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Appendix inside back cover. "June 2002" Bibliography: leaves 157-168. Experimental and theoretical studies were carried out on a number of unusual organic molecules of potential astronomical significance. The experimental work was corroborated by various theoretical approaches and by utilising computer-based quantum chemical calculations. Various covalently bound, anionic and neutral oxocarbon species were formed and studied. Additionally, two analogous heterocumulenic systems were investigated. Some isomers of either system, when energised, were shown to undergo gas-phase rearrangement processes.

At present several groups are analysing quasar absorption spectra to search for variation of the fine structure constant, alpha, across space and time. These studies compare the wavelengths of several transitions observed in the absorption clouds with those seen in the laboratory, and interpret anomalies as variation in alpha. One group has already presented evidence that alpha may have been smaller at an early epoch. Other groups using different telescopes see no variation. These studies use the ???many-multiplet??? method, which relies on the utilisation of many transitions in many ions to enhance the size of the effects and remove sources of systematic error. While this method offers an order-of-magnitude improvement in sensitivity over the previously used alkali-doublet method, the alpha-dependence (relativistic shift) of every transition used in the analysis must be calculated ab initio. In this thesis we present a method for the precise calculation of relativistic shifts, based on an energy calculation involving combination of the configuration interaction method and many-body perturbation theory. The many-multiplet method also introduces a potential systematic error: if the relative isotope abundances of the absorbers differ from terrestrial abundances then there can be spurious shifts in the measured wavelengths, which may be incorrectly interpreted as variation of alpha. A ???conspiracy??? of several isotopic abundances may provide an alternative explanation for the observed spectral anomalies. To account for these systematic errors we need accurate values of the isotope shift. We calculate these shifts using the finite-field method to reduce the problem to that of an energy calculation, which in turn is done using the same method used for the relativistic shift. We present the results of our calculations for a variety of atoms and ions seen in quasar absorption spectra. The results of this research should allow astrophysicists to measure isotope abundances in the absorbers directly. This can provide a test for models of nuclear reactions in stars and supernovae, and of the chemical evolution of the Universe. Our calculations can also be used in conjunction with measurements to extract changes in nuclear charge radii between isotopes.

Spectroscopy is increasingly used to investigate and monitor the solid state forms of pharmaceutical materials and products. Spectroscopy�s speed, nondestructive sampling, compatibility with fibre optics and safety also make it attractive for in-line monitoring. In this thesis, the spectroscopic techniques Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy, terahertz pulsed spectroscopy and second harmonic generation were used to characterise and quantify polymorphism and crystallinity of pharmaceutical compounds. Where possible, the multivariate analysis technique partial least squares was used for quantitative analysis. Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy detects polarisability changes mainly associated with molecular vibrations. Terahertz pulsed spectroscopy is a new spectroscopic technique that operates between the infrared and microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and detects dipole moment changes mainly associated with crystalline phonon vibrations in the solid state. Second harmonic generation is a nonlinear optical phenomenon that depends on the dipole moment in crystals and crystal symmetry. Several materials capable of existing in different solid state forms were used. FT-Raman spectroscopy was able to differentiate carbamazepine forms I and III, enalapril maleate forms I and II and γ-crystalline and amorphous indomethacin. Combined with partial least squares the technique could quantify binary mixtures of CBZ forms I and III with a limit of detection as low as 1%, and mixtures of enalapril maleate with a limit of detection of as low as 2%. Terahertz pulsed spectroscopy obtained very different spectra for carbamazepine forms I and III, enalapril maleate forms I and II, γ-crystalline and amorphous indomethacin, crystalline and supercooled thermotropic liquid crystalline fenoprofen calcium, three forms of lactose, and five forms of sulphathiazole. At present the modes in the spectra cannot be attributed to specific phonon modes. Quantitation of binary mixtures of different forms of a compound using partial least squares analysis usually resulted in a limit of detection of about 1%. Second harmonic generation was used to quantify binary mixtures of different forms of enalapril maleate and lactose, as well as binary mixtures of enalapril maleate form II and polyvinylpyrrolidone. A quantitative relationship was present for each of the mixtures, however the limits of detection were usually above 10%. The high value is probably due to the machine being a prototype and univariate analysis associated with a single output variable. Future improvements to the apparatus and measurement parameters are likely to reduce the limits of detection. Ranitidine hydrochloride polymorphs could also be differentiated using second harmonic generation, however γ-crystalline and amorphous indomethacin and forms I and III of carbamazepine could not. The methods used in this thesis were successfully used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of polymorphism and crystallinity of pharmaceutical compounds. TPS and SHG are useful additions to the range of experimental techniques that can be used to investigate and monitor properties of pharmaceutical solids.

The determination of wine authenticity and the detection of adulteration are attracting an increasing amount of attention for wine producers, researchers and consumers. Wine authentication and classification based on geographical origin has been widely studied. Most of these studies have achieved successful classification results. However, these studies have involved complicated and expensive procedures. Visible and near infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIR) is recognized as a rapid and non-destructive technique. In recent years, several studies have been conducted using Vis-NIR spectroscopy to analyze wine for both quantitative and qualitative purposes. The aim of this research was to investigate the geographical classification of wines using Vis-NIR spectroscopy. The effect of temperature and measurement mode (transmission and transflectance) on Vis-NIR spectra was investigated to identify optimal conditions for wine sample analysis. It was found the optimal temperature is between 30 to 35°C and the shorter pathlength measurement condition has better prediction ability. Classification by geographical origin using Vis-NIR spectroscopy was investigated for sixty-three Tempranillo wines from Spain and Australia, and fifty Riesling wines from Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Discriminant partial least square regression (DPLS) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) based on PCA scores were used to perform classification. Over 90% of the Tempranillo wines were correctly classified according to their geographical region using both DPLS and LDA. A classification rate of 72% was achieved for the Riesling wines. Vis-NIR technique provides a similar degree of reliability on wine classification comparable to those obtained using chemical composition. The results of this study demonstrate potential for Vis-NIR spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis as a rapid method for classifying wines by geographical origin. / Thesis (M.Eng.Sc.)--School of Chemical Engineering, 2006.

Appendix inside back cover. / "June 2002" / Bibliography: leaves 157-168. / x, 168, [19] leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Experimental and theoretical studies were carried out on a number of unusual organic molecules of potential astronomical significance. The experimental work was corroborated by various theoretical approaches and by utilising computer-based quantum chemical calculations. Various covalently bound, anionic and neutral oxocarbon species were formed and studied. Additionally, two analogous heterocumulenic systems were investigated. Some isomers of either system, when energised, were shown to undergo gas-phase rearrangement processes. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Chemistry, 2002

"February 2003" / Bibliography: leaves 186-201. / viii, 201, ix, [41] leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Chemistry, 2003

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2006. / "May, 2006." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-82). Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.