ABSTRACT
Protonated crystals of glycine silver nitrate (C4H10Ag2N4O10) undergo a displacive kind of structural phase transition to a ferroelectric phase at 218â K. Glycine silver nitrate (GSN) is a light-sensitive crystal. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction investigations are difficult to perform on these crystals due to the problem of crystal deterioration on prolonged exposure to X-rays. To circumvent this problem, single-crystal neutron diffraction investigations were performed. We report here the crystal structure of GSN in a ferroelectric phase. The final R value for the refined structure at 150â K is 0.059. A comparison of the low-temperature structure with the room-temperature structure throws some light on the mechanism of the structural phase change in this crystal. We have attempted to explain the structural transition in GSN within the framework of the vibronic theory of ferroelectricity, suggesting that the second-order Jahn-Teller (pseudo-Jahn-Teller) behavior of the Ag(+) ion in GSN leads to structural distortion at low temperature (218â K).
Subject(s)
Glycine/chemistry , Silver Nitrate/chemistry , Cold Temperature , Crystallography, X-Ray , Models, Molecular , Neutron Diffraction , Phase TransitionABSTRACT
We present a detailed powder and single-crystal neutron diffraction study of the spin chain compound Ca3Co2O6. Below 25 K, the system orders magnetically with a modulated partially disordered antiferromagnetic structure. We give a description of the magnetic interactions in the system which is consistent with this magnetic structure. Our study also reveals that the long-range magnetic order coexists with a shorter-range order with a correlation length scale of approximately 180 angstroms in the ab plane. Remarkably, on cooling, the volume of material exhibiting short-range order increases at the expense of the long-range order.
ABSTRACT
TbMnO3 is an orthorhombic insulator where incommensurate spin order for temperature T(N)<41 K is accompanied by ferroelectric order for T<28 K. To understand this, we establish the magnetic structure above and below the ferroelectric transition using neutron diffraction. In the paraelectric phase, the spin structure is incommensurate and longitudinally modulated. In the ferroelectric phase, however, there is a transverse incommensurate spiral. We show that the spiral breaks spatial inversion symmetry and can account for magnetoelectricity in TbMnO3.
ABSTRACT
We discuss the computational results of the "Theoretical study of the photoinduced transfer among the ground state and two metastable states in [Fe(CN)5NO]2-" [J. Chem. Phys. 122, 074314 (2005)] with respect to our previously reported polarized absorption study on the metastable states SI and SII in Na2[Fe(CN)5NO]2H2O [D. Schaniel, J. Schefer, B. Delley, M. Imlau, and Th. Woike, Phys. Rev. B 66, 085103 (2002)].
ABSTRACT
Elastic and inelastic neutron scattering experiments have been performed on the dimer spin system NH4CuCl3, which shows plateaus in the magnetization curve at m=1/4 and m=3/4 of the saturation value. Two structural phase transitions at T1 approximately 156 K and at T(2)=70 K lead to a doubling of the crystallographic unit cell along the b direction and as a consequence a segregation into different dimer subsystems. Long-range magnetic ordering is reported below T(N)=1.3 K. The magnetic field dependence of the excitation spectrum identifies successive quantum phase transitions of the dimer subsystems as the driving mechanism for the unconventional magnetization process in agreement with a recent theoretical model.
ABSTRACT
We present extinction spectra of sodium nitroprusside exhibiting holographic light scattering after irradiation with coherent light. A characteristic extinction band appearing in the vicinity of the wavelength of the pump beam was discovered as well as an increase of the extinction coefficient over the whole spectral range. These features are proved to originate from diffraction of the probe beam from parasitic holograms and can be explained within the framework of a simple Ewald construction.
ABSTRACT
The magnetic ground state of CuB2O4 is incommensurate at T = 1.8 K and undergoes a continuous phase transition to a noncollinear commensurate antiferromagnetic state at T(small star), filled approximately 10 K. Close to T(small star), filled higher-order magnetic satellites are observed. Coexistence of long- and short-range magnetic order is observed in both magnetic phases. This suggests that the association of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and anisotropy leads to the formation of a magnetic soliton lattice.
ABSTRACT
Subunits alpha, beta and gamma of adenosine triphosphatase (H(+)-ATPase) from the thermophilic bacterium PS3 (TF1) have been over-expressed in Escherichia coli. alpha and beta subunits deuterated to the level of 90% were obtained by culturing E. coli in 2H2O medium. Both the subunits and the reconstituted alpha beta gamma complex, TF1, which contain the deuterated components in various combinations, were studied in solution by small-angle neutron scattering. The individual shapes of the subunits and their organization in the alpha beta gamma-TF1 complex were examined using the techniques of selective deuteration and contrast variation. The alpha and beta subunits are well approximated as ellipsoids of revolution having minor semi-axes of 20.4(+/- 0.4) and 20.0(+/- 0.2) A, and major semi-axes of 53.0(+/- 1.4) and 55.8(+/- 0.9) A, respectively. In the TF1 complex, three beta subunits are aligned to form an equilateral triangle, with their major axes tilted by 35 degrees with respect to the 3-fold axis of the complex. The beta-beta distance is about 53 A. Three alpha subunits are similarly arranged, positioned between the beta subunits, and with their direction of tilt opposite to that of the beta subunits. The centers of the alpha and beta subunits lie in the same plane, forming a hexagon. Adjacent subunits overlap in this model, suggesting that they are not simple ellipsoids of revolution.
Subject(s)
Bacteria/enzymology , Proton-Translocating ATPases , Chemical Phenomena , Chemistry, Physical , Deuterium , Escherichia coli/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial , Neutrons , Proton-Translocating ATPases/metabolism , Scattering, RadiationABSTRACT
The influence of the conditions of adsorption and virion destruction by freezing-thawing and detergents on the detection of M1 and NP proteins of different influenza virus strains by solid-phase enzyme immunoassay with direct virion adsorption on polystyrene was studied. It was found that for the detection of M1 protein the optimal conditions included virion disruption with detergent and adsorption to polystyrene at 4 degrees C, and for NP protein disruption by freezing-thawing at adsorption to polystyrene at 37 degrees C. In the study of the antigenic properties of protein M1 of different influenza virus strains using monoclonal antibodies it was shown to be necessary, first, to achieve maximum detection of proteins and, second, to standardize the amount of the adsorbed antigen with polyclonal antibodies.