Thermochemistry of explosives

The kinetics constants for the decomposition reaction of an explosive can be used to calculate the lowest temperature (critical temperature, T_m) at which any specific size and shape of explosive can self heat to explosion; however, the accuracy of the calculation is in doubt without an independent experimental determination of a critical temperature for a known size and shape of the explosive. A method is presented for the experimental determination of critical temperatures on a routine basis, and it is shown that agreement between calculated and experimental values is excellent for most common explosives.     

Tri‐Chain Hydrocarbon Surfactants as Designed Micellar Modifiers for Supercritical CO2

Getting their feet wet : Low‐cost hydrocarbon surfactants act as fluid modifiers for supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂). Increased terminal branching of the surfactant chains aids micelle formation (see middle picture: CO₂ green), and more chains allows water to be incorporated (right, blue).

     

Synthesis and structure of (η5-C5H5)2Hf(η1-NC4H4)2

The crystal structure of (⁵-C₅H₅)₂Hf(¹-NC₄H₄)₂ has been determined from X-ray data measured by counter methods. The title compound is isostructural with (⁵-C₅H₅)₂Zr(¹-NC₄H₄)₂, and crystallizes in the monoclinic space groupP2₁/c (C _2h ⁵ , No. 14) with unit cell constantsa=9.605(3),b=8.174(3),c=19.487(4) Å, =90.85(3)°, andZ=4 forD _c=1.91 gcm^–3. Full-matrix least-squares refinement gave a finalR value of 0.068 for 2154 independent observed reflections. The two cyclopentadienyl rings are ⁵-coordinated to the hafnium atom at an average Hf-C(⁵–) distance of 2.51(1) Å. The Hf-N-centroid (-pyrrolyl) angles average 166°.     

Enhanced ethanol sensing properties of WO3 modified TiO2 nanorods

Pristine and WO₃ decorated TiO₂ nanorods (NRs) were synthesised to investigate n-n-type heterojunction gas sensing properties. TiO₂ NRs were fabricated via hydrothermal method on fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass (FTO) substrates. Then, tungsten was sputtered on the TiO₂ NRs and thermally oxidised to obtain WO₃ nanoparticles. The heterostructure was characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Fabricated sensor devices were exposed to VOCs such as toluene, xylene, acetone and ethanol, and humidity at different operation temperatures. Experimental results demonstrated that the heterostructure has better sensor response toward ethanol at 200 °C. Enhanced sensing properties are attributed to the heterojunction formation by decorating TiO₂ NRs with WO₃.     

Anionic surfactants and surfactant ionic liquids with quaternary ammonium counterions

Small-angle neutron scattering and surface tension have been used to characterize a class of surfactants (SURFs), including surfactant ionic liquids (SAILs). These SURFs and SAILs are based on organic surfactant anions (single-tail dodecyl sulfate, DS, double-chain aerosol-OT, AOT, and the trichain, TC) with substituted quaternary ammonium cations. This class of surfactants can be obtained by straightforward chemistry, being cheaper and more environmentally benign than standard cationic SAILs. A surprising aspect of the results is that, broadly speaking, the physicochemical properties of these SURFs and SAILs are dominated by the nature of the surfactant anion and that the chemical structure of the added cation plays only a secondary role.     

Indecomposable continua and the Julia sets of polynomials, II

We find necessary and sufficient conditions for the connected Julia set of a polynomial of degree d?2 to be an indecomposable continuum. One necessary and sufficient condition is that the impression of some prime end (external ray) of the unbounded complementary domain of the Julia set J has nonempty interior in J. Another is that every prime end has as its impression the entire Julia set. The latter answers a question posed in 1993 by the second two authors.We show by example that, contrary to the case for a polynomial Julia set, the image of an indecomposable subcontinuum of the Julia set of a rational function need not be indecomposable.