Mechanism of the thermal decomposition of nitrates from graphite furnace mass spectrometry studies

A basically new mechanism of the thermal decomposition of solids is proposed to explain the mass spectral observations of gaseous molecules of CoO, CuO, Cu₂O, NiO, PbO and Mg(OH)₂ during the low-temperature decomposition of the anhydrous and hydrated nitrates of these metals. The mechanism consists of two stages: congruent gasification of all reaction products irrespective of their saturated vapor pressure and subsequent condensation of the low-volatility species (oxides and hydroxides). The partial pressures of these species at the appearance temperatures calculated from this theory for the first stage of the process (1–50 mPa) are in agreement with the detection limits of the quadrupole mass spectrometers used in these experiments. The proposed mechanism is supported by other available data obtained by thermal analysis.     

A one‐dimensional CdII coordination polymer: catena‐poly[cadmium(II)‐bis(μ‐6‐methylpicolinato)]

In the title compound, [Cd(C₇H₆NO₂)₂]_n, the Cd^II ion has a distorted octahedral geometry. The 6‐methylpyridine‐2‐carboxylate anions are perpendicular to one another and act as bidentate and bridging ligands. Two carboxylate O atoms bridge the Cd^II ions, forming centrosymmetric dinuclear units. These units are further connected via carboxylate O atoms into a one‐dimensional polymeric chain which extends in the [100] direction.     

Asymptotic formula for a partition function of reversible coagulation-fragmentation processes

We construct a probability model seemingly unrelated to the considered stochastic process of coagulation and fragmentation. By proving for this model the local limit theorem, we establish the asymptotic formula for the partition function of the equilibrium measure for a wide class of parameter functions of the process. This formula proves the conjecture stated in [5] for the above class of processes. The method used goes back to A. Khintchine.     

Solid-phase extraction on alkyl-bonded silica gels in inorganic analysis.

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is an effective tool for the preconcentration of trace elements and their separation from various sample constituents. Octadecyl and other alkyl-bonded silica gels are most widely used for these purposes. The fundamentals of the SPE of inorganic ions are reviewed and compared with those of related techniques (liquid-liquid extraction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography). The extraction of ions in the form of chelate compounds, inorganic salts solvated by neutral reagents, and ion-pair compounds is considered. Numerous applications of SPE to the separation and preconcentration of different elements and their species, including on-line combinations with instrumental determination techniques, are described and tabulated.     

Benzenoid Molecules with Uniform Distribution of π-Electrons within Rings

In a recent work it was demonstrated that in linear hexagonal chains the distribution of π-electrons into rings (as computed by means of the Randić–Balaban method) is uniform, irrespective of the nature of the terminal fragments. We now establish that an analogous, yet somewhat more complex, uniformity in the π-electron distribution exists also in double linear hexagonal chains, as well as in some other benzenoid systems.     

The ALTO project at IPN-Orsay

The availability of both a tandem deuteron beam and a linac electron beam, the latter converted into Bremsstrahlung, at the new ALTO facility at IPN-Orsay offers a unique opportunity to compare the performance of a laser ion guide under different regimes. The ALTO accelerator has delivered its first electron beam at the end of 2005 and a design for a gas-cell prototype is being studied.