Theoretical and experimental investigation of the linear optical response of YBa2Cu4O8 The relevance of LDA calculations

We report results of ellipsometric measurements of the dielectric tensor of YBa₂Cu₄O₈ as well as calculations employing density functional theory in the local density approximation (LDA). For the computation of the one-electron eigenvalues and states the linear-muffin-tin-orbital method (LMTO) was used. Measured and calculated results show good agreement. In particular, the calculation predicts different band structures for YBa₂Cu₃O₇ and YBa₂Cu₄O₈ in the vicinity of the Fermi energy which lead to significant differences in the optical spectra. One such difference is a region of small ε₂ in the near infrared which is a fingerprint of the high (relative to the top of the highest fully occupied band) Fermi energy as compared to the situation in YBa₂Cu₃O₇. Our experimental results confirm the theoretical findings.     

Rod–coil block copolymers: An iterative synthetic approach via living free-radical procedures

A modular approach has been developed for the synthesis of rod–coil block copolymers involving the initial preparation of a macroinitiator based on the rod block followed by the growth of the coil segment with living free-radical procedures. The key feature of this strategy is the utilization of an alkoxyamine group from the beginning of the synthesis, which serves as a solubilizing group and ensures that each rod block contains a single initiating fragment. Using this approach permits block copolymers based on insoluble biphenyl ester oligomers to be conveniently prepared with coil segments that range from styrenes to acrylates to 1,3-dienes. The tendency of the rod segments to crystallize is strongly dependent on the weight fraction of the rod segment and the chemical nature of the coil segment. Rod–coil molecules containing at least 25–35 wt % polystyrene or poly(n-butyl acrylate) coil segments show a two-dimensional hexagonal arrangement of rod aggregates, as characterized by transmission electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering. Polyisoprene block copolymers exhibit a lamellar microstructure with short rigid domains in which the rod units lie in an interdigitated smectic C arrangement. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3640–3656, 2003     

Polymerization of acrylamide initiated by peroxomonosulphate and metal ion catalysis

The kinetics of polymerization of acrylamide initiated by potassium peroxomonosulphate, in the presence and absence of Ag⁺, were studied. Rates of polymerization and oxone disappearance were followed. From the rate law for the polymerization, a mechanism has been proposed.     

In situ UV-visible spectroelectrochemical studies on the copolymerization of diphenylamine with ortho-methoxy aniline

UV-visible spectroelectrochemical studies on copolymerization of diphenylamine (DPA) with ortho-methoxy aniline (OMA) were carried out for different feed ratios of DPA and OMA using indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass as working electrode. The UV-visible spectra show clear dependencies on the molar feed composition of DPA or OMA used in electropolymerization. Derivative cyclic voltabsorptogram (DCVA) was deduced at the wavelengths corresponding to the absorption by the intermediate species and used to confirm the intermediates generated during the electropolymerization. The composition of DPA and OMA in the copolymer for the copolymers synthesized with different molar feed ratios of DPA and OMA was determined by UV-visible spectroscopy. Reactivity ratios of DPA and OMA were deduced by using Fineman-Ross and Kelen-Tudos methods and correlated with spectroelectrochemical results.     

Sizes and interfacial free energies of crystallites formed from fractionated linear polyethylene

Replicas of fracture surfaces of fractions of linear polyethylene, which were crystallized at elevated temperatures for extended time periods, were examined by electron microscopy. Striated. lamella-type crystallites were observed for all molecular weights over the range 3.2 × 10³?5.7 × 10⁵. In agreement with Anderson's previous report, for molecular weights of 12,000 or less, the crystallite thicknesses were comparable to the extended chain length. As the molecular weight increased above this level, however, the crystallite sizes increased only slightly and hence at high molecular weights were very much smaller than the extended chain length. From the measured melting temperatures, crystallite interfacial free energies were calculated from the theory for the melting of finite size crystals comprised of chains of finite length. The crystallite interfacial free energy was found to increase with molecular weight. Based on these results, a crystallization process is outlined which allows for the formation of either extended chain crystallites, or crystallites whose size is much smaller than the extended chain length without any change in nucleation mechanism or arbitrary adjustment in growth mechanism with molecular weight.     

A simple TiCl4 promoted arylation of orthoformate and benzyl ethers by N,N-dialkylarylamines

N,N-Dialkylarylamines react with trimethyl orthoformate and TiCl₄ under ambient conditions to give the corresponding formyl derivatives in 75-89% yields, whereas the corresponding arylated products are obtained from benzyl ethers and acetals in 42-78% yields.     

Cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes of conjugated 3-(benzylidene/salicylidene)-β-diketones (having no enolisable γ-carbon proton) and their reactions

Transition Metal Chemistry - The synthesis and structural characterization of new metal(II) chelates (M = CoII, NiII, CuII and ZnII) of neutral conjugated bidentate β-diketone ligands, having...     

Extraction of actinides and fission products by octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethyl-phosphine oxide from nitric acid media

Extraction of promethium(III), uranium(VI), plutonium(IV), americium(III), zirconium(IV), ruthenium(III), iron(III) and palladium(II) has been carried out with a mixture of octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO) and tributyl phosphate (TBP) in dodecane. The effects of nitric acid, TBP and CMPO concentrations on the extraction of these metal ions have been studied. The nature of the species of the above metal ions extracted into the organic phase has been suggested.