Superdeformed bands in193Hg and194Hg

By analyzing the thick target yield curve of resonant (p,γ) reactions on²³Na and²⁶Mg for various target temperatures within a Monte Carlo approach, we are able to define the Debye and Einstein temperature of the target material in the surface region. The obtained surface temperatures are noticeably higher than the respective calorimetric values.     

Superconducting Double Perovskite Bismuth Oxide Prepared by a Low‐Temperature Hydrothermal Reaction

Perovskite‐type structures (ABO₃) have received significant attention because of their crystallographic aspects and physical properties, but there has been no clear evidence of a superconductor with a double‐perovskite‐type structure, whose different elements occupy A and/or B sites in ordered ways. In this report, hydrothermal synthesis at 220 °C produced a new superconductor with an A‐site‐ordered double perovskite structure, (Na_0.25K_0.45)(Ba_1.00)₃(Bi_1.00)₄O₁₂, with a maximum T_c  of about 27 K.     

Electroreductive Synthesis of Nickel(0) Complexes**

Over the last fifty years, the use of nickel catalysts for facilitating organic transformations has skyrocketed. Nickel(0) sources act as useful precatalysts because they can enter a catalytic cycle through ligand exchange, without needing to undergo additional elementary steps. However, most Ni(0) precatalysts are synthesized with stoichiometric aluminum–hydride reductants, pyrophoric reagents that are not atom-economical and must be used at cryogenic temperatures. Here, we demonstrate that Ni(II) salts can be reduced on preparative scale using electrolysis to yield a variety of Ni(0) and Ni(II) complexes that are widely used as precatalysts in organic synthesis, including bis(1,5-cyclooctadiene)nickel(0) [Ni(COD)₂]. This method overcomes the reproducibility issues of previously reported methods by standardizing the procedure, such that it can be performed anywhere in a robust manner. It can be transitioned to large scale through an electrochemical recirculating flow process and extended to an in situ reduction protocol to generate catalytic amounts of Ni(0) for organic transformations. We anticipate that this work will accelerate adoption of preparative electrochemistry for the synthesis of low-valent organometallic complexes in academia and industry.     

On difference polynomials and hereditarily irreducible polynomials

A difference polynomial is one of the form P(x, y) = p(x) ? q(y). Another proof is given of the fact that every difference polynomial has a connected zero set, and this theorem is applied to give an irreducibility criterion for difference polynomials. Some earlier problems about hereditarily irreducible polynomials (HIPs) are solved. For example, P(x, y) is called a HIP (two-variable case) if P(a(x), b(y)) is always irreducible, and it is shown that such two-variable HIPs actually exist.     

Superdeformation in lead nuclei

For the first time, collective bands have been observed in the doubly-odd nucleus¹²⁴Cs. They are proposed to result in the coupling of an h_11/2 proton to h_11/2 and positive parity neutrons. The relative residual protonneutron interaction in¹²⁴Cs is calculated and compared to that of neighbouring odd-odd nuclei.