State selective laser photofragment spectroscopy of OH in the MPD of CH3OH in a molecular beam

The internal and recoil energy of OH from the IR MPD ofCH₃0H has been investigated under molecular-beam conditions by laser-induced fluorescence. The recoil energy has been obtained by Doppler spectroscopy. A Boltzmann-type distribution is found for rotation in v' = 0 and translation with temperatures T_rot = (630 ± 60) and T_kin = (400 ± 20) K.     

Isothermal kinetic analysis of the thermal decomposition of magnesium hydroxide using thermogravimetric data

In the present study, the kinetics of the thermal decomposition of magnesium hydroxide is investigated, using isothermal methods of kinetic analysis. For this purpose, experiments in thermogravimetric analyser were carried out in standard values of temperature (350°, 400°, 450° and 500°C) which resulted in weight loss percent as a function of time. The data were further modified to give fraction reacted ‘' versus time to be tested in various forms of ‘' functions. In order to determine the mechanism of the magnesium hydroxide decomposition and the form of the conversion function which governs the dehydroxylation of Mg(OH)₂, four different methods of isothermal kinetic analysis were used. Applying each of these methods to the data, it was concluded that the nucleation mechanism predominates the Mg(OH)₂, decomposition for all values of temperature tested; at 350°C the kinetic model which represents the experimental data is that of reaction at phase boundaries (random nucleation), F₁: ln(1−)=kt) while for the higher temperatures 400°, 450° and 500°C the kinetic equation of nucleation and development in two dimensions, A₂: [−ln (1−)]^1/2=kt was found to fit better the experimental results. The activation energy was evaluated applying two alternative methods; the Arrhenius plot, using maximum rates of reaction, from which the activation energy was evaluated to be 20.54 kcal/mol. An alternative method based on plots of ln t versus 1/T corresponding to the same value of ‘' gave values of 10.72, 13.82 and 16.31 kcal/mol for ‘' values of 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75, respectively.     

2-甲基呋喃分子激发态超快非绝热动力学

Excited-state dynamics of 2-methyl furan has been studied by femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron imaging. The molecule 2-methyl furan was simultaneously excited to the n=3 Rydberg series of S₁[¹A"(π3s)], ¹A'(π3p_x), ¹A"(π3p_y) and ¹A"(π3p_z) and the valence state of ¹A'(ππ^*) by two 400 nm photons and subsequently probed by two 800 nm photons. The average lifetime of the Rydberg series and the valence state was measured to be on the time scale of 50 fs by the time-dependent ion yield of the parent ion. Ultrafast internal conversions among these excited states were observed and extracted from the time-dependences of the photoelectron kinetic energy components of these excited states in the photoelectron kinetic energy spectra. Furthermore, it is identified that the ¹A'(ππ^*) state might play an important role in internal conversions among these excited states. The Rydberg-valence mixings, which result in numerous conical intersections, act as the driving force to accomplish such ultrafast internal conversions.     

A new singlet state of Te2

The 4067 Å line of the krypton-ion laser covers two transitions in the BO⁺_u-X O⁺_g system of ¹³⁰Te₂, R(36) in the 16-0 band and R(172) in the 18-0 band. Subsequent fluorescence has been recorded by Fourier transform spectrometry in the range 5900 to 15000 cm⁻¹. Many transitions, with v' in the range 0 to 47, have been assigned to a new system, B O⁺_u-b¹ ∑⁺_g, and vibrational and rotational constants for the new state have been derived. The value of T_e for b ^I∑_g⁺ is about 9600.2 cm⁻¹.     

Structure and shear orientation of a side chain liquid crystal polymer studied by small angle X-ray scattering

We have studied the structure and shear flow behaviour of a side chain liquid crystal polymer, namely P₁₂, in the smectic (SmA_d) phase. Simultaneous oscillatory shear and small angle X-ray scattering experiments showed that, as expected, the shearing of P₁₂ at high frequency and large strain amplitudes leads to the alignment of the smectic layer normals parallel to the neutral direction. It was also found that, on erasing the memory of the prior shear alignment through melting, P₁₂ can unexpectedly orient with the smectic layers perpendicular to the shear flow direction (b-configuration). We speculate that the b-configuration is adopted due to a counter-balance between the rather long spacer in P₁₂ which decouples mesogens from the backbone, and the oscillatory character of the shear applied to P₁₂.     

乙烯自由基A2A''(v'=0)←X2A'(v''=0)带的转动分析

通过193 nm光解丁烯酮分子产生乙烯基自由基(C₂H₃). 经射流冷却后, 用另一束激光光解C₂H₃, 生成的氢原子碎片经共振增强多光子电离(REMPI)过程, 记录氢离子信号随光解波长变化, 得到20020～20070 cm_-1范围内乙烯基激发的转动分辨光谱. 该谱对应于A²A'(v'=0)←X²A'(v'=0)跃迁的转动结构. 结合量子化学理论计算、光谱拟合以及前人的研究结果, 对该段光谱进行了完整的转动识别, 确定了40条转动谱线的位置. 由光谱拟合还得到A²A'(v'= 0 )能级的预解离寿命为3.3 ps, 且不依赖于转动量子数.     

X-ray diffraction, Raman study and electrical properties of the new mixed compound [Rb0.44(NH4)0.56]2HgCl4 · H2O

Differential scanning calorimetry of [Rb_0.44(NH₄)_0.56]₂HgCl₄ · H₂O material showed three anomalies at 340, 355 and 424 K, respectively. The room temperature phase has space group Pcma (a=8.433(1) Å, b=9.1817(9) Å and c=11.954(1)). Phase II (T=350 K) is disordered and exhibits orthorhombic symmetry (a=8.456(13), b=9.202(9) and c=12.011(10) Å). Hydrogen bonding, the nature and the degree of structure (dis)order and the mechanisms of the transitions are discussed. The dielectric constant ^′ at different frequencies and temperature revealed a phase transition at T=340 K related to NH₄⁺ reorientation and H⁺ diffusion, and a characteristic increase above 355 K, which might be due to loss of water of crystallization. Transport properties in this compound appear to be due to an Rb⁺/NH₄⁺ and H⁺ ions hopping mechanism.     

Rotational relaxation of homonuclear diatomic molecules by classical trajectory computation

The rotational relaxation times of molecular nitrogen and molecular chlorine have been obtained using an exact classical mechanical calculation and Wang Chang—Uhlenbeck's theory of polyatomic gases. The intermolecular potential used was an extended Lennard-Jones potential of the form V(R,_X1, _X2) = C₁₂R⁻¹² _1+b [P ₂(cos_X1)+P₂(cos_X2)]-C₆R⁻⁶ 1+ a[P₂(cos_X1) + P₂(cos_X2)]. Numerical results were obtained for a number ef values of the anisotropy parameters (a,b) for nitrogen and for a single set of values for chlorine. Comparison with experimental ultrasonic results for nitrogen gave very good agreement for (a,b) around (0.1, 0.7). Using a box-quantization procedure we have furthermore obtained detailed cross sections for inelastic collisions from which a surprisal analysis was carried out. The analysis showed that our results follow the exponential gap law of Polanyi, Ding and Woodall reasonably well although this law was suggested for atom—diatom collisions.     

The system CePO4–K3PO4

The phase diagram of the system CePO₄–K₃PO₄ has been determined based on investigations by differential thermal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, IR spectroscopy and optical microscopy. The system contains only one intermediate compound K₃Ce(PO₄)₂, which melts incongruently at (1500±20)°C. This compound is stable down to room temperature and exhibits a polymorphic transition at 1180°C. It was confirmed that the low-temperature form β-K₃Ce(PO₄)₂ crystallizes in a monoclinic system, space group P2₁/m with unit cell parameters a=9.579 (5), b=5.634 (6), c=7.468 (5) Å; =γ=90°, β=90.81 (3)°; V=403.083 Å³.     

Absorption spectrum of deuterated hydrazoic acid, DN3 in the microwave and millimeterwave regiont

Thirty b-type P, Q and R branch rotational transitions and nineteen a-type Q and R branch transitions have been detected and measured for the slightly asymmetric rotor molecule D¹⁴N₃ in the frequency range from 8 to 340 GHz. The information obtained from the analysis of the observed frequencies are greatly improved values of the K-dependent parameters A_O = 344746.589(64) MHz, and D_K = 92.242(33) MHz, refined values for the rotational constants B_O and C_O, a complete set of quartic centrifugal distortion constants and several sextic distortion constants. Both a and b components of the electric dipole moment were determined giving a total dipole moment of μ = 1.76(5) debye.     

TGBA phase in a series of propionates containing two stereocenters

A homologous series of chiral materials, (R)-2-pentyl (S)-2-(6-(4-(4'-alkoxyphenyl)benzoyloxy)-2-naphthyl)propionates (R,S)PmPBNP (m = 7-14), derived from a naphthalene ring as part of the core structure in conjunction with a chiral tail containing two stereocentres has been synthesized for the investigation. The twist grain boundary smectic A (TGB_A) and smectic C (TGB*_C) phases were characterized by the microscopic textures of compounds packed in two untreated glass slides, Cano wedge cell, or homogeneously aligned cell. It was found that the occurrence of these phases depend remarkably on the nature of alkyl chain length m; in the case of shorter alkyl chain length (m = 7-10), the TGB_A phase behaves as a metastable-like phase mediated between N and S_A phases in a short temperature range, whereas in the longer chain length (m' 11-14), both the TGB_A and TGB_C phases become thermodynamically stable phases with a wide temperature range. Consequently, this series of chiral materials resulted in two different mesophase sequences: N-TGB_A-S_A-S_Cand N-TGB_A-TGB_C. A kind of parquet texture displaying two types of domain with different relative directions of the smectic layer normal was found in the S phase from the materials (m = 9-14) packed in 2 μm homogeneously aligned cells and cooled down from the isotropic liquid without applying an electric field. The magnitudes of spontaneous polarization (P_s) in the S_C and TGB_C phases showed that the P_s values are nearly the same for all compounds at the same temperature below the Curie point. Dielectric measurements revealed no significant occurrence of soft mode switching in the TGB_A phase.     

Crystal structures and phase behaviour of acetaldehyde-d4: a study by high-resolution neutron powder diffraction and calorimetry

High-resolution neutron powder diffraction is particularly suited for structure solution and refinement of low-melting point organic crystals of moderate complexity. Here we present the ab initio structure solution and refinement of stable-phase and metastable-phase perdeuterated acetaldehyde (m.p.: 151 K). In the stable phase, the molecule crystallises in the space group P2₁/c (no. 14) with a=3.9069(1) Å, b=5.4224(1) Å, c=12.1868(1) Å, β=94.2970(2)° at 5 K, Z=4. In the metastable phase, the molecule crystallises in the space group Pna2₁ (no. 33) with a=5.1973(1) Å, b=6.9791(1) Å, c=6.9712(1) Å at 5 K, Z=4. The metastable to stable phase transition is characterised by heat capacity measurements.     

Equilibrium diagram of KPO3–Y(PO3)3 system, chemical preparation and characterization of KY(PO3)4

Microdifferential thermal analysis (μ-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy were used for the first time to investigate the liquidus and solidus relations in the KPO₃–Y(PO₃)₃ system. The only compound observed within the system was KY(PO₃)₄ melting incongruently at 1033 K. An eutectic appears at 13.5 mol% Y(PO₃)₃ at 935 K, the peritectic occurs at 1033 K and the phase transition for potassium polyphosphate KPO₃ was observed at 725 K. Three monoclinic allotropic phases of the single crystals were obtained. KY(PO₃)₄ polyphosphate has the P2₁ space group with lattice parameters: a=7.183(4) Å, b=8.351(6) Å, c=7.983(3) Å, β=91.75(3)° and Z=2 is isostructural with KNd(PO₃)₄. The second allotropic form of KY(PO₃)₄ belongs to the P2₁/n space group with lattice parameters: a=10.835(3) Å, b=9.003(2) Å, c=10.314(1) Å, β=106.09(7)° and Z=4 and is isostructural with TlNd(PO₃)₄. The IR absorption spectra of the two forms show a chain polyphosphates structure. The last modification of KYP₄O₁₂ crystallizes in the C2/c space group with lattice parameters: a=7.825(3) Å, b=12.537(4) Å, c=10.584(2) Å, β=110.22(7)° and Z=4 is isostructural with RbNdP₄O₁₂ and contains cyclic anions. The methods of chemical preparations, the determination of crystallographic data and IR spectra for these compounds are reported.     

Effect of the pH on the absorption spectrum of the isolated D1-D2-cytochrome b559 complex of photosystem II

The effect of pH on the Q_y absorption band has been studied in the isolated D1-D2-cytochrome b559 complex. The pH treatments are done on an ion-exchange chromatographic column. The absorption spectra at 77 K of the complex treated with acidic pH show irreversible loss of absorbance at both the blue and the red sides of the Q_y absorption band, with minima at 664.5 and 683.5 nm, respectively. These absorption changes are not accompanied by modifications in the Q_x absorption region characteristic of pheophytin pigments. Furthermore, the pigment composition of the D1-D2-cytochrome b559 complex remains unchanged after this treatment. The effects of basic pH are similar to those of acidic pH, but somewhat more pronounced. These results suggest that chlorophyll pigments absorbing at 664.5 and 683.5 nm are located on or close to the surface of the complex. Freezing/thawing cycle treatment first affects the band absorbing at 683.6 nm, indicating that it corresponds to the chlorophyll most exposed to the medium in the D1-D2-cytochrome b559 complex. At pH <5 a small reversible change at 672.5 nm is measured that correlates with a reversible change at 542 nm, indicating that inactive pheophytin a will absorb at this wavelength.     

Effect of combining rules for cubic equations of state on the prediction of double retrograde vaporization

In this work, the phenomenon of double retrograde vaporization (DRV) is simulated using the Peng–Robinson equation of state with the classical mixing rules and several combining rules for the cross-energy and cross-co-volume parameters. The binary interaction parameters are set equal to zero in all cases, i.e., the calculations are entirely predictive. An interesting conclusion is that the predictions using the classical combining rules (geometric mean rule for a_ij and arithmetic mean rule for b_ij) provide the best agreement with the experimental data for all the systems tested: methane + n-butane, methane + n-pentane, ethane + limonene, and ethane + linalool. Another interesting observation is that several combining rules for b_ij, other than the arithmetic mean rule, predict the existence of three phases in equilibrium in a very narrow temperature range close to the critical temperature of methane in the methane + n-pentane system, even though, literature data indicates that n-hexane is the first n-alkane to present partial liquid phase immiscibility with methane.     

Novel liquid crystalline structures of a chiral side chain polymer and its phase transitions

Two novel smectic bilayer structures have been identified in an enantiomerically enriched chiral side chain polymer containing the highly dipolar nitrile group at stereocentres. The structures were characterized by electron diffraction, electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. In both phases each smectic layer has a bilayer structure with backbones and spacers confined in a thin disordered region between two sublayers of mesogenic segments. One of the structures which we denote as CrE* has the unusual feature of having its side chains arranged parallel to the layer normal in spite of its enantiomeric bias and twisted nature. In the second structure side chains are tilted by 34.8° with respect to the layer normal and we denote this phase as CrH*_c In both structures each sublayer contains three different orientations of orthorhombic (CrE) or monoclinic (CrH*_c) lattices which are related to one another by rotations of ± 60° about the c-axis. In both the CrH*_c and the CrE* phases, lattices in each sublayer are regularly rotated about the c-axis by 5.9° relative to those in the adjacent sublayer. The observation of a chiral CrH phase is uncommon and in this specific case the structure is unique since the rotation between adjacent layers occurs about the sidechain axis (c-axis) (CrH*_c) and not about the layer normal (c-axis) (CrH*_c). We believe the system undergoes a change in molecular organization from CrH*_c to CrE* as a result of a chemical reaction which joins a fraction of the stereocentres through covalent bonds. With increasing temperature the CrE* structure was found to transform to a special orthorhombic untwisted smectic phase in which a = 31/2b, denoted here as CrE_h. The structure then transforms to a hexatic S_B phase and finally to a S_A phase at yet higher temperatures.     

Crystal structure of an epoxycembradienol, 3,15-epoxy-4-hydroxycembra-7(Z), 11(Z)-diene

The crystal structure of the title compound, C₂₀H₃₄O₂, has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods at 295 K from diffractometer data using direct methods and refined by least squares to a residual of 0.06 for 2152 “observed” reflections. Crystals are orthorhombic, P2₁2₁2₁, a = 32.770(8), b = 10.960(3), c = 10.850(3) Å, Z=8. The asymmetric unit comprises two independent molecules, both of which confirm the structure proposed in the preceding paper.     

Dynamics of 4,4'-di-n-heptylazoxybenzene (HAB) studied using dielectric and 2H NMR relaxation measurements

Results of studies of 4,4'-di-n-heptylazoxybenzene (HAB) in the isotropic, nematic and smectic A phases are presented. Two experimental methods were employed: broad band dielectric spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The complex dielectric permittivity, ε*(ω)=ε'(ω)-iε'(ω), was measured in the frequency range 1 kHz-4 GHz. This allowed two main relaxation processes to be separated in all the phases studied: the low frequency (l. f.) process connected with molecular reorientations around the short axes, and the high frequency (h. f.) process connected with the rotations around the long axes. The corresponding relaxation times and activation enthalpies were obtained. The l. f. relaxation time changes step-wise at the phase transitions, whereas the h. f. relaxation time passes smoothly through all the phases. The measurement of ²H spin-lattice relaxation times was carried out throughout the mesophase range at 61.38 MHz. These data were analysed together with the relaxation times measured at 10.00 and 46.04 MHz, available from previous studies. Using suitable theoretical models the principal components of the diffusional tensor, D_‖ and D_⊥, as well as the diffusion coefficients D_R relative to the internal rotation of the phenyl rings, were determined. The results of both studies are compared and discussed.     

Kossel diagrams of blue phases

CB15/E9 mixtures submitted to an electric field exhibit a tetragonal phase BPX, having a D¹⁰₄(I4₁22) symmetry and two hexagonal phases BPH^3d and BPH^2d The Kossel diagram technique allows us (a) to confirm the hexagonal symmetry of BPH^3d and to determine precisely its space group D²₆ (P6₂22) and (b) to study the field-induced phase transitions between BP II, BPX and BPH^3d. We show that the BP II → BPH^3d transition is a continuous deformation involving a dilatation in the field direction and a shear perpendicular to this direction. The BP II → BPX and BPX → BPH^3d transitions are discontinuous.     

Syntheses and crystal structures of 1,2:5,6:9,10:13,14:17,18:21,22-hexabenzo-3,7,11,15,19,23-hexadehydro[24]annulene (HBC), 1,2:5,6:9,10:13,14-tetrabenzo-3,7,11,15-tetradehydro[16]annulene (QBC) and a tetracobalt complex of QBC. The first example of a transition metal complex of QBC

1,2:5,6:9,10:13,14-Tetrabenzo-3,7,11,15-tetradehydro[16]annulene, or tetrabenzocyclyne (QBC) and 1,2:5,6:9,10:13,14:17,18:21,22-hexabenzo-3,7,11,15,19,23-hexadehydro[24]annulene (HBC) have been structurally characterized by X-ray. crystallography. QBC crystallizes in two different space groups; P2₁/c with a = 10.652(3) Å, b = 10.624(2) Å, c = 19.549(4) Å, β = 93.83(2)°, V = 2207.4(8) ų, and Z = 4 and P4₁2₁2 with a = 9.330(1) Å, c = 25.497(8) Å, V = 2219.6(12) Å, and Z = 4. HBC crystallizes in monoclinic P2₁/n with a = 14.763(3) Å, b = 10.296(2) Å, c = 22.057(4) Å, β = 108.61(3), V = 3177.4(11) ų, T = 133 K, and Z = 4. Reaction of QBC with dicobaltoctacarbonyl has produced a tetracobalt complex which has been characterized by X-ray crystallography. This complex crystallizes in monoclinic P2₁/c with a = 14.699(3) Å, b = 17.188(3) Å, c = 17.254(3) Å, β = 112.63(3)°, V = 4023.5(13) ų, and Z = 4. Only two of the four C---C triple bonds of QBC bind to dicobalthexacarbonyl moieties even when excess dicobaltoctacarbonyl is used.