Electrical resistance of platinum wires during annealing and quenching in air and helium

Electrical resistance of platinum wires annealed and quenched in air and helium was measured. No irreversible changes of the electrical resistance were observed in specimens treated in helium, however, these changes were appreciable in specimens treated in air. By measurement at two temperatures the total change was divided into the change of the electrical resistivity and the change of geometrical dimensions. The changes of geometrical dimensions were interpreted in terms of the oxidation of platinum and the activation energy of oxidation of platinum was determined asE=(1.79±0.04) eV.     

Novel microscopic mechanism of intermixing during growth on soft metallic substrates

Generic computer simulations using empiric interatomic potentials suggest a new, collective mechanism that could be responsible for mixing at heteroepitaxial interfaces. Even if single adsorbate atoms diffuse by hopping on the substrate surface and do not mix at the terraces, two-dimensional islands formed by nucleation may become unstable above a certain critical size and explode upwards forming clusters of several atomic layers. This process is accompanied by strong distortions of the underlying atomic layers, and on soft materials it can result in surface etching and incorporation of substrate atoms into the islands.     

Ruthenium piano-stool complexes bearing imidazole-based PN ligands

A variety of piano-stool complexes of cyclopentadienyl ruthenium(II) with imidazole-based PN ligands have been synthesized starting from the precursor complexes [CpRu(C₁₀H₈)]PF₆, [CpRu(NCMe)₃]PF₆ and [CpRu(PPh₃)₂Cl]. PN ligands used are imidazol-2-yl, -4-yl and -5-yl phosphines.Depending on the ligand and precursor different types of coordination modes were observed; in the case of polyimidazolyl PN ligands these were κ¹P-monodentate, κ²P,N-, κ²N,N- and κ³N,N,N- chelating and μ-κP:κ²N,N-brigding. The solid-state structures of [CpRu(1a)₂Cl ]·H₂O (5^.H₂O) and [{CpRu(μ-κ²-N,N-κ’¹-P-2b)}₂](C₆H₅PO₃H)₂(C₆H₅PO₃H₂)_2, a hydrolysis product of the as well determined [{CpRu(2b)}₂](PF₆)₂^.2CH₃CN (7b^.2CH₃CN) were determined (1a = imidazol-2-yldiphenyl phosphine, 2b = bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)phenyl phosphine, 3a = tris(imidazol-2-yl)phosphine). Furthermore, the complexes [CpRu(L)₂]PF₆ (L = imidazol-2-yl or imidazol-4-yl phosphine) have been screened for their catalytic activity in the hydration of 1-octyne.