Noise Reduction in Non-Premixed Lifted-Jet Flames

The characteristic changes in non-premixed lifted flames when excited by hole tones from a cavity, placed in the flow path of the fuel gas, were studied. A significant reduction of the sound pressure level was observed in the low-frequency noise at the flame base of the lifted flame when the hole tones were induced in the jet. The liftoff height and the mean diameter of the flame base decreased for a given jet Reynolds number. The blow-off velocities also increased suggesting improved flame stability in the presence of the hole tones induced by the cavity. Incorporation of the cavity upstream of a burner nozzle is demonstrated to give a quieter lifted flame with improved stability characteristics. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Solvent-polarity-tunable dimeric association of a fullerene (C60)-N,N-dimethylaminoazobenzene dyad: modulated electronic coupling of the azo chromophore with a substituted 3D fullerene

The tunable self-assembly of a fullerene (C(60))-N,N-dimethylaminoazobenzene (DPNME) molecular system as a function of solvent polarity in THF/water binary solvent is reported. Gradual increase of the volume fraction of the nonsolvent water in a 1×10(-5) M THF solution of DPNME at a mixed dielectric constant ε(mix)≈42 resulted in initial redshifting of the (1)(π→π(*)) absorption band, which signified the 1D head-to-tail or J-type arrangement of the DPNME molecular system. Further increase in the solvent polarity to ε(mix)≈66 evidenced formation of an antiparallel head-to-tail or H-type molecular arrangement in conjunction with the J-aggregates, thereby establishing a solvent-polarity-dependent dynamic equilibrium between the monomer ? J-aggregate ? H-aggregate. The controlled aggregation was governed by the synergetic effect of intermolecular donor-acceptor interaction between the electron-deficient fullerene ring and the electron-rich N,N-dimethylamino-substituted aromatic ring; typically, van der Waals and π-π interactions between the molecules constituting a pair of dimers were envisaged. An agreement between the semiempirically calculated drastically reduced oscillator strength of the DPNME H-dimer in the antiparallel configuration (0.69 vs. 1.29 in the monomeric DPNME) and the experimental electronic absorption spectra beyond ε(mix)=66 further strengthened this assignment to the hitherto forbidden antiparallel H-dimer. Complementing the above, the periodicity of molecular self-assembly dictated a monoclinic unit cell in the single-crystal XRD packing pattern with a C2/c space group; the molecules packed laterally with mutual interdigitation with the donor (E)-N,N-dimethyl-4-(p-tolyldiazenyl)aniline (AZNME) parts in an antiparallel fashion (contrary to the usual expectation for H-aggregates) with strong inter- and intrapair van der Waals and π-π interactions between the constituent fullerene moieties. Unlike those of porphyrin/phthalocyanine bowl-like donor-initiated architectures, a rare class of DPNME dyadic supramolecular self-assemblies was realized with π-extended 2D fullerene networks, in which the linear geometry of the AZNME donor and the conformational rigidity of the fullerene acceptor played crucial roles.     

Rotational flexibility in NH4+-encapsulated 18-crown-6 studied by molecular dynamics and positron annihilation: where does the positron localize?

Conformational flexibility of the ammonium complex of macrocyclic 18-crown-6 at 100 K < or = T < or = 300 K is studied using a positron microprobe in conjunction with molecular dynamics simulations. The ammonium cation, encapsulated in a three-pointed hydrogen-bonding perching arrangement, undergoes unhindered facile rotation inside the crown cavity, and the ether backbone adopts itself to the dynamic cation conformation. Preferential localization of the positron in the vicinity of the encapsulated cation results in the positron sensing changes in the local electron density distribution arising from the unrestricted rotational motion of the cation as well as from the slow motion of the crown backbone and hence sensing only an average conformation of the complex.     

Substituent effects in polymerization reactions in terms of generalized substituent constants F and R and generalized weighting factors f and r

In this investigation an approach to correlate the composite rate constants of some redox polymerization reactions [acrylonitrile-Ce(IV)-organic substrate] with a new type of multiparameter equation is described. The multiparameter equation is based on Swain and Lupton's F and R, the field and resonance components of the substituents, respectively, and the unique positional weighting factors f and r suggested by Williams and Norrington. The statistical parameters of the correlation involving the substituent constants (fF and rR) and the rate data have been found to be quite satisfactory, the average coefficient of determination being 0.91. The significance levels of the correlation also indicate that the present model is applicable to the kinetics of redox polymerization. The sign and magnitude of the reaction-dependent regression constants α and β suggest that three different types of reaction mechanisms are operative for the substrates benzaldehyde, phenylthiourea, acetophenone, and toluene.     

Fractional order models for the homogenization and wave propagation analysis in periodic elastic beams

Meccanica - The advancement of manufacturing techniques has led to a rapid increase in the design and fabrication of periodic and architectured materials for a variety of dynamics and wave...     

Electron and hole mobilities in polymorphs of benzene and naphthalene: role of intermolecular interactions

The hole and electron mobilities of the polymorphs of benzene and naphthalene crystals are estimated through quantum chemical calculations. The reorganization energy (lambda) and the charge-transfer matrix elements (Hmn) calculated for the two molecules reveal that these crystals can be used for dual applications, for both hole and electron conductance. The electron mobilities are five to eight times more than the hole mobilities for benzene while for naphthalene, the hole mobilities are almost an order magnitude more than the electron mobilities. The transfer matrices for both hole and electron conductance decrease monotonically with increase in the intermolecular distances. Calculations for various unique stacked dimers as determined from the radial distribution functions in both the crystals for the two molecules show strong dependence on the orientations of the rings and for similar intermolecular separations; Hmnhole is larger than Hmnelectron. The crystal mobilities are calculated from the weighted average over all the unique pair of molecules. The overall preference in a crystal for hole or electron mobility depends on the mutual competition of lambdahole/lambdaelectron and Hmnhole/Hmnelectron. From our microscopic understanding of essential parameters, specific dimers are identified from the crystalline solids of the two polymorphs and experimental strategies are suggested to enrich such pairs in aggregates for enhancing mobilities for these organic solids.     

Novel crown ether-capped cationic gold nanoclusters in an aqueous medium and their single-electron charging features

On the basis of the formation of a noncovalent inclusion complex through crown ether-ammonium ion interaction, a new ligand, 18-crown-6-aminoethanethiol (18C6-AET), was predesigned and synthesized with a formation constant of 4.26 x 10(2) M(-1)s(-1) for the 1:1 noncovalent complex. Consequently, stable crown ether-protected gold nanoclusters were synthesized with 18C6-AET in an aqueous medium with a rate of formation of 3.688 x 10(-4) min(-1). The newly formed 18C6-AET-capped gold nanoclusters showed quantized double-layer charging, revealing their concentric capacitor structure, and effective cluster capacitance, C(CLU) was calculated to be 0.93 aF from the single-electron events. A larger C(CLU) in comparison to that of monolayer-protected gold clusters with longer chain lengths was attributed to a smaller ligand shell thickness as well as the cationic nature of the nanoclusters formed in an aqueous electrolyte medium.     

Crystal structure of an ammonium thiocyanate complex of 18–crown–6

The title compound (C₁₃H₃₀N₂O₇S) has been determined from three‐dimensional X‐ray diffraction data. The crystals are monoclinic, a = 22.654(8) Å, b = 8.652(4) Å, c = 23.925(9) Å, β = 123.880(9)°, V = 3893(3) ų, Z = 8, D_calc = 1.192 g/cm³, space group C2/c. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined by full‐matrix least squares method (R = 0.051). The ammonium cation is displaced by 1.08 Å from the mean plane of the ligand causing hydrogen bonding with the macrocyclic O atoms in a perching arrangement. The thiocyanate anion forms an extended hydrogen bonded chain with the cation via the occluded water molecule. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

High‐Loading Supports for Oligonucleotide Synthesis

A simple protocol for the preparation of high‐loading supports, suitable for large‐scale synthesis of oligonucleotides, has been developed. The method involves the use of inexpensive reagents and is amenable to large‐scale preparation of supports. The derivatized supports were successfully employed in an automated DNA synthesizer without any difficulty. The quality of the synthesized oligonucleotides was found to be comparable to that of the corresponding oligomers prepared with commercially available standard supports.     

Grafting of organosilane derived from 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and thiourea onto magnesium phyllosilicate by sol–gel process and investigation of metal adsorption properties

A layered inorganic–organic magnesium silicate (Mg-GTPS-TU) has been successfully synthesized by using sol–gel based precursor under mild temperature conditions and a new silylaing agent (GTPS-TU) derived from 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GTPS) and thiourea (TU) as the silicon source. The hybrid material was characterized through elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, thermogravimetry, and carbon and silicon solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The result confirmed the attachment of organic functionality to the inorganic silicon network. The inter-lamellar distance for the hybrid material was found to be 18.8 Å. Metal adsorption characteristics follows Cr(III) >Mn(II)>Zn(II) with more affinity towards Cr(III) in dilute aqueous solution. Evaluation of thermodynamic parameters ΔH and ΔS for Cr(III) were found to be 25.44 J mol⁻¹ and 79.9 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively, indicating adsorption process to be endothermic in nature. The negative value of ΔG indicated the feasibility and spontaneity of ongoing adsorption process at relatively higher temperature. The presence of multiple coordination sites in the attached organic functionality expresses the potentiality of the hybrid material containing new silylating agent for heavy cation removal from eco-system.