The dilution of silica in a NiZnCo spinel ferrite matrix

Silica may dissolve up to about 0.05 wt% in an iron excess NiZnCo spinel matrix, affecting noticeably the magnetic properties at low and high values of the applied field. The initial permeability is reduced by about 50% with the addition of only 0.1 % SiO₂, while the coercivity almost triples, without noticeable changes in porosity or grain distribution. The vacancy and Fe²⁺ content of the sintered material also show a considerable change. The energy associated to the transformation Fe³⁺ Fe²⁺ for the samples without SiO₂ was found to be 0.41–0.42 eV, while for the samples with SiO₂ additions it decreased to 0.26 eV. The changes in magnetic properties are thought to be caused, more than because of the mentioned changes in ion distribution, by the stresses and defects created in the lattice due to the very small size of the Si⁴⁺ ion, which substitutes Fe³⁺ ions in tetrahedral sites. The transition Fe³⁺ Fe²⁺ seems to take place exclusively in the octahedral sites.     

Effects of Aqueous and Organic Solvents on the Conformational Properties of the Helix-Forming alpha-Methyl-beta-L-aspartamyl Residue

The conformational preferences of N-acetyl-N'-methyl-alpha-methyl-beta-L-aspartamide, which is the model compound for helical poly(beta-L-aspartate)s, have been determined by ab initio SCF-MO computations. Two driving patterns have been found for the existing 13 minimum energy conformations: (i) intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions of both amide-amide and amide-ester type; and (ii) repulsive interactions between the four oxygen atoms contained in the molecule. Self-consistent reaction-field (SCRF) calculations based on the method proposed by Miertus, Scrocco, and Tomasi have been performed in order to evaluate the effect of the solvent on the conformational preferences of the compound subject of study. Water and carbon tetrachloride were the solvents chosen for this purpose, and results have been discussed and interpreted on the basis of their electronic structures. The conclusions drawn from this study are of assistance to understand some features of the conformational transitions experimentally found in poly(beta-L-aspartate)s.     

Volumes of activation for dissociation of pentacyanoferrates(II) through pressure and salt effects on reactivity

Summary Dependences of rate constants on pressure (up to 1 kbar) and on added salt concentration (up to 6.0 mol dm^–3 LiNO₃, NaNO₃, NaCl, Na₂SO₄ or KNO₃) have been established for dissociative substitution of pentacyanoferrates(II), [Fe(CN)₅L]^3– with L = 4-cyanopyridine, 4,4-bipyridyl, 4-phenylpyridine and 4-t-butylpyridine. Activation volumes derived directly from pressure effects, and indirectly from salt effects via surface tension dependences and derived surfaces of activation, are reported, compared and discussed.     

镧的植物防病效果及其生物学效应

通过灭菌土接种Rhizoctonia solani以及混合接菌Rhizoctonia solani和Fusarium solani进行盆栽试验,分别研究了镧浸种处理对高羊茅及板蓝根出苗、生长发育的影响。结果表明,镧浸种能明显地减少病原菌的侵染,对由其所造成的种腐、芽腐及根腐等有显著的防治效果,提高了板蓝根和高羊茅种子的出苗率。同时,镧浸种在适当的浓度范围内,还能显著地促进植物的生长发育,生物量明显增加。利用盆栽水稻试验研究了稀土镧对水稻纹枯菌(Rhizoctonia solani)的毒力,测定结果表明,镧喷施于水稻植株上对水稻纹枯病有明显的防治效果,且在活体条件下,喷施镧后1和7 d对水稻纹枯菌(Rhizoctonia solani)的有效中浓度分别为128.7和128.1 mg.L-1,均明显低于离体条件下的有效中浓度(171.9 mg.L-1)。