Composition and thermal stability of SiO2-based hybrid materials TEOS-MTEOS system

Hybrid materials with different amounts of organics permanently bound on the inorganic network obtained in the TEOS-MTEOS (tetraethoxysilan-methyltriethoxysilan) system are used for obtaining coatings with different optical and mechanical properties. To study the thermal stability of the mentioned materials, compositions with different molar ratios of the precursors were prepared. The influence of the solvent and water amounts on the gelation process was also investigated. The gels obtained were characterised by IR spectrometry and their decomposition temperatures were determined by DTA/TG. Thermal stability of the gels is rather influenced by their composition than the conditions of the gelation process. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Radiation dose contribution from coal-slags used as structural building material

A significant dose contribution on the population could be derived from coal slags used as isolation material. Extremely high natural activities are measured in the coal slag, derived from the region of the settlement Ajka, Hungary. In some buildings monitored, the elevated -doses were nearly 5–10 times higher than the world average ones. The annual average indoor radon concentrations from the slag exceeded 400 Bq/m³ and in some cases up to 1200 Bq/m³. Due to the elevated exposure and the radon concentrations in the dwellings the annual dose was estimated to 8–24 mSv/y more than 5–10 times of the world average one.     

CIRCULAR DICHROISM SPECTRA OF SYSTEM I PARTICLES FROM NORMAL CHLOROPLASTS AND CAROTENOID-DEFICIENT MUTANTS OF MAIZE

Abstract— Circular dichroism (CD) spectra were studied in System I particles prepared by digitonin fragmentation of chloroplasts of normal maize and carotenoid-deficient mutants. CD bands of pigment molecules were found to be higher in particles than in solutions. This phenomenon was most pronounced for the particles containing the carotenoid composition of normal chloroplast lamellae. The CD signal of chlorophylls bound to particles of carotenoid-deficient chloroplasts was closer to that found in solutions. This indicates that aggregation and/or binding of chlorophylls in carotenoid-deficient mutants may be less extensive than in normal chloroplasts.     

NMR of mercury in porous carbon and silica gel

The temperature dependences of the integrated intensity and of the Knight shift of ¹⁹⁹Hg NMR signals are measured for liquid and solid mercury introduced into porous carbon and silica gel. A decrease in the temperature of completion of crystallization and a small temperature hysteresis (from 4 to 9 K) between melting and crystallization are observed. The melting temperature of mercury in pores coincides with that in the bulk. The ¹⁹⁹Hg NMR signal from crystalline mercury under the condition of restricted geometry is observed for the first time. It is established that the Knight shift for liquid and crystalline mercury in pores is smaller than in the bulk.     

Differentiable Distance Spaces

The distance function \({\varrho(p, q) ({\rm or} d(p, q))}\) of a distance space (general metric space) is not differentiable in general. We investigate such distance spaces over \({\mathbb{R}^n}\), whose distance functions are differentiable like in case of Finsler spaces. These spaces have several good properties, yet they are not Finsler spaces (which are special distance spaces). They are situated between general metric spaces (distance spaces) and Finsler spaces. We will investigate such curves of differentiable distance spaces, which possess the same properties as geodesics do in Finsler spaces. So these curves can be considered as forerunners of Finsler geodesics. They are in greater plenitude than Finsler geodesics, but they become geodesics in a Finsler space. We show some properties of these curves, as well as some relations between differentiable distance spaces and Finsler spaces. We arrive to these curves and to our results by using distance spheres, and using no variational calculus. We often apply direct geometric considerations.     

Algebraic methods for the solution of linear functional equations

The equation

$$\sum^{n}_ {i=0} a_{i}f(b_{i}x + (1 - b_{i})y) = 0$$

belongs to the class of linear functional equations. The solutions form a linear space with respect to the usual pointwise operations. According to the classical results of the theory they must be generalized polynomials. New investigations have been started a few years ago. They clarified that the existence of non-trivial solutions depends on the algebraic properties of some related families of parameters. The problem is to find the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of non-trivial solutions in terms of these kinds of properties. One of the earliest results is due to Z. Daróczy [1]. It can be considered as the solution of the problem in case of n = 2. We are going to take more steps forward by solving the problem in case of n = 3.

     

Mixed-metal single-molecule magnets: Syntheses, structure, and magnetic properties of [Mn8Fe4O12(O2CR)16(H2O)4] (R = CH2Cl, CH2Br, CHCl2)

Three mixed-metal single-molecule magnets containing [Mn₈Fe₄O₁₂]¹⁶⁺ cores are synthesized and characterized. The reaction of FeCl₂·4H₂O with KMnO₄ and RCOOH (R = CH₂Cl, CH₂Br) in H₂O gives [Mn₈Fe₄O₁₂(O₂CR)₁₆(H₂O)₄] (R = CH₂Cl (1), CH₂Br (2)) in yields of 43% and 40%, respectively. Treatment of complex 1 with an excess of CHCl₂COOH in CH₂Cl₂ gives [Mn₈Fe₄O₁₂(O₂CCHCl₂)₁₆(H₂O)₄]·CH₂Cl₂·10H₂O (3·CH₂Cl₂·10H₂O) in a yield of 83%. The X-ray structure analysis reveals that all three complexes consist of a trapped-valence dodecanuclear core comprising 4Mn^III, 4Fe^III, and 4Mn^IV ions. DC magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements indicate that all three complexes exhibit intramolecular antiferromagnetic interaction, resulting in an S = 4 ground state. In addition, frequency-dependent out-of-phase AC magnetic susceptibility signals at low temperature for complexes 1, 2, and 3 are indicative of their single-molecule magnetism behavior.