Proton production in relativistic heavy ion collisions; comparison with a thermodynamical model

Experimental results concerning proton production in nuclear collisions, obtained at Saturne with the Diogene 4 pi facility, are compared with the predictions of a thermodynamical model, using collective velocity distributions combined with a statistical thermodynamics in local rest frames. Experimental differential cross sections for alpha + nucleus and Neon + nucleus central collisions at incident energies between 200 and 800 MeV per nucleon are well reproduced by the model, for an angular range 30-110 degrees in the laboratory system. Extracted values of the temperatures are compared with those given by other authors.     

Experimental study of terrestrial plant litter interaction with aqueous solutions

Quantification of silicon and calcium recycling by plants is hampered by the lack of physico-chemical data on reactivity of plant litter in soil environments. We applied a laboratory experimental approach for determining the silica and calcium release rates from litter of typical temperate and boreal plants: pine (Pinus laricio), birch (Betula pubescens), larch (Larix gmelinii), elm (Ulmus laevis Pall.), tree fern (Dicksonia squarrosa), and horsetail (Equisetum arvense) in 0.01 M NaCl solutions, pH of 2-10 and temperature equals to 5, 25 and 40 °C. Open system, mixed-flow reactors equipped with dialysis compartment and batch reactors were used. Comparative measurements were performed on intact larch needles and samples grounded during different time, sterilized or not and with addition or not of sodium azide in order to account for the effect of surface to mass ratio and possible microbiological activity on the litter dissolution rates. Litter degradation results suggest that the silica release rate is independent on dissolved organic carbon release (cell breakdown) which implies the presence of phytoliths in a pure “inorganic” pool not complexed with organic matter. Calcium and DOC are released at the very first stage of litter dissolution while Si concentration increases gradually suggesting the presence of Ca and Si in two different pools. The dry-weight normalized dissolution rate at circum-neutral pH range (approx. 1-10 μmol/g_DW/day) is 2 orders of magnitude higher than the rates of Si release from common soil minerals (kaolinite, smectite, illite). Minimal Ca release rates evaluated from batch and mixed-flow reactors are comparable with those of most reactive soil minerals such as calcite and apatite, and several orders of magnitude higher than the dissolution rates of major rock-forming silicates (feldspars, pyroxenes). The activation energy for Si liberation from plant litter is approx. 50 kJ/mol which is comparable with that of surface-controlled mineral dissolutions. It is shown that the Si release rate from the above-ground forest biomass is capable of producing the Si concentrations observed in soil solutions of surficial horizons and contribute significantly to the Si flux from the soil to the river.     

Surface chemistry and reactivity of plant phytoliths in aqueous solutions

In order to better understand the reactivity of plant phytoliths in soil solutions, we determined the solubility, surface properties (electrophoretic mobilities and surface charge) and dissolution kinetics of phytoliths extracted from fresh biomass of representative plant species (larch tree and elm, horsetail, fern, and four grasses) containing significant amount of biogenic silica. The solubility product of larch, horsetail, elm and fern phytoliths is close to that of amorphous silica and soil bamboo phytoliths. Electrophoretic measurements yield isoelectric point pH_IEP = 0.9, 1.1, 2.0 and 2.2 for four grasses, elm, larch and horsetail phytoliths respectively, which is very close to that of quartz or amorphous silica. Surface acid–base titrations allowed generation of a 2-pK surface complexation model (SCM) for larch, elm and horsetail phytoliths. Phytoliths dissolution rates, measured in mixed-flow reactors at far from equilibrium conditions at 1 ≤ pH ≤ 8, were found to be very similar among the species, and close to those of soil bamboo phytoliths. Mechanistic treatment of all plant phytoliths dissolution rates provided three-parameters equation sufficient to describe phytoliths reactivity in aqueous solutions:$R(\text{mol}/{\text{cm}}^2/\text{s})=6?{10}^{?16}?a_{\text{H+}}+5.0?{10}^{?18}+3.5?{10}^{?13}?a_{\text{OH}?}^{0.33}$Alternatively, the dissolution rate dependence on pH can be modeled within the concept of surface coordination theory assuming the rate proportional to concentration of > SiOH₂⁺, > SiOH⁰ and > SiO^? species. In the range of Al concentration from 20 to 5000 ppm in the phytoliths, we have not observed any correlation between their Al content and solubility, surface acid–base properties and dissolution kinetics.It follows from the results of this study that phytoliths dissolution rates exhibit a minimum at pH ～ 3. Mass-normalized dissolution rates are similar among all four types of plant species studied and these rates are an order of magnitude higher than those of typical soil clay minerals. The minimal half life time of larch and horsetail phytoliths in the interstitial soil solution ranges from 10–12 years at pH = 2–3 to < 1 year at pH above 6, comparable with mean residence time of phytoliths in soil from natural observations.     

Surface properties, solubility and dissolution kinetics of bamboo phytoliths

Although phytoliths, constituted mainly by micrometric opal, exhibit an important control on silicon cycle in superficial continental environments, their thermodynamic properties and reactivity in aqueous solution are still poorly known. In this work, we determined the solubility and dissolution rates of bamboo phytoliths collected in the Réunion Island and characterized their surface properties via electrophoretic measurements and potentiometric titrations in a wide range of pH. The solubility product of “soil” phytoliths ( at 25 °C) is equal to that of vitreous silica and is 17 times higher than that of quartz. Similarly, the enthalpy of phytoliths dissolution reaction is close to that of amorphous silica but is significantly lower than the enthalpy of quartz dissolution. Electrophoretic measurements yield isoelectric point pH_IEP = 1.2 ± 0.1 and 2.5 ± 0.2 for “soil” (native) and “heated” (450 °C heating to remove organic matter) phytoliths, respectively. Surface acid-base titrations allowed generation of a 2-pK surface complexation model. Phytoliths dissolution rates, measured in mixed-flow reactors at far from equilibrium conditions at 2 ? pH ? 12, were found to be intermediate between those of quartz and vitreous silica. The dissolution rate dependence on pH was modeled within the concept of surface coordination theory using the equation:

     

Optimal Port Design Minimizing Standing Waves with A Posteriori Long Term Shoreline Sustainability Analysis

China Ocean Engineering - Optimization theory is applied to a coastal engineering problem that is the design of a port. This approach was applied to the redesign of La Turballe Port in order to...     

Aqueous reactivity of phytoliths and plant litter: Physico-chemical constraints on terrestrial biogeochemical cycle of silicon

Quantification of silicon recycling by plants is hampered by the lack of physico-chemical data on reactivity of natural phytoliths and plant litter. In this study, we used an experimental approach for determining the silica release rates of phytoliths from tropical and temperate plants (bamboos, horsetails). Results are compared with litter degradation of horsetails and pine needles. Silica release rates suggest that the reactivity of phytolith surface does not depend on topology and geometry of local structures, and does not support the existence of preferential dissolution sites on surface. Litter degradation results suggest that the silica release rate is independent of cellulose hydrolysis that implies the presence of phytoliths in an “inorganic” pool not complexed with organic matter.