Vibrations of a magnet levitated over a flat superconductor

Based on a dipole-dipole interaction model, we discuss the levitation force and related vibration problems to understand the effects of flux pinning in type-II superconductors, and the applications of levitation in superconducting systems.     

The effect of buoyancy on the weight gain signal in LEC crystal growth

Crystal diameter monitoring in liquid encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) growth using the weighing method is investigated. An analytical expression for the differential weight gain signal is derived for stationary growth conditions accounting for bouyancy. For the GaAs/B₂O₃ system the buoyancy component of the signal can easily amount to 30%. The formula can be applied to determine the crystal/melt interface area, provided the radius of the part emerging from the encapsulant is known, either in advance as the seed dimension, or by separate monitoring using, e.g., conventional optical methods.     

ALTERNATIVE MEASURES OF PHOTOSYSTEM II ELECTRON TRANSFER INHIBITION IN ANTHRAQUINONE-TREATED CHLOROPLASTS

We have previously used chlorophyll fluorescence measurements at Fmax conditions (i.e. with Photosystem II electron acceptor QA reduced) to monitor the action of 9,10-anthraquinones on photosynthetic electron transport in plant chloroplasts. The present investigation employs two additional techniques to characterize the extent of electron transport inhibition induced by the addition of substituted anthraquinones to the suspending medium of spinach chloroplasts. Results are presented for spectrophotometric assays of the rate of electron transfer to an exogenous electron acceptor, 2,6-dichloroindophenol (DCIP) and for electrochemical determinations of the rate of oxygen evolution in anthraquinone-treated chloroplasts. In general, amino-substituted anthraquinones are ineffective inhibitors, maintaining electron transfer rates to DCIP at levels ranging from 50 to 90% of normal rates and yielding rates of O2 evolution averaging at 70% of the rate in untreated chloroplasts. In contrast, hydroxy-substituted anthraquinones efficiently block Photosystem II electron transport, resulting in low rates of DCIP photoreduction ranging from 0 to 20% of normal values and reducing O2 evolution rates to an average of 30% of the rate observed for untreated chloroplasts. Relative rates of DCIP photoreduction for anthraquinone-treated chloroplasts show a strong linear correlation with the reported relative Fmax chlorophyll fluorescence intensities. Relative O2 evolution rates are observed to correlate with the Stern-Volmer fluorescence quenching parameter Ksv. We suggest that slight differences in the extent of inhibitory activity of an anthraquinone as measured by the three techniques are consistent with certain known Photosystem II heterogeneities. The similarities in relative rankings of inhibitory effects for the 9, 10-anthraquinones, however, demonstrate that the three techniques employed (measurements of Fmax chlorophyll fluorescence, DCIP photoreduction rates, and O2 evolution rates) are alternative assays of anthraquinone-induced Photosystem II electron transport inhibition.     

Electronic structure of the permanganate ion

The electronic structure of the permanganate ion has been investigated, using a semiquantitative LCAO MO method without empirical parameters. The atomic orbital basis set for the central ion has been varied systematically, and the effect of symmetric changes of bond distances has also been examined. In addition, calculations have been performed in which the regions around the ligands have been made more attractive for electrons, to simulate the presence of cations in solution and in the crystalline state. The electronic absorption spectrum of MnO ₄ ^– has been tentatively assigned, on the basis of predicted band shapes and transition energies.

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Zusammenfassung Die Elektronenstruktur des Permanganations wurde mit einer halbquantitativen LCAO-MO Methode ohne empirische Parameter behandelt. Die Zustandsfunktionen des Zentralatoms wurden variiert und der Einflu\ symmetrische Änderungen der BindungsabstÄnde untersucht. Um die Gegenwart von Kationen in Lösung und im Kristall zu simulieren, wurden daneben auch Rechnungen durchgeführt, bei denen einer stÄrkeren Elektronenanziehung durch die Liganden Rechnung getragen wird. Ferner wurde versucht, das Absorptionsspektrum von MnO ₄ ^– auf Grund der vorausgesagten Bandenform und übergangsenergien zu deuten.

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Résumé La structure électronique de l'ion permanganate est étudiée à l'aide d'une méthode LCAO MO semi-quantitative sans paramètres empiriques. La base d'orbitales atomiques pour l'ion central a été systématiquement variée et l'effet de changements symétriques des longueurs de liaison a été aussi examiné. Pour simuler la présence des cations dans la solution et dans le cristal on a fait des calculs dans lesquels la région autour des ligands était rendue plus attractive pour les électrons. Le spectre d'absorption de MnO ₄ ^–1 est interprété à l'aide des prédictions sur les formes des bandes et les énergies de transition.

     

SENSITIZED PHOTOOXYGENATION ACCORDING TO TYPE I MECHANISM (RADICAL MECHANISM) — PART III. EXPERIMENTS WITH CONTINUOUS ILLUMINATION

Abstract— The photochemical reaction in the system thionine (sensitizer), allylthiourea (ATU, acceptor), and oxygen was studied with continuous illumination. In oxygen-free aqueous solution thionine is photoreduced to leucothionine. With oxygen, however, a photooxygenation of the acceptor takes place. At the same time the quantum yield of the bleaching reaction of thionine decreases markedly in comparison with that of the oxygen-free solution. At about 100 sec after the beginning of illumination, the overall quantum yield of the bleaching reaction diminishes further because the leucothionine formed during the reaction now becomes transformed into thionine. The quantum yields do not change significantly over the range of oxygen concentrations studied (initial concentration 1 × 10^-5 to 5 × 10^-5 M ). In addition they are independent of the light intensity. The influence of the pH and the acceptor concentration were also investigated.
The sensitizer is not only bleached reductively, but is also partly destroyed by oxidation. The results are in agreement with the reaction scheme elucidated by flash photolysis measurements.
In accordance with this reaction scheme, the primary reaction (a) of the reductive bleaching of the sensitizer, (b) of the photooxygenation of the acceptor and (c) of the oxidative destruction of the sensitizer, is identical in all cases. This process is the redox reaction between the sensitizer triplet and the acceptor, where a semithionine and an ATU-radical are formed. The reaction represents an example of a Type I photooxygenation according to the notation of Gollnick.     

On-line SFE-GC for determination of PCBs in human milk and blood serum

On-line coupled supercritical fluid extraction and gas chromatography (SFE-GC) has been utilized for the determination of PCBs and other organochlorine compounds in human milk and blood serum. The procedure involved preconcentration of the sample on C₁₈-silica sorbent in an extraction cell: after precipitation of the proteins up to 20 ml of human milk was concentrated on 0.5 g of sorbent. Serum (up to 5 ml) was applied to the C₁₈ material without pretreatment. Basic alumina was utilized as a selective adsorbent for lipids in the on-line SFE-GC system. The method was used to analyze milk and serum spiked with 0.5 and 10 ng of Aroclor 1260 and the results compared with those obtained by liquid–liquid extraction of serum.