Quantitative electron probe microanalysis for the characterization of thin carbon-boron layers in fusion devices

Summary The first wall of the fusion device TEXTOR at the Forschungszentrum Jülich has been coated in situ with an amorphous hydrogen rich carbon/boron film (a-C/B:H) which reduces plasma impurities caused by the plasma surface interaction. The results of the coating process of the 35 m² large inner wall surface have been controlled by a recently developed modification of the quantitative electron probe microanalysis, which has been applied to 12 samples from specified positions inside the tokamak. The quantification itself is based on a Monte Carlo simulation of electron trajectories providing very accurate results for X-ray intensities emitted by elements present in the electron bombarded sample. The Monte Carlo results are used in the present work to calibrate the measured X-ray intensities emitted by boron and carbon from the a-C/B:H layers deposited on pure silicon substrates. As a result the total deposited mass of the layer per area unit as well as the composition of the layers (except hydrogen) could be determined very accurately. The relative errors were less than 7%. The limit of detectability were found to be in the range of one monolayer for boron as well as for carbon.     

Design and performance analysis of beam steering birefringent mercurous chloride acousto-optic device

I.IntroductionThepcrformanccsofAcousto-optic(AO)dcviccareoftenlimitcdbythepropertiesofAOmcdiawhenitisusedinAOsigna1processingsystems.Thespectrumanalyzersandcorre1ationreceivers,forinstancc,areexpcctcdtoimprovcthereso1utionanddynamicrangcwhilereducingtheproccssorvolume.Rccent1y,ancwclassofmateria1s,themercurousha1ides,promiscstocontributeimportantsolutionstosuchnccdsandisrefincdtopractica1uti1izations.Themecurousha1ideweconsidcrinthispapcrismecurouschloride(Hg,C1,).Thesing1ecrystalofHg,Cl…     

Determination of total ammonium-nitrogen and free ammonia in a fermentation medium by sequential injection analysis

Summary Automated methods for the determination of ammonium and ammonia are reviewed, and techniques based on gas diffusion using a semi-permeable membrane were selected for the determination of both total ammonium-nitrogen and free ammonia in fermentation samples. A simple and robust instrument based on sequential injection analysis (SIA) consisting of a piston pump and two selector valves was used. Two different methods of ammonia detection, the Berthelot method and detection using pH-indicators, have been evaluated and compared. The indicator method showed higher reproducibility and the range of determination could easily be adjusted to match the concentrations of the samples. The range of determination could be adjusted from 0.05 mmol/l to 350 mmol/l, depending on choice of acceptor solution. This method has been evaluated with fermentation medium samples and tested on-line in a yeast fermentation process.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Wilhelm Fresenius on the occasion of his 80th birthday     

Flow-injection determination of 3-hdroxybutyrate in serum with an immobilized 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase reactor and chemiluminescence detection

A flow-injection system for the determination of 3-hydroxybutyrate in serum is described. 3-Hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase is immobilized on poly(vinyl alcohol) beads and incorporated in a flow-injection system. 1-Methoxy-5-methylphenazinium methylsulphate reacts with enzymatically generated NADH to give H₂O₂, which is detected chemiluminometrically with the reaction of luminol and hexacynoferrate(III). Serum is diluted and filtered through an ultrafiltration membrane. The system responds linearly to injected samples (80 μl) in the concentration range 0.5–300 μM; the detection limit is 0.1 μM. The within-day relative standard deviation (n = 90) for 58 μM 3-hydroxybutyrate in serum is 0.8%. The maximum throughout is 20 samples per hour. The immobilized enzyme is stable for at least 1 month.     

H2S·HOH or H2O·HSH, which is more stable in the water-hydrogen sulfide complex?

High-level ab initio calculations are carried out to study the relative stability of the two hydrogen bonded structures of water-hydrogen sulfide complex, one with water as the proton donor (A) and the other with hydrogen sulfide as the proton donor (B). The results show that structure A is considerably more stable than B at the correlated level, which is in contrast with previous results obtained from Hartree-Fock calculations.     

Mass Spectral Fragmentation of (S,S)-N,N′-Bis [1-(hydroxymethyl)alkyl]anthracene/Naphthalene-1,8-dicarboxamides under Electron Impact Ionization Conditions

IntroductionN,N′-Bis [1-( hydroxymethyl) alkyl] dicarboxa-mides are important intermediates for the syntheses ofbis-oxazolines, which are a class of the most importantand widely used ligands in catalytic asymmetric reac-tions[1,2]. On determining the str…