Elution profiles of lanthanides with α‐hydroxyisobutyric acid by ion exchange chromatography using fine resin

Experiments were carried out using a strong acid cation exchange resin with a particle size of 75–150 μm, termed as “fine resin” in hydrogen ion form for the elution of individual lanthanides Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, and Dy that are produced as fission products in the spent nuclear fuel and generated in the effluent during reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. Batch experiments were carried out to study the effect of concentration of nitric acid on distribution coefficient. The distribution coefficient values for these individual lanthanides were determined in nitric acid medium in the concentration range of 0.01–4.0 N. Uptake of each individual lanthanide by resin was increased with increased nitric acid concentration from 0.01 to 0.5 N and remained similar from 0.5 to 1.0 N and decreased thereafter up to 4.0 N. Column experiments were also carried out using the same resin to study the parameters like pH of the eluent, flow rate, and resin bed height under isocratic elution conditions for eluting lanthanide elements using α‐hydroxyisobutyric acid as eluent. The results of this study have indicated the possibility for the elution of individual lanthanides.     

Carmine and Fast Green as Corrosion Inhibitors for Mild Steel in Hydrochloric Acid Solution

The inhibition action of carmine and fast green dyes on corrosion of mild steel in 0.5 M HCl was investigated using mass loss, polarization and electrochemical impedance (EIS) methods at 300 K. The inhibition efficiency was found to increase with increasing concentration of the inhibitors. The inhibition efficiency of fast green (%η - 98) is higher than that of carmine (%η - 92) and found to be maximum in 1 × 10^-3 M solution. The inhibitors act as mixed type with predominant cathodic effect. The inhibitors were adsorbed on the mild steel surface according to the Temkin adsorption isotherm. The surface morphology of the mild steel specimens was evaluated using SEM images.     

An improved synthesis of N-aryl and N-heteroaryl substituted homopiperazines—from conventional thermal conditions to scaling-up using microwave heating

An efficient Pd(0)-catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig protocol for the facile preparation of N-aryl and N-heteroaryl substituted homopiperazines is described. The syntheses proceeded with aryl- and heteroaryl halides in high yields using X-Phos as best ligand. The C-N coupling products were prepared both under conventional as well as microwave heating conditions and examples for microwave-assisted upscaling are included in this study.     

A new vector field method for eigen-decomposition of symmetric matrices

We study a new approach to eigen-decomposition of symmetric matrices, called the vector field method. In contrast to the methods currently in use, the vector field method computes an eigenvector by computing a discrete approximation to the integral curve of a special tangent vector field on the unit sphere. The optimization problems embedded in each iteration of the vector field algorithms admit closed-form solutions making the vector field approach promisingly efficient.     

233Pa(2nth, f ) cross-section determination using a fission track technique

The νp process is a primary nucleosynthesis process which occurs in core-collapse supernovae. An essential role in this process is being played by electron antineutrinos. They generate, by absorption on protons, a supply of neutrons which, by (n, p) reactions, allow to overcome waiting point nuclei with rather long beta-decay and proton-capture lifetimes. The synthesis of heavy elements by the νp process depends sensitively on the $\bar \nu _e$ luminosity and spectrum. As has been shown recently, the latter are affected by collective neutrino flavor oscillations which can swap the $\bar \nu _e$ and $\bar \nu _{\mu ,\tau }$ spectra above a certain split energy. Assuming such a swap scenario, we have studied the impact of collective neutrino flavor oscillations on the νp-process nucleosynthesis. Our results show that the production of light p-nuclei up to mass number A = 108 is very sensitive to collective neutrino oscillations.     

Analysis of natural convective heat transfer of nano coated aluminium fins using Taguchi method

Rectangular aluminium fins were preferred for analysis and coated by carbon nano tubes using PVD to enhance the heat transfer rate of fins. Convective heat transfer rates for coated and non-coated surfaces were calculated and compared. The temperature and heat transfer characteristics were investigated using Nusselt, Grashof, Prandtl and Rayleigh numbers and also optimized by Taguchi method and ANOVA analysis. The average percentage of increase in fin efficiency is 5 %.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of Pd(II) thiosemicarbazonato complex: Catalytic evaluation in synthesis of diaryl ketones from aryl aldehydes and arylboronic acids

A simple route to synthesize triphenylphosphinopalladium(II) thiosemicarbazonato complex has been described. Elemental analysis, spectral (IR, NMR) and single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques were employed for the complete characterization of the complex. The latter was found to be effective catalyst for carbon–carbon cross-coupling reaction of aryl- and heteroarylboronic acids with aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes to form the corresponding diaryl ketones. The influence of reaction parameters such as solvent, base, reaction temperature and catalyst loading was also investigated.     

Comparison of geometry dependent resistance models with conventional models for estimation of effective thermal conductivity of two-phase materials

The geometry dependent resistance models are used to estimate the effective thermal conductivity of two-phase materials based on the unit cell approach. The algebraic equations are derived based on isotherm approach for various geometries. The effective thermal conductivity of the above models are found and compared with experimental data with a minimum and maximum deviation of ±3.976 and ±19.55%, respectively. The present models are good agreement with experimental results.