Determination of the valence distribution of vanadium in polyolefin catalysts prepared from vanadium trichloride

An electrochemical method has been developed for determining the relative amounts of V(II) and V(III) in polyolefin catalysts prepared using aluminum alkyls and vanadium trichloride. The catalyst, usually obtained as a slurry in n-heptane, is titrated potentiometrically with ceric sulfate using a platinum indicator electrode. Under proper experimental conditions, 2 breaks are obtained, corresponding to the reactions V(II) →V(III) + e and V(III) →V(IV) + e. Interferences from other components of the catalyst are negligible. The method is useful for the analysis of both laboratory catalysts and grab samples taken from pilot plant reactors.     

Gas-phase reactions of organic radicals and diradicals with ions

Reactions of polyatomic organic radicals with gas phase ions have been studied at thermal energy using a flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube (FA-SIFT) instrument. A supersonic pyrolysis nozzle produces allyl radical (CH2CHCH2) and ortho-benzyne diradical (o-C6H4) for reaction with ions. We have observed: [CH2CHCH2 + H3O+ --> C3H6+ + H2O], [CH2CHCH2 + HO- --> no ion products], [o-C6H4 + H3O+ --> C6H5+ + H2O], and [o-C6H4 + HO- --> C6H3- + H2O]. The proton transfer reactions with H3O+ occur at nearly every collision (kII approximately with 10(-9) cm3 s(-1)). The exothermic proton abstraction for o-C6H4 + HO- is unexpectedly slow (kII approximately with 10(-10) cm3 s(-1)). This has been rationalized by competing associative detachment: o-C6H4 + HO- --> C6H5O + e-. The allyl + HO- reaction proceeds presumably via similar detachment pathways.     

Numerical modelling of Tb<Superscript>3+</Superscript> doped selenide-chalcogenide multimode fibre based spontaneous emission sources

A model is developed of a terbium (III) ion doped selenide chalcogenide glass fibre source that provides spontaneous emission within the mid-infrared (MIR) wavelength range. Three numerical algorithms are used to calculate the solution and compare their properties.     

Lineshapes of spin exchange broadened EPR spectra

An unexplained residual in the fits of theoretical and experimental spectra of exchange broadened nitroxide spin probes reported by Robinson et al. [J. Magn. Reson. 138 (1999) 199] is shown to be understood by inclusion of theoretically predicted lineshape changes into the fitting routine. These lineshape changes provide an additional estimate of the spin exchange frequency that is independent of linewidth methods.