Heavy fermion superconductivity

The quest for a precise identification of the symmetry of the order parameter in heavy fermion systems has really started with the discovery of the complex superconducting phase diagram in UPt₃. About 10 years latter, despite numerous experiments and theoretical efforts, this is still not achieved, and we will quickly review the present status of knowledge and the main open question. Actually, the more forsaken issue of the nature of the pairing mechanism has been recently tackled by different groups with macroscopic or microscopic measurement, and significant progress have been obtained. We will discuss the results emerging from these recent studies which all support non-phonon-mediated mechanisms.     

Silica-modified electrode for the selective detection of mercury

Pure silica particles were dispersed within carbon paste and the resulting modified electrode was applied to the selective voltammetric detection of mercury(II) species after their accumulation at open circuit. The remarkable selectivity observed between pH 4 and 7 was attributed to the intrinsic adsorption mechanism which involves a condensation reaction between mercury(II) hydroxide and hydroxyl groups on the silica surface, leading to the formation of an inner-sphere-type surface complex. After optimization with respect to the electrode composition, the detection medium, and the voltammetric scan mode, a linear response was obtained in the concentration range between 2 × 10⁻⁷ M to 1 × 10⁻⁵ M, by applying anodic stripping square wave voltammetry. Various silica samples were used and their sorption behavior was discussed in relation to their specific surface area and porosity. The effect of chloride and pH on the accumulation of mercury(II) on silica was also investigated. Received: 4 September 1999 / Accepted: 5 January 2000     

p‐Methyl­tetrahomodioxacalix­[4]­arene

The title compound, 7,13,21,27‐tetramethyl‐3,17‐dioxapenta­cyclo­[23.3.1.1^5,9.1^11,15.1^9,23]ditriaconta‐1(29),5,7,­9(30),­11(31),‐12,­14,19(32),20,22,25,27‐dodecaene‐29,30,31,32‐tetraol, C₃₄H₃₆O₆, assumes in the solid state a very distorted cone‐like conformation stabilized by intramolecular simple and bifurcated hydrogen bonds involving both phenolic and ether O atoms. One part of the mol­ecule, comprising an ether link, is included in the cavity of an adjacent calixarene related by a screw axis, giving rise to a one‐dimensional self‐inclusion polymer.     

On the interaction mechanism of radical photoinitiators with monomers

Rate constants of quenching of triplet excited ketones by several monomers were determined through time‐resolved laser spectroscopy or culled from the literature. The semi‐empirical calculation method PM3 allows the quenching mechanisms to be refined and can be used to predict the reactivity of aromatic ketones toward monomers. It is apparent from both experimental results and theoretical calculations that the rate constant (k_q ) measured for the bimolecular quenching between the triplet state of a given aromatic ketone and both electron‐rich as well as electron‐poor monomers, depends linearly on the free enthalpy of formation of the regioselectively favored 1,4‐biradical, which is the primary reaction step of the ketone/monomer interaction. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1785–1794, 2000     

Limiting speed for jumping

General mechanical considerations provide an upper bound for the take-off velocity of any jumper, animate or inanimate, rigid or soft body, animal or vegetal. The take-off velocity is driven by the ratio of released energy to body mass. Further, the mean reaction force on a rigid platform during push-off is inversely proportional to the characteristic size of the jumper. These general considerations are illustrated in the context of Alexander's jumper model, which can be solved exactly and which shows an excellent agreement with the mechanical results.     

Application of a modified EHMO-ASED formalism to the determination of the structural parameters of organometallics

The parametrization of the EHMO-ASED method we have recently suggested for organometallics is shown to be also applicable, in principle without any modification, to derive the major structural parameters of second-row transition metal systems such as carbonyls or metallocenes. Furthermore, this model leads to satisfactory results when used to calculate the structure of compounds as large as (N-methylindole)tricarbonylchromium(0) or (phenylo.xazoline) tricarbonylchromlum(0) with full geometry optimization of the ligands.     

On Riemann-problem-based methods for detonations in solid energetic materials

This paper compares several high-resolution schemes for the computation of detonation waves in solid explosives. The essential difficulty in comparison with the usual application domain of these schemes is due to the complexity and variety of the equations of state which are used. The HLLC Riemann solver is used in the context of an Eulerian MUSCL scheme and in conjunction with a shock-tracking scheme. The motivation and justification for the various choices in the building of these schemes are discussed. The accuracy of both schemes, full Eulerian and shock-tracking variant, is clearly demonstrated. In addition, the validity of the results is shown. For one-dimensional applications the shock-tracking scheme is very accurate and relatively simple. For multidimensional applications it is recommended that the full Eulerian version be used. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.