Information Entropy and Uncertainty Relations

Information entropy is introduced as a measure of quantum mechanical uncertainty. An uncertainty relation based on information entropy is obtained as an alternative to the Heisenberg inequality. In two typical examples, the entropic uncertainty relation is shown to be bounded in situations where the Heisenberg inequality diverges or grows too large to be useful.     

Application of significant structures theory to amorphous polyethylene

The thermodynamic properties of amorphous polyethylene are calculated from a model based on the method of significant structures. The motion of a molecule as a whole is described by the motion of segments, each segment moving independently of all others. It is assumed that on melting, holes appear in the solid lattice and the segments can move into these vacancies, obtaining some gaslike degrees of freedom. The complete frequency distribution for polyethylene is used for the solidlike degrees of freedom, while a corrected classical partition function is used for the gaslike degrees of freedom. The calculated thermodynamic properties are in reasonable agreement with experimentally determined values, assuming each gaslike segment to consist of 20 CH₂ groups.     

The use of 90°-1,3-butadiene as a reference structure for the evaluation of stabilization energies for benzene and other conjugated cyclic hydrocarbons

Reactions are described that employ 90°-1,3-butadiene as a reference structure for the evaluation of the stabilization energyof the benzenoid and other cyclic conjugated hydrocarbons. The unique benefits of this rotamer of butadiene as a reference molecule within the homodesmotic conceptual framework are discussed. Experimental stabilization energies are presented for a number of cyclic hydrocarbons.     

Initial oxidation and hydroxylation of the Ge(100)-2 x 1 surface by water and hydrogen peroxide

We use density functional theory to investigate the surface chemistry of initial oxidation and hydroxylation of the Ge(100)-2 x 1 surface by water and hydrogen peroxide. Comparison of the reaction of water on the Si(100)-2 x 1 and Ge(100)-2 x 1 surfaces shows that the kinetics of oxidation of the Ge(100)-2 x 1 surface with water is slower. Our calculations also show that oxidation products on the Ge(100)-2 x 1 surface are less thermodynamically stable than on Si. We also investigate two competing dissociation reactions of H2O2 on the Ge(100)-2 x 1 surface. We find that dissociative adsorption via cleavage of the OH bond is less exothermic than OO dissociation. Furthermore, interdimer OO dissociation has a lower activation barrier than interdimer or intradimer OH dissociation, although interdimer dissociation products are found to be less stable compared than those formed from intradimer dissociation reactions. Finally, we find that the oxidation products formed from hydrogen peroxide are more stable than those formed from water.     

The mass spectra of (trimethylstannyl)x methanes: Occurrence of tin-carbon double bonds

The mass spectra of (Me₃Sn)_nCH_4?n, where n varies from 1 to 4, (Me₃Sn)₂CClX, where X equals H, Cl, Br or I, together with some tetraalkyltin compounds and Me₃SnCCl₃, are presented. Comparisons with mass spectra of the silicon analogs¹ show a large number of similarities, including the appearance of allylic ions which require Group IV metal to carbon π-bonding. Multiple rearrangements are observed with the halogenated tin compounds which bring the α-halogen into direct bonding with the tin atom.     

Détermination de traces de mercure dans les systèmes biologiques par activation de neutrons

Résumé Une méthode simple et rapide de détermination de traces de mercure est présentée utilisant l'activation de neutrons. Le mercure 197 sous forme de complexe (HgCl₄ ^2–) est retenu sur une résine échangeuse d'anion qui est comptée directement. La méthode est appliquée à des milieux biologiques très divers. Les échantillons contiennent des quantités de mercure allant de 10 p. p. b. à 200 p. p. m. La déviation standard dans ces cas est de ± 10%.

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Determination of traces of mercury in biological material by neutron activation

Summary A simple and rapid technique for the trace analysis of mercury by neutron activation is presented. The activated mercury, as an HgCl₄ ^2– complex, is retained on an anion exchange resin which is counted directly. Results obtained for biological samples containing 10 p. p. b. to 200 p. p. m. are given. In this range, results had a ± 10% standard deviation.

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Zusammenfassung Ein einfaches und rasches Verfahren zur Bestimmung von Spuren Quecksilber durch Neutronenaktivierung wurde beschrieben. Das aktivierte Quecksilber wird als HgCl₄ ^2– an einem Anionenaustauscherharz adsorbiert und seine Aktivität direkt gemessen. Biologische Proben mit 10 ppb bis 200 ppm Hg wurden analysiert. In diesem Bereich betrug die Standardabweichung ± 10%.

     

Mass spectrometric study of MgO clusters produced by the gas aggregation technique

Gas phase (MgO) _n ⁺ and (MgO) _n Mg⁺ clusters were produced in a gas aggregation source and studied by using laser-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A MgO molecule apparently serves as the nucleus for cluster growth, to which Mg and O atoms add. The heat generated by the formation of metal-oxygen bonds, and that added to the cluster by ionization leads to the production of clusters with the stoichiometry of the stable high-temperature oxide. The abundance maxima observed in the mass spectra indicate that the clusters form compact cubic structures similar to pieces of the MgO crystal lattice. The primary fragmentation channel responsible for the observed patterns is probably the loss of MgO monomers.     

Photochemical degradation of hyaluronic acid by singlet oxygen

Changes of the rheological properties of hyaluronic acid (sodium-magnesium salt) solutions after exposure to UV radiation indicate a vigorous decrease in their viscosity, but its still strong shear rate dependence. Whereas the presence of the singlet oxygen sensitizer (anthracene-1-sulphonic acid) brings about a loss of shear dependence; the studied solutions show newtonian behavior.     

Elementary abelian p-subgroups of algebraic groups

Let be an algebraically closed field and let G be a finite-dimensional algebraic group over which is nearly simple, i.e. the connected component of the identity G ⁰ is perfect, C _G(G ⁰)=Z(G ⁰) and G ⁰/Z(G ⁰) is simple. We classify maximal elementary abelian p-subgroups of G which consist of semisimple elements, i.e. for all primes p char .Call a group quasisimple if it is perfect and is simple modulo the center. Call a subset of an algebraic group toral if it is in a torus; otherwise nontoral. For several quasisimple algebraic groups and p=2, we define complexity, and give local criteria for whether an elementary abelian 2-subgroup of G is toral.For all primes, we analyze the nontoral examples, include a classification of all the maximal elementary abelian p-groups, many of the nonmaximal ones, discuss their normalizers and fusion (i.e. how conjugacy classes of the ambient algebraic group meet the subgroup). For some cases, we give a very detailed discussion, e.g. p=3 and G of type E ₆, E ₇ and E ₈. We explain how the presence of spin up and spin down elements influences the structure of projectively elementary abelian 2-groups in Spin(2n, ). Examples of an elementary abelian group which is nontoral in one algebraic group but toral in a larger one are noted.Two subsets of a maximal torus are conjugate in G iff they are conjugate in the normalizer of the torus; this observation, with our discussion of the nontoral cases, gives a detailed guide to the possibilities for the embedding of an elementary abelian p-group in G. To give an application of our methods, we study extraspecial p-groups in E ₈( ).Dedicated to Jacques Tits for his sixtieth birthday