Comparison of polarized fluorescence with polarized raman and infrared dichroism measures of orientation in uniaxially drawn poly(ethylene terephthalate)

In a number of previous papers the results of studies of molecular orientation in poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) by means of refractive index measurements and infrared, Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy have been presented. The present paper attempts to correlate the results of these studies and, in particular, to explain the observation that the fluorescent molecules appear to be more highly oriented than the polymer chains. Of the two explanations considered, that which assumes that the fluorescent molecules align themselves preferentially parallel to those segments of polymer chain in which the glycol residues are in the trans conformation is the more successful. It is also shown that the development of orientation in PET can be described well in terms of a simple modification of the rubber-network model even for large deformations.     

Heat transfer,development length,and friction factor correlations for the asymptotic region of a laminar arc constrictor

A rigorous equilibrium model is formulated for the laminar flow of plasma through the heating region of a constricted arc plasma generator. The resulting equations are solved for an argon gas using an implicit finite-difference scheme, and the wall shear stress and heat transfer are computed from momentum and energy balances for a wide range of flow rates and arc currents. Friction factors based on this method are in agreement with empirical values to within approximately 10 per cent, and heat transfer calculations agree with the orders of magnitude predicted by a simplified arc model. A dimensionless number peculiar to the constricted arc, the so-called Ohmic heating parameter, is used to correlate the mean Nusselt numbers in the asymptotic arc regime. When the fluid properties are based on the mean temperature, the product of friction factor and Reynolds number is found to be a constant for currents below 200 Amp and to vary with the Ohmic heating parameter for larger currents. Correlations are also presented for the thermal development length, and the agreement with experiment is good.     

First synthesis of an amythiamicin pyridine cluster

The pyridine-containing central domain of the amythiamicin group of thiopeptide antibiotics is prepared in protected form in 9 steps, 93%ee and 18% overall yield from (S)-2-[1-(tert-butoxycarbonylamino)-2-methylpropyl]thiazole-4-carboxylic acid by Michael addition-cyclodehydration of a 2-(2-thiazolyl)enamine and 1-(2-thiazolyl)propynone.     

Improved direct measurement of A(b) and A(c) at the Z(0) pole using a lepton tag

The parity violation parameters A(b) and A(c) of the Zb(b) and Zc(c) couplings have been measured directly, using the polar angle dependence of the polarized cross sections at the Z(0) pole. Bottom and charmed hadrons were tagged via their semileptonic decays. Both the electron and muon analyses take advantage of new multivariate techniques to increase the analyzing power. Based on the 1993-1998 SLD sample of 550,000 Z(0) decays produced with highly polarized electron beams, we measure A(b) = 0.919+/-0.030(stat)+/-0.024(syst), and A(c) = 0.583+/-0.055(stat)+/-0.055(syst).     

A new one-pot three-component condensation reaction for the synthesis of 2,3,4,6-tetrasubstituted pyridines

The one-pot three-component condensation of a beta-ketoester, ammonia and an alkynone in the presence of a Br?nsted or Lewis acid or Amberlyst 15 ion exchange resin provided 2,3,6-trisubstituted or 2,3,4,6-tetrasubstituted pyridines directly in good yield and with total regiocontrol.     

Modal analysis of lightweight graphite reinforced silica/polymer matrix composite plates

In this paper we describe how finite element and experimental modal analyses can be used to characterize the dynamic behavior of plates made from a new class of graphite reinforced silica/polymer matrix composite (GRSPMC) materials. An agreement is obtained between both methods, and the results show that GRSPMC materials can be modeled and tested using tools similar to those applied to the study of classical composite laminates.     

Alpha-beta discrimination liquid scintillation counting for uranium and its daughters

Advances in liquid scintillation counting (LSC) technologies, such as imporved scintillation cocktail formulations and alpha-beta radiation discrimination, make LSC suitable for applications in uranium process chemistry. Ease of use, low cost, and the huge dynamic range of LSC are distinct advantages for analytical support of actinide processing. All uranium isotopes decay primarily with alpha radiation emission. The immediate short-lived daughters of²³⁸U are²³⁴Th and²³⁴Pa. These nuclides are beta emitters having energy bands that overlap the uranium bands in a liquid scintillation spectrum. The resolution of these overlapping bands by alpha-beta radiation discrimination is useful for uranium quantification and purity verification. Protactinium-234 is a high-energy beta emitter that can be further identified and quantified from it's Cherenkov radiation. Energy spectra were collected on the Packard 2500AB liquid scintillator analyzer for uranyl solutions in diisopropylnaphthalene and pseudocumene based scintillator cocktails. Calibration curves were prepared for nitric, hydrochloric, and sulfuric acid media. Base titrations demonstrated the effect of acid quenching on those system. Ion exchange and water soluble polymer extraction studies are readily followed using liquid scintillation methods.     

A study of wet PVC gels by raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy has been used to study PVC gels made in cyclohexanone in the wet state at concentrations from 21 to 93% by weight of PVC. Parallel and perpendicular spectra were obtained in the C-Cl stretching region, and after subtraction of the solvent spectrum they were analyzed into a set of overlapping peaks due to various structural components. The positions of the peaks found were in good agreement with those found earlier for PVC samples in the solid state. The fractional contribution of the areas of peaks assigned to crystalline material to the total area under the C-Cl stretching region was used to estimate the crystallinity of the gels, and changes in their depolarization ratios and relative intensities were interpretated as providing further evidence for the presence of two types of crystallites in PVC gels. From a determination of the crystallinity at the gel transition point and reasonable assumptions, the contributions of the two types of crystallites to the total crystallinity were estimated.     

Relative spatial profiles of barium ion and atom in the argon inductively coupled plasma as obtained by laser excited fluorescence

Relative ionic and atomic fluorescence profiles for barium have been obtained in an argon inductively coupled plasma by exciting different transitions with a nitrogen-laser pumped tunable dye laser and measuring the resulting fluorescence pulses with a boxcar averager. Spatially resolved profiles are directly obtained without the need of an Abel inversion procedure, with a volume resolution of approximately 0.2 mm³. The profiles are given along the excitation axis as well as along the observation axis, for different heights above the coil and different input powers. At low heights, the ion profile resembles a hollow pencil with a typical double-peaked, asymmetric distribution, while the atom profile seems to be complementary to the ion profile. Some scatter from water is also evident at low heights.