Growth and study of single crystals of (Na,K)NbO<Subscript>3</Subscript> solid solutions

(Na, K)NbO₃ crystals with a perovskite structure and a KNbO₃ content up to 40 mol % were grown from flux with the use of the solvent NaBO₂. The dielectric measurements of the crystals grown revealed phase transitions that had never been observed before in ceramic samples.     

Vortex ring generation due to the coalescence of a water drop at a free surface

 Results are presented of an experimental investigation of vortex ring formation by a fluid drop contacting a free surface with negligible velocity. The pool fluid is mixed with fluorescein dye, and a laser sheet is used to illuminate a plane of the flow. A series of representative images is recorded by a CCD camera and speculation is made regarding specific sources of vorticity flux through the free surface. Two scaling analyses previously presented by other investigators are demonstrated to be equivalent under the assumptions of this experiment, and they provide the motivation for a series of test runs in which the duration of the coalescence process, τ_*, is related to variations in drop diameter L and fluid surface tension σ. Experimental results are in agreement with the analyses, showing τ_*∼σ^-1/2 and τ_*∼L ^3/2. Received: 22 December 1995 / Accepted: 15 October 1996     

Theoretical and experimental investigation of the linear optical response of YBa2Cu4O8 The relevance of LDA calculations

We report results of ellipsometric measurements of the dielectric tensor of YBa₂Cu₄O₈ as well as calculations employing density functional theory in the local density approximation (LDA). For the computation of the one-electron eigenvalues and states the linear-muffin-tin-orbital method (LMTO) was used. Measured and calculated results show good agreement. In particular, the calculation predicts different band structures for YBa₂Cu₃O₇ and YBa₂Cu₄O₈ in the vicinity of the Fermi energy which lead to significant differences in the optical spectra. One such difference is a region of small ε₂ in the near infrared which is a fingerprint of the high (relative to the top of the highest fully occupied band) Fermi energy as compared to the situation in YBa₂Cu₃O₇. Our experimental results confirm the theoretical findings.     

Investigation of the stability of metal species with respect to liquid chromatographic separations

Summary For accurate speciation analyses it is important to know the stability of the respective species, especially in the case of metal complexes. Factors affecting the chromatographic stability of such metal species are investigated. By using thermodynamic models for complex formation and chromatographic retention equilibria the influence of species concentration, stoichiometry and excess of ligand is calculated and compared with experimental results for iron complexes (lactate, gluconate and citrate species). Iron citrate is the only species, that is chromatographed as 1:2 complex (metal: ligand), while iron lactate and gluconate are transformed to 1:1 species. Problems resulting from the coelution of different species are discussed.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Wilhelm Fresenius on the occasion of his 80th birthday     

Thermoplastic polymers quality control

A technique is proposed for improving the accuracy of the heat of fusion of semicrystalline polymers by DSC. The results of three commercially available instruments are compared.     

1,3-dipolar cycloaddition as a method for synthesis of fullerene C60 derivatives containing heterocyclic moieties

We generalize literature data and our own experimental data on using 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions for synthesis of fullerene C₆₀ derivatives containing annelated heterocyclic moieties.M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119899, Russia. Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 291–297, March, 1998.     

TLC-screening of important pharmaceutical substances using fluorescence detection

Summary Observation of fluorescence reactions on TLC plates is a valuable additional tool within the scope of screening procedures for many toxicologically relevant substances commonly encountered in clinical- and forensic-toxicological analysis. The reactions are based on native fluorescence without any treatment and on reactions obtained with an approved derivatization procedure. Due to the enormous sensitivity of the fluorescence detection, the method is also applicable to very low concentrations and small amounts of biological materials. The procedures described in this article have proven their high pragmatic usefulness in many practical cases.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Wilhelm Fresenius on the occasion of his 80th birthday