Investigation of cold fusion in heavy water

An investigation of cold fusion of deuterium was performed by electrolyzing heavy water in a cell containing a palladium cathode while monitoring levels of tritium and neutron-capture gamma rays. No activity was detected that would indicate a sustained fusion reaction had taken place. Activities that were observed can be attributed to electrolytic enrichment and a normal cosmic-ray induced background.     

Heterograft copolymers of poly(ε‐caprolactone) prepared by combination of ATRA “grafting onto” and ATRP “grafting from” processes

This paper aims at reporting on the synthesis of a heterograft copolymer by combining the “grafting onto” process based on atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) and the “grafting from” process by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The statistical copolymerization of ε‐caprolactone (εCL) and α‐chloro‐ε‐caprolactone (αClεCL) was initiated by 2,2‐dibutyl‐2‐stanna‐1,3‐dioxepane (DSDOP), followed by ATRA of parts of the chlorinated units of poly(αClεCL‐co‐εCL) on the terminal double bond of α‐MeO,ω‐CH₂?CH? CH₂? CO₂‐poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The amphiphilic poly(εCL‐g‐EO) graft copolymer collected at this stage forms micelles as supported by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The unreacted pendant chloro groups of poly(εCL‐g‐EO) were used to initiate the ATRP of styrene with formation of copolymer with two populations of randomly distributed grafts, that is PEO and polystyrene. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6015–6024, 2006     

Water-soluble silica-overcoated CdS:Mn/ZnS semiconductor quantum dots

Highly luminescent and photostable CdS:Mn/ZnS core/shell quantum dots are not water soluble because of their hydrophobicity. To create water-soluble quantum dots by an appropriate surface functionalization, CdS:Mn/ZnS quantum dots synthesized in a water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion system (reverse micelles) were consecutively overcoated with a very thin silica layer ( approximately 2.5 nm thick) within the same reverse micellar system. The water droplet serves as a nanosized reactor for the controlled hydrolysis and condensation of a silica precursor, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), using an ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) catalyst. Structural characterizations with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicate that the silica-quantum dot nanocomposites consist of a layered structure. Owing to the amorphous, porous nature of a silica layer, the optical and photophysical properties of silica-overcoated CdS:Mn/ZnS quantum dots are found to remain close to those of uncoated counterparts.     

Development of an in situ fiber optic Raman system to monitor hydrothermal vents

The development of a field portable fiber optic Raman system modified from commercially available components that can operate remotely on battery power and withstand the corrosive environment of the hydrothermal vents is discussed. The Raman system is designed for continuous monitoring in the deep-sea environment. A 785 nm diode laser was used in conjunction with a sapphire ball fiber optic Raman probe, single board computer, and a CCD detector. Using the system at ambient conditions the detection limits of SO(4)(2-), CO(3)(2-) and NO(3)(-) were determined to be approximately 0.11, 0.36 and 0.12 g l(-1) respectively. Mimicking the cold conditions of the sea floor by placing the equipment in a refrigerator yielded slightly worse detection limits of approximately 0.16 g l(-1) for SO(4)(-2) and 0.20 g l(-1) for NO(3)(-). Addition of minerals commonly found in vent fluid plumes also decreased the detection limits to approximately 0.33 and 0.34 g l(-1) respectively for SO(4)(-2) and NO(3)(-).     

Etude de la réaction de l'acétylacétone avec les diamines hétéroaromatiques

The inluence of the starting o-diamine on the reaction products is shown in the condensation of heteroaromatic o-diamines with acetylacetone; 2,3- and 3,4-diaminopyridines gave only a crotonic intermediate providing imidazopyridines. On the other hand, 1,5-diaminoimidazoles gave tow types of compounds, imidazotriazepines and imidazopyridines. Triazolopyridazines were formed from 3,4-diaminotriazoles.