Determination of weak (2.0–2.5) dissociation constants of non-UV absorbing solutes by capillary electrophoresis

Summary Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has proved to be a fast and convenient method for the determination of the dissociation constants of non-UV absorbing solutes in the acidic pK _A range (2.0–2.5). The electroosmotic flow was reversed by washing the capillary with 0.2% polybren aqueous solution. A series of background electrolytes was prepared with phenylphosphonic acid (pK _A=1.29) and β-alanine (pK _A=3.55) with the same ionic strength and a high buffer capacity in order to improve the repeatability (0.1–0.2 %) of the electrophoretic mobility and to determine the values of pK _A accurately. This procedure was applied to the determination of the dissociation constants of several alkyl-alkylphosphonic acids whose pK _A values have not yet been published in the literature. In this work, their dissociation constants have been found to vary between 1.91 and 2.34 for alkyl-methylphosphonic acids and between 2.10 and 2.38 for alkyl-ethylphosphonic acids.     

Supramolecular organization of alpha,alpha'-disubstituted sexithiophenes

The self-assembly of alpha,alpha'-linked sexithiophenes with chiral and achiral penta(ethylene glycol) chains attached at the alpha-positions of the terminal rings, that is, 2,2':5',2':5',2':5',2':5',2'-sexithiophene-5,5'-dicarboxylic acid-2S)-2-methyl-3,6,9,12,15-pentaoxahexadecyl ester (1) and 2,2':5',2':5',2':5',2':5',2'-sexithiophene-5,5'-dicarboxylic acid-3,6,9,12,15-pentaoxahexadecyl ester (2), respectively is described. Analysis of the UV/vis, fluorescence, circular dichroism, and circular polarization of luminescence spectroscopic data shows that these compounds form chiral aggregates in polar solvents and in the solid state. In n-butanol aggregation occurs at temperatures below 30 degrees C, while above this threshold temperature the aggregates break up without an intermediate disordered state of aggregation, and the compounds are molecularly dissolved. The "melting temperature" of the aggregates depends on the concentration of sexithiophene, indicating that the optical changes observed are a result of intermolecular processes. Mass spectrometric measurements reveal that 1 and 2 can form mixed aggregates. Analysis of the optical spectra reveals that in these mixed aggregates, chiral 1 molecules act as "sergeants" to direct the packing of the "soldiers" 2, illustrating cooperativity within the columns. In water, the same type of chiral aggregates are formed as in n-butanol below 30 degrees C; however, these aggregates are still present, but the chirality is lost above 30 degrees C. In spin-coated films of 1 chiral aggregates are present. AFM studies show that 1 self-organizes into chiral fiberlike structures in the solid state. Furthermore both 1 and 2 display thermotropic liquid crystalline behavior between 180 and 200 degrees C.     

On the equation of state of classical one-component systems with long-range forces

Several definitions of the pressure are introduced for one-component systems and shown to be nonequivalent in the presence of a rigid neutralizing background. Relations between these pressures are derived for finite and infinite systems; these relations depend on the asymptotic behavior of the force at infinity, with the Coulomb force at the borderline between different properties. It is argued that only one of those definitions is physically acceptable and its properties are discussed in relation to the asymptotic behavior of the force. It is seen in particular that a knowledge of the state of the infinite system is not sufficient to determine its thermodynamic properties. The results are illustrated by some typical examples.For example, for two-dimensional systems with three-dimensional Coulomb interaction see refs. 2–4.     

Effects of the shutdown of a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant on nearby streams

In a study conducted in 1971, levels of tritium were found in Cattaraugus-Creek, a stream in Western New York State. This material was attributed to the operation in West Valley, New York of the world's first commercial nuclear fuels reprocessing plant. Several fission fragment isotopes in addition to tritium were also observed in Buttermilk Creek, one of the tributaries of Cattaraugus Creek that runs through the reprocessing plant grounds. The plant ceased processing nuclear fuel in December 1971, and a new set of measurements in these streams were made to assess the effect of the ending of the plant's operation. Substantially lower concentrations of tritium and no fission produced isotopes have been observed.     

Synthesis of polyrotaxanes based on α-cyclodextrin and poly(ethylene oxide)

Inclusion complexes of poly(ethylene oxide) with α-cyclodextrin are the key compounds in the synthesis of polyrotaxanes. These complexes prepared in aqueous solutions contain free cyclodextrin, which cocrystallizes with the major reaction product. These complexes dissociate upon dissolution in DMF and DMSO to form cyclodextrin and pseudopolyrotaxanes with a low cyclodextrin content. Polyrotaxane was synthesized with the use of poly(ethylene oxide)-α,ω-bis-amine as a linear component. The end-groups of the polymer in the inclusion complex were modified by the reaction with 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene. A procedure was developed for purification of a polyrotaxane with high cyclodextrin content. __________ Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1914–1918, August, 2005.     

Phase diagram of complex fluids using an efficient integral equation method

We present an adaptive technique for the determination of the phase diagram of fluids within the integral equation theory. It enables an efficient and accurate systematic mapping of the thermodynamic space in order to construct the binodal and spinodal lines. Results are obtained with the thermodynamically consistent integral equation proposed by Sarkisov [J. Chem. Phys. 114, 9496 (2001)] within the tangent linear technique that yields an exact differentiation of correlation functions. The generality of the numerical approach is assessed by determining both the liquid-vapor coexistence and the critical parameters of the generalized Lennard-Jones (n,6) potentials with varying repulsive part, including the hard-sphere limit.     

Analyse conformationnelle théorique

Résumé Une étude théorique ab initio SCF-LCAO-MO de la méthylène imine et de l'anion vinyle a été effectuée. Les barrières d'énergie calculées pour l'inversion de l'azote et pour la rotation autour de la liaison C=N sont respectivement de 26–28 kcal/mole et de 57 kcal/mole.La barrière d'inversion du carbanion calculée pour l'anion vinyle est de 39 kcal/mole et l'isomérisation des imines se fait donc par inversion de l'azote. Les anions vinyliques ont une configuration stable.L'origine physique de ces barrières d'inversion est étudiée et caractérisée par les variations des termes énergétiques, de la composition de l'OM du doublet libre et des populations électroniques.La comparaison des processus d'inversion du carbanion, de l'azote et de l'oxonium dans la série CH₂=CH, CH₂=NH et CH₂=OH a permis de mettre en évidence l'évolution des termes énergétiques, de la hauteur de la barrière et des transferts de population.

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Theoretical conformational analysisIV. An ab initio SCF-LCAO-MO study of methylenimine and of vinyl anion

An ab initio SCF-LCAO-MO study of methylenimine and vinyl anion has been performed. The calculated barriers to nitrogen inversion and to rotation about the C=N bond are equal to 26–28 kcal/mole and 57 kcal/mole respectively.The calculated barrier to carbanion inversion in the vinyl anion amounts to 39 kcal/mole. Thus isomerization of imines occurs by a nitrogen inversion process and vinyl anions are configurationally stable.The physical origin of these inversion barriers is studied and characterized by the changes in the energy terms, in lone pair MO composition, and in electron populations.Comparison of the carbanion, nitrogen and oxonium inversion processes in the isoelectronic series CH₂=CH, CH₂=NH and CH₂=OH permits to delineate general trends in the energy terms, barrier height and population transfers.

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Zusammenfassung Für Methylenimin und das Vinylanion wird eine ab initio SCF-LCAO-MO-Studie durchgeführt. Die berechneten Barrieren für die Stíckstoffinversion und die Rotation um die C=N-Bindung betragen 26–28 kcal/Mol bzw. 57 kcal/Mol.Die berechnete Barriere für die Inversion des Carbanions im Vinylanion beträgt 39 kcal/Mol. Daher wird die Isomerisation von Iminen durch einen Stickstoffinversionsprozeß hervorgerufen, und die Konfigurationen von Vinyl-Anionen sind stabil.Der physikalische Ursprung dieser Inversionsbarrieren wird studiert und durch Änderungen in den Energietermen, in der Zusammensetzung von Ione pair-MO's und in den Besetzungszahlen der Elektronen charakterisiert.Ein Vergleich der Inversionsprozesse des Carbanions, des Stickstoffs und des Oxonium-Ions in der isoelektronischen Reihe CH₂=CH^–, CH₂=NH and CH₂=OH⁺ ermöglicht es, allgemeine Züge in den Energietermen, in den Höhen der Barrieren und den Besetzungsübergängen abzuleiten.

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Précédent article de cette série: cf. Réf. [1].

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Laboratoire associé au C.N.R.S.     

Etude de la réaction de l'acé'tylacé'tate d'éthyle avec les diamino-1,5 imidazoles

The condensation of 1,5-diaminoimidazoles with ethyl aceto-acetate gives two types of compounds: imidazo[1,5-b]-1,2,4-triazepinones and imidazo[4,5-b]pyridinones. The structure of these compounds is demonstrated by rmn and mass spectroscopy. The formation of imidazo[4,5-b]pyridinones from imidazo[1,5-b]-triazepinones through a new transposition is also shown.     

Improvement of quality control of speciation analysis using hyphenated techniques A decade of progress within the European Community

The awareness of a need for an improved control of environmental contamination levels has led to the development of new hyphenated techniques for the determination of a wide variety of chemical species (e.g., organotins, methyl-mercury, alkyl-lead compounds etc.). These techniques generally involve many analytical steps such as extraction, derivatisation, separation and detection which have to be carried out in such a way that the speciation is not changed during the abalytical process. The need for evaluating the method's performance has led the BCR programme of the European Commission (now Standards, Measurements and Testing programme) to conduct series of interlaboratory studies during the last decade. These projects followed a step-by-step approach for the evaluation of different steps of the analytical methods used, e.g., simple solutions to test the detection, cleaned extract to evaluate the separation, spiked samples to test the extraction and natural samples to evaluate the whole analytical procedures. These collaborative projects allowed most of the sources of errors related to either a technique or a laboratory to be detected and removed. This paper gives an account of discussions of possible errors occurring in speciation analysis and presents examples of technical scrutiny of hyphenated techniques using chromatography as applied to the determination of tributyltin, methyl-mercury and trimethyllead.     

Further study of theE/f 1 (1420) meson in central production

We have studied the reactions \(({{\pi ^ + } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\pi ^ + } p}} \right. \kern-0em} p})p \to ({{\pi ^ + } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\pi ^ + } p}} \right. \kern-0em} p})(K\bar K\pi )p\) where the \(K\bar K\pi \) system is centrally produced, at 85 GeV/c and 300 GeV/c using the CERN Omega spectrometer. A spin-parity analysis of theK _S ⁰ K ^± π ^? system shows the presence of a strongJ ^PC=1⁺⁺ signal which we identify as theE/f ₁ (1420) meson. We also find evidence for the decayE/f ₁(1420)→K _S ⁰ K _S ⁰ π ⁰ which determines theC-parity of this state to be positive. Alternative explanations of the data have been tested and ruled out. Hence we obtain the quantum numbers of theE/f ₁ (1420) to beI ^G(J^PC)=0⁺(1⁺).