Mott-Hubbard correlation and/or Anderson disorder. The partial solid solution, BaV_10−xTi_xO₁₅, was examined to study the effect of Ti-doping at the V sites on the structure and electronic transport properties. In spite of the non-existence of “BaTi₁₀O₁₅”, the limiting x=8, as indicated by a monotonic increase in the cell volume and systematic changes in properties. This limit may be due to the difficulty of stabilizing Ti²⁺ in this structure. For x=0.5 both the first order structural phase transition and the magnetic transition at 40 K are quenched. The samples obey the Curie-Weiss law to x=3 with nearly spin only effective moments along with θ values which range from −1090 K (x=0.5) to −1629 K (x=3). For x>3 a very large, ∼2×10⁻³ emu/mol, temperature independent (TIP) contribution dominates. Conductivity measurements on sintered, polycrystalline samples show semiconducting behavior for all compositions. Activation energies for Mott hopping derived from high temperature data range from ∼0.1 eV for x=0-1 and fall to a plateau of 0.06 eV for x=3-7. Low temperature data for x=3, 5 and 7 show evidence for Mott variable range hoping (VRH) with a T^1/4 law and in one case between 5 and 17 K, a Efros-Shklovskii correlated hopping, T^1/2 law, was seen, in sharp contrast to BaV₁₀O₁₅ where only the E-S law was observed up to 75 K. Seebeck coefficients are small (<35 μV/K), positive, roughly TIP and increase with increasing x up to x=5. This may point to a Heikes hopping of holes but a simple single carrier model is impossible. The compositions for x>3 are remarkable in that local moment behavior is lost, yet a metallic state is not reached. The failure of this system to be driven metallic even at such high doping levels is not fully understood but it seems clear that disorder induced carrier localization plays a major role.     

Rheological properties of multisticker associative polyelectrolytes in semidilute aqueous solutions

Multisticker associative polyelectrolytes of acrylamide (≈86 mol %) and sodium 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonate (≈12 mol %), hydrophobically modified with N,N‐dihexylacrylamide groups (≈2 mol %), were prepared with a micellar radical polymerization technique. This process led to multiblock polymers in which the length of the hydrophobic blocks could be controlled through variations in the surfactant‐to‐hydrophobe molar ratio, that is, the number of hydrophobes per micelle (N_H). The rheological behavior of aqueous solutions of polymers with the same molecular weight and the same composition but with two different hydrophobic block lengths (N_H = 7 or 3 monomer units per block) was investigated as a function of the polymer concentration with steady‐flow, creep, and oscillatory experiments. The critical concentration at the onset of the viscosity enhancement decreased as the length of the hydrophobic segments in the polymers increased. Also, an increase in the N_H value significantly enhanced the thickening ability of the polymers and affected the structure of the transient network. In the semidilute unentangled regime, the behavior of the polymer with long hydrophobic segments (N_H = 7) was studied in detail. The results were well explained by the sticky Rouse theory of associative polymer dynamics. Finally, the viscosity decreased with an increase in the temperature, mainly because of a lowering of the sample relaxation time. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1640–1655, 2004     

Hydrolysis of DNA by cerium(IV)/EDTA complex

Homogeneous solutions are formed from equimolar amounts of Ce(NH₄)₂(NO₃)₆ and EDTA. These solutions hydrolyze single-stranded DNA far more efficiently than double-stranded DNA. In contrast, Ce(IV) hydroxide gel, obtained in the absence of EDTA, hydrolyzes both single-stranded and double-stranded DNAs at almost the same rates. In order to achieve this substrate-specificity sufficiently, the mole ratio of EDTA to Ce(NH₄)₂(NO₃)₆ must be 1.0 or greater. By using this remarkable specificity of Ce(IV)/EDTA complex, gap-site in substrate DNA is selectively hydrolyzed. The scission-site is modulated by use of appropriate combination of oligonucleotide additives. The reactions have been kinetically analyzed.     

Hierarchical Structure‐Within‐Structure Morphologies in A2‐star‐(B‐alt‐C) Molecules

We employ dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) to examine the self‐assembly behavior of A₂‐star‐(B‐alt‐C) molecules. We successfully observe various types of hierarchical structure‐within‐structures, such as A‐formed spheres in the matrix formed by B and C alternating layers, hexagonally packed A‐formed cylinders in the matrix with B and C segregated layers, B and C alternating layers‐within‐lamellae, coaxial B and C alternating domains within hexagonally packed BC‐formed cylinders in the A‐matrix, and co‐centric BC‐alternating domains within BC‐formed spheres in the A‐matrix, by increasing the A composition. Generally speaking, the small length‐scale B and C segregated domains are in parallel to the large length‐scale structures. This hierarchical periodicity along the same axis as well as the various characteristic structures, that the A₂‐star‐(B‐alt‐C) copolymers display, are quite different from those in A‐block‐(B‐graft‐C) coil‐comb copolymers. Moreover, it is interesting to find that when the copolymer chain length increases, though the hierarchical structure type is maintained, the number of small length‐scale lamellae that can form within the large length‐scale structure increases. These hierarchical structures under various compositions are reported theoretically for the first time in the copolymer systems consisting of the alternating blocks, and are in good agreement with the most recent experimental work by Matsushita and co‐workers (Macromolecules 2007 , 40, 4023).     

N,N-二(2-苯并咪唑亚甲基)甲胺高氯酸盐的晶体和电子结构

合成了三齿配体N,N-二(2-苯并咪唑亚甲基)甲胺(MN3)的高氯酸盐.对该化合物进行了元素分析、紫外和红外表征;采用X射线衍射方法测定了该化合物的晶体结构,依据晶体结构数据使用G98程序对配体(MN3)进行了量子化学计算.