The determination of uranium in aqueous samples by means of a pulsed-source fluorescence spectrometer

Luminescence from aqueous uranyl ions is examined by means of a fluorescence spectrometer with a pulsed xenon light source. Background fluorescence is reduced by using time-based discrimination of the uranyl emission, but interference can still occur from quenchers such as iron(III). Such interferences are reduced by extraction of the uranyl ion into hexane containing trin-n-butyl phosphate, with back-extraction into dilute phosphoric acid before measurement. A detection limit of 5 ng ml^?1 is found with a linear calibration range of 0–10 μg ml^?1.     

Oscillating gradient measurements of fast oscillatory and rotational motion in the fluids

We demonstrate the combination of oscillating gradient waveforms with single-point imaging techniques to perform measurements of rapidly oscillating and/or rotating fluid motion. Measurements of Fourier components of motion can be performed over a wide range of frequencies, while the immunity of single-point imaging to time-evolution artefacts allows applications to systems with great susceptibility variations. The processing approaches, displacement resolution, and the diffusive attenuation are analyzed. Measurements of high-speed flow rotation in a spiral phantom, periodic displacements of oscillating gas in a thermoacoustic device and of cavitating liquid reveal a variety of motion spectra. The potential systems for study with the technique include turbulent motion, cavitation, and multiphase flows in general.     

Silanes in organic syuthesis. 11. Regiocontrolled synthesis of α-hydroxymethylated (trimethylsilyl)allenes

The organometallic produced by reaction of trimethylsilylpropargyl bromide with aluminum amalgam in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran condenses readily with aldehydes and ketones to give allenic alcohols resulting from coupling α to the trimethylsilyl substituent.     

Triggered aggregation of PbS nanocrystal dispersions; towards directing the morphology of hybrid polymer films using a removable bilinker ligand

Hybrid polymer films consist of quantum dots (QDs) dispersed in a polymer matrix. A key fundamental challenge that is hindering their optimisation in optoelectronic devices such as hybrid solar cells is overcoming uncontrolled aggregation of the QDs. In an effort to direct aggregation, and trigger self-assembly, we added a bilinker ligand (1,2-ethanedithiol) to dispersed PbS QDs in polymer solutions prior to film deposition by spin casting. Turbidity studies of the PbS QD/1,2-ethanedithiol dispersions enabled a relationship to be established between the extent of 1,2-ethanedithiol-triggered QD aggregation and the nominal fractional coverage of the QDs by 1,2-ethanedithiol. The extent of aggregation (and self-assembly) increased with nominal fraction coverage. Above a value of about 1.0 QD aggregation increased substantially. TEM images showed that at low 1,2-ethanedithiol concentrations triggered assembly of network-like QD structures occurred. At high 1,2-ethanedithiol concentrations the QDs self-assembled into more-ordered micrometre-sized crystals. The results suggest that 1,2-ethanedithiol decreases the inter-QD separation in dispersion as a result of rapid ligand exchange and this process results in QD aggregation as well as self-assembly. The assembled QD structures were successfully trapped within polymer films by spin casting of PbS QD/1,2-ethanedithiol dispersions containing added polystyrene or polytriarylamine.     

The use of slater orbitals in variational calculations involving one-electron green's functions

In this paper an application of a minimum principle proposed for electronic systems by Hall, Hyslop and Rees, [1] and [2], is considered. It is shown that the evaluation of the required two-centre molecular integrals involving one-electron Green's functions may be facilitated by the introduction of a particular class of trial functions. These functions incorporate the potential energy of the system as a weighting factor and Slater-type orbitals are then used as a basis set. The evaluation of the resulting integrals is discussed and illustrative calculations for the H ₂ ⁺ ion are presented.