Evaluation of the valency of Fe,Cr, Cu,Sb doping ions in Pb(Zr0.95Ti0.05)O3 ceramics

The valency of the ions Fe, Cr, Cu, Sb, incorporated in PZT 95/5 ceramics, is evaluated from the viewpoint of a correlation between the mean radius of the ions at the octahedral site and the two parameters: the temperature of the antiferroelectric-ferroelectric phase transition, and the volume of the unit cubic cell. It is found that Fe and Cr enter as Fe²⁺ and Cr²⁺ at the B site. Experiments suggest that Cu is incorporated at the B site as Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ and that Sb enters partly at the A site as Sb³⁺ and mainly at the B site as Sb⁵⁺.     

Skeletal rearrangements in mass spectra. Part I. Bis-aryl compounds

Examination of a large number of spectra indicates that bis-unsaturated compounds commonly undergo a skeletal rearrangement in which part or all or the bridging moiety is eliminated, often with concomitant loss of hydrogen atoms. The spectra of labeled azobenzene, diphenyl sulfide, and their p,p′-dimethyl derivatives show that scrambling of hydrogen atoms precedes or accompanies such rearrangements, in contrast to the loss of a p-methyl group from the latter derivatives. These results are rationalized in terms of the radical site formed on one unsaturated functional group attacking the polarizable π-electrons of the other unsaturated group.     

Synthesis of 4-Formyl-3-cyclopentene-1,1,2-tricarbonitriles

β,β,γ,γ-Tetracyanoalkanones react with acrolein at a high rate to afford the corresponding 2-substituted 4-formyl-3-cyclopentene-1,1,2-tricarbonitriles in high yields. The reaction occurs under mild conditions and is quite applicable for modification of natural and biologically active compounds possessing an R′CHC(O)CR₃ fragment to obtain their derivatives containing three cyano groups.     

Morphological study of the organization behavior of rod-coil copolymers and their blends in thin solid films

A detailed study of the self-assembly ability of triblock coil-rod-coil copolymers containing a rigid di(styryl)-anthracene segment covalently linked to oxadiazole-based blocks and their binary blends with oxadiazole-based homopolymers is presented here. The self-organized microdomains seem to pack into a fascinating ordered hexagonal structure obtained at a critical concentration without any significant influence of the sample preparation method, based on evidence obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fluorescence microscopy studies. The compatibilization efficiency of these coil-rod-coil copolymers in polymer blends composed of an electron-accepting polyoxadiazole and a luminescent polyanthracene-based pair was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The common feature of all observed morphologies is the compatibilizing function of the rod-coil molecule, which intercalates between the incompatible domains to prevent the formation of well-defined phase separated nanostructured surfaces.     

How homogeneous are the trehalose, maltose, and sucrose water solutions? An insight from molecular dynamics simulations

The structural properties resulting from the reciprocal influence between water and three well-known homologous disaccharides, namely, trehalose, maltose, and sucrose, in aqueous solutions have been investigated in the 4-66 wt % concentration range by means of molecular dynamics computer simulations. Hydration numbers clearly show that trehalose binds to a larger number of water molecules than do maltose or sucrose, thus affecting the water structure to a deeper extent. Two-dimensional radial distribution functions of trehalose solutions definitely reveal that water is preferentially localized at the hydration sites found in the trehalose dihydrate crystal, this tendency being enhanced when increasing trehalose concentration. Over a rather wide concentration range (4-49 wt %), the fluctuations of the radius of gyration and of the glycosidic dihedral angles of trehalose indicate a higher flexibility with respect to maltose and sucrose. At sugar concentrations between 33 and 66 wt %, the mean sugar cluster size and the number of sugar-sugar hydrogen bonds formed within sugar clusters reveal that trehalose is able to form larger clusters than sucrose but smaller than maltose. These features suggest that trehalose-water mixtures would be more homogeneous than the two others, thus reducing both desiccation stresses and ice formation.     

The foam analogy: from phases to elasticity

By mapping the interactions of colloidal particles onto the problem of minimizing areas, the physics of foams can be used to understand the phase diagrams of both charged and fuzzy colloids. We extend this analogy to study the elastic properties of such colloidal crystals and consider the face-centered cubic, body-centered cubic and A15 lattices. We discuss two types of soft interparticle potentials corresponding to charged and fuzzy colloids, respectively, and we analyze the dependence of the elastic constants on density as well as on the parameters of the potential. We show that the bulk moduli of the three lattices are generally quite similar, and that the shear moduli of the two non-close-packed lattices are considerably smaller than in the face-centered cubic lattice. We find that in charged colloids, the elastic constants are the largest at a finite screening length, and we discuss a shear instability of the A15 lattice.     

Implementation of an expert system for the qualitative interpretation of X-ray fluorescence spectra

The implementation of an expert system for the automated qualitative interpretation of energy-dispersive x-ray spectra is discussed. The first step in the interpretation process is the extraction of the relevant data from the spectrum, which is done by a preprocessor program, written in FORTRAN. The expert system itself consists of three parts. The knowledge base contains specific information on energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry presented in the form of IF/THEN rules. The data base contains the reduced spectral data and an array of certainty factors associated with each element; the certainty factor for an element represents the probability of its being present in the sample from which the spectrum was taken. Finally, the inference engine performs manipulation of the knowledge. For a particular state of the data base, the certainty factors for all the elements are iteratively modified until convergence is reached by using the rules from the knowledge base. During each cycle, the inference engine selects one rule from the knowledge base and executes it. Rules are selected on the basis of the chemical elements contained in their IF part and according to their previously assigned focus levels. Execution of the THEN part of the selected rule modifies the certainty factors of a number of elements. At the end of the interpretation session, the system lists the elements which have a high probability of being present in the sample. Optionally, the user can be provided with explanations of the reasoning steps taken during the interpretation. Application of the expert system to a particular spectrum shows that it is useful for the reliable interpretation of spectral data obtained from electron microprobe analysis of industrial aerosol particles.     

Development of a one step strip test for the detection of sulfadimidine residues.

The one step strip test described is a competitive immunoassay in which the detector reagent consists of colloidal gold particles coated with affinity purified polyclonal anti-sulfadimidine (SDD) antibodies. The capture reagent in the assay is an SDD-ovalbumin conjugate which is immobilised on the lateral flow membrane of the test device. In the test procedure, 150 microliters (four drops) of a liquid sample (buffer, urine or milk) are brought into the sample well of the test device and allowed to migrate over the membrane. The more analyte present in the sample, the more effectively it will compete with the SDD immobilised on the membrane for binding to the limited amount of antibodies of the detector reagent. A sufficient amount of SDD in the sample will therefore prevent the binding of the detector reagent to the SDD immobilised on the membrane. Therefore, a positive sample will not show a test line in the read-out zone. With spiked buffer or calf urine this was obtained at a level of > 10 ng ml-1 of SDD and with spiked (diluted) fresh cow milk at a level > 20 ng ml-1 of SDD. At these levels, the test is applicable only as a qualitative assay. The presence or absence of a test line indicates lower or higher levels of SDD, respectively. The major advantages of the one step strip test are that results can be obtained within 10 min and that all reagents are included in the test device.     

Spectroscopic characterization of mineral crystals produced by the bacterium Azospirillum brasilense

The results of spectroscopic structural and trace elemental analyses of mineral crystals produced by the soil nitrogen-fixing bacterium Azospirillum brasilense cultivated in a synthetic medium are presented and discussed. The mineral formed is shown to have a structure close to struvite (MgNH(4)PO(4) x 6H(2)O; ASTM file No. 15-762) with some differences which may be attributed to the presence of isomorphic admixtures of other cations (struvite is known to have a variety of forms). AAS/AES and ion chromatography analyses for a number of biologically important microelements and their role in the formation of the crystal structure, as well as some questions related to biomineralization are also discussed.