Comments on ‘Enhanced piezoresistivity in Ni-silicone rubber composites’

This paper describes the accepted meaning of the term ’negative resistance’ and its use in the literature, and discusses the features in the previously published data on QTC TM (market name of a metal-polymer composite) that show that the non-linear, hysteretic current voltage characteristics are not caused by Joule heating. The benefit of the high metal filler loading in QTC TM and other unique features of this composite are reviewed.     

The fractional chromatic number, the Hall ratio, and the lexicographic product

Let χ_f denote the fractional chromatic number and ρ the Hall ratio, and let the lexicographic product of G and H be denoted GlexH. Main results: (i) ρ(GlexH)≤χ_f(G)ρ(H); (ii) if ρ(G)=χ_f(G) then ρ(GlexH)=ρ(G)ρ(H) for all H; (iii) χ_f−ρ is unbounded. In addition, the question of how big χ_f/ρ can be is discussed.     

The 1:1 adduct of 4‐aminobenzoic acid with 4‐aminobenzonitrile

The 1:1 adduct of 4‐amino­benzoic acid (PABA) with 4‐am‐inobenzonitrile (PABN), C₇H₇NO₂·C₇H₆N₂, consists of a primary centrosymmetric cyclic hydrogen‐bonded PABA dimer interaction [O?O 2.640 (3) Å] peripherally linked into chains by weaker hydrogen bonds via a head‐to‐tail PABN interaction [N?N 3.179 (4) and N?O 3.062 (4) Å], and is linked between the chains by amine‐N (PABN) to amine‐N (PABA) interactions [N?N 3.233 (5) Å]. No proton transfer occurs.     

Synthesis of alpha-keto-imides via oxidation of ynamides

A de novo preparation of alpha-keto-imides via ynamide oxidation is described. With a number of alkyne oxidation conditions screened, a highly efficient RuO2-NaIO4 mediated oxidation and a DMDO oxidation have been identified to tolerate a wide range of ynamide types. In addition to accessing a wide variety of alpha-keto-imides, the RuO2-NaIO4 protocol provides a novel entry to the vicinal tricarbonyl motif via oxidation of push-pull ynamides, and imido acylsilanes from silyl-substituted ynamides. Chemoselective oxidation of ynamides containing olefins can be achieved by using DMDO, while the RuO2-NaIO4 protocol is not effective. These studies provide further support for the synthetic utility of ynamides.     

Rapid hydrocarbon analysis using a miniature rectilinear ion trap mass spectrometer

A miniature ion trap mass analyzer was applied to the analysis of traces of hydrocarbons and simple heteroatomics in the vapor phase and in aqueous solution. Vapors of acetone, acetic acid, acetonitrile, benzene, butanethiol, carbon disulfide, hexane, dichloromethane, naphthalene, toluene and xylenes were detected and quantified using solid sorbent trapping and, in some cases, by passage through a membrane interface. Aqueous solutions of benzene, toluene, xylenes, hexane and a petroleum naphtha distillate were examined using the membrane interface. Sampling, detection and identification of all compounds was completed in times of less than one minute. The gas-phase samples of toluene and benzene were detected at 200 ppt (limit of detection, LOD) for toluene and 600 ppt for benzene. Identification of benzene and xylene in aqueous solutions was readily achieved with LODs of 200 and 400 ppb, respectively. Quantification over a linear dynamic range of two orders of magnitude for the aqueous samples and three orders of magnitude for the vapor-phase samples was demonstrated.     

Aggregation of nanosized colloidal silica in the presence of various alkali cations investigated by the electrospray technique

The slow aggregation process of a concentrated silica dispersion (Bindzil 40/220) in the presence of alkali chlorides (LiCl, NaCl, KCl, RbCl, and CsCl) was investigated by means of mobility measurements. At intervals during the aggregation, particles and aggregates were transferred from the liquid phase to the gas phase via electrospray (ES) and subsequently size selected and counted using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). This method enables the acquisition of particle and aggregate size distributions with a time resolution of minutes. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the method has been applied to study the process of colloidal aggregation. The obtained results indicate that, independent of the type of counterion, a sufficient dilution of the formed gel will cause the particles to redisperse. Hence, the silica particles are, at least initially, reversibly aggregated. The reversibility of the aggregation indicates additional non-DLVO repulsive steric interactions that are likely due to the presence of a gel layer at the surface. The size of the disintegrating aggregates was monitored as a function of the time after dilution. It was found that the most stable aggregates were formed by the ions that adsorb most strongly on the particle surface. This attractive effect was ascribed to an ion-ion correlation interaction.     

Adsorption of gases in carbon nanotubes: are defect interstitial sites important?

Molecular simulations are used to shed light on an ongoing controversy over where gases adsorb on single walled carbon nanotube bundles. We have performed simulations using models of carbon nanotube bundles composed of tubes of all the same diameter (homogeneous) and tubes of different diameters (heterogeneous). Simulation data are compared with experimental data in an effort to identify the best model for describing experimental data. Adsorption isotherms, isosteric heats of adsorption, and specific surface areas have been computed for Ar, CH 4, and Xe on closed, open, and partially opened homogeneous and heterogeneous nanotube bundles. Experimental data from nanotubes prepared from two different methods, electric arc and HiPco, were examined. Experimental adsorption isotherms and isosteric heats for nanotubes prepared by the electric arc method are in best agreement with simulations for heterogeneous bundles of closed nanotubes. Models including adsorption in defect interstitial channels are required to achieve good agreement with experiments. Experimental isosteric heats and specific surface areas on HiPco nanotubes are best described by a model consisting of heterogeneous bundles with approximately 11% of the nanotubes opened.     

1,2]- or [2,3]-rearrangement of onium ylides of allyl and benzyl ethers and sulfides via in situ-generated iodonium ylides

Iodonium ylides, generated in situ with bisacetoxyiodobenzene, are converted to allyl- or benzyl-substituted oxonium or sulfonium ylides via rhodium- or copper-catalyzed carbene transfer. Except for the S-benzyl example, the resulting ylides undergo rearrangement to the corresponding 2-substituted heterocycles. This demonstrates the first use of iodonium ylides as diazoketone surrogates for the generation and rearrangement of onium ylide intermediates. This abbreviated one-step method proceeds in comparable yields relative to the corresponding two-step route employing diazoketone intermediates.