An x-ray investigation of the thermal decomposition of unirradiated and irradiated silver permanganate.
- Authors: Woods, Geoffrey Steward
- Date: 1963
- Subjects: Decomposition (Chemistry) , Materials -- Thermal properties , Solids -- Thermal properties , Permanganates , Silver compounds
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4511 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013450
- Description: [From Introduction] The first step in the study of the thermal decompositions of solids is an examination of the kinetics, since this casts much light on the mechanism of the reaction. It must be borne in mind, however, that a theoretical expression, derived on the basis of a particular mechanism, even if it fits the observed experimental results, is not conclusive proof of the validity of the mechanism when applied to the decomposition under examination.
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- Date Issued: 1963
Studies on the emulsion scouring of raw wool
- Authors: Grové, Christo Carel
- Date: 1963
- Subjects: Woolen and worsted manufacture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4479 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012100 , Woolen and worsted manufacture
- Description: Knowledge of the mechanism of detergency under various conditions has thus far been built up from laboratory studies. It is well known that the laboratory methods for determing detergency are on the whole not able to give results which agree with those obtained in practice, probably because the actual scouring conditions cannot be duplicated exactly in the laboratory. Detergency testing on a full industrial scale is virtually impossible in view of the high cost and the production losses involved. In commercial raw wool scouring, which is an extremely complex system, it would be very difficult to exercise proper and complete control. The study described here was carried out on a specially constructed pilot plant which is similar to a fullscale plant in that the lengths of the bowls are of the same order as those of industrial plants, but they are considerably narrower. The trials were carried out under strictly controlled conditions in which the effects to be studied were created by the necessary changes while all other factors were kept constant, The pilot plant experiments were planned from indications of laboratory studies and the results were expected to be more comparable with those obtained in industrial practice, The effect of several factors on the scouring of raw wool was studied from the detergent efficiency aspect. The factors investigated were: mechanical action, backflow, temperature and detergency builders. A number of detergents which were selected from the large range which is available were compared with regard to efficiency and economy of scouring. A difficulty which hinders quantitative laboratory work on nonionic detergents is the fact that there is no rapid, accurate method for the estimation of nonionic detergents. The analytical methods which are employed at present are interfered with by virtually all the impurities which are normally present in scouring liquors. Some of the existing methods have been investigated and tested for precision and reproducibility and an attempt was made at establishing a new method. The sorption of nonionic detergents by various substrates has not been fully investigated because of the above reason and also because the amounts of detergent sorbed by most substrates are very small and difficult to determine. Attempts were made at determining the sorption of nonionic detergents onto wool and impurities which are normally found in scouring liquors. A new method for the investigation of "inactivation" of detergent by contaminants present in scouring liquors, which may be regarded as an indirect indication of detergent sorption, was investigated.
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- Date Issued: 1963
The crystal structure of caesium permanganate by x-ray diffraction
- Authors: Nassimbeni, L R
- Date: 1963
- Subjects: Permanganates -- Crystallography , X-rays -- Diffraction , Crystals -- Piezoelectricity , Pyroelectricity
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4484 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012942
- Description: The crystal structure of caesium permanganate has been determined. CsMn0₄ crystallises in the orthorhombic space group Pnma. There are four molecules per unit cell with a = 10.0692 Å, b = 5.8080 Å, c = 7.9470 Å. The structure was determined by Fourier syntheses on the (010) and (001) projections and refined by two-dimensional difference syntheses. The structure is similar to that of KMn0₄. The manganese is surrounded by four oxygen atoms at an average distance of 1.629 Å arranged in a slightly distorted tetrahedron. The caesium is surrounded by eight manganese atoms at an average distance of 4.381 Å.
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- Date Issued: 1963
The development of a method for the determination of microgram amounts of magnesium by atomic absorption
- Authors: Taylor, John Douglas
- Date: 1963
- Subjects: Atomic absorption spectroscopy -- Instruments , Magnesium
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4507 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013344
- Description: This thesis includes a description of modifications of the Hilger atomic absorption apparatus, which was used for most of the work. These modifications were restricted to the atomiser and burner, which were replaced by a modified "Eel" flame. photometer atomiser-burner and resulted in improved sensitivity and instrumental stability for the atomic absorption of magnesium. A comparison of the performance of this unit with that of the unmodified Hilger apparatus is given. A "Handigas" butane-propane mixture)-air flame was used for most of this work, but a coal-gas-air flame was also studied and found to give slightly greater sensitivity. The method was found to be subject to interference from many elements. Strontium salts, employed as releasing agents to overcome the effect of other elements, were not completely effective as milligram amounts of several elements interfered even when strontium was present. Among the more serious interfering elements are: aluminium, iron, manganese and zirconium (less than 20 p.p.m. interfere); the alkali and alkaline earth metal salts (more than 200-500 p.p.m. interfere); phosphate (more than 100 p.p.m. P₂0₅ uranium (more than 4,000 p.p.m.); arsenate and vanadate. An attempt is made to explain the mechanism of some of these interfering effects. A combination of strontium salt and acetyl acetone was found to over-come the effects of small amounts of several elements that form complexes with acetyl acetone (e.g. iron and aluminium) far more effectively than strontium alone. Larger amounts of many interfering elements are removed by a solvent extraction procedure employing acetyl acetone and chloroform. Elements which cannot be removed by this means may be separated by anion-exchange, volatilisation, electrolysis or precipitation. A spiking technique, which compensates JT/GB for the effects of small amounts of interfering elements, is described and enables many samples to be analysed without prior separations. The method described has good sensitivity (the limit of determination is approximately 1 microgram of magnesium in 50 ml. of solution). It has been applied to the analysis of clay samples, iron ore, limestone and uranium metal, oxides and processing solutions. The coefficient of variation of the method was determined using two clay samples and results of 2.0 and 4.6 percent, at magnesium oxide concentrations of 0.65 and 0.22 percent respectively, wore obtained. The speed of the method compares favourably with others described for the determination of microgram amounts of magnesium, but increases if large amounts of interfering elements are present.
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- Date Issued: 1963