Environmental Remediation Using Catalysis Driven Under Electromagnetic Irradiation

Photocatalytically reductive dehalogenation using nano-sized semiconductors such as ZnS and CdS nanocrystallites under respective UV ( > 300 nm) and visible light ( > 400 nm) irradiation is emphasized as a novel methodology for detoxification of halogenated organic compounds under mild conditions. Nano-sized ZnS and CdS can supply the compounds with photoexcited electrons of high reduction potentials. This photocatalytic dehalogenation is so selective that it gives no other products than the dehalogenated compounds. Microwave-assisted catalytic dehalogenation of halogenated organic compounds shows distinguished characteristics in rapid and complete detoxification, i.e., the selective heating and energy-saving when compared to conventional heating. Predominance of reductive dehalogenation performed in the above two systems is relieved in comparison with other reductive and oxidative techniques as detoxification methods.     

Isolation effect of a dynamic damper and a trench on ground vibration caused by a construction machine

In this study, a simple isolation method of ground vibration is proposed by using a dynamic damper and a trench, which is feasible for temporary use during a construction period. The ground is modeled as a two-dimensional plane model. Periodic impulsive excitation acts at one point on the ground surface, and the vibrations are measured at several evaluation points on the ground surface. A simple dynamic damper composed of a weight and a restoring element is set up at the ground surface or in the shallow trench, and the vibration isolation effect is examined. The simulation shows that the ground vibration can be isolated when the dynamic damper is set near the excitation point on the ground surface, and setting the dynamic damper in a shallow trench has almost the same isolation effect as that in a deep trench. The results indicate that the proposed isolation method is feasible for actual application.     

Acute toxicity and metabolism of arsenocholine in mice

The acute toxicity of arsenocholine was examined in mice by oral administration and intravenous injection. The LD₅₀ values of arsenocholine were 6.5 g kg^?1 for oral administration and 187 mg kg^?1 for oral administration and 187 mg kg^?1 for intravenous injection. Decreases of respiration and spontaneous motility were observed in the mice dosed orally at 12 g kg^?1. The animals exhibited ataxia and finally showed paralysis of the hind legs within 20 min of administration. When arsenocholine was administered orally to mice at 5 or 50 mg As kg^?1, the greater part of the arsenic administered was recovered in urine within 96 h. The metabolite of arsenocholine in urine was identified as arsenobetaine by high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (HPLC ICP) and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB MS). These results suggested that the major part of orally administered arsenocholine was absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in mice and then rapidly excreted in urine with biotransformation.     

Assignments of optically pumped CH3OD laser lines

Fifteen laser lines from CH₃OD pumped by a CO₂ laser are assigned to specific rotational energy transitions. These assignments have been obtained from the approximation that, except for one constant, the molecular constants in the excited CO stretching state are same as those in the ground state.     

Conformal and poincaré tensor calculi in N=1 supergravity

We present the superconformal tensor calculus for N=1 supergravity in a complete form; irreducible multiplets, their multiplication and embedding formulae and invariant action formulae. It is further clarified in detail how the various versions of N=1 Poincaré supergravity (i.e. with different sets of auxiliary fields) are reproduced from the unique superconformal theory. The tensor calculi for all the known versions of Poincaré supergravity are derived explicitly.     

Kinetic study of the gas-phase reaction c-C5H8 + I2 ⇄ c-C5H6 + 2HI the heat of formation and the stabilization energy of the cyclopentenyl radical

The gas-phase dehydrogenation of cyclopentene to cyclopentadiene catalyzed by iodine in the range 178–283°C has been found to obey a rate law consistent with the slow rate-determining step, \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ {\rm I} + {\rm c} - {\rm C}_5 {\rm H}_8 \stackrel{4}{\rightarrow}{\rm HI} + {\rm c} - {\rm C}_5 {\rm H}_7 $\end{document}, log [k₄/(1 mole^?1 sec^?1)] = 10.25 ± 0.08 - (12.26 ± 0.18)/θ, where θ = 2.303 R T in kcal/mole. Surface effects are not important. This value of E₄ leads to a value of DH = 82.3 ± 1 kcal/mole and ΔH_f298 = 38.4 ± 1 kcal/mole. From difference in bond strengths in the alkane and the alkene, the allylic resonance stabilization in the cyclopentenyl radical is 12.6 ± 1.0 kcal/mole, in excellent agreement with the value for the butenyl radical. Arrhenius parameters for the other steps in the mechanism are evaluated. The low value of A₄ (compared with A₄ for cyclopentane) suggests a “tighter” transition state for H-atom abstraction from alkenes than from alkanes.