Antimony(III) Oxide Film on a Cellulose Fiber Surface: Preparation and Characterization of the Composite

Cellulose/antimony(III) oxide composites, Cel/Sb(2)O(3), with oxide loadings of 1.7, 5.4, and 9.2 wt% were prepared by reacting the precursor SbCl(3) reagent with cellulose in dry ethanol solution. The reaction of the Lewis acid and the cellulose fibers occurred at the~amorphous domains of the biopolymer, increasing the crystallinity degree of the composite compared with that of the untreated cellulose. The scanning electron microscopy images and metal mapping for all samples showed that the oxide film layer uniformly covered the fiber surfaces with no detectable agglomerates of the oxide particles. The synchrotron X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that the antimony oxide film was obtained as a crystalline phase with orthorombic structure. The atomic ratios of O/Sb, determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, indicated that, for Cel/Sb(2)O(3) samples with 9.3 wt% loading, the fiber surface is nearly saturated by the oxide layer. The thermal stability of Cel/Sb(2)O(3) compared to that of untreated cellulose is practically unaffected. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Non-Born-Oppenheimer treatment of the H2 Hookean molecule

We show that the exact non-Born-Oppenheimer Schrodinger equation for the Hookean diatomic molecule H2 (a two-proton, two-electron system where the electron-proton interaction is harmonic while the proton-proton and electron-electron interactions are Coulombic) can be decoupled into equations describing the relative motion of the electrons, the relative motion of nuclei, the motion of a collective mode representing a three-dimensional harmonic oscillator, and the motion of a free particle expressed as a linear combination of the individual center-of-mass coordinates of the nuclei and electrons. Analytic solutions to the relative motion of electrons can be readily obtained for the given values of the harmonic coupling constant. However, exact analytic solutions to the equation for the relative motion of the nuclei cannot be obtained simultaneously due to the fact that the harmonic constants in these two equations are coupled. For this reason, we present for the relative nuclear motion approximate analytic wave functions, one of them obtained variationally and the other by a series solution where the coefficients are determined recursively. We also explore a variational solution to the Taylor-series expansion of the nuclear interaction potential. Properties of the electronic and nuclear intracule densities are examined at different values of the coupling constant. An interesting result of the present non-Born-Oppenheimer treatment of this harmonic model is the fact that the relative nuclear motion occurs in a highly correlated regime. This leads in a natural way to a spatial localization of the nuclei akin to Wigner electronic crystallization.     

Ester synthesis catalyzed by Mucor miehei lipase immobilized on magnetic polysiloxane-polyvinyl alcohol particles

Mucor miehei lipase was immobilized on magnetic polysiloxane-polyvinyl alcohol particles by covalent binding with high activity recovered. The performance of the resulting immobilized biocatalyst was evaluated in the synthesis of flavor esters using heptane as solvent. The impact on reaction rate was determined for enzyme concentration, molar ratio of the reactants, carbon chain length of the reactants, and alcohol structure. Ester synthesis was maximized for substrates containing excess acyl donor and lipase loading of 25 mg/mL. The biocatalyst selectivity for the carbon chain length was found to be different concerning the organic acids and alcohols. High reaction rates were achieved for organic acids with 8 or 10 carbons, whereas increasing the alcohol carbon chain length from 4 to 8 carbons gave much lower esterification yields. Optimal reaction rate was determined for the synthesis of butyl caprylate (12 carbons). Esterification performance was also dependent on the alcohol structure, with maximum activity occurring for primary alcohol. Secondary and tertiary alcohols decreased the reaction rates by more than 40%.     

Synthesis and spectral properties of 2,3-dihydro-4-(para-substituted-phenyl)-7-[(o-, m-, and p-substituted)phenoxy]-1H-1,5-benzodi-azepine-2-thiones

A series of twelve new 2,3-dihydro-4-(para-substituted-phenyl)-7-[(o-, m-, and p-substituted)phenoxy]-1H-1,5-benzodiazepine-2-thiones, which have potentially useful pharmacological properties, has been synthesized by condensing the 3,3-dimercapto-1-(para-substituted phenyl)-2-propen-1-one with 3,4-diaminophenyl-R-phenyl ethers. The structure of all products was corroborated by ir, ¹H-nmr, ¹³C-nmr and ms.     

A flow-through cell for differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry

A flow-through voltammetric cell with a hanging mercury drop electrode has been developed to fit the static mercury drop electrode (PAR 303). The design has resulted in a linear increase of sensitivity with flow rate and an enhancement of sensitivity by the wall-jet effect. The cell is used in a flow injection system in which samples are introduced with a R??i?ka—Hansen injector. The mercury drop is held at plating potentials while the sample peak passes through the cell. Stripping is done under stopped flow conditions, to reduce noise, after the sample has been washed completely from the cell. The stripping thus takes place into the carrier electrolyte which always has a constant composition independent of sample constituents. Film-forming interfering species will, however, remain on the surface of the mercury drop. The effect of medium exchange on films produced by l-cysteine is reported. The flow-through medium exchange simplifies deaeration, speeds up analysis and reduces contamination.     

Mitsunobu reactions of nucleoside analogs using triisopropyl phosphite-DIAD

Herein, we report the use of triisopropyl phosphite (TIP) as an effective substitute for triphenylphosphine in the Mitsunobu reaction of nucleoside analogs. In addition, the use of triphenyl phosphite as an alternative reagent for the expensive hexamethylphosphorous triamide (HMPT) in the Véliz-Beal bromination protocol is reported.     

Unexpected formation of 1-diethylaminobutadiene in photosensitized oxidation of triethylamine induced by 2,3-dihydro-oxoisoaporphine dyes. A 1H NMR and isotopic exchange study

[reaction: see text] Photoreduction of oxoisoaporphine dyes occurs via a stepwise mechanism of electron-proton-electron transfer that leads to the N-hydrogen oxoisoaporphine anion. When triethylamine, TEA, was used as the electron donor in anaerobic conditions, 1-diethylaminobutadiene, DEAB, was one of the oxidation products of TEA, among diethylamine and acetaldehyde. DEAB was identified by (1)H NMR and GC-MS experiments by comparison with the authentic 1-diethylaminobutadiene. This is the first report of a butadienyl derivative formed in the dye-sensitized photooxidation of TEA. In addition, isotopic exchange experiments with TEA-d(15) and D(2)O show that the hydrogens at carbon-2 and carbon-4 of the butadienyl moiety are exchangeable. The observed isotopic exchange pattern could be explained by the head-to-tail coupling of an N,N-diethylvinylamine intermediate that exchanges hydrogens at the C-beta via the enammonium ion.     

Synthesis, crystal structure, spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization of the dinuclear complex {tetra-μ-[(±)-2-(p-methoxyphenoxy)-propionato-O,O′]bis(aqua)dicopper(II)}

Structural, electrochemical and spectroscopic data of a new dinuclear copper(II) complex with (±)-2-(p-methoxyphenoxy)propionic acid are reported. The complex {tetra-μ-[(±)-2-(p-methoxyphenoxy)propionato-O,O′]-bis(aqua)dicopper(II)} crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2₁/n with a = 14.149(1) ?, b = 7.495(1) ?, c = 19.827(1) ?, β = 90.62(1) and Z = 4. X-ray diffraction data show that the two copper(II) ions are held together through four carboxylate bridges, coordinated as equatorial ligands in square pyramidal geometry. The coordination sphere around each copper ion is completed by two water molecules as axial ligands. Thermogravimetric data are consistent with such results. The ligand has an “L” type shape due to the angle formed by the β-carbon of the propionic chain and the linked p-methoxyphenoxy group. This conformation contributes to the occurrence of a peculiar structure of the complex. The complex retains its dinuclear nature when dissolved in acetonitrile, but it decomposes into the corresponding mononuclear species if dissolved in ethanol, according to the EPR measurements. Further, cyclic voltammograms of the complex in acetonitrile show that the dinuclear species maintains the same structure, in agreement with the EPR data in this solvent. The voltammogram shows two irreversible reduction waves at E _pc = −0.73 and −1.04 V vs. Ag/AgCl assigned to the Cu(II)/Cu(I) and Cu(I)/Cu° redox couples, respectively, and two successive oxidation waves at E _pa =− 0.01 and +1.41 V vs. Ag/AgCl, assigned to the Cu°/Cu(I) and Cu(I)/Cu(II) redox couples, respectively, in addition to the oxidation waves of the carboxylate ligand.     

A complex containing three different kinds of Ru—N bonds: ethoxydinitronitrosyl(N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine‐κ2N,N′)ruthenium(II)

The octahedral title compound, [Ru(C₂H₅O)(NO)(NO₂)₂(C₆H₁₆N₂)], crystallizes in the rhombohedral space group P3₁ with an ethoxy ligand axially coordinated trans to the nitro­syl ligand. The Ru^II ion is equatorially coordinated by a tetramethylethylenediamine group acting as a bidentate ligand, and to two nitro moieties whose planes are tilted with respect to the mean equatorial plane. Each nitro­gen ligand bonded to the metallic centre has a different hybridization state.     

Synthesis and spectral properties of 2‐methylthio‐3H‐7‐[(o‐; m‐ and p‐substituted)phenoxy]‐4‐(p‐substituted‐phenyl)‐[1,5]benzodiazepines

A series of eleven new 2‐methylthio‐3H‐7‐[(o‐; m‐ and p‐substituted) phenoxy]‐4‐(p‐substituted‐phenyl)‐[1,5]benzodiazepines, which have potentially useful pharmacological activities, has been synthesized by condensing the 4‐[(o‐; m‐ and p‐R₁)phenoxy]‐1,2‐phenylendiamines with 3,3‐dimercapto‐1‐(p‐R₂‐phenyl)‐2‐propen‐1‐one. Afterward the lH‐[1,5]benzodiazepine‐2‐thiones obtained were treated with sodium hydride and methyl iodide. The structure of all products was corroborated by ir, ¹H nmr, ¹³C nmr and ms.