Magnetic properties of amorphous alloys

The magnetic properties of existing amorphous iron based materials, i.e., Fe--metalloid, Fe--early transition metals and Fe--rare earth alloys, are briefly discussed for some representative alloys. The spin orientation of amorphous Fe--metalloid alloys has been determined by the angular dependence of hyperfine interactions. It is shown that in iron--early transition metals ferromagnetic order is not long-ranged, but determined by magnetic clusters. The magnetic hyperfine field distributions of Fe-rich iron--early transition metals consist of a high and a low field tail. The magnetic structure has been investigated for two representative Fe--RE (RE = Er, Ce) amorphous alloys. For the first time, the magnetic coupling phenomenon in amorphous/crystalline multilayers has been discussed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermal diffusivity measurements in porous ceramics by photothermal methods

Received: 16 September 1996/Accepted: 6 January 1997     

CO Oxidation on Cu/MgO-SiO2 Sol-Gel Derived Catalysts

Sol-gel Cu//MgOSiO₂ catalysts were prepared gelling tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), magnesium ethoxide and copper acetylacetonate at pH 3 and pH 9. The catalysts shown specific surface areas ca. 500 m²/g and 140 m²/g for pH 9 and pH 3 preparations respectively. Si(OH) and Si(OH)₂ hydroxy groups were observed by MAS-RMN spectroscopy in both preparations. CO₂-TPD and NH₃-TPD desorption thermograms showed that acid and basic sites were formed on the catalysts surface. It has been found that the catalysts having the highest density of basic sites were the catalysts showing the highest activity for the CO oxidation. It is proposed that the catalytic activity depends of the relative Cu⁼¹/Cu⁼² stability given by the support acidity.     

Certified reference material for the quality control of EDTA- and DTPA-extractable trace metal contents in calcareous soil (CRM 600)

Single extraction tests are commonly used to study the eco-toxicity and mobility of metals in soils, e.g. to assess the bioavailable metal fraction (and thus to estimate the related phyto-toxic and nutritional deficiency effects) and the environmentally accessible trace metals upon disposal of e.g. sediment on to a soil (e.g. contamination of ground waters). However, the lack of uniformity in the different procedures does not allow the results to be compared worldwide nor the procedures to be validated. This paper describes the interlaboratory testing of EDTA- and DTPA-extraction procedures for soil analysis, followed by the preparation of a calcareous soil reference material (CRM 600), the homogeneity and stability studies and the analytical work performed for the certification of the EDTA- and DTPA- extractable contents of some trace metals (following the standardized extraction procedures). Received: 21 May 1997 / Revised: 4 July 1997 / Accepted: 9 July 1997     

Determination of fluoride in complex liquid matrices by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with in-furnace oxygen-assisted ashing

A new chemical method is reported for the determination of total fluoride in complex liquids and suspensions, such as fruit juices, urine, serum and blood. It is based on the formation of the A1F radical in a graphite furnace afterin situ oxygen-assisted ashing of the untreated sample. The absorbance of this radical is measured at 227.45 nm. The method is relatively easy to use and provides a low detection limit (14 ng/ml) and reasonable reproducibility (5–10%).     

Core/valence partition and relativistic effects in effective potentials for transition metals

Two different versions, relativistic and nonrelativistic, of the “shape-consistent” effective potential (EP ) formalism are analyzed in ab initio calculations for transition metals. The influence of alternative core/valence partitions on the reliability of the procedure is discussed. The accuracy of EP results for transition metals is shown to depend on adequate choices of the valence subspace and proper inclusion of relativistic effects.     

Photoinduced electron transfer in platinum(II) terpyridinyl acetylide complexes connected to a porphyrin unit

A series of six new dyads consisting of a zinc or magnesium porphyrin appended to a platinum terpyridine acetylide complex via a para-phenylene bisacetylene spacer are described. Different substituents on the 4' position of the terpyridinyl ligand were explored (OC7H15, PO3Et2, and H). The ground-state electronic properties of the dyads are studied by electronic absorption spectroscopy and electrochemistry, and they indicate some electronic interactions between the porphyrin subunit and the platinum complex. The photophysical properties of these dyads were investigated by steady-state, time-resolved, and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in N,N-dimethylformamide solution. Excitation of the porphyrin unit leads to a very rapid electron transfer (2-20 ps) to the nearby platinum complex followed by an ultrafast charge recombination, thus preventing any observation of the charge separated state. The variation in the rate of the photoinduced electron transfer in the series of dyads is consistent with Marcus theory. The results underscore the potential of the para-phenylene bisacetylene bridge to mediate a rapid electron transfer over a long donor-acceptor distance.     

Determination of Binding Constants of Polyethylene Glycol Vancomycin Derivatives to Peptide Ligands Using Affinity Capillary Electrophoresis

Vancomycin (Van) from Streptomyces orientalis has been derivatized with polyethylene glycol [PEG; PEG-550 (1), 750 (2), 1,100 (3), 2,000 (4), 5,000 (5), and 8,000 (6) g mol⁻¹] at the N-terminus of the glycopeptide backbone and their binding to d-Ala-d-Ala terminus peptides assessed using affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE). Utilizing ACE, a plug of Van-PEG and non-interacting standards are injected and electrophoresed. Analysis of the change in the relative migration time ratio of the Van-PEG species, relative to the non-interacting standards, as a function of the concentration of peptide, yields a value for the binding constant (K _b). Values of K _b for N-acetyl-d-Ala-d-Ala, 7 to the Van-PEG derivatives are weaker than those for N _α,N _ε-diacetyl-Lys-d-Ala-d-Ala, 8 (for example, values of K _b for 7-1 and 8-1 are 1.8 and 47.7 × 10³ M⁻¹, respectively). These results demonstrate that derivatization of Van with PEG has little effect on the affinity of d-Ala-d-Ala peptide ligands to it. The findings further prove the versatility of ACE and its ability to estimate binding parameters of ligands to antibiotics.