Amphiphilic treelike rods at interfaces: layered stems and circular aggregation

Amphiphilic dendron-rod molecules with three hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) branches attached to a hydrophobic octa-p-phenylene rod stem were investigated for their ability to form two-dimensional micellar structures on a solid surface. A treelike shape of the molecules was reported to be a major factor in the formation of nonplanar micellar structures in solution and in the bulk state (cylindrical and spherical). We observed that in these treelike amphiphilic molecules the hydrophilic terminated dendron branches assemble themselves in surface monolayers with the formation of two-dimensional layered or circular micellar structures. We suggested the formation of the planar ribbon-like structures with interdigitated layering within the loosely packed monolayers and circular, ringlike structures (2D circular aggregates) in the precollapsed state.     

Synthesis of hydrocarbons from CO and H2 on supported nickel-palladium catalysts

The use of an Ni-Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst in the synthesis of C₁-C₄ hydrocarbons from CO and H₂ permits us to increase the selectivity and total yield of these products by a factor of 1.5–2.0 relative to the corresponding nickel and palladium catalysts. The optimal temperatures and CO/H₂ ratios for obtaining hydrocarbons were determined. A structure was proposed for the active sites of the bimetallic catalyst.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1689–1691, July, 1991.     

Conversion of Mg‐Li Bimetallic Alloys to Magnesium Alkoxide and Magnesium Oxide Ceramic Nanowires

Technologically important composites with enhanced thermal and mechanical properties rely on the reinforcement by the high specific strength ceramic nanofibers or nanowires (NWs) with high aspect ratios. However, conventional synthesis routes to produce such ceramic NWs have prohibitively high cost. Now, direct transformation of bulk Mg‐Li alloys into Mg alkoxide NWs is demonstrated without the use of catalysts, templates, expensive or toxic chemicals, or any external stimuli. This mechanism proceeds through the minimization of strain energy at the boundary of phase transformation front leading to the formation of ultra‐long NWs with tunable dimensions. Such alkoxide NWs can be easily converted in air into ceramic MgO NWs with similar dimensions. The impact of the alloy grain size and Li content, synthesis temperature, inductive and steric effects of alkoxide groups on the diameter, length, composition, ductility, and oxidation of the produced NWs is discussed.     

Computation of the pressure on the surface of a fuselage with a wing in an ideal fluid

The flows around complex three-dimensional bodies by an ideal fluid are computed by methods [1–3] using approximation of the surface by a set of plane elements. A layer of surface singularities, whose intensity is found by solving a system of linear algebraic equations of very high order, is distributed continuously over each element. Evaluation of the system coefficients and its solution require significant machine time expenditures on powerful electronic computers. If in the method of [2] the total system of equations is separated successfully into several subsystems by simplifications and an approximate solution of the problem is obtained more rapidly than by the method in [1], then the same author practically used the method in [1] to design specific fuselages in [3]. A method [4] developed for a fuselage is expanded in this paper to design a wing-fuselage combination. This method turns out to be less tedious, without being inferior in accuracy, by being different from the method in [1] in the means of solving the fundamental integral equation.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 110–115, May–June, 1977.     

Quantum statistics of the degenerate four-wave mixing process

A quantum mechanical treatment is given of the degenerate four-wave mixing process. The approximate Heisenberg equation of motion for creation and annihilation operators is solved taking into account attenuation and noise. The solution and the statistics of the modes are discussed both below and above the threshold condition.     

Fractional mass filtering as a means to assess circulating metabolites in early human clinical studies

Recent changes in the regulatory environment have led to a need for new methods to assess circulating human drug metabolites in early clinical studies with respect to their potential toxicological impact. The specific goals of such studies are to determine if the metabolites present in human plasma following administration of a drug candidate also are observed in plasma from the animal studies employed for preclinical toxicological evaluation, and to estimate corresponding exposure margins (animal:human) for the major metabolites. Until recently, the accepted best practice for the characterization of circulating drug metabolites utilized liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS)-based methodologies, in conjunction with authentic chemical standards, for the detection and quantitative analyses of metabolites predicted from both animal studies and experiments with human liver preparations in vitro. While this approach is satisfactory for anticipated biotransformation products, metabolites that were not expected to circulate in human plasma frequently escape detection. Current accurate mass instruments enable the use of the technique of fractional mass filtering to detect both expected and unexpected metabolites in a rapid, less resource-intensive and more robust manner. Application of this technology to several clinical development programs at Merck Research Laboratories has demonstrated the value of fractional mass filtering in the assessment of circulating drug metabolites in early clinical trials.     

Control of sp2/sp3 carbon ratio and surface chemistry of nanodiamond powders by selective oxidation in air

The presence of large amounts of nondiamond carbon in detonation-synthesized nanodiamond (ND) severely limits applications of this exciting nanomaterial. We report on a simple and environmentally friendly route involving oxidation in air to selectively remove sp(2)-bonded carbon from ND. Thermogravimetric analysis and in situ Raman spectroscopy shows that sp(2) and sp(3) carbon species oxidize with different rates at 375-450 degrees C and reveals a narrow temperature range of 400-430 degrees C in which the oxidation of sp(2)-bonded carbon occurs with no or minimal loss of diamond. X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy detects an increase of up to 2 orders of magnitude in the sp(3)/sp(2) ratio after oxidation. The content of up to 96% of sp(3)-bonded carbon in the oxidized samples is comparable to that found in microcrystalline diamond and is unprecedented for ND powders. Transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies show high purity 5-nm ND particles covered by oxygen-containing surface functional groups. The surface functionalization can be controlled by subsequent treatments (e.g., hydrogenization). In contrast to current purification techniques, the air oxidation process does not require the use of toxic or aggressive chemicals, catalysts, or inhibitors and opens avenues for numerous new applications of nanodiamond.