Structure and energy studies of β-diketonates. XIII. Molecular structure of gadolinium tris-hexafluoroacetylacetonate Gd(C5O2HF6)3

In a mass spectrometric study, it was found that the saturated vapor over gadolinium tris-hexafluoroacetylacetonate Gd(C₅O₂HF₆)₃ contains molecular forms with a mass exceeding the mass of the dimer. The vapor overheated to 250–300°C contains only the monomer form. Simultaneous electron diffraction and mass spectrometric experiment aimed at investigating the structure of the Gd(hfa)₃ monomer molecule was carried out at 284(5)°C. The Gd(hfa)₃ molecule was found to have the symmetry of the equilibrium D ₃ configuration. The basic structural parameters are r _h1(Gd-O) = 2.291(10) Å, r _h1(O-C) = 1.257(10) Å, r _h1(C-C_r) = 1.404(6) Å, r _h1(C_F-F)_av = 1.341(3) Å, ∠OGdO = 72.8(0.4)°. The GdO₆ coordination polyhedron has the structure of a distorted antiprism. The rotation angle of the O-O-O trigonal faces relative to their position in a regular prism is 18.7(0.9)°. Quantum chemical calculations (HF/SBK, 6-31G*) generally reproduce the experimental structure, but the Gd-O internuclear distance is exaggerated by 0.04 Å.     

Plasma-Catalytic Decomposition of Phenols in Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge

This study investigated the processes for the destruction of phenol and its derivatives (resorcin and pyrocatechol) in aqueous solutions under the action of an oxygen dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure in the presence or absence of catalysts in the plasma zone. It was shown that the DBD had a high decomposition efficiency for phenol and its derivatives (up to 99%). Phenol was the most stable and pyrocatechol was the least. In a plasma-catalytic hybrid process, the effective rate constants for phenol, resorcin and pyrocatechol decomposition were 11, 4 and 2.5 times higher, respectively, than those for the DBD treatment without catalysts. The process also resulted in a 1.4, 1.6 and 1.2 times higher rate of carboxylic acid formation for phenol, resorcin and pyrocatechol, respectively. The fractional conversion into the respective carboxylic acids reached 56% for phenol and 68% for resorcin and pyrocatechol.     

Synthesis and properties of 10-hydroxy-10-oxo-10<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-10λ<Superscript>5</Superscript>-phenoxaphosphine-2,8-dicarboxylic acid and related polybenzoimidazoles

Oxidation of 10-hydroxy-2,8-dimethyl-10H-10⁵-phenoxaphosphine 10-oxide (1) with potassium permanganate in an alkaline medium afforded 10-hydroxy-10-oxo-10H-10⁵-phenoxaphosphine-2,8-dicarboxylic acid (2). The latter exists as a stable crystal hydrate containing two water molecules. With the aim of examining the possibility of performing the synthesis of polybenzoazoles based on acid 2, the model reaction of the latter with o-phenylenediamine in polyphosphoric acid (PPA) was studied. New high-molecular-weight phosphorus-containing polybenzoimidazoles were prepared by the reaction of 2 with various aromatic tetraamines in PPA and Eatons reagent.     

Reaction of 4,4′-dimethyldiphenyl ether with phosphorus trichloride in the presence of anhydrous aluminum chloride

The reaction of 4,4-dimethyldiphenyl ether with phosphorus trichloride in the presence of anhydrous aluminum chloride was studied. This reaction affords 2,8-dimethyl-10H-10⁵-phenoxaphosphine 10-oxide as virtually the only product. In air, the latter in an alkaline solution is quantitatively transformed into 10-hydroxy-2,8-dimethyl-10H-10⁵-phenoxaphosphine 10-oxide.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2762–2765, December, 2004.     

Analysis of applicability of translational-factor approximations to calculation of vibrational exchange rate constants in the N<Subscript>2</Subscript>–O<Subscript>2</Subscript> system under low-pressure discharge conditions

Level-to-level rate constants of single-photon vibration–translation and vibration–vibration exchange have been calculated for the N₂–O₂ system in the temperature range of 300–800 K in terms of the generalized Schwartz–Slawsky–Herzfeld theory using exact relationships and the most commonly used approximations. It has been shown that the quality of the approximation is improved with an increase in temperature and deteriorates with an increase in the vibrational quantum number. The calculated distributions of vibrationally excited species over levels for the low-pressure glow-discharge conditions substantially depend on the rate constants used in the calculation, especially in the area of high vibrational levels.     

Destruction Kinetics of 2,4 Dichlorophenol Aqueous Solutions in an Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge in Oxygen

The processes of degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) aqueous solutions under the action of atmospheric pressure of DBD in oxygen were studied. The degradation of 2,4-DCP proceeds efficiently, the degree of decomposition reaching 100%. The degradation kinetics of 2,4-DCP obeys a formal first-order kinetic law on concentration of 2,4-DCP. The effective rate constants depend weakly on the experimental conditions and are equal to ~ 2 s^?1. Based on experimental data, the energy efficiency of 2,4-DCP decomposition was determined to be in the range of 0.039–0.173 molecules per 100 eV depending on the experimental conditions. The composition of the products was studied by gas chromatography, chromatography-mass spectrometry, UV/visible spectroscopy, fluorescent methods and some chemical methods. The main decomposition products present in the solution were found to be carboxylic acids, aldehydes and chloride ions, whereas carbon dioxide and molecular chlorine appear in the gas. The results obtained are compared with similar data from other advanced oxidation processes (AOP’s) methods.     

Electronic structure of gold nanoclusters on oxidized Ni(755) surface

The electronic energy structure of gold nanoclusters grown on oxidized single-crystal stepped surface Ni(755) is studied. It is shown that oxidation of the stepped Ni(755) surface results in the formation of a well-ordered continuous structure O(2 × 2) similar to that grown on a flat Ni(111) single-crystal surface. Evaporation of gold on such a surface leads to the formation of gold nanoclusters of a size determined by the size of the terraces on the Ni(755) surface. A comparison of the photoelectron spectra of the Au 4f _{5/2, 7/2} core levels in clusters grown on clean and oxidized Ni(755) surfaces reveals that the spectra obtained for a gold cluster system on an oxidized Ni(755) surface contain not only the spectral components characteristic of metallic gold but also additional components of Au^+δ. It is assumed that additional components for gold clusters on the oxidized Ni(755) surface originate from partial oxidation of gold atoms with the participation of defects inherent in the stepped relief of the nickel substrate.     

Modeling Chemical Composition for an Atmospheric Pressure DC Discharge in Air with Water Cathode by 0-D model

This paper reports the results of the chemical composition modeling for an atmospheric pressure DC air discharge with water cathode. The modeling was based on the combined solution of Boltzmann equation for electrons, equations of vibrational kinetics for ground states of N₂, O₂, H₂O and NO molecules, equations of chemical kinetics and plasma conductivity equation. Calculations were carried out using experimental values of E/N and gas temperatures for the discharge currents range of 20–50 mA. The effect of H₂O concentration on the plasma composition was studied. The main particles of plasma were shown to be O₂(a¹Δ, b¹Σ), O(³P), NO, NO₂, HNO₃, H₂O₂ and OH. Effective vibrational temperatures of molecules were higher than gas temperature and they did not depend on the discharge current. Distribution functions on vibrational levels for N₂, O₂, H₂O and NO ground states were non-equilibrium ones.     

Mass spectrometric study of the overheated vapor over nickel(II), Copper(II), and Zinc(II) <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>′-Ethylenebis(salicylaldiminato) complexes

A mass spectrometric study of the overheated vapor over the nickel(II), copper(II), and zinc(II) N,N′-ethylenebis(salicylaldiminato) complexes between 300 and 865°C has been carried out. Throughout this temperature range, the overheated vapor over all of the complexes contains no ions heavier than the molecular ion [MO₂N₂C₁₆H₁₄]⁺. At ∼600°C, Cu(salen) and Zn(salen) interact with the structural material of the double-chamber two-temperature effusion cell (Kh18N10T steel). The complexes are thermally very stable. The fragmentation pattern of the chelates under electron-impact ionization is metal-dependent.