Prompt nuclear analysis in thick samples with charged particles: The validity of Bragg’s law for range correction

The determination of fluorine in the fluorides of 31 elements by prompt analysis using the reactions (α, p₀), (α, α¹), (α, n₁γ) and (α, p₁γ) on¹⁹F was carried out in a search for discrepancies that could point to molecular effects in range corrections. Data for each reaction were normalised and normalisation factors were compared. The results for each compound were in good agreement, but intercomparison showed that the accuracy of stopping power data and the applicability of Bragg’s Law were acceptable within ±8%.     

Reactivity of a Ti–45.9Al–8Nb alloy in air at 700–900°C

A Ti–45.9Al–8Nb (at%) alloy with a lamellar structure (γ+α₂) was oxidised in air at 700, 800, 850 and 900°C in isothermal and thermal cycling conditions. The reaction progress was followed by thermogravimetric measurements. In isothermal conditions the oxidation kinetics followed approximately a parabolic rate law and the rate constants ranged from about 10^–12 kg² m^–4 s^–1 at 700°C to 10^–10 kg² m^–4 s^–1 at 900°C. The oxide scales were built of Al₂O₃ and TiO₂, the former being the main component of the outermost layer. The oxidation behaviour of Ti–45.9Al–8Nb was referred to a commercial titanium alloy, WT4 (Ti–6Al–1Mn), and selected oxidation-resistant alloys.     

Δ<Superscript>8(14)</Superscript>-14α-deoxy- and 14α-deoxy-14α-hydroperoxyecdysteroids

Δ⁸⁽¹⁴⁾-14α-deoxy- and 14α-deoxy-14α-hydroperoxyecdysteroids were synthesized, the reduction of Δ⁸⁽¹⁴⁾-14α-deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone diacetonide at treatment with complex hydrides of alkali metals was investigated, and the stereochemistry of the obtained 6-hydroxy derivative and its acetate was established.     

Kinetic characterization of the reduction of silica supported cobalt catalysts

Abstact  The reduction process of silica supported cobalt catalyst was studied by thermal analysis technique. The reduction of the catalyst proceeds in two steps:

Determination of lithium and its isotopic composition by activation analysis and measurement of8Li and17N

The non-destructive determination of lithium was performed by using a Cerenkov counter for the detection of the 13 MeV (max) β-particles from the 0.84 sec⁸Li produced by the reaction⁷Li(n,γ)⁸Li. Under optimal conditions for a favorable signal-to-noise ratio, a count rate of about 35 cps/μg lithium at the beginning of the measurement was obtained, with a background of 4.5 cps and a working range of 3–400 μg lithium. The interference of other elements was studied. Several lithium-containing minerals and a sample of Dead Sea water were analyzed. The isotopic composition of lithium in aqueous solutions was determined by the simultaneous measurement of the neutrons produced by the reactions⁶Li(n,α)t and¹⁸O(t,α)¹⁷N, and the β-particles emitted by⁸Li.     

Solution Stoichiometry Control for Pure LiLaMo2O8Phases in Sol-Gel Preparation

The hydrolysis of solutions, containing either LiMo₂O₄(OPr ⁱ )₅( ⁱ PrOH) and “La(OPr ⁱ )₃” or LiOPr ⁱ and La₂Mo₄O₈(OPr ⁱ )₁₄ in 1∶1 ratio, in toluene or ⁱ PrOH, by water solutions in isopropanol, leads to formation of monolythic gels. The latter can be converted by drying and heat treatment at 600°C into a fine powder of pure α-LiLaMo₂O₈ phase, which is transformed into β-LiLaMo₂O₈ powder by annealing at 800°C. The sintering of the pellets pressed under 4 bar pressure of α-LiLaMo₂O₈ powder at 800°C for 2 h converts them into pieces of β-LiLaMo₂O₈ transparent ceramics, thus providing a route to LiLnMo₂O₈ laser waveguide materials.     

Cyclotron production of <Superscript>211</Superscript>At/<Superscript>211g</Superscript>Po by <Superscript>209</Superscript>Bi(α,2n) reaction

Astatine-211 (T _1/2 = 7.214 h) is an α-emitter at secular equilibrium by EC with its ultra-short-lived α-emitting daughter, polonium-211g (T _1/2 = 0.516 s), with a high Linear Energy Transfer (LET — 130 eV·nm⁻¹) and a half-life suitable for metabolic radiotherapy; the overall α branching of the ²¹¹At/^211gPo system is 100%. The direct production of ²⁰⁹Bi(α,2n)²¹¹At/^211gPo seems the most satisfactory method; Bi targets were irradiated at JRC-Ispra Cyclotron of European Commission, EC, using α-energy higher than 28.61 MeV in order to produce, via ²⁰⁹Bi(α,3n) reaction, small amounts of the γ-emitter ²¹⁰At (used as internal spike).     

Kinetic studies on the dehydration of trans-dichlorotetrammine-cobalt (III) iodate dihydrate

Summary The dehydration of trans-[Co(NH₃)₄Cl₂)IO₃·2H₂O was studied isothermally by t.g.a. In the 0.1 < α < 0.8 range, where α is the fraction of the reaction complete, most of the runs gave the best fit to a second order rate law. Early stages of the reaction appear to follow a rate law based on reaction order while later stages (0.3 < α < 0.5) appear to be controlled by diffusion of H₂O. The reaction in the 0.1 < α < 0.3 range gave a best fit to a third order rate law, while the 0.3 < α < 0.5 range gave the best fit to a three dimensional control rate law. The activation energy for the overall reaction was ca. 103 kJ mol⁻¹. For α < 0.3 the activation energy was ca. 79.9 kJ mol⁻¹, but for 0.3 < α < 0.5 it was ca. 110 kJ mol⁻¹.     

Model-fitting and model-free analysis of thermal decomposition of palladium acetylacetonate [Pd(acac)2]

The non-isothermal decomposition process of the powder sample of palladium acetylacetonate [Pd(acac)₂] was investigated by thermogravimetric (TG) and the X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Model-free isoconversional method of Tang, applied to the investigated decomposition process, yield practically constant apparent activation energy in the range of 0.05≤α≤0.95. It was established, that the Coats-Redfern (CR) method gives several statistically equivalent reaction models, but only for the phase-boundary reaction models (R2 and R3), the calculated value of the apparent activation energy (E) is nearest to the values of E obtained by the Tang’s and Kissinger’s methods. The apparent activation energy value obtained by the IKP method (132.4 kJ mol⁻¹) displays a good agreement with the value of E obtained using the model-free analysis (130.3 kJ mol⁻¹). The artificial isokinetic relationship (aIKR) was used for the numerical reconstruction of the experimental integral model function, g(α). It was established that the numerically reconstructed experimental function follows R3 reaction model in the range of α, taken from model-free analysis. Generally, decomposition process of Pd(acac)₂ starts with initial nucleation which was characterized by rapid onset of an acceleratory reaction without presence of induction period.     

Efficient synthesis of onoceranediol from 12-hydroperoxy-8α,12-epoxy-11-bishomodrimane

An efficient one-step synthesis of the diacetate of the tetracyclic triterpenoid onoceranediol (4) by radical cleavage of the readily available 12-hydroperoxy-8α,12-epoxy-11-bishomodrimane is described. Drim-9(11)-en-8α-yl acetate (7) is formed in this reaction as a byproduct. Onoceranediol diacetate 4 is converted into onoceranediol on treatment with LiAlH₄, and acetate 7 is transformed into drim-9(11)-en-8α-ol on saponification. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2571–2573, November, 2005.     

Synthesis of 6α-methyl-16α, 17α-cyclohexanoprogesteronevia γ-methylenation of 16α, 17α-cyclohexanopregn-4-ene-3,20-dione

6-Methylene-16α, 17α-cyclohexanopregn-4-ene-3,20-dione 2 has been synthesized by the reaction of Δ⁴-3-ketone1 with CH₂(OEt)₂ and POCl₃ in the presence of AcONa in 55% yield. Reduction of the product2 in the presence of 5% Pd/C gives 6α-methyl-16α, 17α-cyclohexanoprogesterone3 in a yield exceeding 70%. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1234–1236,June, 1997.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of pyridoxine (vitamin B<Subscript>6</Subscript>) on aluminum electrode modified by metallic palladium particles/iron (III) hexacyanoferrate (II) film

The electrocatalytic activity of a Prussian blue (PB) film on the aluminum electrode by taking advantage of the metallic palladium characteristic as an electron-transfer bridge (PB/Pd–Al) for electrooxidation of 2-methyl-3-hydroxy-4,5-bis (hydroxyl–methyl) pyridine (pyridoxine) is described. The catalytic activity of PB was explored in terms of Fe^III [Fe^III (CN)₆]/Fe^III [Fe^II (CN)₆]¹⁻ system. The best mediated oxidation of pyridoxine (PN) on the PB/Pd–Al-modified electrode was achieved in 0.5 M KNO₃ + 0.2 M potassium acetate of pH 6 at scan rate of 20 mV s⁻¹. The mechanism and kinetics of the catalytic oxidation reaction of PN were monitored by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results were explained using the theory of electrocatalytic reactions at chemically modified electrodes. The charge transfer-rate limiting reaction step is found to be a one-electron abstraction, whereas a two-electron charge transfer reaction is the overall oxidation reaction of PN by forming pyridoxal. The value of α, k, and D are 0.5, 1.2 × 10² M⁻¹ s⁻¹, and 1.4 × 10⁻⁵ cm² s⁻¹, respectively. Further examination of the modified electrodes shows that the modifying layers (PB) on the Pd–Al substrate have reproducible behavior and a high level of stability after posing it in the electrolyte or Pyridoxine solutions for a long time.     

Elimination of C-8-functional groups from driman-8<Emphasis Type="Italic">α</Emphasis>,11-diol-11-monoacetate and-diacetate

The dehydration products of driman-8α,11-diol-11-monoacetate that are formed upon reaction with several dehydrating agents and the products from elimination of the C-8 acetoxy group in driman-8α,11-diol diacetate were investigated in detail. A new effective synthesis of drimenylacetate from driman-8α, 11-diol-11-monoacetate by its regioselective dehydration using methanesulfonic acid trimethylsilyl ether was developed. __________ Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 4, pp. 340–343, July–August, 2007.     

Comparative method to evaluate reliable kinetic triplets of thermal decomposition reactions

Reliable kinetic information for thermal analysis kinetic triplets can be determined by the comparative method: (1) An iterative procedure or the KAS method had been established to obtain the reliable value of activation energy E _a of a reaction. (2) A combined method including Coats-Redfern integral equation and Achar differential equation was put forward to confirm the most probable mechanism of the reaction and calculate the pre-exponential factor A. By applying the comparative method above, the thermal analysis kinetic triplets of the dehydration of CaC₂O₄·H₂O were determined, which apparent activation energy: 81±3 kJ mol^-1, pre-exponential factor: 4.51·106-1.78·10⁸ s^-1, the most probable mechanism function: f(α)=1 or g(α)=α, which the kinetic equation of dehydration is dα/dt=Ae^-E _a ^/RT. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Charged particle activation analysis of phosphorus in biological materials

Charged particle activation analysis of phosphorus in biological materials using the³¹P (α,n)^34mCl reaction has been studied. Since^34mCl is also produced by the³²S (α,pn) and the³⁵Cl (α, α′ n) reactions, the thick-target yield curves on phosphorus, sulfur and chlorine were determined in order to choose the optimum irradiation conditions. As a result, it was found that the activation analysis for phosphorus without interferences from surfur and chlorine is possible by bombarding with less than 17 MeV alphas. The applicability of this method to biological samples was then examined by irradiating several standard reference materals. It was confirmed that phosphorus can readily be determined at the detection limit of 1 μg free from interferences due to the matrix elements.     

Aqueous sol–gel processing of precursor oxides for ZrW<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>8</Subscript> synthesis

This paper describes the synthesis of ZrW₂O₈ by the use of an aqueous citrate-gel method in order to prepare a fine, pure and homogeneous oxide mixture suitable for ceramic processing. The thermal expansion coefficient thus obtained for α-ZrW₂O₈ is −10.6 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ (50–125 °C) whereas for the β-ZrW₂O₈ a value of −3.2 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ (200–300 °C) is obtained. The advantages of the use of a sol–gel method is expressed in the very homogeneous end-products. The paper describes crystallographic data, morphological structure and the thermal expansion properties of the ZrW₂O₈ material. Moreover, photoluminescence and photochromic properties specific to the precursor gel are described and analyzed. These effects support our views that the precursors show homogeneity up to nanometer level.     

Three-component catalytic method for synthesis of α-amino phosphonates with the use of α-amino acids as amine component

Interaction of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes and ketones with optically active L-α-amino acids or their esters in the three-component catalytic one-pot synthesis of α-aminophosphonates was studied. The corresponding α-amino phosphonates are formed in high yields as mixtures of diastereomers. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 768–774, April, 2007.     

Synthesis of two new chloro derivatives of the guaianolide grossmisin and the crystal structure of one derivative

The reaction of grossmisin (8α-hydroxyachillin,1) with chlorine in benzene afforded a mixture of products. The less polar product readily crystallized after chromatography. According to the X-ray diffraction data, this product has the structure of 1α,10β-dichloro-1,10-dihydrogrossmisin. The second chloro derivative of grossmisin,viz., 8β-chloroachillin, was prepared in good yield by the reaction of lactone1 with PCl₅ in CHCl₃ in the presence of Py. Published inIzvestiya Akademii Nauk Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 1932–1934, November, 2000.     

Kinetic study of the promazine oxidation to promazine 5-oxide by trisoxalatocobaltate(III) in basic aqueous media

The kinetics of the oxidation of promazine by trisoxalatocobaltate(III) were studied in the presence of a large excess of the cobalt(III) in tris buffer solution using u.v.–vis spectroscopy ([Co^III] = (0.6 − 2) × 10⁻³ M, [ptz] = 6 × 10⁻⁵ M, pH = 6.6–7.8, I = 0.1 M (NaCl), T = 288−308 K, l = 1 cm). The reaction proceeds via two consecutive reversible steps. In the first step, the reaction leads to formation of cobalt(II) species and a stable cationic radical. In the second step, cobalt(III) is reduced to cobalt(II) ion and a promazine radical is oxidized to the promazine 5-oxide. Linear dependences of the pseudo-first-order rate constants (k ₁ and k ₂) on [Co^III] with a non-zero intercept were established for both redox processes. Rates of reactions decreased with increasing concentration of the H⁺ ion indicating that the promazine and its radical exist in equilibrium with their deprotonated forms, which are reactive reducing species. The activation parameters for reactions studied were as follows: ΔH^≠ = 44 ± 1 kJ mol⁻¹, ΔS^≠ = −100 ± 4 JK⁻¹ mol⁻¹ for the first step and ΔH^≠ = 25 ± 1 kJ mol⁻¹, ΔS^≠ = −169 ± 4 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ for the second step, respectively. Mechanistic consequences of all the results are discussed.