Degradation of ²-O-4 lignin model and related compounds by the ascomyceteChrysonilia sitophila (TFB 27441 strain)

Growth of the ascomyceteChrysonilia sitophila during degradation of lignin model dimers and monomers was compared to a glucose control. An inhibition of growth by Cα-carbonyl monomers and stimulation by β-O-4 lignin model and vanillyl alcohol were observed. A comparison of the degradation by this ascomycete with the basidiomycetePhanerochaete chrysosoporium showed similarities in relation to the type of degradation caused.     

Photophysical aspects of single-molecule detection by two-photon excitation with consideration of sequential pulsed illumination.

An important goal in single molecule fluorescence correlation spectroscopy is the theoretical simulation of the fluorescence signal stemming from individual molecules and its autocorrelation function. The simulation approaches developed up to now are based exclusively on continuous-wave (cw) illumination and consequently on cw-excitation. However, this approximation is no longer valid in the case of two-photon excitation, for which pulsed illumination is usually employed. We present a novel theoretical model for the simulation of the fluorescence signal of single molecules and its autocorrelation function with consideration of the time dependence of the excitation flux and thus of all illumination-dependent photoprocesses: two-photon excitation, induced emission and photobleaching. Further important characteristics of our approach are the consideration of the dependence of the photobleaching rate on illumination and the low intersystem-crossing rates of the studied coumarins. Moreover, using our approach, we can predict quantitatively the effect of the laser pulse width on the fluorescence signal of a molecule, that is, the contributions of the photobleaching and saturation effects, and thus we can calculate the optimal laser pulse width. The theoretical autocorrelation functions were fitted to the experimental data, and we could ascertain a good agreement between the resulting and the expected parameters. The most important parameter is the photobleaching constant sigma, the cross section of the transition Sn<--S1, which characterises the photostability of the molecules independent of the experimental conditions. Its value is 1.7 x 10(-23) cm2 for coumarin 153 and 5 x 10(-23) cm2 for coumarin 314.     

An Electrostatic Bond Energy Model for Enthalpies of Formation of Chloroalkanes in Gaseous States

An electrostatic bond energy model is formulated to fit the enthalpies of formation and dipole moments of the alkanes and chloroalkanes. In this model, the charge distributions are calculated by an electrostatic approach similar to the "MSE" method, and the enthalpy of formation of a molecule is the sum of the bond energy terms plus the electrostatic energy of the interactions between the charges on all atoms. All parameters of this model are obtained by parameterization. The calculated dipole moments for 13 chloroalkanes and enthalpies of formation for 19 alkanes and non-geminal chloroalkanes agree with the determined values very well. To calculate the enthalpies of formation of geminal chloroalkanes, a correction mainly attributed to the van der Waals interactions in the geminal substituted group, about 24 kJ/mol per pair of geminal chlorine atoms, is introduced.     

New Monte Carlo method for the self-avoiding walk

We introduce a new Monte Carlo algorithm for the self-avoiding walk (SAW), and show that it is particularly efficient in the critical region (long chains). We also introduce new and more efficient statistical techniques. We employ these methods to extract numerical estimates for the critical parameters of the SAW on the square lattice. We find=2.63820 ± 0.00004 ± 0.00030=1.352 ± 0.006 ± 0.025v=0.7590 ± 0.0062 ± 0.0042 where the first error bar represents systematic error due to corrections to scaling (subjective 95% confidence limits) and the second bar represents statistical error (classical 95% confidence limits). These results are based on SAWs of average length 166, using 340 hours CPU time on a CDC Cyber 170–730. We compare our results to previous work and indicate some directions for future research.     

Semiclassical study of collision-induced predissociation: Comparison of the Landau-Zener model with the method of analytic continuation

Semiclassical calculations are carried out by two methods for the problem of collision-induced predissociation of electronically excited I₂. The first method is that of surface-hopping with the Landau-Zener model. The second method is similar to surface-hopping, except that analytic continuation of the adiabatic potential energy surfaces replaces the Landau-Zener model. Results of the calculations by the two methods compare favorably with each other and with experiment. The possible advantages of the second method are discussed.Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow.     

The molecular and crystal structures of two diastereomeric 3,4-dihydropyrromethenones

The molecular and crystal structures of the two racemic diastereomeric 3,4-dihydropyrromethenone derivatives1 and2 of configurations (Z) and (E) were determined at 93 K (1, 2) and at room temperature (1). From an analysis of the crystallographically observed temperature coefficients a pseudorotation flexibility of the pyrrolidinone ring in the crystal is deduced. In both compounds a nearly orthogonal arrangement between the two heterocyclic ring systems is observed, which is ascribed to the steric bulk of the substituents in positions 1 and 3 of the pyrrolidinone ring.Herrn Prof.Josef Schurz zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

Optical Properties of Model Compounds of Polyaniline

The UV and visible spectra of six model compounds were studied. These compounds can be considered as models of polyaniline in the reduced, cation radical, partially oxidized and oxidized forms. After treatment of a mixture of equal molar quantities of the reduced form (DPPD) and the oxidized form (QDIM) with acid, the following reaction was observed: DPPD(I)+QDIM(III)+2H⁺=2DPPD⁺(II) After similar treatment of the partially oxidized form (V) with acid, the radical cation salt formed. The UV and visible spectra of polyaniline in the reduced form, oxidized form and conductive form are similar to the spectra of DPPD, QDIM and DPPD⁺ or radical cation salt of V respectively. We propose that the polyaniline synthesized by chemical oxidation of aniline consists of oxidized and reduced repeat units. Upon protonation a redox reaction (or electron rearrangement) occurs and forms delocalized radical cations (polarons) in the polymer chain which are highly conductive.     

Simultaneous determination of noradrenaline and dopamine in Portulaca oleracea L. by capillary zone electrophoresis

A simple and rapid capillary electrophoretic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA) in Portulaca oleracea L. The buffer solution used in this method was 40 mM tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (Tris)-H3PO4 at pH 2.00 containing 15% methanol. The effects of pH value, organic modifier, and applied voltage were investigated. The linear ranges of NA and DA were 0.5-100 microg/mL (r=0.9952) and 6.25-200 microg/mL (r=0.9992), respectively. The relative standard deviations of the corrected peak area were 6.73% and 4.26%, respectively. NA and DA in Portulaca oleracea L. were simultaneous determined successfully within 5.6 min. In this way, the contents of NA and DA in different parts (stem, leaves, and seeds) of P. oleracea L. and in different extracts of leaves with different solvents (distilled water, 50% methanol, and methanol) were studied.     

Dynamics of the formation of two-dimensional ordered structures

The growth of ordered domains in lattice gas models, which occurs after the system is quenched from infinite temperature to a state below the critical temperatureT _c, is studied by Monte Carlo simulation. For a square lattice with repulsion between nearest and next-nearest neighbors, which in equilibrium exhibits fourfold degenerate (2×1) superstructures, the time-dependent energy E(t), domain size L(t), and structure functionS(q, t) are obtained, both for Glauber dynamics (no conservation law) and the case with conserved density (Kawasaki dynamics). At late times the energy excess and halfwidth of the structure factor decrease proportional tot ^–x, whileL(t) t ^x, where the exponent x=1/2 for Glauber dynamics and x1/3 for Kawasaki dynamics. In addition, the structure factor satisfies a scaling lawS(k,t)=t ^2xS(kt^x). The smaller exponent for the conserved density case is traced back to the excess density contained in the walls between ordered domains which must be redistributed during growth. Quenches toT>T _c, T=T_c (where we estimate dynamic critical exponents) andT=0 are also considered. In the latter case, the system becomes frozen in a glasslike domain pattern far from equilibrium when using Kawasaki dynamics. The generalization of our results to other lattices and structures also is briefly discussed.     

INTRAPARTICLE DIFFUSION EFFECTS IN FISCHER-TROPSCH SYNTHESIS Ⅰ. MODELING OF DIFFUSION AND REACTION

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