ESR spectra of γ-irradiated samples of iron(iii) binuclear complexes

-Irradiation of -oxo-bridged binuclear iron complexes Fe^III ₂OL _n in a glycerol or dimethylformamide matrix at 77 K affords unstable mixed-valence Fe^IIF^III forms resulting from the transfer of a mobile electron generated by the ionizing radiation. These nonequilibrium forms retain the ligand environment of the original complexes, and their ESR spectra at 77–200 K are characterized by an asymmetric signal with an axially anisotropicg-factor, which is in agreement with the spectra of the Fe^IIFe syu forms obtained by chemical reduction.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 869–871, April, 1996.     

New models of monooxygenase on the basis of Sn(II) compounds

The data on the selectivity of various C–H bonds and the stereochemical course of the reaction in the known chemical systems simulating monooxygenase, do not agree with the oxenoid mechanism postulated for these reactions, but correspond to the interaction of saturated hydrocarbons with the OH radical intermediate. On the basis of organic compounds of Sn(II) in aprotic media, new systems have been developed which selectively oxidize alkanes to alcohols in the presence of O₂ in the coupled process and display many characteristics of the oxenoid reactions.

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C–H , , , , . (II) , .

     

Structure and catalytic mechanism of methane monooxygenase and approaches to its modelling

The mechanisms of activation of O₂ and CH₄ by methane monooxygenase (MMO) are discussed. A new concept for the catalytic cycle of MMO is suggested, and approaches to its chemical modelling are considered.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1011–1020, June, 1995.The author is grateful to Academician A. E. Shilov for interest in this work and helpful discussions. The work was financially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project No. 94-03-08529), International Scientific Foundation (Grant REU000), and INTAS (Project No. 93-315).     

Physical properties of carbon films obtained by methane pyrolysis in an electric field

A method of synthesizing carbon films on single-crystal silicon substrates by methane pyrolysis in an electrical field is suggested. The pressure and temperature arising in a working chamber when the substrate is exposed to C^–4 ions during pyrolysis are measured. Ion bombardment generates nuclei in the form of fibers about 2 μm in diameter providing the growth of a polycrystalline film. The resulting material is examined using electron microscopy and photo- and cathodoluminescence. Synthesized films are a composite material the matrix of which contains nanoclusters of a dissimilar crystalline nature. The effect of considerable two-stage decrease in the resistivity of the film material with increasing temperature from 300 to 1750 K is discovered. This points to the semiconducting properties of thick carbon films.     

Aspect-ratio dependent oscillatory thermocapillary convection in the floating half zone

The dependency of the critical Marangoni number on the geometrical aspect ratio of the floating half zone is essential to predict the onset of oscillatory thermocapillary convection.The experimental studies in the microgravity conditions on floating half zones of several centimeters in diameter have predicted that the critical Marangoni number increases with the increasing aspect ratio,and the terrestrial experimental studies have predicted the contradictory conclusion for floating half zones of several mil...     

Non-Gravitational Effects with Density-Matching in Evaluating the Influence of Sedimentation on Colloidal Coagulation

The method of density matching between the solid and liquid phases is often adopted to effectively eliminate the effect of sedimentation of suspensions in studies on dynamic behaviour of a colloidal system. However, the associated changes in the solvent composition may bring side effects to the properties investigated and therefore might lead to a faulty conclusion if the relevant correction is not made. To illustrate the importance of this side effect, we present an example of the sedimentation influence on the coagulation rate of suspensions of 2μm （diameter） polystyrene. The liquid mixtures, in the proper proportions of water （H2O）, deuterium oxide （D2O） and methanol （MeOH） as the liquid phase, density-matched and unmatched experiments are performed. Besides the influence of viscosity, the presence of methanol in solvent media, used to enhance the sedimentation effect, causes significant changes （reduction） in rapid coagulation rates compared to that in pure water. Without the relevant corrections for those non-gravitational factors it seems that gravitational sedimentation would retard the coagulation. The magnitude of the contribution from the non-gravitational factor is quantitatively determined, making the relevant correction possible. After necessary the influence of the sedimentation on coagulation rates at corrections for all factors, our experiments show that the initial stage of the coagulation is not observable.