By optimizing glass composition and using a multistage dehydration process, a ternary 80TeO(2)-10ZnO-10Na(2)O glass is obtained that shows excellent transparency in the wavelength range from 0.38 microm up to 6.10 microm. Based on this optimized composition, we report on the fabrication of a single-mode solid-core tellurite glass fiber with large mode area of 103 microm(2) and low loss of 0.24-0.7 dB/m at 1550 nm. By using the continuous-wave self-phase modulation method, the non-resonant nonlinear refractive index n(2) and the effective nonlinear parameter gamma of this made tellurite glass fiber were estimated to be 3.8x10(-19) m(2)/W and 10.6 W(-1) x km(-1) at 1550 nm, respectively.

Syntheses for the three members of the copper hydroxyl nitrate family – the polymorphs rouaite and gerhardtite, and likasite – are presented along with powder diffraction data and unit-cell parameters. The solubilities, determined in 0.05 M KNO3solution after equilibration at 25°C for 10 days were used to calculate activity-based solubility product constants. The Gibbs energies of formation, obtained from the solubility products, are –653.2±0.7 kJ/mol, –655.1±1.2 kJ/mol and –1506.4±1.1 kJ/mol, for rouaite, gerhardtite, and likasite (Cu3NO3(OH)5·2H2O), respectively. The values for the polymorphs rouaite and gerhardtite validate the observations of Oswald that gerhardtite is the most stable polymorph at room temperature and that the preparation of predominantly rouaite in syntheses carried out at room temperature must be due to the metastability and low rate of conversion to the more stable gerhardtite.

The synthesis and analysis of a copper hydroxy nitrate provides an exposure to a simple ionic synthesis, qualitative analysis of copper and nitrate, two gravimetric analyses (copper and nitrate), one volumetric analysis (hydroxide), and a colorimetric analysis (copper). The results allow the student to determine the identity of the double salt and to observe the importance of careful analytical data in establishing composition. The use of two different methods for the analysis of copper also permits a comparison of two different analytical techniques. The project is ideally suited for groups of four students and can be completed in about three 3-hour lab periods. Alternatively, the compound can be prepared and analyzed by only one or two procedures in two laboratory periods

We report on the fabrication of a single-mode solid-core tellurite glass fiber with large mode area of 103 μm 2 and low loss of 0.24~0.7 dB/m at 1550 nm. By using the continuous-wave self-phase modulation method, the non-resonant nonlinear refractive index n 2 is estimated to be 3.8×10 -19 m 2 /W at 1550 nm.