A kinetic study of the autocatalytic permanganate oxidation of formic acid

The kinetics of the permanganate oxidation of formic acid in aqueous perchloric acid has been studied. The results indicate that this reaction is autocatalyzed by both manganese(II) ion (formed as a reaction product) and colloidal manganese dioxide (formed as an intermediate). The apparent rate constants corresponding to the noncatalytic and autocatalytic reaction pathways are given, respectively, by the following equations The activation energies associated with the true rate constants, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, and ?? are 37.2, 62.5, 70.9, 52.5, 40.8, and 59.9 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The percentage of the total reaction corresponding to each pathway is given for typical experimental conditions. Mechanisms in agreement with the kinetic data are proposed for the six different reaction pathways observed.     

Determination of relative sensitivity factors during secondary ion sputtering of silicate glasses by Au+, Au and Au ions

In recent years, Au‐cluster ions have been successfully used for organic analysis in secondary ion mass spectrometry. Cluster ions, such as Au and Au, can produce secondary ion yield enhancements of up to a factor of 300 for high mass organic molecules with minimal sample damage. In this study, the potential for using Au⁺, Au and Au primary ions for the analysis of inorganic samples is investigated by analyzing a range of silicate glass standards. Practical secondary ion yields for both Au and Au ions are enhanced relative to those for Au⁺, consistent with their increased sputter rates. No elevation in ionization efficiency was found for the cluster primary ions. Relative sensitivity factors for major and trace elements in the standards showed no improvement in quantification with Au and Au ions over the use of Au⁺ ions. Higher achievable primary ion currents for Au⁺ ions than for Au and Au allow for more precise analyses of elemental abundances within inorganic samples, making them the preferred choice, in contrast to the choice of Au and Au for the analysis of organic samples. The use of delayed secondary ion extraction can also boost secondary ion signals, although there is a loss of overall sensitivity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation on binary semiconductor clusters of B/Si and Al/Si

ASi (A = B and Al; n = 1–6) binary cluster anions were generated by laser ablation of samples composed of mixtures of Si and A (A = B and Al), and studied in the gas phase by tandem time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Some abundant ions are present in the mass spectrum, indicating that the clusters with these ions have stable structures. The structures of ASi clusters were investigated theoretically by the density functional theory (DFT) method and the energetically lowest‐lying structures were obtained. The binary clusters BSi and AlSi, with the same number of n, share different geometric structures except for ASi with n = 1 and 6, which have the same geometric structures in the ground state. For all the anionic clusters ASi, the lower spin state is lower in energy than the higher spin state in their optimized structures except for the linear ASi^? anions, for which the triplet state is lower in energy than the singlet. Calculations of the bonding energy (BE), energy gain (Δ) and HOMO‐LUMO energy gaps confirm that the cluster ASi has a very stable structure, which agrees well with the experimental results. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Autocatalytic oxidation of β‐alanine by peroxomonosulfate in the presence of copper(II) ion

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of β‐alanine by peroxomonosulfate (PMS) in the presence of Cu(II) ion at pH 4.2 (acetic acid/sodium acetate) has been studied. Autocatalysis was observed only in the presence of copper(II) ion, and this was explained due to the formation of hydroperoxide intermediate. The rate constant for the catalyzed (k) and uncatalyzed (k) reaction has been calculated. The kinetic data obtained reveal that both the reactions are first order with respect to [PMS]. k values initially increase with the increase in [β‐alanine] and reach a limiting value, but k values decrease with the increase in [β‐alanine]. k values increase linearly with the increase in [Cu(II)], whereas k values increase with [Cu(II)]². Furthermore, k values are independent of [acetate], but k values decrease with the increase in acetate. A suitable mechanism has been proposed to explain the experimental observation. The reaction has been studied at different temperatures, and the activation parameters are calculated. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 44–49, 2008     

Geometries and electronic structures of W4 and W clusters

Geometries and electronic structures of W₄ and W clusters were studied by use of density functional methods B3LYP, B3P86, B3PW91, BHLYP, BLYP, and MPW1PW91. The calculated results indicate that the three‐dimensional structure of singlet state with either D_2d symmetry (B3LYP, B3P86, B3PW91, BLYP, and MPW1PW91) or C_2v symmetry (BHLYP) is the ground state for the W₄ cluster. For the W cluster, the doublet state is preferred, and the most stable structure is also 3D with either D_2d symmetry (B3LYP, B3PW91, BHLYP, BLYP) or C_2v symmetry (B3P86 and MPW1PW91). The calculated electron affinity at B3P86 gives the best performance compared with experiment. For the dissociation channel, W + W₃ is suggested to be the possible route for the W₄ cluster. For the W cluster, W + W is the most likely route for dissociation, in agreement with experiment. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Fundamental Aspects of Ionic Dissociations: The Fragmentation Pathways of Excited Bicyclobutane Cations

A most recently developed method to quantify the fragmentation pathways of excited radical cations is presented. Using bicyclobutane cation as an illustrative example, the RRKM analysis of the breakdown diagram determined by He-Iα photoelectron-photoion coincidence spectroscopy is outlined. The results imply complete isomerization to 1,3-butadiene cation preceding the dissociative processes. The rate-energy functions of four competitive primary fragmentation reactions, leading to C₃H, C₄H, C₄H and C₂H are established. There is compelling evidence that the production of C₂H fragment ions does not compete effectively with these four reactions. The extent of kinetic and competitive shift effects is determined. The derived enthalpies of formation are in excellent accord with the available high quality reference data. The relative importance of different fragmentation pathways which ultimately lead to fragment ions of identical mass to charge ratio is assessed.     

Endohedral fullerene-noble gas clusters formed with high-energy bimolecular reactions of C (x = 60, 70; n = 1, 2, 3)

Results are reported for high-energy beam experiments which establish the formation of endohedral carbon cluster-noble gas compounds by bimolecular reactions of C (x = 60, 70; n = 1, 2, 3) with He and C with Ne. The ions were accelerated up to 8 ke V in a four-sector mass spectrometer and allowed to collide with the noble gas in a collision chamber at room temperatur. Product ions were monitored with a B/E = constant linked scan. Within the sensivity of the experiments, no carbon cluster-gas compounds were observed in the reactions of C with H₂, D₂, O₂, Ar, and SF₆, or of C with O₂. The observed fall in the cross-section for carbon cluster-noble gas compounds with increasing size of the noble gas, the observation of unimolecular loss of C₂ from mass-selected C_xHe⁺ ions, and the elimination of carbon fragments instead of He observed in the formation of the collision-induced C_xHeⁿ⁺ product ions are taken as evidence for endohedral compound formation. Results of ab initio molecular-orbital calculations for the perpendicular penetration of the plane of ionized benzene with He, Ne, and Ar indicate that sufficient kinetic energy should be available in the collisions with C to penetrate the C cage at the collision energies of the experiments.     

Kinetic characteristics of chloride-assisted oxidative dealkylation of alkylcobalamins

The recent experiments on the chloride-assisted dealkylation of alkylcobalamins by a variety of oxidants (IrCl, AuCl, Fe(H₂O)₅Cl²⁺, and PtCl), which are scattered in several previous publications, and their general kinetic characteristics are summarized. The kinetic studies are also extended to include the dealkylations of (methylaquo)?3,5,6-trimethylbenzimidazolylcobamide and protonated base-off ethylcobalamin by IrCl (1.0M Cl^?) and by Fe(III) ions at 0.1M Cl^?, and the demethylation of (methylaquo)?3,5,6-trimethylbenzimidazolylcobamide by AuCl (1.0M Cl^?). This extension is in an effort to substantiate the general mechanism which has been previously proposed for these oxidative dealkylations. The general kinetic characteristics are described in terms of a preassociation of the reactants, followed by a rate-determining electron-transfer process to yield the R-B radical, which then undergoes further reactions to produce the products observed. The overall reactions are discussed within the framework of chlorine-bridging inner sphere electron-transfer reactions.     

The natural abundance of 15N in plant and soil‐available N indicates a shift of main plant N resources to NO from NH along the N leaching gradient

To investigate which of ammonium (NH) or nitrate (NO) is used by plants at gradient sites with different nitrogen (N) availability, we measured the natural abundance of ¹⁵N in foliage and soil extractable N. Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endlicher) planted broadly in Japan was selected for use in this study. We estimated the source proportion of foliar N (NH vs. NO) quantitatively using mass balance equations. The results showed that C. obtusa used mainly NH in N‐limited forests, although the dependence of C. obtusa on NO was greater in other NO‐rich forests. We regarded dissolved organic N (DON) as a potential N source because a previous study demonstrated that C. obtusa can take up glycine. Thus we added DON to our mass balance equations and calculated the source proportion using an isotope‐mixing model (IsoSource model). The results still showed a positive correlation between the calculated plant N proportion of NO and the NO pool size in the soil, indicating that high NO availability increases the reliance of C. obtusa on NO. Our data suggest the shift of the N source for C. obtusa from NH to NO according to the relative availability of NO. They also show the potential of the foliar δ¹⁵N of C. obtusa as an indicator of the N status in forest ecosystems with the help of the δ¹⁵N values of soil inorganic and organic N. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation on binary anionic clusters of AlmBi

Al_mBi (m = 1–12; n = 1–4) binary cluster anions are generated by laser ablation of a sample composed of Al and Bi, and studied by reflectron time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (RTOF‐MS) in the gas phase. Some clusters with magic numbers are present in the mass spectrum. The structures of Al_mBi (m + n ≤7) clusters are investigated with the density functional theory (DFT) method and the most likely structures are obtained. The calculations of the binding energy (BE), energy gain (Δ) and HOMO‐LUMO gaps confirm that the Al₂Bi cluster has a very stable structure, which agrees well with the experimental results. It is further established that Al₂Bi can be considered as a gas‐phase Zintl analogue that follows Wade's rules and is the analogue of Ga₂Bi and Sn Zintl ions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of d orbitals in tetrahedral hybrid orbitals of oxy-ions

The hybrid orbitals of tetrahedral oxy-ions containing some d character have been calculated by maximum overlap method. The d characters of hybrid orbitals increase in the order of SiO, PO, SO, ClO, and decrease in order of GeO, AsO, SeO, BrO. The bond strengths are also obtained for these ions. The hybrid Orbital of VO, CrO, and MnO are of the type d³s as the result of calculation.     

Berechnungen zur Kinetik der Bildung von Chloro-Bromo-Iodo-Osmaten(IV)

Kinetic Calculations for the Formation of Chloro-Bromo-Iodo-Osmates(IV) Rate constants of formation and ligand exchange reactions of mixed hexahaloosmates(IV) of the type [OsCl_xBr_yI_6?x?y]^2?, x + y = 2?5, are computable taking into account the relative cis- (f = 1, f = 1.75, f ≈? 6) and trans-effects (f = 1, f = 6, f ≈? 10³) of the ligands as well as statistic factors. Using this kinetic data concentration-time diagrams are calculated for reactions including several parallel and consecutive steps. They agree well with the experimentally determined distribution of products in the reaction mixtures. For the preparation of particular mixed ligand complexes the best way of synthesis and maximum yield can be precalculated.     

A theoretical approach to substituent effects. A comparison of the isoelectronic BH,CH3, and NH groups and their interaction with substituents in disubstituted benzenes

Ab initio molecular orbital theory with the STO -3G basis set is used to examine both charge and energy interactions in a series of meta- and para-substituted phenylborate anions and toluenes. Comparison of the results is made with data for substituted anilinium cations. It is concluded that whereas NH is a powerful σ acceptor, with essentially no π interaction, BH is primarily a π donor, and, to a slight extent only, a π donor. CH₃ is indicated to be both a weak σ and π donor. Energies of interaction of BH and NH with a series of substituents are an order of magnitude larger than corresponding values for CH₃. Interaction energies for BH are of opposite sign to those for NH. The results may be understood qualitatively using perturbation molecular orbital (PMO ) theory.     

Über geordnete Perowskite mit Kationenfehlstellen. XI. Verbindungen vom Typ ABB□1/4WVIO6 ≙ ABIIB□WO24 mit AII,BII = Ba,Sr

On Ordered Perovskites with Cationic Vacancies. XI. Compounds of Type A B B □_1/4W^VIO₆ ? A B^IIB □W O₂₄ with A^II, B^II = Ba, Sr Depending on the ionic radii of the two and three valent cations in the perovskites of type ABB □_1/4W^VIO₆ ?; AB^IIB □WO₂₄ order disorder phenomena are present. The results of the x-ray and vibrational spectroscopic investigations as well as the diffuse reflectance spectra and the visible photoluminescence are reported.     

Density functional calculations of structures and ionization energies for heavy group V cluster anions

The structure and electronic structure of heavy-group V cluster anions (Sb, Bi) are calculated with density functional methods within the local spin density approximation (LSDA ). The influence of gradient corrections of the exchange and correlation energy is investigated. The calculated vertical and adiabatic ionization energies are in very good agreement with data from photoelectron spectroscopy (PES ) for Sb, whereas the relatively large deviations for Bi can be reduced by the consideration of relativistic effects in a scalar-relativistic manner. Concerning the structures, a strong similarity to the corresponding P clusters was found. In particular, the negatively charged pentamers are planar rings (with similarities to the aromatic [C₅H₅]^? anion) with especially high ionization energies. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

EPR study of the alimemazine cation radical

The EPR spectrum of alimemazine cation radicals (ALMZ⁺) in a perchlorate single crystal has been studied at 293 K. Since strong exchange interactions between the radicals did not allow the determination of the hyperfine splitting constants, the spectrum of an ALMZ⁺ solution, frozen at 77 K, was also studied. The results, checked by computer simulation, indicate orthorhombic symmetry of the g(2.0075, 2.0059, 2.0023) and hfs (A=3.6G; A=2.0G; A=15.6G) tensors.     

Charge stripping C

Measurements of the translational energy loss accompanying the charge-stripping reactions M⁺+N→M²⁺+N+e⁻ and M²⁺+N→M³⁺+N+e⁻ have been performed for C, C and C, C respectively. The energy nesessary to remove the second electron from Buckminsterfullerene was determined, Q=IE(C→C=12.25±0.5 eV.     

Zur Kenntnis von BiBr und BiBr1,167

On BiBr and BiBr_1,167 Preparation and crystal structures of BiBr_1,167 and BiBr are describe as well as their phase relationships. BiBr_1,167 is isotypic with the familiar BiCl_1,167, the structures comprising the cluster Bi with the same Bi? Bi distances and deviations from trigonal symmetry. A simple electrostatic attraction-repulsion calculation with respect to the stability of the particular cluster configuration is given. The structure of BiBr consists of infinite onedimensional chains [Bi₄Br₄] as the structure of BiI. These compounds are structurally classified as special stacking variants of a common motif.     

Schwingungsspektren und Kraftkonstanten der Übergangsreihe O2PF—S2PF— S2P(CH3)

Vibration spectra and force constants of the series O₂PF — S₂PF — S₂P(CH₃). The vibrational spectra of OSPF, S₂PF, S₂PF(CH₃) and S₂P(CN) are reported and discussed with O₂PF and S₂P(CH₃). On the basis of a simplified valence-force-field the force constants are calculated and the bonding relations are discussed. In the ions, f PF is lower than in corresponding molecules. The ionic charge is distributed over nearly all atoms of the ions.     

The adsorption of CO2, H2CO3, HCO3− and CO32− on Cu2O (111) surface: First‐principles study

The adsorption of CO₂, and its derivatives, H₂CO₃, HCO, and CO, on Cu₂O (111) surface has been investigated by first‐principles calculations based on the density functional theory at B3LYP hybrid functional level. The Cu₂O (111) surface has been modeled using an embedded cluster method,in which the quantum clusters plus some ab initio ion model potentials were inserted in an array of point charges. On the surface, H₂CO₃ was dissociated into an H⁺ and an HCO ion. Among the CO₂ species, HCO was the only activated species on the surface. The results suggest that the reduction of CO₂ on Cu₂O (111) surface can start from the form of HCO. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011