Influence of low-intensity electromagnetic field on autooscillations of concentration in belousov-zhabotinskii reaction

A study has been made of the influence of an electromagnetic field (EMGF) with a frequency in the 40–60 GHz range and intensity up to 4–8 mW on autowaves of concentration in the reaction of sodium bromate (0.3 M), malonic acid (0.2 M), sulfuric acid (0.45 M), and Ferroin (0.003 M). It has been found that the action of the EMGF leads to decreases in the wavelength by amounts up to 26%. The experimentally measured temperature gradient created by the EMGF in a thin layer of the reaction mixture is no greater than 0.4°K. The value calculated for the solution temperature rise that is required to create the experimentally observed decrease in wavelength is 5–6° K. It is concluded, therefore, that the observed effect cannot be explained solely by thermal action of the EMGF through heating the reaction mixture.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 25, No. 6, pp. 704–709, November–December, 1989.     

Glassy crystalline state and water sorption of alkyl maltosides

A differential scanning calorimetric and sorption calorimetric study of two alkyl maltosides, C8G2 and C10G2, was performed. In the dry state, C8G2 and C10G2 do not form solid crystals but undergo a glass transition upon temperature change. The glass is partly ordered and has the same lamellar structure as the liquid crystals formed by the two maltosides. To reflect the presence of the glass transition and the structure, the terms "glassy crystals" and "glassy liquid crystals" can be used. A mechanism of the relaxation of the glassy crystals based on the results of small-angle X-ray scattering experiments is proposed. Experiments on water sorption showed that the glassy crystals turn into lyotropic liquid crystals upon sorption of water at constant temperature. This isothermal glass transition can be characterized by water content and change of partial molar enthalpy of mixing of water. A method to calculate the phase diagram liquid crystals-glassy liquid crystals is proposed.     

Spectroscopic characterization of human and mouse primary cells,cell lines and malignant cells

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is currently being developed as a new optical approach to the diagnosis and characterization of cell or tissue pathology. The advantage of FTIR microspectroscopy over conventional FTIR spectroscopy in the diagnosis of malignancies is that it facilitates inspection of restricted regions of the cell culture or tissue. In this study, we set out to evaluate FTIR microspectroscopy as a diagnostic tool for identifying retrovirus-induced malignancies. Our study showed significant and consistent differences between cultures of different types of cells of both mouse and human origin, i.e. primary fibroblast cells (one to two passages in cell culture), fibroblast cell lines and malignant cells transformed by murine sarcoma virus. An impressive decrease in the levels of phosphate and other metabolites was seen in malignant cells compared with primary cells. The levels of these metabolites in the cell lines were significantly lower than in the primary cells but higher than in the malignant cells. In addition, the peak attributed to the PO2- symmetric stretching mode at 1082 cm(-1) in primary cells shifted significantly to 1085 cm(-1) for the cell line and to 1087 cm(-1) for the malignant cells. These differences taken together with differences in the shapes of various bands throughout the spectrum strongly support the possibility of developing FTIR microspectroscopy for the detection and study of malignant--and possibly premalignant--cells.     

Exploration of the Crystal Structure and Thermal and Spectroscopic Properties of Monoclinic Praseodymium Sulfate Pr2(SO4)3

Praseodymium sulfate was obtained by the precipitation method and the crystal structure was determined by Rietveld analysis. Pr₂(SO₄)₃ is crystallized in the monoclinic structure, space group C2/c, with cell parameters a = 21.6052 (4), b = 6.7237 (1) and c = 6.9777 (1) Å, β = 107.9148 (7)°, Z = 4, V = 964.48 (3) ų (T = 150 °C). The thermal expansion of Pr₂(SO₄)₃ is strongly anisotropic. As was obtained by XRD measurements, all cell parameters are increased on heating. However, due to a strong increase of the monoclinic angle β, there is a direction of negative thermal expansion. In the argon atmosphere, Pr₂(SO₄)₃ is stable in the temperature range of T = 30–870 °C. The kinetics of the thermal decomposition process of praseodymium sulfate octahydrate Pr₂(SO₄)₃·8H₂O was studied as well. The vibrational properties of Pr₂(SO₄)₃ were examined by Raman and Fourier-transform infrared absorption spectroscopy methods. The band gap structure of Pr₂(SO₄)₃ was evaluated by ab initio calculations, and it was found that the valence band top is dominated by the p electrons of oxygen ions, while the conduction band bottom is formed by the d electrons of Pr³⁺ ions. The exact position of ZPL is determined via PL and PLE spectra at 77 K to be at 481 nm, and that enabled a correct assignment of luminescent bands. The maximum luminescent band in Pr₂(SO₄)₃ belongs to the ³P₀ → ³F₂ transition at 640 nm.     

Anodic trifluoromethylation of 10-undecylenic acid

The electrooxidation of a (～3: 1) mixture of trifluoroacetic and 10-undecylenic acids in MeCN with an aqueous KOH addition on different anodic catalysts was studied. The oxidation of trifluoroacetate ions that forms trifluoromethyl radicals is the key stage of the process, while 10-undecylenic acid seems to be merely an acceptor of the electrogenerated radicals, i.e., shows the chemical properties characteristic of olefins. The galvanostatic electrolysis of trifluoroacetic and 10-undecylenic acids led to a mixture of the products of trifluoromethylation of the latter and the products of coupling of the formed radical species. According to a qualitative estimation, the total yield of these products was 74%.