Photo-sensitized oxidation in natural water via .OH radicals

A method is presented for determining production and consumption rates of .OH radicals produced photochemically in natural surface waters. It is based on the determination of the kinetics by which the concentration of a specified trace compound decreases during irradiation. In samples from Lake Greifensee (Switzerland) low production rates for .OH limit its possible effects. In addition, fast consumptions by the natural dissolved organic solutes and by the bicarbonate protect organic micropollutants from oxidation by .OH. Neither direct nor indirect H2O2 photolysis was a significant source of .OH in the lakewater studied lacking iron, whereas nitrate photolysis could have been a source. Comparison with reaction kinetic formulations allows generalizations for other types of waters.

Natural 13C abundance as a tracer for studies of soil organic matter dynamics

A method for measuring the long- and medium-term turnover of soil organic matter is described. Its principle is based on the variations of 13C natural isotope abundance induced by the repeated cultivations of a plant with a high 13C/12C ratio (C4 photosynthetic pathway) on a soil which has never carried any such plant. The 13C/12C ratio in soil organic matter being about equal to the 13C/12C ratio of plant materials from which it is derived, changing the 13C content of the organic inputs to the soil (by altering vegetation from C3 type into C4 type) is equivalent to a true labelling in situ of the organic matter. Two cases of continuous corn cultivation (Zea mays: δ13C = −12%.) on soils whose initial organic matter average δ13C is −26%. were studied. The quantity of organic carbon originating from corn (that is the quantity which had turned-over since the beginning of continuous cultivation) was estimated using the 13C natural abundance data. After 13 yr, 22% of total organic carbon had turned-over, in the system studied. Particle size fractions coarser than 50μm on the one hand, and finer than 2μm on the other. contained the youngest organic matters. The turnover rate of silt-sized fractions was slower

The Development of a Marine Natural Product-based Antifouling Paint

Problems with tin and copper antifouling compounds have highlighted the need to develop new environmentally friendly antifouling coatings. Bacteria isolated from living surfaces in the marine environment are a promising source of natural antifouling compounds. Four isolates were used to produce extracts that were formulated into ten waterbased paints. All but one of the paints showed activity against a test panel of fouling bacteria. Five of the paints were further tested for their ability to inhibit the settlement of barnacle larvae, Balanus amphitrite, and algal spores of Ulva lactuca, and for their ability to inhibit the growth of U. lactuca. Two paints caused a significant decrease in the number of settled barnacles. One paint containing extract of Pseudomonas sp. strain NUDMB50-11, showed excellent activity in all assays. The antifouling chemicals responsible for the activity of the extract were isolated, using bioassay guided fractionation, and their chemical structures determined.

The optical properties and the natural lifetime calculation of a Sm(III) complex

The photophysical properties of the complex Sm(PM)(3)(TP)(2) [PM = 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-isobutyryl-5-pyrazolone, TP = triphenyl phosphine oxide] are determined in crystal state, and energy transfer process is modeled for ligands to center Sm(III) ion. The characteristic luminescence of Sm(III) is sensitized by PM and TP, and most of transitions from excited state (4)G(5/2) of Sm3+ are detected.

Near-infrared luminescent properties and natural lifetime calculation of a novel Er3+ complex

in this communication, a novel Er3+ complex Er(PT)(3)TPPO [PT = 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-tert-butylbenzoyl-5-pyrazolone, TPPO = triphenyl phosphine oxide] is successfully synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Its optical properties and the energy transfer process from the ligand PT to the Er3+ ion are investigated, the typical near-infrared (NIR) luminescence (centered at around 1530 nm) is attributed to the I-4(13/2) -> I-4(15/2) transition of Er3+ ion which results from the efficient energy transfer from PT to Er3+ ion (an antenna effect). The wider full width at half maximum (78 nm) peaked at 1530 nm in the emission spectrum and the Judd-Ofelt theory calculation on the radiative properties suggest that Er(PT)(3)TPPO should be a promising candidate for tunable lasers and planar optical amplifiers.

Performance improvement by charge trapping of doping fluorescent dyes in organic memory devices

We studied the memory effect in the devices consisting of dye-doped N, N'-di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N, N'-diphenyl-benzidine sandwiched between indium-tin oxide and Ag electrodes. It was found that the on/off current ratio was greatly improved by the doped fluorescent dyes compared with nondoping devices. A mechanism of charge trapping was demonstrated to explain the improvement of the memory effect. For the off state, the conduction process is dominated by the trapping current, which is a characteristic of the space-charge limited current, whereas the on state is dominated by the detrapping current, and interpreted by Poole-Frenkel emission.

Low-temperature relaxation of polymers around doped dyes studied by persistent spectral hole burning

Persistent spectral hole burning spectroscopy is applied to evaluate the low-temperature relaxation around the dye molecules doped in several types of polymers. The doped dye is tetraphenylporphine, and the measured polymers are vinyl polymers and main chain aromatic polymers. The changes of microscopic environments around the dye are evaluated from the changes in the hole profiles during temperature cycling experiments. The relaxation behavior of the polymers is discussed in relation to their chemical structures. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.