High-pass filters for spectral background suppression in airborne passive Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

High-pass (HP) digital filtering and second-derivative (SD) filtering are evaluated as methods of removing background contributions from spectra collected by passive Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. In measurements performed with a downward-looking spectrometer mounted on an aircraft platform, the effects of non-constant background radiance from the ground make it challenging to build automated classifiers for detecting an analyte of interest. Applying HP digital filtering to the spectra to remove background contributions is evaluated as a strategy to help improve classifier performance. This methodology is tested by building classifiers for detecting heated ethanol plumes released from a portable emission stack. The classifiers are trained with data collected on the ground with the spectrometer viewing the plumes against a synthetic backdrop designed to simulate a terrestrial radiance source. The resulting classifiers are tested with data collected by the same spectrometer mounted on an aircraft flying over the emission stack. Support vector machines are employed as a classification algorithm with HP filtered spectra used as input patterns. Butterworth filters are used to implement HP digital filtering, while Savitzky-Golay filters are used to implement SD filtering. Significant improvement in classification performance is achieved by use of the HP filters. Because of variation in backgrounds between the training and prediction data, the best classifier obtained with unfiltered spectra is unable to detect ethanol in 37% of the test cases. HP filtering of spectra with an optimized Butterworth filter (order 8, cutoff frequency 0.060) improves the prediction results, resulting in no missed ethanol detections and false positive rates of less than 0.4%.     

One-Pot Preparation of 1-Substituted Imidazole-2-thione from Isothiocyanate and Amino Acetal

Isothiocyanates were treated with amino acetal and conc. HCl (0.5 eq.) successively in one-pot to afford 1-substituted imidazole-2-thiones in good yields.     

Determination of aluminum oxide in and on high-purity aluminum by a phenol dissolution method

A simple rapid determination of aluminum oxide in aluminum is described. Aluminum reacts with phenol at 180°C forming aluminum phenoxide but aluminum oxide does not. After the reaction, the aluminum oxide is filtered off and brought into aqueous solution by fusion with potassium hydrogensulfate for determination by atomic absorption spectrometry or by the 8-quinolinol spectrophotometric method. The reaction between aluminum and phenol is stoichiometric. The procedure is applicable to the determination of aluminum oxide in commercial aluminum metals of various forms. The method is relatively rapid and appears to be superior to the conventional bromine—methanol method.     

Perfluoropentacene: high-performance p-n junctions and complementary circuits with pentacene

We report the synthesis and characterization of perfluoropentacene as an n-type semiconductor for organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Perfluoropentacene is a planar and crystalline material that adopts a herringbone structure as observed for pentacene. OFETs with perfluoropentacene were constructed using top-contact geometry, and an electron mobility of 0.11 cm2 V-1 s-1 was observed. Bipolar OFETs with perfluoropentacene and pentacene function at both negative and positive gate voltages. The improved p-n junctions are probably due to the similar d-spacings of both acenes. Complementary inverter circuits were fabricated, and the transfer characteristics exhibit a sharp inversion of the output signal with a high-voltage gain.     

Low temperature thermoelectric properties of Pb- or Sn-doped Bi-Sb alloys

Pb- or Sn-doped Bi₈₈Sb₁₂ alloys were prepared by direct melting, quenching, and annealing. The Bi-Sb alloy phase was predominant in all samples. Pb or Sn atoms were distributed almost uniformly in Bi₈₈Sb_12, while some segregation was confirmed at the grain boundaries when Pb or Sn was involved heavily. The thermoelectric properties of these doped materials were investigated by measuring the Hall coefficient, electrical resistivity, and Seebeck coefficient between 20 K and 300 K. The Hall and Seebeck coefficients of Pb- or Sn-doped samples were positive at low temperatures, indicating that the doping element acted as an acceptor. Temperatures resulting in positive Hall and Seebeck coefficients further increased with increasing doping amount and with respect to the annealing process. As a result, a large power factor of 1.2 W/mK² could be obtained in the 3-at% Sn-doped sample at 220 K, with a large positive Seebeck coefficient.     

Microwave-assisted direct transformation of amines to ketones using water as an oxygen source

Retro-reductive aminations, direct transformations of amines to ketones, were catalyzed by Pd/C in water under microwave irradiation.     

Structure,morphology, and growth dynamics of perfluoro‐pentacene thin films

We report high structural order in thin films of the organic semiconductor perfluoro‐pentacene (PFP), which is a candidate material for n‐type applications, deposited by vacuum sublimation on oxidized silicon wafers. Bragg reflections up to high order in both specular and grazing incidence geometries and a mosaicity of less than 0.01° demonstrate the well defined structure. The thin film entirely consists of crystallites with a structure close to the bulk phase without any contamination with a second phase. Real‐time X‐ray measurements show that PFP grows in a Stranski–Krastanov growth mode with the first monolayer wetting the substrate before 3d‐growth sets in during growth of the second monolayer. Implications for its use are discussed. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Transmission electron microscopy of fine aromatic hydrocarbon particles

Fine perylene and pyrene particles were produced by evaporation in helium gas. The particles were sensitive to electron beam radiation. The pyrene particles sublimed under observation. These difficulties were cleared up by reducing electron beam exposure and sandwiching a specimen between two Formvar films. The fine perylene particles were rectangular or hexagonal plates about 50nm thick. The size was about 200-2000nm. The fine pyrene particles were polymorphic with a size of about 300-2000nm. The crystal forms of the perylene and pyrene particles were determined from the electron diffraction patterns to be alpha-perylene and pyrene I, respectively.