Teaching undergraduate physical chemistry lab with kinetic analysis of COVID-19 in the United States.

A physical chemistry lab for undergraduate students described in this report is about applying kinetic models to analyze the spread of COVID-19 in the United States and obtain the reproduction numbers. The susceptible-infectious-recovery (SIR) model and the SIR-vaccinated (SIRV) model are explained to the students and are used to analyze the COVID-19 spread data from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The basic reproduction number R 0 and the real-time reproduction number R t of COVID-19 are extracted by fitting the data with the models, which explains the spreading kinetics and provides a prediction of the spreading trend in a given state. The procedure outlined here shows the differences between the SIR model and the SIRV model. The SIRV model considers the effect of vaccination which helps explain the later stages of the ongoing pandemic. The predictive power of the models is also shown giving the students some certainty in the predictions they made for the following months.

Effect of environment on iodine oxidation state and reactivity with aluminum.

Iodine oxide is a highly reactive solid oxidizer and with its abundant generation of iodine gas during reaction, this oxidizer also shows great potential as a biocidal agent. A problem with using I2O5 in an energetic mixture is its highly variable reactive behavior. This study isolates the variable reactivity associated with I2O5 as a function of its chemical reaction in various environments. Specifically, aluminum fuel and iodine oxide powder are combined using a carrier fluid to aid intermixing. The carrier fluid is shown to significantly affect the oxidation state of iodine oxide, thereby affecting the reactivity of the mixture. Four carrier fluids were investigated ranging in polarity and water miscibility in increasing order from hexane < acetone < isopropanol < water as well as untreated, dry-mixed reactants. Oxidation state and reactivity were examined with experimental techniques including X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy (XPS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results are compared with thermal equilibrium simulations. Flame speeds increased with polarity of the fluid used to intermix the powder and ranged from 180 to 1202 m s(-1). The I2O5 processed in the polar fluids formed hydrated states of iodine oxide: HIO3 and HI3O8; and, the nonpolar and dry-mixed samples formed: I2O4 and I4O9. During combustion, the hydrated iodine oxides rapidly dehydrated from HIO3 to HI3O8 and from HI3O8 to I2O5. Both steps release 25% of their mass as vapor during combustion. Increased gas generation enhances convective energy transport and accounts for the increase in reactivity seen in the mixtures processed in polar fluids. These results explain the chemical mechanisms underlying the variable reactivity of I2O5 that are a function of the oxide's highly reactive nature with its surrounding environment. These results will significantly impact the selection of carrier fluid in the synthesis approach for iodine containing reactive mixtures.

Improving the Explosive Performance of Aluminum Nanoparticles with Aluminum Iodate Hexahydrate (AIH).

A new synthesis approach for aluminum particles enables an aluminum core to be passivated by an oxidizing salt: aluminum iodate hexahydrate (AIH). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that AIH replaces the Al2O3 passivation layer on Al particles that limits Al oxidation. The new core-shell particle reactivity was characterized using laser-induced air shock from energetic materials (LASEM) and results for two different Al-AIH core-shell samples that vary in the AIH concentration demonstrate their potential use for explosive enhancement on both fast (detonation velocity) and slow (blast effects) timescales. Estimates of the detonation velocity for TNT-AIH composites suggest an enhancement of up to 30% may be achievable over pure TNT detonation velocities. Replacement of Al2O3 with AIH allows Al to react on similar timescales as detonation waves. The AIH mixtures tested here have relatively low concentrations of AIH (15 wt. % and 6 wt. %) compared to previously reported samples (57.8 wt. %) and still increase TNT performance by up to 30%. Further optimization of AIH synthesis could result in additional increases in explosive performance.

Reaction Kinetics and Combustion Dynamics of I4O9 and Aluminum Mixtures.

Tetraiodine nonoxide (I4O9) has been synthesized using a dry approach that combines elemental oxygen and iodine without the introduction of hydrated species. The synthesis approach inhibits the topochemical effect promoting rapid hydration when exposed to the relative humidity of ambient air. This stable, amorphous, nano-particle material was analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and showed an exothermic energy release at low temperature (i.e., 180 °C) for the transformation of I4O9 into I2O5. This additional exothermic energy release contributes to an increase in overall reactivity of I4O9 when dry mixed with nano-aluminum (Al) powder, resulting in a minimum of 150% increase in flame speed compared to Al + I2O5. This study shows that as an oxidizer, I4O9 has more reactive potential than other forms of iodine(V) oxide when combined with Al, especially if I4O9 can be passivated to inhibit absorption of water from its surrounding environment.