Radioactivity contents in building materials used in Hong Kong

The radioactivity contents in building materials used in Hong Kong were measured to determine the sources of the high indoor radon concentrations observed in local buildings. The radium contents and the radon emanation coefficients of different building materials were measured by high resolution γ-ray spectroscopy using germanium detectors. The radon exhalation rates were measured using scintillation cells by circulating the exhaled radon from building materials and obtaining the initial growth rates. The radium content and the radon exhalation rates of concrete and bricks used in Hong Kong were found to be higher than those in some other countries, resulting in high indoor radon concentrations probably due to the high radioactivity contents in the aggregates, granitic in nature, used in building materials.     

Catalysis in supercritical CO2 using dendrimer-encapsulated palladium nanoparticles

Dendrimer-encapsulated nanoparticles are shown to be versatile catalysts for both the hydrogenation of styrene and Heck heterocoupling of iodobenzene and methacrylate in supercritical CO2 (scCO2).     

Rhodium-103 NMR of [Rh(X)(PPh3)3] [X = Cl, N3, NCO, NCS, N(CN)2, NCBPh3, CNBPh3, CN] and derivatives containing CO, isocyanide, pyridine, H2 and O2. Ligand, solvent and temperature effects

Rhodium-103 chemical shifts are reported for 62 compounds, namely [Rh(X)(PPh3)3] [X = Cl, N3, NCO, NCS, N(CN)2, NCBPh3, CNBPh3, CN] and derivatives formed by replacement of a phosphine by CO, xylyl isocyanide (XNC) and pyridine and/or by oxidative addition of H2 or O2 to give trans-[Rh(X)(PPh3)2(CO)] (delta in the range -816 to -368 ppm) trans-[Rh(X)(PPh3)2(XNC)] (delta -817 to -250 ppm), cis-[Rh(X)(PPh3)2(py)] (the trans isomer is formed with X = CN, CNBPh3) (delta -233 to 170 ppm), [Rh(X)(H)2(PPh3)3] (delta -611 to 119), trans-[Rh(X)(H)2(PPh3)2(py)] (delta -30 to 566 ppm), [Rh(X)(O2)(PPh3)3] (delta 1393 to 3273 ppm) and cis-[Rh(X)(O2)(PPh3)2(py)] (delta 1949 to 3374 ppm). For the majority of these compounds data were obtained from solutions in chloroform and in toluene at temperatures of 247 and 300 K; for [Rh(X)(PPh3)3] (delta -562 to -4 ppm) data are reported at a number of temperatures in the range 195-300 K for solutions in chloroform, toluene and dichloromethane and at 300 K for solutions in DMSO. The expected trend to lower delta(103Rh) with decreasing temperature (vibrational shielding) is observed for the dichloromethane data, but data from solutions {of [Rh(X)(PPh3)3]} in chloroform and toluene show a number of features which diverge from this pattern, i.e. shifts to higher delta are found to accompany a decrease in temperature, most noticeably where X = CN and Cl [on changing the solvent from dichloromethane to chloroform changes in delta(103Rh) of up to 172 ppm are observed]. These results are interpreted in terms of a hydrogen-bonded interaction with the solvent that is enhanced by the presence of a polarizable ligand (CN, Cl). With a ligand (O2CCF3) that is only weakly polarizable the solvent dependence of delta(103Rh) is minimal.     

Coordination Compounds of Schiff-Base Ligands Derived from Diaminomaleonitrile (DMN): Mononuclear, Dinuclear, and Macrocyclic Derivatives

Copper(II) and V(IV)O complexes of an open chain (1:2) Schiff-base ligand (H(2)L1), derived by the template condensation of diaminomaleonitrile (DMN) and salicylaldehyde, and dicopper(II) complexes of (2:2) macrocyclic Schiff-base ligands derived by template condensation of diformylphenols and diaminomaleonitrile, have been synthesized and studied. Structures have been established for the first time for mononuclear Cu(II) and V(IV)O derivatives of the open chain ligand H(2)L1 (1:2), a dinuclear macrocyclic Cu(II) complex derived from a 2:2 macrocyclic ligand (H(2)M1), and the half-condensed 1:1 salicylaldehyde ligand (H(2)L2). [Cu(L1)] (1) (L1 = C(18)H(10)N(4)O(2)) crystallized in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/n (No. 14), with a = 11.753(6) ?, b = 7.708(5) ?, c = 16.820(1) ?, and Z = 4. [VO(L1)(DMSO] (2) crystallized in the orthorhombic system, space group Pbca (No. 61), with a = 22.534(9) ?, b = 23.31(1) ?, c = 7.694(5) ?, and Z = 8. H(2)L2 (C(18)H(8)N(4)O) (3) crystallized in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/c (No. 14), with a = 13.004(6) ?, b = 11.441(7) ?, c = 7.030(4) ?, and Z = 4. [Cu(2)(M3)](CH(3)COCH(3)) (4) (M3 = C(32)H(24)N(8)O(4)) crystallized in the monoclinic system, space group C2/c (No. 15), with a = 38.33(2) ?, b = 8.059(4) ?, c = 22.67(2) ?, and Z = 8. [Cu(L3)(DMSO)] (5) (L3 = C(20)H(14)N(2)O(4)) crystallized in the triclinic system, space group P&onemacr; (No. 2), with a = 10.236(4) ?, b = 13.514(4) ?, c = 9.655(4) ?, and Z = 2. 4 results from the unique addition of two acetone molecules to two imine sites in [Cu(2)(M1)](ClO(4))(2) (M1 = 2:2 macrocyclic ligand derived from template condensation of DMN and 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol). 4 has extremely small Cu-OPh-Cu bridge angles (92.0, 92.8 degrees ), well below the expected lower limit for antiferromagnetic behavior, but is still antiferromagnetically coupled (-2J = 25.2 cm(-)(1)). This behavior is associated with a possible antiferromagnetic exchange term that involves the conjugated framework of the macrocyclic ligand itself. The ligand L3 in 5 results from hydrolysis of M1 on recrystallization of [Cu(2)(M1)](ClO(4))(2) from undried dimethyl sulfoxide.     

The direct synthesis of the cyclic sulphamidate of (S)-prolinol: SimultaneousN-protection and activation towards nucleophilic displacement of oxygen.

The preparation of the cyclic sulphamidate of (S)-prolinol has been achieved by reaction with sulphuryl chloride at low temperature. This material has been shown to be susceptible to acid catalysed nucleophilic attack to furnish 2-(NN-dialkylamino)methyl- and 2-(methoxymethy]pyrrolidines after hydrolysis of the intermediate sulphamic acid derivatives.     

Ionization of five aqueous fluorobenzoic acids: Conductance and thermodynamics

The three monofluorobenzoic acids together with 2,4-difluoro and 2,6-difluorobenzoic acids in aqueous solution are the subject of precision conductance measurements. The experimental data are analyzed to give ionization constants and limiting conductances at temperatures from 0 to 100°C. Walden products for the acid anions are derived from the limiting conductances while the ionization consatants are fitted by statistical methods to the function pK _a (m)=A+B/T+ C logT+DT. Only the 2,6- acid requires the fourth term of the function to fit the data to a precision of better than 0.03%. Mathematical analysis of the pK function gives the standard changes in enthalpy, entropy, and heat capacity. All the acids studied are more acidic than the parent, benzoic acid, as well as more acidic than the isoelectronic methylbenzoic acids. In general the increased acidity is tied to decreases in enthalpy while entropy changes on ionization differn little from those found for the parent acid.     

Phase separation dynamics in driven diffusive systems

We study phase separation dynamics in a driven diffusive system. Our simulations are based on the Cahn-Hilliard equation with an additional flux term due to an external field. We study the dynamical scaling parallel and perpendicular to the field. A crossover is observed from isotropic domains at early times to extremely anisotropic domains at later times. We find that the inverse interfacial density (an isotropic measure of the domain size) increases ast , with =1/3, from early times independent of the field strength, even though we do not observe dynamical scaling during these times. Our results indicate that a growth exponent =1/3 may be more universal than previously expected. We analyze the dynamics in terms of surface driven instabilities and one-dimensional solitary waves.     

First carbamates conversion to amides by simple alkyl group transfer from trialkylalanes

[reaction: see text] N-Monosubstituted carbamates are cleanly converted to amides under treatment with trialkylaluminum. This reaction involves an aluminum-assisted internal delivery of alkyl groups. It can be applied to new and mild protecting group strategies for alcohols.