Rapid Synthesis of Nanocrystalline TiO2/SnO2 Binary Oxides and Their Photoinduced Decomposition of Methyl Orange

A rapid and simple method, the so-called stearic acid method (SAM) was developed to prepare nanostructured TiO₂/SnO₂ binary oxides by combustion of stearic acid precursors. The preparative process was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). During the preparative process, metal precursors were dispersed in stearic acid at molecular level. Microstructure of the samples was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), BET specific surface area measurement and the results were compared with those obtained by conventional sol-gel method. The photocatalytic decomposition of methyl orange was used as a model system to determine the relative influences of the preparation method and the concentration of SnO₂ on the photocatalytic activities. It was found that preparative methods affected the crystalline structure of TiO₂/SnO₂ powders and the anatase phase of TiO₂ was stabilized by the addition of SnO₂ in SAM. The samples prepared by SAM showed better dispersity, larger specific surface area and the TiO₂/SnO₂ (r=0.15, SAM) catalyst showed higher photocatalytic activity than Degussa P25.     

Chemisorption of atomic hydrogen on rhodium: An ab initio cluster-model approach

Interaction of atomic hydrogen with cluster models simulating the Rh(111) surface has been studied at the ab initio SCF level using relativistic non-empirical pseudopotentials and moderately large basis sets. From the bonding parameters, it is seen that chemisorption on the threefold open position is five times more favoured than on the threefold eclipsed one, and the bonding picture is rather different for both active sites. Since two different kinds of adsorbed hydrogen atoms should exist according to various experimental techniques, the present work adds further evidence to the existence of these two types of adsorption and reports some structural parameters which can help to a more detailed characterization in the near future.     

Polarographic determination of pilocarpine using the catalysed pre-wave of nickel(II)

On the basis of a detailed study of the pilocarpine-induced nickel(II) pre-wave using various polarographic techniques, an electrode process mechanism is proposed in which the formation of a catalytic complex between aquo-nickel(II) and veronalate-nickel(II) on the one hand and unprotonated pilocarpine adsorbed on the electrode surface on the other is followed by the reduction of nickel(II) in the complex and the release of the catalytic ligand. The pre-peak recorded by differential-pulse polarography in the system 1 × 10^?3 M Ni(II)-1 × 10^?2 M sodium veronal, nitric acid (pH 8.5) (with ionic strength maintained at 0.2 with sodium nitrate) can be used for quantitative determination of pilocarpine at concentrations in the range 2.5 × 10^?7-8 × 10^?6 M.     

Effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of polyamide 6

The non-isothermal crystallization behaviors of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)/polyamide 6 (PA6) composites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Three methods, namely, Avrami, Ozawa and Mo, were carried out to analyze the non-isothermal crystallization data. The results showed that the MWNTs in PA6 acted as effective nucleation agents. However the crystallization rate of composites obtained was lower than that of the neat PA6. It is indicated that the presence of MWNTs influenced the mechanism of nucleation and the growth of PA6 crystallites.     

Fitting complex potential energy surfaces to simple model potentials: application of the simplex-annealing method

A stochastic method of optimization, which combines simulated annealing with simplex, is implemented to fit the parameters of a simple model potential. The main characteristic of the method is that it explores the whole space of the parameters of the model potential, and therefore it is very efficient in locating the global minimum of the cost function, in addition to being independent of the initial guess of the parameters. The method is employed to fit the complex intermolecular potential energy surface of the dimer of water, using as a reference the spectroscopic quality anisotropic site-site potential of Feller et al. The simple model potential chosen for its reparameterization is the MCY model potential of Clementi et al. The quality of the fit is assessed by comparing the geometry of the minimum, the harmonic frequencies, and the second virial coefficients of the parameterized potential with the reference one. Finally, to prove more rigorously the robustness of this method, it is compared with standard nonstochastic methods of optimization.     

UV index experimental values during the years 2000 and 2001 from the Spanish broadband UV-B radiometric network

An analysis is made of experimental ultraviolet erythemal solar radiation data measured during the years 2000 and 2001 by the Spanish UV-B radiation evaluation and prediction network. This network consists of 16 Robertson-Berger type pyranometers for evaluating solar erythemal radiation and five Brewer spectroradiometers for evaluating the stratospheric ozone. On the basis of these data the Ultraviolet Index (UVI) was evaluated for the measuring stations that are located either in coastal regions or in the more densely populated regions inland on the Iberian Peninsula. It has been checked that in most cases the maximum irradiance values corresponded to solar noon, although there were exceptions that could be explained by cloudiness. The maximum experimental values of the UVI were around 9 during the summer, though frequently passing this value at the inland measurement stations. The annual accumulated dose of irradiation on a horizontal plane has also been studied, as well as the evolution through the year in units of energy, standard erythemal doses and minimum erythemal doses, according to different phototypes.     

Design and optimization of on-chip capillary electrophoresis

We present a systematic, experimentally validated method of designing electrokinetic injections for on-chip capillary electrophoresis applications. This method can be used to predict point-wise and charge-coupled device (CCD)-imaged electropherograms using estimates of species mobilities, diffusivities and initial sample plug parameters. A simple Taylor dispersion model is used to characterize electrophoretic separations in terms of resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Detection convolutions using Gaussian and Boxcar detector response functions are used to relate optimal conditions for resolution and signal as a function of relevant system parameters including electroosmotic mobility, sample injection length, detector length scale, and the length-to-detector. Analytical solutions show a tradeoff between signal-to-noise ratio and resolution with respect to dimensionless injection width and length to the detector. In contrast, there is no tradeoff with respect to the Peclet number as increases in Peclet number favor both SNR and separation solution (R). We validate our model with quantitative epifluorescence visualizations of electrophoretic separation experiments in a simple cross channel microchip. For the pure advection regime of dispersion, we use numerical simulations of the transient convective diffusion processes associated with electrokinetics together with an optimization algorithm to design a voltage control scheme which produces an injection plug that has minimal advective dispersion. We also validate this optimal injection scheme using fluorescence visualizations. These validations show that optimized voltage scheme produces injections with a standard deviation less than one-fifth of the width of the microchannel.     

A general and enantiodivergent method for the asymmetric synthesis of piperidine alkaloids: concise synthesis of (R)-pipecoline, (S)-coniine and other 2-alkylpiperidines

A simple and very efficient protocol for the preparation of highly enantioenriched 2-alkylpiperidines has been set up, which allows the preparation of the final heterocycles with any wanted configuration at the stereogenic center starting from the same starting material. The key step of the synthesis relies on a diastereodivergent aza-Michael reaction protocol using the readily available and cheap reagent (+)-(S,S)-pseudoephedrine as chiral auxiliary.     

The thermodynamic model of inorganic arsenic species in aqueous solutions Potentiometric study of the hydrolitic equilibrium of arsenic acid

Protonation constants of arsenic acid were determined at different ionic strengths in NaClO(4) (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0 mol dm(-3)), NaCl (0.5 and 1.0 mol dm(-3)) and KCl (0.5, 1.0 and 3.0 mol dm(-3)) ionic media by means of a potentiometric study. The distribution of arsenate species was defined depending on two important variables in natural environments: pH and composition. All the experimentation was performed at 25 degrees C. The differences found in the protonation constants for different medium compositions, were explained by the different behaviour of the interaction parameters of the species considered in the different media and ionic strengths. These parameters were reported for all hydrolitic As(V) species and were calculated using the Modified Bromley's Methodology (MBM). The corresponding thermodynamic stepwise formation constants were also determined (log degrees K(1)=11.58+/-0.01, log degrees K(2)=7.06+/-0.01, log degrees K(3)=2.25+/-0.01). All the results obtained showed not only the importance of the ionic strength but also of the composition of the ionic medium on the distribution of the acid-base species of As(V) as a function of pH in natural waters.     

Ag(I) complexes with alkylidene-bis(2-aminopyrimidines) as building units for discrete metallomacrocyclic frames. A structural and solution study

Alkylidene-bis(2-aminopyrimidines) (pyr2Cx, x = 2-5) are useful ligands to interact with Ag(I) yielding discrete metallocycles. Crystal structures of the [(pyr2C2)Ag(NO3)]2 and [(H-pyr2C4)Ag(NO3)2]2 have been isolated where each macrocyclic moiety interacts with their surroundings through weak interactions, yielding 3D discrete structures, On the other hand, the solution study shows that the equilibrium constants for the formation of Ag(pyr2Cx)+ complexes are higher than the literature values for Ag(I) complexes with single pyrimidines, although the differences could be explained by invoking the solid-state structures of the Ag(I)-pyr2Cx complexes.