Electromodulated infrared spectroscopy of methanol electrooxidation on electrodispersed platinum electrodes: Enhancement of reactive intermediates

EMIRS spectra of the surface species resulting from methanol electrosorption on electrodispersed Pt were obtained by working under a wide range of experimental conditions, i.e. electrode roughness factor, methanol concentration and mean modulation potential. The intensity of the absorption band related to linearly adsorbed CO-species, COL, at ca. 2030–2080 cm−1 decreases on increasing the electrode roughness factor, a fact which is interpreted as a decrease in the CO adsorbate poisoning effect on electrodispersed Pt surfaces. As a consequence, under well-defined conditions, several bands are observed which might be assigned to adsorbed intermediates and reactive species. EMIRS also reveals a competition between COB and COL at high surface coverages. Spectral data for methanol electrooxidation on electrodispersed electrodes correlate well with the expected structure of this type of electrode.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y AplicadasFacultad de Ciencias Exacta

Electromodulated infrared spectroscopy of methanol electrooxidation on electrodispersed platinum electrodes: Enhancement of reactive intermediates

EMIRS spectra of the surface species resulting from methanol electrosorption on electrodispersed Pt were obtained by working under a wide range of experimental conditions, i.e. electrode roughness factor, methanol concentration and mean modulation potential. The intensity of the absorption band related to linearly adsorbed CO-species, COL, at ca. 2030–2080 cm−1 decreases on increasing the electrode roughness factor, a fact which is interpreted as a decrease in the CO adsorbate poisoning effect on electrodispersed Pt surfaces. As a consequence, under well-defined conditions, several bands are observed which might be assigned to adsorbed intermediates and reactive species. EMIRS also reveals a competition between COB and COL at high surface coverages. Spectral data for methanol electrooxidation on electrodispersed electrodes correlate well with the expected structure of this type of electrode.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y AplicadasFacultad de Ciencias Exacta

Electromodulated infrared spectroscopy of methanol electrooxidation on electrodispersed platinum electrodes: Enhancement of reactive intermediates

EMIRS spectra of the surface species resulting from methanol electrosorption on electrodispersed Pt were obtained by working under a wide range of experimental conditions, i.e. electrode roughness factor, methanol concentration and mean modulation potential. The intensity of the absorption band related to linearly adsorbed CO-species, COL, at ca. 2030–2080 cm−1 decreases on increasing the electrode roughness factor, a fact which is interpreted as a decrease in the CO adsorbate poisoning effect on electrodispersed Pt surfaces. As a consequence, under well-defined conditions, several bands are observed which might be assigned to adsorbed intermediates and reactive species. EMIRS also reveals a competition between COB and COL at high surface coverages. Spectral data for methanol electrooxidation on electrodispersed electrodes correlate well with the expected structure of this type of electrode.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y AplicadasFacultad de Ciencias Exacta

A chemical survey of exoplanets with ARIEL

Thousands of exoplanets have now been discovered with a huge range of masses, sizes and orbits: from rocky Earth-like planets to large gas giants grazing the surface of their host star. However, the essential nature of these exoplanets remains largely mysterious: there is no known, discernible pattern linking the presence, size, or orbital parameters of a planet to the nature of its parent star. We have little idea whether the chemistry of a planet is linked to its formation environment, or whether the type of host star drives the physics and chemistry of the planet’s birth, and evolution. ARIEL was conceived to observe a large number (~1000) of transiting planets for statistical understanding, including gas giants, Neptunes, super-Earths and Earth-size planets around a range of host star types using transit spectroscopy in the 1.25–7.8 μm spectral range and multiple narrow-band photometry in the optical. ARIEL will focus on warm and hot planets to take advantage of their well-mixed atmospheres which should show minimal condensation and sequestration of high-Z materials compared to their colder Solar System siblings. Said warm and hot atmospheres are expected to be more representative of the planetary bulk composition. Observations of these warm/hot exoplanets, and in particular of their elemental composition (especially C, O, N, S, Si), will allow the understanding of the early stages of planetary and atmospheric formation during the nebular phase and the following few million years. ARIEL will thus provide a representative picture of the chemical nature of the exoplanets and relate this directly to the type and chemical environment of the host star. ARIEL is designed as a dedicated survey mission for combined-light spectroscopy, capable of observing a large and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. Transit, eclipse and phase-curve spectroscopy methods, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allow us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of 10–100 part per million (ppm) relative to the star and, given the bright nature of targets, also allows more sophisticated techniques, such as eclipse mapping, to give a deeper insight into the nature of the atmosphere. These types of observations require a stable payload and satellite platform with broad, instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect many molecular species, probe the thermal structure, identify clouds and monitor the stellar activity. The wavelength range proposed covers all the expected major atmospheric gases from e.g. H2O, CO2, CH4 NH3, HCN, H2S through to the more exotic metallic compounds, such as TiO, VO, and condensed species. Simulations of ARIEL performance in conducting exoplanet surveys have been performed – using conservative estimates of mission performance and a full model of all significant noise sources in the measurement – using a list of potential ARIEL targets that incorporates the latest available exoplanet statistics. The conclusion at the end of the Phase A study, is that ARIEL – in line with the stated mission objectives – will be able to observe about 1000 exoplanets depending on the details of the adopted survey strategy, thus confirming the feasibility of the main science objectives.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

The fatty acid bimodal action on superoxide anion production by human adherent monocytes under phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or diacylglycerol activation can be explained by the modulation of protein kinase C and p47phox translocation

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