Electromagnetic fission of238U at 600 and 1000 MeV per nucleon

Electromagnetic fission of²³⁸U projectiles at E/A =600 and 1000 MeV was studied with the ALADIN spectrometer at the heavy-ion synchrotron SIS. Seven different targets (Be, C, Al, Cu, In, Au and U) were used. By considering only those fission events where the two charges added up to 92, most of the nuclear interactions were excluded. The nuclear contributions to the measured fission cross sections were determined by extrapolating from beryllium to the heavier targets with the concept of factorization. The obtained cross sections for electromagnetic fission are well reproduced by extended Weizsäcker-Williams calculations which include E1 and E2 excitations. The asymmetry of the fission fragments' charge distribution gives evidence for the excitation of the double giant-dipole resonance in uranium.Communicated by V. Metag     

Fluorescence spectroscopy for monitoring deterioration of extra virgin olive oil during heating

The potential of fluorescence spectroscopy for characterizing the deterioration of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) during heating was investigated. Two commercial EVOO were analysed by HPLC to determine changes in EVOO vitamin E and polyphenols as a result of heating at 170°C for 3 h. This thermal oxidation of EVOO caused an exponential decrease in hydroxytyrosol and vitamin E (R²=0.90 and 0.93, respectively) whereas the tyrosol content was relatively stable. At the same time, amounts of preformed hydroperoxides (ROOH), analysed by an indirect colorimetric method, decreased exponentially during the heating process (R²=0.94), as a result of their degradation into secondary peroxidation products. Fluorescence excitation spectra with emission at 330 and 450 nm were recorded to monitor polyphenols and vitamin E evolution and ROOH degradation, respectively. Partial least-squares calibration models were built to predict these indicators of EVOO quality from oil fluorescence spectra. A global approach was then proposed to monitor the heat charge from the overall fluorescence fingerprint. Different data pretreatment methods were tested. This study indicates that fluorescence spectroscopy is a promising, rapid, and cost-effective approach for evaluating the quality of heat-treated EVOO, and is an alternative to time-consuming conventional analyses. In future work, calibration models will be developed using a wide range of EVOO samples.     

尖吻蝮蛇蛇毒中纤溶组分与铽的相互作用

利用平衡析,原子吸收,荧光滴定和荧光寿命测定等方法确定了皖南尖吻蝮蛇蛇毒纤溶组分中Ｃａ＾２＋含量,并利用荧光光谱研究了Ｔｂ＾３＋与ＦＰ中色氨酸残基之间能量转移和ＦＰ中的微区结构。     

Self-assembly of rutile (α-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>) nanoclusters into nanorods in microemulsions at low temperature and their photocatalytic performance

A novel method – inverse microemulsion has been developed not only for synthesizing low cost TiO₂ nanocrystals but also for the first time making these nanocrystals self-assemble into various nanoparticles at 85°C. By variation of the volume ratios of oil to water in reverse microemulsions, the morphologies of obtained samples turned from nanoclusters to nanospherules, then grew into nanodumbbells, and became nanorods at last. It could be observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) directly. The resulting materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ was tested with photodegradation of Methyl Orange (MO) in water. The catalyst consisting of nanorods showed the highest photocatalytic activity, which is due to its large surface area. Furthermore, the mechanism of self-assembly of TiO₂ nanocrystals was discussed in detail.     

Phase‐Controlled Synthesis of Transition‐Metal Phosphide Nanowires by Ullmann‐Type Reactions

Transition‐metal phosphide nanowires were facilely synthesized by Ullmann‐type reactions between transition metals and triphenylphosphine in vacuum‐sealed tubes at 350–400 °C. The phase (stoichiometry) of the phosphide products is controllable by tuning the metal/PPh₃ molar ratio and concentration, reaction temperature and time, and heating rate. Six classes of iron, cobalt, and nickel phosphide (Fe₂P, FeP, Co₂P, CoP, Ni₂P, and NiP₂) nanostructures were prepared to demonstrate the general applicability of this new method. The resulting phosphide nanostructures exhibit interesting phase‐ and composition‐dependent magnetic properties, and magnetic measurements suggested that the Co₂P nanowires with anti‐PbCl₂ structure show a ferromagnetic–paramagnetic transition at 6 K, while the MnP‐structured CoP nanowires are paramagnetic with Curie–Weiss behavior. Moreover, GC‐MS analyses of organic byproducts of the reaction revealed that thermally generated phenyl radicals promoted the formation of transition‐metal phosphides under synthetic conditions. Our work offers a general method for preparing one‐dimensional nanoscale transition‐metal phosphides that are promising for magnetic and electronic applications.     

Optimization of supercritical fluid extraction of saikosaponins from Bupleurum falcatum with orthogonal array design

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was used to extract saikosaponins a, c and d from the root of Bupleurum falcatum. An orthogonal array design L₉(3)⁴ was employed as a chemometric method for the optimization of the SFE conditions. The effects of four factors including pressure (30–40 MPa), temperature (40–50°C), ethanol concentration (60–100%) and time (2.5–3.5 h) on the yields of saikosaponins were investigated by a preparative SFE system in the SFE mode. Under the optimized conditions, namely 35 MPa of pressure, 45°C of temperature, 80% of ethanol concentration and 3.0 h of time, the yields of saikosaponin c, saikosaponin a, saikosaponin d, total saikosaponins and SFE extract were 0.16, 0.12, 0.96, 1.24 and 16.48 mg/g, respectively. Determinations of the saikosaponins were performed by HPLC.     

室温氧化还原反应制备AgCuSe三元纳米棒

在室温下通过氧化还原反应制备了AgCuSe三元纳米棒.用X射线粉末衍射、透射电镜和X射线光电子能谱对产物进行了表征.X射线粉末衍射结果表明,产物是四方相AgCuSe;透射电镜结果表明,产物是纳米棒,其直径为5～20nm,长度为200～600nm;X射线光电子能谱结果表明,产物的纯度是很高的,没有单质Ag、Cu等杂质.应用化学热力学原理讨论了产物AgCuSe的生成机理.热力学计算表明,在这个反应体系中最终产物是纯AgCuSe.溶剂乙二胺不仅作为双齿配体与Ag+和Cu+形成稳定的配合物,而且还能溶解金属硒、增强硒的反应性,乙二胺在控制AgCuSe的成核和纳米棒的生长过程中起着重要的作用.     

First-principles study on the structural,elastic, and thermodynamics properties of Ni3X (X: Al,Mo, Ti,Pt, Si,Nb, V,and Zr) intermetallic compounds

In the present study, the ground-state properties of Ni₃X intermetallic compounds were analyzed by means of the first-principles pseudo-potential method using the Cambridge serial total energy package code. The calculated lattice parameters of Ni₃X intermetallic compounds are in good agreement with the experimental and other theoretical data. The single-crystal elastic constants were calculated; the hardness, ductile, and plasticity of materials were analyzed. The calculated enthalpies of formation showed that all of intermetallic compounds were thermodynamically stable; Debye temperature and heat capacity are calculated and discussed. Moreover, the chemical bonding in these intermetallic compounds was interpreted by calculating the density of states, electron density difference distribution, and Mulliken analysis; magnetism properties were briefly analyzed.