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Abstract  

The dehydration of an opal specimen was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TG) in powder and bulk forms. The change in geometry resulted in a significant difference in the temperature range in which dehydration occurred with peak temperatures in the differential TG (DTG) curve for the hand ground opal at 203°C and for the bulk opal at 340°C. This difference was attributed to time taken for diffusion of free water in the bulk opal to the specimen surface prior to evolution as a registered mass loss. A model was proposed to account for the diffusion of water and was used to estimate the diffusion coefficient.

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Abstract  

Bone provides an important source of forensic evidence. The storage conditions of bone have been recognised as a factor in maintaining the integrity of such evidence. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) has been employed to examine the effects of storage environments and preparation methods on the structural properties of pig bones. A comparison of oven and freeze drying has been made to study the effect of storage conditions. A comparison has also been made of ground bone specimens with cut specimens. Freeze-dried hand ground specimens provided the most consistent results and, thus, this is the recommended method of preparation of bone specimens for TG analysis.

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Abstract  

Using the pulse radiolysis competition kinetic technique, OH radical rate constants with 12 metal DTPA complexes were determined in neutral aerated aqueous solutions. They are in the range of /1.3–5.9/×109 dm3 mol–1s–1. To a first approximation, the rate constant was found to decrease linearly with an increase in the field strength of the metal ion (q/r2).

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Résumé  

Le dosage de l'oxygène par radioactivation avec les particules chargées alphas et hélions-3 a été appliqué au silicium et au germanium. Des précisions ont été apportées aux conditions opératoires en analyse non destructive qui est utilisable à l'heure actuelle en toute sécurité pour le silicium. Une méthode nouvelle d'isolement du fluor-18 est proposée en présence des activités étrangères créées à partir de la matrice dans l'irradiation du germanium.

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Abstract  

Nickel sulphide (NiS) was characterised using X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The 'as received' Millerite, stoichiometric NiS, observed to be slightly nickel deficient, was found to readily decompose in a nitrogen atmosphere at elevated temperatures (450C max.) to the sulphur deficient Godlevskite, Ni7S6. DSC and X-ray measurements demonstrated that the high temperature form of the Godlevskite was readily stabilised at room temperature. The kinetics of the α-β re-transformation in Godlevskite were then investigated using DSC and were observed to be first order.

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Abstract  

The reactivity of MgO obtained from calcination of magnesium carbonate at different temperatures has been investigated by means of hydration in a constant relative humidity environment at 40°C for periods up to 24 days. Natural magnesite and AR grade basic MgCO3 calcined in the range of 500–1000°C was characterised in terms of surface area, crystallite size, morphology, and hydration rate. It was found that the hydration rate is dependent on the surface area and crystallite size where temperature was the main variable affecting them. The most reactive MgO was produced at the lowest calcination temperature with the highest surface area and the smallest crystallite size. The basic MgO specimens showed higher degree of hydration compared to the natural MgO specimens due to the smaller surface area and larger crystallite size. The low MgO content of the starting natural magnesite is also attributable to the lower reactivity. This preliminary study serves as a mean to investigate potential utilisation of reactive MgO as a supplementary cementitious material in eco-friendly cements.

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Abstract  

Naturally occurring opals from three different regions in Australia were studied for their thermal characteristics. All the opals showed initial expansion followed by contraction in thermomechanical analysis (TMA) although the temperature at which the change from expansion to contraction occurred depended on their provenance. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) revealed different rates and temperatures of dehydration for these opals. A general correlation between the temperature at which there was a zero thermal expansion and that of the maximum rate of dehydration was observed. A dehydration–sintering mechanism is proposed with the effect of sintering being more pronounced following total dehydration.

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Abstract  

The effect of sampling conditions on the decomposition of electrolytic manganese dioxide using thermal methods is reported. Significant differences were observed in the mechanism of the decomposition by simply changing the reaction environment from a closed pan to an open pan configuration. The purge gas atmosphere was also observed to influence the decomposition mechanism. As a product of the decomposition is oxygen, the change in the mechanism observed between the experimental conditions may be explained in terms of the ease of removal of oxygen from the reaction site.

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The amorphous state of solids is characterized by a higher chemical and physical reactivity and a hygroscopic behaviour. Furthermore processing of amorphous powders is often difficult, because of the instability. Fast crystallizations, precipitations and milling favour the formation of the amorphous state. Galenical processes like granulation, drying, lyophilization, mixing, may also induce amorphous regions in the drug products.

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Abstract  

The hydration products of hydrothermally cured OPC-quartz blends incorporating clay-brick waste were characterised using simultaneous DTA-TG, XRD and SEM. The exotherm above 800°C on the DTA curve, due to the formation of β-wollastonite (β-CS) was related to the compressive strength. The area and/or height of the exotherm increased with compressive strength and was due primarily to the presence of calcium silicate hydrate phases including 1.1 nm tobermorite. Supporting evidence is provided by XRD and SEM.

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