Non-invasive study of natural dyes on historical textiles from the collection of Michelangelo Guggenheim.

A selection of historical textile fragments from the Venetian art dealer Moisè Michelangelo Guggenheim collection, ranging from XV to XVIII century, has been investigated by means of non-invasive techniques in order to reveal the coloring materials. Imaging was preliminarily used to visually investigate the selected artwork fragments in order to investigate their structure and conservation conditions; Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) allowed recognizing the main natural dyestuffs, such as indigotin and anthraquinones-based compounds, except the yellow ones, difficultly identifiable when using this non-invasive technique. Collected spectroscopic data have been also elaborated by using a clustering algorithm that permitted to group collected spectra on the basis of similar properties and evidencing their inflection point wavelength as the most influencing feature.

The relationship between solution structure and crystal nucleation: a neutron scattering study of supersaturated methanolic solutions of benzoic acid.

In this contribution, neutron scattering experiments (with isotopic substitution) of concentrated and supersaturated methanolic benzoic acid solutions combined with empirical potential structure refinement (EPSR) were used to investigate the time-averaged atomistic details of this system. Through the determination of radial distribution functions, quantitative details emerge of the solution coordination, its relationship to the nature of the crystalline phase, and the response of the solution to imposed supersaturation.

Relationship between solution structure and phase behavior: a neutron scattering study of concentrated aqueous hexamethylenetetramine solutions.

The water-hexamethylenetetramine system displays features of significant interest in the context of phase equilibria in molecular materials. First, it is possible to crystallize two solid phases depending on temperature, both hexahydrate and anhydrous forms. Second, saturated aqueous solutions in equilibrium with these forms exhibit a negative dependence of solubility (retrograde) on temperature. In this contribution, neutron scattering experiments (with isotopic substitution) of concentrated aqueous hexamethylenetetramine solutions combined with empirical potential structure refinement (EPSR) were used to investigate the time-averaged atomistic details of this system. Through the derivation of radial distribution functions, quantitative details emerge of the solution coordination, its relationship to the nature of the solid phases, and of the underlying cause of the solubility behavior of this molecule.

Simulation of phase separation in alcohol/water mixtures using two-body force field and standard molecular dynamics.

Standard molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out on pure alcohols and alcohol/water mixtures. A simple atom-atom force field consisting of Lennard-Jones potentials plus coulombic terms over atomic point charges, but without explicit polarization terms, has been specifically fitted to reproduce several experimental properties of the pure alcohols, and has been used for mixtures by developing combination rules with the TIP3P water model. Densities, enthalpies of vaporization, radial distribution functions, self-diffusion coefficients, and rotational correlation functions of the pure alcohols are well reproduced and compare favorably with those from more sophisticated force fields. Some key aspects of the phase behaviour are correctly reproduced by the molecular dynamics simulation, showing a distinct demixing process for the n-butanol/water mixture as opposed to the stability of the t-butanol/water mixtures. The results demonstrate the ability of a molecular dynamics simulation, even in its standard form and with easily accessible time ranges, but with a carefully optimized force field, to simulate and, to a certain extent, predict the properties of binary mixtures.

Interatomic potential parameters for potassium tetrachlorozincate and their application to modelling its phase transformations.

An empirical fitting procedure is applied to derive interatomic potential parameters for a model phase transition system, namely potassium tetrachlorozincate (K(2)ZnCl(4)). The derived potential is found to reliably model the known crystallographic structure for the ferroelectric and paraelectric phases of this compound. Potential transferability is demonstrated by applying the parameters derived to the optimization of the known molecular structure for a similar inorganic system (rubidium tetrachlorozincate).