Magnetic and martensitic transitions in Ni-Fe-Ga alloy

The ferromagnetic shape memory alloy with nominal composition Ni₅₄Fe₁₉Ga₂₇ is investigated by Ac susceptibility and resistivity measurements. The alloy shows long-range ferromagnetic order below 290 K. The anomaly due to the martensitic transition is observed in the susceptibility and resistivity data in the temperature range around 220 K, which is associated with clear thermal hysteresis. Minor hysteresis loop technique was used to investigate the phase coexistence across the martensitic transition, and our analysis indicate that both martensite and austenite phases mutually coexist in the region of hysteresis.     

Working group report: Collider Physics

This is summary of the activities of the working group on collider physics in the IXth Workshop on High Energy Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP-9) held at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, India in January 2006. Some of the work subsequently done on these problems by the subgroups formed during the workshop is included in this report.     

Coupled channel description of O+Nd scattering around the Coulomb barrier using a complex microscopic potential

Angular distributions of elastic scattering and inelastic scattering from 2⁺₁ state are measured for ¹⁶O+^142,144,146Nd systems at several energies in the vicinity of the Coulomb barrier. The angular distributions are systematically analyzed in coupled channel framework. Renormalized double folded real optical and coupling potentials with DDM3Y interaction have been used in the calculation. Relevant nuclear densities needed to generate the potentials are derived from shell model wavefunctions. A truncated shell model calculation has been performed and the calculated energy levels are compared with the experimental ones. To simulate the absorption, a ‘hybrid’ approach is adopted. The contribution to the imaginary potential of couplings to the inelastic channels, other than the 2⁺₁ target excitation channel, is calculated in the Feshbach formalism. This calculated imaginary potential along with a short ranged volume Woods–Saxon potential to simulate the absorption in fusion channel reproduces the angular distributions for ¹⁶O+¹⁴⁶Nd quite well. But for ¹⁶O+^142,144Nd systems additional surface absorption is found to be necessary to fit the angular distribution data. The variations of this additional absorption term with incident energy and the mass of the target are explored.     

Working group report: Flavor physics and model building

This is the report of flavor physics and model building working group at WHEPP-9. While activites in flavor physics have been mainly focused on B-physics, those in model building have been primarily devoted to neutrino physics. We present summary of working group discussions carried out during the workshop in the above fields, and also briefly review the progress made in some projects subsequently.     

Circular-paper chromatography in the separation of ions : Separation of precious metals

A. circular-paper Chromatographie method for separating the precious metals Pd⁺², Pt⁺⁴, l^r+4. Rh⁺³, Ru⁺³, Os⁺⁴ and Au⁺³, using several solvent mixtures with or without complexing agents, has been studied. Mixtures of microamounts of three or four of these metals can be effectively separated into distinct circular zones within one or two hours.     

Gravimetric separation of titanium and zirconium from Niobium with Phenylacetylhydroxamic acid

Phenylacetylhydroxamic acid is used to separate titanium and zirconium from niobium in an oxalate medium at pH 6.5–7.5 in presence of ammonium chloride at room temperature. The method is accurate when the ratio of (TiO₂ + ZrO₂) : Nb₂O₅ is 10 : 1 to 1 : 1 ; when the niobium concentration is higher, reprecipitation is necessary. Tantalum, citrate, tartrate, lactic acid, EDTA, and a large excess of oxalate interfere.     

Isoperthiocyanic acid (3-amino-5-thione-l, 2, 4-dithiazole) as a new reagent for the selective detection of nitrite ion

Summary A new, simple, and selective test is described for the detection of nitrite ion with isoperthiocyanic acid (I) as the reagent. The test is based on the reaction of a 5% solution ofI with the nitrite ion solution, a deep orange precipitate being formed. Conversely, the test can be used in the identification ofI itself. Presumably, the coloured product is 3-hydroxy-5-thione-1, 2, 4-dithiazole, formed by the action of nitrous acid (producedin situ by the action of sulphuric acid and nitrite) on the 3-amino group ofI. The limit of detection is 300g of NO₂ ^– in a drop (0.05 ml). Most anions (including IO₃ ^–) do not interfere. Only I^–, thiourea, and hydrogen peroxide interfere; S₂O₃ ^2– interferes only when present in large amounts.

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Zusammenfassung Ein neuer, einfacher und selektiver Nachweis von Nitrit mit Isoperthio cyansäure (I) wurde beschrieben. Er beruht auf der Umsetzung einer 5% igen Lösung von I mit Nitritlösung, wobei ein tief orange gefärbter Niederschlag entsteht. Umgekehrt kann die Reaktion auch zum Nachweis von I dienen. Vermutlich handelt es sich bei dem gefarbten Produkt um 3-Hydroxy-5-thion-1, 2, 4-dithiazol, das durch Einwirkung der salpetrigen Säure auf die 3-Aminogruppe von I entsteht. Die Erfassungsgrenze betragt 300g NO₂ ^–im Tropfen (0,05 ml). Die meisten Anionen (inklusive JO₃ ^–) stören nicht. Nur J^–, Thioharnstoff und H₂O₂ stören; Thiosulfat stört nur in großen Mengen.

     

The spectrophotometry and solvent-extraction behaviour of iron(III), vanadium(IV and V) and titanium(IV) chelates of 1-(o-carboxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-3-methyltriazene

l-(o-Carboxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-3-methyltriazene is proposed as an excellent reagent for the spectrophotometric determination of iron(III) and titanium(IV), and also for the separation of titanium from a large quantity of iron as well as other cations and anions. Iron(III) forms an anionic violet 1:2 complex at pH 4.0–9.4, and a cationic green 1:1 complex at pH 1.5–2.0, with absorption maxima at 570 nm and 660 nm, respectively. The violet complex is quantitatively extracted in chloroform containing n-octylamine at pH 3.0–9.0. The green and the violet iron(III) complexes obey Beer's law, the respective optimal ranges being 8.9–35.8 and 3.9–11.2 p.p.m. The yellow titanium chelate extracted into chloroform (absorption maximum at 410 nm) between pH 1.0 and 3.5, can be re-extracted into concentrated sulphuric acid a violet colour being produced with absorption maximum at 530 nm. Beer's law is obeyed in the ranges 0.8–5.7 p.p.m. for the titanium complex in chloroform and 3.4–19.2 p.p.m. when extracted in concentrated sulphuric acid. Interferences from diverse ions are not severe. Procedures for the separation and determination of titanium in the presence of a large quantity of iron are given. The isolation of the iron(III) and vanadium(IV and V) complexes, and their properties, are described.     

Chemical reaction studies in CH4/Ar and CH4/N2 gas mixtures of a dielectric barrier discharge

Chemical reactions in a dielectric barrier discharge at medium pressure of 250-300 mbar have been studied in CH(4)/Ar and CH(4)/N(2) gas mixtures by means of mass spectrometry. The main reaction scheme is production of H(2) by fragmentation of CH(4), but also production of higher order hydrocarbon molecules such as C(n)H(m) with n up to 9 including formation of different functional CN groups is observed. Formation of C(2)H(2), C(2)H(4), and C(2)H(6) molecules has been investigated in some detail. Significant differences are noted in comparison to a theoretical estimate.     

All-trans-N-retinylidenetryptamine Schiff base in surfactant solubilized water pools in heptane—a fluorescence study

All-trns-N-retinylidenetryptamine Schiff base was incorporated into aerosol-OT (AOT, sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulphosuccinate)/heptane reverse micelles. This micellar system was used as a model to study the retinal-tryptophan interactions in retinal proteins. The retinylidene Schiff base remains stable in the presence of reverse micelle-solubilized water pools. Partition coefficient and microviscosity measurements show that the Schiff base is located in the micellar interphase. The results are discussed in terms of the interaction between the retinylidene chromophore and the active site environment of rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin. In the present model, the quencher and emitting units are covalently attached, and are separated by two carbon spacer units. The fluorescence emission data obtained for the micelle-intercalated Schiff base chromophore are compared with the fluorescence of the native protein and intermediates in the photochemical cycle of bacteriofhodopsin. A comparison of the data obtained for tryptamine and the Schiff base with the results available for bacteriorhodopsin and bacterioopsin reveals that there is a large degree of quenching on intercalation of the retinylidene chromophore in the vicinity of the fluorophore. Evidence provided by this model suggests that energy transfer to retinal can occur from tryptophan residues located in the retinal pocket in the native protein. Thus the retinylidene unit can act as a quencher of the energy of tryptophan, the nature and extent of which may depend on the conformation and relative orientation of the protein-bound fluorophore.