Microwave Activation in Organic Synthesis

Data on the effect of microwave irradiation on organic reactions are reviewed. Possible mechanisms of microwave activation are discussed, and some examples of acceleration of organic reactions and change of their direction and selectivity as compared to traditional thermal activation are described. Specific aspects of the application of microwave activation to various fields of organic synthesis are considered. The review covers mainly the data published over the last 5 years.     

Graphene screen‐printed radio‐frequency identification devices on flexible substrates

Despite the great promise of printed flexible electronics from 2D crystals, and especially graphene, few scalable applications have been reported so far that can be termed roll‐to‐roll compatible. Here we combine screen printed graphene with photonic annealing to realize radio‐frequency identification devices with a reading range of up to 4 meters. Most notably our approach leads to fatigue resistant devices showing less than 1% deterioration of electrical properties after 1000 bending cycles. The bending fatigue resistance demonstrated on a variety of technologically relevant plastic and paper substrates renders the material highly suitable for various printable wearable devices, where repeatable dynamic bending stress is expected during usage. All applied printing and post‐processing methods are compatible with roll‐to‐roll manufacturing and temperature sensitive flexible substrates providing a platform for the scalable manufacturing of mechanically stable and environmentally friendly graphene printed electronics.

     

Galvanomagnetic study of the quantum-well valence band of germanium in the Ge<Subscript>1−x</Subscript>Si<Subscript>x</Subscript>/Ge/Ge<Subscript>1−x</Subscript>Si<Subscript>x</Subscript> potential well

The structure of the quantum-well valence band in a Ge(111) two-dimensional layer is calculated by the self-consistent method. It is shown that the effective mass characterizing the motion of holes along the germanium layer is almost one order of magnitude smaller than the mass for the motion of heavy holes along the [111] direction in a bulk material (this mass is responsible for the formation of quantum-well levels). This creates a unique situation in which a large number of subbands appear to be populated at moderate values of the layer thickness d _w and the hole concentration p _s . The depopulation of two or more upper subbands in a 38-nm-thick germanium layer at a hole concentration p _s = 5 × 10¹⁵ m^?2 is revealed from the results of measuring the magnetoresistance in a strong magnetic field aligned parallel to the germanium layers. The destruction of the quantum Hall state at a filling factor ν = 1 indicates that the two lower subbands merge together in a self-formed potential profile of the double quantum well. It is demonstrated that, in a quasi-two-dimensional hole gas, the latter effect should be sensitive to the layer strain.     

Phase Equilibria in the Fullerene C60-Fullerene C70-Hexane-o-Xylene-Dimethylformamide System

The phase diagram of the hexane-o-xylene-dimethylformamide ternary liquid system was studied at T= 298.15 K. The diagram contained the regions of homogeneous solutions and two-phase liquid systems (systems with stratification), phase I being enriched in dimethylformamide and phase II, in hexane. The distribution of fullerenes C⁶⁰ and C⁷⁰ was considered at various concentrations and simultaneous presence in sections at variable phase compositions. The extraction isotherms of fullerenes C⁶⁰ and C⁷⁰ under various conditions were found to be close to linear, and the C⁷⁰/C⁶⁰ separation factor depended on the composition of the coexisting phases and ranged from 1.25 to 1.8. Fullerene C⁷⁰ was predominantly distributed in phase I.     

Holographic Study of Surface Relief Using a Shear Interferometer

Radiophysics and Quantum Electronics - We describe experimental studies of the recording of the relief of a diffusely reflecting surface using a shear interferometer. The interferometer uses a...     

Domoic acid--a new toxin in the Croatian Adriatic shellfish toxin profile

This is the first study that presents concentrations of domoic acid detected in the whole shellfish tissue from breeding and harvesting areas along the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea during the period 2006 to 2008. Shellfish sample analyses after SAX cleaning procedures, using a UV-DAD-HPLC system, showed the presence of domoic acid in four species. The most prevalent of those species were the blue mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis), followed by European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis), Mediterranean scallop (Pecten jacobaeus) and proteus scallop (Flexopecten proteus). Domoic acid, a potentially lethal phycotoxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), was detected for the first time in January 2006 with the highest value of 6.5486 μg g?1 in whole shellfish tissue. Pseudo-nitzschia spp. bloom events preceded these high domoic acid concentrations. According to this study, retention of domoic acid in the blue mussel M. galloprovincialis is more than 42 days. This investigation indicates the first presence of domoic acid in Croatian shellfish, but in concentrations under the regulatory limit (20 μg g?1), therefore shellfish consumption was not found to endanger human health.     

Lipophilic toxin profile in Mytilus galloprovincialis during episodes of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) in the N.E. Adriatic Sea in 2006

Dinophysis spp. blooms and related shellfish toxicity events of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) have been the most reported toxicity event through the Croatian National monitoring program. With the aim to characterize the DSP toxin profile in shellfish farmed in Croatia, for the first time a complete analysis of the toxin profile of Croatian mussels has been carried out using the LC-MS/MS technique. The obtained results showed okadaic acid (OA) as the main toxin contaminating Croatian mussels at that time. The maximum concentration of OA in shellfish tissue was recorded 12 days after the Dinophysis fortii bloom, thus suggesting that rapid growth of the toxin level in the shellfish occurred in the first week after the bloom while it was slower in the second week. Furthermore, the presence of only OA at concentrations which could endanger human health suggests D. fortii as the main organism responsible for the toxic event that occurred in Lim Bay. The presence of gymnodimine and spirolides in Croatian mussel has been detected for the first time, while the presence of yessotoxin and pectenotoxin-2 is confirmed.     

Solubility in the Fullerene C6 0-Fullerene C7 0-o-C6H1 4(CH3)2 System

The solubility diagram of the ternary fullerene-containing system C₆₀-C₇₀-o-xylene at 25 and -20°C was studied.     

Carbon nanostructures in the industrial production of alkali metals by electrolysis

The carboniferous component of slimes in the electrolytic production of alkali metals (in our case, lithium) is studied for the first time with the aim to find nanostructures in it. The content of nanostructures in this component, which accounts for 10% of the slimes and can be separated by mild chemical treatment, is shown to be 2–4%. These structures are multiwall nanotubes or bundles of multiwall nanotubes, most of which are open. No twisted or single-wall nanotubes have been detected.     

The solubility of fullerene C70 in monocarboxylic acids C n − 1H2n − 1COOH (n = 1–9) over the temperature range 20–80°C

The isothermal (20°C) solubility of fullerene C₇₀ in solvents of the homologous series of monocarboxylic acids C _{n ? 1}H_{2n ? 1}COOH (n = 1–9) and polythermal solubility over the temperature range 20–80°C of fullerene C₇₀ in solvents of the homologous series of monocarboxylic acids C _{n ? 1}H_{2n ? 1}COOH (n = 4–9) were studied. The corresponding solubility diagrams were obtained and characterized.