An analysis of mean life and lifetime of unstable elementary particles

A theoretical analysis of the concept of lifetime and mean life of unstable elementary particles is presented. New analytic formulas for lifetime and mean life as a function of decay width and the mass of unstable particle are derived for Breit-Wigner and Matthews-Salam energy distributions. It is demonstrated that, for unstable particles with a larger width or decay energy threshold, the deviation from the generally accepted mean life ^m = ^–1 is significant. The behavior of the decay law P(t) for small times is analyzed, and it is shown that the Breit-Wigner distribution violates the condition P(t = 0) = 0, whereas the Matthews-Salam distribution satisfies it.     

Two-point Padé approximants for formal Stieltjes series

We prove that certain two-point Padé approximants occupying the diagonal of the Padé table form monotone sequences of lower and upper bounds uniformly converging to a Stieltjes function. The results can be applied to the theory of inhomogeneous media for the calculation of the bounds on the effective transport coefficients of heterogeneous materials.     

Duality transformations in electrodynamics

Electrodynamics admitting a duality transformation group is considered. For such an electrodynamics an extension of the classical Rainich-Misner-Wheeler theory is presented.On leave of absence from the University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.     

Steady states in the twin-well potential oscillator: Computer simulations and approximate analytical studies

The paper is focused on the phenomena of various steady-state oscillations exhibited by the twin-well potential system. Regions of existence of different attractors in the system parameter domain are examined and a picture book of different steady states for fixed damping and forcing is presented: 20 different combinations of single or coexisting, small orbit or large orbit, periodic and chaotic attractors are displayed. Computer simulations are followed by an approximate analytical analysis: A study of various forms of instability of periodic solutions gives close form approximate criteria for occurrence of T-periodic small orbit and large orbit oscillations, and for cross-well chaos.     

Solvated electron in liquid methanol. An example of a statistical species in chemistry

The methods of analysis of the statistical ensembles of trapping sites, before and after electron localization, for electrons in disordered media are surveyed. The review covers the computer-search methods for pre-existing traps in polar matrices, random field theory of disordered polar matrices and the path integral simulations of solvated electron. The common picture provided by all these methods is emphasized: the solvated electron is a unique in chemistry statistical species characterized by statistical distributions of the structural parameters, energy states, reactivity, etc. The numerical examples are provided by the simulations of the trapping sites and the solvated electron in liquid methanol.     

A study of condensation of trithiane hexaoxide with formaldehyde

The title reaction catalyzed by NaOH in aqueous media was studied. The oligomeric products formed are characterized in terms of their yield, structure, etc. The effects of reaction parameters and media are also discussed. The reaction mechanism is proposed. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Estimating the pore size distribution of activated carbons from adsorption data of different adsorbates by various methods

Experimental adsorption isotherms of four adsorbates (N2, Ar, C6H6, and CCl4) as well as adsorption enthalpy (C6H6 and CCl4) measured on two strictly microporous carbons are used to evaluate the porosity of adsorbents (i.e., pore size distributions (PSDs) and average pore diameter ( Lav )). The influence of the diameter of adsorbates ( dA) as well as of the temperature ( T ) is analyzed in order to explain the differences or similarities between the above-mentioned quantities for all systems. Proposed previously, the general relationships between the parameters of the Dubinin-Astakhov (DA) isotherm equation (the characteristic energy of adsorption ( E0 ) and the exponent of this equation ( n )) and the average slit-width of carbon micropores are investigated. Moreover, the thermodynamic verification of the Horvath-Kawazoe (HK) theory and the ND model is presented based on data of the adsorption and enthalpy of adsorption of benzene and carbon tetrachloride on two carbons. Finally, the pore diameters calculated from calorimetry data using the Everett and Powl method and those calculated applying the recently developed equations are compared. In our opinion the change of apparent PSD should be monitored by performing a series of isotherm measurements from high (equal and higher than room temperature) to low temperatures (ca. 77.5 K) as was presented in the current study. Moreover, the analysis of the experimental data leads to the conclusion that the entropy of C6H6 and CCl4 can approach to the values characteristic of quasi-solid (a partially ordered structure). Therefore, this behavior of the adsorbate should be taken into consideration in the theoretical assumptions of model and its thermodynamic verification.     

Non-Watson-Crick base pairing in RNA. quantum chemical analysis of the cis Watson-Crick/sugar edge base pair family

Large RNA molecules exhibit an astonishing variability of base-pairing patterns, while many of the RNA base-pairing families have no counterparts in DNA. The cis Watson-Crick/sugar edge (cis WC/SE) RNA base pairing is investigated by ab initio quantum chemical calculations. A detailed structural and energetic characterization of all 13 crystallographically detected members of this family is provided by means of B3LYP/6-31G and RIMP2/aug-cc-pVDZ calculations. Further, a prediction is made for the remaining 3 cis WC/SE base pairs which are yet to be seen in the experiments. The interaction energy calculations point at the key role of the 2'-OH group in stabilizing the sugar-base contact and predict all 16 cis WC/SE base-pairing patterns to be nearly isoenergetic. The perfect correlation of the main geometrical parameters in the gas-phase optimized and X-ray structures shows that the principle of isosteric substitutions in RNA is rooted from the intrinsic structural similarity of the isolated base pairs. The present quantum chemical calculations for the first time analyze base pairs involving the ribose 2'-OH group and unambiguously correlate the structural information known from experiments with the energetics of interactions. The calculations further show that the relative importance and absolute value of the dispersion energy in the cis WC/SE base pairs are enhanced compared to the standard base pairs. This may by an important factor contributing to the strength of such interactions when RNA folds in its polar environment. The calculations further demonstrate that the Cornell et al. force field commonly used in molecular modeling and simulations provides satisfactory performance for this type of RNA interactions.     

Solvent extraction and bulk liquid membrane transport of Co(II) and Ni(II) ammine cations by proton-ionizable crown ethers

Separation efficiencies and selectivities in solvent extraction of Co(II) and Ni(H) ammine cations from aqueous solutions into chloroform and toluene and in transport through bulk toluene membranes by proton-ionizable crown ethers have been determined. Six proton-ionizable crown ethers with differing lipophilicities, polyether cavity sizes and ionizable groups (carboxylic and sulfonic acid functions) were examined. Higher selectivity and efficiency for Co(II) ammine cation extraction was observed for the more lipophilic, proton-ionizable crown ethers. Highly lipophilic crown carboxylic acids provided effective and selective transport of Co(II) ammine cations through bulk toluene membranes.Presented in part at the 6th International Symposium on High Purity Materials in Science and Technology: Preparation, Characterization and Application of Well-Defined Materials, Dresden, GDR, May 1985, Poster D91, Poster Abstracts, pp. 144, 145.All extraction and transport experiments were conducted at this location.     

The Effect of the Catalyst Used on the Kinetics of Di-2-Ethylhexyl Maleate Synthesis

Kinetics of the esterification of maleic anhydride with 2-ethylhexanol in the presence of sulfuric acid, amphoteric tetrabutyl titanate or in the absence of external catalyst has been studied. The kinetic equations and kinetic parameters have been determined.