Thermometric titrations at elevated temperatures

The oxidizing power of hexacyanoferrate(III) in alkaline conditions is wellknown. Unfortunately many if its oxidation reactions are too slow at room temperatures for direct titrimetric procedures. A method has been developed for the determination of millimolar amounts of selenium(IV), arsenic(III), antimony(III), chromium(III), and thallium(I) using thermometric titrimetry at approximately 330 K. The reproducibility and accuracy of the method are approximately 1%.     

Ethyl 2-chlorooxazole-4-carboxylate: a versatile intermediate for the synthesis of substituted oxazoles

[reaction: see text] By using a sequence of regiocontrolled halogenation and palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions, the synthesis of variously substituted oxazoles from ethyl 2-chlorooxazole-4-carboxylate (2) was accomplished. The methodology was applied to the synthesis of a series of 2,4-disubstituted, 2,5-disubstituted, and 2,4,5-trisubstituted oxazoles.     

Diodes as sensors in solution thermochemistry

The advantages of using diodes as thermal sensors in solution thermochemistry are discussed and a simple, low-cost circuit for the use of diodes as temperature sensors is reported. In preliminary studies, the titration of TRIS and hydrochloric acid is used to compare the precision of thermistors and diodes in thermometric titrimetry. Several systems are assayed at various temperatures by enthalpimetric methods to illustrate the advantages of diodes as sensors for monitoring thermal methods capable of being used in quality control system.     

Thermodynamics of polyether solutions

Measurements are reported of the vapor pressures and the heats and volumes of mixing of solutions of poly(ethylene glycol dimethyl ether) in chloroform and in carbon tetrachloride. The measurements have been used to calculate the thermodynamic mixing functions for mixing with zero volume change. These values have been compared with the predictions of the lattice theory of mixtures at three different levels of approximation, viz., the generalized “first approximation” theory of Barker, the “zeroth approximation” theory, and the Flory theory. In the hydrogen-bonding chloroform solutions the Barker theory is more successful than the other forms of the lattice theory. The results have also been used, in conjunction with those for solutions of poly(propylene glycol dimethyl ether) in the same two solvents, to test the ability of the Barker theory to correlate the properties of related systems. Good correlation is found between the two carbon tetrachloride solutions but not between the chloroform solutions. It is probable that the side-chain methyl groups in the propylene oxide repeating unit cause the hydrogen-bonding interaction to be weaker in this polymer than it is in the polymer with the ethylene oxide repeating unit.     

A general dual-bolus approach for quantitative DCE-MRI

Purpose

To present a dual-bolus technique for quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and show that it can give an arterial input function (AIF) measurement equivalent to that from a single-bolus protocol.

Methods

Five rabbits were imaged using a dual-bolus technique applicable for high-resolution DCE-MRI, incorporating a time resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) sequence for rapid temporal sampling. AIFs were measured from both the low-dose prebolus and the high-dose main bolus in the abdominal aorta. In one animal, TRICKS and fast spoiled gradient echo (FSPGR) acquisitions were compared.

Results

The scaled prebolus AIF was shown to match the main bolus AIF, with 95% confidence intervals overlapping for fits of gamma-variate functions to the first pass and linear fits to the washout phase, with the exception of one case. The AIFs measured using TRICKS and FSPGR were shown to be equivalent in one animal.

Conclusion

The proposed technique can capture even the rapid circulation kinetics in the rabbit aorta, and the scaled prebolus AIF is equivalent to the AIF from a high-dose injection. This allows separate measurements of the AIF and tissue uptake curves, meaning that each curve can then be acquired using a protocol tailored to its specific requirements.     

Effect of ultrasound on the encapsulation of titanium dioxide pigment

In this paper we describe the effect of 20 kHz power ultrasound on the encapsulation of titanium dioxide pigment with poly (methyl methacrylate) in an otherwise conventional emulsion-polymerisation process. In all instances, sonication of the reaction during the mixing period led to an improvement in the extent and uniformity of the coverage of the pigment. Low-power ultrasound produced a more uniform coverage than high-power ultrasound, but the latter provided greater particle dispersion.     

CdxHg(1−x)Te Alloy Colloidal Quantum Dots: Tuning Optical Properties from the Visible to Near‐Infrared by Ion Exchange

The energy gap between valence and conduction levels in colloidal semiconductor quantum dots can be tuned via the nanoparticle diameter when this is comparable to or less than the Bohr radius. In materials such as cadmium mercury telluride, which readily forms a single phase ternary alloy, this quantum confinement tuning can also be augmented by compositional tuning, which brings a further degree of freedom in the bandgap engineering. Here it is shown that compositional control of 2.3 nm diameter Cd_xHg_(1?x)Te nanocrystals by exchange of Hg²⁺ in place of Cd²⁺ ions can be used to tune their optical properties across a technologically useful range, from 500 nm to almost 1200 nm. Data on composition‐dependent changes in the optical properties are provided, including bandgap, extinction coefficient, emission energy and spectral shape, Stokes shift, quantum efficiency, and radiative lifetimes as the exchange process occurs, which are highly relevant for those seeking to use these technologically important QD materials.