Processing and properties of sintered submicron IR transparent alumina derived through sol–gel method

For the first time, sintered alumina with high transparency in mid infrared region, composed of submicron grains, has been fabricated using sol–gel processing. Commercially available boehmite powder was used to prepare the stable sol. The sol was mixed with appropriate amount of sintering aids and alumina seeds. The sol was further gelled, dried, and heat treated at 1000?°C for producing alumina powder. The powder was further shaped into pellets by compaction and sintered at temperatures between 1200 and 1400?°C in air. Sintered samples were further pressed hot isostatically to produce sintered submicron transparent alumina. The synthesized powder was characterized for its morphology and phase. The sintered and hot isostatically pressed samples were characterized for their physical, mechanical, and optical properties. The present method produced transparent alumina with transparency upto 87% in mid-wave infrared region. These transparency values were at par with the transparency of single crystal sapphire in the mid-wave infrared region and the hardness values were even superior than sapphire.

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ℤ n 3 -graded colored supersymmetry

We build generalizations of the Grassmann algebras from a few following simple assumptions: the algebras are graded, maximally symmetric and contain an ordinary Grassmann algebra as a subalgebra. These algebras are graded by and display surprising properties that indicate their possible application to the modeling of quark fields. We build the generalized supersymmetry generators based on these algebras and their derivation operators. These generators are cubic roots of the usual supersymmetry generators.     

Arthrichitin. A New Cell Wall Active Metabolite from Arthrinium phaeospermum

Arthrichitin (1), C(33)H(46)N(4)O(9), is a new cell wall active depsipeptide isolated from the fermentation broth of Arthrinium phaeospermum (HIL Y-903022). Its structure was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical degradation studies. Arthrichitin consists of serine, beta-keto tryptophan, glutamic acid, and 2,4-dimethyl-3-hydroxydodecanoic acid units.     

Gas chromatographic quantitation of methoxyphenamine and three of its metabolites in plasma

Sensitive gas chromatographic procedures for the determination of methoxyphenamine and three of its metabolites in plasma have been developed. The metabolites were measured using an electron-capture detector. This simple procedure is based on the precipitation of protein from a 1-ml plasma sample with 10% trichloroacetic acid, followed by aqueous derivatization with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride at pH 9.2 and a single-step cyclohexane extraction. The lower limit of detection for the N-desmethyl, O-desmethyl and aromatic 5-hydroxy metabolites of methoxyphenamine were 1.6, 3.1 and 2.2 ng ml-1, respectively, with coefficients of variation less than 10%. The poor electron-capture response of fluorinated derivatives of methoxyphenamine necessitated the use of nitrogen-phosphorus detection. Extractive derivatization with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride, without the need for protein precipitation, enabled quantitation of methoxyphenamine down to 3.8 ng ml-1 from a 2-ml aliquot of plasma. In a pilot study involving healthy volunteers who received a single oral dose of methoxyphenamine hydrochloride plasma concentration could be followed in all three subjects for at least 24, 32, 12 and 4 h for methoxyphenamine and the O-desmethyl, 5-hydroxy and N-desmethyl metabolites, respectively.     

Influence of methanol as a buffer additive on the mobilities of organic cations in capillary electrophoresis

The mobilities of a series of aromatic ammonium ions, ranging in charge from +1 to + 3, were investigated by capillary electrophoresis using buffers consisting of 0-75% v/v methanol. This is an extension of our previous studies involving anion mobility in methanol-water media [1]. Absolute mobilities were determined by extrapolation of the effective mobilities to zero ionic strength according to the Pitts' equation. For all of the buffer compositions studied, the ionic strength effect increased with increasing cation charge, and varied as a function of solvent 1/eta epsilon (1/2) as predicted by the electrophoretic term within the Pitts' equation. In the presence of methanol, the ionic strength effects became more dramatic. The absolute mobilities of the cations were altered by the addition of methanol to the electrophoretic media. For example, at 75% MeOH, a migration order reversal was observed between the + 2 and + 3 ammonium ions. These solvent-induced selectivity changes are attributed to dielectric friction. As predicted by the Hubbard-Onsager dielectric friction model, dielectric friction increased with increasing methanol content and with increasing analyte charge. Further, the changes in cation mobility correlated to the changes in solvent relaxation time (tau), epsilon and eta. Although not predicted by the Hubbard-Onsager theory, the + 3 ammonium ion experienced more dielectric friction than the - 3 sulfonate and - 3 carboxylate investigated previously [1]. This apparent failure of the Hubbard-Onsager model results from its continuum nature, whereby ion-solvent interactions are not taken into account.     

Synthesis and characterization of copper(I) amidinates as precursors for atomic layer deposition (ALD) of copper metal

A series of copper(I) amidinates of the general type [(R'NC(R)NR')Cu](2) (R' and R' = n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl; R = methyl, n-butyl) have been synthesized and characterized. These compounds are planar dimers, bridged by nearly linear N-Cu-N bonds. Their properties (volatility, low melting point, high thermal stability, and self-limited surface reactivity) are well-suited for atomic layer deposition (ALD) of copper metal films that are pure, highly conductive, conformal, and strongly adherent to substrates.