Mesoporous aluminosilicate nanocage-catalyzed three-component coupling reaction: an expedient synthesis of α-aminophosphonates

Here we demonstrate for the first time the synthesis of α-aminophosphonates through the three-component coupling reaction of aldehydes, amines, and diethyl phosphite by using highly acidic 3D mesoporous aluminosilicate nanocage catalyst, which gave excellent yield with a high selectivity in a short reaction time due to its high acidity, 3D pores, and a huge space in the nanocages.     

Crystallization kinetics of linear polyethylene: The maximum in crystal growth rate-temperature dependence

This rapid communication reports a summary of the key findings of crystallization kinetics studies of unfractionated high density (linear) polyethylene at extremely large supercoolings. We report, for the first time, the maximum in crystal growth rate-crystallization temperature data for linear polyethylene, which has been sought by many researchers since the 1950s. The maximum growth rate was found to occur in the range of 70-75 °C with two separate methods. The kinetics studies were performed using a newly developed quench-crystallization technique based on depolarized reflection light microscopy that is capable of achieving enormously higher quench rates than existing methods. Typical onset crystallization temperatures accessed with this technique range from 40 to 90 °C. Bulk growth rates of crystals were obtained as the reciprocal of crystallization half times measured from the change in the depolarized light intensity upon direct crystallization from the melt. Separately, radial growth rates of spherulites were measured over a wide range of supercoolings. Secondary nucleation analysis of the crystal growth rates resulted in single linear fits extending into deep regime III, suggesting no change in mechanism of formation of the crystals at the largest supercoolings. The deeply quenched films, crystallized at temperatures below the maximum, contain non-impinged spherulites, capable of further crystallization.     

Lower bounds for adaptive locally decodable codes

An error‐correcting code is said to be locally decodable if a randomized algorithm can recover any single bit of a message by reading only a small number of symbols of a possibly corrupted encoding of the message. Katz and Trevisan 12 showed that any such code C : {0, 1}ⁿ → Σ^m with a decoding algorithm that makes at most q probes must satisfy m = Ω((n/log |Σ|)^q/(q?1)). They assumed that the decoding algorithm is non‐adaptive, and left open the question of proving similar bounds for adaptive decoders. We show m = Ω((n/log |Σ|)^q/(q?1)) without assuming that the decoder is nonadaptive. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2005     

Mixing characterization of mechanically milled Fe75Si15M10 powders using Mössbauer spectroscopy

Iron nitrides are attractive as they show excellent magnetic properties which can be utilized as recording and permanent magnetic materials for potential applications. Due to the high saturation magnetization and chemical stability, γ ^′-Fe₄N compound is widely investigated as a promising high density magnetic recording material. γ ^′-Fe₄N particles were synthesized by conventional gaseous nitriding in a heated atmosphere containing ammonia as a source of nitrogen. X-ray diffraction, ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy are used for the characterization of the as prepared sample.     

Stability-Indicating HPTLC Method for Simultaneous Determination of Ezetimibe and Simvastatin

Simvastatin and ezetimibe are used to treat hyperlipidemia. A simple, selective and stability-indicating HPTLC method has been established for analysis of simvastatin and ezetimibe. The method has been validated so that both drugs can routinely be analyzed simultaneously. The method uses aluminum-backed silica gel 60F₂₅₄ TLC plates as stationary phase with n-hexane–acetone 6:4 (v/v) as mobile phase. Densitometric analysis of both drugs was carried out in absorbance mode at 234 nm. This system was found to give compact bands for simvastatin and ezetimibe (R _F 0.39 ± 0.05 and 0.50 ± 0.05, respectively). Linear relationships were obtained between response and amount of drug in the range 200–1,600 ng per band with high correlation coefficients (r ² = 0.9917 ± 0.0018 for simvastatin and r ² = 0.9927 ± 0.0021 for ezetimibe). The method was validated for precision, robustness, and recovery. The limits of detection and quantitation were 25 and 150 ng per band, respectively. Simvastatin and ezetimibe were subjected degradation by acid, pH 6.8 phosphate buffer, oxidation, dry heat, and wet heat. The degradation products were well resolved from the pure drug with significantly different R _F values. Because the method could effectively separate the drug from its degradation products, it can be used for stability-indicating analysis.     

On the existence of nested orthogonal arrays

A nested orthogonal array is an OA(N,k,s,g) which contains an OA(M,k,r,g) as a subarray. Here r<s and M<N. Necessary conditions for the existence of such arrays are obtained in the form of upper bounds on k, given N, M, s, r and g. Examples are given to show that these bounds are quite powerful in proving nonexistence. The link with incomplete orthogonal arrays is also indicated.     

Tilt investigation of In(Al,Ga)As metamorphic buffer layers on GaAs (001) substrate: A novel technique for tilt determination

Crystallographic tilt and Surface topography of InGaAs and InAlAs based metamorphic buffer structures on GaAs (001) substrate grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) under varying growth conditions have been investigated. Compressively strained metamorphic buffer layers show anisotropic strain relaxation. A novel tilt determination technique based on X‐ray diffraction has been developed which can separate the effect of anisotropic strain. Tilt has been found to depend on compositional grading scheme, growth temperature and surface irregularities. Samples having random surfaces show smaller tilt than that of samples showing regular cross‐hatch. At higher growth temperature, reduction of tilt has been observed and correlated with thermal activation of otherwise inactive slip systems at low temperature. At low temperature and also for continuously graded samples, reduction of tilt has been observed and correlated with the slower relaxation that provide the opportunity for all the slip systems to participate and compete.     

Persistence problem in two-dimensional fluid turbulence

We present a natural framework for studying the persistence problem in two-dimensional fluid turbulence by using the Okubo-Weiss parameter Λ to distinguish between vortical and extensional regions. We then use a direct numerical simulation of the two-dimensional, incompressible Navier-Stokes equation with Ekman friction to study probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the persistence times of vortical and extensional regions by employing both Eulerian and Lagrangian measurements. We find that, in the Eulerian case, the persistence-time PDFs have exponential tails; by contrast, this PDF for Lagrangian particles, in vortical regions, has a power-law tail with an exponent θ=2.9±0.2.     

Electron-Driven Nitration of Unsaturated Hydrocarbons

Herein, we introduce an electrochemically assisted generation of nitryl radicals from ferric nitrate under mild reaction conditions using a simple setup with inexpensive graphite and stainless-steel electrodes. The mechanism of the reaction is supported by detailed spectroscopic and experimental studies. Powered by electricity and driven by electrons, the synthetic diversity of this reaction has been demonstrated through the development of highly efficient nitration protocols of various unsaturated hydrocarbons. In addition to a broad application area, these protocols are easy to scale for decagram quantities, and exhibit exceptional substrate generality and functional-group compatibility.     

Evolution of the calcium hydroxyapatite crystal structure under plasma deposition and subsequent reducing treatment

The structure of hydroxyapatite plasma coatings on a titanium substrate has been investigated by the X-ray Rietveld method. The hydroxyapatite crystal structure in plasma-deposited samples is characterized by strong distortions of its main element (tetrahedral PO₄ cluster) and coordination calcium polyhedra, as well as calcium deficit in the Ca2 site; however, these features do not change the main motif of the hydroxyapatite structure. The bond distortions in PO₄ clusters are estimated by the Bauer method. It is shown that hydrothermal treatment leads to the almost complete recovery of the hydroxyapatite structure.