Working Methods Paper: Critical considerations with respect to the identification of tin species in the environment

Biogeochemical pathways of tin species in the environment are still controversial, e.g. with regard to methylation and transmethylation phenomena, owing to the fact that the identification of methylated tin-compounds is often difficult. The previous tentative identification of a mixed methylbutyltin compound in sediment and biological samples by GC/AAS after hydride generation gave an illustration of this problem. This compound was previously identified in sediments by other authors and also suspected to occur in a contaminated sediment sample from the Boyardville Marina, France. The retention time obtained by GC/AAS corresponded to the actual retention time of a mixed methylbutyltin calibrant. However, additional checks demonstrated that the compound detected was actually monophenyltin. This evidence was produced by a thorough analysis of a selected sediment sample by alternative techniques such as GC/AAS and GC/AES after pentylation, GC/FPD and GC/MS. The results presented highlight the need for a full identification of compounds to avoid mis-interpretation.     

Kinetic model for hydrocarbon-assisted particulate boron combustion

A kinetic model is presented to describe the high temperature (1800 K < T < 3000 K) surface oxidation of particulate boron in a hydrocarbon combustion environment. The model includes a homogeneous gas-phase B/O/H/C oxidation mechanism consisting of 19 chemical species and 58 forward and reverse elementary reactions, multi-component gas-phase diffusion, and a heterogeneous surface oxidation mechanism consisting of ‘elementary’ adsorption and desorption reaction steps. Thermochemical and kinetic parameters for the surface reactions are estimated from available experimental data and/or elementary transition state arguments. The kinetic processes are treated using a generalized kinetics code, with embedded sensitivity analysis, for the combustion of a one-dimensional (particle radius), spherical particle. Model results are presented for the oxidation of a 200 μm boron particle in a JP-4/air mixture at ambient temperatures of 1400 K and 2000 K. These results include temperature and gas-phase species profiles as a function of radial distance and particle burning rates. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetics of solvolysis of 2-chloroquinoxaline

Pseudo-first-order rate constants and activation parameters have been measured for the solvolysis of 2-chloroquinoxaline in various aquo-organic mixtures using methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol as the organic solvent. Excellent linear correlations are found between lnk and the mol fraction of cosolvent and ln[H₂O]. The medium effect on the rates of solvolysis is assessed by Grunwald–Winstein's mY correlationship. The estimated values of m (0.55–0.72) and the entropy of activation (148–212 J deg^?1 mol^?1) for the reactions are well in the range for a bimolecular aromatic substitution reactions. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Does the HO2 radical react with H2S,CH3SH,and CH3SCH3?

The kinetics of the title reactions were investigated in a discharge flow tube by using laser magnetic resonance detection of HO₂. The upper limits for the bimolecular rate constants for the reactions of HO₂ with H₂S (k₁), CH₃SH (k₂), and CH₃SCH₃ (k₃) are <3 × 10^?15, <4 × 10^?15, and <5 × 10^?15 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, respectively, at 298 K. Our upper limit for k₁ is three orders of magnitude lower than the previously reported value. Measurements at higher temperatures also yield similar upper limits. Our results suggest that HO₂ is not an important oxidant for these reduced compounds in the atmosphere. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the thermal decomposition reaction of acetone cyclic diperoxide in the gas phase

The kinetics of the thermal decomposition reaction of gaseous 3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1,2,4,5-tetroxane (ACDP) in the presence of n-octane was studied in the 403.2–523.2 K temperature range. This reaction yields acetone as the organic product. Under optimum conditions, first-order kinetics were observed, included when the S/V ratio of the Pyrex reaction vessel was increased by a nearly six-fold factor. In the range 443.2–488.2 K the temperature dependence of the rate constants for the unimolecular reaction in conditioned vessels is given by In k₁/(s^?1) = (31.8 ± 2.5) ? [(39.0 ± 2.5)/RT]. The value of the energy of activation in kcal/mol correspond to one O? O bond homolysis of the ACDP molecule in a stepwise biradical initiated decomposition mechanism. At the lower reaction temperatures as well in preliminary experiments participation of a surface catalyzed ACDP decomposition process could be detected. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

LIDAR mapping of ozone-episode dynamics in Paris and intercomparison with spot analyzers Supplementary material available at http://link.springer.de/journals/apb

Continuous mapping of an ozone episode in Paris in June 1999 has been performed using a differential absorption lidar system. The 2D ozone concentration vertical maps recorded over 33 h at the Champ de Mars are compiled in a video clip that gives access to local photochemical dynamics with unprecedented precision. The lidar data are compared over the whole period with point monitors located at 0-, 50-, and 300-m altitudes on the Eiffel Tower. Very good agreement is found when spatial resolution, acquisition time, and required concentration accuracy are optimized. Sensitivity to these parameters for successful intercomparison in urban areas is discussed. Received: 11 February 2002 / Published online: 14 March 2002     

An algebraic multigrid solver for Navier-Stokes problems

An efficient numerical method is presented for solving the equations of motion for viscous fluids. The equations are discretized on the basis of unstructured finite element meshes and then solved by direct iteration. Advective fluxes are temporarily fixed at each iteration to provide a linearized set of coupled equations which are then also solved by iteration using a fully implicit algebraic multigrid (AMG) scheme. A rapid convergence to machine accuracy is achieved that is almost mesh-independent. The scaling of computing time with mesh size is therefore close to the optimum.     

Refractive index matching methods for liquid flow investigations

A difficulty common to most optical diagnostic techniques that are applied to fluid dynamics studies is the refraction of light passing through model and/or test section walls. The method of choice to eliminate refraction problems in liquid flows is to match refractive index. This paper presents techniques for refractive index matching including, (i) arrangement of test section and model, (ii) choice of solid and liquid materials, and (iii) methods for tuning the match. In addition, a new application of refractive index matching to liquid-liquid droplet studies is presented.The author would like to thank Rick James and Jon Martinez for their assistance in conducting the matching experiments and Professor Mickey Gunter for his comments on refractometry. We are grateful to the United States Department of Energy for financial support of the droplet work under Grant DE-FG07-86ER13572     

Synthesis of functional polymers—Vinylidene fluoride based fluorinated copolymers and terpolymers bearing bromoaromatic side‐group

The radical co‐ and terpolymerization of 4‐[(α,β,β‐trifluorovinyl)oxy]bromo benzene (TFVOBB) with 1,1‐difluoroethylene (or vinylidene fluoride, VDF, or VF₂), hexafluoropropene (HFP), perfluoromethyl vinyl ether (PMVE), and chlorotrifluroroethylene (CTFE) is presented. Although TFVOBB could be thermocyclodimerized, it could not homopolymerize under radical initiation. TFVOBB could be copolymerized in solution under a radical initiator with VDF or CTFE comonomers, while its copolymerization with HFP or PMVE were unsuccessful. The terpolymerization of TFVOBB with VDF and HFP, or VDF and PMVE, or VDF and CTFE also led to original fluorinated terpolymers bearing bromoaromatic side‐groups. The conditions of co‐ and terpolymerization were optimized in terms of the nature of the radical initiators, and of the nature of solvents (fluorinated or nonhalogenated). Various monomer concentrations in the co‐ and terpolymers were assessed by ¹⁹F and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy. The thermal and physico chemical properties were also studied. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5077–5097, 2004