On-line Surface Area Measurement of Concentrated Slurries using low field spin-lattice relaxation NMR

A method for the rapid on-line determination of surface area and solids content in flowing concentrated slurries using low field NMR spin-lattice relaxation measurements has been developed and demonstrated. The relationship between flow and spin-lattice relaxation time (T₁) of protons in water at 20 MHz was examined using aqueous copper sulfate solutions. The ability to measure surface area and solids concentration in both stagnant (stopped flow) and flowing systems via NMR was demonstrated using several different concentrated aqueous titania and glass slurries (20 to 80 weight percent) for which the dried powder surface area was previously determined via nitrogen adsorption/BET analysis and the solids content determined gravimetrically. Surface areas were also calculated from particle size analysis and found to vary by up to an order of magnitude from the adsorption and NMR results.     

Lifetime of the 6+ member of the ground-state band in 22Ne

Mean lifetimes of levels in ²²Ne have been measured by the Doppler-shift attenuation method using the inverse reaction ⁴He(¹⁹F, pγ)²²Ne. The Doppler-broadened lineshapes observed at 0° were analyzed using scaled experimental stopping powers and give the following results for each of the following levels (energy in keV and lifetime in fs): 4457 ( < 15), 5147 (1300 ± 500), 5522 (27 ± 4), 5641 ( < 20), 6311 (70 ± 10), 6345 ( < 15), 6636 ( < 20) and 6817 ( < 15). The lifetime of the 6311 keV 6⁺ level is particularly interesting for testing model predictions. The large basis shell model calculations of Preedom and Wildenthal are in good agreement with the experimental B(E2) values for the 2⁺, 4⁺ and 6⁺ members of the ground-state band.     

Lifshitz theory-— exact or approximate statistical mechanics?

We show that the Lifshitz and related theories of intermolecular interactions are equivalent to perturbation theory, and therefore subject to the usual restrictions of the latter.     

E2 nuclear resonance effects in pionic and kaonic atoms

The attenuation due to the E2 nuclear resonance effect has been measured in hadronic atoms using pions with ¹¹¹Cd and ¹¹²Cd, and for kaons with ¹²²Sn. Energies of the relevant X-ray and γ-ray transitions and of the X-ray cascade intensities have also been measured so as to give a self-consistent set of information. The results are found to be in very good agreement with theoretical calculations.     

Biosynthesis of the allene (-)-marasin in Marasmius ramealis

[1-14C]-E-dehydromatricaria methyl ester and dimethyl [1-14C]-deca-4,6,8-triyne-1,10-dioate are incorporated into the allene (-)-marasin in Marasmius ramealis without scrambling of the 14C label. This and the levels of the incorporations (0.8% and 4.9% respectively) strongly suggests that the above esters, or close relatives, can be converted directly into (-)-marasin in M. ramealis, and that the diyne-allene moiety in this latter compound arises by the rearrangement, under enzymic control, of an alkyltriyne moiety.     

Retention of configuration in the nucleophilic substitution reactions of some nine-membered ansa derivatives of cyclotriphosphazatriene

X-ray crystallographic evidence shows that nucleophilic substitution reactions of two different types of cyclophosphazene derivatives with relatively rigid nine-membered ansa rings leads to the first demonstration of retention of configuration in these molecular systems.     

Diastereoselective conjugate reduction with samarium diiodide: asymmetric synthesis of methyl (2S,3R)-N-acetyl-2-amino-2,3-dideuterio-3-phenylpropionate

A highly diastereoselective conjugate reduction using SmI2 and D2O has been demonstrated on a homochiral benzylidene diketopiperazine template, giving methyl (2S,3R)-N-acetyl-2-amino-2,3-dideuterio-3-phenylpropionate in 93% de and 90% ee after deprotection, hydrolysis and N-acetylation.     

Real-time scanning tunnelling microscopy imaging of protein motion at electrode surfaces

A mutant (K27C) of the blue copper protein azurin [Eur. J. Biochem. 194 (1990) 109; J. Mol. Biol. 221 (1991) 765] for orientated immobilisation on gold surfaces was analysed by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) both in a resting state and following the application of a short potential pulse between the tip and sample.     

Investigation of modified basal plane pyrolytic graphite electrodes: definitive evidence for the electrocatalytic properties of the ends of carbon nanotubes

The basis of the electrocatalytic nature of multi-wall carbon nanotubes is suggested to reside in electron transfer from the ends of nanotubes, which structurally resemble the behaviour of edge plane (as opposed to basal plane) graphite, and is demonstrated via the comparison of the electrochemical oxidation of epinephrine and the electrochemical reduction of ferricyanide at nanotube-modified electrodes using different types of graphite electrodes and with C(60)-modified electrodes.