A Study of Risk-exposed Cotton Trading

The international spot-market, risk-exposed, trading of a cotton merchant was studied. A price model for estimating a market price for cotton with varying characteristics was constructed. This formed the input for a trading decision model which predicted the outcome of the merchant taking risky positions.     

Ab initio calculations on low-lying electronic states of SbO2- and Franck-Condon simulation of its photodetachment spectrum

Geometry optimization and harmonic vibrational frequency calculations have been carried out on the low-lying singlet and triplet electronic states of the antimony dioxide anion (SbO2-) employing a variety of ab initio methods. Both large-core and small-core relativistic effective core potentials were used for Sb in these calculations, together with valence basis sets of up to augmented correlation-consistent polarized-valence quintuple-zeta (aug-cc-pV5Z) quality. The ground electronic state of SbO2- is determined to be the X (1)A1 state, with the a (3)B1 state, calculated to be approximately 48 kcal mole(-1) (2.1 eV) higher in energy. Further calculations were performed on the X (2)A1, A (2)B2, and B (2)A2 states of SbO2 with the aim to simulating the photodetachment spectrum of SbO(2) (-). Potential energy functions (PEFs) of the X (1)A1 state of SbO2- and the X (2)A1, A (2)B2, and B (2)A2 states of SbO2 were computed at the complete-active-space self-consistent-field multireference internally contracted configuration interaction level with basis sets of augmented correlation-consistent polarized valence quadruple-zeta quality. Anharmonic vibrational wave functions obtained from these PEFs were used to compute Franck-Condon factors between the X (1)A1 state of SbO2- and the X (2)A1, A (2)B2, and B (2)A2 states of SbO2, which were then used to simulate the photodetachment spectrum of SbO2-, which is yet to be recorded experimentally.     

DFT and ab initio calculations on two reactions between hydrogen atoms and the fire suppressants 2-H heptafluoropropane and CF3Br

Reaction enthalpies and barrier heights of the reactions CF3Br+H-->CF3+HBr {reaction (1)} and CF3CHFCF3+H-->CF3CFCF3+H2 {reaction (2)} have been calculated at the near state-of-the-art ab initio level, and also by employing the B3LYP, BH&HLYP, BB1K, MPW1K, MPWB1K and TPSS1KCIS functionals. In addition, the integrated molecular orbital+molecular orbital (IMOMO) method has been used to study reaction (2). The ab initio benchmark values of the reaction enthalpy (298 K) and barrier height (0 K) of reaction (2) are reported for the first time {-(0.7+/-0.7) and 13.3+/-0.5 kcal/mole respectively}. When density functional theory (DFT) results are compared with ab initio benchmarks for both reactions (1) and (2), the MPWB1K functional is found to have the best performance of the six functionals used. The IMOMO method with the RCCSD/aug-cc-pVTZ and/or RCCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ levels, as the high levels of calculation on the model system, gives reaction enthalpies and barrier heights of reaction (2), which agree with ab initio benchmark values to within 1 kcal/mole. Computed key geometrical parameters and imaginary vibrational frequencies of the transition state structures of reactions (1) and (2) obtained at different levels of calculation are compared. The magnitudes of the computed imaginary vibrational frequencies of the transition states of both reactions considered are found to be very sensitive to the levels of calculation used to obtain them. The heat of formation (298 K) of CF3CFCF3 calculated at the near state-of-the-art level has a value of -(318+/-3) kcal/mole.     

Defocus image contrast in hexagonally-ordered mesoporous material

A transmission electron microscope was used to characterize a powder form of hexagonally-ordered mesoporous silica material. The structural symmetry built into this amorphous material allowed one to obtain three characteristic images, i.e. a hexagonal honey-comb structure and wide/narrow parallel lines. These images were found to originate primarily from phase contrast, which changed sensitively with defocusing. To further understand the contrast behaviour of these images, an analytical form of the defocus contrast theory was developed and applied to the simulation of the characteristic wide/narrow parallel line images. The simulation was found to be in good qualitative agreement with experiments, where changes in focus conditions and specimen thickness were predicted to alter the contrast in the resulting parallel-line type images.     

Theoretical study of M(+)-RG complexes (M = Ga, In; RG = He-Rn)

We present potential energy curves calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory for Ga(+)-RG and In(+)-RG complexes (RG = He-Rn). Spectroscopic parameters have been derived from these potentials and compared to previously calculated parameters for the Al(+)-RG and Tl(+)-RG complexes. Additionally, for some cases, we compare these parameters with those obtained from electronic spectroscopic studies on excited states of the neutral species, arising from atomic-based d ← p excitations. The Ga(+)-RG and In(+)-RG potentials have also been used to calculate the transport coefficients for M(+) traveling through a bath of RG atoms.     

Large core-shell poly(methyl methacrylate) colloidal clusters: synthesis, characterization, and tracking

We present a multistep procedure yielding large (diameter > 2 μm) monodisperse, fluorescently labeled core-shell poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) latex particles via dispersion polymerization. The particles' physical properties were controlled by adjusting two reaction parameters, the initiator and chain transfer agent concentrations, which influence the molecular weight of the PMMA. Under certain conditions, particles with the requisite properties for fabricating colloidal clusters were synthesized. The resulting clusters represent a new type of nonspherical colloid that can be dispersed in a density- and refractive index-matching solvent, making them ideal for quantitative studies using confocal microscopy. To demonstrate the utility of our clusters, we measured the translational and rotational diffusion coefficients of a tetrahedral cluster by tracking the motion of its constituent particles in three-dimensional space. More broadly, our findings provide new insights concerning PMMA dispersion polymerization in apolar media.     

Measuring overlaps in mesoscopic spin glasses via conductance fluctuations

We consider the electronic transport in a mesoscopic metallic spin glass. We show that the distribution of overlaps between spin configurations can be inferred from the reduction of the conductance fluctuations by the magnetic impurities. Using this property, we propose new experimental protocols to probe spin glasses directly through their overlaps.     

Temperature distribution on an isoflux surface cooled by an impinging liquid jet with a 40° Wall Jet Swirl Generator

Graphical Abstract  

     

ChemInform Abstract: The Heaviest Group 2 Difluoride,RaF2: Geometry and Ionization Energy

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