A simple model for a two-stage chemical reaction with diffusion

We analyse the evolution of a two-stage chemical reaction betweentwo neighbouring plumes of reactants. Under the assumption thatthe plumes are approximately Gaussian we derive a system ofordinary differential equations for the total amount, the centroidand the variance of each reactant. We compare the solution ofthese equations with full numerical simulation of the reaction.Excellent agreement is obtained, with solution of the near-Gaussianmodel requiring considerably less computational effort thanthe full simulations. Of key importance is the yield of thereaction, and we discuss this feature in particular.     

Imaging cytoplasmic cAMP in mouse brainstem neurons

Background  

cAMP is an ubiquitous second messenger mediating various neuronal functions, often as a consequence of increased intracellular Ca²⁺ levels. While imaging of calcium is commonly used in neuroscience applications, probing for cAMP levels has not yet been performed in living vertebrate neuronal tissue before.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Structural Comparisons of the First Neodymium(III) Sulfite‐Acetate Crystal Structure

The first lanthanide sulfite compound with a secondary ligand, Nd(SO₃)(C₂H₃O₂), was hydrothermally synthesized and solved with single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. In order to prevent the facile oxidation of the sulfite to sulfate, careful control of both pH and reaction temperature were required for successful synthesis of the title compound; even slight changes in conditions allow for the facile oxidation of sulfite to sulfate and yields the known [Nd(C₂H₃O₂)(SO₄)(H₂O)₂] structure. This two‐dimensional sheet topology further expands the chemistry of lanthanide sulfite extended structures and also allows for easy structural comparisons to other lanthanide sulfite compounds and the above mentioned neodymium sulfate‐acetate compound.     

Syntheses, Structures, and Spectroscopic Properties of Plutonium and Americium Phosphites and the Redetermination of the Ionic Radii of Pu(III) and Am(III)

A series of isotypic rare earth phosphites (RE = Ce(III), Pr(III), Nd(III), Pu(III), or Am(III)) with the general formulas RE(2)(HPO(3))(3)(H(2)O) along with a Pu(IV) phosphite, Pu[(HPO(3))(2)(H(2)O)(2)], have been prepared hydrothermally via reactions of RECl(3) with phosphorous acid. The structure of RE(2)(HPO(3))(3)(H(2)O) features a face-sharing interaction of eight- and nine-coordinate rare earth polyhedra. By use of the crystallographic data from the isotypic series along with data from previously reported isotypic series, the ionic radii for higher coordinate Pu(III) and Am(III) were calculated. The (VIII)Pu(III) radius was calculated as 1.112 ± 0.004 ?, and the (IX)Pu(III) radius was calculated to be 1.165 ± 0.002 ?. The (VIII)Am(III) radius was calculated as 1.108 ± 0.004 ?, and the (IX)Am(III) radius was calculated as 1.162 ± 0.002 ?.