Identification of Al(III) species in a solution containing equimolar concentrations of Al(III) and citric acid using varying-temperature 27Al NMR spectrometry.

27Al NMR spectra of an equimolar (10 mM) Al(III)-citrate system were obtained at different temperatures. The linewidths of the signals decreased in the spectra recorded at elevated temperatures, which enabled us to unequivocally identify the resonance lines. From the spectrum recorded at 65 approximately C, a mononuclear Al(III)-citrate complex was identified at a solution pH of 3.0 in addition to trinuclear Al(III)-citrate complex, which dominated at pH 4.0.     

Towards the selective formation of specific isomers of fullerenes: T - and p-dependence in the yield of various isomers of fullerenes C60–C84

Systematic fractional change in the yield of various isomers of fullerenes was revealed to strongly depend on temperature of a buffer gas. A new kinetic consideration is proposed for understanding the observed temperature- and pressure-dependence of yield of fullerenes. The model consists of three competitive reactions in consideration of plausible behaviors of a precursor, (1) decomposition into smaller fragments, (2) isomerization leading to formation of a stable fullerene cage, and (3) growth into a larger carbon cluster. Arrhenius activation energy of formation of stable fullerenes was determined to be 0.8 eV for both C₆₀ and C₇₀, while a higher energy of 2.0?3.3 eV for seven different isomers of higher fullerenes ranging from C₇₆ to C₈₄. Correlation in the activation energy is noted for a series of higher fullerenes with different sizes, suggesting the existence of a specific precursor in their formation processes.     

A new stereoselective synthesis of 2-subsdtituted 1,3-bis(trimethylsilyl)propene derivatives and their conversion to cyclopentane and cyclohexane derivatives

Ester $\text{2}$ on treatment with sodium salt of sulfone or sulfoxide afforded 2-substituted 1,3-bis(trimethylsily)propene $\text{3}$ in good yield, from which cyclopentane and cyclohexane derivatives bearing a trimethylsilyl group in the molecules were synthesized.     

Sensitive measurement of methylene blue active substances by attenuated total reflection spectrometry with a trimethylsilane-modified glass slab optical waveguide

Attenuated total reflection spectrometry with a slab optical waveguide (SOWG) was explored for the simple, rapid and sensitive measurement of total anionic surfactants by the methylene blue active substance (MBAS) method. A fused-silica sheet used as a guiding layer was modified with trimethylsilane (TMS) to extract and concentrate the MBASs on the SOWG surface. Based on preliminary studies of the adsorption behavior and visible ATR spectrum of MB on the modified silica surface, a detection wavelength of 600 nm was chosen for the sensitive measurement of anionic surfactants. When the concentration of MB was set at 10 microM in the final measurement solution, the calibration curve for a typical anionic surfactant (sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate) was linear up to 0.6 microM and the detection limit was 0.07 microM. The proposed method was applied to the determination of total anionic surfactants in river water.     

Fluorinated monomer–styrene copolymer latex particles: I. kinetic studies in a soap-free aqueous medium

Soap-free emulsion copolymerization of 2, 2, 2-trifluoroethyl acrylate (3FEA) with styrene was carried out by using potassium persulfate as an initiator, and the effects of the weight fraction of 3FEA in the monomer feed on the kinetics and the particle size were investigated. Monomer conversions were followed by a gravimetric method, revealing that the overall polymerization rate increased exponentially with an increase in the weight fraction of 3FEA. According to dynamic light scattering measurement, the final particle size was found to decrease with an increase in the weight fraction of 3FEA. The number of particles for 3FEA homopolymerization was roughly twice as large as that at the fraction of 0.9, although both fractions had the almost same polymerization rates. These results indicate that soap-free emulsion homopolymerization of 3FEA would proceed not only inside the polymer particles but also in the aqueous phase throughout the polymerization.