Low and high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) coupled with ion chromatography (IC) has been investigated for speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI). In particular, the interference of ArC^+formed by the carbon in a sample on the simultaneous determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) has been studied. In chemical speciation, this study shows that quadrupole type ICP-MS with low resolution has a limitation of simultaneous determination fo chromium species if the sample contains the carbon elements. The interference problems can be solved by high resolution ICP-MS.

The geometrical structures of various isomers of hexafluoro-1,3-butadiene (HFBD), tetrafluoro-1,3-butadiene (TFBD), and difluoro-1,3-butadiene (DFBD) have been studied theoretically. Natural steric and natural resonance theory (NRT) analyses indicate that the lower energy of skew s-cis conformer of hexafluoro-1,3-butadiene than that of the s-trans conformer is originated from the strong steric repulsions between fluorine atoms particularly in the s-trans conformer. The resonance structures generated by NRT also show that the lone electron pairs of fluorine atoms effectively extend the conjugation, and the large differences in energy among the structural isomers of tetrafluoro-1,3-butadiene and difluoro-1,3-butadiene are in part attributed to the differences in the delocalization energies, in addition to the steric repulsion between fluorine atoms. Other interatomic interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, also play important roles in determination of the structures of isomers of tetrafluoro-1,3-butadiene and difluoro-1,3-butadiene.

Hydrofluoric acid has been used as a novel stripping agent for molybdenum(VI) after its extraction with Cyanex 301. In the extraction step, the effects of parameters such as type and initial concentration of acid, type of diluent, extractant concentration, metal concentration and temperature have been studied. In the stripping step, the effects of various stripping agents on stripping efficiency have been investigated. Hydrofluoric acid has been chosen as an effective stripping agent, and the effects of concentration of hydrofluoric acid, stripping time, volume of hydrofluoric acid and the number of stages of stripping have been studied. Molybdenum(VI) has been effectively separated from a large number of elements in binary mixtures, with a very high tolerance limit. Finally, the optimized method has been extended for the analysis of Mo(VI) in spent molybdenum catalysts.

The crystals of the new melaminium salt, i.e. melaminium acetate acetic acid solvate monohydrate, $C_3H_7N_6^+ {\cdot}CH_3COO^- {\cdot}CH_3COOH{\cdot}H_2O$, were obtained by the slow evaporation of an aqueous solution at room temperature. Powder infrared and Raman spectra were measured and interpreted. The vibrational spectra in the region of internal vibrations of ions corroborate structural data recently published by Perpetuo and Janczak.$^1$ Some spectral features of this new crystal are referred to corresponding one for melamine crystal as well as other melamine complexes in crystalline form. Hydrogen-bonded network present in the crystal gives notable vibrational effect.

The solubility of N,N'-Bis(salicylidene) ethylenediamine (n-salen) and N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene) ethylenediamine (t-butyl-salen) was studied with in-situ UV-VIS spectrometer. n-Salen is 3-5 times more soluble than t-butyl-salen in liquid or supercritical $CO_2$. This behavior may be attributed to Lewis acid-base interaction between salen and $CO_2$. The chelation of salen with $Co^{++}$ ion in supercritical condition was confirmed to be fast enough above room temperature. However, the metal ion extraction capability of t-butyl salen is relatively poor because of its low solubility and ionic nature of complex.

$TiO_2$ thin films were grown on Si (100) substrates by atomic layer deposition using $[Ti(OPr^i )_2(dmae)_2]$ and water as precursors. The thickness, chemical composition, crystalline structure, and morphology of the deposited films were investigated by transmission electron microscopy, UV spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron pectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. The results show that $TiO_2$ ALD using $[Ti(OPr^i )_2(dmae)_2]$ as a precursor is self-controlled at temperatures of 100-300$^{\circ}C$. At the growth temperatures below 300$^{\circ}C$, the surface morphology of the $TiO_2$ films is smooth and uniform. The $TiO_2$ film was grown with a preferred orientation toward the [101] direction at 400$^{\circ}C$.

$LiGaO_2$ films have been grown on Si (100) substrates using a new single precursor $[Li(OCH_2CH_2OCH_3)_2-Ga(CH_3)_2]_2$ under high vacuum conditions $(5{\times}10^{-6}Torr)$. The $[Li(OCH_2CH_2OCH_3)_2Ga(CH_3)_2]_2$ was synthe-sized and characterized by using spectroscopic methods and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The chemical composition, crystalline structure, and morphology of the deposited films were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that polycrystalline $LiGaO_2$ films preferentially oriented in the [010] direction can be deposited on Si (100) at 500-550$^{\circ}C$ by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The single precursor $[LiOCH_2CH_2OCH_3)_2-Ga(CH_3)_2]_2$ has been found suitable for chemical vapor deposition of $LiGaO_2$ thin films on Si substrates.

Silver-needle shaped crystals of $KLa_2Sb_3S_9$ from $K_2S_x$ flux and $KSm_2Sb_3Se_8$ from NaCl/KCl flux reactions were obtained and their crystal structures were determined by the single crystal X-ray diffraction method. $KLa_2Sb_3S_9$ crystallizes in the orthorhombic noncentrosymmetric space group $P2_12_12_1$ (No.19) with a unit cell of a = 4.220(3) ${\AA}$, b = 24.145(2) ${\AA}$, c = 14.757(5) ${\AA}$ and Z = 4. $KSm_2Sb_3Se_8$ crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (No.62) with a unit cell of a = 16.719(3) ${\AA}$, b = 4.1236(8) ${\AA}$, c = 22.151(4) ${\AA}$ and Z = 4. Both structures have three-dimensional tunnel frameworks filled with $K^+$ ions. $KSm_2Sb_3Se_8$ is an ordered version of $ALn_{1{\pm}X}B_i{4{\pm}X}S_8$, and it is made up of NaCl-type and $Gd_2S_3$-type fragments. $KLa_2Sb_3S_9$ also contains building fragments similar to those of $KSm_2Sb_3Se_8$, however, there are chalcogen-chalcogen bonds in the $Gd_2S_3$-type fragment. The formula of $KLa_2Sb_3S_9$ can be described as $(K^+ )(La^{3+})_2(Sb^{3+})^3(S^{2-})_7(S_2^{2-})$.

The Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions of anthrone with a variety of ethylenic substrates under various conditions have been studied. It has been observed that depending on kinds of ethylenic substrates and catalysts, products were varied. In particular, the $ZnCl_2$-catalyzed reaction of anthrone with ${\alpha},{\beta}$ -unsaturated ester gave bridged compounds 3 (Diels-Alder adduct type) and mono-Michael adduct 4 exclusively, while the base-catalyzed reaction gave 10,10-bis-Michael adduct as a major product independent of the amount of ethylenic substrate and base. Bridged compounds 3 were easily converted to the corresponding mono-Michael adduct 4 by a catalytic amount of base. Further Michael reaction of mono-Michael adducts with different ethylenic substrates in the presence of a catalytic amount of alkoxide gave unsymmetrical 10,10-bis Michael adducts in good or moderate yields.

Esterification of aliphatic or aromatic carboxylic acids with alcohols using 2-(4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl)-4,5-dichloropyridazin-3(2H)-one (3) in the presence of base in organic solvents gave the corresponding esters in excellent yields

There have been intensive studies concerning $[^{11}F]$choline ($[^{11}F]$methyldimethyl( ${\beta}$ -hydroxyethyl) ammonium) (1) which is known as a very effective tracer in imaging various human tumors localized in brain, lung, esophagus, rectum, prostate and urinary bladder using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and there is increasing interest in $^{18}F$ labelled choline (2) and proved to be useful to visualize prostate cancer. We have prepared six $^{18}F$ labelled alkyl choline derivatives (3a-3c, 4a-4c) from ditosylated and dibrominated alkanes in moderate yields. The six alkyl tosylate or bromate ammonium salts have been synthesized as precursors. Radiofluorination was achieved by the treatment of precursors with $^{18}F$ - in the presence of Kryptofix-2.2.2.. The labeling yields varied ranging from 7 to 25%.

A Li$[Co_{0.17}Li_{0.28}Mn_{0.55}]O_2$ cathode compound was prepared by a simple combustion method. The X-ray diffraction pattern showed that this compound could be classified as ${\alpha} -NaFeO_2$ structure type with the lattice constants of a = 2.8405(9) ${\AA}$ and c = 14.228(4) ${\AA}$. According to XANES analysis, the oxidation state of Mn and Co ions in the compound were 4+ and 3+, respectively. During the first charge process, the irreversible voltage plateau at around 4.65 V was observed. The similar voltage-plateau was observed in the initial charge profile of other solid solution series between $Li_2MnO_3\;and\;LiMnO_2$ (M=Ni, Cr...). The first discharge capacity was 187 mAh/g and the second discharge capacity increased to 204 mAh/g. As the increase of cycling number, one smooth discharge profile was converted to two distinct sub-plateaus and the discharge capacity was slowly decreased. From the Co and Mn K-edge XANES spectra measured at different cyclic process, it can be concluded that irreversible transformation of phase is occurred during continuous cycling process.

Two simple and sensitive spectrophotometric methods were developed for the determination of carbocisteine, penicillamine, ethionamide and thioctic acid in bulk and in their pharmaceutical preparations using alkaline potassium permanganate as an oxidizing agent. The first one involves determination of ethionamide and thioctic acid by spectrophotometric investigation of the oxidation reaction of the two drugs. The second method involves determination of carbocisteine and penicillamine by kinetic studies of the oxidation reaction of these two drugs at room temperature for a fixed time of 20 minutes. The absorbance of the colored manganate ions was measured at 610 nm in both methods. 1-10 ${\mu}$g/mL of ethionamide and thioctic acid could be etermined by the spectrophotometric method with detection limits of 0.11 and 0.089 ${\mu}$g/mL for the two drugs respectively. 2-10 ${\mu}$g/mL of carbocisteine and penicillamine could be determined by the kinetic method with detection limits of 0.14 and 0.21 ${\mu}$g/mL respectively. The two methods were successfully applied for the determination of these drugs in their dosage forms.

The photoluminescence (PL) emission of Si nanocrystals synthesized by 400 keV Si ion implanted in $SiO_2$ is studied as a function of ion dose and annealing time. The formation of nanocrystals at around 600 nm from the surface was confirmed by RBS and HRTEM, and the Si nanocrystals showed a wide and very intense PL emission at 700-900 nm. The intensity of this emission showed a typical behaviour with a fast transitory increase to reach a saturation with the annealing time, however, the red shift increased continuously because of the Ostwald ripening. The oversaturation of dose derived a decrease of PL intensity because of the diminishment of quantum confinement. A strong enhancement of PL intensity by H passivation was confirmed also, and the possible mechanism is discussed.

Cesium-133 NMR spectra of a single crystal of tetragonal $Cs^+ (15-crown-5)_2I^-$ were obtained as a function of crystal orientation in an applied magnetic field of 9.40T and analyzed to provide the magnitudes and orientations of the $^{133}Cs$ chemical shift and quadrupolar tensors for two magnetically nonequivalent and symmetry related sites. Chemical shift tensor components and parameters of quadrupolar interactions are obtained as ${\delta}_{11}=46(1),\;{\delta}_{22}=60(1),\;{\delta}_{33}=-30(1)$ ppm, quadrupole coupling constant QCC = 581(1) kHz, and asymmetry parameter ${\eta}$ = 0.481(1), respectively. The nonaxially symmetric NMR parameters imply that the local environment of the cesium nuclei is nonaxially symmetric. The DANTE experiment burned holes in the $^{133}Cs$ NMR line of the title compound. The hole burning of the single crystal and powder $^{133}Cs$ NMR lines showed that the NMR lines are not homogeneously broadened.

Canonical sampling method has been presented to generate the initial conditions for reactive flux studies of organic reactions in water. Velocity Verlet version of Nose-Hoover chain dynamics algorithm has been employed to sample the initial conditions according to canonical distribution. The unstable normal mode of a transition state has been introduced to define a dividing plane separating reactant and product regions in reaction processes. This method has been implemented and tested for the case iels-Alder reaction of methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and cyclopentadiene (CPD) in water, providing a reliable tool for further reactive flux molecular dynamics studies in condensed media.

The ability of protoberberine alkaloids, berberine and berberrubine, to act as topoisomerase II poisons is linked to the anti-cancer activity. Minor alterations in structure have a significant effect on their relative activity. Berberine, which has methoxy group at the 19-position, is significantly less potent than berberrubine. Several observations support non-specific binding to HP14 by the berberine: (i) nonspecific upfield changes in $^1H$ chemical shift for protons of the berberine; (ii) the broadening of imino protons of HP14 upon binding of the berberine; (iii) very small increases in duplex melting temperature in the presence of the berberine. Our results reveal that substitution of a hydroxyl group to a methoxy group on the 19-position, thereby converting the berberrubine to the berberine is associated with a non-specific DNA binding affinity and a reduced topoisomerase II poisoning. The presence of a bulky 19-methoxy substituent decreases intercalating properties of berberine and makes it inactive as topoisomerase II poison.

A sensitive, selective and rapid method for the determination of nickel based on the rapid reaction of nickel(II) with QADMAA and the solid phase extraction of the Ni(II)-QADMAA chelate with $C_{18}$ membrane disks has been developed. In the presence of pH 6.0 buffer solution and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) medium, QADMAA reacts with nickel to form a violet complex of a molar ratio of 1 : 2 (nickel to QADMAA). This chelate was enriched by solid phase extraction with $C_{18}$ membrane disks. An enrichment factor of 50 was obtained by elution of the chelates form the disks with the minimal amount of isopentyl alcohol. The molar absorptivity of the chelate was $1.32{\times}10^5L\;mol^{-1}cm^{- 1}$ at 590 nm in the measured solution. Beer's law was obeyed in the range of 0.01-0.6 ${\mu}$g/mL. This method was applied to the determination of nickel in water and biological samples with good results.

A sensitive, selective and rapid method has been developed for the determination of mercury based on the rapid reaction of mercury(II) with p-sulfobenzylidenethiorhodanine (SBDTR) and the solid phase extraction of the colored chelate with $C_{18}$ disks. In the presence of pH 3.5 sodium acetate-acetic acid buffer solution and Emulsifier-OP medium, SBDTR reacts with mercury(II) to form a red chelate of a molar ratio 1 : 2 (mercury to SBDTR). This chelate was prconcentrated by solid phase extraction with $C_{18}$ disks. An enrichment factor of 50 was achieved. The molar absorptivity of the chelate is $1.28{\times}10^5 L{\cdot}mol^{-1}{\cdot}cm^{-1}$ at 545 nm in measured solution. Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 0.01-3 ${\mu}$g/mL. The relative standard deviation for eleven replicates sample of 0.01 ${\mu}$g/mL is 1.65%. This method was applied to the determination of mercury in tobacco and tobacco additive with good results.

In this study we have performed ab initio computer simulations to investigate the conformational characteristics of the tetraethyl (1) and triethyl ester (2) of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene. The structures of different conformational isomers for each compound have been optimized using ab initio RHF/6-31G methods. After optimization, B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) single point calculations of the final structures are done to include the effect of electron correlation and the basis set with diffuse function and polarization function. Relative stability of tetraethyl ester (1) of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene is in following order: cone (most stable) > partial cone > 1,3- alternate > 1,2-alternate isomer. Relative stability of triethyl ester (2) of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene is in following order: cone (most stable) > 2-partial cone > 1-partial cone > 3-partial cone ~ 1,3-alternate ~ 1,2- alternate isomer.

The aminolyses of anilinothioethers $(C_6H_5N(CH_3)CH_2SC_6H_4Z)$ in acetonitrile with benzylamines $(XC_6H_4CH_2NH_2)$ have been investigated. The rates are much lower in acetonitrile than in methanol (with aniline). The Bronsted ${\beta}_X$ values are similar but ${\beta}_Z$ values are smaller compared to those for the reactions in MeOH with anilines. The large negative ${\rho}_{XZ}({\cong}-0.8$, after correction for fall-off) value is interpreted to indicate a frontside attack $S_N2$ mechanism, in which the two oppositely changed reaction centers in the TS, $-N^{{\delta}+}{\cdots}S^{{\delta}-}-$, are in close vicinity increasing the interaction between nucleophile and leaving group. The inverse secondary kinetic isotope effects ($k_H/k_D$ < 1.0) are observed with deuterated benzylamines $(XC_6H_4CH_2ND_2)$.