Melting of snow with a diffusion-controlled analytical model

An analytical study is reported of melting of a snow layer in an aqueous solution. A diffusion-controlled analytical model was proposed to the melting under an ideal condition that an aqueous solution was instantaneously filled up by a snow layer at the same temperature as the solution. The analytical results gave a qualitative prediction of the experimental results of the melting of snow layers suddenly immersed in a calcium chloride aqueous solution. The temperature in a melting system decreased rapidly during the melting process. The melting was complete within a few seconds, which denoted a thermodynamic equilibrium. When the initial temperatureT _i and the initial porosity of snow ? _i were the same, the initial concentrationC _mi in the solution strongly affected both the decrease in temperature in the melting system and the melting mass per unit volume of snowM. WhenC _mi andT _i were the same, the maximum melting mass per unit volume of snowM _max was not largely affected by snow particle diameters. A figure was presented for the relationM _max?T _i,C _mi, and ? _i , and also a relationship was presented to easily predict the non-dimensional maximum melting massM _max ^* .     

Chemical reactions modulated by mechanical stress: extended Bell theory

A number of recent studies have shown that mechanical stress can significantly lower or raise the activation barrier of a chemical reaction. Within a common approximation due to Bell [Science 200, 618 (1978)], this barrier is linearly dependent on the applied force. A simple extension of Bell's theory that includes higher order corrections in the force predicts that the force-induced change in the activation energy will be given by -FΔR - ΔχF(2)∕2. Here, ΔR is the change of the distance between the atoms, at which the force F is applied, from the reactant to the transition state, and Δχ is the corresponding change in the mechanical compliance of the molecule. Application of this formula to the electrocyclic ring-opening of cis and trans 1,2-dimethylbenzocyclobutene shows that this extension of Bell's theory essentially recovers the force dependence of the barrier, while the original Bell formula exhibits significant errors. Because the extended Bell theory avoids explicit inclusion of the mechanical stress or strain in electronic structure calculations, it allows a computationally efficient characterization of the effect of mechanical forces on chemical processes. That is, the mechanical susceptibility of any reaction pathway is described in terms of two parameters, ΔR and Δχ, both readily computable at zero force.     

The multicomponent reaction of dimethoxycarbene, dimethyl butynedioate and electrophilic styrenes: an unprecedented synthesis of highly substituted cyclopentenone acetals

The zwitterionic species generated by the addition of dimethoxycarbene to dimethyl butynedioate is trapped by arylidenemalononitrile to yield cyclopentenone derivatives.     

Changes in light scattering from poly(ethylene terephthalate) and nylon 6 films upon stretching in relation to the deformation mechanism

Unoriented T-die flat films of nylon 6 and PET films annealed at 90°C were stretched in water at 80°C. Amorphous PET films were stretched in water at 65–75°C. Changes in the light scattering patterns from these samples upon stretching were investigated. One of the observed LS patterns from the stretched samples is the H_v eight-leaf pattern consisting of four lobes and streaks. In the nylon 6 and heat-treated PET showing this pattern, spherulitic patterns can be seen in polarization microscopy. The microscopic spherulitic superstructure may possibly be the factor responsible for producing the lobe-and-streak pattern. On the other hand, many microscopic eight-leaf patterns can be observed in amorphous unannealed PET showing the lobe-and-streak pattern. These microscopic patterns are due to retardation at stress concentrations around impurities and nuclei. The superstructure giving these microscopic patterns must be the origin of the lobe-and-streak pattern from unannealed PET. Another scattering pattern, the V_v cruciform pattern, was observed in both stretched nylon 6 and unannealed PET. This pattern is due to an orientation change across the slip lines observed under a polarizing microscope. It is noted (1) that the appearance of the slip lines in PET coincides with the occurrence of oriented crystallization on stretching, (2) that the lobe-and-streak pattern from PET in which orientation crystallization has taken place is fairly stable to heat treatment and does not disappear until just before melting, and (3) that the superstructures produced at low stretching seem to be deformed on further stretching, in accordance with affine deformation theory.     

Mixture model of water under high pressures

A remarkable characteristic of the thermal expansion coefficient is reported in respect of its temperature and pressure dependences. Then, on the basis of the mixture model, important predictions are derived on the properties and structure of water under high pressures.     

ortho-Phosphoryl stabilized hypervalent iodosyl- and iodyl-benzene reagents

The synthesis and reactivity of a new IBX analogue (2-iodylphenyl)diphenyl-phosphine oxide 10 is described herein along with its analysis by single crystal X-ray diffraction.     

Convenient direct synthesis of bisformylated calix[4]arenes via ipso substitution

[reaction: see text] A facile synthesis of bisformylated calix[4]arenes via ipso substitution of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes through treatment with hexamethylenetetramine/trifluoroacetic acid is described. Under identical conditions, p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene tetramethyl ether 4 gives proximally substituted bisformylated derivative 4a in a pinched cone conformation.     

Yang-mills magnetofluid unification

We generalize the hybrid magnetofluid model of a charged fluid interacting with an electromagnetic field to the dynamics of a relativistic hot fluid interacting with a non-Abelian field. The fluid itself is endowed with a non-Abelian charge and the consequences of this generalization are worked out. Applications of this formalism to the quark gluon plasma are suggested.     

Photoluminescence studies on rare earth titanates prepared by self-propagating high temperature synthesis method

The laser-induced luminescence studies of the rare earth titanates (R2Ti2O7) (R=La, Nd and Gd) using 355 nm radiation from an Nd:YAG laser are presented. These samples with submicron or nanometer size are prepared by the self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS) method and there is no known fluorescence shown by these rare earths in the visible region. Hence, the luminescence transitions shown by the La2Ti2O7 near 610 nm and Gd2Ti2O7 near 767 nm are quite interesting. Though La3+ ions with no 4f electrons have no electronic energy levels that can induce excitation and luminescence processes in the visible region, the presence of the Ti3+ ions leads to luminescence in this region.