Determination of the rare earths, yttrium and scandium in silicate rocks and four new geological reference materials by electrothermal atomization from graphite and tantalum surfaces

An improved graphite furnace atomic-absorption method has been developed for the determination of Sc, Y and the rare-earth elements in silicate rocks and related materials. The method, which involves the separation of the lanthanides by ion-exchange followed by their determination by electrothermal atomization, with use of an automatic sampling device, is more rapid than a previous method based on separation by co-precipitation with calcium oxalate and hydrous ferric oxide followed by normal injection of the solution into the furnace. Greater sensitivity (~ 10-40-fold) for La, Ce, Pr, Gd, Tb and Lu is also achieved by using a tantalum foil-lined graphite furnace instead of a pyrolytically-coated furnace. Results obtained for five international reference rock samples, NIM-G, SCo-1, MAG-1, SDC-1 and BHVO-1, are compared with those obtained previously by the oxalate-hydrous oxide co-precipitation method and with other published values. Results are given for four new Canadian iron-formation reference materials, FeR-1 to FeR-4.     

Gas-liquid partition chromatography : Column behavior and its reproduction criteria for favorable column behavior

The distribution of a solute in a gas-liquid Chromatographic column has been discussed from the probability view point and its analogy to the Bernoulli trial system has been shown. It has been shown that the reproduction of column behavior is possible by reproducing the probability. The criterion for the optimum column temperature has also been discussed. Recommendations have been made for determining the optimum column conditions and its reproduction.     

Chaotic dynamics of charged particles in the field of two monochromatic waves in a magnetized plasma

We study the dynamics of charged particles in the presence of two electrostatic waves propagating obliquely to an ambient magnetic field. The presence of a second wave makes the problem a two-dimensional and time-dependent one with a complicated phase space behavior. We derive a set of difference equations (maps) for the nonrelativistic particle motion limit and numerically study them to elucidate the various aspects of the phase space dynamics. For the general case of oblique propagation, we observe synergistic effects leading to the lowering of the stochasticity threshold and the concomitant reduction in electric field amplitudes for particle heating applications. These results can be understood in terms of the resonance structures associated with the two waves and we obtain approximate analytic expressions for the thresholds. For the degenerate case of omega(1)=nOmega,omega(2)=mOmega (where omega(1),omega(2) are the frequencies of the two waves, Omega is the cyclotron frequency and n,m are integers) and strictly perpendicular propagation, the problem simplifies to a one-and-one-half-dimensional one. We observe the presence of stochastic webs in this situation. (c) 1996 American Institute of Physics.     

Scaling of decay lengths for surface states in the gaps of one-dimensional semi-infinite superlattices

We look at some one-dimensional semi-infinite superlattices with an underlying Hamiltonian that is of the nearest neighbour, tight binding type. A real space rescaling procedure which is exact in one dimension is applied to obtain the location of the subbands. It has been found that these subbands never overlap in 1D, and we interpret this as a band repulsion effect. Relevance in the case of a disordered system where this band repulsion crosses over to the well-known level repulsion is discussed. Then with a proper matching at the boundary we solve for the sets of denumerably infinite number of decaying solutions (the surface states) in the gaps. These types of states have been proposed quite some time ago. We look at detail theirexact analytical solutions in 1D and find that their decay lengths near the band edges diverge as |E–E _b|^–v, wherev=1/2 andE _b is the nearest band edge. The decay lengths and their divergence exponent match extremely well with those obtained from transfer matrix method. Some recent experiments on quantum well structures seem to have observed such states.     

Indirect complexometric titration of sodium and potassium with EDTA

Summary Sodium is precipitated as sodium zinc uranyl acetate, filtered and dissolved in water, and zinc is titrated with EDTA using eriochrome black T as indicator. Potassium is precipitated as potassium sodium cobaltinitrite and dissolved in hot water containing little hydrochloric acid. The blue colored solution produced by cobalt in solution, with ammonium thiocyanate and acetone was titrated with EDTA until colorless. The results are good.The author is grateful to Prof. Philip W. West, Boyd Professor of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, for kindly providing the facilities to carry out the investigation.     

Two New Pyrrolizidines from Ligularia lankongensis

Two new pyrrolizidines named lankongensisine A (1), B (2) were isolated from the roots of Ligularia lankongensis collected in Lijiang, Yunnan, and their structures were established by spectroscopic analysis.     

Nitrosyl rhenium complexes: Syntheses,properties, and structures of acetylacetonato derivatives

Some new complexes of rhenium containing monocoordinating acetylacetone viz. [Re(NO)(acac)₂(Cl)H₂O], Re(NO)(acac)₃(acacH)(H₂O)₂ have been synthesized by reacting acetylacetone with either Re(NO)Cl₃ · H₂O or Re(NO)(OH)₃ · H₂O. The preparation of [Re(NO)(py)(acac)₂(Cl) · H₂O], [Re(NO)(acac)(OH)(Cl) · H₂O], [Re₂(NO)₂(acacH)₃(acac)₂ · Cl₄], [Re(NO)(acac)₂(OH) · H₂O] · 2 H₂O have also been described. These complexes were characterized through their elemental analyses, u.v., vis, i.r., ¹Hn.m.r., magnetic, and conductance data.