Voltammetric detection of metals and metal compounds on surfaces following a new sampling technique using alkali amalgam droplets

We propose a new method for the voltammetric detection of metals and metal compounds on surfaces of sold materials. The method is based on the reduction of oxidized metal compounds using an alkali amalgam droplet, the dissolution of the metals in the amalgam droplet, finally followed by recording the voltammetric anodic dissolution of the metal. The sample collection and all the following steps, including the voltammetric measurement, are performed at the same site of the sample and without any temporal interruption as one and the same electrode system is used for all steps. The proposed method is as an easy to handle, non-destructive express analysis for a wide range of samples.     

Monte Carlo simulation of cavitation in pores with nonwetting defects

We investigate the onset of cavitation in a metastable fluid confined to nanoscale pores with nonwetting defects present. Using grand canonical and gauge cell mesocanonical Monte Carlo simulations, we study the degree of metastability (relative vapor pressure), at which the critical bubble forms in a spherical pore with a circular nonwetting defect. It is shown that an increase of the defect size leads to a transition from homogeneous to heterogeneous nucleation of critical bubbles formed at the defect site. In this case, the desorption process may be initiated at larger relative vapor pressures than those predicted by the theories of homogeneous cavitation.     

Synthesis of dibromo ketones by the reaction of the environmentally benign H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript>-HBr system with oximes

It was found that oximes undergo deoximation in the presence of the H₂O_2aq-HBr_aq system to form ketones and bromo ketones. This reaction provided the basis for the synthesis of dibromo ketones in yields varying from 40% to 94%. This method is environmentally friendly, sustainable, and easy to perform. The results of this investigation extend the potential of the use of oximes for the protection of carbonyl group, thus offering the ability to perform not only conventional deoximation but also the subsequent bromination of ketones. The reaction is easily scaled up and dibromo ketones can be prepared in gram amounts.      

Localised knife waves in a structured interface

We consider a Mode III lattice with an interface layer where the dynamic crack growth is caused by a localised sinusoidal wave. In the wave–fracture scenario, the ‘feeding wave’ (here also called the knife wave) delivers energy to the moving crack front, while the dissipative waves carry a part of this energy away from the front. The questions addressed here are:

• What are the conditions of existence of the localised knife wave?

• What is the lower bound of the amplitude of the feeding wave, which supports the crack propagation, for a given deformational fracture criterion?

• How does the crack speed depend on the amplitude of the feeding wave?

• What are the dissipative waves? How much energy is irradiated by these waves and what is the total dissipation?

• What are the conditions of existence of the steady-state regime for the propagating crack?

We consider analytically two established regimes: the steady-state regime, where the motion of neighbouring masses (along the interface) differs only by a constant shift in time, and an alternating-strain regime, where the corresponding amplitudes differ by sign. We also present the numerical simulation results for a model of a high-contrast interface structure. Along with the energy of the feeding and dissipative waves, an energy radiated to the bulk of the lattice is identified.

An Asymptotic Model of Seismic Reflection from a Permeable Layer

Analysis of compression wave propagation in a poroelastic medium predicts a peak of reflection from a high-permeability layer in the low-frequency end of the spectrum. An explicit formula expresses the resonant frequency through the elastic moduli of the solid skeleton, the permeability of the reservoir rock, the fluid viscosity and compressibility, and the reservoir thickness. This result is obtained through a low-frequency asymptotic analysis of Biot’s model of poroelasticity. A review of the derivation of the main equations from the Hooke’s law, momentum and mass balance equations, and Darcy’s law suggests an alternative new physical interpretation of some coefficients of the classical poroelasticity. The velocity of wave propagation, the attenuation factor, and the wave number are expressed in the form of power series with respect to a small dimensionless parameter. The absolute value of this parameter is equal to the product of the kinematic reservoir fluid mobility and the wave frequency. Retaining only the leading terms of the series leads to explicit and relatively simple expressions for the reflection and transmission coefficients for a planar wave crossing an interface between two permeable media, as well as wave reflection from a thin highly permeable layer (a lens). Practical applications of the obtained asymptotic formulae are seismic modeling, inversion, and attribute analysis.     

Bloch–Floquet waves and localisation within a heterogeneous waveguide with long cracks

A bi-material waveguide is assumed to have an array of sufficiently long cracks parallel to the boundaries. The Bloch–Floquet waves propagating along such a waveguide are dispersive, and the band gaps are clearly identified. Slow waves are supported by a system of long cracks, and such modes are represented by the flat dispersion surfaces. Asymptotic analysis combines a lower-dimensional approximation together with the boundary layers occurring near the crack tips. Stress intensity factors are evaluated via the boundary layer analysis, which is matched with the outer fields corresponding to the lower-dimensional model. Evolution of such an elastic system is discussed as the cracks grow as a consequence of the stress concentration, which occurs for some slow waves leading to the crack opening. The asymptotic analysis is supplied with numerical simulations and physical examples.     

Synthesis of 2-(polyfluoromethyl)pyrimido-[1,2-a]benzimidazole-4-carbaldehyde derivatives

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Yield and quality of bacterial cellulose from agricultural waste

Cellulose - The global abundance and availability of oat hulls make them a promising feedstock to produce a unique type of cellulose, the bacterial one. This is the first study examining how a...     

New bifunctional amphiphilic oxyethylimidazolium derivatives of calix[4]arene containing alkynyl/azide fragments: regularities of aggregation and polymerization under azide/alkyne cycloaddition conditions

Russian Chemical Bulletin - New bifunctional amphiphilic oxyethylimidazolium derivatives of calix[4]arene with terminal alkynyl or azide fragments in the polar moiety of the molecule were...