Proton NMR relaxation of adsorbed water in gelatin and collagen

The dependence of the water self-diffusion coefficients as well as of the proton spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation rates on the concentration have been studied in the gelatin-water system and in hydrated native collagen. The bound and free water fractions and the corresponding spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation rates have been determined within the multi-phase water proton exchange model. Various theoretical models for the water proton cross-relaxation to the biopolymer have been studied and the results compared with the observed Larmor frequency dependence of the water proton spin-lattice relaxation rate.     

Crystal structures of high-valent transition-metal chalcogenide fluorides

The structures of high-valent transition-metal chalcogenide fluorides are of interest since it is not clear whether they will be related to those of their oxide-fluoride analogues or to those of the transition-metal chalcogenide chlorides and bromides. This will depend on the extent to which substitution of fluorine for chlorine or bromine or sulphur, or selenium for oxygen has the more significant effect.The first single-crystal structure on a compound of this class, WSF₄, shows that it consists of octahedrally coordinated tungsten atoms linked by cis-bridged fluorine atoms into polymeric chains. This, together with work on the structure of ReSF₄, suggests that the tendency is to follow oxide-fluoride and fluoride structures.     

Removal of nickel(II) ions from aqueous solutions using the natural clinoptilolite and preparation of nano-NiO on the exhausted clinoptilolite

The natural zeolite tuff (clinoptilolite) from a Serbian deposit has been studied as adsorbent for Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Its sorption capacity at 298 K varies from 1.9 mg Ni g⁻¹ (for the initial solution concentration of 100 mg Ni dm⁻³) to 3.8 mg Ni g⁻¹ (for C₀ = 600 mg Ni dm⁻³) and it increases 3 times at 338 K. The sorption is best described by the Sips isotherm model. The sorption kinetics follows the pseudo-second-order model, the activation energies being 7.44, 5.86, 6.62 and 6.63 kJ mol⁻¹ for C₀ = 100, 200, 300 and 400 mg Ni dm⁻³, respectively. The sorption involves a film diffusion, an intra-particle diffusion, and a chemical cation-exchange between the Na⁺ ions of clinoptilolite and the Ni²⁺ ions. The sorption is endothermic (ΔH° being 37.9, 33.4, 30.0, 27.7 and 24.3 kJ mol⁻¹ for C₀ = 100, 200, 300, 400 and 600 mg Ni dm⁻³, respectively) and spontaneous in the 298-338 K temperature range. Thermal treatment of the Ni(II)-loaded clinoptilolite results in the formation of spherical nano-NiO particles of approx. 5 nm in diameter which are randomly dispersed in the clinoptilolite lattice.     

Proton Spin-Lattice Relaxation Dispersion Study of the Ferroelectric Smectic Phases in Dobambc

The frequency dispersion of the proton spin-lattice relaxation rates T^?1 ₁ in the ferroelectric smectic phases of DOBAMBC has been determined in the MHz region and analyzed in terms of the order fluctuations, self-diffusion, and rotational contributions to T^?1 ₁. In the smectic C* phase the main rate determining contribution are order fluctuations with a T^?1 ₁ ∝ ν^?1/2 _L frequency dependence, whereas in the smectic H* phase the translational diffusion, which is slower than in the smectic H* phase, determines the dispersion of T^?1 ₁.     

Heteronuclear chemical-shift correlation utilizing homonuclear decoupling and distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer

¹H-¹³C chemical-shift-correlation NMR spectroscopy, selective flips of distant protons and distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer are combined into a new two-dimensional technique. Correlation maps are simplified by suppressing most homonuclear couplings, thus improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Applications include accurate measurements and assignments of ¹H chemical shifts as well as couplings with additional nuclear spins (¹⁹F, ³¹P, etc.) in the molecule.     

1H and 13C NMR study of 8-hydroxyquinoline and some of its 5-substituted analogues

¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of 8-hydroxyquinoline (oxine) and its 5-Me, 5-F, 5-Cl, 5-Br and 5-NO₂ derivatives have been studied in DMSO-d₆ solution. The ¹H and ¹³C chemical shifts and proton–proton, proton–fluorine, carbon–proton and carbon–fluorine coupling constants have been determined. The ¹H and ¹³C chemical shifts have been correlated with the charge densities on the hydrogen and carbon atoms calculated by the CNDO/2 method. The correlation of the ¹H and ¹³C chemical shifts with the total charge densities on the carbon atoms is approximately linear (r_H² = 0.85, r_C² = 0.84). The proton in peri position to the nitro group in 5-NO₂-oxine is an exception.     

87Rb NMR lineshape study of the incommensurate phase in Rb2ZnBr4

On going from the paraelectric (P) to the incommensurate (I) phase the ⁸⁷Rb $\text{1}\text{2}$ → $\text{1}\text{2}$ NMR lines in Rb₂ZnBr₄ broaden into a continuum which is limited by two edge singularities. The observed line shape and its temperature dependence are well described by the frequency distribution function predicted by the “plane wave” modulation model of the I phase. The anomalous temperature dependence of T₁ shows the presence of the phason branch in the I phase.     

Measuring distances between half-integer quadrupolar nuclei and detecting relative orientations of quadrupolar and dipolar tensors by double-quantum homonuclear dipolar recoupling nuclear magnetic resonance experiments

We studied the possibility of using double-quantum homonuclear dipolar recoupling magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance experiments for structural analysis of systems of half-integer quadrupolar nuclei. We investigated symmetry-based recoupling schemes R2(2) (1) and R2(2) (1)R2(2) (-1) and showed that the obtained double-quantum filtered signals depend substantially on magnitudes and relative orientations of dipolar and quadrupolar tensors. Experimental results measured on aluminophosphate molecular sieve AlPO(4)-14, containing dipolar-coupled spin-52 aluminum nuclei, were compared to results of time-consuming numerical simulations. The comparison for short mixing times allowed us to roughly measure internuclear Al-Al distances, if constraints about relative tensor orientations were available. Inspection of relative orientations of dipolar and quadrupolar tensors, using known distances between nuclei, required experimental and simulated data for long mixing times and yielded less accurate results. Two experimental protocols were employed for measuring double-quantum filtered curves, the symmetric protocol, in which excitation and reconversion periods are incremented simultaneously, and the asymmetric protocol, in which only the length of the excitation period is incremented and the length of the reconversion period is kept constant. The former experimental protocol was more convenient for the detection of internuclear distances, and the latter one was more appropriate for the inspection of relative orientations of interaction tensors.     

Glass forming region in the GeSe2–GeTe–PbTe system and some physicochemical properties of glassy alloys

New chalcogenide glasses from the GeSe₂–GeTe–PbTe system were synthesized. The glass forming region was determined using visual, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses. It is extended towards the GeSe₂ and lies partially on the GeSe₂–GeTe (0–58 mol% GeTe) and GeSe₂–PbTe (20.0–57.5 mol% PbTe) sides. No glasses were obtained in the GeTe–PbTe system. The investigated physicochemical properties vary between 4.04–6.21 g/cm³ (density, d); 97–121 kgf/mm² (microhardness, HV); ?0.187 ÷ 0.007 (compactness, C) and 14.3–17.8 GPa (elasticity modulus, E), respectively.     

Atomic force microscopy study of the molecular sieve MnAPO-50

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of MnAPO-50 reveals multiply-nucleated, elliptical terraces, oriented in registry with the facet edges with step heights ranging from one to six template repeat distances on the [100] facets and terraces with step heights ranging from one to thirty three times the c unit cell parameter on the [001] facets.