Synthesis and cationic photopolymerization of electroactive monomers containing functional groups

The synthesis and cationic photopolymerization of different cationically polymerizable monomers containing electroactive groups are reviewed with 98 references. The preparation of various compounds containing electron‐donor or electron‐acceptor moieties and photopolymerizable functional groups is described. After a short discussion of basic principles of cationic polymerization, photoinduced cationic polymerizations of various cationically polymerizable monomers containing both electron‐donor or electron‐acceptor chromophores and the functional groups such as epoxy, vinyl, thiiranyl, oxetanyl and others are reviewed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Role of structural flexibility in the fluorescence and photochromism of salicylideneaniline: the general scheme of the phototransformations

The mechanism of light-induced transformation in the salicylideneaniline molecule was studied by semiempirical PM3 calculations. The structures and energies of the minima and saddle points (transition states) on the S₀, S₁ and T₁ potential energy hypersurfaces (PESs) were obtained, together with the gradient lines on the PESs. The structure-energy scheme was compared with the experimental findings. According to the results obtained, the following principle processes are observed: fast S₁ excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), followed by typical ESIPT fluorescence; the formation of two S₁ twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) structures which quench the ESIPT fluorescence; the diabatic formation of two ground state metastable coloured “post-TICT” structures responsible for photochromism.     

A calculation of the relative protonation energies of amines in solution

Relative protonation energies in the primary, secondary and tertiary aliphatic series of amines are calculated by a semiempirical method employing the virtual charge model. The method accounts quite well for the observed differences between the gas-phase protonation affinities and the protonation enthalpies in solution, but when allowance is made for steric shielding from the bulk solvent for “non-edge” atoms, some anomalies in the uncorrected model are removed. The calculated solute-solvent interactions are related to experimental enthalpies of solution and to trends expected from the Born model.     

The characterization of silica microparticles by electrophoretic mobility measurements

Summary Electrophoretic mobility measurements in the pH 2‐10 range are described for several commercial HPLC silica microparticles and a laboratory-produced product. The content of metal impurities for the silicas was also determined by AAS. An acidic/hydrothermal treatment was used to generate a more homogenous surface for some of the silicas. The zero points of charge (zpc) for both a native and a treated silica plus several commercial HPLC silicas were compared. The electrophoretic mobility method may be useful in predicting the utility of certain types of silica supports for chromatographic separations.     

Effect of solution chemistry on the surface charge of polymeric reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes

A streaming potential analyzer has been used to investigate the effect of solution chemistry on the surface charge of four commercial reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes. Zeta potentials of these membranes were analyzed for aqueous solutions of various chemical compositions over a pH range of 2 to 9. In the presence of an indifferent electrolyte (NaCl), the isoelectric points of these membranes range from 3.0 to 5.2. The curves of zeta potential versus solution pH for all membranes display a shape characteristic of amphoteric surfaces with acidic and basic functional groups. Results with salts containing divalent ions (CaCl₂, Na₂SO₄, and MgSO₄) indicate that divalent cations more readily adsorb to the membrane surface than divalent anions, especially in the higher pH range. Three sources of humic acid, Suwannee River humic acid, peat humic acid, and Aldrich humic acid, were used to investigate the effect of dissolved natural organic matter on membrane surface charge. Other solution chemistries involved in this investigation include an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and a cationic surfactant (dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide). Results show that humic substances and surfactants readily adsorb to the membrane surface and markedly influence the membrane surface charge.     

Short Te …︁ Te bonding contacts in a new layered ternary telluride: Synthesis and crystal structure of 2D Nb3GexTe6 (x ≃ 0.9)

The new layered ternary compound Nb₃Ge_xTe₆ (x ? 0.90) was prepared by direct combination of the elements taken in the stoichiometric proportions 3 : 1 : 6, heated at 1 000 °C for 10 days in silica tubes and quenched to room temperature. The phase crystallizes in the orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pnma (#62), with the following single crystal refined parameters: a = 643.18(5) pm, b = 1391.98(11)pm and c = 1 154.07(5) pm, with Z = 4. The structure was refined to an R of 3.4% (R_w = 4.6%), with 1969 independent reflexions and 49 parameters. The structure is based on the close stacking of trigonal prismatic (TP) slabs in the AA/BB mode. The slabs can be seen as built up from face sharing biprisms, which are filled either by one or by two niobium cations situated in the middle of the trigonal prisms. The germanium is located in the middle of the common face of two prisms, leading to a rather unusual anionic square coordination. The refinements showed that this latter cation does not fill completely its square site. No cation was found in the van der Waals gap between the slabs. The mean d_{Ge? Te} distance (276.5 pm) is in agreement with Ge^II cations, while some Te …? Te distances (from 333.84 to 361.65pm) are too short for anions in a simple contact. These bonding distances, already mentionned in some MTe₂ compounds, are to be ascribed to charge transfer in the structure, with a partial oxidation state for the tellurium anions. Short Nb? Nb and Nb? Ge distances (292.0 and 281.3 pm, respectively) imply intercationic bonding within the slabs.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ab initio</Emphasis> study of small coinage metal telluride clusters Au<Subscript>n</Subscript>Te<Subscript>m</Subscript> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">n,m</Emphasis> = 1, 2)

The geometries of the most stable isomers of gold telluride systems AuTe, Au₂Te, and AuTe₂ are determined using the MP2 method. The aspect of gold—telluride interaction, the electron correlation, and relativistic effects on geometry and stability are investigated at the MP2 and CCSD(T) theoretical levels. The results show that the electron correlation and relativistic effects are responsible not only for gold—gold attraction but also for additional gold—telluride interaction. The gold—telluride interaction is strong enough to modify the known pattern of bare gold clusters. Both effects are essential for determining the geometry and relative stability of this type of systems.     

The use of carbon nanofibers microcolumn preconcentration for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry determination of Mn,Co and Ni

Based on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) as a solid phase extraction adsorbent, a microcolumn preconcentration method coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) was developed for the determination of trace elements (Mn, Co and Ni). The effect of various experimental parameters such as pH, sample flow rate and volume, elution solution and interfering ions on the retention of the studied ions have been investigated systematically. During all the steps of the experimental process, Mn, Co and Ni could be quantitatively sorbed on the microcolumn containing CNFs in the range of pH 6.0–9.0, and then eluted completely with 0.5 mol ml^− 1 HNO₃. A preconcentration factor of 150-fold was obtained. The detection limits for Mn, Co and Ni were 40, 0.4 and 8.0 pg ml^− 1, respectively, with relative standard deviations less than 6.0%. In order to validate the proposed method, two certified reference materials of human hair (GBW 07601) and mussel (GBW 08571), and water sample were analyzed with satisfactory results. The recoveries were between 95.0 and 114%.     

Transport efficiency in femtosecond laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry applying ablation cells with short and long washout times

Relative mass transport efficiencies of near infrared (λ = 795 nm) femtosecond laser generated brass aerosols in helium were measured by ICP-MS applying different ablation cells with short and long washout times. It was found that the transport efficiencies are independent of the cell used within the mutual experimental uncertainties. This finding was confirmed by additional measurements providing the absolute particle mass transport efficiencies of femtosecond laser ablation in He. Here, the transport efficiencies were determined by weighing the samples before and after ablation with a micro-balance, collecting the particles by low-pressure impaction, and evaluating the impacted masses quantitatively by total reflection X-ray fluorescence. Within the experimental uncertainties (± 9–19%) the same absolute transport efficiency (about 77%) was found for all cells applied. This efficiency value can be regarded as a lower limit of the absolute mass transport efficiency since mass losses in the impactor are difficult to quantify.     

A novel measurement method of Donnan potential at an interface between a charged membrane and mixed salt solution

We developed a novel measurement method of the Donnan potential difference at a charged membrane/salt solution interface. The method can measure the potential under the condition that the membrane charge density is much lower than the KCl concentration of the salt bridge. This method is very useful for obtaining the effective charge density of each layer of a bipolar membrane. The present experiments in a system of a negatively charged poly(vinyl alcohol) membrane and a single salt solution of KCl, NaCl, LiCl, CaCl₂ and LaC₃ revealed that the membrane effective charged density has the same value for all the ions. The experiments in mixed KCl and CaCl₂ solution revealed that the potential in the system is governed mainly by the concentration of the counterion having the highest valence in the system.