Monitoring degradation processes of explosives by HPLC analysis with UV- and amperometric detection

The impact of spilled explosives, their by-products and degradation products on human beings and the environment has been recognised as a serious problem at areas of existing and former ammunition plants. In nature, aerobic and anaerobic degradation processes of explosives and their accompanying compounds yield polar contaminants with relatively high water solubilities. Most are potentially carcinogenic and mutagenic. An HPLC method applying UV-detection for nitroaromatic compounds and amperometric detection for aminoaromatic and phenolic compounds was used for monitoring the degradation of explosives in a polluted groundwater sample under natural conditions. Analysis was performed by direct injection of aliquots of the sample after exposition to daylight for different periods of time. Presented as a poster at the Anakon ’95 Conference in Schliersee, April 24–26, 1995     

Kinetic and mechanistic studies on the reaction of nitric oxide with a water-soluble octa-anionic iron(III) porphyrin complex

The polyanionic water-soluble and non-mu-oxo-dimer-forming iron porphyrin iron(III) 5(4),10(4),15(4),20(4)-tetra-tert-butyl-5(2),5(6),15(2),15(6)-tetrakis[2,2-bis(carboxylato)ethyl]-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin, (P(8-))Fe(III) (1), was synthesized as an octasodium salt by applying well-established porphyrin and organic chemistry procedures to bromomethylated precursor porphyrins and characterized by standard techniques such as UV-vis and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. A single pK(a1) value of 9.26 was determined for the deprotonation of coordinated water in (P(8-))Fe(III)(H(2)O)(2) (1-H(2)()O) present in aqueous solution at pH <9. The porphyrin complex reversibly binds NO in aqueous solution to give the mononitrosyl adduct, (P(8-))Fe(II)(NO(+))(L), where L = H(2)O or OH(-). The kinetics of the binding and release of NO was studied as a function of pH, temperature, and pressure by stopped-flow and laser flash photolysis techniques. The diaqua-ligated form of the porphyrin complex binds and releases NO according to a dissociative interchange mechanism based on the positive values of the activation parameters DeltaS() and DeltaV() for the "on" and "off" reactions. The rate constant k(on) = 6.2 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) (24 degrees C), determined for NO binding to the monohydroxo-ligated (P(8-))Fe(III)(OH) (1-OH) present in solution at pH >9, is markedly lower than the corresponding value measured for 1-H(2)O at lower pH (k(on) = 8.2 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1), 24 degrees C, pH 7). The observed decrease in the reactivity is contradictory to that expected for the diaqua- and monohydroxo-ligated forms of the iron(III) complex and is accounted for in terms of a mechanistic changeover observed for 1-H(2)O and 1-OH in their reactions with NO. The mechanistic interpretation offered is further substantiated by the results of water-exchange studies performed on the polyanionic porphyrin complex as a function of pH, temperature, and pressure.     

Ultra trace analysis of refractory metals by solid state mass spectrometry — A comparison of GDMS,SSMS and SIMS

The analytical performance of a glow discharge quadrupole mass spectrometer is demonstrated using sintered tungsten as an example. The inherent problem of molecular interferences in glow discharge mass Spectrometry has been considerably reduced using neon as a complementing discharge gas. Particular attention has been paid to time dependences. Analytical figures of merit are presented.     

Gold electroless reduction in nanosized channels of thiol-modified SBA-15 material

A new procedure for the preparation of high aspect ratio Au nanowires utilizing gold electroless reduction in the hexagonally ordered, thiol-modified nanosized channels of the SBA-15 material is reported. Two different Au precursors were adsorbed onto pedant thiol groups, covalently bonded to the mesoporous silica surface, and used as seeds to grow extended Au nanostructures by treatment in Au electroless reduction bath. It is shown that the dimensions and the assembly of the Au seeds are important parameters for the subsequent electroless reduction process. The [AuCl4]- ions complexed to the TOAB molecules assembled on the thiol-modified mesoporous surface of the SBA-15 material are suitable precursors for the subsequent gold electroless reduction. The resulting structures are several micrometer long Au nanowires with uniform diameters of about 5 nm, having large single-crystalline domains. The TEM results clearly show that the growth of the Au nanowires is templated by the channel structure of the SBA-15 material.     

Amorphe Potenzen kompakter Räume

A set is amorphous, if it is not a union of two disjoint infinite subsets. The following variants of the Tychonoff product theorem are investigated in the hierarchy of weak choice principles. TA1: An amorphous power of a compactT ₂ space is compact. TA2: An amorphous power of a compactT ₂ space which as a set is wellorderable is compact. In ZF⁰TA1 is equivalent to the assertion, that amorphous sets are finite. RT is Ramsey's theorem, that every finite colouring of the set ofn-element subsets of an infinite set has an infinite homogeneous subset and PW is Rubin's axiom, that the power set of an ordinal is wellorderable. In ZF⁰RT+PW implies TA2. Since RT+PW is compatible with the existence of infinite amorphous sets, TA2 does not imply TA1 in ZF⁰. But TA2 cannot be proved in ZF⁰ alone. As an application, we prove a theorem of Stone, using a weak wellordering axiomD ₃ (a set is wellorderable, if each of its infinite subsets is structured) together with RT.

Diese Arbeit ist Teil der Habilitationsschrift des Verfassers im Fachgebiet Mathematische Analysis an der Technischen Universität Wien.     

Synthese de derives mono- ou disilicies au niveau d'un carbone fonctionnel

Aliphatic saturated amides treated with Me₃SiCl/Li/THF were found to react in two ways. Either alkoxysilanes, mono- or di-silylated at the functional carbon, or C-silylated amines were obtained dependent of the original amide structure and the experimental conditions. (Me₃Si)₂CHN(SiMe₃)₂ exhibited Physicochemical properties that are particular for hindered rotation about the CN bond. A general mechanism is proposed to explain these results.     

Strong intramolecular secondary si.N bonds in trifluorosilylhydrazines

The simple silylhydrazines F(3)SiN(Me)NMe(2) (1), F(2)Si(N(Me)NMe(2))(2) (2), and F(3)SiN(SiMe(3))NMe(2) (3) have been prepared by reaction of SiF(4) with LiN(Me)NMe(2) and LiN(SiMe(3))NMe(2), while F(3)SiN(SnMe(3))NMe(2) (4) was prepared from SiF(4) and (Me(3)Sn)(2)NNMe(2) (5). The compounds were characterized by gas-phase IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy ((1)H, (13)C, (14/15)N, (19)F, (29)Si, (119)Sn), as well as by mass spectrometry. The crystal structures of compounds 1-5 were determined by X-ray crystallography. The structures of free molecules 1 and 3 were determined by gas-phase electron diffraction. The structures of 1, 2, and 4 were also determined by ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-311+G** level of theory. These structural studies constitute the first experimental proof for the presence of strong Si.N beta-donor-acceptor bonds between the SiF(3) and geminal NMe(2) groups in silylhydrazines. The strength of these non-classical Si.N interactions is strongly dependent on the nature of the substituent at the alpha-nitrogen atom of the SiNN unit, and has the order 3>4>1. The valence angles at these extremely deformed alpha-nitrogen atoms, and the Si.N distances are (crystal/gas): 1 104.2(1)/106.5(4) degrees, 2.438(1)/2.510(6) A; 3 83.6(1)/84.9(4) degrees, 2.102(1)/2.135(9) A; 4 89.6(1) degrees, 2.204(2) A.     

Synthesis and structural revision of naturally occurring ayapin derivatives

The synthesis of three highly oxygenated naturally occurring coumarins, 8-methoxy-6,7-methylenedioxycoumarin, 5-methoxy-6,7-methylenedioxycoumarin and 5,8-dimethoxy-6,7-methylenedioxycoumarin is described for the first time, together with a new method for the preparation of ayapin (6,7-methylenedioxycoumarin). Comparison of the spectroscopic data of the synthetic tetraoxygenated coumarin 5,8-dimethoxy-6,7-methylenedioxycoumarin with literature reports resulted in the structural revision of several natural coumarins. Two coumarins, both identified as 5,8-dimethoxy-6,7-methylenedioxycoumarin must have other structures, while the structure of another coumarin, described as the isomeric 7,8-dimethoxy-5,6-methylenedioxycoumarin has to be revised to 5,8-dimethoxy-6,7-methylenedioxycoumarin.