Ammonium nitrate changes during thermal analysis

A study was made of the difference occurring in ammonium nitrate during investigation by DTA and by DSC. The results show that the DTA of ammonium nitrate (p.a.) is accompanied by the crystal transformation IV III II I and melting. During DSC investigation of the same ammonium nitrate samples, the salt undergoes the transformations IV III and IV II in parallel; then follow the crystal transformations III II I and melting. The investigation conditions and the history of the samples do not essentially influence the crystal transformations during thermal analysis.

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Zusammenfassung Bei DTA und DSC von Ammoniumnitrat zu beobachtende Unterschiede wurden untersucht. Bei der DTA von p.a. Ammoniumnitrat verlaufen die Kristallumwandlungen IV III II I sowie der Schmelzvorgang. Während der DSC der gleichen Ammoniumnitratproben verlaufen die Übergänge IV III und IV II parallel, worauf die Kristallumwandlungen III II I und der Schmelzvorgang folgen. Die experimentellen Bedingungen und die Vorgeschichte der Proben hat keinen wesentlichen Einfluß auf die während der thermischen Analyse verlaufenden Kristallumwandlungen.

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. ( ..) IV III II I . , IV III IV II - , III II ar I . .

     

Mathematical studies of Kekulé structures

The perfect matching vector and forcing and the Kekulé-vector of cata-benzenoids are defined. Two theorems are given which set the sufficient and necessary conditions for HKZ-vector (Harary et al. J Math Chem 6:295, 1991) and Kekulé-vector in cata-benzenoids. Additional two theorems are obtained which give sharp bounds for the modules of HKZ- and Kekulé vectors. Dedicated to Professor Tadeusz Marek Krygowski on the happy occasion of his 70th birthday.     

Gas-phase structure of protonated histidine and histidine methyl ester: combined experimental mass spectrometry and theoretical ab initio study

Gas-phase H/D exchange experiments with CD3OD and D2O and quantum chemical ab initio G3(MP2) calculations were carried out on protonated histidine and protonated histidine methyl ester in order to elucidate their bonding and structure. The H/D exchange experiments show that both ions have three equivalent fast hydrogens and one appreciably slower exchangeable hydrogen assigned to the protonated amino group participating in a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) with the nearest N(sp2) nitrogen of the imidazole fragment and to the distal ring NH-group, respectively. It is taken for granted that the proton exchange in the IHB is much faster than the H/D exchange. Unlike in other protonated amino acids (glycine, proline, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan) studied earlier, the exchange rate of the carboxyl group in protonated histidine is slower than that of the amino group. The most stable conformers and the enthalpies of neutral and protonated histidine and its methyl ester are calculated at the G3(MP2) level of theory. It is shown that strong intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the amino group and the imidazole ring nitrogen sites is responsible for the stability and specific properties of the protonated histidine. It is found that the proton fluctuates between the amino and imidazole groups in the protonated form across an almost vanishing barrier. Proton affinity (PA) of histidine calculated by the G3(MP2) method is 233.2 and 232.4 kcal mol(-1) for protonation at the imidazole ring and at the amino group nitrogens, respectively, which is about 3-5 kcal mol(-1) lower than the reported experimental value.     

Determination of chloride by stripping chronopotentiometry with silver-film electrode

The experimental parameters of cathodic stripping chronopotentiometry of chloride at a silver-film electrode are investigated and optimized. The chloride preconcentration is achieved in the form of silver chloride by a controlled potential oxidation of the working electrode under vigorous stirring. Cathodic stripping of the deposit is obtained by the constant current, under the condition of diffusive mass transfer. Deaeration of the solution is not necessary. A detection limit of 35 μ dm⁻³ (10⁻⁶ mol dm⁻³) is obtained at a deposition time of 180 s, with a reproducibility of 6.7 % (expressed as relative standard deviation, RSD).     

Protein secondary structure conformations and associated hydrophobicity scales

We have developed conformational preference functions and a hierarchy of algorithms that can evaluate the success of each hydrophobicity scale in predicting protein secondary conformation. The results of such evaluation are shown for fiftyfive different scales with respect to their ability to predict -helix, -sheet and coil structure in three testing sets of proteins: five integral membrane proteins, twelve -class and sixteen -class soluble proteins. Our scale of conformational parameters is the best predictor of secondary structure segments in membrane proteins and -class proteins. The success rate and correlation coefficient for -helix conformation in membrane proteins are 76% and 0.46 respectively, which is superior to the performance measures attained with other prediction schemes. Evaluation of solution hydrophobicity scales, often used to predict transmembrane segments in membrane proteins, indicated absence of correlation in prediction of helix segments and experimental results for the conformation of membrane proteins. Such scales have better performance (correlation coefficient around 0.30) in predicting sheet conformation in the -class proteins.     

On the z-counting polynomial for edge-weighted graphs

The construction of the Z-counting polynomial for edge-weighted graphs is discussed.Dedicated to Professor Haruo Hosoya (Tokyo) on the occasion of his 55th birthday for enriching chemical graph theory with the elegant concept of the Z-counting polynomial.     

Synthesis of 3-hexahelicenol and its transformation to 3-hexahelicenylamines,diphenylphosphine, methyl carboxylate,and dimethylthiocarbamate

A nonphotochemical synthetic route to 3-hexahelicenol is reported. It involves a key [2+2+2] cycloisomerization of CH(3)O-substituted triyne that is readily available from 1-methoxy-3-methylbenzene and 1-bromo-2-(bromomethyl)naphthalene. Further functional group transformations led to 3-CO(2)CH(3), 3-NH(2), 3-PPh(2), and 3-SC(O)N(CH(3))(2) substituted hexahelicenes.     

Use of x-ray fluorescence spectrometry in ion-exchange studies of leach liquors

Equilibrium and kinetic studies of ion exchange of a complex leach liquor from coal ash, with strongly basic resins and a liquid ion exchanger are reported. The multi-component system was studied by determining the composition of the effluents and by non-destructive analysis of the loaded ion exchangers by XRF spectrometry. In the case of column operation, the elution processes were investigated by the same method, which was very appropriate for non-destructive monitoring of resin regeneration steps done repeatedly with the same resin sample.     

On lower bounds of number of perfect matchings in fullerene graphs

Couting perfect matchings in graphs is a very difficult problem. Some recently developed decomposition techniques allowed us to estimate the lower bound of the number of perfect matchings in certain classes of graphs. By applying these techniques, it will be shown that every fullerene graph with p vertices contains at least p/2+1 perfect matchings. It is a significant improvement over a previously published estimate, which claimed at least three perfect matchings in every fullerene graph. As an interesting chemical consequence, it is noted that every bisubstituted derivative of a fullerene still permits a Kekulé structure.