Determination of trace metals in industrial boron carbide by solid sampling optical emission spectrometry. Optimization of DC arc excitation (current, atmosphere and chemical modifier)

Graphite arc emission spectrometry has become possible as a result of the invention of novel types of optical spectrometers with Echelle-optics and semiconductor array detectors, and by the application of electronically controlled, high current arc generators. An optimization of the excitation parameters to boron carbide analysis is reported here, measuring background corrected line intensities that were integrated for the time of total evaporation of 5 mg boron carbide sample with or without added chemical modifiers. The following set of experimental conditions were compared with respect of analytical sensitivity and precision: (A) no modifier, Ar + O₂ (20%), 16 A; (B) sample + graphite powder (1 + 1), Ar + O₂ (20%), 16 A; (C) sample + CaF₂ (1 + 1), Ar, 25 A; (D) sample + CaF₂ + graphite powder (1 + 1 + 1), Ar, 25 A. The graphite powder modifier resulted in improved precision in general, and the CaF₂ was effective as a plasma ionization buffer and fluorinating agent. The best compromise was found under conditions B, when oxygen was present in the discharge atmosphere. This is likely due to the stepwise conversion of the boron carbide matrix to the more volatile boron oxide. Under conditions B, detection limits in the ranges of 0.3–9 μg g⁻¹ for Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn and Si and that of 18–38 μg g⁻¹ for Ti, W, and Zr were attained. Average RSDs of 10.2 and 9.7% were found, respectively, without and with internal referencing to boron.     

Imaging Magnetic Domain Structures with Soft X-Ray Microscopy

The current achievements in magnetic transmission soft X-ray microscopy will be reviewed. The magnetic contrast is given by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (X-MCD), i.e., the dependence of the absorption coefficient of circularly polarized X rays on the projection of the magnetization in a ferromagnetic system onto the photon propagation direction. X-MCD contrast can reach, e.g., at L_2,3 edges in transition metals, large values up to 50%. Combined with a soft X-ray microscope where Fresnel zone plates acting as optical elements provide a lateral resolution down at 25 nm, it allows for imaging magnetic microstructures. Specific features of this photon-based technique are the recording of images in varying external magnetic fields, an inherent chemical specificity, a high sensitivity to thin magnetic layers, due to the large contrast, and the possibility to distinguish between in-plane and out-of plane contributions. In this report, recent results obtained with the XM-1 microscope at the ALS (Berkeley/CA) demonstrate the broad applicability of this novel experimental technique to both fundamental and technological relevant issues in nanomagnetism. The future potential will be briefly outlined.     

Graph theoretical procedure for obtaining analytical expressions of eigenspectra of linear chains and cycles with alternant vertex weights and same edge weight: Application to some complicated graphs

A graph theoretical procedure for obtaining eigenvalues of linear chains and cycles having alternant vertex weights (h₁, h₂, h₁, h₂, h₁, h₂, …) and the same edge weight (k) have been developed. The eigenvalues of some complicated graphs, such as graphs of linear polyacenes, methylene‐substituted linear polyacenes and cylindrical polyacene strips, stack graphs, and reciprocal graphs have been shown to be generated in closed analytical forms by this procedure. Many such graphs represent chemically important molecules or radicals. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Quarter wave plates for submillimeter wavelengths

A review is given of different types of quarter wave plates as presently used in the optical and microwave spectral range, with a view to their application in the sub-mm wave-length range. Two types of quarter wave plates have been constructed and results of measurements at 640m are given.     

Bimetallic Gold(I) Complexes with Ethynyl‐Helicene and Bis‐Phosphole Ligands: Understanding the Role of Aurophilic Interactions in their Chiroptical Properties

Monometallic gold(I)‐alkynyl‐helicene complexes ( 1 a , b ) and bimetallic gold(I)‐alkynyl‐helicene architectures featuring the presence ( 2 a , b ) or absence ( 3 a , b ) of aurophilic intramolecular interactions were prepared by using different types of phosphole ligands (mono‐phosphole L1 or bis‐phospholes L2 , 3 ). The influence of the Au^I d¹⁰ metal center(s) on the electronic, photophysical, and chiroptical properties of these unprecedented phosphole‐gold(I)‐alkynyl‐helicene complexes was examined. Experimental and theoretical results highlight the importance of ligand‐to‐ligand‐type charge transfers and the strong effect of the presence or absence of Au^I–Au^I interactions in 2 a , b .     

Host–Guest Assembly of a Molecular Reporter with Chiral Cyanohydrins for Assignment of Absolute Stereochemistry

The absolute stereochemistry of cyanohydrins, derived from ketones and aldehydes, is obtained routinely, in a microscale and derivatization‐free manner, upon their complexation with Zn‐MAPOL, a zincated porphyrin host with a binding pocket comprised of a biphenol core. The host–guest complex leads to observable exciton‐coupled circular dichroism (ECCD), the sign of which is easily correlated to the absolute stereochemistry of the bound cyanohydrin. A working model, based on the ECCD signal of cyanohydrins with known configuration, is proposed.     

Improved square coloring of planar graphs

Square coloring is a variant of graph coloring where vertices within distance two must receive different colors. When considering planar graphs, the most famous conjecture (Wegner, 1977) states that $\frac{3}{2}\mathrm{\Delta }+1$ colors are sufficient to square color every planar graph of maximum degree Δ. This conjecture has been proven asymptotically for graphs with large maximum degree. We consider here planar graphs with small maximum degree and show that $2\mathrm{\Delta }+7$ colors are sufficient, which improves the best known bounds when $6?\mathrm{\Delta }?31$.