Chemical applications of group theory and topology

The following procedure is described for investigating the qualitative dynamics of simple chemical systems: 1) A so-called influence diagram is generated representing the relationships between the reference reactants (phase-determining intermediates); 2) This influence diagram is used to generate a truth table indicating possible transitions between state vectors representing the signs of the time derivatives of of the reference reactant concentrations; 3) The truth table is used to determine a state transition diagram representing the flow topology around unstable equilibrium points; 4) The characteristic equation of the adjacency matrix of the influence diagram is solved in order to determine the presence of such unstable equilibrium points. The two types of qualitative dynamics possible for chemical systems containing two reference reactants and one feedback circuit are bifurcation between two attracting regions (bistability) and limit cycle oscillation. However, in two reference reactant systems oscillation requires an additional self-activating loop to generate the unstable equilibrium point required for its realization. Bistability and limit cycle oscillation are also two of the possible types of qualitative dynamics for chemical systems containing three reference reactants. However, chemical systems with three reference reactants and two or more feedback circuits can also contain interlocking limit cycles, which can lead to toroidal oscillations or chaos. The influence diagrams are given for the systems exhibiting these various types of dynamic behavior along with a summary of the important properties of all 729 possible influences for simple chemical systems containing three reference reactants.     

Gas Phase Catalysis by Metal Nanoparticles in Nanoporous Alumina Membranes

Nanoporous alumina membranes, loaded with palladium and ruthenium nanoparticles of various size, were used for gas phase hydrogenation of 1, 3‐butadiene and for oxidation of carbon monoxide, respectively. Those membranes contain 10⁹ ‐ 10¹¹ pores per cm², all running perpendicular to the surface. Membrane discs of 20 mm in diameter and only 60 μm thick, incorporated in a reactor in which the reactants can be pumped in a closed circuit through the pores, turned out to very actively catalyze hydrogenation of butadiene (Pd) and oxidation of CO (Ru). The activity of the Pd catalysts depends characteristically on the particles size, the gas flow, and of the educts ratio. As could be expected, larger particles are less active than smaller ones, whereas increasing gas flows in case of hydrogenation accelerates the reactions. Excessive hydrogen reduces selectivity with respect to the various butenes, but favours formation of butane.     

烯烃氢甲酰化催化剂活性物种的原位1H NMR研究

The rhodium-phosphine complex catalyst Rh(CO)(acac)(PPh3)(Ⅰ) for 1-hexene hydroformylation was studied under the following reaction conditions: CO/H2=1(mole rate), pressure 1.0 MPa, temperature 25-120℃, by using the pressurized in-situ 1H NMR technique. Experimental results indicated that the formation of a rhodium hydride complex from (Ⅰ) began at room temperature and its amount increased with increasing of reaction temperature. This intermediate complex began to decompose at 100℃ and disapeared completely at 120℃. The intensity change of the proton signal was parallel to catalytical activity in hydroformylation of olefins. Under pure CO pressure the proton signal of Ph-H bond was not observed. There was a 0.2 ppm difference in proton chemical shifts of Rh-H bond under pure H2 pressure and under H2+CO pressure. The results showed that the rhodium-hydride carbonyl complex is the active intermediate in the industrial hydroformylation process.     

对DSC单峰纯度测定法的评述

指出了当前流行的差示扫描量热法DSC单峰法测样品纯度所基于的假定有一些不确切的地方,并用计算机动态摸拟了DSC实验过程,结果证实了本文的论断。     

Surface recombination in breakdown time delay experiments: Effect of different cathode materials

The late afterglow in nitrogen with iron electrode is studied by the breakdown time delay method, i.e., by measuring the breakdown time delay t_d as a function of the afterglow time . It is proposed that the cause of the secondary electrons initiating the breakdown is the energy of the surface recombination of nitrogen atoms on the iron electrode. The gas-phase and macrokinetic diffusive models are used to describe the experimental breakdown time delay data. By fitting the theoretical curve to the experimental data: (1) it has been confirmed that the recombination on the molybdenum glass is of the second order and the value of the surface recombination coefficient is determined at 4 mbar; (2) it has been shown that the surface recombination on the iron electrode is of the second order, and the effective recombination coefficients are determined; (3) the analytical form of the recombination coefficient as a function of the adsorption characteristics of surfaces and the pressure of the parent gas has been derived. In addition, the orders of surface recombination on the molybdenum-, aluminum-, and gold-plated electrode were determined by the same method.     

Multistep electrochemical reactions involving transport of intermediates between the near-electrode layer and the bulk solution: A kinetics analysis based on theory of generalized variables (theory of similarity)

A kinetic analysis of multistep electrochemical reactions involving partial diffusion transport of intermediates between the near-electrode layer and the bulk electrolyte is performed within theory of generalized variables (theory of similarity). Dimensionless complexes (similarity criteria) that characterize such reactions are obtained, and their values corresponding to the transport of intermediates are determined.Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 1, 2005, pp. 121–125.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Protsenko, Danilov.     

DPPH (= 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl = 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐(2,4,6‐trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl) Radical‐Scavenging Reaction of Protocatechuic Acid Esters (= 3,4‐Dihydroxybenzoates) in Alcohols: Formation of Bis‐alcohol Adduct

Protocatechuic acid esters (= 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoates) scavenge ca. 5 equiv. of radical in alcoholic solvents, whereas they consume only 2 equiv. of radical in nonalcoholic solvents. While the high radical‐scavenging activity of protocatechuic acid esters in alcoholic solvents as compared to that in nonalcoholic solvents is due to a nucleophilic addition of an alcohol molecule at C(2) of an intermediate o‐quinone structure, thus regenerating a catechol (= benzene‐1,2‐diol) structure, it is still unclear why protocatechuic acid esters scavenge more than 4 equiv. of radical (C(2) refers to the protocatechuic acid numbering). Therefore, to elucidate the oxidation mechanism beyond the formation of the C(2) alcohol adduct, 3,4‐dihydroxy‐2‐methoxybenzoic acid methyl ester ( 4 ), the C(2) MeOH adduct, which is an oxidation product of methyl protocatechuate ( 1 ) in MeOH, was oxidized by the DPPH radical (= 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) or o‐chloranil (= 3,4,5,6‐tetrachlorocyclohexa‐3,5‐diene‐1,2‐dione) in CD₃OD/(D₆)acetone 3 : 1). The oxidation mixtures were directly analyzed by NMR. Oxidation with both the DPPH radical and o‐chloranil produced a C(2),C(6) bis‐methanol adduct ( 7 ), which could scavenge additional 2 equiv. of radical. Calculations of LUMO electron densities of o‐quinones corroborated the regioselective nucleophilic addition of alcohol molecules with o‐quinones. Our results strongly suggest that the regeneration of a catechol structure via a nucleophilic addition of an alcohol molecule with a o‐quinone is a key reaction for the high radical‐scavenging activity of protocatechuic acid esters in alcoholic solvents.     

An Absence of Non-specific Immune Response towards para-Sulphonato-calix[n]arenes

The effects of para-Sulphonato-calix[4]arene, para-Sulphonato-calix[6]arene and para-Sulphonato-calix[8]arene on the activation of NADPH oxidase in neutrophils has been studied. All three molecules do not induce NADPH oxidase activation, and hence do not stimulate neutrophils. Measurement of cell viability demonstrates that these three water-soluble calix[n]arene derivatives are not cytotoxic.     

Chiral separation of N-(trans-4-isopropylcyclohexylcarbonyl)-D,L-phenylalanine isomers by high performance liquid chromatography

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the chiral separation of a new anti-diabetic agent, N-(trans-4-isopropylcyclohexylcarbonyl)-D-phenylalanine, and its L-enantiomer. The separation was performed on a Sumichiral OA-3300 column. Optimized mobile phase was 0.025 mol.L⁻¹ ammonium acetate in methanol solution. UV detection was at 210 nm. Baseline chiral separation was obtained within 12 minutes. The detection limits are 80 pg for the D-enantiomer and 120 pg for the L-enantiomer. RSD of the method was below 1% (n=5).