Ultrasound-assisted solid Lewis acid-catalyzed transesterification of Lesquerella fendleri oil for biodiesel synthesis

Biodiesel, a mixture of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), is bio-renewable, non-toxic, biodegradable, and is an attractive alternative to petroleum diesel. This work studied the sonochemical transesterification of Lesquerella fendleri oil (LFO) using inexpensive solid Lewis acid (LA) catalysts with an aim to reduce environmental pollution and dependance on non-renewable fuel sources. Due to the presence of hydroxy fatty acid methyl esters (HFAME) in LFO (∼60%), in addition to producing biofuel it can also be used to generate chemically important estolides and cyclic lactones. AlCl₃, SnCl₂, and Sn(CH₃COO)₂ showed catalytic activity using direct immersion ultrasound (DI-US) among a list of LA catalysts investigated, with AlCl₃ being the best catalyst. Ultrasound increased the reaction rate by facilitating carbocation formation of glyceridic carbons. Experiments were carried out at room temperature in a solvent range from 3:1 to 18:1 methanol-to-oil molar ratio and catalyst loading from 1 wt% to 6 wt% over 10 to 60 min sonication time at 48% ultrasound amplitude (roughly 17 W/cm²). Complete conversion (>99%) was achieved in 40 min with 5 wt% AlCl₃ catalyst. A statistical regression analysis with STATA 14.0 software was performed to optimize process parameters. Chemical characterizations of the compounds were performed with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (¹H NMR & ¹³C NMR), and % conversion of FAMEs was calculated from the ¹H NMR spectra. The fatty acid profile was determined by GC-FID and GC–MS analysis. FT-IR spectroscopic analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed to investigate the infrared absorption pattern of the compound and the volatility difference between Lesquerella fendleri biodiesel and oil under nitrogen atmosphere. Results indicate that this is a fast, green, energy-efficient, sustainable, and industrially applicable method for biodiesel production from LFO.     

An ultrasonic-accelerated oxidation method for determining the oxidative stability of biodiesel

Biodiesel is considered an alternative energy because it is produced from fats and vegetable oils by means of transesterification. Furthermore, it consists of fatty acid alkyl esters (FAAS) which have a great influence on biodiesel fuel properties and in the storage lifetime of biodiesel itself. The biodiesel storage stability is directly related to the oxidative stability parameter (Induction Time – IT) which is determined by means of the Rancimat® method. This method uses condutimetric monitoring and induces the degradation of FAAS by heating the sample at a constant temperature. The European Committee for Standardization established a standard (EN 14214) to determine the oxidative stability of biodiesel, which requires it to reach a minimum induction period of 6 h as tested by Rancimat® method at 110 °C. In this research, we aimed at developing a fast and simple alternative method to determine the induction time (IT) based on the FAAS ultrasonic-accelerated oxidation. The sonodegradation of biodiesel samples was induced by means of an ultrasonic homogenizer fitted with an immersible horn at 480 Watts of power and 20 duty cycles. The UV–Vis spectrometry was used to monitor the FAAS sonodegradation by measuring the absorbance at 270 nm every 2. Biodiesel samples from different feedstock were studied in this work. In all cases, IT was established as the inflection point of the absorbance versus time curve. The induction time values of all biodiesel samples determined using the proposed method was in accordance with those measured through the Rancimat® reference method by showing a R² = 0.998.     

Methodology of1H NMR spectroscopy of the human brain at very high magnetic fields

An ultrashort-echo-time stimulated echo-acquisition mode (STEAM) pulse sequence with interleaved outer volume suppression and VAPOR (variable power and optimized relaxation delays) water suppression was redesigned and optimized for human applications at 4 and 7 T, taking into account the specific requirements for spectroscopy at high magnetic fields and limitations of currently available hardware. In combination with automatic shimming, automated parameter adjustments and data processing, this method provided a user-friendly tool for routine¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of the human brain at very high magnetic fields. Effects of first- and second-order shimming, single-scan averaging, frequency and phase corrections, and eddy currents were described. LCModel analysis of an in vivo¹H NMR spectrum measured from the human brain at 7 T allowed reliable quantification of more than fifteen metabolites noninvasively, illustrating the potential of high-field NMR spectroscopy. Examples of spectroscopic studies performed at 4 and 7 T demonstrated the high reproducibility of acquired spectra quality.     

酯交换生物柴油的柱层析分离纯化与分析

以文冠果油通过酯交换法制备的粗生物柴油为原料,采用柱层析进行精制纯化,然后利用气相色谱、GC-MS、红外光谱和1 H核磁共振等分析产物的成分。粗油经柱层析分离出两个馏分:石油醚洗脱馏分(A1),主要是由文冠果油经酯交换反应得到的生物柴油,包括亚油酸甲酯、油酸甲酯等;甲醇洗脱馏分(A2)主要是甘油馏分,是油脂酯交换反应的副产物。结果表明:由柱层析进行分离纯化后,生物柴油的纯度由原来的77.51%提高到93.87%,生物柴油的回收率也高达91.04%;红外光谱和1 H核磁共振的分析结果进一步表明柱层析能够有效地提高生物柴油的纯度,为工业化纯化生物柴油提供了依据。     

<Superscript>15</Superscript>N–<Superscript>13</Superscript>C Dipole Couplings in Smectic Mesophase of a Thermotropic Ionic Liquid

Unique combination of ionic conductivity and anisotropic physical properties in ionic liquid crystals leads to new dynamic properties exploited in modern technological applications. Structural and dynamics information at atomic level for molecules and ions in mesophases can be obtained by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy through the measurements of dipole–dipole spin couplings. While ¹³C–¹H and ¹⁵N–¹H dipolar NMR spectra can be routinely acquired in samples with natural isotopic abundance, recording ¹⁵N–¹³C dipolar NMR spectra is challenging because of the unfavourable combination of two rare isotopes. In the present study, an approach to measure ¹⁵N–¹³C dipole-dipole NMR spectra in static liquid crystalline samples with natural abundance is introduced. We demonstrate that well-resolved spectra can be recorded within 10 h of experimental time using a conventional NMR probe and a moderately strong magnetic field. The technique is applied to a thermotropic smectic mesophase formed by an ionic liquid with imidazolium-based organic cation.     

A strip-shield improves the efficiency of a solenoid coil in probes for high-field solid-state NMR of lossy biological samples

A strip-shield inserted between a high inductance double-tuned solenoid coil and the glass tube containing the sample improves the efficiency of probes used for high-field solid-state NMR experiments on lossy aqueous samples of proteins and other biopolymers. A strip-shield is a coil liner consisting of thin copper strips layered on a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) insulator. With lossy samples, the shift in tuning frequency is smaller, the reduction in Q, and RF-induced heating are all significantly reduced when the strip-shield is present. The performance of 800 MHz ¹H/¹⁵N and ¹H/¹³C double-resonance probes is demonstrated on aqueous samples of membrane proteins in phospholipid bilayers.     

Characterization of the essential oil of Agastache rugosa by NMR spectroscopy

The composition of essential oil from Agastache rugosa (Fish. et Mey) O.Kuntze was studied by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Essential oil was isolated from the aerial part of plants growing in the Central Botanical Garden of the NAS of Belarus during flowering and fruiting. The oil chemical composition was found to depend little on the sampling time. It was shown that NMR spectroscopy could be successfully used to both monitor the content of the hepatotoxic substance (pulegone) and characterize the quality and authenticity of essential oils.     

Selective Detection of 1H NMR Resonances of 13CHn Groups Using Two-Dimensional Maximum-Quantum Correlation Spectroscopy

Methods for editing spectra based upon maximum-quantum filtering in two-dimensional ¹H NMR are presented (MAXY NMR). Separation of ¹H resonances from ¹³CH, ¹³CH₂, and ¹³CH₃ groups is demonstrated, using the coherence of the attached natural-abundance ¹³C spin. Two-dimensional correlation pulse sequences based on J connectivity (MAXY-COSY), total J connectivity (MAXY-TOCSY), and NOE and exchange processes (MAXY-NOESY) are given and exemplified using dexamethasone as a model compound. In addition, an improved form of a ¹³CH₂ only COSY spectrum (gem-COSY) is shown, and the application of z magnetic-field gradients is demonstrated as an alternative to phase cycling. The approach should have utility in the assignment of complex ¹H NMR spectra which arise from peptides or complex mixtures such as biofluids.     

Deoxidation Rate of Oil-Covered Water as the Oil Quality Indicator Oxygen Concentration in Water,NMR Relaxation Time T2, Lubricating Oils

The results of the investigations of deoxidation rate of oil-covered water obtained by measuring the ¹ ₁H NMR spin-spin relaxation time T₂ have been reported. This characteristics are related with oils quality and wear.     

Oxygen-17 cross-polarization nmr spectroscopy of inorganic solids

We have obtained ¹⁷O nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of a variety of ¹⁷O-labeled solids (Mg(OH)₂, Ca(OH)₂, boehmite (AlO(OH)), talc (Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂), (C₆H₅)₃SiOH, and amorphous SiO₂) using high-field static and “magic-angle” sample spinning techniques, together with ¹H cross polarization and dipolar decoupling. Our results show that large cross-polarization enhancements can be obtained and that reliable second-order quadrupolar powder lineshapes can be observed under cross-polarization conditions. We have also investigated the dynamics of cross polarization for several samples, including measurements of cross-relaxation rates and ¹H and ¹⁷O rotating-frame spin-lattice relaxation times. We show that rapid ¹⁷O rotating-frame spin-lattice relaxation reduces the cross-polarization enhancement in some cases and that differences in cross-relaxation rates can be used to “edit” spectra by selectively enhancing protonated oxygen resonances (in general, hydroxide versus oxide ions, in inorganic solids). When applied to high surface area metal oxides such as amorphous silica, this selectivity enables the observation of resonances from surface hydroxyl groups that are difficult to detect by conventional ¹⁷O NMR. Overall, the cross-polarization approach appears to have considerable utility for aiding in the interpretation of ¹⁷O NMR spectra of complex inorganic solids.     

Unusual effects in variable temperature powder NMR spectra of the methyl group protons in 9,10-dimethyltriptycene-d12

Variable temperature ¹H wide line NMR spectra of polycrystalline 9,10-dimethyltriptycene-d₁₂ deuterated in the aromatic positions were studied. The spectra show different patterns in an unrepeatable dependence on the way of preparation of the powdered samples. Simultaneously, no anomalies were seen in the MAS and CPMAS proton-decoupled room-temperature ¹³C spectra as well as in powder X-ray diffraction patterns. The effects observed in the ¹H spectra are tentatively explained in terms of a phenomenological model. For one of the examined samples it afforded a consistent interpretation of the entire series of temperature dependent spectra in terms of structural non uniformity of the solid material studied. Quantum character of the stochastic dynamics of the methyl groups in the investigated compound was confirmed, although these dynamics are close to the classical limit where the familiar random jump model applies.     

On the role of experimental imperfections in constructing 1H spin diffusion NMR plots for domain size measurements

We discuss the precision of 1D chemical-shift-based ¹H spin diffusion NMR experiments as well as straightforward experimental protocols for reducing errors. The ¹H spin diffusion NMR experiments described herein are useful for samples that contain components with significant spectral overlap in the ¹H NMR spectrum and also for samples of small mass (<1 mg). We show that even in samples that display little spectral contrast, domain sizes can be determined to a relatively high degree of certainty if common experimental variability is accounted for and known. In particular, one should (1) measure flip angles to high precision (≈±1° flip angle), (2) establish a metric for phase transients to ensure their repeatability, (3) establish a reliable spectral deconvolution procedure to ascertain the deconvolved spectra of the neat components in the composite or blend spin diffusion spectrum, and (4) when possible, perform 1D chemical-shift-based ¹H spin diffusion experiments with zero total integral to partially correct for errors and uncertainties if these requirements cannot fully be implemented. We show that minimizing the degree of phase transients is not a requirement for reliable domain size measurement, but their repeatability is essential, as is knowing their contribution to the spectral offset (i.e. the J₁ coefficient). When performing experiments with zero total integral in the spin diffusion NMR spectrum with carefully measured flip angles and known phase transient effects, the largest contribution to error arises from an uncertainty in the component lineshapes which can be as high as 7%. This uncertainty can be reduced considerably if the component lineshapes deconvolved from the composite or blend spin diffusion spectra adequately match previously acquired pure component spectra.     

H NMR Characterization of the Product from Single Solid-Phase Resin Beads Using Capillary NMR Flow Probes

A capillary NMR flow probe was designed to generate high-resolution ¹H NMR spectra at 600 MHz from the cleaved product of individual 160-μm Tentagel combinatorial chemistry beads. By injecting a dissolved sample sandwiched between an immiscible, perfluorinated organic liquid directly into the probe, NMR spectra of the product cleaved from single beads were acquired in just 1 h of spectrometer time without diffusional dilution. Sample handling efficiency on the single bead scale was comparable to that obtained with a bulk sample. Using the relative intensity of the DMSO-d₅H versus the analyte signals in a fully relaxed CPMG spectrum, the amount of product cleaved from a single bead was determined to be 540±170 pmol in one of the samples. Following the NMR data collection, the samples were examined with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to provide additional structural information. By coupling with microliter-volume fluidic capabilities, the capillary flow probe described here will enable multidimensional characterization of single solid-phase resin products in an online manner.     

1H NMR Spectra at 360 MHz of Diosmin and Hesperidin in DMSO Solution

A complete analysis of the 360 MHz ¹H NMR spectra of diosmin and hesperidin in DMSO-d₆ solution has been performed and the corresponding values for chemical shifts and coupling constants given. Two sets of NMR signals have been detected in aged hesperidin samples, and based on NMR parameters and HPLC data, the second set has been assigned to an hesperidin isomer with a change of the natural configuration at the C2 atom.     

Characterization of Filler-rubber Interaction,Filler Network Structure,and Their Effects on Viscoelasticity for Styrene-butadiene Rubber Filled with Different Fillers

For styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) compounds filled with the same volume fraction of carbon black (CB), precipitated silica and carbon–silica dual phase filler (CSDPF), filler-rubber interactions were investigated thru bound rubber content (BRC) of the compounds and solid-state ¹H low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The results indicated that the BRC of the compound was highly related to the amount of surface area for interaction between filler and rubber, while the solid-state ¹H low-field NMR spectroscopy was an effective method to evaluate the intensity of filler-rubber interaction. The silica-filled compound showed the highest BRC, whereas the CB-filled compound had the strongest filler-rubber interfacial interaction, verified by NMR transverse relaxation. The strain sweep measurements of the compounds were conducted thru a rubber process analyzer; the results showed that the CSDPF-filled compound presented the lowest Payne effect, which is mainly related to the weakened filler network structure in polymer matrix. The temperature sweep measurement, tested by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, indicated that the glass transition temperature did not change when SBR was filled with different fillers, whereas the storage modulus in rubbery state and the tanδ peak height were greatly affected by the filler network structure of composites.     

High-resolution solid-state NMR of anisotropically mobile molecules under very low-power H decoupling and moderate magic-angle spinning

We show that for observing high-resolution heteronuclear NMR spectra of anisotropically mobile systems with order parameters less than 0.25, moderate magic-angle spinning (MAS) rates of 11 kHz combined with ¹H decoupling at 1–2 kHz are sufficient. Broadband decoupling at this low ¹H nutation frequency is achieved by composite pulse sequences such as WALTZ-16. We demonstrate this moderate MAS low-power decoupling technique on hydrated POPC lipid membranes, and show that 1 kHz ¹H decoupling yields spectra with the same resolution and sensitivity as spectra measured under 50 kHz ¹H decoupling when the same acquisition times (50 ms) are used, but the low-power decoupled spectra give higher resolution and sensitivity when longer acquisition times (>150 ms) are used, which are not possible with high-power decoupling. The limits of validity of this approach are explored for a range of spinning rates and molecular mobilities using more rigid membrane systems such as POPC/cholesterol mixed bilayers. Finally, we show ¹⁵N and ¹³C spectra of a uniaxially diffusing membrane peptide assembly, the influenza A M2 transmembrane domain, under 11 kHz MAS and 2 kHz ¹H decoupling. The peptide ¹⁵N and ¹³C intensities at low-power decoupling are 70–80% of the high-power decoupled intensities. Therefore, it is possible to study anisotropically mobile lipids and membrane peptides using liquid-state NMR equipment, relatively large rotors, and moderate MAS frequencies.     

Molecular Structure of the Eudesmanolide Septulinolide

The molecular structure of septuplinolide from Calea septuplinerva was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. This requires revision of stereochemistry at C4 from 4β-OH to 4α-OH in the septuplinolide molecule. Also, high-field ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectral assignments of the lactone are given.     

嵌段共聚物溶致液晶相中水的2H-NMR动力学分析

采用D₂O 的²H-NMR线型和弛豫分析了PEO-PPO-PEO/D₂O/对二甲苯体系的层状和六角液晶相的动力学行为. 通过实验测得了两个不同体系的自旋 晶格弛豫时间T₁、自旋-自旋弛豫时间T₂和²H-NMR 谱. ²H-NMR 谱均为具有四极劈裂的粉末谱线型，且在谱图的中心，β_LD=54.7°时存在一个倒峰. 倒峰的出现直接表明引起体系中弛豫的主要动力学过程处于极窄化区域. 采用NMR弛豫模型，通过调节动力学参数，使理论模拟的²H-NMR谱、弛豫时间、倒峰的大小与实验的对应量相吻合，求得了体系的动力学参数.