Some problems concerning the use of automated radiochemical separation systems in destructive neutron activation analysis

The present state of a long term program is reviewed. It was started to elaborate a remote controlled automated radiochemical processing system for the neutron activation analysis of biological materials. The system is based on wet ashing of the sample, followed by reactive desorption of some volatile components. The distillation residue is passed through a series of columns filled with selective ion screening materials to remove the matrix activity. The solution is thus “stripped” from the interfering radioions, and it is processed to single-elements through group separations using ion-exchange chromatographic techniques. Some special problems concerning this system are treated. (a) General aspects of the construction of a (semi)automated radiochemical processing system are discussed; (b) Comparison is made between various technical realizations of the same basic concept; (c) Some problems concerning the “reconstruction” of an already published processing system are outlined.     

The Synthesis of Levyne-Type Zeolite Studied by Thermal Analysis of Methylquinuclidine Aluminosilicate Gels

DSC, TG and quadrupole mass spectrometer data concerning methylquinuclidinium iodide (MeQ1), dried precursor gel, and crystalline levyne-type zeolite are discussed together with the thermal degradation of MeQ1 mixed with single inorganic components of the gel. It is shown that MeQ⁺ions play a role in the organization of the gel structure. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Fluorescence lifetime of Nile Red as a probe for the hydrogen bonding strength with its microenvironment

The fluorescence lifetime of Nile Red (NR) is not sensitive to dielectric solvent–solute interactions but markedly decreases with the increase of the hydrogen bond donating ability in alcohols because vibrations associated with hydrogen bonding are involved in the deactivation process. The negligible viscosity effect indicates that twisting of the diethylamino moiety of NR does not play significant role in the dissipation of the excitation energy.     

Influence of the activation temperature on structural and textural properties of NiMo/Al2O3 hydrodesulfurization catalysts

Investigations of a commercial NiMo/Al₂O₃ hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalyst are directed towards optimization of the activation procedure of HDS catalyst concerning active phase formation and thermal stability. Structural and textural data obtained with XRD, IR-FTIR, XPS and LTNA reveal that the optimal temperature for the formation of active species on the catalyst surface and an appropriate pore structure is 300°C.     

Towards a quantum chemical software package utilizing transferable fragments as molecular building blocks

Computer programs have been developed or are under development for the IBM personal computer that enable their users to get information on atomic charges, electrostatic potentials, conformational and other properties of molecular systems containing H, C, N, O, F, Si, P, S, or Cl atoms. The zero-order wavefunction is constructed of strictly localized molecular orbitals with fixed atomic orbital coefficients. The wave function can be refined by optimizing these coefficients, i.e., considering inductive effects via a coupled set of 2 × 2 secular equations within the CNDO /2 approximation. Delocalization and exchange effects are accounted for by expanding the wavefunction on a basis of the aforementioned strictly localized orbitals, instead of conventional atomic orbitals, and solving the corresponding SCF equations. Our method has been applied to the study of large systems. We calculated the electrostatic field of the complex of β-trypsin and basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor and it has been found that strong field regions more or less coincide with hydration sites. A further potential application of protein electrostatic fields is in NMR spectroscopy. We found a linear correlation between C^αH or backbone NH proton chemical shifts and the protein field at the site of the corresponding proton. At last, we propose a simple method to mimic the bulk around atomic clusters modeling crystalline and amorphous silicon. Based on this method we found a linear correlation between atomic net charges and bond angle distortions in silicon clusters with 35 atoms.     

Thermally stable silarylene-1,3,4-oxadiazole polymers

The effects of incorporating a p-phenylene- (or m-phenylene)-1,3,4-oxadiazole fragment into the backbone of poly[1,4-phenylene(diphenylsilyl)-1,4-phenylene-2,5-(1,3,4-oxadiazole)], which was developed by the authors, was investigated. Bis[(p-carbohydrazidophenyl)]diphenylsilane was copolymerized with dipentachlorophenyl terephthalate or isophthalate to produce the prepolymers poly[N-(p-diphenylsilylbenzoyl)-N′N″-(terephthaloyl)-N″′-(p-benzoyl)dihydrazide] and poly[N-(p-diphenylsilylbenzoyl)-N′,-N″-(isophthaloyl)-N″′-p-(benzoyl) dihydrazide], respectively. The polyhydrazides were converted by thermal dehydration into poly[1,4-phenylene(diphenylsilyl)-1,4-phenylene-(1,3,4-oxadiazole-2,5-diyl)-1,4-phenylene-2,5-(1,3,4-oxadiazole)] and poly[1,4-phenyl-ene(diphenylsilyl)-1,4-phenylene-(1,3,4-oxadiazole-2,5-diyl)-1,3,4-(oxadiazole)]. The new polymers were soluble in organic solvents. Films cast from these solutions exhibited good adhesion to glass and metal surfaces. Thermal analysis showed that the heat stability of all these polymers was about the same and that they were resistant to decomposition when heated in air to about 400°C. The results also indicated that these polymers were somewhat less heat-resistant than samples of poly-[1,4-phenylene(diphenylsilyl)-1,4-phenylene-2,5-]1,3,4-(oxadiazole) synthesized from bis(p-carbohydrazidophenyl)diphenylsilane and bis-(p-carbopentachlorophenoxy-phenyl)diphenylsilane.     

Use of the Second Derivative of TG Curves for Investigation of the Exchanged Interlayer Cation in Montmorillonite

Various cation-exchanged montmorillonites (Li+, Na+, Ba2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Ag+, Cd2+, Hg2+, Al3+, Pb2+ and NH4+) were prepared from calcium montmorillonite and their properties were studied by means of X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. The two methods give information on the cation exchange in the interlayer space only. X-ray diffraction studies at room temperature are mainly suitable for estimation of the exchange of cations of different valencies. At 500°C, when the structure is completely collapsed, the d value of montmorillonite depends on the non-hydrated ionic radius of the interlayer cation, but the measurement interval is limited for fine interpretation. The thermoanalytical method is suitable for a better distinction of different exchangeable cations of higher hydration energy on the basis of the DTG or DDTG curve. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

13C NMR study of polarizations and polarization ranges of vinylene groups in seven series of related compounds

Polarizations, polarization ranges and ratios of polarization ranges for vinylene groups in seven series, namely chalcone derivatives, ferrocene analogues of chalcone, stilbene derivatives, ferrocene analogues of stilbene, and styrene derivatives, were studied. The polarization ranges spanning the intervals between ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of the derivatives substituted by p-NO₂ and p-NMe₂ groups are compared in these related compounds. The influence of the side-chain groups in the vinylene moiety and of the sign of the polarization on the substituent-effect are discussed.