Specific features of vowel-like signals of white whales

The set of acoustic signals of White-Sea white whales comprises about 70 types of signals. Six of them occur most often and constitute 75% of the total number of signals produced by these animals. According to behavioral reactions, white whales distinguish each other by acoustic signals, which is also typical of other animal species and humans. To investigate this phenomenon, signals perceived as vowel-like sounds of speech, including sounds perceived as a “bleat,” were chosen A sample of 480 signals recorded in June and July, 2000, in the White Sea within a reproductive assemblage of white whales near the Large Solovetskii Island was studied. Signals were recorded on a digital data carrier (a SONY minidisk) in the frequency range of 0.06–20 kHz. The purpose of the study was to reveal the perceptive and acoustic features specific to individual animals. The study was carried out using the methods of structural analysis of vocal speech that are employed in lingual criminalistics to identify a speaking person. It was demonstrated that this approach allows one to group the signals by coincident perceptive and acoustic parameters with assigning individual attributes to single parameters. This provided an opportunity to separate conditionally about 40 different sources of acoustic signals according to the totality of coincidences, which corresponded to the number of white whales observed visually. Thus, the application of this method proves to be very promising for the acoustic identification of white whales and other marine mammals, this possibility being very important for biology.     

Hetrocyclic Thiones and Their Analogs in Reactions of 1,3-Dipolar Addition: VI. Reactions of Thiazoline-2-thione with Nitrile Imines

Reactions of thiazoline-2-thione with C,N-disubstituted nitrile imines were investigated. The reaction products are substituted 2-(1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-ylideneamino)ethanethiols and bis[2-(1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-ylideneamino)ethyl] disulfides. The reaction of thiazoline-2-thione with a double excess of nitrile imine did not considerably change the process route. The structure of compounds obtained was proved by X-ray diffraction analysis. A presumable scheme is given describing the formation of compounds obtained.__________Translated from Zhurnal Organicheskoi Khimii, Vol. 41, No. 5, 2005, pp. 776–782.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Firsova, Dolgushina, Polukeev, Ioannisyan, Zavodnik, Stash, Bel’skii, Galishev.     

Highly efficient redox isomerization of allylic alcohols at ambient temperature catalyzed by novel ruthenium-cyclopentadienyl complexes--new insight into the mechanism

A range of ruthenium cyclopentadienyl (Cp) complexes have been prepared and used for isomerization of allylic alcohols to the corresponding saturated carbonyl compounds. Complexes bearing CO ligands show higher activity than those with PPh3 ligands. The isomerization rate is highly affected by the substituents on the Cp ring. Tetra(phenyl)methyl-substituted catalysts rapidly isomerize allylic alcohols under very mild reaction conditions (ambient temperature) with short reaction times. Substituted allylic alcohols have been isomerized by employing Ru-Cp complexes. A study of the isomerization catalyzed by [Ru(Ph5Cp)(CO)2H] (14) indicates that the isomerization catalyzed by ruthenium hydrides partly follows a different mechanism than that of ruthenium halides activated by KOtBu. Furthermore, the lack of ketone exchange when the isomerization was performed in the presence of an unsaturated ketone (1 equiv), different from that obtained by dehydrogenation of the starting allylic alcohol, supports a mechanism in which the isomerization takes place within the coordination sphere of the ruthenium catalyst.     

Unusual volumetric and hydration behavior of the catanionic system sodium undecenoate: sodecyltrimethylammonium bromide

Following the studies on the effect of double bonds in the surfactant hydrophobic tail on the formation of mixed surfactant aggregates, we studied the viscosity and density of the system Sodium 10-undecenoate (SUD)–decyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB)–water. We found that the partial molar volume (pmv) and intrinsic viscosity of both, micellised and unmicellised mixtures, are non-ideal, dependent on the mixture composition and related to structural changes in micelles. These phenomena are caused by the presence of the double bond at the distal extreme of the SUD molecule, which has some affinity with water by formation of hydrogen bonds. In particular, as far as we know, this is the first report on non-ideal behavior of the pmv in mixed micelles.     

The aqueous cationic system sodium undecenoate-dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide at low concentration

The aqueous sodium undecenoate (SUD) –dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) catanionic system was studied at low concentration. The system did not precipitate, even at a 1:1 SUD:DTAB proportion, but showed the formation of a coacervate in a range of surfactant mixture compositions. Micelles have a preferential composition of 0.37 mole fraction of SUD. This behavior is attributed to the presence of the double bond at the distal extreme of the SUD molecule, which can form hydrogen bonds with water. Consequently, the –CH=CH₂ group is situated at the interface between the hydrocarbon micelle core and water, reducing the interfacial free energy. Structural computations demonstrate that the mentioned SUD proportion produces complete coverage of the micelle surface by the double bonds.     

Membrane extraction of pertechnetate with quaternary ammonium salts comparison with solvent extraction

The liquid membrane extraction (MX) and the solvent extraction (SX) of pertechnetate with Aliquat 336 as a carrier has been studied. From the results of SX the percentage of pertechnetate in the inner solution in experiment with LM was proposed. It has been found that the pertraction of pertechnetate depends on the inner solution used and the most effective solutions were those with ClO ₄ ^– and SCN^–. Effects of the carrier concentration in membranes and outer phase composition have been studied too. The results of these experiments were kinetic curves with a minimum, which may be interpreted as a result of competing processes in the systems.     

The synthesis of thienocycloheptenoindoles

A synthesis of the methylthieno[3,2-c]cyclohepteno[b]indole 7 from 2-methylthieno[3,2-b]cycloheptanone 3 is described. Unsuccessful attempts to prepare the isomeric thienocycloheptenoindole system present in formula 2 , from the dihydrobenzothiophenone 8 , and from derivatives of 5-(2-thienyl)-4-oxopentanoic acid, 17 and 18 , and from N-benzylcycloheptindol-1-one 22 were unsuccessful. The preparation of 4,5-dihydro-2-phenyl-1-thienylmethyl-3H-pyridazin-3-one 20 and of the 5-aminopyrazole 21 are reported.     

Electrosynthesis of 3-chloro-1,4-disubstituted-2(1H)- quinolinones and 3,3-dichloro-4-hydroxy-1,4-disubstituted- 3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolinones,as well as a new convenient process to dioxindoles

Cathodic reduction of N-(2-acyl(or aroyl)phenyl)-2,2,2,-trichloro-N-alkylacetamide at -1.2 V (vs SCE) under aprotic conditions yields 3-chloro-1,4-disubstituted-2(1H)-quinolinones (1) as the major product. When the reaction is carried out at -0.8 V (vs SCE), 3,3-dichloro-4-hydroxy-1,4-disubstituted-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolinones (2) and 1,4-disubstituted-1,4-dihydro-quinoline-2,3-dione (3) are formed. Ring contraction of 2 and 3 in aqueous sodium hydroxide resulted in the formation of 3-hydroxy-1,3-dihydroindol-2-ones (5). The most plausible reaction mechanisms are proposed.