A Simple Dewar/Cryostat for Thermally Equilibrating Samples at Known Temperatures for Accurate Cryogenic Luminescence Measurements.

The design and operation of a simple liquid nitrogen Dewar/cryostat apparatus based upon a small fused silica optical Dewar, a thermocouple assembly, and a CCD spectrograph are described. The experiments for which this Dewar/cryostat is designed require fast sample loading, fast sample freezing, fast alignment of the sample, accurate and stable sample temperatures, and small size and portability of the Dewar/cryostat cryogenic unit. When coupled with the fast data acquisition rates of the CCD spectrograph, this Dewar/cryostat is capable of supporting cryogenic luminescence spectroscopic measurements on luminescent samples at a series of known, stable temperatures in the 77-300 K range.

Moment analysis method as applied to the 2S --> 2P transition in cryogenic alkali metal/rare gas matrices.

The moment analysis method (MA) has been tested for the case of 2S --> 2P ([core]ns1 --> [core]np1) transitions of alkali metal atoms (M) doped into cryogenic rare gas (Rg) matrices using theoretically validated simulations. Theoretical/computational M/Rg system models are constructed with precisely defined parameters that closely mimic known M/Rg systems. Monte Carlo (MC) techniques are then employed to generate simulated absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of the 2S --> 2P M/Rg transition to which the MA method can be applied with the goal of seeing how effective the MA method is in re-extracting the M/Rg system parameters from these known simulated systems.

Non-localized ligand-to-metal charge transfer excited states in (Cp)2Ti(IV)(NCS)2.

The bent d(0) titanium metallocene (Cp)(2)Ti(NCS)(2) exhibits an intense phosphorescence from a ligand-to-metal charge transfer triplet excited state at 77 K in an organic glass substrate and a poly(methyl methacrylate) plastic substrate. Quantum chemical calculations and spectroscopic studies show that the orbital parentage of this triplet state arises from the promotion of an electron from an essentially nonbonding symmetry adapted pi molecular orbital located on the NCS(-) ligands to a d(z)2-(y)2 orbital located on the Ti metal. Standard infrared spectroscopy of (Cp)(2)Ti(NCS)(2) in its ground electronic state at 77 K reveals a pair of closely spaced absorptions at (2072 cm(-1), 2038 cm(-1))(glass) and (2055 cm(-1), 2015 cm(-1))(plastic) that are assigned, respectively, to the symmetric and antisymmetric CN stretching modes of the two coordinated NCS(-) ligands.

Pressure-dependent Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of a poly (ester urethane).

The effects of hydrostatic pressure upon (1) a segmented poly (ester urethane), (2) a hydrolytically degraded sample of the same polymer, and (3) models for the polyurethane and polyester segments in this polymer have been studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy using high-pressure diamond anvil cells (DACs). The pressure responses of the vibrational frequencies of specific functional groups of the poly (ester urethane) in the 0-100-kbar range are compared with data for individual segment models and the partially degraded sample. The results indicated that the polymer is highly stable in this pressure regime, with no measurable degradation or phase changes.

Raman study of aluminum speciation in simulated alkaline nuclear waste.

The chemistry of concentrated sodium aluminate solutions stored in many of the large, underground storage tanks containing high-level waste (HLW) at the Hanford and Savannah River Nuclear Reservations is an area of recent research interest. Not only is the presence of aluminate in solution important for continued safe storage of these wastes, the nature of both solid and solution aluminum oxyhydroxides is important for waste pretreatment. Moreover, for many tanks that have leaked high aluminum waste in the past, little is known about the speciation of Al in the soil.

Comparison of the Properties of SnCl(3)(-) and SnBr(3)(-) Complexes of Platinum(II).

The complexes M(3)[Pt(SnX(3))(5)] (M = Bu(4)N(+), PhCH(2)PPh(3)(+); X = Cl, Br), cis-M(2)[PtX(2)(SnX(3))(2)] (M = Bu(4)N(+), PhCH(2)PPh(3)(+), CH(3)PPh(3)(+), Pr(4)N(+); X = Cl, Br), and [PhCH(2)PPh(3)](2)[PtBr(3)(SnBr(3))] have been prepared and characterized by (119)Sn and (195)Pt NMR, far-infrared, and electronic absorption and emission spectroscopies. In acetone solutions the [Pt(SnX(3))(5)](3)(-) ions retain their trigonal bipyramidal structures but are stereochemically nonrigid as evidenced by (119)Sn and (195)Pt NMR spectroscopy. For [Pt(SnCl(3))(5)](3)(-) spin correlation is preserved between 183 and 363 K establishing that the nonrigidity is due to intramolecular tin site exchange, probably via Berry pseudorotation.