LIDAR mapping of ozone-episode dynamics in Paris and intercomparison with spot analyzers Supplementary material available at http://link.springer.de/journals/apb

Continuous mapping of an ozone episode in Paris in June 1999 has been performed using a differential absorption lidar system. The 2D ozone concentration vertical maps recorded over 33 h at the Champ de Mars are compiled in a video clip that gives access to local photochemical dynamics with unprecedented precision. The lidar data are compared over the whole period with point monitors located at 0-, 50-, and 300-m altitudes on the Eiffel Tower. Very good agreement is found when spatial resolution, acquisition time, and required concentration accuracy are optimized. Sensitivity to these parameters for successful intercomparison in urban areas is discussed. Received: 11 February 2002 / Published online: 14 March 2002     

Closure laws for a two-fluid two-pressure modelLois de fermeture pour un modèle à deux pressions d'écoulement diphasique

Closure laws for interfacial pressure and interfacial velocity are proposed within the frame work of two-pressure two-phase flow models. These enable us to ensure positivity of void fractions, mass fractions and internal energies when investigating field by field waves in the Riemann problem. To cite this article: F. Coquel et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 334 (2002) 927–932.     

Vibration of a pre-constrained elastic thin shell I: Modeling and regularity of the solutionsVibration d'une coque élastique mince pré-contrainte I

We study the vibration of an elastic thin shell which is pre-constrained by a large displacement with a small deformation. In this first Note we prove the solutions exist and we investigate both the interior regularity and the boundary regularity which is known to be important in the shape differentiation of hyperbolic equations. To cite this article: J. Cagnol, J.-P. Zolésio, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 334 (2002) 161–166     

Unexpected end‐groups of poly(acrylic acid) prepared by RAFT polymerization

Low‐molecular‐weight poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) was synthesized by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization with a trithiocarbonate as chain‐transfer agent (CTA). With a combination of NMR spectroscopy and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, the PAA end‐groups of the polymer were analyzed before and after neutralization by sodium hydroxide. The polymer prior to neutralization is made up of the expected trithiocarbonate chain‐ends and of the H‐terminated chains issued from a reaction of transfer to solvent. After neutralization, the trithiocarbonates are transformed into thiols, disulfides, thiolactones, and additional H‐terminated chains. By quantifying the different end‐groups, it was possible to demonstrate that fragmentation is the rate limiting step in the transfer reaction. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5439–5462, 2004     

Protonated ethanol and its neutral counterparts

Collisionally activated dissociation and neutralization-reionization experiments reveal that protonation of ethanol leads to two distinct isomers, the classical ion CH₃CH₂OH⁺₂ and the proton-bound complex C₂H₄…H⁺…OH₂. The neutral counterpart of the latter is unstable, whereas that of the former can be produced in a bound state if the CH₃CH₂OH⁺₂ precursor ion is formed under low ion source pressure conditions and, thus, with higher internal energies. This suggests that there are substantial differences in the geometries of CH₃CH₂OH⁺₂ and the hypervalent CH₃CH₂OH₂ ·. This provides only a partial explanation for unusual isotope effects; C₂H₅OD₂ ·, CH₃CD₂OD₂ ·, and CD₃CH₂OD₂ · are substantially more stable than C₂D₅OD₂ · and C₂H₅OH₂ ·.     

Principles and recent developments in ultrasound contrast agents

The behaviour of gas bubbles and gas encapsulated spheres as echographic contrast agents is reviewed. Compared with rigid spheres, gas bubbles are superior scattering agents and they offer a number of useful properties which can be exploited in a variety of ways. The analysis of their velocity of sound, back-scatter intensity, second harmonic emission and resonant frequency opens up new perspectives in the development of contrast agents for echocardiographic research with potential clinical applications.     

Calculation of photoionization cross sections of small metal clusters

In this paper we present photoionization cross sections of the Cu and Al dimers and tetramers. The local spin density method is applied to calculate the electronic structure and the ground state potential. The cross sections are calculated using the continuum multiple scattering method, and a basic analysis of the photoionization process is given within the independent particle picture.     

Enhanced selectivity of the isolation of basic drugs from body fluids by means of extraction minicolumns and sophisticated elution schemes.

The paper presents results and experience obtained in the isolation of a number of basic polar/non-polar solutes (drugs, their metabolites and structural derivatives) from biological samples by using the separation minicolumns Separcol SI and Separcol SI C18 L/T. The aim was to provide insight into some simple procedures yielding optimal selectivity/specificity of the isolation of the studied solutes either by proper selection of the sorbent or by applying sophisticated elution schemes which use to advantage different properties of the eluents/solvents.     

Flame Temperature Effect on the Structure of SiC Nanoparticles Grown by Laser Pyrolysis

Small SiC nanoparticles (10 nm diameter) have been grown in a flow reactor by CO₂ laser pyrolysis from a C₂H₂ and SiH₄ mixture. The laser radiation is strongly absorbed by SiH₄ vibration. The energy is transferred to the reactive medium and leads to the dissociation of molecules and the subsequent growth of the nanoparticles. The reaction happens with a flame. The purpose of the experiments reported in this paper is to limit the size of the growing particles to the nanometric scale for which specific properties are expected to appear. Therefore the effects of experimental parameters on the structure and chemical composition of nanoparticles have been investigated. For a given reactive mixture and gas velocity, the flame temperature is governed by the laser power. In this study, the temperature was varied from 875°C to 1100°C. The chemical analysis of the products indicate that their composition is a function of the temperature. For the same C/Si atomic ratio in the gaseous phase, the C/Si ratio in the powder increases from 0.7 at 875°C up to 1.02 at 1100°C, indicating a growth mechanism limited by C₂H₂ dissociation. As expected, X-ray diffraction has shown an improved crystallisation with increasing temperature. Transmission electron microscopy observations have revealed the formation of 10 nm grains for all values of laser power (or flame temperature). These grains appear amorphous at low temperature, whereas they contain an increasing number of nanocrystals (2 nm diameter) when the temperature increases. These results pave the way to a better control of the structure and chemical composition of laser synthesised SiC nanoparticles in the 10 nm range.