Proton Relaxometry of Long-Lived Spin Order

A study of long-lived spin order in chlorothiophene carboxylates at both high and low magnetic fields is presented. Careful sample preparation (removal of dissolved oxygen in solution, chelating of paramagnetic impurities, reduction of convection) allows one to obtain very long-lived singlet order of the two coupled protons in chlorothiophene derivatives, having lifetimes of about 130 s in D₂O and 240 s in deuterated methanol, which are much longer than the T₁-relaxation times (18 and 30 s, respectively, at a field =9.4 T). In protonated solvents the relaxation times become shorter, but the lifetime is still substantially longer than . In addition, long-lived coherences are shown to have lifetimes as long as 30 s. Thiophene derivatives can be used as molecular tags to study slow transport, slow dynamics and slow chemical processes, as has been shown in recent years.     

Features and origin of the dynamic and the nonlinear piezoelectricity in poly(vinylidene fluoride)

Some of the piezoelectric coefficients of poly(vinylidene fluoride) are distinctly stress dependent. We report on their dependence on the frequency of an oscillatory stress excitation, on the amount of the remanent polarization in the sample materials, and on the magnitude of an offset stress. In order to explain the observed dynamic and nonlinear piezoelectric properties, a model is developed that attributes them to changes in the local polarization in an interphase between the crystalline and amorphous phases in this semicrystalline polymer.     

Dynamic complexity of optimal paths and discount factors for strongly concave problems

We study the relationship between the dynamical complexity of optimal paths and the discount factor in general infinite-horizon discrete-time concave problems. Given a dynamic systemx _t+1=h(x _t ), defined on the state space, we find two discount factors 0 < ^{* **} < 1 having the following properties. For any fixed discount factor 0 < < ^*, the dynamic system is the solution to some concave problem. For any discount factor ^** < < 1, the dynamic system is not the solution to any strongly concave problem. We prove that the upper bound ^** is a decreasing function of the topological entropy of the dynamic system. Different upper bounds are also discussed.This research was partially supported by MURST, National Group on Nonlinear dynamics in Economics and Social Sciences. The author would like to thank two anonymous referees for helpful comments and suggestions.     

Additivity Factors in the Binding of the Diethyltin(IV) Cation by Ligands Containing Amino and Carboxylic Groups at Different Ionic Strengths

Complex formation constants were determined potentiometrically (by a ISE-H⁺, glass electrode) in the systems, M²⁺ – L^z – H⁺ [M²⁺ = (C₂H₅)₂Sn²⁺, L^z = malonate, glycinate and ethylenediamine] at t = 25 ^∘C and 0.1 mol-L⁻¹≤ I/ ≤ 1 mol-L⁻¹ in NaCl_aq (0.1 mol-L⁻¹ ≤ I ≤ 0.75 mol-L⁻¹ for the ethylenediamine system). Thermodynamic values of formation constants, at infinite dilution, are [± 95% confidence interval, ^Tβ_pqr refer to the equilibrium, pM²⁺ + qL^z + rH⁺ = M_pL_qH_r^(2+z+r)]: for malonate, log₁₀ ^Tβ₁₁₀ = (5.47 ± 0.10); for glycinate, log₁₀ ^Tβ₁₁₀ = (9.54 ± 0.08), log₁₀ ^Tβ₁₁₁ = (12.97 ± 0.10); and for ethylenediamine, log₁₀ ^Tβ₁₁₀ = (10.47 ± 0.10), log₁₀ ^Tβ₁₂₀ = (16.17 ± 0.12) and log₁₀ ^Tβ₁₁₁ = (15.46 ± 0.10). The dependence on ionic strength of the formation constants was modeled by a simple Debye–Hückel type equation and by the SIT approach. By analyzing the stability of the species in the three different systems we found a simple additivity rule that can be expressed by the relationship: log₁₀ K = 6.46 n_N + 3.96 n_O − 0.60 (n_N²+ n_O²), with a mean deviation, ε(log₁₀ K) = 0.15 (K = equilibrium constant for the interaction of the organometal cation with the unprotonated or protonated ligand, n_N = number of amino groups and n_O = number of carboxylic groups of the ligand(s) involved in the formation reaction of complex species).     

Dependence of the relative retention of organic compounds on the nature and pressure of the carrier gas and on the thickness of the PEG-20M film in the capillary column

The effects of the carrier gas nature and pressure on the relative retention values of organic compounds were studied using a series of capillary columns differing in the film thickness of the polar stationary phase (PEG-20M). Relative retention depends linearly on the carrier gas pressure. This dependence becomes more pronounced in the following order of carrier gases: helium < nitrogen < carbon dioxide. The limiting relative retention at a carrier gas pressure approaching zero rather than relative retention values measured experimentally (relative retention time, Kovats retention index,etc.) is an invariant characteristic of a compound subjected to chromatography. For the carrier gases studied, the limiting retention values almost does not depend on the nature of the carrier gas used. The limiting indicating the complex absorption-adsorption nature of these parameters. Dissolution of a carrier gas in the stationary liquid phase has an effect on the relative retention. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2177–2186, December, 1997.     

Re-Evaluation of the Activity Coefficients of Aqueous Hydrochloric Acid Solutions up to a Molality of 2.0 Using Two-Parameter Hückel and Pitzer Equations. Part II. Results from 0 to 95°C

Simple two-parameter Hückel and Pitzer equations were used for the calculation of the activity coefficients of aqueous hydrochloric acid at temperatures 0–60°C up to a molality of 2.0 mol-kg^–1. The data obtained by Harned and Ehlers^(2,3) on galvanic cells without a liquid junction were used in the parameter estimations of these equations. These data consist of sets of measurements at the temperature intervals of 5°C. It was observed that all estimated parameters follow very simple equations with respect to temperature. They are either constant or depend linearly on the temperature. The values for the activity coefficient parameters calculated by these simple equations are recommended here. The recommended parameter values were tested by predicting the data of Gupta, Hills, and Ives,⁽⁵⁾ consisting of cell measurements from 5 to 45°C and molalities up to 1.0 mol-kg^–1, and the data of Bates and Bower,⁽⁴⁾ which extend to 95°C but measurements were only made on molalities less than about 0.1 mol-kg^–1. The activity coefficients obtained by the new equations were also compared to those calculated by the Pitzer equations with the parameter values determined by Saluja, Pitzer, and Phutela⁽⁶⁾ from calorimetric data. The agreement observed was excellent up to a molality of 1.5 mol-kg^–1 at temperatures from 0 to 60°C.     

Chloride distribution coefficient on strongly basic anion-exchange resin: Dependence on co-ion in alkali fluoride solutions

Summary The dependence of the chloride distribution coefficient on the co-ion of solutions of different alkali fluorides, MF, up to 11M is tested on the strongly basic anion-exchange resin AG1-X10. Under the same experimental conditions the distribution coefficient decreases in the following order for M⁺: Na⁺>K⁺>Rb⁺>Cs⁺. This can be explained by the different co-ion-chloride interactions. The consequence of this interaction for a chromatographic separation of chloride is shown with 5M KF and CsF solutions, used as eluants. Depending on the fluoride concentration, the distribution coefficient passes through a minimum value to increase again at higher electrolyte concentration. The non-exchange electrolyte in the resin phase is responsible for this effect. In addition, the bromide and the iodide distribution coefficients up to 10M KF solutions are determined. One results is that the selectivity coefficient between halide ions increases at higher electrolyte concentrations.     

Thermal denaturation of bovine serum albumin and its oligomers and derivativespH dependence

In a previous paper, we report a preliminary DSC study on bovine (BSA) and human (HSA) serum albumins. However, at accurate HPLC analysis the commercial proteins show three peaks: Fraction V-I, probably globulins (as declared by the producers), Fraction V-II (about 15–18% of the product) and Fraction V-III that represents pure BSA or HSA. A hypothesis is that the Fraction II is a covalent dimer, or trimer or a mixture of both, generated during the scalf-life of the commercial product. Denaturation enthalpies of the purified Fraction V-III and Fraction V-II of BSA, have been determined calorimetrically, at changing thepH, and the results of both compared with those obtained on the untreated protein. Few calorimetric experiments have been also carried on a BSA monomer derivative with sulphidril group protected. Computer program have been developed for the deconvolution of exo- and endothermic effects and for the analysis of thermal denaturation profiles.     

Temperature dependence of second critical micelle concentration of dodecyldimethylbenzylammonium bromide in aqueous solution

The specific conductivity of dodecyldimethylbenzylammonium bromide (C12BBr) in aqueous solutions, in the temperature range of 15 to 40 °C, has been measured as a function of molality. The two breaks which were found on the conductivity against molality plots were attributed to the critical micelle concentration, cmc, and second critical micelle concentration, 2^nd cmc, respectively. The ratio of the slopes, S, of the three linear fragments on the plots, S2/S1 and S3/S1, was attributed to the degree of ionization of the micelles at cmc and 2^nd cmc respectively. It was shown that the values of the 2^nd cmc estimated above 27 °C are only apparent due to thermal disintegration of the micelles. In the temperature range of 15 to 27 °C, the values of the 2^nd cmc increase gradually and the plot of the 2^nd cmc against temperature is concave. The ratio of 2^nd cmc/cmc for C12BBr at 25 °C amounts to 15 and appears to be high compared to the literature values for other surfactants. For comparative purposes the cmc and 2^nd cmc values were also estimated conductometrically for decyldimethylbenzylammonium bromide (C10BBr) at 25 °C. The 2^nd cmc value for this surfactant is higher compared to the value for the C12 homologue by a factor of 2.6.The standard Gibbs free energies of micellization at cmc and at the 2^nd cmc were estimated from the experimental data for both surfactants at 25 °C.     

Thermochromism of bithiophenes and internal aromatic chain rotation

The relation between thermochromism and thermal motion of aromatic rings on model bithiophene and 3-butylbithiophene molecules was studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on semiempirical AM1 hamiltonian. Theoretical optical spectra at various temperatures are generated from the conformations obtained from MD calculations. Alkyl chains have a tendency to tilt bithiophene fragments from co-planarity (connected with blue shift) whereas the unsubstituted systems prefer the higher degree of planarity (connected with red shift) upon the temperature increase. The slope of the linear temperature dependence of the reciprocal maximal wavelengths consists of the above electronic and of the vibrational contribution that (according to Wien’s displacement law) causes always the increase of the above mentioned slope by reciprocal Wien’s constant. This model explains the temperature dependence of experimental UV–vis spectra for dibutylheptathiophene and 3′,3,4′,4-tetrahexylhexathiophene.