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New controlled release systems produced by self-assembly of biopolymers and colloidal particles at fluid-fluid interfaces
Sunlit snow/ice is known to play an important role in the processing of atmospheric species, including photochemical production of NOX, HONO, molecular halogens, alkyl halides, and carbonyl compounds, among others. It has been shown that a liquid-like (quasi-liquid or disordered) layer exists on the surface of pure ice and that this quasi-liquid layer is also found on the surface of ambient snow crystals and ice at temperatures similar to polar conditions. However, it is unclear what role the liquid-like fractions present in and on frozen water play in potential photochemical reactions, particularly with regard to organic substrates. Here, we report a detailed study of enhanced rates of photochemical nucleophilic substitution of p-nitroanisole (PNA) with pyridine, a well-characterized and commonly used actinometer system. Reaction rates were enhanced by a factor of up to -40 when frozen at temperatures between 236 and 272 K. Reaction rates were dependent on temperature and solute concentration, both variables that control the nature of the liquid-like fraction in frozen water. The results obtained indicate that a major portion of the organic solutes is excluded to the liquid-like layer, significantly impacting the rate of the photochemical nucleophilic substitution reaction studied here. Also, the direct comparison of liquid-phase kinetics to reactions occurring in frozen water systems is drawn into question, indicating that a simple extrapolation of liquid-phase mechanisms to snow/ice may not be valid for certain reactions. [hide]
Scientific Board
Andreas Bausch
TU Munich, Germany ►
Peter Fischer
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Anne-Marie Hermansson
SIK, Sweden ►
Martin Kroger
ETH Zurich, Germany/Switzerland ►
Erik van der Linden
Wageningen UR, The Netherlands ►
Niklas Loren
SIK, Sweden ►
Leonard Sagis
Wageningen UR, The Netherlands ►
Erich Windhab
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Klaas-Jan Zuidam
Unilever, The Netherlands ►
Scientific Stuff
Manuela Duxenneuner
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Sophia Fransson
SIK, Sweden ►
Nam-Phuong Humblet-Hua
Wageningen UR, The Netherlands ►
Joeska Husny
ETH Zurich, Australia/Switzerland ►
Orit Peleg
ETH Zurich, Israel/Switzerland ►
Cyrille Vezy
TU Munich, Germany ►
Varvara Mitropoulos
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Associated Scientists
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SY Tee, AR Bausch, PA Janmey,
The mechanical cell
CURRENT BIOLOGY 19 (2009) R745 ►Selected conferences (co-)organized by project members
8th World Congress on Computational Mechanics WCCM8 2008
30 June - 5 July 2007, Venice, Italy ►13 May 2025
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