Temperature effects on ethylene and methane production from temperate forest soils

Change in temperature affects the activity of soil microorganisms.However,there is limited knowledge about temperature effects on ethylene(C2H4) and methane(CH4) production from forest soils.Topsoil samples(0―5 cm) collected from different temperate forest stands(e.g.,Pinus sylvestris L.,Cryptomeria japonica,and Quercus serrata) were used to compare C2H4 and CH4 production from soils at temperature from 5 to 35℃ under oxic and anoxic conditions.The rates of C2H4 and CH4 production from soils under oxic cond...     

Effects of acetylene at low concentrations on nitrification, mineralization and microbial biomass nitrogen concentrations in forest soils

Temperate forest surface soils at the varying distances from main trunks (e.g., Pinus koraiensis and Quercus mongolica) were used to study the effects of acetylene (C₂H₂) at low concentrations on nitrification, mineralization and microbial biomass N concentrations of the soils, and to assess the contribution of heterotrophic nitrification to nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from soils. The use of acetylene at partial pressures within a range from 10 to 100 Pa C₂H₂ in headspace gas gave a significant decrease in N₂O emission at soil moisture of c. 45% water-filled porosity space, and the decrease was almost the same in each soil after exposure of C₂H₂ at low concentrations. Heterotrophic nitrification could account for 21%―48% of total N₂O emission from each soil; the contribution would increase with increasing distances from the Pinus koraiensis trunks rather than from the Quercus mongolica trunks. Under the experimental conditions, the use of C₂H₂ at low concentrations showed no significant influence on soil microbial biomass N, net N mineralization and microbial respiration. However, 100 Pa C₂H₂ in headspace gas could reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from soils. According to the rapid consumption of 10 Pa C₂H₂ by forest soils and convenience for laboratory incubations, 50 Pa C₂H₂ in headspace gas can be used to study the origin of N₂O emissions from forest soils under aerobic conditions and the key associated driving mechanisms. The N₂O and CO₂ emissions from the soils at the same distances from the Quercus mongolica trunks were larger than those from the Pinus koraiensis trunks, and both emissions decreased as the distances from trunks increased. The stepwise regression analysis showed that 95% of the variability in soil CO₂ emissions could be accounted for by the concentrations of soil total C and water soluble organic C and soil pH, and that 72% of the variability in soil N₂O emissions could be accounted for by the concentrations of soil total N, exchangeable NH⁺₄-N and microbial biomass N and 25% of the variability in heterotrophic nitrification by the soil microbial biomass N concentration. The emissions of N₂O and CO₂ from forest soils after exposure of C₂H₂ at low concentrations were positively related to the net nitrification of the soils.     

Effects of nitrogen sources and glucose on the consumption of ethylene and methane by temperate volcanic forest surface soils

There is limited knowledge with regard to the consumption of ethylene (C2H4) and methane (CH4) in volcanic forest soils containing low microbial carbon-to-organic carbon ratio, and to the responses of both consumptions to nitrogen and carbon additions. Temperate volcanic forest surface soils under three forest stands (e.g. Pinus sylvestris L., Cryptomeria japonica and Quercus serrata) were used to compare CH4 and C2H4 consumption by forest soils, and to study the effects of nitrogen sources and glucose on both consumptions. There was a good parallel between CH4 and C2H4 consumption by for- est soils, but mineralization reduced CH4 consumption rather than C2H4 consumption in forest soils, particularly in a Pinus forest soil. The stimulatory effect of glucose addition on both CH4 and C2H4 consumption by forest soils was increased by increasing the pre-incubation period after glucose addi- tion, and a largest stimulation occurred in the Pinus forest soil. The addition of KNO3-N at the rate of 100 μg·g1 significantly reduced the consumptions of both C2H4 and CH4 by forest soils (P≤0.05). In the presence of urea plus dicyandiamide, the consumption rates of C2H4 and CH4 by forest soils were higher than those in the KNO3-N and urea-N treated soils at the same N rate (P≤0.05), but were similar to those of the control. Hence, under experimental conditions, there was a strong inhibitory effect of NO3 rather than NH4 addition on the CH4 and C2H4 consumption in these forest soils. When amount of the added NO3-N increased up to more than 2―3 times the soil initial NO3-N concentrations, both C2H4 and CH4 consumption rates were reduced to 10%―20% of the rates in soils without nitrate addition. By comparing the three forest stands, it was shown that there was a smallest effective concentration of the added nitrate that could inhibit C2H4 and CH4 consumption in the Pinus forest soil, which indicated that C2H4 and CH4 consumption of the soil was more sensitive to NO3-N addition.     

Standard molar enthalpy of formation of morin studied by rotating-bomb combustion calorimetry

Flavonols are plant pigments that are ubiquitous in nature. Morin and other related plant flavonols have come into recent prominence because of their usefulness as anticancer, anti-tumor, anti-AIDS, and other important therapeutic activities of significant potency and low systemic toxicity. The heat of combustion of morin (molecular formula, C₁₅H₁₀O₇·H₂O) in oxygen was measured by a rotating-bomb type combustion calorimeter, the standard molar enthalpy of combustion of morin at T = 298.15 K was determined to be Δ_c H _m^⦵ (C₁₅H₁₀O₇·H₂O, s) = −(5 937.99 ± 2.99) kJ · mol⁻¹. The derived standard molar enthalpy of the formation of morin in solid powder state at T = 298.15 K, Δ_f H _m^⦵ (C₁₅H₁₀O₇·H₂O, s), was −(1 682.12 ± 3.58) kJ · mol⁻¹, which provide an accurate data of the stability of morin to the pharmacy and pharmacology. Biography: HOU Hanna(1956–), female, Visiting researcher, Associate professor of Hubei University of Education, research direction: thermochemistry.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of the reaction between cationic vanadium oxide clusters and acetylene

The time of flight mass spectrometer coupled with a laser ablation/supersonic expansion cluster source and a fast flow reactor was adopted to study the reactivity of cationic vanadium oxide clusters （VinOS,） toward acetylene （C2H2） molecules under gas phase （P, - 1.14 kPa）, under near room temperature （T, - 350 K） conditions. Association products, VmOnC2H2^＋ （m,n = 2,4; 2,6; 3,7-8; 4,9-11; 5,12-13; 6,13-16, and 7,17）, are observed. The oxidation of C2H2 by （V2Os）n^＋ （n = 1 -3） is experimentally identified. The reactivity of （V2O5）n^＋ decreases as n increases. Density functional theory （DFT） calculations were carried out to interpret the reaction mechanisms. The DFT results indicate that a terminal oxygen atom from V2O5^＋ can transfer overall barrierlessly to C2H2 at room temperature, which is in agreement with the experimental observation. Other experimental results such as the observation of V206C2H2^＋ and nonobservation of V2O7,8C2H2^＋ in the experiments are also well interpreted based on the DFT calculations. The reactivity of vanadium oxide clusters toward acetylene and other hydrocarbons may be considered in identifying molecular level mechanisms for related heterogeneous catalysis.     

The biomarkers of 2,6,10,15, 19-pentamethylicosenes and their carbon isotopic composition in the sediments from the Gulf of Mexico

The methanogenic archaea and sulfate reduction bacteria are flourishing in the sediments associated with gas venting and gas hydrate settings on the sea floor, where the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) me-diated by these bacteria is the dominant path…     

Validating a dust production model by field experiment in Mu Us Desert, China

It is essential for validation and improvement of a dust production model to perform field observations on dust emissions. The dust production model (DPM model) consists of two physically explicit sub-models, namely saltation model [1, 2] (eq. (1)) and sandblasting model [3] (eqs. (2) and (3)). Fh is saltation flux, E is fraction of erodible surface, C is a dimensional constant, ρa is air density, g is gravitational acceleration, U* is the wind friction velocity, Ut*(Dp) is threshold frict…     

Distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon of alpine meadow in the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

A study on the distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the alpine meadow in the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been carried out. The results indicate that the content of soil organic carbon (C _SOC) in the topsoil of terrace meadow (TM) ((67.16 ± 1.02) g·kg⁻¹) is more than that in the soil of upland meadow (UM) ((63.42 ± 0.65) g·kg⁻¹), while the C _SOC in upland shrubland (US) ((67.49 ± 0.83) g·kg⁻¹) is the most abundant in the scoreh stage (September). From May to September, the C _SOC in the topsoil of UM and US tends to descend, but that of TM tends to ascend. As for the distribution of the C _SOC and the density of SOC in the soil in the three sample areas, the data show that the deeper the soil, the lesser the content and density of SOC. The C _SOC in US is higher than that in TM and UM; the C _SOC in UM is the lowest at 0–10 cm soil depth. The density of SOC in US is always the lowest among UM, TM, and US at 0–40 cm depth, which shows that the storage of carbon in UM is more than that in US in the same range; the carbon pool capacity in UM is higher than that in US in the same range. Biography: ZHANG Wei (1979–), male, Lecturer, research direction: ecology of environment.     

Formation, structure and properties of GeCn± and Ge2Cn± binary clusters

The binary cluster ions Ge₂C_n⁺/Ge₂C_n^- and GeC_n⁺ have been produced by laser ablation. The parity effect is present in the negative ions Ge₂C_n^-, though it is not very prominent. While the experiments tell that the parity effect is totally not shown in the positive ions Ge₂C_n⁺. An extensive theoretical investigation on GeCn/GeC_n⁺/GeC_n^-(n=1-10) and Ge₂Cn/Ge₂C_n⁺/Ge₂C_n^-(n=1-9) has been carried out by density functional theory at B3LPY level. The calculation shows that the low-lying states of GeC_n/GeC_n⁺/GeC_n^-(n=1-10) and Ge₂C_n/Ge₂C_n⁺/Ge₂C_n^-(n=1-9) are linear structure with germanium atoms locating at terminals respectively. The electronic distributions, ionization potential (IP_ad), elec-tron affinity (EA) and increasing bonding energy reveal that the parity effect of neutral species is much stronger than that of ions, which is attributed to the valence π-electrons. It is explained that the differences between experiments and cal-culations are due to the kinetic factor in the formation of Ge₂C_n^±.     

Comparison of the carbon isotope composition of total organic carbon and long-chain <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-alkanes from surface soils in eastern China and their significance

Surface soil samples collected over a high spatial resolution in eastern China were analyzed for carbon isotope composition （δ^13C） of total organic carbon （TOC） and higher plant-derived long-chain n-alkanes, with the latter reported as weighted mean values. The two sets of δ^13C values are significantly correlated and show similar trends in spatial variation. The spatial distribution of δ^13C shows less negative values in the mid-latitudes between 31°N and 40°N and more negative ones at higher and lower latitudes. This is consistent with previously reported carbon isotope data from surface soil phytoliths in the same region and suggests that the mid-latitude area provides relatively favorable growing condi- tions for C4 plants. Furthermore, δ^13C values of both TOC and long-chain n-alkanes from 12 surface soil samples collected from a small grassland in north China displayed similar carbon isotope values and the difference between paired δ^13C of a soil samples remains relatively constant. Our data demonstrate that in eastern China, soil δ^13C composition of both TOC and long-chain n-alkanes is effective indicators of C3/C4 ratios of the prevailing vegetation. This work suggests that -22‰ and -32‰ are good es- timated end members for the weighted mean δ^13C values of long-chain n-alkanes （C27, C29 and C31 n-alkanes） from soils under dominant C4 or C3 vegetation, allowing us to reconstruct paleovegetation trends.     

Variation of soil Δδ13C values in Xifeng loess-paleosol sequence and its paleoenvironmental implication

The carbon isotopic compositions of soil organic matter （SOM） and total carbonate （TC） in Xifeng Ioess-paleosol sequence have been studied. The δ^13CsoM values vary from -23.8‰ to -20.2‰, which are higher in interglacial than in glacial stages. Contrary to δ^13Csoi values, the δ^13CTc values vary from -8.5‰ to -3.6‰ and are lower in interglacial than in glacial stages. The differences （△δ^13C） between the δ^13CsoM and δ^13CTc values vary from 14.1‰ to 19.4‰. Our results from the Xifeng loesspaleosol sequence indicate that the △δ^13C values represent the ratio of primary carbonate （PC） to secondary carbonate （SC）. The △δ^13C values were high in the loess stages, and the maximal PC-to-SC ratio can reach 6：4. But in the paleosol stages, the △δ^13C values were low, with a small proportion of PC. The △δ^13C values in Ioess-paleosol sequence also indicate the contributions of the dust to the loess sediment in the Chinese Loess Plateau because the dust contains the PC.     

Investigation of the cross-reaction mechanism of C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>F-HNO<Subscript>2</Subscript> aqueous solution irradiated at 355 nm by transient absorbance spectrum technique

The transient absorption spectrum technique was employed to investigate the cross-reaction mechanism of C6H5F-HNO2 aqueous solution irradiated at 355 nm. The characteristic and the kinetic parameters of transient species were also detected. Hydroxyl radical derived from the photolysis of HNO2 was added to monofluorobenzene with a second-order rate constant of （5.83±0.17）×10^9 L·mol^-1·s^-1 to form an adduct, C6H5F…OH, which was able to react with HNO2 as the main reaction pathway with a rate constant of （8.3±0.1）×10^7 L·mol^-1·s^-1. The C6F6…OH adduct can also be decayed by elimination of H2O to yield monofluorophenyl radical C6H4F-. By GC-MS technique, the final products were identified to be monofluorophenol, nitro-monofluorobenzene, nitro-monofluorophenol and para-fluorobiphenyl.     

Theoretical study of N(C)―H…H―B multi-dihydrogen bonds

The optimized geometries, frequencies and interaction energy corrected with basis set superposition error (BSSE) of the multi-dihydrogen bond complexes C₄H₄NH…BH₄^–. and CH≡CH…BH₄^–. have been calculated at both the B3LYP/6-311++G** and the MP2/6-311++G** levels. The calculations were per-formed to study the nature of the N―H…H3―B and C―H…H2―B red shift multi dihydrogen bond in complex C4H4NH…BH^–₄ and CH≡CH…BH4–. The BSSE-corrected multi-dihydrogen bond interaction en-ergy of complex I (C₄H₄NH…BH₄^–.) and complexⅡ(CH≡CH…BH₄^–.) is -76.62 and -33.79 kJ/mol (MP2/6- 311++G**), respectively. From the natural bond orbital（NBO）analysis, we detailedly discussed the orbital interactions, electron density transfers, rehybridizations and the essential of the correlative bond length changes in the two complexes. In addition, solvent effect on the geometric structures, vibration frequencies and interaction energy of the monomer and complexes was studied in detail. It is relevant to the relatively dielectric constants (ε).     

Variations of organic carbon isotopic composition and its environmental significance during the last glacial on western Chinese Loess Plateau

The last glacial period is characterized by a cold and dry climate with low atmospheric CO2 concentration. The relatively arid climate and low CO2 concentration are favorable to the growth of C4 plants, but the low temperature limits the development of th…     

Preparation of PE/MMT nanocomposite by monomer intercalation and <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> copolymerization

The catalyst [(2-ArN=C(Me))₂C₅H₃N]FeCl₂ (Ar = 2-C₆H₄(i-Pr)) with methylaluminoxane (MAO) as cocatalyst was intercalated between layers of montmorillonite (MMT) for ethylene oligomerization. Metallocene catalyst Me₂Si(Ind)₂ZrCl₂ and MAO was then added to form a dual functional catalytic system. A PE/MMT nanocomposite was prepared by copolymerization of ethylene with α-olefins produced in situ from ethylene over the dual functional catalytic system. The catalytic system was of high polymeric activity. The resultant PE/MMT nanocomposites were stable and got increases in tensile strength and temperature of maximum weight loss (T_onset).     

Kinetic studies of the decomposition reaction of adducts of dinuclear Fe(Ⅱ)/O2

Kinetic studies of the decomposition reaction of dinuclear Fe(Ⅱ) adducts [Fe₂(N-Et-HPTB){O₂P(OPh)₂}](Cl- O₄)₂ (1) and [Fe₂(N-Et-HPTB) {O₂P(Ph)₂}] (ClO₄)₂ (2) with O₂ have been carried out at low temperature using UV-vis spectra. The decomposition reaction of Fe(Ⅱ)/O₂ adducts was first-order in the experimental conditions, and the activation parameters were obtained. ?H^¹ = 85.62 kJ·mol^-1, ?S¹ = 19.43 J·mol^-1·K^-1 for compound (1) and ?H^¹ = 97.97 kJ·mol^-1, ?S^¹ = 55.68 J·mol^-1·K^-1 for compound (2). These results are similar to those of dioxygen adducts of other metals complexes and natural enzymes such as methane mono- oxygenase (MMOH).     

Distribution characteristics of soil organic matter and total nitrogen on the Yajiageng vertical belt,Gongga Mountain around the Dadu River banks

Distribution characteristics of soil organic matter（SOM） and total nitrogen（TN） were studied in different plant communities of the Yajiageng vertical belt in Gongga Mountain around the Dadu River banks. The results show： （1） the contents of SOM and TN of the plant communities gradually decreased with the following order： subalpine coniferous forest （3 027 m）, subalpine meadow （3 873 m）, coniferous broadleaved mixed forest（2 737 m）, subalpine shrub（3 565 m） and treeline（3 564 m）. （2） With soil profile depth increasing, the contents of SOM and TN gradually decreased. For different vegetation types, the contents of SOM and TN in sub-alpine coniferous forest were higher than that of other vegetational types. （3）The ratio of the content of carbon to the content of total nitrogen （Cc/CTN）WaS 13.5-27.6, which was relatively lower than the appropriate Cc/CTN of 25-30, and indicated that the soil in favor of the organic matter decomposed and nutrients released. Cc/CTN in the soil had no correlation with sea level altitude. However, its distribution in the soil x, aried with different vegetation types. （4） Nitrogen in SOM existed mainly in the form of organic nitrogen, and Cc/CTN in the soil was not obvious correlated with SOM and TN.     

Preliminary Mo isotope data of Phanerozoic clastic sediments from the northern margin of the Yangtze block and its implication for paleoenvironmental conditions

Mo isotopes along with Nd isotopes and other geochemical characteristics of the Phanerozoic clastic sediments from the northern margin of the Yangtze block were analyzed by MC-ICP-MS and some other techniques, spanning the period from Cambrian to Jurassic. The δ 98Mo values and εNd(t ) in these sedimets were observed to exhibit a large range of variation (?0.65‰―+1.87‰, ?1.46―?10.90, respec-tively). Specifically, the sample from Late Permian Maokou Formation has relatively positive values in both δ 98Mo and...     

Electronic structures and infrared spectra of C120O2, C120OS and C120S2

Electronic structures and infrared spectra of C₁₂₀XY molecules (X, Y=O, S) and some of the corresponding ions are investigated using PM3 semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations with full optimization of geometrical structures. It is found that the energy penalty is about 30–42 kJ/mol due to introducing a double bond in the fivemembered ring except for C₁₂₀O₂ ⁻ and triplet C₁₂₀O₂ ²⁻. It is also found that the structures of neutral molecules and the corresponding ions are almost the same; for instance, the change of bond length is less than 0.001 nm. The change of frontier orbits from oxide to sulfide is little as well. The triplet states of C₁₂₀O₂ ²⁻ and C₁₂₀OS²⁻ are more stable than their singlet states, which means that C₁₂₀O₂ ²⁻ and C₁₂₀OS²⁻ follow the Hund’s rule. The vibration analysis showed that the infrared spectra of neutral C₁₂₀O₂ and C₁₂₀OS molecules are in good agreement with the experimental results. Compared with the neutral molecule, vibration frequencies of triplet C₁₂₀O₂ ²⁻ change little, but the vibration intensities are enhanced obviously.     

Diet control on carbon isotopic composition of land snail shell carbonate

Carbon isotope compositions for both the carbonate shells and soft bodies (organic tissue) of living land snails collected mostly from the Loess Plateau, China have been measured. The result shows that δ 13C values range from -13.1‰ to -4.3‰ for the aragonite shell samples and from -26.8‰ to -18.0‰ for the soft body samples. Although the shells are enriched in 13C relative to the bodies averagely by 14.2(±0.8)‰, the shell δ 13Ca values are closely correlated to the body δ 13Corg values, expressed as δ 13Ca = 1.021 δ 13Corg 14.38 (R = 0.965; N = 31). This relationship indicates that δ 13Ca is primarily a function of the isotopic composition of the snail diets since previous studies have proved that the snail body is the same as their food in carbon isotope composition. In other words, carbon isotope compo-sition of the carbonate shell can be used as a proxy to estimate the dietary 13C abundance of the land snails. The data also support that the 13C enrichment of the carbonate shells results mainly from the equilibrium fractionations between the metabolic CO2, HCO3-in the hemolymph and shell aragonite, and partially from kinetic fractionations when snail shells form during their activity.