Thermal decomposition products of polypropylene

Isotactic polypropylene was decomposed under vacuum at 360, 380, and 400°C, and the volatile products from C₁ to C₁₂ hydrocarbons were analyzed by gas chromatography. The formation of the main products is discussed on the basis of a free-radical mechanism in which intramolecular radical transfer is assumed to play an important role. The mechanism of the formation of a number of products suggested by previous workers is criticized on the basis of the results of a more comprehensive analysis of this investigation.     

Thermal decomposition products of polyisobutylene

Polyisobutylene was decomposed at 325, 345, and 365°C under vacuum, and the volatile products were trapped by using liquid nitrogen. The products, C₁–C₂₄ hydrocarbons, were analyzed by gas chromatography. The formation of the main products is discussed on the basis of a free-radical mechanism. Intramolecular radical transfer can account for the production of most fragments including dimers, trimers, tetramers, and so on, of isobutylene.     

Calibration of Polarization-Sensitive and Dual-Angle Laser Light Scattering Methods Using Standard Latex Particles

A polarization-sensitive laser light scattering (PSLLS) method and a dual-angle laser light scattering (DALLS) method have been studied for in situ measurement of submicrometer hydrosol and aerosol particles. By using standard monodisperse polystyrene latex particles suspended in water and air as test particles, calibration of systems built based on the above methods have been performed. The effects of light scattered by agglomerated aerosol particles (multiplets) were corrected by considering the fraction of multiplets as determined with an aerosol measurement technique using a differential mobility analyzer. The change in the measured intensities of scattered light with particle diameter was then determined by calculations based on Mie theory. It was shown that the PSLLS system can determine particle diameters as small as approximately 60 nm for the test hydrosol particles and approximately 100 nm for test aerosol particles, respectively. The DALLS system can determine smaller diameters than the PSLLS system for test particles with no light absorption. The change in scattered light intensities with particle diameter was also investigated by theoretical calculations with various refractive indexes and scattering angles. The PSLLS and DALLS systems promise to become routine measurement tools for absorbing and nonabsorbing particles, respectively. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Synthetic studies on chemotherapeutics. III. Synthesis of the 6,9-dihydro-9-oxo-1H- and 2H-pyrazolo[3,4-f]quinoline-8-carboxylic acid derivatives [studies on the syntheses of heterocyclic compounds. Part 718 ]

1H- and 2H-Pyrazolo[3,4-f]quinolines were synthesized in order to get an antibacterial compound by two different methods from 6-nitro- and 6-aminoindazole.     

Mesopore-free hollow silica particles with controllable diameter and shell thickness via additive-free synthesis

Mesopore-free hollow silica particles with a spherical shape, smooth surface, and controllable diameter (from 80 to 300 nm) and shell thickness (from 2 to 25 nm) were successfully prepared using an additive-free synthesis method. Different from other hollow particle developments, a mesopore-free shell was produced because of the absence of additive. Although common reports pointed out the importance of the additional additive in pasting and growing silica on the surface of a template, here we preferred to exploit the effect of the template charge in gaining the silica coating process. To form the silica, basic amino acid (i.e., lysine) was used as a catalyst to replace ammonia or hydrazine, which is harmless and able to control the silica growth and produce hollow particles with smooth surfaces. Control of the particle diameter was drastically achieved by altering the size of the template. The flexibility of the process in controlling the shell thickness was predominantly attained by varying the compositions of the reactants (i.e., silica source and catalyst). The present mesopore-free hollow particles could be efficiently used for various applications, especially for thermal insulator and optical devices because of their tendency not to adsorb large molecules, as confirmed by adsorption analysis.     

Determination of pesticides in compost by pressurized liquid extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method was developed for the determination of pesticides in compost. The investigated pesticides included two fungicides, two herbicides and 10 insecticides. The pesticides were extracted from the compost by pressurized liquid extraction. The extract was cleaned up by a partition between hexane and acetonitrile followed by a dispersive solid-phase extraction using a porous carbon made from Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens). The overall recoveries were 81-104% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranged from 2.4 to 12%. The minimum detectable concentrations were 0.02-0.04 microg g(-1). This method was successfully applied to a compost sample from food waste as well as commercial compost.     

Band gaps of elastic waves in three-dimensional piezoelectric phononic crystals with initial stress

In this paper, the stop band properties of elastic waves in three-dimensional piezoelectric phononic crystals with initial stress are studied taking the mechanical and electrical coupling into account. The band gap characteristics for three kinds of lattice arrangements (i.e. sc, bcc and fcc) are investigated by the plane wave expansion (PWE) method. Regarding the variables of mechanical and electrical fields as the elements of the generalized state vector, the expression of the generalized eigenvalue equation for three-dimensional piezoelectric periodic structures is derived. Numerical calculations are performed for the PZT-2/polymer and ZnO/polymer phononic crystals. It can be observed from the results that the fcc lattice is more favorable to create the stop band than the sc and bcc lattices for the piezoelectric phononic crystals, which has also been proved for the pure elastic periodic structures. Compared with the PZT-2/polymer systems, the band gap of the sc lattice for the ZnO/polymer structures is narrower. However, the widths of the bcc and fcc lattices for the ZnO/polymer phononic crystals are much larger than those for the PZT-2/polymer structures. The lattice arrangements and the piezoelectricity have remarkable influences on the stop band behaviors.     

Wave band gaps in two-dimensional piezoelectric/piezomagnetic phononic crystals

In this paper, the elastic wave propagation in phononic crystals with piezoelectric and piezomagnetic inclusions is investigated taking the magneto-electro-elastic coupling into account. The electric and magnetic fields are approximated as quasi-static. The band structures of three kinds of piezoelectric/piezomagnetic phononic crystals—CoFe₂O₄/quartz, BaTiO₃/CoFe₂O₄ and BaTiO₃–CoFe₂O₄/polymer periodic composites are calculated using the plane-wave expansion method. The piezoelectric and piezomagnetic effects on the band structures are analyzed. The numerical results show that in CoFe₂O₄/quartz structures, only one narrow band gap exists along the Γ–X direction for the coupling of xy-mode and z-mode for the filling fraction f being 0.4; while in BaTiO₃/CoFe₂O₄ composites, only one narrow band gap exists along the Γ–X direction forxy-mode and no band gap exists for z-mode as the filling friction f is 0.5. Moreover, for the new type of magneto-electro-elastic phononic crystal—BaTiO₃–CoFe₂O₄/polymer periodic composite, the band gap characteristics are more superior in the whole considered frequency regions due to the big contrast of the material properties in the two constituents and the effects of the piezoelectricity and piezomagneticity on the band gap structures are remarkable.     

Differential preconcentration of arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) with thionalide loaded on silica gel

2-Mercapto-N-2-naphtylacetamide (thionalide) on silica gel is used for differential preconcentration of μg l^?1 levels of arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) from aqueous solution. In batch experiments, arsenic(III) was quantitatively retained on the gel from solutions of pH 6.5–8.5, but arsenic(V) and organic arsenic compounds were not retained. The chelating capacity of the gel was 5.6 μmol g^?1 As(III) at pH 7.0. Arsenic retained on teh column was completely eluted with 25 ml of 0.01 M sodium borate in 0.01 M sodium hydroxide containing 10 mg l^?1 iodine (pH 10). The arsenic was determined by silver diethyldithiocarbamate spectrophotometry. Arsenic(V) was subsequently determined after reduction to arsenic(III) with sulphite and iodide. Arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) in sea water are shown to be < 0.12 and 1.6 μg l^?1, respectively.     

Magnetic and charge orders in zigzag nanographene ribbons

We theoretically study the electronic states in graphene ribbons which are strongly affected by the edge states, the peculiar non-bonding molecular orbitals localized along the zigzag edges of the ribbons. New kinds of edge localized electronic states with spin and charge polarizations are found in the mean field solutions of the extended Hubbard model with onsite and nearest-neighbor Coulomb repulsions. These novel states appear due to the interplay between the edge states and the Fermi instabilities. We also examine the competition between the charge polarized state and the spin polarized state to draw a phase diagram depending on Coulomb parameters. The results obtained by the mean field calculations with the extended Hubbard model modified to include Coulomb integrals provide useful insights to understand and functionalize the nanoscale materials.