High-precision measurement of hyperfine structure in the D lines of alkali atoms

We have measured hyperfine structure in the first-excited P state (D lines) of all the naturally occurring alkali atoms. We use high-resolution laser spectroscopy to resolve hyperfine transitions, and measure intervals by locking the frequency shift produced by an acousto-optic modulator to the difference between two transitions. In most cases, the hyperfine coupling constants derived from our measurements improve previous values significantly.

A novel fibre-coated sorbent for rapid removal of heavy metals from wastewater. Sorption of Zinc(II) from dilute aqueous solutions in the presence of high concentrations of common salts

The commercial acrylic fibre "Cashmilon" was partially hydrolyzed to convert a fraction of its nitrile (-CN) groups to carboxylic acid (-COOH) groups and then coated with polyethylenimine (PEI) resin and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to produce a novel gel-coated fibrous sorbent with multiple functionalities of cationic, anionic and chelating types, and significantly faster sorption kinetics than bead-form sorbents. The sorption properties of the fibrous sorbent were measured using Zn(II) in aqueous solution as the sorbate to determine the effects of pH and the presence of common ions in the solution on the sorption capacity. The rate of sorption on the gel-coated fibre was measured in comparison with that on Amberlite IRA-68 weak-base resin beads, to demonstrate the marked difference between fibre and bead-form sorbents in their kinetic behaviour.

Approaches to sesquiterpenes containing three contiguous quaternary carbon atoms. Synthesis of 3-methoxythapsene

Synthetic approach to 3-alkoxythapsane, comprising of the carbon framework of a small group of sesquiterpenes containing three contiguous quaternary carbon atoms has been described. A combination of alkylation, orthoester Claisen rearrangement and intramolecular diazoketone cyclopropanation has been employed for the creation of the three requisite contiguous quaternary carbon atoms.

Pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol production using eucalyptus biomass pre-treated by dilute acid and steam explosion

The widespread deployment of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol currently hinges on developing and evaluating scalable processes whilst broadening feedstock options. This study investigates whole Eucalyptus grandis trees as a potential feedstock and demonstrates dilute acid pre-treatment (with steam explosion) followed by pre-saccharification simultaneous saccharification fermentation process (PSSF) as a suitable, scalable strategy for the production of bioethanol. Biomass was pre-treated in dilute H2SO4 at laboratory scale (0.1 kg) and pilot scale (10 kg) to evaluate the effect of combined severity factor (CSF) on pre-treatment effectiveness. Subsequently, pilot-scale pre-treated residues (15 wt.%) were converted to ethanol in a PSSF process at 2 L and 300 L scales. Good polynomial correlations (n = 2) of CSF with hemicellulose removal and glucan digestibility with a minimum R2 of 0.91 were recorded. The laboratory-scale 72 h glucan digestibility and glucose yield was 68.0% and 51.3%, respectively, from biomass pre-treated at 190 °C /15 min/ 4.8 wt.% H2SO4. Pilot-scale pre-treatment (180 °C/ 15 min/2.4 wt.% H2SO4 followed by steam explosion) delivered higher glucan digestibility (71.8%) and glucose yield (63.6%). However, the ethanol yields using PSSF were calculated at 82.5 and 113 kg/ton of dry biomass for the pilot and the laboratory scales, respectively. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

A novel fibre-coated sorbent for rapid removal of heavy metals from wastewater. Sorption of Zinc(II) from dilute aqueous solutions in the presence of high concentrations of common salts

The commercial acrylic fibre "Cashmilon" was partially hydrolyzed to convert a fraction of its nitrile (-CN) groups to carboxylic acid (-COOH) groups and then coated with polyethylenimine (PEI) resin and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to produce a novel gel-coated fibrous sorbent with multiple functionalities of cationic, anionic and chelating types, and significantly faster sorption kinetics than bead-form sorbents. The sorption properties of the fibrous sorbent were measured using Zn(II) in aqueous solution as the sorbate to determine the effects of pH and the presence of common ions in the solution on the sorption capacity. The rate of sorption on the gel-coated fibre was measured in comparison with that on Amberlite IRA-68 weak-base resin beads, to demonstrate the marked difference between fibre and bead-form sorbents in their kinetic behaviour.

Compressibility of dilute solutions of sulphuric acid

By employing Carstensen's phase-comparison pulse method for measuring ultrasonic velocity-differences, the compressibility of sulphuric acid has been studied anew, the special interest being in the low concentration region. Sulphuric acid is found to show at first a decrease in velocity with increasing concentration and then an increase. The curve representing the apparent molal compressibility Φ(κ̄2) against the square root of the molar concentration c, shows a maximum and a minimum. This anomalous behaviour is interesting in view of the extreme anomalies in other colligative properties of sulphuric acid. A qualitative explanation of the observed maximum and minimum has been suggested.

Electronegativities of constituent atoms and Tc of superconductors

In the superconducting state of high Tc oxides, it is possible to conceive that the mobility of the charge carrier pairs is a consequence of the absence of a net chemical force on them. On this assumption, we have examined a heuristic relation between Tc and a simple function of electronegativities of constituent atoms. We find that Tc varies approximately linearly with the fractional electronegativity of all cations considered together.

Nonclassical rotational inertia in a two-dimensional bosonic solid containing grain boundaries

We study the occurrence of nonclassical rotational inertia (NCRI) arising from superfluidity along grain boundaries in a two-dimensionalbosonic system. We make use of a standard mapping between the zero-temperature properties of this system and the statistical mechanics of interacting vortex lines in the mixed phase of a type-II superconductor. In the mapping, the liquid phase of the vortex system corresponds to the superfluid bosonic phase. We consider numerically obtained polycrystalline configurations of the vortex lines in which the microcrystals are separated by liquidlike grain-boundary regions which widen as the vortex system temperature increases. The NCRI of the corresponding zero-temperature bosonic systems can then be numerically evaluated by solving the equations of superfluid hydrodynamics in the channels near the grain boundaries. We find that the NCRI increases very abruptly as the liquid regions in the vortex system (equivalently, superfluid regions in the bosonic system) form a connected, system-spanning structure with one or more closed loops. The implications of these results for experimentally observed supersolid phenomena are discussed.

Extension of Darken's Quadratic Formalism to Dilute Multicomponent Solutions

Darken's quadratic formalism is extended to multicomponent solutions. Equations are developed for the representation of the integral and partial excess free energies, entropies and enthalpies in dilute multicomponent solutions. Quadratic formalism applied to multicomponent solutions is thermodynamically consistent. The formalism is compared with the conventional second order Maclaurin series or interaction parameter representation and the relations between them are derived. Advantages of the quadratic formalism are discussed.

Representation of Thermodynamic Properties of Dilute Multi-Component Solutions--Options and Constraints

The different formalisms for the representation of thermodynamic data on dilute multicomponent solutions are critically reviewed. The thermodynamic consistency of the formalisms are examined and the interrelations between them are highlighted. The options are constraints in the use of the interaction parameter and Darken's quadratic formalisms for multicomponent solutions are discussed in the light of the available experimental data. Truncatred Maclaurin series expansion is thermodynamically inconsistent unless special relations between interaction parameters are invoked. However, the lack of strict mathematical consistency does not affect the practical use of the formalism. Expressions for excess partial properties can be integrated along defined composition paths without significant loss of accuracy. Although thermodynamically consistent, the applicability of Darken's quadratic formalism to strongly interacting systems remains to be established by experiment.

Atomic fountain of laser-cooled Yb atoms for precision measurements

We demonstrate launching of laser-cooled Yb atoms in a cold atomic fountain. Atoms in a collimated thermal beam are first cooled and captured in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) operating on the strongly allowed S-1(0) -> P-1(1) transition at 399 nm (blue line). They are then transferred to a MOT on the weakly allowed S-1(0) -> P-3(1) transition at 556 nm (green line). Cold atoms from the green MOT are launched against gravity at a velocity of around 2.5 m/s using a pair of green beams. We trap more than 107 atoms in the blue MOT and transfer up to 70% into the green MOT. The temperature for the odd isotope Yb-171 is similar to 1 mK in the blue MOT, and reduces by a factor of 40 in the green MOT.

The short range interactions between two rare gas atoms

The short range interactions in He2, Ne2 and Ar2 have been studied in terms of the electronic forces as functions of their internuclear separations employing their single configuration SCF wave functions. The results show that the constituent molecular orbitals behave differently in terms of the forces they exert on the nuclei during the interaction process. The different behaviour of the orbitals is also reflected in the redistribution of charges.

Low reynolds number flow of a dilute suspension in slowly varying tubes

We have discussed here the flow of a dilute suspension of rigid particles in Newtonian fluid in slowly varying tubes characterized by a small parameter ε. Solutions are presented in the form of asymptotic expansions in powers of ε. The effect of the suspension on the fluid is described by two parameters β and γ which depend on the volume fraction of the particles which we assume to be small. It is found that the presence of the particles accelerate the process of eddy formation near the constriction and shifts the point of separation.