Kinetics and mechanism of glucose electrooxidation on different electrode-catalysts: Part II. Effect of the nature of the electrode and the electrooxidation mechanism

A comparative study has been made of glucose electrooxidation on electrodes made of metals of group VIII, Ag, Au, Cu and glassy carbon as well as of phthalocyanines and porphyrins of cobalt, manganese and iron. It is found that considerable electrooxidation currents are observed for iridium and rhodium (group VIII), and for gold and copper (the copper subgroup). In neutral and alkaline solutions, glucose electrooxidation rates on gold considerably exceed those on platinum.Investigations have been carried out into the main regularities of glucose electrooxidation on a gold electrode in a wide range of potentials, glucose concentrations and pH values. The effect of chloride ions, gluconic acid and amino acids on glucose electrooxidation on gold have been studied.Proceeding from the direct comparison of adsorption data with polarization data obtained under the same conditions, a mechanism of glucose electrooxidation on platinum has been suggested. It is also shown that the mechanism of glucose electrooxidation on gold is similar, in many respects, to that on platinum.     

Laser-induced thermal diffusion

Selective absorption of laser photons was studied for the separation of a gaseous mixture by laser-induced thermal diffusion. It was found that the separation factor depends on the gas pressure in a way similar to that for normal thermal diffusion processes.     

Improvements in loop atomic absorption spectrometry by application of an iridium loop and a ceramic collection tube

Atomic absorption spectrometry with a metal loop for sample introduction into the flame can be improved by substituting indium for platinum as the loop material. Because of the higher melting point of iridium, elements such as silver, copper and manganese can be readily determined as well as more volatile elements. When a ceramic collection tube is used, limits of detection can be improved further.     

Generation of Iron Atoms in the Gas Phase by Microwave‐Induced Plasma Afterglows

A fast‐flow reactor technique is described by which Fe atoms can be produced in the gas phase in the afterglow of microwave‐induced plasmas in hydrogen/argon and hydrogen/helium mixtures. When the iron salt FeCl₃(s) was brought into the gas phase by thermal sublimation at temperatures between 360 and 405 K, it was partly converted to Fe atoms by reaction of the gaseous compounds Fe_xCl_3x(g) with hydrogen atoms. The Fe atoms were detected by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). It was shown that sublimation of the salt is the rate‐determining step of the overall plasma‐afterglow atomisation process. Experimental conditions for the generation of Fe atoms suited to kinetic studies start at a temperature of 303 K. In the downstream region the concentration of Fe atoms decays due to diffusion to the reactor wall. Binary diffusion coefficients D_Fe/Ar and D_Fe/He of 231.5±6.6 and 370.0±15.5 cm² s^?1 Torr at 303 K, respectively, were determined.     

Theoretical analysis of atom formation-time curves for the HGA-74 furnace—II: Evaluation of the atomisation mechanisms Mn,Cr and Pb

In this study, a novel approach was used in the evaluation of the atomisation mechanisms of Mn, Cr and Pb. The atomisation process was considered as first order kinetics. The effect of the heating rates, chemical form of analyte, gas flow and analyte mass on the atomisation mechanisms of these elements were investigated. The major pathways leading to gaseous atoms have been found to be the thermal dissociation of the metal oxide and reduction of the metal oxide followed by the vaporisation of free metal.     

在确定的热力学状态下测量气体导热系数与黏度

气体的导热系数和黏度是重要的热物性参数,其数值大小取决于所处的热力学状态。在目前的导热系数和黏度主要测量方法中,待测工质在测量时需经历非定常的过程或处于具有物性梯度的非平衡态之下,使得待测工质的物性在时间或者空间上不处于一个确定的热力学状态。本文利用圆柱定程干涉法,通过分析气体导热系数和黏度导致的声波能量耗散,结合气体输运理论中对稀疏气体的描述,探索了在确定的热力学状态下同时测量气体导热系数和黏度的方法,并以氩(Ar)为例进行了实验验证。测量结果与已有文献一致性较好,初步证实了方法的可行性。     

Structure and extinction of counterflow diffusion flames above condensed fuels: Comparison between poly(methyl methacrylate) and its liquid monomer,both burning in nitrogen–air mixtures

Since poly(methyl methacrylate) is known to depolymerize largely to its monomer when heated, the chemical kinetics in the gaseous diffusion flame produced by this polymer in a fire may coincide with that of burning liquid methyl methacrylate. To test this hypothesis, flat diffusion flames were probed and extinguished adjacent to surfaces of each of these fuels. Profiles of temperature and of concentrations of stable chemical species are reported, as are gas velocities of approach flow required to produce extinction for various oxygen/nitrogen ratios of the stream. Results revealed structural differences attributable to differing thermal properties of the fuels. Many fuel species were observed in the gas phase, their profiles being partially rationalized on the basis of a suggested decomposition mechanism for gaseous methyl methacrylate. Overall kinetic parameters for gasphase combustion, obtained by use of extinction results in a previously developed theory, are nearly the same for the polymer and monomer but appear to differ by amounts exceeding experimental uncertainties. It is suggested that this may be traced to small differences in fuel species leaving the condensed phase which, for the polymer, is covered by a thin, two-phase region.     

Low-temperature catalytic decomposition of hydrogen sulfide into hydrogen and diatomic gaseous sulfur

The thermodynamics of three pathways of the hydrogen sulfide decomposition reaction is considered. In the thermal process, the gas-phase dissociation of hydrogen sulfide yields hydrogen and diatomic singlet sulfur. Over sulfide catalysts, the reaction proceeds via the formation of disulfane (H₂S₂) as the key surface intermediate. This intermediate then decomposes to release hydrogen into the gas phase, and adsorbed singlet sulfur recombines into cyclooctasulfur. Over metal catalysts, H₂S decomposes via dissociation into surface atoms followed by the formation of gaseous hydrogen and gaseous triplet disulfur. The last two pathways are thermodynamically forbidden in the gas phase and can take place at room temperature only on the surface of a catalyst. An alternative mechanism is suggested for hydrogen sulfide assimilation in the chemosynthesis process involving sulfur bacteria. To shift the hydrogen sulfide decomposition equilibrium toward the target product (hydrogen), it is suggested that the reaction should be conducted at room temperature as a three-phase process over a solid catalyst under a layer of a solvent that can dissolve hydrogen sulfide and sulfur. In this case, it is possible to attain an H₂S conversion close to 100%. Therefore, hydrogen sulfide can be considered as an inexhaustible source of hydrogen, a valuable chemical and an environmentally friendly energetic product.     

A comparative study of Ir/Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>, Pt/Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>, and Ru/Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalysts in selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde

Catalytic performance of gallia-supported iridium catalysts in the reaction of selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde in the gas phase was studied and compared to that of platinum and ruthenium catalysts. The best catalytic properties in terms of the selectivity to crotyl alcohol are shown by 5 wt % Pt/α-Ga₂O₃ and 5 wt % Ir/α-Ga₂O₃ catalysts prepared from nonchlorine precursors: Pt(acac)₂ and Ir(acac)₃, but for the 5 wt % Pt/α-Ga₂O₃ a very high selectivity of 75% at the high conversion (ca. 60%) is observed. A high selectivity of galia-supported iridium and platinum catalysts was explained by the surface reducibility of gallium oxide leading to covering (decoration) of platinum and iridium by gallium suboxides and the promoting effect of gallium.     

Determination of platinum and iridium in reforming catalysts by second derivative and absorptiometric spectrophotometry

Summary Investigations on the spectrophotometric determination of platinum as a complex formed by tin(II)chloride in hydrochloric acid are reported. The determination of platinum was found to be interfered with by iridium, because it also forms a complex with tin(II) chloride. The features of the derivative absorption spectrophotometry for the quantitative determination of platinum and iridium was also studied. The analytical application of the method for the determination of platinum and iridium in catalysts was investigated.     

Evidence that water can reduce the kinetic stability of protein-hydrophobic ligand interactions

The first quantitative comparison of the thermal dissociation rate constants measured for protein-ligand complexes in their hydrated and dehydrated states is described. Rate constants, measured using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, are reported for the dissociation of the 1:1 complexes of bovine β-lactoglobulin (Lg) with the fatty acids (FA), palmitic acid (PA), and stearic acid (SA), in aqueous solution at pH 8 and at temperatures ranging from 5 to 45 °C. The rate constants are compared to values determined from time-resolved blackbody infrared radiative dissociation measurements for the gaseous deprotonated (Lg+FA)(n-) ions, where n = 6 and 7, at temperatures ranging from 25 to 66 °C. Notably, the hydrated (Lg+PA) complex is kinetically less stable than the corresponding gas phase (Lg+PA)(n-) ions at all temperatures investigated; the hydrated (Lg+SA) complex is kinetically less stable than the gaseous (Lg+SA)(n-) ions at temperatures <45 °C. The greater kinetic stability of the gaseous (Lg+FA)(n-) ions originates from significantly larger, by 11-12 kcal mol(-1), E(a) values. It is proposed that the differences in the dissociation E(a) values measured in solution and the gas phase reflect the differential hydration of the reactant and the dissociative transition state.     

Numerical Simulation of Nonequilibrium Species Diffusion in a Low-Power Nitrogen–Hydrogen Arcjet Thruster

Species distributions in a low-power arcjet thruster are investigated using a two-dimensional thermal and chemical nonequilibrium numerical model that incorporates the self-consistent effective binary diffusion coefficient approximation treatment of diffusion. Plasma flows in arcjet thruster with different input mole ratios of nitrogen to hydrogen are modelled. It is found that species separation due to nonequilibrium chemical kinetic processes occurs mainly in the regions where the dissociation and ionization of nitrogen and hydrogen species take place. The enrichment of nitrogen molecules at the fringes of the arc and hydrogen molecules near the anode wall of the thruster occurs mainly because the recombination processes of these two gases occur in different temperature ranges. In the expansion portion of the thruster nozzle, the gas residence times are of the same order as some chemical kinetic processes. Comparison between the nitrogen and hydrogen species profiles at the constrictor and thruster exit shows that the recombination of hydrogen ions and atoms are dominant kinetic processes near the thruster centreline, while the chemical reactions of nitrogen species are almost frozen in the high speed flow. The effects of temperature and pressure gradients on the species diffusion inside the arcjet thruster are also presented, with thermal diffusion found to have a much larger influence than pressure diffusion.     

Gas Diffusion Electrodes for Use in an Amperometric Enzyme Biosensor

The preparation of gas diffusion electrodes and their use in an amperometric enzyme biosensor for the direct detection of a gaseous analyte is described. The gas diffusion electrodes are prepared by covering a PTFE membrane (thickness 250 μm, pore size 2 μm, porosity 35%) with gold, platinum, or a graphite/PTFE mixture. Gold and platinum are deposited by e‐beam sputtering, whereas the graphite/PTFE layer is prepared by vacuum filtration of a respective aqueous suspension. These gas diffusion electrodes are exemplarily implemented as working electrodes in an amperometric biosensor for gaseous formaldehyde containing NAD‐dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase from P. putida [EC. 1.2.1.46] as enzyme and 1,2‐naphthoquinone‐4‐sulfonic acid as electrochemical mediator. The resulting sensors are compared with regard to background current, signal noise, linear range, sensitivity, and detection limit. In this respect, sensors with gold or graphite/PTFE covered membranes outclass ones with platinum for this particular analyte and sensor configuration.     

The determination of pd,pt, au,ag and ir in copper by neutron activation analysis

The determination of palladium, platinum and gold in copper metal by neutron activation analysis is described. The matrix activity was separated from the noble metals by cation-exchange adsorption. Gold was extracted; palladium and platinum were precipitated. The precipitates were counted with a low-energy photon detector. The gold results were checked by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Silver, iridium, selenium, antimony and arsenic were also determined simultaneously.     

Structure flexibility of iridium metal aggregates. Comparison with platinum and rhodium

The atomic structure of iridium aggregates occluded in zeolite has been studied by radial electron distribution from X-ray scattering data taken under different atmospheres. The interatomic distances in 1–2 nm naked aggregates are contracted with respect to the bulk distances. The adsorption of hydrogen produces a relaxation but a residual contraction remains unlike in the case of platinum aggregates. The carbon monoxide adsorption produces little effect on the position of surface iridium atoms unlike on platinum and rhodium. The lack of structure flexibility of iridium aggregates is probably due to the higher cohesive energy of iridium.     

A study of the density of sputtered atoms in the plasma of the modified Grimm-type glow discharge source

The sputtering of atoms from the cathode of a modified Grimm-type glow discharge source was studied using hollow cathode lamps as primary sources. Absorption of copper atoms at a distance of 1.5 mm from the cathode was measured, using different discharge conditions, with helium, neon, argon, krypton and nitrogen as carrier gases. For conditions with voltages at and above 800 V, the greatest absorption (copper atom concentration) was obtained using argon as carrier gas. Absorption by copper and chromium, measured at varying distances from the cathode and at different discharge conditions, shows a maximum between 1 and 2 mm from the cathode. This phenomenon can only be explained by cluster sputtering or cluster formation in the plasma. By using the Doppler temperatures of the emission and absorption sources to calculate line profile halfwidths, measured absorbances can be converted to atom number densities.A diffusion model has been formulated to describe the diffusion of sputtered atoms through the plasma which is in a steady state. From the agreement obtained with experimental results, it is concluded that in principle this diffusion model can be used to predict the spatial distribution of sputtered atoms in the plasma.     

Uptake of gas-phase nitrous acid by pH-controlled aqueous solution studied by a wetted wall flow tube

Uptake kinetics of gas phase nitrous acid (HONO) by a pH-controlled aqueous solution was investigated by using a wetted wall flow tube. The gas phase concentration of HONO after exposure to the aqueous solution was measured selectively by the chemical ionization mass spectrometer in a high sensitive manner. The uptake rate of the gaseous HONO was found to depend on the pH of the solution. For the uptake by neutral and alkaline solutions, the gas phase concentration was observed to decay exponentially, suggesting that the uptake was fully limited by the gas phase diffusion. On the other hand, the uptake by the acidic solution was found to be determined by both the gas phase diffusion and the liquid phase processes such as physical absorption and reversible acid dissociation reaction. The decay was analyzed by the rate equations using the time dependent uptake coefficient involving the saturation of the liquid surface. While the uptake processes by the solution at pH = 2-3 were well described by those calculated using the physical and chemical parameters reported for the bulk, the uptake rates by the solution at 4 < pH < 7 deviate from the calculated ones. The present result can suggest that the pH at the liquid surface is lower than that in the bulk liquid, which is responsible for the additional resistance of mass transfer from the gas to the liquid phase.     

Corrosion and adsorption properties of electrochemical manganese dioxide in the acidic and weakly alkaline sulfate solutions

Corrosion and adsorption properties of manganese dioxide, which was anodically deposited on platinum, its powder, and compacted tablets of manganese dioxide in the solutions with various pH values are studied using various experimental methods. It is shown that the corrosion rate of manganese dioxide decreases with increasing pH of solution, and the process proceeds by the electrochemical mechanism with conjugate chemical reactions of the formation and decomposition of the product of transition stage. The adsorption properties of manganese dioxide powder with respect to copper ions increase with increasing pH of solution, whereas the amount of manganese ions passing to the solution almost vanishes at pH 9.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic evidence of distinctive underpotential deposition states of Ag and Cu on Pt substrates

The underpotential deposition (u.p.d.) of copper and silver ions on platinum electrodes has been studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (x.p.s.). A significant chemical shift of the x.p.s. binding energies of the u.p.d. copper and silver atoms relative to bulk copper and silver metal is obtained. Analogous spectral results are obtained for in situ vapor deposition of copper and silver atoms on clean platinum substrates which reveal the metallic nature of the u.p.d. species.     

Protonated adenine: Tautomers,solvated clusters,and dissociation mechanisms

Ab initio and density functional theory calculations at the B3-MP2 and CCSD(T)/6-311 + G(3df,2p) levels of theory are reported that address the protonation of adenine in the gas phase, water clusters, and bulk aqueous solution. The calculations point to N-1-protonated adenine (1+) as the thermodynamically most stable cationic tautomer in the gas phase, water clusters, and bulk solution. This strongly indicates that electrospray ionization of adenine solutions produces tautomer 1+ with a specificity calculated as 97-90% in the 298-473 K temperature range. The mechanisms for elimination of hydrogen atoms and ammonia from 1+ have also been studied computationally. Ion 1+ is calculated to undergo fast migrations of protons among positions N-1, C-2, N-3, N-10, N-7, and C-8 that result in an exchange of five hydrogens before loss of a hydrogen atom forming adenine cation radical at 415 kJ mol(-1) dissociation threshold energy. The elimination of ammonia is found to be substantially endothermic requiring 376-380 kJ mol(-1) at the dissociation threshold and depending on the dissociation pathway. The overall dissociation is slowed by the involvement of ion-molecule complexes along the dissociation pathways. The competing isomerization of 1+ proceeds by a sequence of ring opening, internal rotations, imine flipping, ring closures, and proton migrations to effectively exchange the N-1 and N-10 atoms in 1+, so that either can be eliminated as ammonia. This mechanism explains the previous N-1/N-10 exchange upon collision-induced dissociation of protonated adenine.