The first coordination compounds of OP[NC4H8O]3 phosphoric triamide ligand: structural study and Hirshfeld surface analysis of SnIV and MnII complexes

The first X-ray crystal structures of coordination compounds of OP[NC₄H₈O]₃ phosphoric triamide (L) are investigated in Cl₂(CH₃)₂Sn(trans-L)₂ (1) and [Mn(H₂O)₄(trans-L)₂]Cl₂·2H₂O (2) as models of molecular and salt complexes for Hirshfeld surface (HS)-based analysis. The crystal packing of 1 includes weak interactions, while in the salt complex 2, a 2-D aggregate, along the (001) plane, is mediated by normal O–H?Cl and O–H?O hydrogen bonds. In the Hirshfeld study, the crystal cohesions of 1 and 2 are recognized via H?H, O?H/H?O, and Cl?H/H?Cl contacts. Among these interactions, hydrogen bonds O–H?Cl occur in the salt structure of 2, as well as some weaker hydrogen interactions as C–H?O (1 and 2), C–H?Cl (1), and O–H?O (2). The full fingerprint plots have nearly symmetric shapes for two independent molecules of 1, while an asymmetric shape appears for the cationic component of 2. To extract more detailed information on close intermolecular contacts, the molecular surface of the previously reported structure L was also mapped. The structure 2 is the first monomeric octahedral Mn(II)–phosphoric triamide complex reported so far. Furthermore, the HS analysis of 2 is the first such study on a cation–anion complex structure including phosphoric triamide ligand.     

Design of multilayer high-dispersion mirrors using multi-swarm optimization method

Design of high-dispersion mirrors (HDMs) using a proposed multi-swarm optimization method is reported. We design HDMs for Yb:YAG disk oscillator at 1030 nm and ultrashort pulse Cr:YAG laser at 1550 nm. The results show that the optimum group delay dispersion and reflectance can be obtained with optimal number of layers. The proposed optimization method has a fast convergence rate and powerful global search ability and can be utilized effectively for the design of a variety of optical thin film filters.     

Calculation of the Density and Activity of Water in ATPS Systems for Separation of Biomolecules

In this study, the perturbed hard sphere chain equation of state is utilized to calculate the activity of water in binary and ternary solutions of polyethylene glycol (PEG), salt and water. The liquid density of the binary and ternary solutions is also predicted. To estimate the water activity in PEG–water binary systems, a linear correlation is obtained for the binary interaction parameter between water and PEG. Then, using this correlation and without introducing any additional binary parameters, the water activities are predicted in ternary solutions of water, salt and PEG with different molecular weights (MW). Our results show that the mean absolute average relative deviation (AARD %) of water activity for binary PEG–water solutions in 298 K is 0.73 %. In addition, the water activity in ternary solutions of water and two PEGs with different MW is predicted within 0.31 % AARD %. Furthermore, the AARD % for prediction of water activities in binary PEG–water solutions over the temperature range 308–338 K is 0.41 %. Also, the water activities of aqueous two-phase systems are predicted with AARD % = 0.64 %. In this regard, no adjustable parameters were correlated between salt and PEG. Finally, liquid densities were predicted in binary solutions of water–PEG and ternary solutions of water–PEG–salt.     

Puckering behavior in six new phosphoric triamides containing aliphatic six- and seven-membered ring groups and a database survey of analogous ring-containing structures

The influence of a N heteroatom on the ring conformations of six- and seven-membered aliphatic rings in six new C(O)NHP(O)-based phosphoric triamide structures (analysed by X-ray crystallography) is investigated. Additionally the influence of steric and crystal packing effects is also studied by the analysis of Hirshfeld surfaces. The results are compared to analogous structures with three- to seven- aliphatic membered rings deposited in the Cambridge Structural Database. In the newly determined structures, the six-membered rings only show the near-chair conformation with a maximum deviation of the θ puckering parameter of 4.4° from the ideal chair value of 0°/180°, while the seven-membered rings are found in different conformations such as near-chair, twist chair and twist sofa.     

Apatite formation on TiO2 anatase microspheres

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) coatings have been long considered as biocompatible interfaces to promote the physico-chemical bonding between the bone tissues and implant material (e.g., titanium and stainless steel). Monodispersed TiO₂ (anatase, the low temperature polymorph of TiO₂) microspheres, produced in the form of colloidal precipitates, were deposited on different substrates and apatite formation was induced on the resulted surface by immersing the coated substrates in simulated body fluid solution. Analytical and microstructural investigations, conducted by X-ray diffraction, energy depressive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques, showed considerable higher rates of apatite formation, in vitro, on the anatase microspheres compared to the sol-gel-derived thin films of the same oxide. We concluded that the particular surface morphology of the packed TiO₂ microspheres, promotes a faster apatite formation in vitro.     

Ultrasonic degradation of solutions of poly(vinyl acetate) in dioxan: The effects of the temperature and polymer concentration

The ultrasonic degradation of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) solutions was carried out in dioxan at 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 °C to investigate the effects of the temperature and solution concentration on the rate of degradation. The kinetics of degradation were studied by viscometry. The calculated rate constants indicated that the degradation rate of the PVAc solutions decreased as the temperature and solution concentration increased. The calculated rate constants were correlated in terms of the concentration, temperature, vapor pressure of dioxan, and relative viscosity of the PVAc solutions. This degradation behavior was interpreted in terms of the vapor pressure of dioxan, the viscosity, and the concentration of the polymer solutions. With increasing temperature, the vapor pressure of the solvent increased, and so the vapor entered the cavitation bubbles during their growth. This caused a reduction in collapsing shock because of a cushioning effect; therefore, the rate of degradation decreased. As the solution concentration increased, the viscosity increased and caused a reduction in the cavitation efficiency, and so the rate of degradation decreased. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 445–451, 2004     

Cheese whey tangential filtration using tubular mineral membranes

Membrane separation techniques are extensively used in dairy industry both for milk and cheese whey processing. However, cheese whey might still be considered as a problematic waste despite its high content of many valuable substances, such as proteins, lactose or minerals, which can be further used, e.g. in human nutrition, pharmacy or biotechnologies. Another problem, which food technologists have to face, is variable quality, composition and properties of food materials bringing high demands on manufacturing industry. In this paper, filtration kinetics and separation efficiency during purification and fractionation of cheese whey (sweet and salty) from Czech dairies by pilot-plant filtration (Bollene, France) was studied using tubular membranes (Membralox, USA). Various mineral membranes’ cut-offs were tested and all experiments ran in the retentate recycling mode. The obtained mass concentration factors were between 1.9 and 16.5. Steady state fluxes were calculated from the experimental data using a mathematical model. Fine ultrafiltration on a 5 kDa membrane gave steady state fluxes of 14–19 L m^?2 h^?1. The coarse pre-filtration on 100 nm, 200 nm or 500 nm membranes showed various permeate fluxes between 22 L m^?2 h^?1 and 153 L m^?2 h^?1. Despite the high pore sizes of the used membranes, lactose was partially rejected by all membranes tested.