Studies on the thermal decomposition of phosphides and arsenides of silicon and of germanium

The thermal decomposition in vacuum of phosphides and arsenides of silicon and germanium has been investigated using a simple set-up designed to resist the attack of the corrosive decomposition products. The phases GeP, GeAs, SiAs₂ and GeAs₂ disintegrate directly to the elements. X-ray amorphous intermediary products Si_≈5P and Si₆As are formed when SiP and SiAs are heated to 940 to 930°C, respectively. The electron diffraction pattern of Si₆As is reported.     

A comparative CP/MAS 13C-NMR study of cellulose structure in spruce wood and kraft pulp

CP/MAS ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy in combination with spectral fitting was used to study the supermolecular structure of the cellulose fibril in spruce wood and spruce kraft pulp. During pulping, structures contributing to inaccessible surfaces in the wood cellulose are converted to the cellulose I allomorph, that is, the degree of order is increased. This increase is also accompanied by a conversion of cellulose I to cellulose I. Cellulose from wood composed of different cell types, that is, compression wood, juvenile wood, earlywood, latewood and normal wood exhibited a similar supermolecular structure. Assignments were made for signals from hemicellulose which contribute significantly to the spectral C-4 region (80–86 ppm) in kraft pulp spectra but substantially less to the corresponding region in wood spectra.     

A comparative study of the rearrangement of some 6- and 7-halo-substituted 3-amino-3,4-dihydro-l-hydroxycarbostyrils in concentrated hydrohalic acids

The 6-bromo ( 16 ), 6-fluoro ( 17 ), 7-bromo ( 14 ), and 7-fluoro ( 15 ) substituted 3-amino-3,4-dihydro-l-hydroxycarbostyrils were treated with concentrated hydrochloric and hydrobromic acids under reflux conditions. The 7-halogenated N-hydroxycarbostyrils ( 14,15 ) gave the normal rearrangement products, the 6,7-dihalolactams ( 18–21 ). The 6-halogenated compounds ( 16,17 ) yielded the corresponding 6,8-dihalolactams ( 22–24 ) under the same experimental conditions, with the exception of the hydrobromic acid reaction of the 6-fluoro derivative 17 which yielded a mixture of products. Based on the comparison of the nmr spectrum of the product mixture with those of two authentic compounds, the mixture was identified as consisting of the normal rearrangement product, the 8-bromo-6-fluorolactam ( 27 ) and the straightforward reduction product, the 6-fluorolactam ( 26 ) in a ratio of about 2:1. The latter compounds were prepared by an independent method of synthesis in which 2-amino-5-fluorophenylalanine ( 25 ) was acidified to yield the corresponding lactam 26 , followed by bromination to afford the 8-bromo-6-fluorolactam 27. A mechanism is proposed to interpret the experimental results of nucleophilic substitution with rearrangement and reduction which occur with the 6-fluoro compound 17 when exposed to bromide ions in strongly acidic solution.     

On the accessibility and structure of xylan in birch kraft pulp

The structure of -(14)-xylan, both in isolated form and as a component of bleached birch kraft pulp, was studied employing CP/MAS ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Bleached birch kraft pulp was treated with xylanases or alkali in order to distinguish between accessible and inaccessible xylan. In xylan which was alkali-extracted from bleached birch kraft pulp, the relative contents of xylose and 4-O-methylglucuronic acid were 99.4 and 0.6 weight %, respectively, and the degree of polymerization was 70. The supermolecular structure of xylan is very sensitive to the surrounding environment. All extracted xylan chains were accessible to water and methanol and the solvent molecules easily exchanged. In bleached birch kraft pulp, cellulose fibrils interact with xylan chains, causing these to adopt a conformation similar to one of the configurations observed for dry xylan. In birch pulp, about 1/3 of the xylan was found to be accessible to digestion by xylanases or extraction with 5% w/w potassium hydroxide (aq). A signal at 81.7ppm in the C-4 region of the CP/MAS ¹³C NMR spectrum of bleached birch kraft pulp originated from xylan at the accessible fibril surfaces. A portion of a broad signal at 83.5ppm reflected inaccessible xylan, which is probably present as co-aggregates with cellulose fibril aggregates.     

Structural models for intergrowth structures in the phase system Al2O3-TiO2

The phase system Al₂O₃-TiO₂ was investigated in the compositional range from 48:52 to 62:38 mol% Al₂O₃:TiO₂. The samples were prepared by melting the binary oxides in an arc-imaging furnace and the obtained samples were examined by powder X-ray diffraction. The recorded powder patterns could be interpreted in terms of intergrowth structures consisting of two basic building blocks, which were deduced from the known crystal structures of β-Al₂TiO₅ and Al₆Ti₂O₁₃. The structure of a new ordered compound with the formula Al₁₆Ti₅O₃₄ is proposed. The thermal stability was estimated from DTA and tempering experiments and showed that all prepared samples decompose at temperatures around 800 °C into the binary oxides corundum and titania.     

Synthetic and structural studies of some chloro-substituted methyl 2,1-benzisoxazole-3-carboxylates and related compounds

Methyl 5-chloro- and 5,7-dichloro-2,1-benzisoxazole-3-carboxylates have been synthesized by treatment of o-nitromandelic and 5-chloro-2-nitroamandelic methyl esters, respectively, with thionyl chloride under appropriate reaction conditions. The structural assignments of both heterocyclic products were based on elemental and spectral analyses, and their conversion to the corresponding 5-chloro- and 5,7-dichloro substituted 2,1-benzisoxazole-3-carboxylic acids and isatins. Methyl α-chloro-o-nitrophenylacetate and o-nitrophenylcarbomethoxymethinyl sulfite were also obtained from reactions of methyl o-nitromandelate and thionyl chloride. A possible reaction mechanism involving two consecutive nucleophilic substitutions of methyl o-nitromandelate with thionyl chloride was proposed to account for the formation of methyl 5-chloro-2,1-benzisoxazole-3-carboxylate.     

Crystal structures of baclofen analogs: 3-thienyl- and 3-furylaminobutyric acids

X-ray crystal structures of 4-amino-3-(2-thienyl) butyric acid (compound1), 4-amino-3-(4-bromo-2-thienyl) butyric acid (compound2), and 4-amino-3-(5-methyl-2-furyl) butyric acid (compound3) are reported. Space groups and unit/cell parameters are: compound1, monoclinic,P2₁ c,a=13.288(3),b=5.231(1),c=12.388(2)Å,=92.3(1)°; compound2, monoclinic,P2₁/c,a=12.610(7),b=5.156(1),c=15.814(8)Å,=101.8(1)°; compound3, orthorhombic, Pccn,a=11.461(1),b=25.284(2),c=6.977(1)Å. FinalR indices are: compound1, 0.057; compound2, 0.069; compound3, 0.060. Conformations of their -aminobutyric chains are compared with the one of -amino--(p-chlorophenyl)-butyric acid (baclofen, compound4). Two different types of conformations are observed, i.e., conformations (i) with folding (compound3) or (ii) without folding (compounds1,2, and4) of the ammonium group toward the heteroaromatic or aromatic ring. However, distances between ionized groups are constant.     

Wetting of β-casein layers adsorbed at the solid–aqueous interface

The wetting by water of the adsorbed layer of β-casein on hydrophobised silica and pure (hydrophilic) silica surface was investigated by dynamic contact angle measurements based on the Wilhelmy plate principle. The results are discussed in relation to adsorption data obtained for the protein on similar surfaces by in situ ellipsometry. β-casein adsorption on a hydrophobic surface leads to a significant decrease of the contact angle, in particular in terms of the receding contact angle, which decreased by about 70°. This indicates a strong shielding of the hydrophobic surface by the hydrophilic domain of β-casein. Adding a specific enzyme, endoproteinase Asp-N, which previously has been proposed to remove a large fraction of the hydrophilic segments, results in a significantly decreased wettability of the solid surface. The layer is now more hydrophobic and the hysterises is much smaller. The receding contact angle after the proteolysis is roughly 70°. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that β-casein adsorbs at the hydrophobic surface to form a monolayer with the hydrophobic part of the protein anchored at the surface, leaving the hydrophilic segments dangling into the solution. Less dramatic effects are observed in terms of changes of the wettability on the hydrophilic surface. The surface is still quite hydrophilic both after adsorbing β-casein and exposing the layer to endoproteinase Asp-N. These results confirm the differences in the structure of β-casein layers on the hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface.     

The influence of hemicellulose on fibril aggregation of kraft pulp fibres as revealed by FE-SEM and CP/MAS 13C-NMR

Three Norway spruce pulps were produced using different kraft pulping methods, in order to obtain large differences in cellulose and hemicellulose proportions at a similar lignin content. The hemicellulose content in the three pulps varied between 10% and 22%. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of cellulose and hemicellulose on fibre ultrastructure and correlate this with the differences observed in the mechanical properties between the pulps. The ultrastructure of the pulp fibres were studied using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Solid-State Cross Polarisation Magic Angle Spinning Carbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CP/MAS ¹³C-NMR) in combination with spectral fitting. CP/MAS ¹³C-NMR measured the average bulk properties of the pulp fibres, while FE-SEM allowed for observations on the ultrastructure of fibre surfaces. The ultrastructure of the fibres varied with varying hemicellulose content. The pulp with a high hemicellulose content had a porous surface structure. In fibres with a low hemicellulose content, the fibril aggregates (macrofibrils) formed a much more compact surface structure. With CP/MAS ¹³C-NMR this change was reflected by an increase in average fibril aggregate width with decreasing hemicellulose content. Results from FE-SEM and CP/MAS ¹³C-NMR correlated well. The changes recorded in ultrastructure may explain the very different mechanical properties reported previously for pulps with different hemicellulose content.     

KSbO(Ge0.32Si0.68)O4, a KTP isomorph

A structural model of potassium antimony germanate/silicate (0.32/0.68), KSbO(Ge_0.32Si_0.68)O₄, has been determined at room temperature. KSbO(Ge_0.32Si_0.68)O₄ belongs to the KTiOPO₄ (KTP) isomorphic family and is composed of SbO₆ octahedra (site symmetry and 2) arranged in helical chains bridged by (Ge/Si)O₄ tetrahedra. Germanium and silicon have a similar distribution in the crystallographically independent tetrahedra (site symmetry 2). The structure contains large cavities occupied by the K atom. Two partially occupied potassium positions have been identified 1.273 (8) Å apart, with an indication of a third potassium position between them. At room temperature, KSbO(Ge_0.32Si_0.68)O₄ crystallizes in the paraelectric phase of space group Pnan. This phase is found at elevated temperatures for almost all KTiOPO₄ isomorphic compounds and KSbO(Ge_0.32Si_0.68)O₄ is the second isomorph that is paraelectric at room temperature.