Multi-element characterization of silicon nitride powders by atomic and mass spectrometric solution methods

A sample pretreatment technique for silicon nitride involving digestion and matrix/traces separation was developed by means of radiotracers and applied to analysis of this material by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The results obtained for a high purity silicon nitride material by these methods are compared each with the other and with those obtained by neutron activation analysis. The limits of detection and the capabilities of the methods are compared and discussed.     

An automated method for the analysis of stable isotope labeling data in proteomics

An algorithm is presented for the generation of a reliable peptide component peak table from liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and subsequent quantitative analysis of stable isotope coded peptide samples. The method uses chemical noise filtering, charge state fitting, and deisotoping toward improved analysis of complex peptide samples. Overlapping peptide signals in mass spectra were deconvoluted by correlation with modeled peptide isotopic peak profiles. Isotopic peak profiles for peptides were generated in silico from a protein database producing reference model distributions. Doublets of heavy and light labeled peak clusters were identified and compared to provide differential quantification of pairs of stable isotope coded peptides. Algorithms were evaluated using peptides from digests of a single protein and a seven-protein mixture that had been differentially coded with stable isotope labeling agents and mixed in known ratios. The experimental results correlated well with known mixing ratios.     

Heat capacity and heat content of BiNb<Subscript>5</Subscript>O<Subscript>14</Subscript>

The heat capacity and the heat content of bismuth niobate BiNb₅O₁₄ were measured by the relaxation time method, DSC and drop method, respectively. The temperature dependence of heat capacity in the form C _pm=455.84+0.06016T–7.7342·10⁶/T ² (J K^–1 mol^–1) was derived by the least squares method from the experimental data. Furthermore, the standard molar entropy at 298.15 K S _m=397.17 J K^–1 mol^–1 was derived from the low temperature heat capacity measurement.     

Thermodynamic possibilities and constraints of pure hydrogen production by a chromium,nickel, and manganese-based chemical looping process at lower temperatures

The reduction of chromium, nickel, and manganese oxides by hydrogen, CO, CH₄, and model syngas (mixtures of CO + H₂ or H₂ + CO + CO₂) and oxidation by water vapor has been studied from the thermodynamic and chemical equilibrium point of view. Attention was concentrated not only on the convenient conditions for reduction of the relevant oxides to metals or lower oxides at temperatures in the range 400–1000 K, but also on the possible formation of soot, carbides, and carbonates as precursors for the carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide formation in the steam oxidation step. Reduction of very stable Cr₂O₃ to metallic Cr by hydrogen or CO at temperatures of 400–1000 K is thermodynamically excluded. Reduction of nickel oxide (NiO) and manganese oxide (Mn₃O₄) by hydrogen or CO at such temperatures is feasible. The oxidation of MnO and Ni by steam and simultaneous production of hydrogen at temperatures between 400 and 1000 K is a difficult step from the thermodynamics viewpoint. Assuming the Ni—NiO system, the formation of nickel aluminum spinel could be used to increase the equilibrium hydrogen yield, thus, enabling the hydrogen production via looping redox process. The equilibrium hydrogen yield under the conditions of steam oxidation of the Ni—NiO system is, however, substantially lower than that for the Fe—Fe₃O₄ system. The system comprising nickel ferrite seems to be unsuitable for cyclic redox processes. Under strongly reducing conditions, at high CO concentrations/partial pressures, formation of nickel carbide (Ni₃C) is thermodynamically favored. Pressurized conditions during the reduction step with CO/CO₂ containing gases enhance the formation of soot and carbon-containing compounds such as carbides and/or carbonates.     

Generalized reinhardt domains

In this paper we investigate a class of Lie group actions on , the so-calledpolar actions, that naturally generalize the standard actions. For a domain invariant under such an action (i.e., a generalized Reinhardt domain) we characterize the invariant plurisubharmonic functions and determine the envelope of holomorphy in geometric terms. For a generalized Reinhardt domain containing the origin of we also compute its automorphism group. Supported in part by NSF Grant 8602020     

Hydrogenation of alkenes catalyzed by supported Ziegler catalysts

Supported Ziegler catalysts prepared by the reaction of a Ni(II) 1-butylsalicylaldiminate or Ni(II) 2-ethylhexanoate with Al₂O₃/SiO₂ treated with AlEt₃ or NaAlH₂ (OCH₂CH₂OCH₃)₂ are efficient catalysts for hydrogenation of simple alkenes. The factors influencing their activity are reported.

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, qp - Ni(II) - Ni(II) 2- Al₂O₃/SiO₂, AlEt₃ NaAlH₂ (OCH₂CH₂OCH₃)₂, . , .

     

The atomic-level structure of bandgap engineered double perovskite alloys Cs2AgIn1−xFexCl6

Although lead-free halide double perovskites are considered as promising alternatives to lead halide perovskites for optoelectronic applications, state-of-the-art double perovskites are limited by their large bandgap. The doping/alloying strategy, key to bandgap engineering in traditional semiconductors, has also been employed to tune the bandgap of halide double perovskites. However, this strategy has yet to generate new double perovskites with suitable bandgaps for practical applications, partially due to the lack of fundamental understanding of how the doping/alloying affects the atomic-level structure. Here, we take the benchmark double perovskite Cs₂AgInCl₆ as an example to reveal the atomic-level structure of double perovskite alloys (DPAs) Cs₂AgIn_1−xFe_xCl₆ (x = 0–1) by employing solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR). The presence of paramagnetic alloying ions (e.g. Fe³⁺ in this case) in double perovskites makes it possible to investigate the nuclear relaxation times, providing a straightforward approach to understand the distribution of paramagnetic alloying ions. Our results indicate that paramagnetic Fe³⁺ replaces diamagnetic In³⁺ in the Cs₂AgInCl₆ lattice with the formation of [FeCl₆]³⁻·[AgCl₆]⁵⁻ domains, which show different sizes and distribution modes in different alloying ratios. This work provides new insights into the atomic-level structure of bandgap engineered DPAs, which is of critical significance in developing efficient optoelectronic/spintronic devices.

Through Fe³⁺-alloying, the bandgap of benchmark double perovskite Cs₂AgInCl₆ can be tuned from 2.8 eV to 1.6 eV. The atomic-level structure of Cs₂AgIn_1−xFe_xCl₆ was revealed by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR).     

Identification and determination of phase II nabumetone metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array and mass spectrometric detection

Chromatographic analyses play an important role in the identification and determination of phase I and phase II drug metabolites. While the chemical standards of phase I metabolites are usually available from commercial sources or by various synthetic, degradation or isolation methods, the phase II drug metabolites have usually more complicated structures, their standards are in general inaccessible and their identification and determination require a comprehensive analytical approach involving the use of xenobiochemical methods and the employment of hyphenated analytical techniques. In this work, various high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods were employed in the evaluation of xenobiochemical experiments leading to the identification and determination of phase II nabumetone metabolites. Optimal conditions for the quantitative enzymatic deconjugation of phase II metabolites were found for the samples of minipig bile, small intestine contents and urine. Comparative HPLC analyses of the samples of above-mentioned biomatrices and of the same biomatrices after their enzymatic treatment using beta-glucuronidase and arylsulfatase afforded the qualitative and quantitative information about phase II nabumetone metabolites. Hereby, three principal phase II nabumetone metabolites (ether glucuronides) were discovered in minipig's body fluids and their structures were confirmed using liquid chromatography (LC)-electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (MS) analyses.     

Heteroaromatic thioether-boronic acid cross-coupling under neutral reaction conditions

[reaction: see text] Pi-deficient heteroaromatic thioethers undergo efficient palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling with boronic acids mediated by copper(I) thiophene-2-carboxylate.