Cascades of energy among the vibrational levels of diatomic molecules trapped in a rare gas matrix: With application to 12C16O(ν) in Ar

Energy stored in vibrational level ν = 1 of several individual dipolar diatomic molecules AB which are trapped in a rare gas matrix M is automatically accumulated in a higher level ν > 1 of a single molecule AB. This remarkable cascade of energy upwards competes with a cascade of energy downwards. the radiative decay. The interplay of both cascades, first observed by Dubost and Charneau, is explained a simple model. The model incorporates three processes into a master equation for the relative populations P_ν(t) of levels ν: (a) migration of single quanta by resonance energy transfer, AB(1) + AB(0) ? AB(0) + AB(1); (b) phonon assisted excitation of upper levels, AB(1) + AB(ν) → AB(0) + AB(ν+1); and (c) radiative decay, AB(ν) → AB(ν-1). The model assumes that there is only one isotopic species AB which has a small but nonzero vibrational anharmonicity, that the temperature is low, T → 0 K, the concentration ratio ?_M/?_AB is large and that, initially, at time t = 0, a small fraction p₁ of molecules AB is excited to level ν = 1. The master equation has only two parameters, the radiative lifetime t_rad and k  2/[?_AB?₁k(1,1 → 0,2)t_rad], where k(1,1 → 0,2) is the reference rate constant of process (b). The master equation is solved in closed form for the Pν(t). For t_rad = 14 ms and k = 0.2, very satisfactory qualitative agreement is found for the theoretical P_ν(t) and the experimental time evolution of the relative population of vibrational levels of ¹²C¹⁶O in an argon matrix, for ?_M/?_AB = 2000 at T = 9 K. In agreement with experimental results it is concluded that the risetime of the fluorescence signals decreases whereas population inversion increases for decreasing values of ?_M/?AB. At long times, t > t_rad, any population inversion should disappear.     

Mechanism of atomization at constant temperature in capacitive discharge graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

At constant temperature (isothermal) maintained throughout in the capacitive discharge technique, the measured absorbance at any time t due to concentration of analyte atoms can be given by: absorbance = p[A]₀{k₁/(k₁?k₂)}[exp(?k₂t)-exp(?k₁t)], where p is a function of the oscillator strength (a constant) and the efficiency with which the analyte atoms are produced, [A]₀ is the initial concentration of the analyte atoms, k₁ and k₂ are first-order rate constants for formation and decay of analyte atoms, respectively. This technique yields k₁?k₂ and k₁t?k₂t; and so the above equation reduces to: absorbance ?p[A]₀, resulting in large enhancement in sensitivity. In the case of lead, the immediate precursor of the gaseous lead monomer is the gaseous lead dimer, which is partly lost by diffusion of the lead dimer with a first-order rate constant, k₃. The kinetic parameters k₁, k₂ and k₃ have been evaluated, and the values of k₁ at different temperatures used to draw the Arrhenius plots, from which activation energies of the rate-determining steps have been determined. The activation energies have been used to elucidate atomization mechanisms by extensive correlation of the experimental energy values with the literature values.     

Kinetics of thermal decomposition of Co3O4 powder and single crystals

Kinetics of thermal decomposition in vacuum of Co₃O₄ powder as well as single crystals has been investigated. Discrepancies with the results of previous authors have been discussed. Decomposition of Co₃O₄ proceeds through formation of a compact layer of CoO and hence diffusion is the rate-limiting factor. The experimental curves α(t) be described for 0.05 < α < 0.85 using a modified Ginstling-Brounshtein equation: 1 ? 2α/3 ? (1 ? α)^2/3 = ktⁿ where the activation energy varies with the degree of decomposition.     

Thermokinetic analysis of the hydration process of calcium phosphate cement

A microcalorimeter (Setaram c-80) was used to study the thermokinetics of the hydration process of calcium phosphate cement (CPC), a biocompatible biomaterial used in bone repair. The hydration enthalpy was determined to be 35.8 J g^–1 at 37.0°C when up to 80 mg CPC was dissolved in 2 mL of citric buffer. In the present study, parameters related to time constants of the calorimeter were obtained by fitting the recorded thermal curves with the function θ=Ae^–?t(1– e^–?2t). The real thermogenetic curves were then retrieved with Tian function and the transformation rate of the hydration process of CPC was found to follow the equation α=1–[1–(0.0075t)³]³. The microstructures of the hydrated CPC were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The nano-scale flake microstructures are due to crystallization of calcium phosphate and they could contribute to the good biocompatibility and high bioactivity.     

Study of the pyrolysis of polystyrenes: I. Kinetics of thermal decomposition

The pyrolysis of polystyrene, studied by isothermal thermogravimetry in the temperature range 300–400°C, obeys the kinetic law dα/dτ = k(1 - α)[1 - α)^2b]^{$\text{1}\text{2}$} or dα/dτ = k(1 - α)tanh β, expressions in which b depends on temperature and (cosh β)^{$\text{1}\text{3}$} = 1 - α.In order to establish the validity of this law in the very large range 0.10 < α < 0.95, it was assumed that the pyrolysis is carried out in three steps: random initiation, depolymerization and termination by disproportionation or combination. In the kinetic expression the term tanh β is proportional to the concentration of radicals and represents the setting up of the steady state. The activation energies obtained for every step agree very well with those given in the literature, whereas the apparent activation energy of the global mechanism was found to be about 43 kcal mol^?1.     

Kinetics of high-intensity electron-beam polymerization of a divinyl urethane

The kinetics of high-intensity electron beam-induced polymerization of di(2′-methacryloxyethyl)-4-m-phenylenediurethane during the network formation has been studied up to complete gelation and up to 56% conversion of unsaturation. From experimentally determined gel fractions, rate of disappearance of unsaturation, kinetic chain length, and intensity dependence, it is proposed that the polymerization takes place in a swollen network where the growing chains undergo unimolecular termination, and where gel-gel reaction is prohibited. The rate expression derived is: In [α(1 ? g)^0.545] = In α0 ? 2.51 k_ik_pt/k_t where α is the total unsaturation and g is the gel fraction. The value of k_p/k_t is found to be 2.1 and that of G_R, the free radical yield per 100 eV absorbed, to be 16; these high values are ascribed to the high viscosity of the polymerizing system.     

Kinetic studies of colloidal crystallization of thermo-sensitive gel spheres of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)

Crystal growth rate coefficients, k of the colloidal crystallization of thermo-sensitive gel spheres of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) were measured from the time-resolved reflection spectroscopy mainly by the inverted mixing method in the deionized state. Crystallization of colloidal silica spheres were also measured for comparison. The k values of gel and silica systems increased sharply as the sphere concentration and suspension temperature increased. The k values of gel system were insensitive to the degree of cross-linking in the range from 10 to 2?mol% of cross-linker against amount of the monomer in mole and decreased sharply when the degree of cross-linking decreased further to 0.5?%. The k values increased as gel size increased. The k values of gel systems at 20?°C were small and observed only at the very high sphere concentration in volume fraction, whereas those at 45?°C were high but smaller than those of silica systems. Induction time (t _i) after which crystallization starts, increased as the degree of cross-linking increased and/or the gel size decreased at any temperatures, when comparison was made at the same gel concentration. The t _i values at 45?°C were high and decreased sharply with increasing sphere concentration, whereas those at 20?°C were high only at the very high sphere concentrations. Significant difference in the k and t _i values between the soft gels and hard silica spheres was clarified. These kinetic results support that the electrical double layers play an important role for the gel crystallization in addition to the excluded volume of gel spheres. It is deduced further that the electrical double layers of the gel system form from the vague interfaces (between soft gel and water phases) compared with those of typical colloidal hard sphere system.     

Electrode kinetic studies of single electron charge transfer redox couples using the faradaic rectification method

Three single electron charge transfer redox reactions have been studied using the faradaic rectification method. The kinetic parameters obtained for the ferricyanide-ferrocyanide redox couple are α=0.49, k_a⁰=12×10^?2 cm s^?1; for the chromic-chromous system α=0.47, k_a⁰=2×10^?3 cm s^?1 and for the titanic-titanous reaction α=0.49 and k_a^o=6×10^?4 cm s^?1 at 27°C.     

Kalorimetrische Untersuchungen der Umwandlungskinetik von Ketten in amorphem Schwefel

The transformation of the chains in the amorphous sulphur was investigated by calorimetric method at the temperature range from 288 to 303 K. The results satisfy the equationX=1?exp [?(kt)²] (X-transformation degree,t—time,k andz—constants). It was found that thez values increasevs. the temperature The activation energy is equal toE=21 kJ/mol with standard deviation 5 kJ/mol. The results were explained on the basis of the theory of the nucleation and the growth of the nuclei.     

A microcalorimetric method to determine antimicrobial effects of two bile acid derivatives on Staphylococcus aureus

Using microcalorimetry, the characteristic metabolic heat flow power-time curves of S. aureus growth affected by Ursodesoxycholic acid and Hyodeoxycholic acid were measured at 37?°C. The thermal-kinetic parameters such as, growth rate constant k, the maximum power output (P _m), the time corresponding to the maximum power output (t _p), total heat-production Q _t , half inhibitory concentration of the drugs (IC ₅₀) were calculated from the growth curves. For both HDCA and UDCA, with the increasing of concentration, k, P _m, and Q _t decreased, meanwhile, k?Cc fit a linear equation, t _p was prolonged correspondingly. Principle component analysis, the results indicated t _p might be the main parameter in evaluating the antibacterial activity of HDCA and UDCA in microcalorimetric method. Combining with t _p and IC ₅₀, the results revealed that the differences and trends of antibacterial activity of these bile acid derivatives were: HDCA?>?UDCA. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis showed that the ??-OH at C-3 and C-6 position at equal pace on the steroid nucleus enhanced the hydrophilicity of HDCA, which led to a stronger antibacterial effect than UDCA. In this study, a useful tool was provided to accurately evaluate the antibacterial effects of bile acid derivatives. The thermolysis curve recorded by microcalorimetry could provide a lot of kinetic and thermodynamic information for the study of growth process of living microbial, which could be helpful in the screening of high efficacy antibacterial agents.     

Radical-initiated homo- and copolymerization of α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone

The kinetics of α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone (α-MBL) homopolymerization was investigated in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) with azobis(isobutyronitrile) as initiator. The rate of polymerization (R_p) was expresed by R_p = k[AIBN]^0.54[α-MBL]^1.1 and the overall activation energy was calculated as 76.1 kJ/mol. Kinetic constants for α-MBL polymerization were obtained as follows: k_p/k_t^1/2 = 0.161 L^1/2 mol^?1/2·s^?1/2; 2fk_d = 2.18 × 10^?5 s^?1. The relative reactivity ratios of α-MBL(M₂) copolymerization with styrene (r₁ = 0.14, r₂ = 0.87) were obtained. Applying the Q–e scheme led to Q = 2.2 and e = 0.65. These Q and e values for α-MBL are higher than those for MMA     

Effet sterique sur les vitesses de transfert protonique: cyclohexanols substitues dans le dimethylsulfoxyde

Steric effects on proton transfer from, and to, hydroxylic oxygen have been studied in a series of seventeen α-methyl and a-benzyl cyclohexanols in anhydrous DMSO, under both acid and base catalysed conditions, using dynamic MNR techniques. The protonation rate constants (k₁ ? 10⁶ M^-1 s^-1 at 25°C) obey a Taft-Ingold relationship, containing only a steric contribution E_s = E_s^OH + E_s^α, where: E_s^OH = 0 or 0.15 for an axial or equatorial hydroxyl respectively and E_s^α = ?0.070 (or ?0.115) for substituting an α-hydrogen by a methyl (or benzyl) group. An equatorial hydroxylic function is therefore 40% more reactive than its axial homologue. These kinetic data are fairly consistent with structural information resulting from IR spectroscopy (v_co and v_OH vibrations) and from NMR (hydroxylic chemical shifts and coupling constants).     

Reverse pulse voltammetry in ec2 reactions: Electrochemistry of 1-alkyl-4-t-butylpyridinium ions

The applications of the reverse pulse method are extended in order to distinguish between different paths of electrodimerization. The method for determination of rate constants of the chemical reaction coupled with charge transfer (ec₂) is further developed. Measurements of K′_d vs. t_p provide valuable information for the determination of rate constants.The reverse pulse method is applied in the study of the electrodimerization of 1-alkyl-4-t-butylpyridinium ions (1-alkyl=?CH₃; ?CH₂CH₃; ?CH(CH ₃)₂) in acetonitrile. It is found that the electrodimerization mechanism is consistent with the sequence: Py⁺ + e = Py ? $\text{1}\text{2}$ Py₂. The formal potential E^o′ is measured directly for 1-CH(CH₃)₂, and indirectly for the other pyridium ions. All values are identical within experimental error (E^o′ = ?1.835 V vs. Ag/Ag⁺).The values of k_d and k_m are measured. With an increase in the size of the l-alkyl group, k_d decreases and k_m increases. This is consistent with the expected “stabilization” of the radicals due to the increase of the l-alkyl group size which hinders the dimerization site (2- and 6-positions).     

Determination of absolute rate constants for free radical polymerization of ethyl α-fluoroacrylate and characterization of the polymer

The absolute rate constants for propagation (k_p) and for termination (k_t) of ethyl α-fluoroacrylate (EFA) were determined by means of the rotating sector method; k_p = 1120 and k_t = 4.8 × 10⁸ L/mol.s at 30°C. The monomer reactivity ratios for the copolymerizations with various monomers were obtained. By combining the k_p values for EFA from the present study and those for common monomers with the monomer reactivity ratios, the absolute values of the rate constants for cross-propagations were also evaluated. Reactivities of EFA and poly(EFA) radical, being compared with those of methyl acrylate and its polymer radical, were found to be little affected by the α-fluoro substitution. Poly(EFA) prepared with the radical initiator was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Although the glass transition temperature obtained by DSC for poly(EFA) resembled that of poly(ethyl α-chloroacrylate), its TGA thermogram showed fast chain de polymerization to EFA that was distinct from complicated degradation of poly(ethyl α-chloroacrylate).     

Electron-cation recombination in rigid organic glasses: simulation of charge distribution and isothermal luminescence kinetics

Recent results on isothermal luminescence decays, observed from 10^?8 to 10⁴ s after irradiation of a rigid glass at 77 K, are interpreted in terms of tunnelling electron-ion recombination. After 10^?6 s, recombination of isolated pairs is dominant. Electron-ion distance distributions are obtained by computer simulation and used to calculate the corresponding decay kinetics I(t). I(t) ∝ t^?1.0 is found with realistic chosen parameters throughout the whole time range investigated experimentally, so that tunnelling recombination is quantitatively consistent with observation. Experimental study at shorter times (10^?8-10^?6 s) indicates a contribution from recombinations of pairs which are not isolated. A very simple computer simulation of these effects is proposed and shown to agree with experiment.     

proton transfers of substituted ammonium salts—XIII : N-inversion of piperidines in aqueous acidic solutions

The kinetics of the nitrogen inversion of 1,2-dimethyl-(2); 1,4-dimethyl-(8); 1-trans(2,6)-trimethyl-(4); 1,4-cis(2,6)-tetramethyl-(7) and 1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-(5)piperidines have been investigated in aqueous acidic solution (pH = 6.5–8.5) at 33° by dynamic NMR. In all cases, two isomeric cations AH⁺ and BH⁺ are observed in acidic conditions (pH<6?), and the nitrogen inversion is brought to the NMR time scale as a result of a progressive deprotonation of the cations into their conjugate amines on increasing the pH. Low rate constants K_A are obtained for α-substituted or unsubstituted compounds (k_A ?10³ s^?1), except for piperidine 5 where the rate constant k_A = 4.3 × 10⁵ s^?1 is of the same order of magnitude as the one found for tertiary acyclic amines.     

OH rotational quantum state distributions and relaxation efficiencies for the reaction system O(1D) + H2O → 2OH

The OH rotational distribution from O(¹D) + H₂O → 2OH is presented. The v' = 0 distribution corresponds to two Boltzmann distributions. ≈500 K (k = 1–6) and ≈2500 K (k ? 6). Rotational relaxation efficiencies for N₂, He, O₂ were ?0.1, ?0.1, ?0.4. More limited data are presented for the v' = 1 and 2 levels.     

Magnetic and structural properties of Cr1−tTitAs

The pseudobinary CrAsTiAs system has been investigated by X-ray and neutron diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements at temperatures between 10 and 1000 K. The phase diagram includes paramagnetic regions with the MnP-, NiAs-, and TiP-type structures and a low-temperature helimagnetic, MnP-type state for0.00 ≦ t ≦ 0.10 of Cr_1?tTi_tAs. The first-order para- to helimagnetic transition in Cr_1?tTi_tAs is accompanied by a hysteresis of 10–15 K. The results are discussed in relation to the findings for other Cr_1?tT_tAs(T =V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) andCrAs_1?xX_x (X = P, Sb, Se) phases.     

Analysis and physical significancy of the kinetic parameters associated with albumin adsorption onto glassy carbon obtained by electrochemical impedance measurements

The kinetics of albumin adsorption onto a glassy carbon rotating disk electrode in a phosphate buffer, is reported from the time variations of the double-layer capacitance C_d, of the charge transfer resistance R_t and of the Tafel coefficient of the electrochemical reaction b; these three electrical quantities are determined by electrochemical impedance and faradaic current I measurements. The variations of C_d, 1/R_t, b  (R_tI)⁻¹ and I can be written under the form: α₀ + α₁ e^−t/τ1 + α₂ e^−t/τ2, where α₀, α₁, α₂, τ₁, τ₂ characterize a given electrical quantity. We demonstrate that this type of variation validates a two-step adsorption mechanism already proposed, starting from simply taking into account C_d(t). We analyze and discuss comprehensively various possibilities of interpreting the shifts between the time-constants associated with thevarious quantities as well as the correlations between these constants and those associated with physical adsorption phenomena.     

Muonium chemistry: kinetics of the gas phase reaction Mu + F2 → MuF + F from 300 to 400 K

The MSR (muonium spin rotation) technique was used to measure the chemical reaction rate for Mu + F₂ → MuF + F in N₂ moderator at ≈ 1 atm from 295 to 383 K giving the Arrhenius expression: log₁₀k (?/mole s) = (10.83 ± 0.20) - (200 ± 50)/T, with k = (1.46 ± 0.11) × 10¹⁰ ?/mole s at 300 K. This is at least 6.8 times the room temperature rate constant for the analogous H atom reaction. The measured activation energy and enhancement over the H reaction rate are indicative of significant tunnelling in the Mu reaction, in agreement with the recent collinear quantum mechanical calculations of Connor et al.