Selection of surfactants for stable paraffin-in-water dispersions, undergoing solid-liquid transition of the dispersed particles

A new experimental procedure is proposed for express evaluation of the coalescence stability of dispersions, in which the dispersed particles undergo solid-liquid phase transition. The procedure includes centrifugation of the dispersion concurrently with the phase transition of the particles and allows precise quantification of dispersion stability in terms of a critical pressure, at which the coalescence between the dispersed particles/drops takes place. The method is applied for studying the effects of surfactant type and concentration on the stability of paraffin-in-water dispersions, which have potential application in energy storage and transportation systems. Several types of water-soluble surfactants (anionic, nonionic, and polymeric) are compared, whereas hexadecane or tetradecane is used as a dispersed phase. Most of the studied individual surfactants are found to be inefficient stabilizers (except for the nonionic Tween 40 and Tween 60). However, the dispersion stability increases significantly after the addition of appropriate cosurfactants, such as hexadecanol, Brij 52, or cocoamidopropyl betaine. Surfactants and cosurfactants with longer hydrophobic tails are better stabilizers than those with shorter tails. The obtained results are discussed from the viewpoint of the mechanisms of particle/drop coalescence during the solid-liquid-phase transition. The consistency and the undercooling temperatures of the studied dispersions are also discussed, because these properties are important for their practical applications. The proposed procedure for evaluation of dispersion stability and some of the conclusions could be relevant to food emulsions, in which dispersed fat particles undergo solid-liquid-phase transition of similar type.     

Vibrationally induced two-level systems in single-molecule junctions

Single-molecule junctions are found to show anomalous spikes in dI/dV spectra. The position in energy of the spikes is related to local vibration mode energies. A model of vibrationally induced two-level systems reproduces the data very well. This mechanism is expected to be quite general for single-molecule junctions. It acts as an intrinsic amplification mechanism for local vibration mode features and may be exploited as a new spectroscopic tool.     

A dimeric copper complex with phthalic acid and 2,2′-bipyridine

A preliminary X-ray single crystal analysis shows that [Cu(phthalate)(2,2-bipyridine)] · 2H₂O is dimeric in structure, which is usually not encountered in Cu-phthalate complexes.

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Ein dimerer Kupferkomplex mit Phthalsäure und 2,2-Bipyridyl (Kurze Mitteilung)

Zusammenfassung Eine vorläufige Röntgen-Einkristallanalyse zeigt, daß [Cu(Phthalat)(2,2-Bipyridyl)] · 2H₂O dimer vorliegt, was bei Cu-Phthalatkomplexen gewöhnlich nicht der Fall ist.

     

Mercury cell for cathodic separation of elements

For the purpose of a cathodic deposition of elements a cell with a wire cathode, along which mercury flows due to sufficient negative potential, was constructed and preliminary tests were made.In comparing this cell with the modified Melaven cell, one can see that the former, in the range of the tested concentrations, is equally as efficient in separating the elements which are usually deposited on the mercury cathode. In the case of manganese this cell has a marked advantage over those used up to now, including that of Coriou and coll., since it is able to separate manganese quantitatively in a short time from the sulfate solutions used.With this type of cell it is possible to work with a volume of electrolyte of a few ml and less.The construction and handling of the cell are simple.     

Chiral "metallo-spiralenes": helical molecules conformationally stabilised by an organometallic scaffold

The synthesis of a series of chiral cyclomanganated 2-[(eta 6-phenyl)-Cr(CO)3]pyridine complexes derived from (-)-beta-pinene enables, by a "spirogenic transformation", the preparation of four different chiral helical heterobimetallic syn-facial complexes or Cr0/Mn1-spiralenes, among which two possess a right-handed P molecular helicity and two other a left-handed M one. These organometallic helical molecules are synthesised by applying two different methods to the chiral cyclomanganated (eta 6-arene)tricarbonylchromium substrates. The first method is the so-called "Fischer route" which involves a sequential addition of PhLi and MeOTf. The second method based on reaction of the cyclomanganated complex with diphenyldiazomethane which has been tested on achiral bimetallic substrates is a reasonable neutral alternative to the "Fischer methodology" for the synthesis of Cr0/Mn1-spiralenes. The crystal structure of one of these heterobimetallic chiral helical compounds serves as a starting point in the configurational and structural assessment of the synthesised chiral (eta 6-arene)tricarbonylchromium complexes. Application of the "Fischer route" to a cyclomanganated chiral 2-phenylpyridine generates a single chiral eta 3-benzylic complex--or Mn1-spiralene--bearing a left-handed M helicity which has been characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. Circular dichroic spectroscopic measurements underline the predominant contribution of the chiral and chirally induced aromatic chromophores to the sign of the Cotton effects and confirm the helical configurations of the considered heterobimetallic species.     

Adiabatic invariants for dynamical systems with one degree of freedom

Adiabatic invariants for dynamical systems with one degree of freedom, whose equation of motion is (1), and where the existence of the corresponding Hamilton action integral is not imposed, are established. The adiabatic invariants may vary according to their structure. Using the theory a few particular problems, including non-autonomous Duffing and Van der Pol oscillators, are analysed. Finally, it is indicated how the adiabatic invariants can be used for finding approximate solutions, stability analyses and for plotting phase curves.     

Synthesis,spectroscopic characterization,crystal structure and theoretical investigation of two azo-palladium (II) complexes derived from substituted (1-phenylazo)-2-naphtol

Transition Metal Chemistry - The ortho-substituted (E)-1-((2-methoxyphenyl)diazenyl)naphthalen-2-ol and the meta-substituted (E)-1-((3-methoxyphenyl)diazenyl)naphthalen-2-ol were, respectively,...     

Effects of emulsifier charge and concentration on pancreatic lipolysis: 2. Interplay of emulsifiers and biles

As a direct continuation of the first part of our in vitro study (Vinarov et al., Langmuir2012, 28, 8127), here we investigate the effects of emulsifier type and concentration on the degree of triglyceride lipolysis, in the presence of bile salts. Three types of surfactants are tested as emulsifiers: anionic, nonionic, and cationic. For all systems, we observe three regions in the dependence degree of fat lipolysis, α, versus emulsifier-to-bile ratio, f(s): α is around 0.5 in Region 1 (f(s) < 0.02); α passes through a maximum close to 1 in Region 2 (0.02 < f(s) < f(TR)); α is around zero in Region 3 (f(s) > f(TR)). The threshold ratio for complete inhibition of lipolysis, f(TR), is around 0.4 for the nonionic, 1.5 for the cationic, and 7.5 for the anionic surfactants. Measurements of interfacial tensions and optical observations revealed the following: In Region 1, the emulsifier molecules are solubilized in the bile micelles, and the adsorption layer is dominated by bile molecules. In Region 2, mixed surfactant-bile micelles are formed, with high solubilization capacity for the products of triglyceride lipolysis; rapid solubilization of these products leads to complete lipolysis. In Region 3, the emulsifier molecules prevail in the adsorption layer and completely block the lipolysis.