No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1989. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 168-186). Also available in electronic version. Access restricted to campus users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1957. / Typescript. Abstracted in Dissertation abstracts, v. 17 (1957) no. 6, p. 1361. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 70).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1968. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 228-245).

The study of the properties of solutions has been one of the most important branches of physical chemistry since the seventeenth century. In spite of the enormous volume of work that has been done in this field, it is a fact that in only a very few simple cases can the experimental properties of the solutions be predicted from the theoretical considerations. In this thesis a study is made of binary solutions of which one of the components is water. Before the properties of mixtures are considered, it is necessary first to discuss the characteristics of pure liquids. Liquids have been classified:- (1) normal, which have low dielectric constants and conform to the number of rules concerning surface tensions, heats of vaporisation, etc., (2) abnormal, which have again abnormally high dielectric constants, surface tension and heats of vaporisation than would be expected on the basis of normal liquids. This has been explained by the fact that the molecules in liquids are non-polar and polar, i.e., the latter possess permanent electric dipoles while in the former the centres of the positive and negative charges coincide. Attempts have therefore been made from time to time to distinguish between these types of liquids.

A Hitachi Hu 125C transmission electron microscope in which the standard specimen holder was replaced by an environmental cell was used to observe the hydration of sodium chloride crystals. To observe Kelvin curvature and solubility effects sodium chloride crystals which were 0.1u or smaller were of special interest. An electrohome video system attached to the electron microscope was used to record the sodium chloride hydration for subsequent particle measurement and viewing. A theoretical model was also developed. Thermodynamic properties such as the Kelvin curvature and solubility effects were considered as well as the kinetic expressions for salt dissolution/recrystalization and water evaporation/condensation. A computer program for use on a Honeywell computer was written to perform the required calculations. The theoretical model was also used in attempts to explain the observed phenomenon of crystal shattering.

No description available.

Biomolecules function only in aqueous environments and their dynamics are strongly influenced by physiological conditions including the temperature and the presence of co-solutes. The presence of biomolecules in aqueous solutions will change the dynamics and structure of water, and as a response, water will form hydration layers around biomolecules. The dynamics of hydration water, as well as hydrated proteins, lead to translation, rotation, and oscillating dipoles that, in turn, give rise to absorption in the megahertz-to-terahertz frequencies. However, the strong absorption of water in this frequency range leads to a significant challenge in obtaining terahertz dielectric spectra of aqueous biomolecular solutions. In response, I have employed a high sensitivity terahertz frequency-domain spectroscopy to overcome these issues on a large range of frequencies from 10 MHz to 1.12 THz. The high dynamical range of the system combined with a variable-path-length cell allows precise measurement of the complex dielectric response of the solutions. Employing Debye and Lorentzian approximations, I have decomposed contributions of the dielectric response of the solutions. The structure and dynamics of hydration shells and hydrated biomolecules have been identified. Performing experiments on a number of biomolecules have verified the certainty of the methods, thus, enriching the knowledge of the biological science of dynamics and functions of biomolecules. / Doctor of Philosophy / Biomaterials are essential for life, including all elements present in cells and organisms, and contribute to the living biological processes. Biomaterials, consisting of a diverse range of biomolecules, have traditionally been characterized in a wide range of approaching methods based on biological, chemical, and physical methodologies. This study investigates the molecular dynamics of biomolecules in native living environments to explore physics- and mechanics-based insights into their biological functions. Biomaterials together with water molecules perform their functions through molecular translations, rotations, and collective motions. To explore these dynamics, a home-built terahertz spectroscopy with high sensitivity has been utilized to characterize the dynamics of biomolecular aqueous solutions in the frequency range from megahertz to terahertz. The collected complex dielectric responses of the solutions have been examined through physical models to map out structures and dynamics of hydration shells and, then, the dynamics of hydrated biomolecules have been determined. The successfully investigating results in the dynamics of solvents from three different types of proteins and ionic solutions reveal critical information on hydrated biomolecular dynamics and biomolecule–water interactions, which impact the biochemical functions and reactivity of biomolecules.