Spectrophotometric determination of chloride in non-polar media by the mercury(II) thiocyanate reaction

A simple, rapid and accurate method for the spectrophotometric determination of chloride in non-polar media is described. The method is based on the well-known reaction of mercury(II) thiocyanate with chloride to release thiocyanate, which then reacts with iron(III). The optimum concentrations of reagents for the determination of chloride in 2,2,4-trimethylpentane (iso-octane) and cyclohexane are reported. The molar absorptivity of the complex at 505 nm is 5120 ± 200 dm³ mol^?1 cm^?1 for iso-octane and 5340 ± 340 dm³ mol^?1 cm^?1 for cyclohexane. Beer's Law is obeyed in the range 2 × 10^?7–2 × 10^?5 mol dm^?3 (0.01–1 mg l^?1) chloride.     

The Fe2+ chelate of hydrazinecarboxylic acid studied by the Mössbauer effect

The chelate compounds K[Fe(hyc)₃] and N₂H₅[Fe(hyc)₃]·H₂O (hyc = N₂H₃COO) were studied by the Mössbauer effect of ⁵⁷Fe at various temperatures. At room temperature the quadrupole splitting parameter is 2.77 mm/sec for K[Fe(hyc)₃] and 2.35 mm/sec for N₂H₅[Fe(hyc)₃]·H₂O, and the center shift is 1.08 mm/sec for both compounds. The temperature dependences of the quadrupole parameters yielded the crystal field splittings of the ⁵T_2g levels of the Fe²⁺ ions which indicate large trigonal distortion of the Fe(hyc)₃ anion. Using a molecular crystal-like treatment of the ferrous ion vibrations the temperature dependence of the recoilless fraction gave an effective Debye temperature Θ_D = 71°K for K[Fe(hyc)₃] and Θ_D = 90°K for N₂H₅[Fe(hyc)₃]·H₂O. No evidence for magnetic ordering was found down to 4.5°K in either compound.     

On path integrals and relativistic quantum mechanics

A proposal for formulation of relativistic quantum mechanics in terms of path integrals is presented.We are deeply indebted to Dr. M.Petrá for many stimulating discussions.     

The structure of83Sr excited states

The -decay of⁸³Y isomers (7.06 min and 2.85 min) have been studied by means of Ge (Li) detectors. The proposed level scheme of the⁸³Sr nucleus is based on the coincidence measurement and the analysis of energy sums. The intensity balance requirement leads to _T (35·5 keV)=3.2 which is consistent with M1 multipolarity of this transition. A probable structure of some of the excited states in the⁸³Sr nucleus is discussed in the framework of Alaga's model and Kuriyama's model.     

Some physical properties of KCl+Pb2+ crystals

This paper presents the results of measurements of the mechanical and electrical properties of as-received pure and lead-doped crystals of potassium chloride. The critical resolved shear stress of the crystals obeys the Franks relationship in the whole concentration range. In addition, the correlation between ₀ and the Vickers hardness numberH was found and the equation is of the form ₀=k (H–H ₀). The solubility of Pb²⁺ in as-received KCl crystals was observed, from measurements of the electrical conductivity, to be low—the successive saturation of the solid solution started already in an environment of 5 mole ppm in agreement with data from the mechanical measurements. The density of cation vacancies and their mobility were represented by the following euqations ₁ T=6·25×10⁴ exp(–·75/kT) cm² K/volt. sec,n ₁=6·95×10²³ exp(–2·12/kT) vacancies/cm³ The value of 0sd46±0·02 eV was found as a rough estimate of the association energy.The authors wish to express their thanks to Professor Dr. J. Z.Damm and Ing. E.Mariani for their stimulating interest in the present work.     

Synthesis and Rearrangement of P‐Nitroxyl‐Substituted PIII and PV Phosphanes: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Case Study

Low‐temperature generation of P‐nitroxyl phosphane 2 (Ph₂POTEMP), which was obtained by the reaction of Ph₂PH ( 1 ) with two equivalents of TEMPO, is presented. Upon warming, phosphane 2 decomposed to give P‐nitroxyl phosphane P‐oxide 3 (Ph₂P(O)OTEMP) as one of the final products. This facile synthetic protocol also enabled access to P‐sulfide and P‐borane derivatives 7 and 13 , respectively, by using Ph₂P(S)H ( 6 ) or Ph₂P(BH₃)H ( 11 ) and TEMPO. Phosphane sulfide 7 revealed a rearrangement to phosphane oxide 8 (Ph₂P(O)STEMP) in CDCl₃ at ambient temperature, whereas in THF, thermal decomposition of sulfide 7 yielded salt 10 ([TEMP‐H₂][Ph₂P(S)O]). As well as EPR and detailed NMR kinetic studies, indepth theoretical studies provided an insight into the reaction pathways and spin‐density distributions of the reactive intermediates.     

Twist-grain boundary phase induced by Au nanoparticles in a chiral liquid crystal host

We report on the stabilisation of the liquid-crystalline, twist-grain boundary A (TGB_A) phase in mixtures of a chiral liquid crystal and surface-functionalised spherical Au nanoparticles (NPs) of 10 nm diameter. The results, obtained by calorimetric, optical, small-angle X-ray and plasmon resonance measurements, demonstrate that a TGB_A phase, which is metastable for the pure liquid crystal host, can be effectively stabilised for a 3 K range in the presence of NPs. Moreover, the role of NPs size on the TGB_A stabilisation is briefly discussed.     

Adamantyl ferrocene derivatives: Antioxidant abilities and effects on model lipid membranes

A series of homoannularly and heteroannularly substituted adamantyl ferrocene derivatives has been synthesized and their effects on membrane fluidity were investigated using liposomes as the membrane models. The liposome formulations of adamantyl ferrocene derivatives were characterized by using dynamic light scattering, differential scanning calorimetry and fluorescence anisotropy measurements. It was demonstrated that adamantyl ferrocene derivatives incorporated into the liposome significantly affect the structure of the lipid bilayer. The results of the study have revealed that adamantyl ferrocene derivatives, compounds 9 – 12, partition into the hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface of the membrane, causing a significant decrease in membrane fluidity. The antioxidant potential of synthesized compounds was assessed with DPPH method and it was shown that the examined compounds possess certain antioxidant activity.     

Design and construction of an quasi-adiabatic dissolution calorimeter with a novel dosing apparatus and a low heat capacity

A quasi-adiabatic calorimeter for determining the molar solution enthalpies (Δ_sol H) of non-volatile solids was constructed. The design of the instrument was adjusted to allow the determination of solution enthalpies of small amounts of solids. For that purpose, the novel apparatus for sample dosage with virtually negligible “blank heat” was built. The rather low heat capacity of the calorimeter was achieved by reducing the volume of the reaction cell (20 mL), the dosing unit, and electric elements (the thermistor and the heater). Good thermal isolation of the reaction cell from the surroundings was accomplished by placing the cell into an evacuated polypropylene vessel. A computer program for processing the calorimetric data according to modified Regnault–Pfaundler method was written. The performance of the calorimeter was tested by determining the heats of the reactions serving as thermochemical standards at 25 °C (the dissolution of KCl and NaCl in water and the dissolution of tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane in 0.1 mol dm^?3 HCl(aq)). The obtained data were in very good agreement with the literature values.     

Study of flame-retardant finishing of cellulose fibres: Organic–inorganic hybrid versus conventional organophosphonate

The aim of this study was to introduce a non-formaldehyde inorganic–organic hybrid sol–gel flame-retardant precursor (SiOP) containing phosphorous, nitrogen, and silicon and to compare its functional properties with those of the conventional formaldehyde-containing organic flame-retardant agent, organophosphonate (OP). SiOP was used at concentrations of 2%, 4%, and 8%, and OP was used at a concentration of 200 g/dm³. Both agents were applied to 100% cotton (CO) woven fabric by the pad-dry-cure method under the appropriate conditions. The presence of the SiOP and OP coatings on the CO fabric was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results of the vertical tests of flammability and the thermogravimetric analyses showed that the presence of the SiOP coating changed the thermal degradation pathway of the CO fabric and resulted in an increase in the thermo-oxidative stability of the cellulose fibres. The thermo-oxidative stability was enhanced by the addition of higher amount of dry solids. At comparable dry solids contents, OP preserved significantly greater flame retardancy and thermo-oxidative stability than did SiOP. These results indicated that the SiOP precursor could not act as an effective alternative to the OP agent in the flame-retardant protection of CO fabric.