A new one-pot three-component condensation reaction for the synthesis of 5-deaza-5,8-dihydropterins

The one-pot cyclocondensation of 2,6-diaminopyrimidin-4-one, an aromatic or aliphatic aldehyde and a beta-ketoester in acetic acid, or dimethyl sulfoxide in the presence of zinc(II) bromide, under thermal conditions provided dihydropyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones in good yield and with total regiocontrol.     

The effect of a magnetic field on the singlet/triplet ratio in geminate ion recombination

Excited state formation by ion recombination in solutions of fluorene in squalene has been studied by pulse radiolysis at the center of a large electromagnet. The products of the slower part of the ion recombination are affected by an applied magnetic field. The fluorescence yield increases by a factor of about 1.5 whereas the triplet yield decreases.     

PIXE-RBS combination to measure uranium and thorium in environmental and biological samples

A combination of two techniques, PIXE (particle induced x-ray emission) and RBS (Rutherford backscattering), is proposed as an analytical tool to measure uranium and thorium in environmental and biological samples and in the study of the micro-distribution of uranium is low Z matrices such as biological tissue.Work supported by U.S. Department of Energy Contracts DE-AC02-76CH-00116 (MC, KWJ) and DE-AC02-76EV-00119 (NPS, MEW). One of us (ASP) is grateful to FINEP (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos) and CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Technológico).     

Extraction of Zr(IV) by TBP-DMSO and TBP-Py from aqueous solutions containing monobasic acids

The distribution ratios for the extraction of Zr(IV) by TBP and its binary mixtures with DMSO or Py in n-dodecane in the presence of HNO₃, and HClO₄ have been determined. Based on stoichiometric and slope analysis methods a possible mechanism for the extraction has been proposed.     

Synthesis of ultrafine SiC from rice hulls (husks): A plasma process

Heat-treated rice hulls have been used as precursor material for synthesis of ultrafne SiC in a RF plasma reactor. Rice hulls containing finely distributed silica and active carbon act as a source for SiC formation. The plasma-synthesized powder contained ultrafnc -SiC with excess carbon and some unreacted silica. Post-treatment processes such as oxidation and acid (HF) treatment appear to be effective in removing the excess carbon and silica.     

Layered droplet microstructures in sheared emulsions: finite-size effects

We investigate the influence of confinement on the steady state microstructure of emulsions sheared between parallel plates, in a regime where the average droplet dimension is comparable to the gap width between the confining walls. Utilizing droplet velocimetry, we find that the droplets can organize into discrete layers under the influence of shear. The number of layers decreases from two (at relatively higher shear rates) to one (at lower shear rates), as the drops grow slightly larger due to coalescence. We argue that the layering and overall composition profile may be controlled by the interplay of droplet collisions (which can cause separation of droplet centers in the velocity gradient direction), droplet migration toward the centerline (due to wall effects), and droplet packing constraints. We also study the effects of mixture composition on droplet microstructure, and summarize these results in the form of a morphology diagram in the parameter space of mass fraction and shear rate. We find that formation of strings of the suspended phase (reported earlier by our group in flow-visualization studies on confined emulsions) is observed over a broad composition window. We also find a stable (nontransient) morphology wherein the droplets are arranged in highly ordered pearl-necklace chain structures.     

Electrical conduction in copper vanadate

A.C. and d.c. electrical conductivities, thermoelectric power and dielectric constant of copper vanadate (CuV₂O₆) have been measured in the temperature range 300–1000 K in order to discuss the electrical conduction in the compound. The extrinsic conduction, which takes place below 500 K, has been explained by small polaron hopping mechanism while intrinsic conduction, which takes place above 500 K, has been explained by large polaron band mechanism in view of the values of activation energy and charge carrier mobility in the temperature ranges 300–500 K and 500–1000 K.