Structure and magnetic properties of the Al1−xGaxFeO3 family of oxides: A combined experimental and theoretical study

Magnetic properties of the Al_1−xGa_xFeO₃ family of oxides crystallizing in a non-centrosymmetric space group have been investigated in detail along with structural aspects by employing X-ray and neutron diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy and other techniques. The study has revealed the occurrence of several interesting features related to unit cell parameters, site disorder and ionic size. Using first-principles density functional theory based calculations, we have attempted to understand how magnetic ordering and related properties in these oxides depend sensitively on disorder at the cation site. The origin and tendency of cations to disorder and the associated properties are traced to the local structure and ionic sizes.     

A Surrogate for Debye-Waller Factors from Dynamic Stokes Shifts

We show that the short-time behavior of time-resolved fluorescence Stokes shifts (TRSS) are similar to that of the intermediate scattering function obtained from neutron scattering at q near the peak in the static structure factor for glycerol. This allows us to extract a Debye-Waller (DW) factor analog from TRSS data at times as short as 1 ps in a relatively simple way. Using the time-domain relaxation data obtained by this method we show that DW factors evaluated at times ≥ 40 ps can be directly influenced by α relaxation and thus should be used with caution when evaluating relationships between fast and slow dynamics in glassforming systems.     

Kinetic study of the interaction of three glycine‐containing dipeptides with diaquaethylenediamineplatinum(II) in aqueous medium

The kinetics of the interaction of three glycine‐containing dipeptides, namely, glycine‐L‐leucine (Gly‐Leu), glycine‐L‐isoleucine (Gly‐Ile), and glycine‐valine (Gly‐Val) with [Pt(en)(H₂O)₂](ClO₄)₂ has been studied spectrophotometrically as a function of [substrate complex], [dipeptides] and temperature at a particular pH(4.0), where the substrate complex exists predominantly as the diaqua species and the dipeptides as a zwitterion. The substitution reaction shows two consecutive steps; the first is the ligand‐assisted anation and the second is the chelation step. The activation parameters for both the steps were evaluated using Eyring's equation. The low ΔH₁^≠ and large negative value of ΔS₁^≠ as well as ΔH₂^≠ and ΔS₂^≠ indicate an associative mode of activation for both the aqua ligand substitution processes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 43: 498–506, 2011     

Pumping Schemes Impacts on SNR of Discreted Raman Amplifications

We compare different discreted DCF Raman amplifier configurations, including single-stage and dual-stage. The optimum design with respect to SNR degradation, compromise linear and nonlinear impairments.     

Structural and dielectric properties of Pb(Li1/4Dy1/4W1/2)O3

The polycrystalline samples of Pb(Li_1/4Dy_1/4W_1/2)O₃ have been synthesized by high-temperature solid-state reaction techniques. Room temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies of the compound provided preliminary structural data, and hence formation of a single phase desired material was confirmed. Detailed studies of dielectric constant (ε) and loss (tanδ) as a function of frequency (100 Hz to 10 kHz) at room temperature (298 K) and also as a function of temperature (liquid nitrogen to 403 K) at 10 kHz suggest that the compound undergoes a ferroelectric phase transition of diffuse type.     

On the self-induced motion of vortex sheets

An accurate numerical scheme has been devised to study the self-induced motion of an infinitely thin, free vortex sheet of finite span in an unbounded, inviscid, incompressible fluid. The new numerical scheme has been tested against two vortex sheet problems for which exact solutions have also been obtained. The agreement between the numerical and exact solutions is excellent. The scheme has been further tested against two more examples for which analytical solutions for small times were available. Here too the agreement is excellent.     

Bimetallic nanoparticles: a single step synthesis, stabilization, and characterization of Au-Ag, Au-Pd, and Au-Pt in sol-gel derived silicates

Nanobimetallic particles consisting of Au-Pd, Au-Ag, and Au-Pt have been synthesized in a single step by a sol-gel process and stabilized in liquid and solid matrices. Organically modified silicates (Ormosils) that play a dual role of a matrix and of a stabilizer have been used to obtain very stable dispersions in the form of sols, gels, and monoliths. The simultaneous reduction of metal ions leads to either a surface enriched with one component or an alloy type of structure depending on the bimetal combination. The nanometallic dispersions are characterized by absorbance, TEM, XRD, IR, XPS, and CO adsorption studies. The stabilized nanoparticles are found to be good electrocatalysts and the preliminary results on the electrochemical reduction of oxygen are reported.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation ofbis(2,4,6-tripyridyl-1,3,5-triazine)iron(II) bytrans-1,2-diaminocyclohexanetetraacetatomanganate(III) in acetate buffer

The rapid oxidation ofbis(2,4,6-tripyridyl-1,3,5-triazine)-iron(II), [Fe(TPTZ)₂]²⁺, bytrans-1,2-diaminocyclohexanetetraacetatomanganate(III), [Mn^III(Y)]⁻, in acetate buffers was monitored using stopped-flow spectrophotometry. The reaction is first order in the substrate and evidence was obtained for pre-complexation between the oxidant and the substrate. The reaction rate increases as the pH increases. Characterisation of the products using the radiotracers⁵⁴Mn and⁵⁹Fe indicated that [Mn^II(Y)]²⁻ and [Fe(TPTZ)₂]³⁺ are the final products. The reaction obeys the rate law:

Rapid and Sensitive HPTLC Method for Determination of Epalrestat in Human Plasma

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - Epalrestat is a new drug for diabetic neuropathy. A new, simple, rapid very sensitive, and accurate high performance thin-layer...     

Anion template effect on the self-assembly and interconversion of metallacyclophanes

Reactions of 3,6-bis(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (bptz) with solvated first-row transition metals M(II) (M(II) = Ni, Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu) have been explored with emphasis on the factors that influence the identity of the resulting cyclic products for Ni(II) and Zn(II). The relatively small anions, namely [ClO4]- and [BF4]-, lead to the formation of molecular squares [{M4(bptz)4(CH3CN)8} subsetX][X]7, (M = Zn(II), Ni(II); X = [BF4]-, [ClO4]-), whereas the larger anion [SbF6]- favors the molecular pentagon [{Ni5(bptz)5-(CH3CN)10} subsetSbF6][SbF6]9. The molecular pentagon easily converts to the square in the presence of excess [BF4]-, [ClO4]-, and [I]- anions, whereas the Ni(II) square can be partially converted to the less stable pentagon under more forcing conditions in the presence of excess [SbF6]- ions. No evidence for the molecular square being in equilibrium with the pentagon was observed in the ESI-MS spectra of the individual square and pentagon samples. Anion-exchange reactions of the encapsulated ion in [{Ni4(bptz)4(CH3CN)8} subsetClO4][ClO4]7 reveal that a larger anion such as [IO4]- cannot replace [ClO4]- inside the cavity, but that the linear [Br3]- anion is capable of doing so. ESI-MS studies of the reaction between [Ni(CH3CN)6][NO3]2 and bptz indicate that the product is trinuclear. Mass spectral studies of the bptz reactions with Mn(II), Fe(II), and Cu(II), in the presence of [ClO4]- anions, support the presence of molecular squares. The formation of the various metallacyclophanes is discussed in light of the factors that influence these self-assembly reactions, such as choice of metal ion, anion, and solvent.