(Vapor + liquid) equilibria of the binary mixtures of m-cresol with C1-C4 aliphatic alcohols at 95.5 kPa

Bubble point temperatures at 95.5 kPa, over the entire composition range, are measured for the binary mixtures formed by m-cresol with: methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, and n-, iso-, sec-, and tert-butanols - using a Swietoslawski-type ebulliometer. The liquid phase composition - bubble point temperature measurements are well represented by the Wilson model. (Vapor + liquid) equilibria predicted from the model are presented.     

Alkyl (C<Subscript>10</Subscript>, C<Subscript>12</Subscript>, C<Subscript>14</Subscript> and C<Subscript>16</Subscript>) triphenyl phosphonium bromide influenced cloud points of nonionic surfactants (Triton X 100, Brij 56 and Brij 97) and the polymer (Polyvinyl methyl ether)

The clouding points (CP) of the nonionic surfactants p-tert-octyl phenyl polyoxyethylene ether (Triton X 100), Brij-56 and Brij-97, and the water soluble polymer polyvinylmethylether (PVME) have been measured in the presence of the ionic surfactants alkyl (C₁₀, C₁₂, C₁₄ and C₁₆) triphenyl phosphonium bromides (ATPBs). The threshold additive concentrations required for efficient CP enhancement of the systems that were studied have been determined. Considering CP as the threshold state of phase separation, the energetics of the process at different additive concentrations has been evaluated. The spontaneity of free energy of the clouding process (G _c ⁰ ) at the transition concentrations followed the order PVME > TX 100  Bj 56 > Bj 97. The clouding process has been found to be energetically endothermic with fairly large enthalpy and entropy changes that nicely compensate each other. The compensation temperature has been evaluated and compared with different types of the clouding agents.This revised version was published online in January 2005 with corrections to the names of the authors.     

Absolute configuration of C2-symmetric spiroselenurane: 3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl-1,1'-spirobi[3 H,2,1]benzoxaselenole

The enantiomers of 3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl-1,1'-spirobi[3 H,2,1]benzoxaselenole have been separated on a chiral preparative chromatographic column. The experimental vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra have been obtained for both enantiomers in CH(2)Cl(2). The theoretical VCD spectra have been obtained by means of density functional theoretical calculations with the B3 LYP density functional. From a comparison of experimental and theoretical VCD spectra, the absolute configuration of an enantiomer with positive specific rotation in CH(2)Cl(2) at 589 nm is determined to be R. This conclusion has been verified by comparing results of experimental optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) to predictions of the same properties using the B3 LYP functional for the title compound.     

Electrochemistry and photoelectron spectroscopy of oxomolybdenum(V) complexes with phenoxide ligands: effect of para substituents on redox potentials,heterogeneous electron transfer rates,and ionization energies

Complexes of the form (Tp*)MoOCl(p-OC(6)H(4)X) and (Tp*)MoO(p-OC(6)H(4)X)(2) (Tp* = hydrotris(3,5-dimethyl-1-pyrazolyl)borate and X = OEt, OMe, Et, Me, H, F, Cl, Br, I, and CN) were examined by electrochemical techniques and gas-phase photoelectron spectroscopy to probe the effect of the remote substituent (X) on electron-transfer reactions at the oxomolybdenum core. Cyclic voltammetry revealed that all of these neutral Mo(V) compounds undergo a quasireversible one-electron oxidation (Mo(VI)/Mo(V)) and a quasireversible one-electron reduction (Mo(V)/Mo(IV)) at potentials that linearly depend on the electronic influence (Hammett sigma(p) parameter) of X. The first ionization energies for (Tp*)MoO(p-OC(6)H(4)X)(2) (X = OEt, OMe, H, F, and CN) were determined by photoelectron spectroscopy. A nearly linear correlation was found for the Mo(VI)/Mo(V) oxidation potentials in solution and the gas-phase ionization energies. Calculated heterogeneous electron-transfer rate constants show a slight systematic dependence on the substituent.     

Phase equilibria for binary systems of octane boosters with 2,2,4-trimethylpentane

Isobaric vapor–liquid equilibrium data at 95.96 kPa for the three binary systems of 2,2,4-trimethylpentane with methyl tert-butyl ether, di-isopropyl ether and dimethoxymethane are determined. A Swietoslawski type ebulliometer is used for the measurements. The experimental T–x data are used to estimate Wilson parameters and the parameters, in turn, are used to calculate vapor phase compositions and activity coefficients. All the systems studied here do not exhibit azeotropes and behave like non-ideal solutions.     

Electro-oxidation and electro-reduction of some iron (II), cobalt(II) and nickel(II) polypyridyl complexes in acetonitrile

Cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential coulometry studies of 2,2′-bipyridyl, 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridyl and 2,2′, 2″-terpyridyl complexes of Fe(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) in acetonitrile are described. E_1/2 values for M(III)/M(II) and M(II)/M)I) couples are compared and crystal field effects discussed. A series of M(I) and M(III) polypyridyl complexes have been prepared by controlled potential electrolysis; these include a number of 3+ and 1+ oxidation state complexes of nickel which have not previously been isolated — [Ni(bipy)₃]-(ClO₄)₃, [Ni(dimbipy)₃](ClO₄)₃, [Ni(terpy)₂](ClO₄)₃ and [Ni(bipy)₂]ClO₄.     

Sol-gel-derived micron scale optical fibers for chemical sensing

We report for the first time on the preparation of organically-doped room temperature processed sol-gel-derived micron scale optical fibers as platforms for chemical- and bio-sensors. Micron scale optical fibers are drawn from fluorescent dye-doped tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)-derived sol-gel solution processed under ambient conditions. Such a simple methodology to entrap organic and even bioactive species within the optical fiber offers many advantages over more conventional ways of immobilizing organic probes for the development of optical sensors. Specifically, we report on the photophysical properties of fluorescein (a pH sensitive fluorescent dye) and rhodamine 6G (R6G; laser dye) entrapped within sol-gel-derived optical fibers. We present the preliminary results on the viability of such doped optical fibers for chemical sensing. Our results demonstrate that a fluorescein-doped sol-gel-derived optical fiber responds to ammonia and acid vapors with a response time of 1–2 seconds.     

Analytical study of the performance of minSIS solar cells with a back surface field

The effect of a Back Surface Field (BSF) on the performance of a minority-carrier transparent Semiconductor-Insulator-Semiconductor (minSIS) solar cell has been studied. An analytical one-dimensional model has been developed for the calculation of transport characteristics of minSIS solar cells. Short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, fill factor and efficiency are then calculated for a sputtered Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO)-SiO₂-pSi-p ⁺Si solar cell under AM1 illumination for different values ofpSi- andp ⁺ Si-layer thicknesses. It is found that for a large base thickness, the effect of BSF is not significant; however, for a small thickness all the quantities increase with BSF.     

Thermal decomposition of 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium halochromate complexes

Thermal decomposition studies of 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium halochromates have been carried out upto 1000°C at a linear heating rate of 10 deg·min^?1. The complexes undergo two stage decomposition. First one corresponds to the redox decomposition of the complex along with the loss of a phenyl halide molecule and 3/2 mol of oxygen. While, the second step corresponds to the oxidation of the formazan type structure formed in the first step. The first step decomposition follows diffusion controlled reaction mechanism in a sphere governed by the equationg(α)=[1?(1?α)^1/3]². Activation energy and pre-exponential factors have been determined by Coats-Redfern model and Dixit-Ray model. Activation energy decreases as the electronegativity of the halide ion decreases.     

Size-selective synthesis and stabilization of gold organosol in C(n)TAC: enhanced molecular fluorescence from gold-bound fluorophores

Gold nanoparticles of variable sizes have been synthesized in toluene employing two-phase (water-toluene) extraction of AuCl4- followed by its reduction with sodium borohydride in the presence of a series of cationic surfactants of a homologous series having the general formula C(n)TAC. The solubility features of the gold particles in the organic solvent have been accounted qualitatively by calculating the van der Waals interaction potential between the particles. The effect of thermal energy and medium dielectric constant on the stability of metal particles has been studied by measuring the surface plasmon resonance. The stabilization of surfactant-mediated gold particles as hydrosol or organosol has been elucidated by considering the double-layer interaction as a function of the dielectric constant of the solvent medium. The influence of the counterion of the phase transfer reagent and stabilizing ligand on the photochemical stability of the gold colloids has been investigated. The fluorescence probe 1-methylaminopyrene (MAP) was considered for the surface functionalization of the gold particles, and it has been found that there is an enhancement of molecular fluorescence from the gold-probe assembly.