Chemical modification of alumina surface by immobilization of 1-((5-nitrofuran-2-yl)methylene)thiosemicarbazide for extractive concentration of silver ions

A column, solid phase extraction (SPE), preconcentration method was developed for determination of silver by using alumina coated with 1-((5-nitrofuran-2-yl)methylene)thiosemicarbazide and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The separation/preconcentration conditions for the quantitative recovery were investigated. At pH 2, the maximum sorption capacity of Ag⁺ was 7.5?mg?g^?1. The linearity was maintained in the concentration range of 0.02–11.0?µg?mL^?1 in the final solution or 0.14–1.10?×?10^4?ng?mL^?1 in the original solution for silver. The preconcentration factor of 140 and relative standard deviation of ±1.4% was obtained, under optimum conditions. The limit of detection (LOD) was calculated as 0.112?ng?mL^?1, based on 3σ_bl/m (n?=?8) in the original solutions. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination trace amounts of silver in the environmental samples such as tea, rice and wheat flour, mint, and real water samples.     

Delayed autocatalytic behavior of Mn(II) ions at a critical ratio: The effect of structural isomerism on permanganic oxidation of L‐norleucine

The kinetics of the permanganic oxidation process of L ‐norleucine, L ‐leucine, L ‐iso‐leucine, and L ‐tert‐leucine in strong acid medium has been investigated using a spectrophotometric technique. Conclusive evidences have proven autocatalytic activity of Mn(II) for these reactions in strong acid medium analogous to weak acid medium, but in the former, ratio of Mn(II) to amino acid concentration must reach a certain amount for autocatalytic phenomenon to emerge, which we call “critical ratio.” This critical ratio depends on the nature of the amino acid employed. Thus considering “delayed autocatalytic behavior” of Mn(II) ions, rate equations satisfying observations for both catalytic and noncatalytic routes have been presented. Kinetic data in a noncatalytic pathway have been fitted to a biparametric equation including inductive, steric, and hyperconjugation correction effects, and it is determined that by shifting the side branch on a carbon chain toward an α‐carbon atom (adjacent to amino acid's functional group) and also adding branches to the α‐carbon atom, the reaction rate in the noncatalytic pathway decreases. Inductive and steric hindrance factors in amino acid's carbon chain are effective on processes' rate both in catalytic and noncatalytic pathways. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 38: 1–11, 2006     

One-pot synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted and 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazoles by zinc oxide as efficient and reusable catalyst

Abstract  

ZnO is an efficient, readily available, and reusable catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted and 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazoles. This procedure is very simple and affords excellent yields.     

Design considerations to improve high temperature characteristics of 1.3 μm AlGaInAs-InP uncooled multiple quantum well lasers: Strain in barriers

Uncooled multiple quantum well lasers have great attraction because of their lower power dissipation and smaller size than traditional semiconductor lasers. In this study we will investigate the strain effect in barriers of 1.3 μm AlGaInAs-InP uncooled multiple quantum well lasers. We simulate a laser structure using a band-to-band transition approach. Single effective mass theory has been used for conduction band and Kohn-Luttinger Hamiltonian has been solved for valance band to obtain quantum states and envelope wave functions in the structure. In the case of unstrained barriers, the results have good agreement with a real device fabricated and presented in one of the references. Our main work is proposal of 0.2% compressive strain in the structure Barriers that cause 20% improvement in mode gain-current density characteristic. Significant reduction in leakage current density and Auger current density characteristics is also obtained at 85 °C. Optical gain-photon energy spectrum is increased more than 3% proportional to unstrained barriers.     

Characteristics and nature of the halogen-bonding interactions between CCl3F and ozone: a supermolecular and SAPT study

The strength and nature of the halogen-bond interactions in CCl₃F···O₃ complexes were examined by means of ab initio quantum-chemical calculations and symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). Our calculations predict a trifurcated C–Cl···O interaction for the global minimum of CCl₃F···O₃ complex and several local minima, differing slightly in energy, separated by very low barriers. The calculations, which include a rigorous decomposition of the interaction energies, also indicate that the interaction of CCl₃F molecule with O₃ is characterised by contributions from both electrostatic and dispersion energies, with the contribution of the latter being dominant. The evaluated SAPT interaction energies for the CCl₃F···O₃ complexes are generally in good agreement with those obtained using the supermolecule CCSD(T) method, suggesting that SAPT is a proper method to study the intermolecular interactions in these complexes.     

Normal distribution profile for doping concentration in multilayer tunnel junction

In this paper, the effect of doping concentration and layer thickness on the performance of tunnel junctions (TJs) is studied. We investigate the behavior of single, double and triple layer structures of TJs. Triple layer structure shows better performance in comparison with the other structures and can reach the higher tunneling current besides lower voltage drop. Also, the behavior of the triple layer TJ with different doping concentration profiles is studied. We propose a new normal distribution profile for doping concentration in multilayer TJs which shows better performance in comparison with the linear and graded doping concentration profiles. The higher $\upalpha $ parameters in normal distribution enhance the device performance with increasing the smoothness of doping variations in the center and edge of the TJ. Finally, we examine different thicknesses of triple layer TJ in order to achieve the optimum structure.     

A fast and sensitive nanosensor based on MgO nanoparticle room-temperature ionic liquid carbon paste electrode for determination of methyldopa in pharmaceutical and patient human urine samples

In this study, we describe an ionic liquid–MgO nanoparticle modified carbon paste electrode (MgO/NPs/IL/CPE) was used as a simple, fast, and sensitive tool for the investigation of the electrochemical oxidation of methyldopa (MDOP) using voltammetric methods. The MgO/NPs was characterized with different methods such as TEM, SEM, and XRD. The oxidation peak potential of the MDOP at a surface of MgO/NPs/IL/CPE appeared at 450 mV that was about 100 mV lower than the oxidation peak potential at the surface of the traditional carbon paste electrode (CPE) under similar conditions. The electro-oxidation of MDOP occurred in a pH-dependent 2e^? and 2H⁺ process, and the electrode reaction followed a diffusion-controlled pathway. Under optimal conditions at pH 7.0, the anodic peak currents increased linearly with the concentration of MDOP in the range of 0.08–380 μmol L^?1 with a detection limit of 0.03 μmol L^?1 (3σ). The proposed sensor was successfully applied to the determination of MDOP in real samples such as drug and urine.     

Synthesis of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles and oxidation of sulfides by using boehmite nanoparticles/nickel-curcumin as a robust and extremely efficient green nanocatalyst

Nickel-anchored curcumin-functionalized boehmite nanoparticles (BNPs@Cur-Ni) as a robust and versatile nanocatalyst was synthesized and well-characterized by using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray mapping, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The synthesis of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles and the oxidation of sulfides were conducted by BNPs@Cur-Ni with excellent turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF) outcomes. Also, the catalyst was reused for several sequential runs without Ni leaching or decreasing in reaction yield. Utilizing the curcumin and boehmite with a natural source as well as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a solvent in this simple protocol can be based on green chemistry rules.     

Heat transfer enhancement inside an eccentric cylinder with an inner rotating wall using porous media: a numerical study

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Porous media insert is a simple technique to enhance heat transfer, which has been used in different applications. This useful passive improvement...     

Surface free energy effects on the postbuckling behavior of cylindrical shear deformable nanoshells under combined axial and radial compressions

In the traditional continuum mechanics, the effects of surface free energy are generally ignored. However, this cannot be the case for nanostructures because of their high surface to volume ratio; surface energy plays an important role in the mechanical responses. In the present study, the nonlinear buckling and postbuckling characteristics of cylindrical nanoshells subjected to combined axial and radial compressions are investigated in the presence of surface energy effects. To this end, Gurtin–Murdoch elasticity theory is implemented into the classical first-order shear deformation shell theory to develop an efficient size-dependent shell model incorporating surface free energy effects. Subsequently, a boundary layer theory is employed including surface effects in conjunction with the nonlinear prebuckling deformations, the large postbuckling deflections and the initial geometric imperfection. Finally, a solution methodology based on a two-stepped singular perturbation technique is utilized to obtain the size-dependent critical buckling loads and equilibrium postbuckling paths corresponding to the both axial dominated and radial dominated loading cases. It is observed that for the both axial dominated and radial dominated loading cases, surface free energy effects cause to increase the both critical buckling load and critical end-shortening of shear deformable nanoshell made of silicon.