Two linear aminodiphosphinates (H3L1 , H5L2 ) and one cyclic aminodiphosphinate (H2L3 ) were prepared and studied. Newly prepared compounds were characterized by NMR, MS and EA (elemental analysis). Acid-base and coordination properties of ligands were studied. Protonation constants and stability constants of complexes with Zn2+ , Ni2+ and Cu2+ metal ions were determined by potentiometry. Keywords Ligands, dissociation constants, potentiometry, phosphinates, complexes.

A Na,K-ATPase é uma proteína encontrada na membrana plasmática de praticamente todas as células animais, que utiliza a energia derivada da hidrólise do ATP para transportar 3 íons Na+ e 2 íons K+. É composta por duas subunidades denominadas e . Um aspecto que ainda gera controvérsias se refere à sua forma de associação nativa e funcional como um protômero ou ainda na forma de oligômeros ()2 ou ()4. Uma forma de estudar essa enzima é pela sua solubilização da membrana, e posteriormente reconstituição em lipossomos de DPPC:DPPE. A caracterização cinética e estrutural desse sistema mostra que a enzima se apresenta na forma oligomérica ()2. O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar os mecanismos de dissociação e de desnaturação da Na,K-ATPase solubilizada bem como da reconstituída em lipossomos de DPPC:DPPE, por agentes físicos (temperatura) e químicos (relação proteína:detergente, uso de agentes caotrópicos como a guanidina e mudanças de pH), para interpretar as suas formas de associação e regulação. Para isso, foram realizados experimentos de dicroísmo circular (CD), calorimetria (DSC), infravermelho (FTIR), fluorescência de emissão do triptofano, tensão superficial, elasticidade, atividade catalítica (ATPase e pNPPase). Os estudos de CD em função da variação de temperatura mostraram que ocorre uma transição na curva de elipticidade (222 nm) a 43,7°C para a enzima solubilizada e a 42,0°C para a enzima reconstituída em lipossomos. Estas transições foram também encontradas pela técnica de FTIR. Os experimentos por DSC para a enzima solubilizada revelaram a presença de três picos em 54,7; 64,7 e 67,8°C. Já para a enzima reconstituída observam-se transições em menores temperaturas entre 30 a 40ºC (referentes aos lipídios) e ainda a preservação do pico de transição para proteína em 68,0°C. A análise de fluorescência de triptofano para ambas formas de enzima revelou deslocamentos de pico máximo de emissão a partir de 60°C. Já a presença de guanidina mostrou dois pontos de transição em 3 e 5 mol.L-1 para a Na,K-ATPase solubilizada. O efeito de diferentes meios tamponantes revelou que a enzima apresenta maiores conteúdos em -hélice em pH 7,5, concomitante com um aumento na intensidade de emissão de fluorescência do triptofano na faixa de pH de 5,0 a 8,5. Analisando conjuntamente todas as técnicas podemos propor um mecanismo de dissociação/desnaturação da enzima em função da temperatura. Primeiramente a enzima passa do seu estado oligomérico ()2 e forma protômeros . A atividade ATPase é perdida completamente (acima de 60ºC) quando as subunidades são completamente separadas, ocorrendo então uma agregação das subunidades , através dos domínios citoplasmáticos. Finalmente, a análise da enzima em diferentes proporções de proteína:detergente revela que a Na,K-ATPase, na presença de concentrações abaixo da CMC, se encontra na forma ()2 ou ainda ()4 (dependendo da concentração de proteína). Já para concentrações acima da CMC ocorre a separação das subunidades e consequente perda de atividade catalítica. Devido à dependência da atividade ATPase com seu estado conformacional e seu estado de oligomerização, este estudo realizado por técnicas bioquímicas e biofísicas, resulta em novas informações acerca da compreensão dos mecanismos que controlam o processo de associação, o qual é importante para a função da enzima na membrana natural. / Na,K-ATPase is a protein found in the plasmatic membrane of almost all animal cells and it uses the energy from ATP hydrolysis to transport 3 Na+ ions and 2 K+ ions. It is formed by subunits called and. One controversial aspect refers to its native and functional association form as a protomer or still in ()2 or ()4 oligomers form. One way to study this protein in our laboratory is by its solubilization from membrane, and later reconstitution in liposome from DPPC:DPPE. The kinetic and structural characterization fo this system shows that the enzyme presents itself in the oligomeric form ()2. The aim of this work was to evaluate the dissociation and denaturation mechanisms of the solubilized NA,K-ATPase as well as the one reconstituted in DPPC:DPPE liposome, by physic (temperature) and chemical agents (relation protein:detergent, use of chaotropic agents as Guanidine chloride, or still by the pH changes, to interpret its association and regulation forms. To that end, experiments of circular dichroism (CD), calorimetry (DSC), superficial tension, elasticity , catalytic activity (ATPase an pNPPase) were done. The CD studies in function of temperature variation have shown that a transition occurs in the ellipticity curve (222 nm) at 43.7ºC for the solubilized enzyme and at 42.0ºC for the enzyme reconstituted in liposome. These transitions were also found by the FTIR technique. The experiments by DSC for the solubilized enzyme have shown the presence of three peaks at 54.7ºC, 64.7ºC and 67.8ºC. As for the reconstituted enzyme, transitions in lower temperatures between 30ºC and 40ºC (concerning the lipids) and also the preservation of the transition peak for the protein at 68.0ºC were observed. The Tryptophane fluorescence analysis for both enzyme forms has revealed emission maximum peak shifts starting from 60ºC. The Guaniddine presence has shown two transition points at 3 and 5 mol.L-1 for the solubilized Na,K-ATPase. The effect of different buffer media has shown that the enzyme presents higher contents in -helix at pH 7.5, concomitant with an increase of the intensity of tryptophane fluorescence emission in the pH range of 5.0 to 8.5. Analyzing all the techniques together we can propose a dissociation/denaturation mechanism in function of the temperature. First, the enzyme goes from its oligomeric ()2 state and forms protomers. The ATPase activity é totally lost ( over 60ºC) when the subunits are completely separated, when an subunits aggregation then occurs, through the cytoplasmatic domains. Finally, the analysis of the enzyme in different proportions of protein:detergent reveals that the NA,K-ATPase, in the presence of concentrations bellow CMS, is in the ()2 or yet in the ()4 form (Depending on protein concentration). Now for concentrations above CMS, the separation of the subunits occurs and consequent catalytic activity loss. Due to the ATPase activity dependence on its conformational form and oligomerization state, this study done with biophysical and biochemistry techniques, results in new information on the comprehension of the mechanisms that control the association processes, which is important to the enzyme function in the natural membrane.

Neste trabalho, foram investigados os processos de migração e dissociação do éxciton em filmes ultrafinos de poli(9,9 dioctilfluoreno) (PFO) com espessura menores que o raio típico de migração excitônica (10 nm) próximos de interface semicondutora orgânica e inorgânica. Os filmes de PFO foram produzidos utilizando a técnica de <span style=\'color:black;font-style:italic;language:PT-BR\'>spin-coating<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'> a partir de soluções de PFO em clorofórmio e em tolueno. Sabe-se que ao se utilizar o clorofórmio como solvente, os filmes de PFO apresentam uma estrutura amorfa. Com isso foi possível obter filmes com espessuras menores que o raio de migração do éxciton com qualidades ideais para o estudo de processos fotofísicos. Esses filmes foram depositados sobre uma camada de nanopartículas de dióxido de titânio (TiO<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>2<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>) formando assim uma interface orgânica/inorgânica. Técnicas espectroscópicas, tais como, microscopia confocal de fluorescência (LSCM), microscopia de imagem do tempo de vida (FLIM), fotoluminescência de onda contínua e resolvida no tempo bem como espectroscopia de absorção foram utilizadas no presente trabalho. Inicialmente o espectro de fotoluminescência dos filmes de PFO foram caracterizados através da dependência da intensidade da transição puramente eletrônica <span style=\'color:black;font-style:italic;language:PT-BR\'>I<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>, largura da linha a meia altura <span style=\'font-family:Symbol;color:black;language:PT-BR\'>G<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>o<span style=\'color:black; language:PT-BR\'>, energia da transição puramente eletrônica <span style=\'color:black;font-style:italic;language:PT-BR\'>E<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'> e parâmetro de Huang-Rhys <span style=\'color:black;font-style:italic;language:PT-BR\'>S<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'> variando a temperatura. Verificou-se que a intensidade pode ser descrita em termos da ativação térmica da migração do éxciton. Além disso, a temperatura introduz uma desordem térmica que afeta diretamente o tamanho dos segmentos conjugados que é observado em termos dos parâmetros, <span style=\'font-family:Symbol;color:black;language:PT-BR\'>G<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>o<span style=\'color:black; language:PT-BR\'>, <span style=\'color:black;font-style:italic; language:PT-BR\'>E<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'> e <span style=\'color:black;font-style:italic;language:PT-BR\'>S<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>. Com os filmes de PFO produzidos com o solvente tolueno foi observado que frações de fase <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";color:black;font-style:italic; language:EL\'>&#946;<span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; color:black;language:EL\'> <span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>já são induzidas nesses filmes e que esta fase não está dispersa na matriz amorfa e sim em forma de domínios formados por moléculas na fase <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";color:black;font-style:italic; language:EL\'>&#946; <span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>que correspondente ao ordenamento nos anéis aromáticos do PFO. Também foi observado que nos filmes com espessura menor que 10 nm preparados em clorofórmio, a fase <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";color:black;font-style:italic; language:EL\'>&#946;<span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; color:black;language:EL\'> <span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>é induzida e sugerimos que isso ocorre devido a forte interação filme/substrato. Além disso, outros métodos bem conhecidos na literatura, tais como, tratamento a vapor de tolueno e ciclos térmicos de resfriamento/aquecimento foram utilizados para induzir a fase <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";color:black;font-style:italic; language:EL\'>&#946;<span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; color:black;language:EL\'> <span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>em filmes de PFO amorfo. Com relação aos filmes contendo a interface TiO<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>2<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>/PFO, a dissociação do éxciton na interface foi observada através da redução da intensidade da fotoluminescência. Em filmes ultrafinos, a eficiência do processo de dissociação do éxciton na interface é superior a 90%. A partir desses resultados, obteve-se que o raio de migração do éxciton no PFO é de (13 <span style=\'font-family:Symbol;color:black;language:PT-BR\'>±<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'> 3) nm. Além disso, devido à alta fluência (~ 10<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>25<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'> fótons/cm<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>2<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>s), efeitos de autoaniquilamento de éxcitons em filmes ultrafinos foram observados nas medidas de tempo de decaimento radiativo. Por fim, em filmes de PFO (contendo a fase <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";color:black;font-style:italic; language:EL\'>&#946;<span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; color:black;language:EL\'>) <span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>depositados sobre o TiO<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>2<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>, somente os éxcitons das regiões amorfas migram até a interface do TiO<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>2<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'> e são dissociados por ela. A energia térmica a temperatura ambiente promove uma maior eficiência da dissociação do éxciton do que em baixas temperaturas (~5 K). No entanto, mesmo em temperatura ambiente, as moléculas de fase <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";color:black;font-style:italic; language:EL\'>&#946;<span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; color:black;language:EL\'> <span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'>atuam como centros de captura dos éxcitons competindo com o processo de dissociação. A partir desses resultados, obteve-se que o raio de transferência de energia no PFO é igual a (3,5 <span style=\'color:black;text-decoration:underline;language:PT-BR\'>+<span style=\'color:black;language:PT-BR\'> 0,5) nm.<span style=\'color:black; language:PT-BR\'> <![if !vml]> <![endif]> / In this work, we investigated the process of exciton dissociation and migration in ultra-thin films of poly (9,9 dioctilfluoreno) (PFO) with a thickness smaller than the typical radius of excitonic migration (10 nm) and near to organic and inorganic semiconductor interface. The PFO films were produced using the spin-coating technique from a PFO solution in chloroform and toluene. It is known that when using chloroform as solvent, the PFO films have an amorphous structure. Thus, it was possible to obtain films that have thicknesses smaller than the radius of the exciton migration qualities, which is ideal to study photophysical processes. These films were deposited on the titanium dioxide (TiO<span style=\'language:EN\'>2<span style=\'language:EN\'>) nanoparticles layer forming an organic/inorganic interface. Spectroscopic techniques such as fluorescence confocal microscopy (LSCM), fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), continuous wave photoluminescence and time resolved and absorption spectroscopy were used in this study. First, the photoluminescence spectrum of PFO films were characterized by the dependence of the purely electronic transition intensity <span style=\'font-style:italic;language:EN\'>I<span style=\'language:EN\'>, full width at half maximum <span style=\'font-family:Symbol;language:EN\'>G<span style=\'language: EN\'>o<span style=\'language:EN\'>, purely electronic transition energy <span style=\'font-style:italic;language:EN\'>E<span style=\'language:EN\'> and Huang-Rhys parameter <span style=\'font-style:italic;language:EN\'>S <span style=\'language:EN\'>with the temperature. It was showed that the intensity can be described according to thermal activation of the exciton migration. Furthermore, the temperature introduces a thermal disorder affecting directly the conjugated segment length which is observed according to the parameters, <span style=\'font-family:Symbol;language:EN\'>G<span style=\'language: EN\'>o<span style=\'language:EN\'>, <span style=\'font-style: italic;language:EN\'>E<span style=\'language:EN\'> e <span style=\'font-style:italic;language:EN\'>S<span style=\'language:EN\'>. The PFO films produced with the solvent toluene analysis showed that the fractions of <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";font-style:italic;language:EN\'>&#946;<span style=\'language:EN\'> phase are already induced and that this phase is not dispersed in the amorphous matrix. On the order hand, they are shaped domains formed by <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";font-style:italic;language:EN\'>&#946;<span style=\'language:EN\'> phase molecules that are related to the PFO aromatic rings organization. It was also observed that the films with thickness smaller than 10 nm prepared using chloroform, the <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";font-style:italic;language:EN\'>&#946;<span style=\'language:EN\'> phase is induced, which may be occurring due to the strong interaction observed between film and substrate. Other methods reported in the literature, such as toluene steam treatment and thermal cycles of cooling/heating were used to induce <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";font-style:italic;language:EN\'>&#946;<span style=\'language:EN\'> phase in amorphous PFO films as well. The exciton dissociation at the interface in films containing TiO<span style=\'language:EN\'>2<span style=\'language:EN\'>/PFO interface were observed by reduction of photoluminescence intensity; and this same efficiency in ultra-thin films is higher than 90%. From these results, it was reported that the exciton migration radius in PFO is (13 <span style=\'font-family:Symbol;language:EN\'>±<span style=\'language:EN\'> 3) nm. Furthermore, effects of excitons annihilation in ultra-thin films were observed in the decay time radiative measurements due to high fluency (~ 10<span style=\'language:EN\'>25<span style=\'language:EN\'> photons/cm<span style=\'language:EN\'>2<span style=\'language:EN\'>s). Finally, in PFO films (with the <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";font-style:italic;language:EN\'>&#946;<span style=\'language:EN\'> phase) deposited on the TiO<span style=\'language:EN\'>2 <span style=\'language:EN\'>just the exciton of amorphous regions migrates to the TiO<span style=\'language:EN\'>2<span style=\'language:EN\'> interface, which dissociates them. The thermal energy at room temperature promotes higher efficiency than the exciton dissociation at low temperatures (~ 5 K). However, even at room temperature, the <span style=\'font-family:\"Times New Roman\";font-style:italic;language:EN\'>&#946;<span style=\'language:EN\'> phase molecules act as the most important molecules to capture exciton, competing to the exciton dissociation process. These results conducted to conclude that the energy transfer radius in PFO is equal to (3.5 <span style=\'text-decoration:underline;language:EN\'>+<span style=\'language: EN\'> 0.5) nm. <![if !vml]> <![endif]>

O presente trabalho visa investigar a desestabilização de categoria rígidas como o lugar e o sujeito por meio do deslocamento. A viagem possibilita outras formas de ser e estar no espaço que reordenam essas categorias e as suas relações, problematizando a possibilidade de enunciação como sutura da relação entre sujeito e lugar. De encontro ao romance 2666 de Roberto Bolaño, a dissertação persegue os espectros dessas fissuras a partir de miradas múltiplas. Primeiro, investiga-se o lugar desde o qual se fala do lugar nos estudos da literatura e da linguagem e a violência subjacente ao desejo de querer colocar uma coisa em seu lugar. A tradução, como subversora da máxima física de que dois corpos nunca podem ocupar o mesmo lugar ao mesmo tempo, é também explorada desde a perspectiva de Babel, em que a confusão linguística está dada como a impossibilidade de uma linguagem plenamente ordenadora. Parte-se, então, para a viagem, aquilo que deixa o lugar rumo a outros e decompõe, via deslocamento, a coesão, operando um movimento de abertura ao desconhecido, um reordenamento das configurações previamente estabelecidas. Essa aparente emancipação, porém, incorre rapidamente também em uma condenação, o seu revés mais íntimo, compreendida aqui como a possibilidade de enunciar desde um eu dissociado, aberto ao outro que existe em si. / This study aims to investigate the destabilizing of rigid categories such as the place and the subject through travel, understood here as displacement. The trip enables different manners of being in space that reorganize these categories and their relations, questioning the possibility of enunciation as the seam between subject and place. Through an encounter with Roberto Bolaños novel 2666, this dissertation follows the specters of these fissures from multiple viewpoints. First it investigates the place from which one speaks of place in literary and language studies and the violence ingrained in the desire to allocate a thing to its own place. Translation, as a subversive element of the physical axiom two bodies cannot occupy the same place at the same time, is explored within the scope of Babel, in which linguistic confusion is exerted as the impossibility of a fully analytical language. Then, the concept of travel is sought as that which leaves a place, bound for others, and decomposes, via displacement, cohesiveness, operating a movement of opening towards the unknown and reorganizing previously established configurations. However, this apparent emancipation quickly brings about condemnation, its intimate double, understood here as the possibility to enunciate from a dissociated I, open to the other that exists in the I.

Esta tese explora a potencialidade da radiação roveniente de um laser de gás carbônico para iniciar a combustão-modelo de substâncias simples oxigenadas com o bjetivo de estabelecer algumas das reações elementares relevantes ao processo de combustão. Esta tese é baseada no fato de que espécies intermediárias são geradas frequentemente em estados eletrônicos excitados no pulso do laser. O decaimento destas espécies em função do tempo foi observado pelas medidas de emissão por meio de uma fotomultiplicadora acoplada a filtros de interferência de banda estreita e, registrado em um osciloscópio de 100 MHz cuja base de tempo é gatilhada pelo laser de CO2. A evolução temporal do sinal de emissão foi analisada por um modelo cinético que compreende: 1) um processo de de pseudo-primeira ordem resultante por excitação multifotônica vibracional de colisões moduladas, e 2) decaimento através de emissão espontânea, reações químicas ou supressão radiativa. A cinética resultante das curvas experimentais foi obtida por um método de ajuste de curvas por simulação em um microcomputador. Os sistemas químicos estudados nesta tese compreendem o metanol, etanol, n-propanol, n-butanol e o éter dietílico. A eficiência na formação de C2, CH e OH foi estabelecida pela medida da intensidade e o tempo de subida da quimiluminescência determinado de acordo com o procedimento mencionado acima. A análise das curvas de subida e descida foram estudadas com o precursor puro e na presença de Ar, O2, NO, H2, Cl2, CH4 e C2H6, utilizando nestes casos pressões relativamente altas para garantir um número elevado de colisões. Nos sistemas em mistura com ar ou O2 as espécies emissivas CH e OH apresentam um prolongamento do tempo de decaimento, em geral não-exponencial. Ao mesmo tempo a intensidade relativa dos sinais de quimiluminescência atinge um máximo, sendo particularmente significativa para a espécie OH a uma determinada pressão de oxigênio. Misturas de etanol com O2/Ar resultam para a espécie OH num aumento no valor da vida média radiativa, enquanto que em misturas com CO, C2H6 e propileno (C3H6) é observado uma diminuição significativa. No caso de CO este comportamento é assumido como sendo de processos de relaxação, tendo-se para os dois últimos um processo de abstração de hidrogênio por parte da espécie OH. A presença de um inibidor de reações de radicais livres, NO, tem pouco efeito nos valores das constantes das espécies estudadas. Entretanto, a emissão da espécie OH foi totalmente suprimida em misturas do precursor com Cl2. Neste caso a observação de CH3CL por cromatografia em fase gasosa sugere que reações químicas de alguns dos fragmentos primários inibem o adicional bombeamento pelo laser. Um modo particular de se interpretar o possivel mecanismo de formação das espécies transientes, foi desenvolvido através do cálculo teórico RRKM dos principais processos primários aventados para a decomposição por excitação multifotônica vibracional da molécula de etanol. O cálculo RRKM foi modelado para a eliminação de H2O, processo majoritário a pressões baixas, e diferentes processos de cisões que passam a ter importância a intensidades elevadas de laser. O cálculo teórico mostra claramente que a eliminação de H2O é o canal preferido a baixas energias de excitação, sendo rapidamente reposto pelos outros canais a valores maiores de energia. Um efeito similar é observado para a decomposição unimolecular completa em função da pressão, onde a pressões elevadas, os processos de cisão com produção de radicais livres são dominantes como conseqüência da desativação das moléculas com energia mínima antes que sofram reação química. / This thesis explores the use of a CO2 laser to initiate combustion type reactions in a number of simple oxygen containing organic compounds. This method offers a potential tool to isolate and establish some of the elementary reactions responsible for the initial steps of combustion reactions. The core of the thesis is based on the fact that transient chemical species are generated in electronically excited states by the laser pulse. The time dependent behavior of this species has been observed by measuring the emission on a fast photomultiplier provided with narrow band filtres, and recording it on a 100 MHz oscilloscope triggered by the laser pulse. The time evolution of the emission signal has been analyzed by a kinetic model which includes: 1) an ill-defined pseudo-first arder process as a consequence of collisionally modulated multiphoton vibrational excitation, and 2) decay through spontaneous emission, chemical reaction ar radiative quenching. The resulting kinetics were fitted to the experimental curves by computer simulation. The chemical systems covered in this thesis include methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, n-butanol and diethyl ether. Under pulsed CO2 laser radiation, the efficiency of formation of C2, CH and OH have been established by intensity measurements and the rise time for chemiluminescence determined according to the procedure mentioned above. Emission rise times and decays were studied for the neat systems and in the presence of Ar, O2, NO, H2, CH4, and C2H6 at pressures for which collisional processes are important. Emission from the CH and OH species are sustained for longer times in the presence of air or O2 and the decay becomes distincly non-exponential. There is also a significant intensity effect which is particularly noticeable for OH which reaches a maximum at a given oxygen pressure. Mixtures af ethanol with O2/Ar result in longer lifetimes for OH whereas in mixtures with CO, C2H6 and C3H6 a significant decrease is observed. In the case af CO, this behavior is assumed ta be due to relaxation processes, while in the latter cases hydrogen abstraction by OH is presumably responsible for the decrease. The presence of the well known scavenger NO had little effect on the rate constants used to describe the emission process. On the other hand, OH emission was completely quenchend in mixtures of the precursor with Cl2. In this case, the observation of CH3Cl by gas chromatography suggests that chemical reaction of some of the primary dissociation fragments inhibits further laser pumping. An attempt to understand the possible mechanism for the formatiun of the transient species was developed through the use of an RRKM calculation of the primary dissociation processes of ethanol under multiphoton excitation. The RRKM calculations were modelled for the H2O elimination, the main process at low pressures, and different bond scission processes which may become important at higher laser intensities. The theoretical calculation clearly shows that H2O elimination is the preferred pathway at lower excitation energies but is rapidly replaced by the other channels at higher energy contents. A similar effect is observed for the complete unimolecular decomposition as a function of pressure, where at the higher pressures, the bond scission processes yielding free radicals are dominant as a consequence of the deactivation of the molecules with threshold energies before they can undergo chemical reaction.

O verbo dissociar remete à cisão ou desagregação, termos esses que no campo da saúde mental estão associados à doença e à patologia, dificilmente à saúde. O objetivo desse trabalho foi mostrar como a concepção de dissociação foi construída socialmente a partir de mecanismos da mente (a associação e a desagregação de seus elementos) que se mantiveram como denominadores comuns ao longo da história da saúde mental por meio de práticas como o xamanismo, exorcismo, magnetismo animal e a hipnose. Finalmente, ao final do século XIX e início do século XX, a medicina e a nascente psicologia valeram-se da dissociação para estudarem fenômenos como as múltiplas personalidades, a histeria e mesmo a experiência religiosa, de maneira tal que diversos investigadores pioneiros como William James, Pierre Janet, Alfred Binet, Frederic Myers, Morton Prince e outros, integraram muitos (ou todos) desses princípios em suas próprias propostas teóricas e influenciaram toda a psicologia, ao conceituarem que a mente se dividia em consciente ou inconsciente, bem como apresentava múltiplos níveis e compartimentos que podiam ser tanto cindidos e desagregados como unidos e conectados. O método utilizado na investigação foi a revisão bibliográfica e a análise foi realizada a partir da ótica crítica da psicologia social. Essa tradição de pensamento psicológico cuja base é dissociativa (enquanto processo) e hipnótica (enquanto instrumento) foi obnubilada ao longo do século XX com o surgimento de novas propostas, como o behaviorismo e a psicanálise, e, também, com a patologização à qual o fenômeno dissociativo foi exposto ao longo do século XX. O presente trabalho concluiu que o estudo da dissociação é relevante para a psicologia tanto em seus aspectos históricos como atuais, por se tratar de um fenômeno psicológico presente em diversas teorias, normal em si, mas que pode adquirir conotação saudável ou patológica dependendo do contexto a partir do qual é avaliado. Por fim, concluiu também que a hipnose pode ser um valioso instrumento clínico que merece ser reintegrado à psicologia / Dissociate refers to splitting or disintegrating, terms that in the field of mental health usually refer to disease and pathology, hardly to health. The objective of this work was to show how the conception of dissociation was socially constructed through mechanisms of the mind (the association and the disintegration of its elements) that have remained common denominators throughout the history of mental health through practices such as shamanism, exorcism, animal magnetism and hypnosis. Finally, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, medicine and newborn psychology drew on dissociation to study phenomena such as multiple personalities, hysteria, and even religious experience, so that pioneering scholars such as William James, Pierre Janet, Alfred Binet, Frederic Myers, Morton Prince and others, integrated many (or all) of these principles into their own theoretical proposals and influenced all psychology by conceptualizing that the mind was divided into conscious or unconscious, levels and compartments that could be both spun-off and disaggregated as united and connected. The method used in the research was the bibliographical review and the analysis was carried out from the critical perspective of social psychology. This tradition of psychological thinking, whose basis is dissociative (as a process) and hypnotic (as an instrument) was obnubilated throughout the twentieth century with the emergence of new proposals, such as behaviorism and psychoanalysis, and also with the pathologization to which the dissociative phenomenon was exposed throughout the 20th century. The present study concluded that the study of dissociation is relevant for psychology in both its historical and current aspects, since it is a psychological phenomenon present in several theories, normal in itself, but which can acquire a healthy or pathological connotation depending on the context from which it is evaluated. Finally, he concluded that hypnosis can be a valuable clinical tool that deserves to be reintegrated into psychology

O rascunho visuoespacial é um subcomponente da memória de trabalho que possui a função de reter e processar as informações visuais e espaciais. Atualmente as pesquisas sugerem o fracionamento deste sistema de memória em um componente visual separado do espacial. Um processo de conjunção faria com que a integração destas informações fosse disponibilizada à consciência. Estudos propõem que o processo de conjunção na memória de trabalho visuoespacial seja tanto de natureza representativa, na qual as características unidas criam uma nova representação do objeto, quanto associativa, na qual ocorre uma conexão entre as características separadas do objeto. Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar a dissociação do rascunho visuoespacial e a natureza da conjunção da informação visual com a espacial na memória de trabalho. No primeiro experimento o participante deveria realizar uma tarefa de detecção na mudança, na qual a dimensão relevante para a resposta poderia ser a informação visual ou a espacial. A conjunção incidental das informações seria verificada pela mudança na dimensão irrelevante. Neste experimento tarefas secundárias espaciais e visuais foram inseridas no intervalo de retenção das provas. No segundo experimento a dissociação visual e espacial foi testada inserindo na codificação uma tarefa secundária que não utilizasse recursos gerais da atenção (flicker preto e branco e colorido). Os resultados do primeiro experimento mostram uma interferência seletiva das tarefas secundárias, indicando uma dissociação visuoespacial. A queda no desempenho na tarefa visual em virtude da mudança irrelevante da informação espacial sugere que a conjunção destas informações ocorreu de maneira incidental. Entretanto, quando esta tarefa é realizada sob interferência de uma tarefa secundária espacial, o efeito de conjunção incidental não acontece. Isto sugere que a natureza da conjunção incidental é associativa, dada a seletividade da interferência na dimensão irrelevante. A ausência do efeito do flicker como tarefa secundária no segundo experimento não permitiu a replicação dos dados do primeiro experimento. Os resultados deste estudo sugerem que a informação visual é armazenada de maneira dissociada da informação espacial, mas que ambas podem ser integradas em um tipo de conjunção na qual a associação das informações é armazenada na memória de trabalho. / The visuospatial sketchpad is a subcomponent of working memory which retain and process the visual and spatial information. Currently research suggests that this memory system is divided in a space component apart from a visual one. The binding process make the integration of this information available to consciousness. Studies suggest that the process of conjunction in visuospatial working memory has both representative, in which the characteristics together generate a new object representation, and associative nature, in which separate object features are connected. This study aimed to investigate the dissociation of visuospatial sketchpad and the characteristics of visual and spatial information conjunction in working memory. In the first experiment, the participant performed a change detection task, in which the relevant dimension for the answer could be the visual or spatial information. The incidental combination of information was verified by changing the irrelevant dimension. In this experiment, visual and spatial secondary tasks were included during the retention interval. In the second experiment, the visual and spatial dissociation was tested by inserting a secondary task that did not use the general resources of attention (black and white and colored flicker) in the encoding phase. The results of the first experiment show a selective interference of secondary tasks, indicating dissociation visuospatial. The drop in performance in the visual task due to the change of irrelevant spatial information suggests that the conjunction of this information occurred incidentally. However, when this task is performed under interference of a space secondary task, the effect of incidental conjunction was not observed. This suggests that the nature of the incidental conjunction is associative, given the selectivity of the interference in the irrelevant dimension. The absence of the flicker effect as secondary task in the second experiment did not allow replication of data from the first experiment. The results of this study suggest that visual information is stored in dissociated manner from spatial information, but both can be integrated into a kind of combination in which associated information is stored in working memory.

Dans le but de développer de nouveaux catalyseurs pour améliorer la production d'H2 à partir de l'eau et faire de l'hydrogène un vecteur d'énergie alternatif aux combustibles fossiles, l'étude de nanocatalyseurs pour les réactions d'évolution de l'hydrogène et de l'oxygène laisse entrevoir des perspectives prometteuses. Le Pt et l'Ir sont les principaux métaux des catalyseurs HE et OE. Mais un effort considérable est dévolu à comprendre les étapes mécanistiques qui gouvernent les deux demi-réactions impliquées afin de mettre à profit les connaissances acquises pour l'utilisation d'autres métaux plus abondants et moins coûteux. Le Ru apparaît un candidat idéal, étant un métal très polyvalent qui montre des activités similaires à celles du Pt et de l'Ir et pouvant être étudié par un large éventail de techniques analytiques. En outre, le Ru est quatre fois moins cher que le Pt qui est la référence aujourd'hui. Le développement de nanocatalyseurs précisément contrôlés pour leur application à la production d'H2 par dissociation électrocatalytqiue de l'eau figure parmi nos intérêts de recherche. Le but de ce travail de thèse est de développer des nanocatalyseurs à base de Ru pour les réactions HER et OER, et d'étudier les caractéristiques qui induisent une réponse catalytique spécifique. La synthèse suivie dite par approche organométallique permet de disposer de nanoparticules (NPs) avec un contrôle fin de leurs propriétés (taille, état de surface, dispersion, etc.). Les ligands organiques utilisés comme agents stabilisants permettent de stopper la nucléation des atomes métalliques et d'obtenir de très petites NPs avec une distribution en taille étroite. Ils peuvent aussi influer sur les propriétés chimiques de la surface des NPs, une caractéristique clé dans les processus catalytiques. Cette méthode permet également la préparation de NPs métalliques sur supports solides. Ce manuscrit est structuré en cinq chapitres: 1. Une introduction générale qui présente tout d'abord l'intérêt d'utiliser l'hydrogène comme combustible chimique, comparativement à d'autres sources d'énergie renouvelables et non renouvelables, et décrit les voies de production d'H2 à partir d'autres matières premières ainsi que les techniques pour son stockage et son utilisation de manière sûre et efficace. Viennent ensuite une description du concept de dissociation de l'eau et un parallèle avec la photosynthèse naturelle utilisée comme source d'inspiration, puis une mise au point bibliographique sur les catalyseurs pour les deux demi-réactions redox impliquées. Ce chapitre se termine par une brève description de l'approche organométallique pour la synthèse de nanocatalyseurs. 2. Sur la base d'une étude bibliographique, nos objectifs en lien avec la synthèse, la caractérisation et l'évaluation en catalyse de RuNPs sont ensuite présentés. 3. Le troisième chapitre décrit la synthèse et la caractérisation de NPs de Ru stabilisées par des molécules organiques, et leur évaluation en tant que catalyseurs dans la réaction d'évolution d'H2. / The study of nanoparticulate systems for the hydrogen evolution (HER) and oxygen evolution (OER) reactions allows to rationally developing new catalysts that enhance the water splitting process for obtaining H2, and thus making it a suitable alternative to fossil fuels as energy carriers. Nowadays Pt and Ir are the leading metals in HE and OE catalysts, respectively, but a huge effort is being devoted to understand the mechanistic pathways that rule both semi-reactions in order to transfer the knowledge to other metals which can be more abundant and thus cheaper. Ru appears as a feasible alternative to deeply explore the reaction steps involved in the process, because it is a highly- versatile metal which shows similar activities than Pt/Ir and which can be studied by a wide range of analytical techniques as a result of its properties. In addition, Ru is four times cheaper than the state-of-the-art Pt. The development of precisely controlled nanocatalysts for their application in challenging catalysis like the production of H2 by water-splitting lies among our research interests. This PhD work aims to develop Ru-based nanocatalysts for both HER and OER, and study the characteristics that induce a specific catalytic response. The use of the organometallic approach as synthetic methodology allows to finely controlling the properties of the NPs, e.g. size, surface environment, dispersion, etc. In this synthetic procedure, organic ligands can be added as stabilizing agents to halt the nucleation of metal atoms leading to the formation of the nanosized systems. These ligands can alter the chemical properties of the surface of the nanoparticles, a key feature in the catalytic processes. This methodology allows as well the preparation of metal nanoparticles onto the surface of solid supports.

In attempts to explore the usefulness of the newly introduced electron capture dissociation (ECD) mass spectrometry for structural analysis of peptides/proteins, different fundamental aspects of the ECD method were investigated using a combination of controlled experiments and high-level theoretical calculations. The relative propensity for dissociation (RPD) of different amino acid residues were extracted from a series of ECD experiments using a common peptide model of RGGGXGGGR, where X was varied systematically among 20 common amino acid residues. Although polar and aromatic amino acid residues were found to behave differently, there exists a fair correlation between the experimental RPD values of aliphatic amino acid residues and the corresponding calculated hydrogen atom affinities of the nearby carbonyl groups. The existence of this correlation reinforces the importance of "hot hydrogen-atom model". From the same set of experiments, the side chain loss reactions of the reduced precursor ions and the zn+&bull; species were extracted. To account for the observed secondary fragments, several generalized dissociation pathways were proposed. The energetics of these dissociation pathways were evaluated theoretically with truncated peptide models using ab initio and DFT calculations; and the kinetics of several competitive reactions were evaluated using Rice-Ramsberger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) calculations. / The effect of charge carriers on ECD of peptides/proteins was also studied. Peptides charged through protonation of different basic amino acid residues were found to give ECD spectra of different complexities. The formation of b-/y- and atypical internal fragment ions in peptides with histidines (and lysine, to a lesser extent) as proton carriers was attributed to the higher electron-proton recombination energy as revealed from the energy cycle diagram. Peptides charged through attachment of divalent metal ions were found to give very different ECD spectra. It was believed that typical c/z &bull; fragments were formed from neutralization reactions involving electron-proton recombination; whereas a/b/y fragments were formed from reaction involving electron-metal ion recombination. The preference of recombination channels was somehow related to the electronic configurations of the divalent metal ions. / Fung Yi Man. / "July 2006." / Adviser: T. W. Chan. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-08, Section: B, page: 5254. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 180-185). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Lau Kai-Chi. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgements --- p.iii / Table of Contents --- p.iv / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- The Gaussian´ؤ3 Method --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- The G3 Method with Reduced MΦ ller-Plesset Order and Basis Set --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- The Gaussian-3X Method --- p.2 / Chapter 1.4 --- The Modified G2 Method --- p.3 / Chapter 1.5 --- Calculation of Thermodynamical Data --- p.3 / Chapter 1.6 --- Remark on the Location of Transition Structures --- p.4 / Chapter 1.7 --- Scope of the Thesis --- p.4 / Chapter 1.8 --- References --- p.4 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- "A Gaussian-2 and Gaussian-3 Study of Alkoxide Anion Decompositions. I. H2 and CH4 Eliminations of the Methoxide, Ethoxide, i-Propoxide, and t-Butoxide Anions" --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.6 / Chapter 2.2 --- Methods of Calcuations --- p.7 / Chapter 2.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.8 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Nature of ion-neutral complex --- p.8 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Initial bond cleavage of alkoxide anions --- p.9 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Dissociation of alkoxide anions --- p.10 / Chapter 2.4 --- Conclusions --- p.23 / Chapter 2.5 --- Publication Note --- p.25 / Chapter 2.6 --- References --- p.25 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- A Gaussian-2 and Gaussian-3 Study of Alkoxide Anion Decompositions. II. Alkane Eliminations of (CH3)2(C2H5)CO- and (i-Pr)(C2H5)2CO- --- p.28 / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.28 / Chapter 3.2 --- Methods of Calculations --- p.29 / Chapter 3.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.29 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Initial bond cleavage of alkoxide anions --- p.30 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Dissociation of alkoxde anions --- p.31 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- General dissociation mechanism of alkoxide anions --- p.35 / Chapter 3.4 --- Conclusions --- p.37 / Chapter 3.5 --- References --- p.37 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- A Gaussian-3 Study of the Photoionization and Dissociative Photoionization Channels of Dimethyl Disulfide --- p.40 / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.40 / Chapter 4.2 --- Methods of Calculations --- p.41 / Chapter 4.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.41 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Bond cleavage reactions --- p.44 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Dissociation channels involving transition structures --- p.45 / Chapter 4.4 --- Conclusions --- p.48 / Chapter 4.5 --- References --- p.48 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- A Gaussian´ؤ3 Study of the Photodissociation Channels of Propylene Sulfide --- p.50 / Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.50 / Chapter 5.2 --- Methods of Calculations --- p.51 / Chapter 5.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.51 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- The dissociation channels involving transition structures --- p.53 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- The dissociations of sulfur atom --- p.56 / Chapter 5.4 --- Conclusions --- p.58 / Chapter 5.5 --- References --- p.59 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Thermochemistry of Phosphorus Fluorides: A Gaussian´ؤ3 and Gaussian´ؤ3X Study --- p.60 / Chapter 6.1 --- Introduction --- p.60 / Chapter 6.2 --- Methods of Calculations --- p.62 / Chapter 6.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.62 / Chapter 6.3.1 --- Comparison of the G3 and G3X methods --- p.62 / Chapter 6.3.2 --- Assessments of the experimental results --- p.65 / Chapter 6.4 --- Conclusions --- p.71 / Chapter 6.5 --- References --- p.71 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Conclusions --- p.74 / Appendix A --- p.75 / Appendix B --- p.78