Chromophores from hexeneuronic acids: identification of HexA-derived chromophores

Hexeneuronic acids (HexA) have long been known as triggers for discoloration processes in glucuronoxylan-containing cellulosic pulps. They are formed under the conditions of pulping from 4-O-methylglucuronic acid residues, and are removed in an “A stage” along the bleaching sequences, which mainly comprises acidic washing treatments. The chemical structures of HexA-derived chromophoric compounds 4–8, which make up 90% of the HexA-derived chromophores, are reported here for the first time. The compounds are ladder-type, mixed quinoid-aromatic oligomers of the bis(furano)-[1,4]benzoquinone and bis(benzofurano)-[1,4]benzoquinone type. The same chromophoric compounds are generated independently of the starting material, which can be either a) HexA in pulp, b) the HexA model compound methyl 1-¹³C-4-deoxy-β-L-threo-hex-4-enopyranosiduronic acid (1) or c) a mixture of the primary degradation intermediates of 1, namely 5-formyl-furancarboxylic acid (2) and 2-furancarboxylic acid (3). Isotopic labeling (¹³C) in combination with NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry served for structure elucidation, and final confirmation was provided by X-ray structure analysis. ¹³C-Isotopic labeling was also used to establish the formation mechanisms, showing all the compounds to be composed of condensed, but otherwise largely intact, 2-carbonylfuran and 2-carbonylfuran-5-carboxylic acid moieties. These results disprove the frequent assumption that HexA-derived or furfural-derived chromophores are linear furanoid polymers, and might have a direct bearing on structure elucidation studies of “humins”, which are formed as dark-colored byproducts in depolymerization of pentosans and hexosans in different biorefinery scenarios.     

Chromophores from hexeneuronic acids (HexA): synthesis of model compounds and primary degradation intermediates

Hexeneuronic acid (HexA) is formed under pulping conditions from 4-O-methyl-glucuronic acid residues in xylans by methanol elimination. It is usually removed by an acidic washing treatment (A-stage) within the pulp bleaching sequence. Hexeneuronic acid has long been recognized as a source of color generation in pulps, but the chemical structure of the actual chromophoric compounds remained elusive. We report the synthesis of isotopically (¹³C) labeled HexA model units carrying a label at any of the six carbon atoms. Confirming pertinent literature accounts, it is shown that HexA forms three primary degradation intermediates, 2-furancarboxylic acid, 5-formyl-2-furancarboxylic acid, and formic acid, under mildly acidic conditions, and their formation mechanism is discussed. 2-Furancarboxylic acid is demonstrated to be deformylation product of 5-formyl-2-furancarboxylic acid. The three primary intermediates are colorless and do not represent chromophores themselves. Their mixture, upon thermal or acidic treatment, gives rise to the same chromophores that are also directly formed from HexA.     

Cooperation of biopolymer chitosan with hydrogen peroxide for ipso-hydroxylation of arylboronic acids under green conditions

Oxidative hydroxylation of arylboronic acids to the corresponding phenolic compounds under metal- and base-free aerobic conditions is successfully demonstrated on a biopolymer support (chitosan or chitosan immobilized onto carbon nanotubes ([email protected])). Hydrogen peroxide, as an eco-friendly oxidant, is compatible with the biopolymer supports and provides hydroxylation products in an efficient manner. The [email protected] biopolymer support is particularly interesting for its potential recyclability.     

Pulp bleaching using laccase from trametes versicolor under high temperature and alkaline conditions

Kraft pulp was delignified using laccase produced by the white rot fungusTrametes versicolor immobilized in solid support under specific conditions. The stability tests showed that this enzyme was stable for 6 h at 55°C and pH 8.0, allowing its use under pH and temperature conditions very close to those used in industrial bleaching. In this work, unbleached hardwood Kraft pulp was submitted to prebleaching using 2 U laccase/g pulp basis. Reaction time, temperature, and pH of the enzymatic treatment were investigated. Good results regarding Kappa number reduction, selectivities, and high viscosities were obtained when prebleaching was performed for 1 h at temperature of 55©C and pH 8.0 followed by alkaline extraction and ECF bleaching sequences.

     

On formation of thiohydantoins from amino acids under acylation conditions

Reactions of glycine, alanine, and phenylalanine with acetic anhydride and ammonium thiocyanate give the 1-acetyl-2-thiohydantoins 2a-c. These results appear to contradict prior literature reports pertaining to this reaction.     

Anomalous behavior of the amides of benzo-and dibenzocrown thiocarboxylic acids under the conditions of methylation

During the reaction of the amides of benzo-and dibenzocrown thiocarboxylic acids with methyl iodide in the presence of potassium hydroxide they exhibit anomalous behavior leading to the nitriles of benzo-and dibenzocrown carboxylic acids. The nitriles of benzo-15-crown-5-, benzo-12-crown-4-, and dibenzo-18-crown-6-4′-carboxylic acids and the dinitriles of dibenzo-18-crown-6-and dibenzo-24-8-4′,4″(5″)-dicarboxylic acids were obtained. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 357–360, March, 2007.     

Protodecarboxylation of benzoic acids under radical conditions

A new approach to protodecarboxylation is described that enhances the substrate scope for benzoic acids. The reaction uses oxidative radical conditions to decarboxylate a variety of acids in acetonitrile.     

Hydrogen peroxide bleaching of cellulose pulps obtained from brewer’s spent grain

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) was evaluated for bleached pulp production. Two cellulose pulps with different chemical compositions were produced by soda pulping: one from the original raw material and the other from material pretreated by dilute acid. Both of them were bleached by a totally chlorine-free sequence performed in three stages, using 5% hydrogen peroxide in the two initial, and a 0.25 N NaOH solution in the last one. Chemical composition, kappa number, viscosity, brightness and yield of bleached and unbleached pulps were evaluated. The high hemicellulose (28.4% w/w) and extractives (5.8% w/w) contents in original BSG affected the pulping and bleaching processes. However, soda pulping of acid pretreated BSG gave a cellulose-rich pulp (90.4% w/w) with low hemicellulose and extractives contents (7.9% w/w and <3.4% w/w, respectively), which was easily bleached achieving a kappa number of 11.21, viscosity of 3.12 cp, brightness of 71.3%, cellulose content of 95.7% w/w, and residual lignin of 3.4% w/w. Alkaline and oxidative delignification of acid pretreated BSG was found as an attractive approach for producing high-purity, chlorine-free cellulose pulp.     

Behavior of acetals under chemical ionization conditions

Russian Chemical Bulletin -     

Reaction between 7,8-dihydropterins and hydrogen peroxide under physiological conditions

In vitiligo, a common skin disorder that produces white patches of depigmentation, 7,8-dihydropterins accumulate in the presence of high concentration of H₂O₂. In this work, we present a study of the reaction between 7,8-dihydropterins and H₂O₂. The rate of the reaction, as well as the products formed, strongly depend on the chemical structure of the substituents. Electron-donor groups as substituents are the most reactive derivatives and undergo oxidation of the pterin moiety. The corresponding bimolecular rate constants at 37 °C in neutral aqueous solutions are reported. The biological implications of the results obtained are also discussed.     

Hydrolysis of tetrafluorosilane under neutral conditions: A quantum chemical study

A density functional quantum chemical study of the first step of SiF₄ hydrolysis under neutral conditions in the presence of one or two H₂O molecules was carried out. The reaction is endothermic and can follow three different pathways that involve the formation of penta-coordinated (pathway A) and hexacoordinated (pathways B and C) intermediates and transition states as the key steps. Pathway B is the most energetically favorable. All three pathways of the hydrolysis reaction lead to a product with formal retention of the configuration of substituents at the silicon atom. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 749–753, May, 2006.     

Pd-catalyzed allylation of CH acids under phase-transfer conditions

The composition of the products obtained by Pd-catalyzed allylation of diethyl (alkyl)-malonates and ethyl cyanoacetate with allylic acetates under phase-transfer conditions using potassium carbonate or phosphate as bases depended strongly on the nature of the reactants and the ligands used. The highest yields and the fraction of the “linear” regioisomers were achieved in the reactions of prenyl or 3-methylbut-1-en-3-yl acetates in the presence of phosphordiamidite ligands.     

Chromophores in phenylenevinylene-based conjugated polymers: role of conformational kinks and chemical defects

The influence of chemical defects and conformational kinks on the nature of the lowest electronic excitations in phenylenevinylene-based polymers is assessed at the semiempirical quantum-chemical level. The amount of excited-state localization and the amplitude of through-space (Coulomb-like) versus through-bond (charge-transfer-like) interactions have been quantified by comparing the results provided by excitonic and supermolecular models. While excitation delocalization among conjugated segments delineated by the defects occurs in the acceptor configuration, self-confinement on individual chromophores follows from geometric relaxation in the excited-state donor configuration. The extent of excited-state localization is found to be sensitive to both the nature of the defect and the length of the conjugated chains. Implications for resonant energy transfer along conjugated polymer chains are discussed.     

Unexpected phenol production from arylboronic acids under palladium-free conditions; organocatalyzed air oxidation

An intriguing class of quinones that efficiently catalyze the air oxidation (overall hydroxylation) of arylboronic acids to the corresponding phenol is reported. Autocatalysis in the parent system is particularly efficient and leads to rapid, quantitative synthesis of quinones such as 4 from boronic acid 1 at room temperature using air as stoichiometric oxidant. The efficiency results from a balance between two-stage conjugate addition and migration with each step driven by aromatization of a naphthalene fragment.     

Oxidation reactions in triterpenes under chemical ionization conditions

From a collisional activation spectral study it has been found that certain triterpene alcohols with an ursane or oleanane skeleton undergo oxidation to the corresponding ketones under chemical ionization (NH₃) conditions giving rise to abundant [M + NH₄ ? 2]⁺ ions. Mass-analysed ion kinetic energy and B²/E scan results indicate that both [M + NH₄]⁺ and [M + N₂H₇ ? 2]⁺ ions contribute to the formation of the [M + NH₄ ? 2]⁺ ion.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra under chemical polarization conditions

Russian Chemical Bulletin -     

ZnO formation under hydrothermal conditions from zinc hydroxide compounds with various chemical histories

The sequence of phase transformations of zinc hydroxide compounds with various chemical histories during hydrothermal (HT) treatment is studied by X-ray powder diffraction and thermal analysis (TG/DTA). ?-Zn(OH)₂ (wulfingite) is the major intermediate in ZnO production by the HT process. The micromorphology and photocatalytic activity of ZnO powders are studied.