Optical detection of NO3 and NO2 in “pure” HNO3 vapor,the liquid-phase decomposition of HNO3

Flowing and static gas-phase samples of HNO₃ in O₂ and N₂ were analyzed by long-path ultraviolet/visible (UV/VIS) spectroscopy to reveal the presence of both NO₂ and NO₃, the concentrations of which were calculated using differential absorption cross sections. NO₂ is produced predominantly by the heterogeneous decomposition of HNO₃, whereas NO₃ is generated in the gas phase by the thermal decomposition of N₂O₅, a product of the self-disproportionation of liquid HNO₃. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Monoesterification of styrene–maleic anhydride copolymers with alcohols in ethyl benzene: Catalysis and kinetics

A kinetic investigation on the monoesterification reaction of the maleic anhydride residue (MA) in styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers with aliphatic alcohols was carried out in ethyl benzene solution. By comparison to classic catalysts such as tributylamine (TBA) and pyridine, 4-dimethylaminopyridine (4DMAP) is by far the most effective catalyst for this reaction. While both general base and nucleophilic mechanisms contribute to the reaction catalyzed by TBA or pyridine, a nucleophilic mechanism prevails with 4DMAP. This reaction is reversible, and its chemical equilibrium constant decreases significantly with increasing temperature. Both kinetic and thermodynamic results showed that in the presence of 4DMAP, the forward and reverse reactions are second and first order, respectively. The existence of side reactions, reactivity of two styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers of different MA contents as well as two aliphatic alcohols of different lengths are also addressed. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Measurement of cathode spot parameters with pulsed laserdiagnostics

The cathode spot formation in air within the first 170 ns was investigated by laser absorption photography and ps-pulse interferometry. The discharge was initiated between electrodes made from Ag or Pd with cathode-anode distance below 300 μm, the arc duration was some milliseconds, and the arc current 5-10 A. Picosecond holographic interferometry and momentary absorption photography yielded spatial-temporal density distributions in the ignition phase of the cathode spot. An absolute electron density value on the order of 4×10²⁶ m^-3 has been found. In contrast to vacuum, the cathode spot plasmas broaden little with increasing distance from the cathode, thus narrow plasma channels are observed in the vicinity of the cathode surface having diameters <20 μm     

Boundary-value problems for an elliptic equation with complex coefficients and a certain moment problem

Elliptic systems of two second-order equations, which can be written as a single equation with complex coefficients and a homogeneous operator, are studied. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the connection of traces of a solution are obtained for an arbitrary bounded domain with a smooth boundary. These conditions are formulated in the form of a certain moment problem on the boundary of a domain; they are applied to the study of boundary-value problems. In particular, it is shown that the Dirichlet problem and the Neumann problem are solvable only together. In the case where the domain is a disk, the indicated moment problem is solved together with the Dirichlet problem and the Neumann problem. The third boundary-value problem in a disk is also investigated.Translated from Ukrainskii Matematicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 45, No. 11, pp. 1476–1483, November, 1993.     

A note on minimization problems and multistep methods

Summary. We use the qualitative properties of the solution flow of the gradient equation to compute a local minimum of a real-valued function . Under the regularity assumption of all equilibria we show a convergence result for bounded trajectories of a consistent, strictly stable linear multistep method applied to the gradient equation. Moreover, we compare the asymptotic features of the numerical and the exact solutions as done by Humphries, Stuart (1994) and Schropp (1995) for one-step methods. In the case of -stable formulae this leads to an efficient solver for stiff minimization problems. Received July 10, 1995 / Revised version received June 27, 1996     

Two Coulomb waves theory for direct excitation

A theoretical model of Dewangan, in which the total scattering wave function is approximated by a distorted wave containing two Coulomb wave functions, is discussed and its relation with the Brauner-Briggs-Klar model for ionization is examined. An important feature of the theory is that it includes a second Born amplitude naturally and in addition, contains, albeit approximately, both real and imaginary parts of all higher order Born terms. The theory is applied to study the 1s→2s excitation of hydrogen by electrons in the energy range 54.4 to 400eV. The differential and integral cross sections predicted by the theory are compared with the results of other theories and experimental data at 54.4eV and a good agreement is found.