Facile Preparation of Mn3O4 Hausmanite Nanoplates from a New Octahedral Manganese (III) Schiff Base Complex

A novel bidentate Schiff base ligand L (L = N-(4-amino-2-chloro-phenyl)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde) and the subsequent octahedral manganese(III) Schiff base complex MnL ₃ have been synthesized and characterized by, FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analyses (CHN). Additionally, Schiff base ligand has been characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis of the ligand and its metal complexes reveals their thermal stability and decomposition pattern. Thus, the MnL ₃ complex has been investigated as a novel precursor for the facile preparation of Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles via solid-state thermal decomposition under aerobic conditions, at a temperature of ca. 450 °C The resulting Mn₃O₄ nanocrystals were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRPD studies reveal the characteristic diffraction peaks indexed to the Mn₃O₄ hausmanite structure, while the absence of additional peaks tends to clearly indicate the high purity of the sample. In addition, the TEM/SEM investigations displayed the nanoplate shape of the rather monodisperse crystalline Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles, with an average diameter of ca. 10 nm. The statistical distribution of the nanoparticles size has to be provided with an histogram graphic.     

Automated at-line solid-phase extraction-gas chromatographic analysis of micropollutants in water using the PrepStation

A fully automated at-line solid-phase extraction-gas chromatography procedure has been developed for the analysis of aqueous samples using the PrepStation. The sample extract is transferred from the sample preparation module to the gas chromatograph via an autosampler vial. With flame-ionization detection, limits of determination (S/N=10) of 0.05–0.13 μg/l were obtained for the analysis of HPLC-grade water when modifying the PrepStation by: (i) increasing the sample volume to 50 ml, (ii) increasing the injection volume up to 50 μl, and (iii) decreasing the desorption volume to 300 μl. The HP autosampler had to be modified to enable the automated “at-once” on-column injection of up to 50 μl of sample extract. The amount of packing material in the original cartridge had to be reduced to effect the decrease of the desorption volume. The total set-up did not require any further optimization after having set up the method once. The analytical characteristics of the organonitrogen and organophosphorus test analytes, i.e. recoveries (typically 75–105%), repeatability (2–8%) and linearity (0.09–3.0 μg/l) were satisfactory. The potential of the system was demonstrated by determining triazines and organophosphorus pesticides in river Rhine water at the 0.6 μg/l level using flame-ionization and mass-selective detection. No practical problems were observed during the analysis of more than 100 river water samples.     

The ion product of H2O,dissociation constants of H2CO3 and pitzer parameters in the system Na+/H+/OH−/HCO 3 − /CO 3 2- /ClO 4 − /H2O at 25°C

The ion product of water and the dissociation constants of carbonic acid have been determined in 0.1, 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0M NaClO₄ at 25°C. The ion product of water K _w ^' has been evaluated by emf measurements with a combined glass electrode in NaClO₄ solutions containing 0.001–0.1M HCLO₄ or NaOH. The product K _H ^' K _l ^' K ₂ ^' of the Henry constant for CO₂ and the dissociation constants for H₂CO₃ have been determined by titration of carbonate solutions equilibrated with pCO₂ =10^–3.52 atm, and K ₂ ^' has been evaluated by potentiometric titration and by measuring the H⁺ concentration at fixed HCO ₃ ^– and CO ₃ ^2- concentrations. The ion interaction (Pitzer) equations are applied to describe the constants K _w ^' , K ₂ ^' and K _H ^' H ₁ ^' K ₂ ^' as a function of the NaClO₄ concentration. The experimental data are used to evaluate the mixing parameters _{i/ClO 4} and _{i/ClO 4} ^-/Na⁺ fori = OH ^-,HCO ₃ ^- andCO ₃ ^2-     

The Damping of Balances

The paper gives a survey of the history of damping methods for balances. Representation on Egyptian drawings demonstrate that the person performing the weighing shortened the measuring time by holding the suspension cords and touching the beam. By means of delimiters, the Romans constricted the deflection amplitudes. In the 19th century, the movements of precision balances were damped with a brush. For analytical balances, locking mechanism were developed, often combined with levers lifting the weighing scales and the beam in order to relieve the knife-edges. Half-arresting was used to curtail weighings. Air damping was invented by Arzberger in 1875, and eddy current damping by Marek in 1906. In electronic balances, lag, lead and filter elements and absorptive attenuators are used. For digital balances, the fast-reacting nullification of eddy signals is applied. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Vibrational spectra of [(CH3)3NH]3Sb2Cl9, [(CH3)3NH]3Bi2Cl9 and their mixed crystals

The IR and Raman spectra of [(CH₃)₃NH]₃Sb₂Cl₉ (A), [(CH₃)₃NH]₃Bi₂Cl₉ (B) and two of their mixed crystals containing respectively 33% (AB.33) and 42% Bi (AB.42) are analyzed and compared. A and AB.33 show ferroelectric–paraelectric phase transition at 364 K and 344 K, respectively. AB.42 and B are paraelectric in the temperature range between 90 and 365 K. Most of the vibrational modes show continuous changes, with the temperature, in the IR frequencies or intensities with no soft mode behavior. However, characteristic ν(NHCl) and δ(NHCl) vibrations of weakly hydrogen-bonded species are only observed in A and AB.33 below the temperature of the phase transition and are related to the ferroelectricity. The evolution of the IR spectra with the temperature suggests that the ferroelectric properties are connected with the reorientation of the cations which needs a breaking of the weak NHCl hydrogen bonds in the paraelectric phase.     

Determination of anionic trace impurities in glycerol by capillary isotachophoresis with enlarged sample load

Glycerol of different quality classifications served as a model for a neutral excess component in the isotachophoretic determination of low-molecular-mass anionic trace impurities. Potential anionic contaminants such as nitrate, sulphate, chlorate, nitrite, oxalate, fluoride formate and phosphate were analysed up to an analyte-to-excess ratio of 1:4·10⁷, thus providing the possibility of checking the sample for the mentioned analytes in the order of 2.5·10⁻⁶–9.5·10⁻⁶%. Because we used a column-coupling isotachophoretic instrument the electrolyte system consisted of two different leading electrolytes, one for the pre-separation (10 mmol/l HCl, β-alanine, pH 3.2) in the first capillary and one for the final separation (5 mmol/l HCl, 1,3-bis[tris(hydroxymethyl)methylamino]propane, β-alanine, pH 3.6) in the second capillary. The terminating electrolyte was citric acid. Due to an increased injection volume of 300 μl, limits of detection (LODs) in the nanomolar range were realised by conductivity detection. The developed method allows simultaneous analysis without sample preparation and/or preconcentration within 25 min and is for that reason suitable for in-place process control.     

Use of chemiluminescence to the study of photostability of automotive coatings

Chemiluminescence (CL) imaging has been used to study the photodegradation of two automotive coatings, a melamine-crosslinked acrylic resin and an acrylic Polyurethane, as a function of artificial weathering time. Characteristics of the CL emission from coatings, the influence of light stabilizers and different types of sample were studied. The results indicate that the method is highly sensitive and can be used to measure photodegradation in unstabilized and stabilized coatings after only 48 h and 100–200 h of exposure, respectively. Measurements can be carried out on free clearcoats or on clearcoats applied on metallic panels. It is also possible to assess the degradation of individual layers in multiple-layer coating systems. Extrapolation to the failure time of coatings by CL is not yet achievable, but results show that the technique is useful for rapidly screening the relative performance of new coating formulations or light stabilizers added to clearcoats.     

Einfluß zweiwertiger Anionen auf die Filmdruck-Flächenbedarfs-Isothermen von gespreiteten Octadecylamin-Monoschichten

Zusammenfassung Durch den Einsatz zweiwertiger Ionen in der wäßrigen Subphase kann die Packungsdichte gespreiteter Monoschichten wasserunlöslicher Tenside pH-abhän-gig erhöht werden. Ergebnisse für Octadecylamin auf einer Lösung von Natriumhydrogensphosphat werden angegeben.

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Summary The packing density of spread monolayers of waterinsoluble surface-active agents can be increased by use of bivalent ions in the aqueous subphase. Results for octadecyl amine spread on a solution of sodium hydrogen phosphate are given.

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