Stabiliser distribution and efficiency examined by depth profiling polypropylene using a positron beam

The effectiveness of stabilisers, organic (hindered amine light stabilisers), inorganic (nanoparticulate zinc oxide), and combinations thereof, in preventing the signatures of degradation in polypropylene subjected to accelerated weathering is studied. Not only the type of stabiliser but also its distribution is important for stabiliser efficiency. The spatial effects of stabilization are studied using positron spectroscopy depth profiling.     

The smallest resonance energy transfer acceptor for tryptophan

The utility of diazirine ligands as acceptors in resonance energy transfer (RET) distance measurements with tryptophan or tryptophan analogues as donor is reported. The principle is demonstrated for a diazirine derivative of d-mannitol, 2-azi-2-deoxy-d-arabino-hexitol, and single-tryptophan-containing mutants of the mannitol transporter, EIImtl, from E. coli. The F?rster distance is 10 A for the tryptophan-diazirine donor-acceptor couple, allowing the measurement of distances up to 17 A. The versatility of tryptophan as an intrinsic spectroscopic probe in protein chemistry and the small size of the diazirine group makes this a very attractive donor-acceptor couple for accurate RET distance information in protein chemistry.     

Synthesis of substituted terpyridine ligands for use in protein purification

A number of 4,4″-disubstituted terpyridines bearing a 4′-thioethanamine linker, and regioisomers thereof, have been synthesised from 4-substituted picolinates. The substituted terpyridines were immobilised onto epoxy-activated Sepharose™ FF gel, creating functionalised solid supports for the fractionation of proteins—including antibodies—by mixed mode affinity chromatography. The metal chelating properties of the immobilised ligand render the stationary phase also amenable for use in immobilised metal-ion affinity chromatography (IMAC), and have been demonstrated with the purification of suitably tagged green fluorescent protein (GFP).     

Gyration Waves in Optical Crystals

The optical activity of crystals can be explained by energy transfer from radiation incident on the crystal into the radiation mode (gyration wave) propagating in the incident wave direction but having the polarization plane perpendicular to that of incident radiation.__________Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 1, pp. 6–10, January, 2005.     

Estimates for the best asymmetric approximations of asymmetric classes of functions

We obtain asymptotically sharp estimates for the best (α, β) -approximations of the classes W_{1;\upgamma, \updelta} ^r W_{1;\upgamma, \updelta }^r with natural r by algebraic polynomials in the mean.     

1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylate- and 2,2'-bipyrimidine-containing cobalt(II) coordination polymers: preparation, crystal structure, and magnetic properties

Three new mixed-ligand cobalt(II) complexes of formula [Co2(H2O)6(bta)(bpym)]n.4nH2O (1), [Co2(H2O)2(bta)(bpym)]n (2), and [Co2(H2O)4(bta)(bpym)]n.2nH2O ( 3) (bpym = 2,2'-bipyrimidine and H 4bta = 1,2,4,5-benzenetretracaboxylic acid) have been synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. 1 is a chain compound of mer-triaquacobalt(II) units which are linked through regular alternating bis-bidentate bpym and bis-monodentate bta groups. 2 and 3 are three-dimensional compounds where aquacobalt(II) ( 2) and cis-diaquacobalt(II) ( 3) entities are linked by bis-bidentate bpym ( 2 and 3) and tetrakis- ( 2 and 3) and octakis-monodentate ( 2) bta ligands. The cobalt atoms in 1- 3 exhibit somewhat distorted octahedral surroundings. Two bpym-nitrogen atoms ( 1- 3) and either two bta-oxygens ( 2) or one bta-oxygen and a water molecule ( 1 and 3) build the equatorial plane, whereas the axial positions are filled either by two water molecules ( 1) or by a bta-oxygen atom and a water molecule ( 2 and 3). The values of the cobalt-cobalt separation across the bridging bpym vary in the range 5.684(2)-5.7752(7) A, whereas those through the bta bridge cover the ranges 5.288(2)-5.7503(5) A (across the anti-syn carboxylate) and 7.715(3)-11.387(1) A (across the phenyl ring). The magnetic properties of 1- 3 have been investigated in the temperature range 1.9-290 K. They are all typical of an overall antiferromagnetic coupling with the maxima of the magnetic susceptibility at 14.5 ( 1) and 11.5 K ( 2 and 3). Although exchange pathways through bis-bidentate bpym and carboxylate-bta in different coordination modes are involved in 1- 3, their magnetic behavior is practically governed by that across the bpym bridge, the magnitude of the exchange coupling being J = -5.59(2) ( 1), -4.41(2) ( 2), and -4.49(2) ( 3) with the Hamiltonian H = - JS 1 S 2.     

Influence of the periodic motion of a monochromatic light source on the spectrum of its radiation

The influence of the periodic motion of a monochromatic light source on the observed spectrum of its radiation in the far-field and near-field zones is considered. The appearance of components shifted in frequency (harmonics of the oscillation frequency of the source) is demonstrated. The spatial structure of harmonics is investigated, and the presence of optical vortices in these harmonics is shown.     

Additional beams in optically uniaxial crystals

Reasons for occurrence of additional beams are established for rays reflected from a tilted prism face and transmitted through the interface between two crystal media. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 50–53, July, 2007.     

Rational enantioselective design of chiral heterobimetallic single-chain magnets: synthesis, crystal structures and magnetic properties of oxamato-bridged M(II)Cu(II) chains (M=Mn, Co)

A new series of neutral oxamato-bridged M(II)Cu(II) chiral chains of general formula [MCuL(x)(S)(m)(H(2)O)(n)]·aS·bH(2)O [L(1)=(M)-1,1'-binaphthalene-2,2'-bis(oxamate) with M=Mn (1a) and Co (1b); L(2)=(P)-1,1'-binaphthalene-2,2'-bis(oxamate) with M=Mn (2a) and Co (2b)] and the analogous racemic chains of formula [MCuL(3)(S)(m)(H(2)O)(n)]·aS·bH(2)O [L(3)=1,1'-binaphthalene-2,2'-bis(oxamate) with M=Mn (3a) and Co (3b)] have been prepared by reaction of the corresponding dianionic oxamatocopper(II) complex [Cu(L(x))](2-) with Mn(2+) or Co(2+) cations in either dimethylformamide (DMF) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Solid circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the bimetallic chain compounds were recorded to establish their chiral and enantiomeric nature. They exhibit maximum positive and negative Cotton effects, each pair of enantiomeric chains being non-superimposable mirror images. The crystal structures of the Mn(II)Cu(II) (1a-3a) and the Co(II)Cu(II) (1b and 2b) chain compounds were solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Our attempts to obtain X-ray quality crystals of 3b were unsuccessful. The values of the shortest interchain Mn···Mn and Co···Co distances are indicative of a good isolation of neighbouring chains in the crystal lattice, which is caused by the bulky aromatic ligand. Although all the Mn(II)Cu(II) and Co(II)Cu(II) chains exhibit ferrimagnetic behaviour (-J(MnCu)=18.9-26.6 cm(-1) and -J(CoCu)=19.5-32.5 cm(-1)), only the enantiopure Co(II)Cu(II) chains (1b and 2b) show slow magnetic relaxation at low temperatures (T(B)=0.6-1.8 K), which is a characteristic of single-chain magnets (SCMs) and is related to the magnetic anisotropy of the high-spin Co(II) ion. Analysis of the SCM behaviour of 1b and 2b, based on Glauber's theory for an Ising one-dimensional system, shows a thermally activated mechanism for the magnetic relaxation (Arrhenius law dependence). The energy barriers (E(a)) to reverse the magnetisation direction are 8.2 (1b) and 8.1cm(-1) (2b), whereas the pre-exponential factor (τ(0)) is 1.9×10(-8) (1b) and 6.0×10(-9) s (2b). Interestingly, the racemic Co(II)Cu(II) chain analogue, 3b, showed no evidence of SCM behaviour.     

Application of linear discriminant analysis to the study of dew chemistry on the basis of samples collected in Poland (2004–2005)

This paper presents the results of determination of selected characteristics (anions, cations, formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, phenols, TC, TIC, TOC and metals) in dew samples collected in six different sites in Poland. The influence of local parameters (e.g. wind speed, humidity) was investigated. Discriminant analysis was applied to the study of several dew samples collected from different sampling sites covering six agglomerations in Poland. Discriminant function analysis was used not only for classifying samples into different groups with a better than chance accuracy, but also for detecting the most important variables that discern between the groups of samples considered. In this way it was possible to identify which ions or other physicochemical features are responsible for the similarities or differences observed between different groups of dew samples. A good agreement with their origin and location was observed. It is interesting to note that the classification of all samples was dominated by pH, wind direction, pressure and temperature with a significant contribution of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ ions.