Thermal Decomposition Kinetics of Ginkgo biloba Leaves Polyprenol in Nitrogen Atmosphere

The nonisothermal decomposition kinetics of Ginkgo biloba leaves polyprenol (GBP) and cleaved situation of its chemical bond during thermal decomposition process were first investigated using thermogravimetric (TG) and TG‐FTIR technology. The results of thermal decomposition kinetics revealed that the nonisothermal decomposition mechanism of GBP corresponds to first‐order chemical reaction with n = 1, integral form g(a) = –ln(1 – a) and differential form f(a) = 1 – a. TG‐FTIR results demonstrated that absorbance of –CH₃, unsaturated C–H bond, =CH₂, accumulated C=C, –OH, and so on constantly increased with thermal decomposition reaction went on. In addition, storage life of GBP was also evaluated. These data could provide theoretical guidance for purification under high temperature and other thermal application of GBP.     

Hantzsch Ester as a Photosensitizer for the Visible‐Light‐Induced Debromination of Vicinal Dibromo Compounds

The debromination of vicinal dibromo compounds to generate alkenes usually requires harsh reaction conditions and the addition of catalysts. Just recently the visible‐light‐induced debromination of vicinal dibromo compounds emerged as a possible alternative to commonly used methods, but the substrate scope of this reaction is limited and a photocatalyst is necessary for the successful conversion of the starting compounds. A catalyst‐free visible‐light‐induced debromination of vicinal dibromo compounds with a base‐activated Hantzsch ester as photosensitizer is reported. The method has a wide substrate scope and a broad functional‐group compatibility.     

Differentiating parts of Cinnamomum cassia using LC‐qTOF‐MS in conjunction with principal component analysis

Cinnamon bark (Rou Gui in Chinese), cinnamon twig (Gui Zhi) and shaved cinnamon bark (Gui Sin) have been widely used as spices and in traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times. On‐going issues related to quality and authenticity necessitate the development of analytical methods capable of providing an objective evaluation of samples. In this study, chemical fingerprints of cinnamon bark, cinnamon twigs and shaved cinnamon bark were established using liquid chromatography quadruple time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry in conjunction with principal component analysis (PCA). From 125 samples of cinnamon, we identified the following eight compounds and their the detection ratios: coumarin, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamic acid, 2‐hydroxycinnamaldehyde, 2‐hydroxycinnamic acid, 2‐methoxycinnamaldehyde and 4‐methoxycinnamaldehyde. Of these, 4‐methoxycinnamaldehyde presented the largest variations in detection ratio, making up 64.0, 97.4 and 50.0% in cinnamon bark, cinnamon twig, and shaved cinnamon bark, respectively. The quantities of cinnamyl alcohol, coumarin and cinnamaldehyde also varied between the three parts of the plant. Chemical fingerprints of the three cinnamon samples were established using principal component analysis, the results of which indicate that cinnamon bark and shaved cinnamon bark could be easily differentiated, despite a marked similarity in outward appearance. Cinnamon twig was also shown to depart from the other clusters. The proposed method provides a fast and efficient means of identifying cinnamon herbs for quality control purposes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Research on the defect structure and g factors for the tetragonal (CrO4)3− impurity center in ZrSiO4: Cr5+ crystal

ABSTRACT

The EPR g factors g// and g⊥ for the tetragonal (CrO₄)^3? impurity center in ZrSiO4: Cr⁵⁺ crystal are studied from the high-order perturbation formulas based on the two-mechanism (the crystal field and charge-transfer mechanisms) model. The studies indicate that differing from the tetragonally-elongated host (SiO4)^4- tetrahedron, the dominant defect structure of the substitutional (CrO₄)^3? tetrahedron is tetragonally- compressed with the ground state |d_z² due to the Jahn-Teller distortion. Furthermore, the agreement of g factors between calculation and experiment requires a small admixture of the first excited state |d_x²_?y² to the ground state |d_z² due to the vibrational motion of ligands, which leads a compressed (CrO₄)^3? tetrahedron to become a twinkling elongated one, These results are discussed.     

Investigation on activating individual living monocytic U937 cell by interleukin-6 using Raman tweezers

We investigate the activation of living monocytic U937 cells induced by interleukin-6 （IL-6） at the single cell level. We employ home-built Raman tweezers to measure the Raman spectra of living U937 cells with and without IL-6 at the single cell level. Raman peaks of amide III, amide I, DNA backbone, as well as guanine and adenine in U937 cells, change at 1312, 1652, 1090, and 1576 cm ？1 , respectively, shortly after IL-6 is added in the medium. The change is a dynamic temporal process. In the activation process of U937 cells induced by IL-6, the protein signals recover in 20 min, while the nucleic acid signals continue to increase for 20 min. The results reveal that the biochemical cascades of activation in signal transduction induced by IL-6 can be investigated in situ at the single cell level.     

Air-breathing mode laser propulsion with a long-pulse TE CO_2 laser

Air-breathing mode laser propulsion experiment with a long-pulse transversely excited(TE) CO2 laser is carried out,and its ignition problem is solved with the ignition needle of lightcraft.Owing to the ignition needle,an order of magnitude reduction in the ignition threshold is demonstrated.The result is compared with previous study.The momentum coupling coefficient is also measured in the experiment and its dependence upon laser pulse energy(6-14 J) and pulse width(20,32,and 40μs) is discussed.     

Theoretical Study of Interesting Fine-Structure Splittings Based on a Scenario for Precise Calculations

Based on the multi-configuration Dirac-Fock self-consistent field method, a scenario has been presented to calculate the fine-structure energy levels of C^2＋ and Si^2＋ excited states （31 D2 and 33D1,2,3）. The Breit interactions and quantum electrodynamics corrections are added as perturbations. The present calculation results are found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental data. By means of the precise calculation procedure, we elucidate that four competitive mechanisms influence the interesting fine-structure splittings in C^2＋ and Si^2＋, such as spin-orbit interactions, relativistic corrections of exchange interactions, the Breit interactions and electron correlation effects. Furthermore, the mechanism of relativistic correction of exchange interactions has been studied clearly. We elucidate that the inner shell 2p1/2,3/2 orbitals are essential to relativistic corrections of exchange interactions which are crucial for the final anomalous fine-structure splittings.