Determination of nickel in standard rocks and glasses by photon activation analysis with 30-MeV bremsstrahlung

The determination of nickel in various silicate rocks and glasses by photon activation analysis with a linear electron accelerator is described. Simultaneous irradiation of the sample and comparative standards produces the ⁵⁸Ni(γ, n)⁵⁷Ni reaction, and a post-irradiation chemical separation is used in conjunction with Ge(Li) γ-spectrometry. Nickel abundances for ten standard silicate rocks and two elementally doped glasses are presented and compared with the data previously published. The method is quite simple and gives good reproducible results for nickel down to sub-p.p.m. levels.     

Cationic polymerization behavior of hydroxystyrenes

Solution polymerizations of o-, m- and p-hydroxystyrene with boron trifluoride etherate were investigated. The results of infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopic investigations of the polymers thus obtained indicate that p-hydroxystyrene polymer consisted mainly of the structure formed through the normal vinyl polymerization mechanism, whereas o- and m-hydroxystyrene polymers contained considerable portions of the structures due to the reaction of the vinyl group with the phenol nucleus. The rate of polymerization and the intrinsic viscosity of the polymer decreased in the order p-hydroxystyrene ? o-hydroxystyrene > m-hydroxystyrene. It was of interest that on the cationic polymerization only p-hydroxystyrene gave polymer of high molecular weight. Plausible polymerization mechanisms were considered. Solid-state polymerization of p-hydroxystyrene at solid carbon dioxide temperature with the use of boron trifluoride etherate was also investigated. Appreciable polymerization occurred only at fairly high catalyst concentrations.