Why chaos is rarely observed in natural populations

An attempt has been made to understand why chaotic dynamics have received poor evidential support from field studies. Our study opens up the possibility that the cause of failure might not be poor quality of data, as pointed out by earlier authors, but an ecological reality. We have designed two model food chains to examine whether there is a biological basis for the crisis. This investigation is effected with the help of a new method which we introduce at an appropriate place in the text. The fact that chaos exists in a narrow range of parametric values in both the model systems suggests that the crisis indeed has a biological origin.     

Weak noncovalent Si···F?C interactions stabilized fluoroalkylated rod-like polysilanes as ultrasensitive chemosensors

Noncovalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, metal coordination, and π-π stacking, are increasingly being utilized to develop well-ordered and self-organized supramolecular materials. Recently, new types of nonclassical weak interactions, such as C H···π, C H···F C, and C H···O, have been exploited in stabilizing the specific conformations of molecules and molecular assemblies in the solid state. These noncovalent interactions play an important role in materials comprised of polymer chains, because cooperative effects from a large number of weak interactions can lead to drastic changes in its conformation, several properties, and functionalities. The programmed design of synthetic helical polymer with well-defined molecular conformation has been the main subject in modern polymer science and engineering. Silicon-catenated polysilane is an ideal helical silicon quantum wire and polymers with unique photophysical properties. The present review highlights the spectroscopic evidences for through-space weak Si···F C interaction in poly(methyl-3,3,3-trifluoropropylsilane) ( 1 ) in noncoordinating and coordinating solvents by means of NMR (²⁹Si and ¹⁹F) and IR spectroscopies, and viscometric measurement. It was found that 1 is applicable for chemosensors with an extremely high sensitivity and selectivity toward fluoride ions in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and with high sensitivity for nitroaromatic compounds, detected by a decrease in the photoluminescence intensity in THF and in thin solid film. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5060–5075, 2006     

A simple and sensitive analytical method for the determination of antimony in environmental and biological samples.

The results of a study and application of leucocrystal violet for the determination of antimony in parts per million levels is described here. The proposed method is based on the reaction of antimony(III) with acidified potassium iodate to liberate iodine. The liberated iodine selectively oxidizes leucocrystal violet to crystal violet dye. The formed dye shows maximum absorbance at 590 nm. The color system obeys Beer's law in the concentration range from 0.4 - 3.6 microg antimony per 25 ml of final solution. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity were found to be 7.32 x 10(5) l mol(-1) cm(-1) and 0.0016 microg cm(-2), respectively. All variables were studied in order to optimize the reaction. The proposed method is satisfactorily applicable for the analysis of antimony in various environmental and biological samples. The method is simple, highly sensitive, accurate and reliable.     

Variable electronegativity SCF-MO calculations on the electronic structure and spectra of some substituted benzenes I. Monosubstitutions

π-electron SCF-MO theory in its variable electronegativity formalism has been applied to some monosubstituted benzenes. Calculated charge densities and bond orders for the ground and the first excited electronic states are correlated with chemical reactivity and the changes in molecular geometry on electronic excitation. The calculated results for spectra are compared with those obtained using the PPP method and also with the available experimental data.     

Binding energy of lithium halide molecules

A semi-empirical open shell model of sigma bonded systems has been employed to calculate the binding energies for diatomic lithium halides. The repulsion between the atomic cores is taken as the Coulomb repulsion term $\text{1}\text{R}{}_{12}$ modified by the presence of electronic cores. This modification has been estimated from the repulsion term in the Rittner potential function. The agreement with the experimental values is quite satisfactory but the extension of the same method to alkali hydrides results in gross discrepancies. The results are discussed in the light of other results.     

Thin-layer chromatography of hydroxyanthraquinones in plant extracts

Summary Existing thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) methods for the separation of hydroxyanthraquinones in plant materials were found to have limited applications. This initiated the development of some new TLC systems to separate the five principal hydroxyanthraquinones: chrysophanol, physcion, emodin, rhein and aloe emodin normally present together in plant materials, on a single chromatogram and usually with a single solvent system.     

Studies on polymerization of vinyl acetate using ylide as an initiator and degradative transfer agent

Polymerization of vinyl acetate initiated by β-picolinium p-chlorophenacylide was carried out at 30, 35, and 40°C, using conventional dilatometric technique. The initiator and the monomer exponent values were 0.80 ± 0.15 and unity, respectively. The polymerization was inhibited in the presence of hydroquinone, but was favored by nonpolar solvent and polymerization temperature. The energy of activation was 90.3 KJ mol^?1. An average value of k/k_t for the present system was found to be 0.37 × 10^?2. The results are explained in terms of a radical mode of polymerization with degradative initiator transfer; the principal mode of termination, however, was bimolecular.     

Phase Diagram and Growth Behaviour of Durene–resorcinol System

Phase diagram of durene–resorcinol system, determined by the thaw-melt method, shows the formation of a monotectic (0.109 mole fraction of durene) and an eutectic (0.964 mole fraction of durene) with a large liquid miscibility gap in the region from 0.109 to 0.964 mole fraction of durene. The eutectic, monotectic and consolute temperatures are 78.4, 107.8 and 165.0°C, respectively. The growth behaviour studied by measuring the linear velocity of crystallization (v) in a capillary at different undercoolings (ΔT) suggests that the data obey the Hillig–Turnbull equation,v=u(ΔT)ⁿ, where u and n are constants depending on the nature of materials involved. From the values of enthalpy of fusion of the pure components, the eutectic and the monotectic determined by the DSC method using Mettler DSC-4000 system, entropy of fusion, enthalpy of mixing, Jackson’sroughness parameter, size of the critical nucleus interfacial energy and excess thermodynamic functions were calculated. The microstructures of the eutectic, and the monotectic, determined by the Leitz Laborlux D optical microscope show their characteristic features. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Some bridged η:η-dicyclopentadienyltitanium pyrazolone complexes: Syntheses and structural elucidation

Complexes of the types (C₅H₅)₂TiClL, (C₅H₅)TiClL₂ and [(C₅H₄)TiL₂]₂ (L is a monofunctional bidentate ligand) have been made by reactions of titanocene dichioride with the substituted pyrazolones, RCO$\text{C:C(OH)N(C}{}_6\text{H}{}_5\text{)N:C}$CH₃ (where R = CH₃, C₂H₆, C₆H₅ and p-ClC₆H₄) in the presence of triethylamine in refluxing THF. A possible mechanism for the formation of [(C₅H₄)TiL₂]₂ is suggested.