Züchtung und Untersuchung von Einkristallen der Verbindungen CuCrZrSe4 und CuCrSnSe4

Preparation and Characterization of CuCrZrSe₄ and CuCrSnSe₄ Single Crystals Single crystals of the compounds CuCrZrSe₄ and CuCrSnSe₄ were grown by chemical transport using mixtures of AlCl₃/I₂ as transporting agents. Characterization of the crystals was done by X-ray methods. The compounds are normal spinels, the space group is Fd3m. The results of least squares refinement using single crystal X-ray data are reported.     

Röntgenographische,thermoelektrische, und IR-spektroskopische Untersuchung des Spinellsystems LixMn1−xV2O4

The spinels of the system Li_xMn_1?xV₂O₄ (0 ? x ? 1) have been prepared at 700–750°C from LiV₂O₄ and MnV₂O₄. The lattice constants decrease linearly with increasing x. In the region x>0.75, the d-electrons of V should be delocalized as the VV distances are lower than the critical VV separation of 2.94 Å. Experimentally, the samples with x>0.6 show no IR absorption bands and the Seebeck coefficient is near zero. The Seebeck coefficient can be described with a model of intermediate polarons and can be expressed by the equation $\text{Θ = 198}\text{log}\text{[1 +}\text{(1 ? x)}{}^5\text{x}\text{]}$.     

Initiation of polymerization of alkyl 2-cyanoacrylates in aqueous solutions of glycine and its derivatives

The polymerization of methyl 2-cyanoacrylate and heptyl 2-cyanoacrylate was carried out with the use of aqueous solutions of ¹⁴C-tagged glycine, methyl glycine, and acetyl glycine as initiators. When glycine and methyl glycine were used, radioactive polymers were formed. When acetyl glycine was used, the polymer formed was not radioactive. The data seem to indicate that free NH₂ groups appear to be necessary for the incorporation of the glycine initiator in the polymer. A possible mechanism for the polymerization is presented.     

A simple and versatile method for the synthesis of acetals from aldehydes and ketones using bismuth triflate

Acetals are obtained in good yields by treatment of aldehydes and ketones with trialkyl orthoformate and the corresponding alcohol in the presence of 0.1 mol % Bi(OTf)3.4H2O. A simple procedure for the formation of acetals of diaryl ketones has also been developed. The conversion of carbonyl compounds to the corresponding 1,3-dioxolane using ethylene glycol is also catalyzed by Bi(OTf)3.4H2O (1 mol %). Two methods, both of which avoid the use of benzene, have been developed.     

Plutonium Activity Ratios in Plankton: New Evidence of Hold-Up Time in Irish Sea Sediments

The determination of activity ratios for radioisotopes of different half-lives can be used to estimate transit times from a point source to locations further away. For conservative elements, this time is approximately equivalent to the net hydrological transport. However, for non-conservative elements such as plutonium, the additional influence of biogeochemical processes decreases the net transport time. In this study, ²⁴¹Pu and ^239,240Pu concentrations in Irish Sea plankton samples, collected in May 1994, were determined and the ²⁴¹Pu/^239,240Pu ratios calculated. Plutonium-239,240 was measured using a standard method by ion exchange chromatography and alpha counting, and ²⁴¹Pu was determined by liquid scintillation counting using the disk-supported technique. The latter showed some methodological problems, which are briefly discussed. The ²⁴¹Pu/^239,240Pu ratios gave an estimate of the "transit time" from Sellafield to the different sampling points. In fact, this time represents the age of plutonium in plankton, i.e., the time lag between release from Sellafield and detection at the different sampling stations. The mean plutonium age was 17±2 years (n = 10) and 18.6±0.8 years (n = 13) in phytoplankton and zooplankton, respectively. The spatial distribution was reasonably homogeneous over the Irish Sea. The assimilation-elimination processes of plutonium in plankton are rather rapid. Therefore, it may be assumed that, in this time scale, the plutonium concentrations were in equilibrium with surrounding waters. Thus, it is concluded that plutonium was rather old because resuspension-sedimentation processes had occurred that delayed its transport within the Irish Sea. Therefore, the age of plutonium in plankton represented the hold-up time of plutonium in the sediments from the Irish Sea.     

On the determination of polarity parameters of silica by means of solvatochromic probe dyes

Empirical solvent parameters of silica surfaces are determined by means of solvatochromic dyes, e.g., Cu(tmen) (acac)⁺ ClO ₄ ^– /B(C₆H₅) ₄ ^– , Fe(phen)₂(CN)₂, and Michlers Ketone dissolved in 1,2-dichloroethane or cyclohexane. The values obtained by UV/VIS-measurements are compared with both the polarity scales of Kamlet and Taft and with Gutmann's donor and acceptor numbers. Kamlet and Taft's -parameter (the hydrogen-bond donation capacity of a solvent) is determined independently by means of salicylideneaniline. The ^* of silica is determined using 5-N,N-dimethylamino-5-nitro-2,2-bithiophene and the complex of tetracyanoethylene with Michlers Ketone, respectively. Further on the reliabilities of the obtained Kamlet-Taft parameters , , and ^* are checked by comparism with experimental and calculated values of theE _T(30)-parameter of silica by means of multi-parameter regression analysis. The surface properties of silica are influenced mainly by HBD-properties (75%) and dipolarity/polarizability ^* (20%), but hardly by the HBA-properties (<5%). UV/VIS-measurements were carried out in a special equipment with glass fiber optics, A drawing of the apparatus is given.     

Evaluation of a dual electrospray ionization/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source at low flow rates (∼50 µL/min) for the analysis of both highly and weakly polar compounds

The atmospheric pressure ionization (API) source for a commercial mass spectrometer was modified to operate as a dual source in both the electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) techniques by simultaneously utilizing the electrospray probe and the corona discharge needle. A switching box was designed to operate in either manual or programmable modes to permit rapid switching between ionization techniques without changing sources, probes, or breaking vacuum. The source can be operated using the following ionization techniques: ESI only, APCI only, ESI/APCI simultaneously, and ESI/APCI alternatingly. The optimum operating conditions for these ionization techniques were similar to the manufacturer’s original specifications except that the APCI flow rate was lower (～50 µL/min versus 1000 µL/min) and externally heated nebulizing gas was found to be desirable. A four-component mixture, introduced by flow injection, was used to demonstrate the versatility of the dual ESI/APCI source.