Computational studies on the structures and energies of the tautomers of 1-amino-3-nitrotriazol-5-one-2-oxide

Molecular orbital calculations at the DFT-B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ level were performed for the possible tautomers of 1-amino-3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one-2-oxide. We have examined the substitution effects of amino and nitro groups by comparing calculated geometries, relative energies, and electrostatic potentials of model molecules. The optimized structures, vibrational frequencies, and thermodynamic values for triazol-5-one-N-oxides were obtained in their ground state. The results show 1H, 4H tautomers to be most stable. Detonation velocity and detonation pressure were evaluated by the Kamlet and Jacob equations based on the predicted density and the calculated heat of explosion. Explosive properties appear to be promising compared with those of 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (D = 8.75 km/s, P = 34.7 Gpa) and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (D = 8.96 km/s, P = 35.96 Gpa), 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (D = 9.20 km/s, P = 42.0 Gpa) and octanitrocubane (D = 9.90 km/s, P = 48.45 GPa). The designed triazol-5-one-N-oxides satisfy the criteria of high energy density materials.     

Minimum detectable activity, systematic uncertainties, and the ISO 11929 standard

The Currie formulation for minimum detectable activity (MDA) has served for decades as the standard method for estimating radiological detection limits-it is simple and statistically defendable. It does, however, lack a means to account for the effects of systematic uncertainties. In recent years we have seen various efforts to incorporate systematic uncertainties into an MDA framework. Perhaps most notable of these is the recent ISO standard 11929 for the determination of characteristic limits in ionizing radiation measurements. This standard brings a Bayesian perspective to the problem of characteristic limits in radiation measurements that are in many ways both welcome and long overdue. In this paper, however, we note some apparent drawbacks to the ISO 11929 approach. Namely, for small values of the systematic uncertainty the correction it makes to the Currie MDA is negligible, while for large systematic uncertainties the calculated MDA values can become infinite. In between these two extremes, the user has little basis for evaluating the reliability of the result. To address these issues, we consider the problem from a new approach, developing a straightforward phenomenological statistical model of the MDA that treats systematic uncertainties explicitly. We compare predictions from our model with results of the ISO 11929 formulation as well as the traditional Currie approach. Finally, some recommendations for alternative handling of the MDA in the face of significant systematic uncertainties are presented.     

Gels dried under supercritical and ambient conditions: a comparative study and their subsequent conversion to silica–carbon composite aerogels

In present work, we have prepared gels with various compositions of methyltrimethoxysilane—3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy) propyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS-GPTMS) using a two-step acid base sol–gel process. To make a comparative study between the two common drying routes, we prepared gels under supercritical and also under ambient conditions. The density of the supercritically dried hybrid aerogels lies between 0.18 and 0.31 gcm^?3, while the density of the ambient dried ones ranges between 0.35 and 0.42 gcm^?3. The surface area of MTMS-0.25 GPTMS aerogel dried under supercritical conditions, has been found to be 464 m² g^?1 with a pore volume and average pore diameter of 1.24 cm³ g^?1 and 11 nm respectively. The same composition dried under ambient conditions is found to have similar properties i.e. a BET surface area of 439 m² g^?1, pore volume of 1.22 cm³ g^?1 and average pore diameter of 11 nm. The aerogels were later pyrolyzed yielding silica/carbon composite aerogels. The pyrolized aerogels possessed a surface area as high as 207 m² g^?1 with a total pore volume of 0.98 cm³ g^?1. The pyrolysed aerogels were also calcined to yield carbon free materials.     

Evolution of coercivity and its angular dependence in CoFe nanostructures subjected to field cooling

Evolution of coercivity and its angular dependence in CoFe nanostructures subjected to field cooling has been investigated in this work. Spherical CoFe grains with an average diameter of 30 nm were grown on a silicon substrate using electron beam evaporation. Further, the as‐deposited sample was subjected to field cooling. The morphology and topography of the sample before and after field cooling were characterized by atomic force microscopy and SEM. Magnetic force microscopy indicated that there is a good uniformity of magnetization throughout the sample after field cooling. Vibrating sample magnetometer measurements indicate that the coercivity in CoFe nanostructures is dependent on shape of the nanostructures. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Facile ion-exchange synthesis of Gd-doped K2Ta2O6 photocatalysts with enhanced visible light activity

One of the well-known ways of increasing the visible light absorption capability of semiconducting materials is cation doping. This study aims to use Gd doping to tailor the bandgap energy of K₂Ta₂O₆ (KTO) for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants under visible light irradiation. Accordingly, the parent KTO and Gd-doped KTO with different Gd concentrations (K_2-3xGd_xTa₂O₆; x = 0.025, 0.05, 0.075 and 0.1 mol%) were synthesized by hydrothermal and facile ion-exchange methods, respectively. The powder XRD, FT-IR, SEM-EDS, TEM-SAED, N₂ adsorption-desorption, XPS, UV–Vis DRS, PL and ESR techniques were used to investigate the effect of Gd dopant concentration on the structural and photocatalytic properties of KTO. The photocatalytic activity of these samples was investigated for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in an aqueous solution at room temperature under visible light irradiation. The experimental results show that all Gd-doped KTO samples exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with parent KTO toward MB degradation. In particular, Gd-KTO obtained by doping of 0.075 mol% shows the highest photocatalytic activity among the Gd-doped samples and the degradation efficiency of MB was 79% after 180 min of visible light irradiation, which is approximately 1.5 times as high as that by parent KTO (53%). In addition, trapping experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis demonstrated that the hydroxyl radicals (^?OH) have played a crucial role in the photocatalytic degradation of MB. The reusability and stability of Gd doped-KTO with a Gd content of 0.075 mol% against MB degradation were examined for five cycles. Based on the present study results, a visible light induced photocatalytic mechanism has been proposed for Gd0075-KTO sample.     

Binary Metal Oxide Adsorbed Graphene Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode for Detection of Riboflavin

Tungsten oxide (W) decorated titanium oxide (T) adsorbed onto a graphene (Gr) and modified the glassy carbon electrode for the electrochemical quantification of riboflavin (RF) in edible food and pharmaceuticals. For comparison, nanocomposites are formed using graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and pure graphite (G) sheets to study the electrochemical activities towards riboflavin. The ternary WTGr modified GCE shows the highest electrocatalytic activity due to synergetic interactions between the metal oxide and graphene. The electrochemical observations are supported by the SEM, HRTEM, XRD, UV-Vis, Zeta potential (ζ) and size data. The sensor shows a wide linear range 20 nM–2.5 μM with a detection limit 25.24 nM and sensitivity (4.249×10⁻⁸ A/nM). The fabricated sensor is validated in real samples.     

Synthesis of Nordstrandite and Nordstrandite-Derived Layered Double Hydroxides of Li and Al: A Comparative Study with the Bayerite Counterpart

The layered double hydroxides (LDHs) of Li and Al can be synthesized from the four polymorphs of Al(OH)₃, namely gibbsite, bayerite, nordstrandite, and doyleite. The crystal structure of this class of compounds depends on the type of the precursor used due to their topotactic reaction mechanism. While the LDHs derived from gibbsite and bayerite yield different crystal structures, the incorporation of Li into nordstrandite was expected to yield new LDH structures different from those derived from gibbsite and bayerite. The structure of nordstrandite derived LDHs were however identical to that derived from the bayerite counterpart. The absence of symmetry in the interlayer of nordstrandite (C₁) makes it unsuitable to accommodate the intercalating anions with different molecular symmetries. To make the interlayer gallery suitable for the anions, the metal hydroxide layers of the nordstrandite translate, transforming nordstrandite to bayerite. The bayerite with site symmetries O_h and C₂ stabilizes the anions in the interlayer by hydrogen bonding. The transformation of nordstrandite to bayerite, when soaked in lithium salt solution is, therefore, a manifestation of the intercalating anions.     

Preparation,spectral characterization,and single crystal X-ray structures of cis and trans isomers of 2,4,6-trifluoroethoxy-1,3,5-triethyl-1,3,5,2λ5, 4λ5, 6λ5-triazatriphosphorinane-2,4,6-trioxide, [ETNP(O)(OCH2CF3)]3

Oxidation of the cis isomer of the λ³-cyclotriphosphazane [EtNP(OCH₂CF₃)]₃ with trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMNO) gives the cis isomer of trioxo-λ⁵-cyclotriphosphazane [EtNP(O)(OCH₂CF₃)]₃; the trans isomer of [EtNP(O)(OCH₂CF₃)]₃ is obtained by the treatment of a cis and trans mixture of [EtNP(OCH₂CF₃)]₃ with aqueous H₂O₂. The two trioxocyclotriphosphazanes have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁹F, and ³¹P) spectroscopy. The solid state structures of both the isomers have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The six-membered P₃N₃ ring in both the isomers exhibits a twist-boat conformation; in the cis isomer, the trifluoroethoxy substituents lie on the same side of the ring, whereas, in the trans isomer, two trifluoroethoxy groups are on one side of the ring and the third on the other side of the ring. Crystal data for cis-[EtNP(O)(OCH₂CF₃)]₃: monoclinic, P 2₁/ n , a = 13.593(3), b = 9.721(2), c = 17.539(3) Å, β = 99.49(2)°, V = 2286(1) ų, Z = 4, and Final R = 0.047. Crystal data for trans-[EtNP(O)(OCH₂CF₃)]₃: monoclinic, P 2₁/ n , a = 11.685(4), b = 15.115(5), c = 13.233(5) Å, - = 102.21(3)°, V = 2284(1) ų, Z = 4, and Final R = 0.078.     

Alkylation of catechol with methanol to guaiacol over sulphate-modified zirconia solid acid catalysts

A series of sulphate-promoted ZrO₂ solid acid catalysts with different contents of SO₄ ²⁻ were calcined at 450°C in air for 4 h and tested for the liquid-phase alkylation of catechol to guaiacol in a fixed-bed down-flow reactor. The 5 wt.% SO₄ ²⁻ on ZrO₂ showed the best conversion (82%) and selectivity for guaiacol (84%) at 200°C and 1 bar pressure. A smooth correlation was observed between the catalytical activity and surface acidity of sulphated zirconia. Based on our results, a surface mechanism is proposed.