Kinetics and optimisation of process parameters for electrochemical generation of uranous ions in nitric acid–hydrazine media

For the quantitative generation of uranous from uranyl ions in the presence of hydrazine in nitric acid medium, electrochemical reduction was carried out in divided and undivided cells. The influence of process conditions, viz. current density, concentration of nitric acid and hydrazine was studied for 50, 100 and 150 g/l of U(VI) solutions. The performance of the cathodes (titanium and platinum) was evaluated by calculating the conversion efficiencies in the reduction process using these electrodes for the reduction of 100 g/l U(VI) at 6 mA/cm² as the cathodic current density. Batch mode experiments using Ti cathode revealed the reduction reaction of U(VI) to follow zero order kinetics and the simultaneous reduction of nitric acid to follow first order kinetics. From the temperature dependence, the activation energy for the reduction of U(VI) was determined to be 4.05 kJ/mol. The chemical stability of U(IV) in nitric acid–hydrazine medium, under ambient conditions of temperature and pressure was established from the amount of U(VI) produced from U(IV) by aerial oxidation over a period of 16 weeks.     

Ruthenium(II) bipyridine complexes: from synthesis and crystal structures to electrochemical and cytotoxicity investigation

Complexes 1–4, [Ru(L)(bpy)₂]PF₆, where bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine; HL = 3-methylpyridine-2-carboxylic acid (HL1), 6-methylpyridine-2-carboxylic acid (HL2), 5-bromopyridine-2-carboxylic acid (HL3) and 6-bromopyridine-2-carboxylic acid (HL4), were synthesized and characterized. The electrochemical character of the complexes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry revealing two reversible reduction waves in the negative range of potentials, most likely due to a reduction of the bipyridine moiety. Cytotoxicity studies by MTT assay for 72 h of drug action revealed that 2–4 exhibited moderate activity in cervical human tumor cells (HeLa). Complex 2 exhibited low activity in colon cancer LS-174 cells (180 ± 10), while all complexes were devoid of activity in lung cancer A549 and non-tumor MRC-5 cells, up to 200 μM. Combinational studies of the most active complex 2, with pharmacological modulators of cell redox status, L-buthionine-sulfoximine (L-BSO) or N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), showed that when L-BSO potentiated, 2 induced a sub-G1 peak of the cell cycle in the HeLa cell line. UV–vis and cyclic voltammetry were performed in order to investigate the binding mode of 2 to DNA and suggested intercalation for the complex–DNA interaction.     

Common fixed point theorems for self-mappings in Menger PM-spaces with nonlinear contractive condition

The purpose of this paper is to prove some common fixed point theorems for a pair of self-mappings defined on Menger PM-spaces with nonlinear contractive condition in the sense of Fang (Fuzzy Set Syst 267:86–99, 2015). Following Pant and Pant (Filomat (31)(11):3495–3499, 2017), we define semi R-commutativity for a pair of self-mappings for Menger PM-spaces. Using this notion and the notion of orbital continuity introduced by ?iri? (Publ Inst Math (12)(26):19–26, 1971), we obtain the main results. These results generalize some known results. Some examples and comments according to the preceding results are given.     

Congruences on *-Regular Semigroups

In this paper we study the congruences of *-regular semigroups, involution semigroups in which every element is p-related to a projection (an idempotent fixed by the involution). The class of *-regular semigroups was introduced by Drazin in 1979, as the involutorial counterpart of regular semigroups. In the standard approach to *-regular semigroup congruences, one ,starts with idempotents, i.e. with traces and kernels in the underlying regular semigroup, builds congruences of that semigroup, and filters those congruences which preserve the involution. Our approach, however, is more evenhanded with respect to the fundamental operations of *-regular semigroups. We show that idempotents can be replaced by projections when one passes from regular to *-regular semigroup congruences. Following the trace-kernel balanced view of Pastijn and Petrich, we prove that an appropriate equivalence on the set of projections (the *-trace) and the set of all elements equivalent to projections (the *-kernel) fully suffice to reconstruct an (involution-preserving) congruence of a *-regular semigroup. Also, we obtain some conclusions about the lattice of congruences of a *-regular semigroup. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Nitrile Cluster Compounds [(M6X12)X2(RCN)4] (M=Nb, Ta; X=Cl, Br; R=Et, n-Pr, n-Bu)

Three new series of mixed-ligand clusters of the [(M₆X₁₂)X₂(RCN)₄] (M=Nb, Ta; X=Cl, Br; R=Et, n-Pr, n-Bu) composition have been prepared. It is supposed that four nitrile molecules and two halogen atoms are coordinated to the terminal octahedral coordination sites of the [M₆X₁₂]²⁺ unit.     

S toP wave form factors in semi-leptonicB decays

We apply HQET to semi-leptonicB andB _s meson decays into the observed charmedp wave states. In order to examine the sensitivity of the results to the choice of a specific model, we perform all calculations using several different meson models, and find that uncertainty introduced by the choice of a particular model is about 30%. Specifically, assumingτ _B=1.50ps andV _cb=0.040, we obtain branching ratios of (0.27±0.08)% and (0.45±0.14)% for $B \to D_1 l\bar \upsilon _1 $ and $B \to D_2^* l\bar \upsilon _1 $ decays, respectively.     

Finite semigroups with slowly growing pn-sequences

The p _n -sequence of a semigroup S is said to be polynomially bounded, if there exist a positive constant c and a positive integer r such that the inequality p _n (S) ≤cn ^r holds for all n≥ 1. In this paper, we fully describe all finite semigroups having polynomially bounded p _n -sequences. First we give a characterization in terms of identities satisfied by these semigroups. In the sequel, this result will allow an insight into the structure of such semigroups. We are going to deal with certain ideals and the construction of ideal extension of semigroups. In addition, we supply an effective procedure for deciding whether a finite semigroup has polynomially bounded p _n -sequence and give some examples. Received March 5, 1999; accepted in final form November 1, 1999.     

Characterization of the active sites in MgNiAl mixed oxides by microcalorimetry and test reaction

In this study, MgNiAl mixed oxides derived from layered double hydroxide precursors were prepared by pH-controlled co-precipitation. Three samples were prepared with a (Mg²⁺ + Ni²⁺)/Al³⁺ ratio of 2 and a Ni²⁺/Mg²⁺ with ratios of 0.22, 0.47, and 4.05. The structural, textural and redox features of the oxides were investigated by a variety of techniques, including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N₂ physisorption, and temperature-programmed reduction. The acid and base properties were assessed by NH₃ and CO₂ adsorption microcalorimetry, respectively. The acid–base features were also investigated by testing the catalytic behaviors of the oxides for the conversion of 4-methylpentan-2-ol under both mild and stressed conditions. The reactant alcohol can undergo dehydration into 4-methylpent-1-ene, 4-methylpent-2-ene, and skeletal isomers of C₆-alkenes, as well as dehydrogenation to 4-methylpentan-2-one and higher ketones, the product selectivity being governed by the concentration and strength of the acid and base sites. Comparison between the calorimetric and test reaction results is discussed.     

Estimation of a class of quasi‐resonances generated by multiple small particles with high surface impedances

We deal with the stationary acoustic waves propagating in a cluster of small particles enjoying high contrasts. Such contrasts allow the appearance of (complex valued) resonances that are close to the real line as the size of the particles becomes small. For single (but not necessarily small) particles, we derive the characteristic equation that generates a class of these resonances (the ones for which the corresponding eigenfunctions are uniformly constant). For multiple and small particles, we provide sufficient conditions on the contrasts that generates quasi‐resonances for which the corresponding eigenfunctions are uniformly constant. Precisely, we show that, if we distribute the particles on a uniform line, then the existence of such quasi‐resonances is related to the eigenvalues of the Harary matrix. To show these results, we take, as the small contrasted particles, small obstacles with high surface impedances λ of the form λ: = βa^?1 ? αβa^{?1 + h} where a is the maximum radi of the particles, with a < <1, and β is a universal and positive constant depending only on the shape of the particles (but not on their size). In this case, if the relative constant α is an eigenvalue of the Harary matrix, then the used frequency is a quasi resonance of the cluster of the small particles where the error of approximation is of the order for h ∈ (0,1) as a < <1.