Laboratory detection of the elusive HSCO+ isomer

The rotational spectrum of protonated carbonyl sulfide, HSCO(+), has now been detected in the centimeter-wave band in a molecular beam by Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. Rotational and centrifugal distortion constants have been determined from transitions in the K(a)=0 ladder of the normal isotopic species, and DSCO(+) and H(34)SCO(+). HSCO(+) is systematically more abundant by a factor of three than HOCS(+), the isomer obtained by attaching the H(+) to the other end of the molecule, which ab initio calculations long predicted to be higher in energy by 4-5 kcalmol. Because HSCO(+) is comparable in polarity to HOCS(+) and is apparently more stable and because OCS is widely distributed in astronomical sources, HSCO(+) is a good candidate for detection with radio telescopes.     

Rotational spectra of the van der Waals complexes of molecular hydrogen and OCS

The a- and b-type rotational transitions of the weakly bound complexes formed by molecular hydrogen and OCS, para-H2-OCS, ortho-H2-OCS, HD-OCS, para-D2-OCS, and ortho-D2-OCS, have been measured by Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. All five species have ground rotational states with total rotational angular momentum J=0, regardless of whether the hydrogen rotational angular momentum is j=0 as in para-H2, ortho-D2, and HD or j=1 as in ortho-H2 and para-D2. This indicates quenching of the hydrogen angular momentum for the ortho-H2 and para-D2 species by the anisotropy of the intermolecular potential. The ground states of these complexes are slightly asymmetric prolate tops, with the hydrogen center of mass located on the side of the OCS, giving a planar T-shaped molecular geometry. The hydrogen spatial distribution is spherical in the three j=0 species, while it is bilobal and oriented nearly parallel to the OCS in the ground state of the two j=1 species. The j=1 species show strong Coriolis coupling with unobserved low-lying excited states. The abundance of para-H2-OCS relative to ortho-H2-OCS increases exponentially with decreasing normal H2 component in H2He gas mixtures, making the observation of para-H2-OCS in the presence of the more strongly bound ortho-H2-OCS dependent on using lower concentrations of H2. The determined rotational constants are A=22 401.889(4) MHz, B=5993.774(2) MHz, and C=4602.038(2) MHz for para-H2-OCS; A=22 942.218(6) MHz, B=5675.156(7) MHz, and C=4542.960(7) MHz for ortho-H2-OCS; A=15 970.010(3) MHz, B=5847.595(1) MHz, and C=4177.699(1) MHz for HD-OCS; A=12 829.2875(9) MHz, B=5671.3573(7) MHz, and C=3846.7041(6) MHz for ortho-D2-OCS; and A=13 046.800(3) MHz, B=5454.612(2) MHz, and C=3834.590(2) MHz for para-D2-OCS.     

Shape‐directed platinum nanoparticle synthesis: nanoscale design of novel catalysts

Platinum‐based catalytic materials have received significant attention, particularly in the shape and size control of faceted materials for catalysis. More recently, there has been a rapid increase in the number of reports of successful preparations in this field; however, a fundamental understanding of controlled growth towards catalytic material design is essential for future implementation and broad application. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent findings reported since 2009, focusing on methods for shape control as well as the effects of exposed surface facets on select catalytic reactions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Carbon chains and rings in the laboratory and in space

Seventy-seven reactive organic molecules of astrophysical interest have been identified in a supersonic molecular beam, 73 in the radio band by Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy, four in the optical by laser cavity ringdown spectroscopy. Most are linear carbon chains, but six consist of carbon chains attached to the compact, highly polar C3 ring, and two are rhomboidal cyclic configurations of SiC3. The laboratory astrophysics of the radio molecules is complete for the time being, in the sense that essentially all the rotational transitions of current interest to radio astronomy (including hyperfine structure when present) can now be calculated to a small fraction of 1 km s(-1) in equivalent radial velocity; six of the radio molecules have already been detected in space on the basis of the present data. The FTM spectrometer employed in this work is far from fundamental limits of sensitivity, so many more molecules can probably be found by refinements of present techniques. The density of reactive molecules in our supersonic beam is generally high by the standards of laser spectroscopy, and many of the radio molecules probably have detectable optical transitions which we are attempting to find, largely motivated by the long-standing problem of the diffuse interstellar bands. Our most interesting result to date is the detection of a fairly strong molecular band at 443 nm in a benzene discharge, in exact coincidence with the strongest and best known interstellar band. Isotopic shifts measured with partially and totally deuterated benzene suggest that the carrier of the laboratory band is a hydrocarbon molecule with the elemental formula CnH5, with n most likely in the range 3-6.     

The effects of a trace addition of silver upon elevated temperature ageing of an Al–Zn–Mg alloy

Microalloying additions of Ag (0.1 at.%) increase the hardening response of Al–Zn–Mg alloys to elevated temperature ageing in the range 100–200°C due to the formation of a high density of very fine η′ precipitate plates. The present study employed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and three-dimension atom probe (3DAP) to study the early stages of ageing in the alloy Al–1.8Zn–3.4Mg–0.1Ag (at.%) in an attempt to identify the role of Ag in stimulating precipitation hardening. During isothermal ageing at 90°C, the hardening response is attributed to a high density of Zn–Mg–Ag rich solute clusters and GP zones. During ageing at 150°C, η′ precipitates nucleate at Zn–Mg–Ag rich solute clusters, the former growing as {111} platelets with an average composition of approximately 20 at.% Zn, 20 at.% Mg and 1.4 at.% Ag. The 3DAP data indicates that the co-segregation of Zn and Ag and subsequently Zn and Mg atoms precedes the formation of the Zn–Mg–Ag rich solute clusters. The GP zones and η′ precipitates were observed to possess a Zn:Mg ratio close to 1:1, whereas the equilibrium η precipitates possessed compositions consistent with MgZn₂. Furthermore, partitioning of Ag was observed inside all precipitate phases, viz. G.P. zones, η′ and η.     

Sum Rules for the Quasi-Static and Visco-Elastic Response of Disordered Solids at Zero Temperature

We study exact results concerning the non-affine displacement fields observed by Tanguy et al. [Europhys. Lett. 57, 423 (2002), Phys. Rev. B 66, 174205 (2002)] and their contributions to elasticity. A normal mode analysis permits us to estimate the dominant contributions to the non-affine corrections to elasticity and relate these corrections to the correlator of a fluctuating force field. We extend this analysis to the visco-elastic dynamical response of the system.