Dr.-Thesis

According to the fact that some politicians in Germany lost their graduation, a Dr.-Thesis is presented with best grade "summa cum laude".
Title: Coupling of Particle Streams Concerning Non-Stationary Diffusion in Ion Exchanger
Author: Gerhard Backhaus; Dr.-Father: Prof. Dr. Gerhard Dickel; Co-Expert: Prof. Dr. Gerhard Ertl, Nobel Prizewinner for Chemistry in 2007.
Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy of Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich 1974.
Short-version: This thesis is concerned to describe non-stationary transport of particles in membranes (ion-exchangers). The calculus of variation was used and forces of constraint in membranes were taken into consideration. The  theory describing stationary states was broadened with help of Gaussian Theorem applied to equations of transport. The result are two systems of differential equations describing coupling of particle transport at non-stationary diffusion in ion-exchangers. These differential equations could be solved exactly. Furthermore the Theory of  Biot to solve problems in heat conduction could be used to describe motion of particles in ion-exchangers. This results in Lagrange-equations of first kind.
The experimental part deals with measurements of sorption-isothermes of membranes and ion-exchangers. To facilitate charging of ion-exchanger-pellets a new automatically working gear was invented. So much time was saved and measurements improved.
German version at gaus-universum.

Radiocarbon in Groundwater

The methode to calculate old ages with help of radiocarbon-isotope C-14 is used in Hydrology, that deals with properties, occurrance and houshold of water on earth. According to Münnich's ideas groundwater is seeping away into soil taking with it recente, biogenic carbondioxide from dead organic substances. This calcium aggressive water solutes CaCO3 that is assumed to be fossilized. This results in an equilibrium of the participated substances in groundwater and gives a typical C-14-content in aquifer under consideration. Isotope-exchange with the envirement is possible.
A classical methode to measure the radiocarbon content in a probe is to extract CO2 and transform it for example into methane or acetylene. The number of radiocarbon particles can be registered in a suitable low-level device with a gas proportional counter. From this properties of the aquifer like groundwater velocity or direction and permeability of soil  etc. can be derived.
Lit.: see Gaus-Universum
State of Technology until 1980