Effect of hydrophobic and hydrophilic organic salts on charge transfer polymerisation of styrene

Conventional charge transfer (CT) polymerisation often involves an interaction of a monomer with an electron donor and an acceptor in additives such as Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO). The conventional method suffers from the drawback of poor yields. An attempt has been made in this study to synthesise the polymers by employing different organic salts as an ionisation enhancing additive. The use of a hydrophobic organic salt enhanced the polymer yields significantly and also increased thermal stability. Hydrophilic salts, based on organo-borate anions and quaternary ammonium cations also increased the polymer yields compared to the conventional system.     

Voltammetric studies on the reduction of polyoxometalate anions in ionic liquids

The electrochemical reduction of tetrabutylammonium salts of isostructural pairs of polyoxometalates [Bu4N]2[M6O19], [Bu4N]4[alpha-SiM12O40], and [Bu4N]4[alpha-S2M18O62] (M = Mo or W) has been investigated at glassy carbon electrodes in dissolved and surface-confined states in ionic liquids and other media. In the ionic liquid 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BMIM][PF(6)], between two and six reversible one-electron-transfer processes were detected. Detailed studies on the process [alpha-S2W18O62](4-/5-) in a range of ionic liquids, water, and conventional organic solvents (containing 0.1 M electrolyte) suggest that the polarity of the medium plays a key role in the determination of the reversible potential. Reduction processes involving very highly charged [alpha-S2W18O62](8-/9-/10-) species are strongly influenced by the purity of the medium.     

Living cationic polymerisation of styrene in an ionic liquid

For the first time, living cationic polymerisation of styrene has been carried out in room temperature ionic liquids under mild reaction conditions and using mild acid catalysts (e.g. organoborate acids) to obtain polymers of narrow polydispersity.     

Neutrino production of dimuons

Neutrino interactions with two muons in the final state have been studied using the Fermilab narrow band beam. A sample of 18v _μ like sign dimuon events withP _μ>9 GeV/c yields 6.6±4.8 events after backgroud subtraction and a prompt rate of (1.0±0.7)×10^?4 per single muon event. The kinematics of these events are compared with those of the non-prompt sources. A total of 437v _μ and 31 \(\bar v_\mu \) opposite sign dimuon events withP _μ>4.3 GeV/c are used to measure the strange quark content of the nucleon: \(\kappa = {{2s} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{2s} {\left( {\bar u + \bar d} \right) = 0.52_{ - 0.15}^{ + 0.17} \left( {or\eta _s \frac{{2s}}{{u + d}} = 0.075 \pm 0.019} \right) for 100< E_v< 230 GeV\left( {\left\langle {Q^2 } \right\rangle = {{23 GeV^2 } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{23 GeV^2 } {c^2 }}} \right. \kern-0em} {c^2 }}} \right)}}} \right. \kern-0em} {\left( {\bar u + \bar d} \right) = 0.52_{ - 0.15}^{ + 0.17} \left( {or\eta _s \frac{{2s}}{{u + d}} = 0.075 \pm 0.019} \right) for 100< E_v< 230 GeV\left( {\left\langle {Q^2 } \right\rangle = {{23 GeV^2 } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{23 GeV^2 } {c^2 }}} \right. \kern-0em} {c^2 }}} \right)}}\) using a charm semileptonic branching ratio of (10.9±1.4)% extracted from measurements ine ⁺ e ^? collisions and neutrino emulsion data.     

Protic ionic liquids based on the dimeric and oligomeric anions: [(AcO)xH(x-1)]-

We describe a fluidity and conductivity study as a function of composition in N-methylpyrrolidine-acetic acid mixtures. The simple 1 : 1 acid-base mixture appears to form an ionic liquid, but its degree of ionicity is quite low and such liquids are better thought of as poorly dissociated mixtures of acid and base. The composition consisting of 3 moles acetic acid and 1 mole N-methylpyrrolidine is shown to form the highest ionicity mixture in this binary due to the presence of oligomeric anionic species [(AcO)(x)H(x-1)](-) stabilised by hydrogen bonds. These oligomeric species, being weaker bases than the acetate anion, shift the proton transfer equilibrium towards formation of ionic species, thus generating a higher degree of ionicity than is present at the 1 : 1 composition. A Walden plot analysis, thermogravimetric behaviour and proton NMR data, as well as ab initio calculations of the oligomeric species, all support this conclusion.     

Synthesis and properties of ambient temperature molten salts based on the quaternary ammonium ion

The synthesis of 16 tetraalkyl ammonium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl) imide salts, are reported in this paper. Trends in properties of these salts are discussed. The symmetrical tetraalkyl ammonium salts with the bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl) imide anion exhibited a lower melting point than that of corresponding ammonium halides. The salts with low symmetry ammonium cations were found to be of generally lower melting point, and many were stable liquids at room temperature. Several of these did not crystallize during cooling below room temperature and exhibited glass transition temperatures in the region of −60 °C∼−80 °C. A comparison of properties between the ammonium imide salts and corresponding trifluoromethane sulfonates is also presented.     

Crystallization in fluoride glasses: I. Devitrification on reheating

The devitrification of glass from the BaF₂LaF₃ZrF₃AlF₃ quaternary system is studied as a function of sample size and heating rate by differential scanning calorimetry. Results are analyzed in terms of a theory of non-isothermal crystallization kinetics similar to that of Matusita and Sakka but modified to allow for diffusion controlled growth of the crystallites.     

Development of the collinear laser beam line at TRIUMF

Several commercially available medicaments containing ferrous fumarate (FeC₄H₂O₄) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄), as a source of ferrous iron, were studied using a high velocity resolution Mössbauer spectroscopy. A comparison of the ⁵⁷Fe hyperfine parameters revealed small variations for the main components in both medicaments indicating some differences in the ferrous fumarates and ferrous sulfates. It was also found that all spectra contained additional minor components probably related to ferrous and ferric impurities or to partially modified main components.