Thermal analysis of salts from 4-nitrophenol and aliphatic amines

In this work, the thermodynamic performance of a single slope solar still with cotton cloth energy storage medium was compared with a simple solar still without energy storage. Two solar stills with similar dimensions (one with cotton cloth energy storage and another without energy storage) were fabricated and investigated its performance under the hot humid climatic conditions of Chennai in India during the summer months of 2017. The performance was evaluated in terms of energy and exergy analysis based on first and second law of thermodynamics, respectively, for 2 mm, 4 mm, 6 mm and 8 mm cotton cloth thickness. The results showed that the maximum energy and exergy efficiency of a solar still was observed to be 23.8% and 2.6%, respectively, for 6 mm cotton cloth thickness. The results confirmed that the cotton cloth regenerative medium has enhanced the still productivity by about 24.1% when compared to the solar still without heat storage.

     

Synthesis,characterization and thermal behaviour of solid-state 3-methoxybenzoates of heavy trivalent lanthanides and yttrium(III)

Solid-state Ln(L)₃ compounds, where Ln stands for trivalent Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu and Y, and L is 3-methoxybenzoate, have been synthesized. X-ray powder diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy, complexometry and elemental analysis were used to characterize the compounds. In order to study the thermal behaviour of these compounds simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used. The results provided information on the composition, dehydration, polymorphic transformation, thermal stability and thermal decomposition of the synthesized compounds.     

Thermoanalytical study of some anti-inflammatory analgesic agents

Thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as well as X-ray diffraction powder (DRX) patterns and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to study ketoprofen, ibuprofen, and naproxen. The chemical or physical properties of the studied compounds were established and when possible by X-ray powder diffractometry and/or infrared spectroscopy were used. In this investigation, quantum chemical approach was used to determine the molecular structures using Becke three-parameter hybrid method and the Lee–Yang–Par (LYP) correlation functional. The performed molecular calculations in this work were done using the Gaussian 03 routine. Theoretical calculations help in interpretations of FTIR spectra supplying structural and physicochemical parameters.     

Infrared spectroscopy and multivariate calibration to monitor stability quality parameters of biodiesel

This paper evaluates analytical methods based on near infrared (NIR) and middle infrared (MIR) spectroscopy and multivariate calibration to monitor the stability of biodiesel. There was a focus on three parameters: oxidative stability index, acid number and water content. Ethylic and methylic biodiesel from different feedstocks were used in experiments of accelerated aging, in order to take into account the wide variety of oilseeds and feedstocks available in Brazil. Partial least squares (PLS) and multiple linear regression (MLR) models were developed. Different pre-processing techniques and spectral variable/regions selection algorithms were evaluated. For MLR models, the successive projection algorithm (SPA) was employed. Interval PLS (iPLS) and selection of variables taking into account the significant regression coefficients were used for PLS models. Results showed that both near and middle infrared regions, and all variable selection methods tested were efficient for predicting these three important quality parameters of B100, the root mean squares error of prediction (RMSEP) values being comparable to the reproducibility of the corresponding standard method for each property investigated.     

Efficient solvent-free synthesis of thiazolidin-4-ones from phenylhydrazine and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine

An efficient solvent-free synthesis of thiazolidinones from reaction of mercaptoacetic acid, aldehydes (benzaldehyde and valeraldehyde) or ketones (cyclopentanone and cyclohexanone), and hydrazines (phenylhydrazine and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine) is reported. The compounds were generally characterized by spectroscopic techniques and specifically for 2-cyclohexanyl-3-(N-phenyl)-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one by X-ray crystallography.     

Characterization of the Quasi-Stationary State of an Impurity Driven by Monochromatic Light I: The Effective Theory

We consider an impurity (N-level atom) driven by monochromatic light in a host environment which is a fermionic thermal reservoir. The external light source is a time-periodic perturbation of the atomic Hamiltonian stimulating transitions between two atomic energy levels E ₁ and E _N and thus acts as an optical pump. The purpose of the present work is the analysis of the effective atomic dynamics resulting from the full microscopic time-evolution of the compound system. We prove, in particular, that the atomic dynamics of population relaxes for large times to a quasi-stationary state, that is, a stationary state up to small oscillations driven by the external light source. This state turns out to be uniquely determined by a balance condition. The latter is related to “generalized Einstein relations” of spontaneous/stimulated emission/absorption rates, which are conceptually similar to the phenomenological relations derived by Einstein in 1916. As an application we show from quantum mechanical first principles how an inversion of population of energy levels of an impurity in a crystal can appear. Our results are based on the spectral analysis of the generator of the evolution semigroup related to a non-autonomous Cauchy problem effectively describing the atomic dynamics.     

AC-Conductivity Measure from Heat Production of Free Fermions in Disordered Media

We extend (Bru et al. in J Math Phys 56:051901-1-51, 2015) in order to study the linear response of free fermions on the lattice within a (independently and identically distributed) random potential to a macroscopic electric field that is time- and space-dependent. We obtain the notion of a macroscopic AC-conductivity measure which only results from the second principle of thermodynamics. The latter corresponds here to the positivity of the heat production for cyclic processes on equilibrium states. Its Fourier transform is a continuous bounded function which is naturally called (macroscopic) conductivity. We additionally derive Green–Kubo relations involving time-correlations of bosonic fields coming from current fluctuations in the system. This is reminiscent of non-commutative central limit theorems.     

Okra as a drag reducer for high Reynolds numbers water flows

The capability of a mixture of okra fiber and mucilage as drag reducer in high Reynolds number flows through a pipeline, in which the flux is maintained by a centrifugal pump with controlled rotation, is analyzed. A DR close to the maximum drag reduction asymptote, which is obtained for polymeric additives, was achieved when concentrations around 1600 ppm were used. The loss of efficiency of the solution over the number of passes through the system was almost the same of that observed for rigid materials like Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum, which suggest that the main cause of a decreasing drag reduction is the de-aggregation instead of mechanical degradation, commonly observed in flexible polymers. As expected, the material degrades biologically, but it seems that it is not a great problem for open systems, since such a degradation is perceptible only after 24 h. We strongly believe that this new bio-drag reducer can be an alternative to synthetic polymers or other biopolymers, since it is extremely cheap and easy to be obtained.     

Evaluation of the SEBS copolymer in the compatibility of PP/ABS blends through mechanical,thermal, thermomechanical properties,and morphology

Polypropylene (PP) blends with acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) were prepared using the styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer (SEBS) as a compatibilizing agent. The blends were prepared in a co-rotational twin-screw extruder and injection molded. Torque rheometry, Izod impact strength, tensile strength, heat deflection temperature (HDT), differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, and scanning electron microscopy properties were investigated. The results showed that there was an increase in the torque of PA6/ABS blends with SEBS addition. The PP/ABS/SEBS (60/25/15%) blend showed significant improvement in impact strength, elongation at break, thermal stability, and HDT compared with neat PP. The elastic modulus and tensile strength have not been significantly reduced. The degree of crystallinity and the crystalline melting temperature increased, indicating a nucleating effect of ABS. The PP/ABS blends compatibilized with 12.5% and 15% SEBS presented morphology with well-distributed fine ABS particles with good interfacial adhesion. As a result, thermal stability has been improved over pure PP and the mechanical properties have been increased, especially impact strength. In general, the addition of the SEBS copolymer as the PP/ABS blend compatibilizer has the advantage of refining the blend's morphology, increasing its toughness and thermal stability, without jeopardizing other PP properties.     

An improved photothermal gas analyser: Monitoring of simultaneous thermal diffusivity and thermal effusivity

In this paper we describe a new, simple and fast photothermal method for characterizing simultaneously the thermal diffusivity and thermal effusivity. The improved PTGA essentially combines a photoacoustic cell and a thermal wave pyroelectric cell enclosed in a single compact gas analyzer. The photo- acoustic cell is kept filled with nitrogen and sealed. The pyroelectric cell is also filled with nitrogen and after some warm up time, the nitrogen is exchanged to the gas of interest. It is shown that the analysis of the transient and saturation signals of both photoacoustic and pyroelectric cells are capable of measuring the thermal properties with an accuracy of 5%. The measurements were performed for hydrocarbons as ethane and propane, which are combustible gases. Knowing thermal diffusivity and effusivity, others important properties can be determinate: the thermal conductivity and the volumetric thermal capacity.