On the thermal expansion of nanohole free volume in perfluoropolyethers

To determine the free volume in polymers, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy data are transformed into nanohole volumes by modeling the cavities as spheres or, more generally, using geometries assuming an isotropic thermal expansion. However, this guess could be unrealistic owing to the irregular shape of nanoholes and constrained movements of the macromolecules. In this work, it is shown that a comparison of hole-lattice theory with positron and dilatometric data for a homologous series of perfluoropolyethers supplies information on the anisotropic expansion of nanoholes; the relation between volume and typical unconstrained size of the cavities can be expressed by a power law with noninteger exponents.     

Structural studies on layered alkylpyridinium iodopalladate networks

The reaction of alkylpyridinium (CnH2n + 1NC5H5, hereafter Cn-Py) iodide salts in aqueous acetonitrile with a preformed palladium iodide precursor afforded two different types of organic-inorganic phases depending on the molar ratio. A 2:1 ratio yielded the phase [Cn-Py]2[PdI4] (3, n = 14, 16), which crystallized in the triclinic crystal system. The X-ray crystal structure of 3, (n = 14), refined in the space group P1 (a = 8.918(3) A, b = 9.894(3) A, c = 29.062(12) A, alpha = 93.51(3) degrees, beta = 94.17(3) degrees, gamma = 115.60(3) degrees, and Z = 2), consists of interdigitated bilayers with a basal spacing of 29.0 A. The aliphatic chains of the cations, which run almost parallel to the stacking direction, are fully stretched between polar planes built on isolated [PdI4]2- anions and cation headgroups. Changing the organic cation to palladium ratio to 1:1 led to a new phase [Cn-Py]2[Pd2I6] (4, n = 14, 16), which crystallizes in the triclinic P1 space group (a = 9.399(4) A, b = 14.264(6) A, c = 29.415(13) A, alpha = 92.11(4) degrees, beta = 90.07(4) degrees, gamma = 104.53(3) degrees, Z = 3 for 4(n = 14); a = 9.417(2) A, b = 14.215(3) A, c = 31.552(6) A, alpha = 87.96(3) degrees, beta = 87.63(3) degrees, gamma = 75.67(3) degrees, Z = 3 for 4(n = 16)). The layered structure is basically of a continuously interdigitated single-layer type, with a bilayer sublattice superimposed. Isolated [Pd2I6]2- anions contribute to the inorganic planes. A high degree of interdigitation and tilting of the aliphatic chains lead to basal spacings of 29.4 and 31.5 A for 4(n = 14) and 4(n = 16), respectively. The [Cn-Py]2[PdI4] and [Cn-Py]2[Pd2I6] phases were characterized by thermal analysis. Mesomorphic behavior was observed only for 3(n = 16), which was confirmed by variable-temperature powder XRD and optical microscopy.     

Electron impact mass spectral interpretation for some thiophosphoryl-p-acetylaminobenzenesulfonamides

This work discusses the synthesis and the fragmentation patterns for 2-(p-acetylaminosulfonamido)-2-thiono-(5,5-dimethyl-1,3,2-dioxaphosphorinane)(1) and for the p-acetylaminosulfonylamides of O,O-diethylthiophosphoric acid (2), O,O-diphenylthiophosphoric acid (3), dimethylaminocyclohexylthiophosphoric acid (4), and diethylaminophenylthiophosphoric acid (5). A thionamidic-thiolimidic structure was attributed to compounds 1-5, consistent with their IR and NMR spectra. EI mass spectra at 70 eV, high resolution (HR) mass measurements and metastable ion spectra were used to elucidate the fragmentation processes and to determine the kinetic energy release values associated with the metastable ion dissociations. HR accurate mass measurements were used to confirm the compositions of the more abundant ions.     

Sandwich structures at oil-water interfaces under alkaline conditions

Equilibrium liquid crystal (LC) layer on an interface between crude oils and water was observed at high pH. This layer is composed mainly of sodium naphthenates produced in situ at the water/oil interface. Transient LC layer was also evolved at the interface of aqueous phase of sodium hydroxide solutions and oleic phase of naphthenic acid (NA) solutions as result of a chemical reaction between NaOH and NA. This chemical reaction causes transport process resulting in a disturbance of the interface. Optical observation of this interface disturbance reviled that the interface covered with LC shows considerably lower flexibility as compared to LC free interface. The LC layer eventually dissolves in the water phase at low oil-to-water ratio, while at high oil-to-water ratio it can form an equilibrium phase, which spreads spontaneously at the oil-water interface.     

Transesterification of fatty acid ethoxylates in supercritical methanol, then gas chromatography-mass spectrometric determination of the derived methyl esters, for identification of the initiators

Unknown fatty acid ethoxylate samples have been transesterified in supercritical methanol, using a loop made of a stainless-steel tubing as the reactor vessel. The initiator acids, now present as the corresponding methyl esters, were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Quantitative transesterification is achieved by heating a solution of the ethoxylate sample in methanol at 280 degrees C for 10 min under pressure. The influence of reaction time, temperature, and presence of a Lewis acid catalyst has been investigated. The method of transesterification was optimized in respect of low cost, short reaction time, and availability to laboratories with standard analytical equipment.     

Ultrafast collective dynamics in the charge-density-wave conductor K(0.3)MoO(3)

Low-energy coherent charge-density wave excitations are investigated in blue bronze (K(0.3)MoO(3)) and red bronze (K(0.33)MoO(3)) by femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. A linear gapless, acousticlike dispersion relation is observed for the transverse phasons with a pronounced anisotropy in K(0.33)MoO(3). The amplitude mode exhibits a weak (opticlike) dispersion relation with a frequency of 1.67 THz at 30 K. Our results show for the first time that the time-resolved optical technique provides momentum resolution of collective excitations in strongly correlated electron systems.     

Influence of Jahn-Teller coupling on the magnetic properties of transition metal complexes with orbital triplet ground terms: magnetization and electronic Raman studies of the titanium(III) hexa-aqua cation

Magnetization and electronic Raman data are presented for salts of the type Cs[Ga:Ti](SO(4))(2) x 12H(2)O, which enable a very precise definition of the electronic structure of the [Ti(OH(2))(6)](3+) cation. The magnetization data exhibit a spectacular deviation from Brillouin behavior, with the magnetic moment highly dependent on the strength of the applied field at a given ratio of B/T. This arises from unprecedented higher-order contributions to the magnetization, and these measurements afford the determination of the ground-state Zeeman coefficients to third-order. The anomalous magnetic behavior is a manifestation of Jahn-Teller coupling, giving rise to low-lying vibronic states, which mix into the ground state through the magnetic field. Electronic Raman measurements of the 1%-titanium(III)-doped sample identify the first vibronic excitation at approximately 18 cm(-1), which betokens a substantial quenching of spin-orbit coupling by the vibronic interaction. The ground-state Zeeman coefficients are strongly dependent on the concentration of titanium(III) in the crystals, and this can be modeled as a function of one parameter, representing the degree of strain induced by the cooperative Jahn-Teller effect. This study clearly demonstrates the importance that the Jahn-Teller effect can have in governing the magnetic properties of transition metal complexes with orbital triplet ground terms.     

Imaging the activity of nitrate reductase by means of a scanning electrochemical microscope

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was used to characterize immobilized nitrate reductase (NaR) from Pseudonomonas stutzeri (E.C. 1.7.99.4). Nitrate reductase with membrane fragment was embedded in a polyurethane hydrogel in a capillary and solubilized NaR without membrane fragment was covalently coupled to a diaminoethyl-cellulose-carbamitate film on glass. After systematic studies of possible mediators, SECM feedback imaging of both forms of immobilized NaR was accomplished with methylviologen as redox mediator.     

Biomimetic dyes as affinity chromatography tools in enzyme purification

Affinity adsorbents based on immobilized triazine dyes offer important advantages circumventing many of the problems associated with biological ligands. The main drawback of dyes is their moderate selectivity for proteins. Rational attempts to tackle this problem are realized through the biomimetic dye concept according to which new dyes, the biomimetic dyes, are designed to mimic natural ligands. Biomimetic dyes are expected to exhibit increased affinity and purifying ability for the targeted proteins. Biocomputing offers a powerful approach to biomimetic ligand design. The successful exploitation of contemporary computational techniques in molecular design requires the knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of the target protein, or at least, the amino acid sequence of the target protein and the three-dimensional structure of a highly homologous protein. From such information one can then design, on a graphics workstation, the model of the protein and also a number of suitable synthetic ligands which mimic natural biological ligands of the protein. There are several examples of enzyme purifications (trypsin, urokinase, kallikrein, alkaline phosphatase, malate dehydrogenase, formate dehydrogenase, oxaloacetate decarboxylase and lactate dehydrogenase) where synthetic biomimetic dyes have been used successfully as affinity chromatography tools.     

Electroviscous Effect in Dilute Suspensions of Alumina

A study on the electroviscous effect of alumina suspensions has been made. At the low volume fraction of the particles studied here only a first-order effect was detected. Ubbelohde-type capillary viscometers have been used. A simple method to determine the hydrodynamic constant k(1) has been proposed. The experimental primary electroviscous coefficients corresponding to different electrolyte concentrations have been compared with two different theoretical approachs (I. G. Watterson, and L. R. White, J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. 2 77, 1115 (1981); F. J. Rubio-Hernández, E. Ruiz-Reina, and A. I. Gómez-Merino, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 206, 334 (1998)) and the results suggest that the presence of a dynamic Stern layer plays a certain role in this effect. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.