Prebiotic Route to Thymine from Formamide—A Combined Experimental–Theoretical Study

Synthesis of RNA nucleobases from formamide is one of the recurring topics of prebiotic chemistry research. Earlier reports suggest that thymine, the substitute for uracil in DNA, may also be synthesized from formamide in the presence of catalysts enabling conversion of formamide to formaldehyde. In the current paper, we show that to a lesser extent conversion of uracil to thymine may occur even in the absence of catalysts. This is enabled by the presence of formic acid in the reaction mixture that forms as the hydrolysis product of formamide. Under the reaction conditions of our study, the disproportionation of formic acid may produce formaldehyde that hydroxymethylates uracil in the first step of the conversion process. The experiments are supplemented by quantum chemical modeling of the reaction pathway, supporting the plausibility of the mechanism suggested by Saladino and coworkers.     

Positron annihilation spectroscopy study of materials for reactor vessels

Steels used in the nuclear industry have been experimentally studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy. Analysis of the experimental results and their comparison with the existing data make it possible to reveal vacancy defects, in particular, those caused by neutron radiation, and to determine their size.     

Analyse synthetischer Flugturbinen?le durch Gas-Chromatographie-Massenspektrometrie

Zusammenfassung Ein handelsübliches synthetisches Flugturbinenöl auf Basis von Fettsäuretriestern des Trimethylolpropans und Fettsäurehexaestern des Dipentaerythrits wurde mittels GC-MS untersucht. Die Bildung der für die Analytik beider Polyolester wichtigen Ionen bei der elektronenstoßinduzierten Fragmentierung wird diskutiert. Die komplexen Estergemische konnten gas-chromatographisch nach der Molmasse der Esterkomponenten getrennt werden. Die Auftrennung isomerer Trimethylolpropanester gelang nicht. Ihre Identifizierung war aber massenspektrometrisch möglich.Die Struktur der als Nebenkomponenten vorliegenden Fettsäurehexaester des Dipentaerythrits konnte ebenfalls massenspektrometrisch geklärt werden. Die Bestimmung der quantitativen Fettsäurezusammensetzung des Trimethylolpropanester und Dipentaerythritesteranteils nach säulenchromatographischer Trennung und Berechnung der möglichen Esterkomponenten erlaubten eine detaillierte Charakterisierung dieses komplexen Systems.

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Analysis of synthetic aviation turbine oils by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.Part II. trimethylolpropane ester/dipentaerythritol ester oils

Summary A commercial synthetic aviation turbine oil based on fatty acid triesters of trimethylolpropane and hexaesters of dipentaerythritol was investigated by gems. The formation of specific ions by electron impact induced fragmentation which are important for the analysis of these oils is discussed. The complex ester mixtures can be separated by gas chromatography according to molecular size of the ester components. The separation of isomeric trimethylolpropane esters is not successful.The identification of these components is possible by mass spectrometry. The structure of the minor components present, fatty acid hexaesters of dipentaerythritol, was also determined by mass spectrometry. The determination of quantitative fatty acid composition of the trimethylolpropane ester and dipentaerythritol ester components after separation by column chromatography and calculation of the possible ester components allowed a detailed characterisation of the complex ester system present.

     

On set systems determined by intersections

The set systems determined by intersections are studied and a sufficient condotion for this property is given. For case of graphs a necessary and sufficient condition is established. Some connections to other results are discussed.     

Zur korrekten Modellbildung in der Dynamik diskreter Systeme

Übersicht Zur korrekten Modellbildung bei linearen, autonomen, dynamischen Systemen wird für die Ermittlung der richtigen Anzahl von Parametern die Theorie der Verzweigungsdiagramme von Matrizen von V. I. Arnold verwendet. Als Beispiele werden die Doppelpendel mit tangentialer und richtungstreuer Endlast behandelt.

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Summary In order to obtain a correct model of a linear, autonomous, dynamical system with the right number of parameters the theory of bifurcation diagrams of matrices developed by V. I. Arnold is used. As examples two double pendula with a follower force respectively with dead loading are considered.

     

Classification of 1st order symplectic spinor operators over contact projective geometries

We give a classification of 1st order invariant differential operators acting between sections of certain bundles associated to Cartan geometries of the so-called metaplectic contact projective type. These bundles are associated via representations, which are derived from the so-called higher symplectic (sometimes also called harmonic or generalized Kostant) spinor modules. Higher symplectic spinor modules are arising from the Segal-Shale-Weil representation of the metaplectic group by tensoring it by finite dimensional modules. We show that for all pairs of the considered bundles, there is at most one 1st order invariant differential operator up to a complex multiple and give an equivalence condition for the existence of such an operator. Contact projective analogues of the well known Dirac, twistor and Rarita-Schwinger operators appearing in Riemannian geometry are special examples of these operators.     

Determination of nanoobject sizes and concentrations in irradiated metals and alloys via positron annihilation spectroscopy

Positron annihilation spectroscopy is shown to be an efficient method for determining the size of nanoobjects (vacancies and their clusters), the free volumes of pores, cavities, voids, and their concentrations and chemical compositions at the annihilation sites of porous systems and certain defective materials, including metals. The results of experimental studies on nanodefects of metals and alloys have been reviewed comprehensively.     

Kinetics of dark excitons and excitonic trions in InGaAs single quantum well

Magnetooptical studies performed on a wide InGaAs/GaAs single quantum well indicate that optically non-active (dark) excitons with total angular momentum play the role of a reservoir for the creation of free multiparticle excitonic complexes. After analyzing the magnetic field evolution of the circularly polarized components of the low energy structure appearing in the main excitonic luminescence line we assign this feature to the excitonic trion formation. The binding energy of the excitonic trions was estimated to be of the order of 1 meV. Received: 29 October 1997 / Received in final form: 20 February 1998 / Accepted: 21 February 1998