Electron Energy Distribution Functions in CO2 Laser Mixture: The Effects of Second Kind Collisions from Metastable Electronic States

Electron energy distribution functions (eedf) in CO₂ laser discharge (He—CO₂—N₂—CO mixture) have been calculated by solving the Boltzmann equation in the presence of given concentrations of excited (vibrational and electronic) states. The results show a well structured eedf as a result of second kind collisions coming from metastable electronic states of N₂ and He as well as a strong dependence of rate coefficients for CO₂ dissociation and for the ionization of the different species.     

Reactions of the nitrate radical with a series of reduced organic sulphur compounds in air

A 480 L evacuable reaction chamber, equipped with FT-IR spectroscopy on-line and ion chromatography off-line, has been used to study the gas phase reaction between the nitrate radical, NO₃, and the reduced organic sulphur compounds CH₃CH₂SH, (CH₃CH₂)₂S, (CH₃CH₂)₂S₂, and CH₃CH₂SCH₃ in air. The products CH₃CH₂SO₃H, SO₂, H₂SO₄, CH₃CHO, and CH₃CH₂ONO₂ were identified and quantified in the reactions of the first three compounds, CH₃CH₂SH, (CH₃CH₂)₂S, and (CH₃CH₂)₂S₂. The reaction products were CH₃CH₂SO₃H, CH₃SO₃H, SO₂, H₂SO₄, CH₃CHO, and CH₂O in the reaction of CH₃CH₂SCH₃. On the basis of identified reaction products and intermediates observed in the infrared spectra, mechanisms are proposed for the reactions between the NO₃ radical and the four reduced organic sulphur compounds. The results of this study, together with those from previous experiments performed in this laboratory on CH₃SCH₃, CH₃SH, and CH₃SSCH₃ lead to the conclusion that all these species, in the reaction with the NO₃ radical, follow a similar degradation mechanism producing SO₂, H₂SO₄, R? SO₃H, R? CHO, and R? CH₂ONO₂, as the main reaction products. The inital step of the reaction of NO₃ with R? S? R and R? S? H type (R = CH₃, CH₂CH₃) reduced organic sulphur compounds was found to be H-atom abstraction, probably after the formation of an initial adduct. For the reaction between NO₃ and R? S? S? R type compounds, evidence for an addition-decomposition reaction, as the initial steps, was obtained. R? S·, R? S(O)·, and R? S(O)₂· appear to be formed as intermediates in all the reactions. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A comment on 'Stabilization and optimal control for nonlinear systems'

This note presents a counter-example, to demonstrate that thebasis for the proposed solutions to the nonlinear quadraticregulator problem given in the paper ‘Stabilization andoptimal control for nonlinear systems’ is not true ingeneral.     

The influence of synthetic conditions on the stability of methotrexate-monoclonal antibody conjugates determined by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography.

Methotrexate (MTX) has been convalently attached to an IgG-type monoclonal antibody (791T/36) directed to tumour-associated antigen gp72. Conjugates were synthesized by the active ester method using MTX N-succinimidyl ester at various pH values (7.5-10.5). Following purification by gel filtration, high performance liquid chromatography was used to assess the free drug or its derivatives in samples of MTX-791T/36 conjugates previously treated (or not) with hydroxylamine. Quantitative analysis, performed on a reversed phase column (pore size 300 A) with isocratic acetonitrile-sodium acetate buffer (pH 4.8) as mobile phase, indicated no detectable amount of free methotrexate in hydroxylamine-treated conjugates even six months after their preparation. Similar observations were made with conjugates, whose synthesis were performed at pH greater than or equal to 10. In contrast, the presence of increasing amounts of drug/metabolite could be demonstrated in samples produced at lower pH values. Based on these findings, the pH-dependent kinetics of MTX release has been determined and used to design conditions under which stable MTX-791T/36 conjugates could be prepared without hydroxylamine reaction.     

On the resolving power of high-contrast saturated absorption spectroscopy

Recently Svanberg et al. [Optics Lett. 11 (1986) 138; J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 4 (1987) 462] obtained saturated absorption resonances with subnatural linewidth by working in the regime of high pumping intensities and optically thick atomic samples. We analyze here this new spectroscopic regime, within the formalism of Maxwell-Bloch-type equations, in the case of a Doppler broadened medium having two nearly degenerate but uncoupled resonances. We show that even in this most favourable case it is not possible to resolve spectral features that lie within the natural linewidth.     

Kinetics of phenyl radical reactions with propane,n‐butane,n‐hexane,and n‐octane: Reactivity of C6H5 toward the secondary C?H bond of alkanes

The kinetics of C₆H₅ reactions with n‐C_nH_2n+2 (n = 3, 4, 6, 8) have been studied by the pulsed laser photolysis/mass spectrometric method using C₆H₅COCH₃ as the phenyl precursor at temperatures between 494 and 1051 K. The rate constants were determined by kinetic modeling of the absolute yields of C₆H₆ at each temperature. Another major product C₆H₅CH₃ formed by the recombination of C₆H₅ and CH₃ could also be quantitatively modeled using the known rate constant for the reaction. A weighted least‐squares analysis of the four sets of data gave k (C₃H₈) = (1.96 ± 0.15) × 10¹¹ exp[?(1938 ± 56)/T], and k (n‐C₄H₁₀) = (2.65 ± 0.23) × 10¹¹ exp[?(1950 ± 55)/T] k (n‐C₆H₁₄) = (4.56 ± 0.21) × 10¹¹ exp[?(1735 ± 55)/T], and k (n?C₈H₁₈) = (4.31 ± 0.39) × 10¹¹ exp[?(1415 ± 65)T] cm³ mol^?1 s^?1 for the temperature range studied. For the butane and hexane reactions, we have also applied the CRDS technique to extend our temperature range down to 297 K; the results obtained by the decay of C₆H₅ with CRDS agree fully with those determined by absolute product yield measurements with PLP/MS. Weighted least‐squares analyses of these two sets of data gave rise to k (n?C₄H₁₀) = (2.70 ± 0.15) × 10¹¹ exp[?(1880 ± 127)/T] and k (n?C₆H₁₄) = (4.81 ± 0.30) × 10¹¹ exp[?(1780 ± 133)/T] cm³ mol^?1 s^?1 for the temperature range 297‐‐1046 K. From the absolute rate constants for the two larger molecular reactions (C₆H₅ + n‐C₆H₁₄ and n‐C₈H₁₈), we derived the rate constant for H‐abstraction from a secondary C? H bond, k_s?CH = (4.19 ± 0.24) × 10¹⁰ exp[?(1770 ± 48)/T] cm³ mol^?1 s^?1. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 49–56, 2004     

Kinetics and mechanism of the reactions of hexaaqua rhodium (III) with sulphur (IV) in aqueous medium

An O-bonded sulphito complex, Rh(OH₂)₅(OSO₂H)²⁺, is reversibly formed in the stoppedflow time scale when Rh(OH₂) ₆ ³⁺ and SO₂/HSO ₃ ⁻ buffer (1 <pH< 3) are allowed to react. For Rh(OH₂)₅OH₂₊+ SO₂ □ Rh(OH₂)₅(OSO₂H)²⁺ (k₁/k_-1), k₁ = (2.2 ±0.2) × 10³ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹, k₋1 = 0.58 ±0.16 s⁻¹ (25°C,I = 0.5 mol dm⁻³). The protonated O-sulphito complex is a moderate acid (K _d = 3 × 10⁻⁴ mol dm⁻³, 25°C, I= 0.5 mol dm⁻³). This complex undergoes (O, O) chelation by the bound bisulphite withk= 1.4 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ (31°C) to Rh(OH₂)₄(O₂SO)⁺ and the chelated sulphito complex takes up another HSO ₃ ⁻ in a fast equilibrium step to yield Rh(OH₂)₃(O₂SO)(OSO₂H) which further undergoes intramolecular ligand isomerisation to the S-bonded sulphito complex: Rh(OH₂)₃(O₂SO)(OSO₂)^- → Rh(OH₂)₃(O₂SO)(SO₃)⁻ (k _iso = 3 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹, 31°C). A dinuclear (μ-O, O) sulphite-bridged complex, Na₄[Rh₂(μ-OH)₂(OH)₂(μ-OS(O)O)(O₂SO)(SO₃) (OH₂)]5H₂O with (O, O) chelated and S-bonded sulphites has been isolated and characterized. This complex is sparingly soluble in water and most organic solvents and very stable to acid-catalysed decomposition     

Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy of hydrogen complex deactivation on InP:Zn(1 0 0) surfaces

Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy is used to study the kinetics of the H-Zn complex deactivation in Zn doped InP(1 0 0). Hydrogen injected into the material electronically passivates the local carrier concentration. Reverse-biased anneals of the InP under ultra-high vacuum show a dramatic change in the work function of the material with increasing temperature. Spectral features are also shown to be sensitive to sample temperature. To our knowledge, we show the first view of hydrogen retrapping at the surface using photoemission spectroscopy. A simple photoelectron threshold energy analysis shows the state of charge compensation of the material.     

High pressure elastic and plastic deformations of silica: In situ diamond anvil cell Raman experiments

Normal silica glass is usually referred to as low density amorphous silica as it can be converted to high density amorphous silica by a hydrostatic pressure (polyamorphic transition). In this work in situ Raman experiments are performed in a diamond anvil cell up to 18 GPa. The pressure effects on the structure of silica after successive compression decompression experiments are analyzed. The mode Grüneisen parameters corresponding to the elastic compression of high density amorphous silica are obtained and compared with those of normal silica. A reorganization of the high density amorphous silica below 3 GPa is evidenced.     

Fluorine incorporation in silica glass by the MCVD process: Study of fluorine incorporation zone,evaluation of optical properties and structure of the glass

A theoretical approach was made to find out a complete fluorine incorporation zone on a ternary diagram which serves as a useful graphical representation to select the flows of the supplied reagents for incorporation of the suitable amount of fluorine into cladding glass of optical fiber preform made by the MCVD process using CCl₂F₂ as a source of fluorine under oxygen abundance, oxygen deficiency and intermediate oxygen state conditions. The possible mechanism for incorporation of fluorine into cladding glass of optical fiber is also evaluated on the basis of the thermodynamical data. The fluorine incorporation mechanism in silica glass by the MCVD process is found to be dependent on the CCl₂F₂/SiCl₄ ratio in the input gas mixture. Fluorine doping is found to be effective for removing the strained Si–O–Si bonds, which govern the optical transparency in deep ultra-violet (DUV) and vacuum ultra-violet (VUV) regions. The maximum refractive index depression of ?0.5 × 10^?3 is obtained with incorporation of fluorine into silica cladding glass by the MCVD process using CCl₂F₂ as a dopant precursor with suitable flow of SiCl₄ vapor along with O₂ through backward deposition pass. The structure of fluorine doped silica glass preform samples containing 1.70–1.79 mol% fluorine incorporated by the MCVD process based on the analyses of ¹⁹F MAS spectra done by high-resolution ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy reveal the presence of two distinct types of fluorine environments. The majority of the fluorine environments are formed in SiO_1.5F polyhedral and less abundant species is observed to be highly unusual, yielding a fivefold coordinated silicon of the type SiO₂F polyhedral which become increased with increasing the fluorine content.