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At least 19 records

Measurement of the positron-electron reaction which produces a gamma ray pair in the region psi/3684/

An experiment was conducted to measure gamma ray pairs produced in the electron-positron reaction in the region of psi(3684) resonance. The apparatus consisted of two identical spectrometers mounted in a collinear configuration about the beam interaction region. Graphs are presented for the coplanarity angle between reconstructed gamma ray directions, for the scattering and energy deposition of gamma rays in the two crystals used, and for the observed rate of annihilation reactions as a function of center of mass energy.

Hughes, E. B.↗

Rate constants measured for hydrated electron reactions with peptides and proteins

Effects of ionizing radiation on the amino acids of proteins and the reactivity of the protonated amino group depends upon the pK subscript a of the group. Estimates of the rate constants for reactions involving the amino acid side chains are presented. These rate constants gave an approximate rate constant for three different protein molecules.

Braams, R.↗

Extension of a Kinetic Approach to Chemical Reactions to Electronic Energy Levels and Reactions Involving Charged Species With Application to DSMC Simulations

The ability to compute rarefied, ionized hypersonic flows is becoming more important as missions such as Earth reentry, landing high mass payloads on Mars, and the exploration of the outer planets and their satellites are being considered. Recently introduced molecular-level chemistry models that predict equilibrium and nonequilibrium reaction rates using only kinetic theory and fundamental molecular properties are extended in the current work to include electronic energy level transitions and reactions involving charged particles. These extensions are shown to agree favorably with reported transition and reaction rates from the literature for nearequilibrium conditions. Also, the extensions are applied to the second flight of the Project FIRE flight experiment at 1634 seconds with a Knudsen number of 0.001 at an altitude of 76.4 km. In order to accomplish this, NASA's direct simulation Monte Carlo code DAC was rewritten to include the ability to simulate charge-neutral ionized flows, take advantage of the recently introduced chemistry model, and to include the extensions presented in this work. The 1634 second data point was chosen for comparisons to be made in order to include a CFD solution. The Knudsen number at this point in time is such that the DSMC simulations are still tractable and the CFD computations are at the edge of what is considered valid because, although near-transitional, the flow is still considered to be continuum. It is shown that the inclusion of electronic energy levels in the DSMC simulation is necessary for flows of this nature and is required for comparison to the CFD solution. The flow field solutions are also post-processed by the nonequilibrium radiation code HARA to compute the radiative portion of the heating and is then compared to the total heating measured in flight.

Liechty, Derek S.↗

Extension of a Kinetic Approach to Chemical Reactions to Electronic Energy Levels and Reactions Involving Charged Species with Application to DSMC Simulations

The ability to compute rarefied, ionized hypersonic flows is becoming more important as missions such as Earth reentry, landing high mass payloads on Mars, and the exploration of the outer planets and their satellites are being considered. Recently introduced molecular-level chemistry models that predict equilibrium and nonequilibrium reaction rates using only kinetic theory and fundamental molecular properties are extended in the current work to include electronic energy level transitions and reactions involving charged particles. These extensions are shown to agree favorably with reported transition and reaction rates from the literature for near-equilibrium conditions. Also, the extensions are applied to the second flight of the Project FIRE flight experiment at 1634 seconds with a Knudsen number of 0.001 at an altitude of 76.4 km. In order to accomplish this, NASA's direct simulation Monte Carlo code DAC was rewritten to include the ability to simulate charge-neutral ionized flows, take advantage of the recently introduced chemistry model, and to include the extensions presented in this work. The 1634 second data point was chosen for comparisons to be made in order to include a CFD solution. The Knudsen number at this point in time is such that the DSMC simulations are still tractable and the CFD computations are at the edge of what is considered valid because, although near-transitional, the flow is still considered to be continuum. It is shown that the inclusion of electronic energy levels in the DSMC simulation is necessary for flows of this nature and is required for comparison to the CFD solution. The flow field solutions are also post-processed by the nonequilibrium radiation code HARA to compute the radiative portion.

Liechty, Derek S.↗

Diffusion in mixed solvents. II - The heat of mixing parameter

Correlation of second-order rate constants for many reactions involving electron transfer between organic molecules, solvated electron reactions, iodine diffusion coefficients, and triplet state electron transfer reactions has been made with the heat of mixing parameter (HMP) for the aqueous binary solvent systems. The aqueous binary solvents studied are those containing methanol or ethanol (type I solvent); 1-propanol or tert-butyl alcohol (type II solvent); or sucrose or glycerol (type III solvent). A plot of the HMP vs. the diffusion parameter for each reaction yields superimposable curves for these reactions in a particular solvent mixture over the entire solvent mixture range, irrespective of the value of the reaction's rate constant or diffusion coefficient in water.

Carapellucci, P. A.↗

Condensation cyclization reactions of electron deficient aromatics. 4: Tricyclic nitropropene nitronates from the reaction of phloroglucinol and cycloalkanones with sym-trinitrobenzene

Interesting similarities have been shown between the reactions of sym-trinitrobenzene with cycloalkanones, and with phloroglucinol. Previously unsuspected common intermediates have been shown to intervene. The structurally similar products in each case are tricyclic nitropropene nitronates. Protonation of these yields the corresponding nitronic acids in certain instances.

Strauss, M. J.↗

Adiabatic criteria for outer-sphere bimolecular electron-transfer reactions

A model is presented for outer-sphere bimolecular electron-transfer reactions which is correct in the adiabatic, nonadiabatic, and intermediate dynamical regimes for an overdamped solvent coordinate. From this model, the conditions for the transfer to be adiabatic or nonadiabatic are deduced. The time-scale separations needed to adequately describe the process as an average over (distant dependent) unimolecular rates are described.

Onuchic, Jose Nelson↗

Electronic shift register memory based on molecular electron-transfer reactions

The design of a shift register memory at the molecular level is described in detail. The memory elements are based on a chain of electron-transfer molecules incorporated on a very large scale integrated (VLSI) substrate, and the information is shifted by photoinduced electron-transfer reactions. The design requirements for such a system are discussed, and several realistic strategies for synthesizing these systems are presented. The immediate advantage of such a hybrid molecular/VLSI device would arise from the possible information storage density. The prospect of considerable savings of energy per bit processed also exists. This molecular shift register memory element design solves the conceptual problems associated with integrating molecular size components with larger (micron) size features on a chip.

Hopfield, J. J.↗

Theoretical Studies of Chemical Reactions following Electronic Excitation

The use of multi-configurational wave functions is demonstrated for several processes: tautomerization reactions in the ground and excited states of the DNA base adenine, dissociation of glycine molecule after electronic excitation, and decomposition/deformation of novel rare gas molecules HRgF. These processes involve bond brealung/formation and require multi-configurational approaches that include dynamic correlation.

Chaban, Galina M.↗

Reaction and electronic excitation in crossed-beams collisions of low-energy O(3P) atoms with H2O and CO2

Collisions of low-energy (5-20 eV), ground-state oxygen atoms with H2O and CO2 in a crossed-beams geometry lead to chemical reaction in the case of H2O to produce OH (A2Sigma+ - X2Pi) emissions; and to inelastic electronic excitation in the case of CO2 to produce CO2 flame bands. Species identifications are made through known wavelengths and emission intensities in the range 300-400 nm. The measured difference in threshold energies for the two processes confirm the channels involved. These are the first measurements in this energy range of optical emissions through collisions of fast neutral species.

Orient, O. J.↗

Control Electronics For Reaction Wheel

Bidirectional operation achieved with single-polarity main power supply. Control circuitry generates pulse-width-modulated 800-Hz waveforms to drive two-phase ac motor and reaction wheel. Operates partly in response to digital magnitude-and-direction torque command generated by external control subsystem and partly in response to tachometric feedback in form of two once-per-revolution sinusoids with amplitudes proportional to speed. Operation in either of two modes called "normal" and "safehold." In normal mode, drive pulses timed so that, on average over one or few cycles, motor applies commanded torque. In safehold mode, pulses timed to keep motor running at set speed in one direction.

Chamberlin, Keith↗

The quantum dynamics of electronically nonadiabatic chemical reactions

Considerable progress was achieved on the quantum mechanical treatment of electronically nonadiabatic collisions involving energy transfer and chemical reaction in the collision of an electronically excited atom with a molecule. In the first step, a new diabatic representation for the coupled potential energy surfaces was created. A two-state diabatic representation was developed which was designed to realistically reproduce the two lowest adiabatic states of the valence bond model and also to have the following three desirable features: (1) it is more economical to evaluate; (2) it is more portable; and (3) all spline fits are replaced by analytic functions. The new representation consists of a set of two coupled diabatic potential energy surfaces plus a coupling surface. It is suitable for dynamics calculations on both the electronic quenching and reaction processes in collisions of Na(3p2p) with H2. The new two-state representation was obtained by a three-step process from a modified eight-state diatomics-in-molecules (DIM) representation of Blais. The second step required the development of new dynamical methods. A formalism was developed for treating reactions with very general basis functions including electronically excited states. Our formalism is based on the generalized Newton, scattered wave, and outgoing wave variational principles that were used previously for reactive collisions on a single potential energy surface, and it incorporates three new features: (1) the basis functions include electronic degrees of freedom, as required to treat reactions involving electronic excitation and two or more coupled potential energy surfaces; (2) the primitive electronic basis is assumed to be diabatic, and it is not assumed that it diagonalizes the electronic Hamiltonian even asymptotically; and (3) contracted basis functions for vibrational-rotational-orbital degrees of freedom are included in a very general way, similar to previous prescriptions for locally adiabatic functions in various quantum scattering algorithms.

Truhlar, Donald G.↗

Electrochemical behavior of the boron anode in aqueous solutions

The electrochemical oxidation of p-type boron in 0.2 N NaNO3 solutions of pH 0.4 to 13.1 was studied by galvanostatic techniques. The capacitance of the electrode, Tafel slopes, and a limited analysis of reaction mechanisms are reported. The anodic dissolution in acid solution is a charge-transfer-limited one-electron reaction to form a monovalent species in the over-potential region of 0.25 to 0.70 V. The dissolution in basic solution is most probably a one-electron charge-transfer reaction from a monovalent to divalent species involving three hydroxyl ions. Open circuit potentials were mixed potentials, probably due to hydrogen formation at open circuit but not contributing to the electrochemical reaction at the applied overpotential. Exchange current, estimated by extrapolation of the Tafel line to the standard oxidation potential for the boron reaction, were of the order of 10 to the minus 6th power A/cm2 in acid solution and 10 to the minus 12th power A/cm2 in basic solution. The reaction order of the rate determining acidic and basic reactions was determined with regard to (H+) and (OH-). The level of illumination had no effect on the electrochemical behavior of the electrode.

Delduca, B. S.↗

Molecules for Fluorescence Detection of Specific Chemicals

A family of fluorescent dye molecules has been developed for use in on-off fluorescence detection of specific chemicals. By themselves, these molecules do not fluoresce. However, when exposed to certain chemical analytes in liquid or vapor forms, they do fluoresce (see figure). These compounds are amenable to fixation on or in a variety of substrates for use in fluorescence-based detection devices: they can be chemically modified to anchor them to porous or non-porous solid supports or can be incorporated into polymer films. Potential applications for these compounds include detection of chemical warfare agents, sensing of acidity or alkalinity, and fluorescent tagging of proteins in pharmaceutical research and development. These molecules could also be exploited for use as two-photon materials for photodynamic therapy in the treatment of certain cancers and other diseases. A molecule in this family consists of a fluorescent core (such as an anthracene or pyrene) attached to two end groups that, when the dye is excited by absorption of light, transfer an electron to the core, thereby quenching the fluorescence. The end groups can be engineered so that they react chemically with certain analytes. Upon reaction, electrons on the end groups are no longer available for transfer to the core and, consequently, the fluorescence from the core is no longer quenched. The chemoselectivity of these molecules can be changed by changing the end groups. For example, aniline end groups afford a capability for sensing acids or acid halides (including those contained in chemical warfare agents). Pyridine or bipyridyl end groups would enable sensing of metal ions. Other chemicals that can be selectively detected through suitable choice of end groups include glucose and proteins. Moreover, the fluorescent cores can be changed to alter light-absorption and -emission characteristics: anthracene cores fluoresce at wavelengths around 500 nm, whereas perylene cores absorb and emit at wavelengths of about 600 nm.

Fedor, Steve↗