Dioxouranium(VI) mixed ligand complexes containingo-substituted benzoic acid and α-amino acids

Summary Mixed ligand complexes of general formula [UO₂L¹L²-(H₂O)_n], where L¹ iso-hydroxy-,o-mercapto- oro-aminobenzoic acid and L² is glycine, L-alanine, or L-valine, have been prepared and characterized. The uranium atom in these complexes is 6- or 8-coordinate. Both acid ligands are bidentate, bonding through the ionized –COO^–– group and either O, N or S atoms.     

Fabrication and characterization of sputtered titanium dioxide films

TiO₂ thin films were prepared under various conditions by using a reactive RF sputtering technique. The structural, optical and electrical characteristics of the films have been investigated. All as-deposited films were amorphous. After annealing at T > 673 K, the crystallinity of the observed tetragonal anatase phase appeared improved. The optical band gap, determined by using Tauc plot, has been found to amount to 3.38 ± 0.03 and 3.21 ± 0.03 eV for the direct and indirect transition, respectively. Also the complex optical constants for the wavelength range 300-2500 nm are reported. Using the two-point probe technique, the dark resistivity has been measured as a function of the film thickness, d. The resistivity, ρ, of the samples has been found to decrease markedly with increasing thickness, but only for d < 100 nm. The behaviour of ρd versus d was found to fit properly with the Fuchs and Sondheimer relation with parameters ρ_o = 4.95 × 10⁶ Ω cm and mean free path, l = 310 ± 2 nm. The log ρ versus 1/T curves show three distinct regions with values for the activation energy of 0.03 ± 0.01, 0.17 ± 0.01 and 0.50 ± 0.02 eV, respectively.     

Approximate and Exact Small Signal Analysis for Single-Mode Fiber Near Zero Dispersion Wavelength with Higher Order Dispersion

This article presents the comparison of approximate and exact small-signal theories for analyzing the influence of the higher-order dispersion terms on dispersive optical communication systems operating near zero dispersion wavelength for linear single-mode fiber. For the approximate theory, the generalized conversion matrix has been reported and gives the transfer function of intensity and phase from the fiber input to fiber output for a laser source including the influence of any higher-order dispersion term. In addition, expressions for the small-signal frequency response and the relative intensity noise (RIN) response of an ultrafast laser diode including noises are derived. However, it is observed that the approximation assumed for the second-order dispersion term for the approximate analysis is not valid. From the approximate theory, the exact generalized conversion matrix and exact expressions for small-signal frequency response and relative intensity noise (RIN) are obtained. We show that for the exact theory, the second-order dispersion term has no effect on intensity and frequency response even at large modulating frequencies and large propagation distances contrary to the approximate theory as reported by other authors. But we show that third-order dispersion term certainly has some minute impact on the frequency and RIN response for long distance links at high modulating frequencies.     

Cobalt Hexacyanoferrate-Modified Electrode for Amperometric Assay of Hydrazine

A graphite electrode modified with cobalt hexacyanoferrate by mechanical immobilization was used for amperometric determination of hydrazine. The modified electrode exhibits good catalytic activity for the oxidation of hydrazine at a reduced overpotential with remarkable sensitivity. The modified electrode showed a linear response for hydrazine in the concentration range of 2.0 × 10^–5 to 2.8 × 10^–4 M. The detection limit was 9.8 × 10^–6 M (S/N = 3). The proposed modified electrode was simple, sensitive, rapid, stable and promising.     

Study of the effect of swift heavy Ni ion irradiation on ruby single crystal by using the XANES and EXAFS techniques

We have made the XAFS measurements at the Cr–K-edge on natural Indian ruby single crystals (corundum) and its two irradiated samples with fluence 1×10¹² Ni⁶⁺ and 5×10¹² Ni⁶⁺ ions/cm². Irradiated samples show interesting changes in their physical appearance. XANES measurements show progressive decrease in Δ_oct value on increase of Ni fluence in irradiated samples. EXAFS measurements on these samples show decrease in Cr–O distance on increase of Ni fluence. Lowering of Δ_oct value is correlated with the increase of Cr–O distance.     

The optical-mechanical analogy in general relativity: Exact Newtonian forms for the equations of motion of particles and photons

In many metrics of physical interest, the gravitational field can be represented as an optical medium with an effective index of refraction. We show that, in such a metric, the orbits of both massive and massless particles are governed by a variational principle which involves the index of refraction and which assumes the form of Fermat's principle or of Maupertuis's principle. From this variational principle we derive exact equations of motion of Newtonian form which govern both massless and massive particles. These equations of motion are applied to some problems of physical interest.     

Partitioning multi-edge graphs

We introduce a new kind of graph called multi-edge graph which arises in many applications such as finite state Markov chains and broadcasting communication networks. A cluster in such a graph is a set of nodes such that for any ordered pair of nodes, there is a path of multi-edges from one to the other such that these edges remain within the same set. We give two algorithms to partition a multi-edge graph into maximal clusters. Both these algorithms are based on the depth-first search algorithm to find strongly connected components of the directed graph. We also discuss some applications of clustering in multi-edge graphs.     

Solvation numbers and hydration constant for thorium(IV) in ethanol-water medium

The solvation number and hydration constant of Th⁴⁺ in ethanol-water medium were determined at 25°C using UV-spectral and electrochemical measurements. A solvate formation equilibrium is demonstrated and characterized. Three molecules of ethanol (S) can bond to the metal cation with strengths comparable to that for H₂O to form ThS₃(H₂O) ₃ ⁴⁺ Formation of thorium monochelate with lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) eliminates bonding with alcohol molecules. The dissociation constant of the chelating agent_sK_a and the formation contant of the monochelated metal ion_sK _f ^* that are essentially independent of the solution composition are evaluated. Hydration titrations involving thorium-lawsone monochelate are performed and the data obtained from the changes of pH with solvent composition are analyzed. The solution independent constant,_sK _f ^* for thorium-lawsone complex formation in mixed aqueous ethanol is given by $$log_s K_f * = vpK_a + log_s K_h - log[LH] - vpH + 3logv$$ where vpK_a is the dissociation constant of the chelating agent LH in the solvent system of ν volume fraction of water and_sK_h is the solution-independent hydration constant of thorium (IV) in the solvent system. Log-values for the constants_sK_h,_sK _f ^* and_sK _a ^* are found to be 7.8±0.02, 11.38±0.04 and ?0.753, respectively.     

Development and Validation of a Liquid Chromatographic Method for Determination of Efavirenz in Human Plasma

A simple, rapid, and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for estimation of efavirenz in human plasma has been developed and validated. Chromatography was performed with C₁₈ analytical column and 50:50 acetonitrile–phosphate buffer (pH 3.5) as mobile phase. Compounds were monitored by UV detection at 247 nm. The retention time for efavirenz was 6.45 min and that for the internal standard, nelfinavir, was 2.042 min. Response was a linear over the concentration range of 0.1 μg–10 μg mL⁻¹ in human plasma. The method was simple, specific, precise and accurate and was useful for bioequivalence and pharmacokinetic studies of efavirenz.