The thermal reaction of HNCO at moderate temperatures

The thermal reaction of HNCO has been studied in a static cell at temperatures between 873 and 1220 K and a constant pressure of 800 torr under highly diluted conditions. The reaction was measurable above 1000 K by FTIR spectrometry. The products detected include CO, CO₂, HCN, NH₃, and the unreacted HNCO. In this moderate temperature regime, the rates of product formation and HNCO decay cannot be accounted for by a previously established high-temperature mechanism, assuming HNCO → NH + CO (1) as the initiation process. Instead, a new bimolecular reaction, 2HNCO → CO₂ + HNCNH (2), has been invoked to interpret the disappearance of HNCO as well as the formation of various products, most importantly CO₂. The concentration profiles of all measured species can be quantitatively modeled, throughout the temperature range analyzed, by varying k₂ using a modified mechanism. The kinetically modeled values of k₂ can be effectively represented by This result agrees closely with that computed with the conventional transition-state theory using the TST parameters predicted by the BAC-MP4 method: The bimolecular reaction takes place via a stable 4-membered ring intermediate which is isoelectronic with diketene; viz.      

Additional of functional vinylzinc reagents to nitrones: synthesis of (E)-N-allylhydroxylamines and their rearrangement into (E)-O-allylhydroxylamines

The vinylzinc reagents derived from hydrozirconation of alkynes and transmetallation add readily to nitrones to yield pure (E)-N-allylhydroxylamines; some of these rearrange into O-allylhydroxylamines.     

Synthesis and analytical application of tribromocarboxyarsenazo as a new chromogenic reagent for zirconium

A new chromogenic reagent tribromocarboxyarsenazo has been synthesized and the chromogenic reaction of this reagent with zirconium studied. In the medium of 0.5 mol/1 HCl, a blue complex is formed by the reaction of zirconium with tribromocarboxyarsenazo. The maximum absorption of the complex is at 633 nm, and the apparent molar absorptivity is 4.8 x 10(4) 1/mol/cm. Beer's law is obeyed over the zirconium concentration range 0-18, mug/25 ml. The method has been applied to the determination of zirconium in aluminum, copper and magnesium alloys with satisfactory results.     

Adsorption and interaction of ethylene on RuO2(110) surfaces

Ethylene (C2H4) adsorbed on the stoichiometric and oxygen-rich RuO2(110) surfaces, exposing coordinatively unsaturated Ru-cus and O-cus atoms, is investigated by applying high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy and thermal desorption spectroscopy in combination with isotope labeling experiments. On the stoichiometric RuO2(110) surface C2H4 adsorbs and desorbs molecularly. In contrast, on the oxygen-rich RuO2(110) surface ethylene adsorbs molecularly at 85 K and is completely oxidized through interaction with O-cus and O-bridge upon annealing to 500 K. The first couple of reactions are observed at 200 K taking place on Ru-cus: A change from pi- to sigma-bonding, formation of -C=O and -C-O groups, and dehydrogenation giving rise to H2O adsorbed at Ru-cus. Maximum reaction rate is reached for C2H4 chemisorbed at Ru-cus with O-cus neighbors on each side. A model for the first couple of reactions is sketched. For the final combustion, C2H4 reacts both with O-cus and O-bridge. Ethylene oxide is not detected under any circumstance.     

A Robust and Efficient Method for the Computation of Equilibrium Composition in Gaseous Mixtures

This paper presents in detail a robust, efficient and accurate methodology for the computation of equilibrium composition in gaseous mixtures. The methodology is founded on the concept of the chemical basis, which is defined and formalized using a powerful matricial approach. The method is specially designed to be general, thus providing basic thermodynamic data in several areas, such as combustion, plasma chemistry and, more generally speaking, computational fluid dynamics. The performance of the method is given in terms of CPU usage and the computed results are compared with those in the published literature. The method is shown to yield results of very high quality in terms of accuracy and smoothness.     

Gamma-radiolysis of chiral molecules: R(+)-limonene, S(-)-limonene and R(-)-a-phellandrene

Three isomeric chiral terpenes, R(+)-limonene, S(-)-limonene and R(-)-a-phellandrene were γ-radiolyzed in sealed vials at room temperature with a total radiation dose of 317 kGy. The radiolyzed samples were analyzed by FT-IR, electronic absorption spectroscopy, liquid chromatography using a diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD) and by polarimetry. Despite a relatively high radiation dose used, all the chiral molecules selected have shown a low radioracemization rate. This fact and the role played by the impurities in the selective radio-degradation of one of the two enantiomers has been discussed in the context of the origin of chirality in prebiotic molecules and the chirality enhancement in a prebiotic world. The results were also discussed in the frame of the radiosterilization technique of chiral drugs, perfumes and food components. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Compatibility studies on polyblends of PVC with chlororubber-20 and its graft polyblends by ultrasonics

Compatibilities of various PVC blends with chlororubber-20 and its graft polyblends have been studied on the basis of our previous findings. It has been found that chlororubber-20 makes compatible blends with PVC, while grafting of styrene, ethyl acrylate or acrylonitrile onto chlororubber-20 generates heterogeneity in their blends with PVC. The behaviour of these blends at the molecular level is reflected in the changes of ultrasonic velocity and absolute viscosity with composition.