Efficient transesterification/acylation reactions mediated by N-heterocyclic carbene catalysts

Imidazol-2-ylidenes, a family of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC), are efficient catalysts in the transesterification involving numerous esters and alcohols. Low catalyst loadings of aryl- or alkyl-substituted NHC catalysts mediate the acylation of alcohols with enol acetates in short reaction times at room temperature. Commercially available and more difficult to cleave methyl esters react with primary alcohols in the presence of alkyl-substituted NHC to efficiently form the corresponding esters. While primary alcohols are selectively acylated over secondary alcohols with use of enol esters as acylating agents, methyl and ethyl esters can be employed as protective agents for secondary alcohols in the presence of the more active alkyl-substituted NHC catalysts. The NHC-catalyzed transesterification protocol was simplified by generating the imidazol-2-ylidene catalysts in situ.     

Conformational analysis of some acrylates using dipole moment calculations by CNDO/force method

CNDO MO calculations are carried out for four acrylates, H₂C=C (R₁)-COO (R₂) with R₁=H, Me and R₂=Me, Et for dipole moment determination using the Pople-Segal expression.⁷ Energy minimization for various conformers in each molecular system was achieved by the gradient method. Dipole moments for comparatively stable conformers of each of the molecules considered are reported. Theoretically calculated energy values are used to arrive at the equilibrium geometry and the corresponding dipole moments are compared with the experimental values in each system considered.     

Electric field gradients in various chemical environments of133Ba by the sum peak method

The sum peak at 437 keV (356+81 keV) has been measured in various chemical and physico-chemical environments. The fact that the intensity ratio of the sum peak to its single peak changes with the circumstances in which the radioactive source is placed is used to observe the effect of the chemical environment on directional correlation coefficients of 351–81 keV cascade in¹³³Ba−¹³³Cs decay and to detect the variations in the electric field gradient in different barium compounds. The sum peak method has been found to be useful in describing the chemical influences onG ₂₂ parameters and hence in the study of electric field gradients.     

Studies with model membranes

Summary Thermodynamic effective fixed charge densities of mercuric phosphate and carbonate parchment supported membranes were evaluated by a number of methods particularly those ofTeorell-Meyer-Sievers, Altug andHair andKobatake et al. The value of the permselectivity was obtained for the two membranes based onKobatake et al. procedure. Membrane transport number was calculated using a modified Nernst relation and compared with the values determined by the TMS method. The theoretical predictions for membrane potential usingKobatake et al. equation are borne out quite satisfactorily by our experimental results for both membrane.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurden die Dichte der fixierten Ladungen von Quecksilberphosphat und Quecksilberkarbonat-Niederschlagsmembranen nach den Methoden vonTorell-Meyer-Sievers, Altug undHair undKobatake bestimmt. Weiterhin wurden Durchlässigkeit und Transportzahlen ermittelt und mit Werten der TMS-Methode verglichen. Theoretische Voraussagen über das Membranpotential nach den Gleichungen vonKobatake stimmen mit den experimentellen Ergebnissen überein.

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With 8 figures and 3 tables     

Application of the sum peak method to study changes in the K-capture probability to the 1086 keV level and perturbed angular correlation parameters in the decay of152Eu

The sum peak method has been applied to electron capture probability changes to the 1086 keV level in the decay of¹⁵²Eu in the different environments, e.g. ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), bovine serum albumin (BSA) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). An attempt is also made to determine the effect of chemical environment on the directional correlation coefficient of the 1409–122 keV - cascade in¹⁵²Eu ¹⁵²Sm decay. A change of G₂₂ is found in the different chemical forms.     

Chemometric data analysis of pollutants in wastewater—a case study

In this study, chemometric techniques such as cluster analysis (CA), discriminant analysis (DA), principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) were used to analyse the wastewater dataset to identify the factors which affect the composition of sewage of domestic origin, spatial and temporal variations, similarity/dissimilarity among the wastewater characteristics of cis- and trans-drains and discriminating variables. Samples collected from 24 wastewater drains in Lucknow city and from three sites on Gomti river in the month of January/February, May, August and November during the period of 5 years (1994-1999) were characterized for 32 parameters. The multivariate techniques successfully described the similarities/dissimilarities among the sewage drains on the basis of their wastewater characteristics and sources signifying the effect of routine domestic/commercial activities in respective drainage areas. Spatial and seasonal variations in wastewater composition were also determined successfully. CA generated six groups of drains on the basis of similar wastewater characteristic. PCA provided information on seasonal influence and compositional differences in sewage generated by domestic and industrial waste dominated drains and showed that drains influenced by mixed industrial effluents have high organic pollution load. DA rendered six variables (TDS, alkalinity, F, TKN, Cd and Cr) discriminating between cis- and trans-drains. PLS-DA showed dominance of Cd, Cr, NO₃, PO₄ and F in cis-drains wastewater. The results suggest that biological-process based STPs could treat wastewater both from the cis- as well as trans-drains, however, prior removal of toxic metals will be required from the cis-drains sewage. Further, seasonal variations in wastewater composition and pollution load could be the guiding factor for determining the STPs design parameters. The information generated would be useful in selection of process type and in designing of the proposed sewage treatment plants (STPs) for safe disposal of wastewater.     

All-trans-N-retinylidenetryptamine Schiff base in surfactant solubilized water pools in heptane—a fluorescence study

All-trns-N-retinylidenetryptamine Schiff base was incorporated into aerosol-OT (AOT, sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulphosuccinate)/heptane reverse micelles. This micellar system was used as a model to study the retinal-tryptophan interactions in retinal proteins. The retinylidene Schiff base remains stable in the presence of reverse micelle-solubilized water pools. Partition coefficient and microviscosity measurements show that the Schiff base is located in the micellar interphase. The results are discussed in terms of the interaction between the retinylidene chromophore and the active site environment of rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin. In the present model, the quencher and emitting units are covalently attached, and are separated by two carbon spacer units. The fluorescence emission data obtained for the micelle-intercalated Schiff base chromophore are compared with the fluorescence of the native protein and intermediates in the photochemical cycle of bacteriofhodopsin. A comparison of the data obtained for tryptamine and the Schiff base with the results available for bacteriorhodopsin and bacterioopsin reveals that there is a large degree of quenching on intercalation of the retinylidene chromophore in the vicinity of the fluorophore. Evidence provided by this model suggests that energy transfer to retinal can occur from tryptophan residues located in the retinal pocket in the native protein. Thus the retinylidene unit can act as a quencher of the energy of tryptophan, the nature and extent of which may depend on the conformation and relative orientation of the protein-bound fluorophore.     

One-Pot Convenient and High Yielding Synthesis of Dithiocarbamates

Summary. A convenient and high yielding method for the synthesis of diverse dithiocarbamates having various substituents including alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, and alkylaryl at the thiol chain or at the amine chain or at both thiol and amine chains were developed by the one-pot reaction of mercaptans, amines, and bis(benzotriazolyl)methanethione in presence of amidine base under mild reaction conditions.     

Ligand exchange separation of amines on copper (II) sorbed on zinc silicate

Summary Papers impregnated with Cu(II) sorbed on zinc silicate have been used to study the ligand exchange chromatographic behavior of amines. R_F values of 16 amines have been studied in 6 different systems. On the basis of differences in R_F values various analytically important qualitative separations of amines on impregnated papers and quantitative separations on columns of copper(II) sorbed on zinc silicate have been achieved.     

Effect of cooperativity on the O-H stretching force constant in associated water species

CNDO/force calculations have been employed to calculate the O-H stretching force constants for various structures of associated water species such as water-dimethylether, water-acetonitrile, water-lithium fluoride, linear and cyclic water polymers. The variation in the O-H stretching force constant in A_m… O-H… D_n species where A_m and D_n represent, respectively,m number of electron-acceptor andn number of electron-donor molecules, is explained on the basis of the cooperativity effect. With increasing electron-acceptor power of A and electron-donor power of D, the hydrogen-bonded O-H stretching force constant is significantly reduced. The results obtained in these studies are in general agreement with experimental observations reported earlier.