Methods and approaches for determination and enantioseparation of (RS)‐propranolol

Propranolol, a β‐adrenergic receptor antagonist, is a chiral compound that is marketed as a racemate, but only the (S)‐(?)‐enantiomer is responsible for the β‐adrenoceptor blocking activity. Different chromatographic methods have been applied for separation and determination of enantiomers of (RS)‐propranolol. In this article a review is presented on different liquid chromatographic methods used for enantioseparation of (RS)‐propranolol, using both HPLC and TLC. In addition, some aspects of enantioseparation under achiral phases of liquid chromatography have been briefly mentioned.     

无人机视角下的林木爆燃火特性研究

森林火灾“爆燃”现象的特征是突然发生的高强度、高蔓延速度的燃烧。目前为止，关于“爆燃火”的原因还没有达成共识。以无人机视角下对林木爆燃火特性研究，以四川木里特大森林火灾为研究对象，通过分析凉山州某森林扑火部队3月31日木里森林火灾当天KWT（科卫泰）无人机航拍火场画面，结合无人机实时影像及实地调研数据，分析了峡谷地形林火蔓延时空特征，探讨了峡谷中风向风速变化时空分布规律，研究了地形变化条件下，不同海拔高度风速特征，建立了无人机倾角测量风速模型（其中为风速m·s-1，为无人机倾角°）。结果表明，高山峻岭特殊地形环境下每天4:00—12:00时间段为静风期，为峡谷林火扑救最佳时期；午后15:00—17:00和晚上20:00—22:00为山谷地形风速活跃期；仿真软件数据显示山顶、谷底与山腰不同海拔位置的风速风向不统一，谷底会产生乱流现象，且风速与海拔不存在正相关关系，小气候在复杂地形中占主导影响地位；在谷口至山谷深处的中间位置会出现气流速度的波峰状态，并易形成乱流，为爆燃火发生提供了客观必要条件。该研究可为复杂地形环境下，森林草原火灾扑救安全提供数据和技术支撑。     

Oxidative dehydrogenation of n-octane over a vanadium–magnesium oxide catalyst: Influence of the gas hourly space velocity

Oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of n-octane was carried out over a vanadium–magnesium oxide catalyst in a continuous flow fixed bed reactor. The catalyst was characterized by ICP–OES, powder XRD and SEM. The catalytic tests were carried out at different gas hourly space velocities (GHSVs), viz. 4000, 6000, 8000, and 10,000 h^?1. The best selectivity for octenes was obtained at the GHSV of 8000 h^?1, while that for C8 aromatics was attained at the GHSV of 6000 h^?1 at high temperatures (500 and 550 °C). The catalytic testing at the GHSV of 10,000 h^?1 showed the lowest activity, while that at the GHSV of 4000 h^?1 consistently showed the lowest ODH selectivity. Generally, the best ODH performance was obtained by the catalytic testing at the GHSVs of 6000 and 8000 h^?1. No phasic changes were observed after the catalytic testing.     

甲烷-二氧化碳重整制合成气与现代分析技术应用于探究性化工专业实验的设计与探索

以甲烷-二氧化碳重整制合成气为实例，设计探究性实验，将合成气的制备和现代分析技术应用于化工专业实验的教学实践中以提高学生的创新和实践能力。实验包括催化剂的制备，催化剂的性能评价和催化剂的表征等3大部分。采用工业最常用的浸渍法制备含有不同助剂的Ni/X/γ-Al2O3（X为Co，Fe，MgO，CeO2）催化剂，以甲烷-二氧化碳重整反应评价其催化性能，并采用XRD、H2-TPR、BET和TG对催化剂的微观结构进行表征。结合催化剂的性能评价结果和表征结果，探讨不同助剂对镍基催化剂性能的改善效果及机制。通过开设该实验，可以让学生了解化工学科的前沿知识以及现代分析技术的基本原理和用途，掌握专业的实验操作、数据处理和谱图绘制方法，提高学生的专业素养和综合能力。     

Synthesis,crystal structure and magnetic properties of a new tri‐nuclear iron (II,III) complex,a precursor for the preparation of superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles applicable in the removal of Cd2+

This study reports the structural and spectroscopic characterization of a novel metal organic compound formulated as [Fe (bpy)₃] [Fe (dipic)₂]₂.7H₂O ( 1 ) (dipic = pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylate and bpy = 2,2^′‐bipyridine). 1 was investigated by elemental analysis, FT‐IR spectroscopy, powder X‐ray diffraction and single crystal X‐ray diffraction (SC‐XRD), which revealed a triclinic structure of expected composition. Thermal degradation of 1 was also investigated. Complex 1 was used as a precursor to prepare superparamagnetic nanoparticles of Fe₃O₄ by thermal analysis. The obtained Fe₃O₄ was characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were used as a nano‐adsorbent to remove Cd²⁺ from water at room temperature. The results showed that this nano‐adsorbent is effective in removing Cd²⁺ from contaminated water sources, and that the maximal effectivity of adsorption occurs at pH = 6. Magnetic measurements of complex 1 and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles at room temperature revealed paramagnetic and superparamagnetic behavior, respectively.     

Self‐emulsion polymerization of amphiphilic monomers—a green route to synthesis of polymeric nanoscaffolds

Self‐emulsion polymerization (SEP), a green route developed by us for the polymerization of amphiphilic monomers, does not require any emulsifier or an organic solvent except that the water‐soluble initiators such as 2,2′‐azobis[2‐(2‐imidazolin‐2‐yl)propane]dihydrochloride (VA‐044) and potassium persulfate (KPS) are only used. We report here the polymer nanoscaffolds from a number of amphiphilic monomers, which can be used for in situ encapsulation of a variety of nanoparticles. As a demonstration of the efficacy of these nanoscaffolds, the synthesis of a biocompatible hybrid nanoparticle (nanohybrid), prepared by encapsulating Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticle (Fe₃O₄ MNPs) in poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) in water, for MRI application is presented. The nanohybrid prepared following the SEP in the form of an emulsion does not involve the use of any stabilizing agent, crosslinker, polymeric emulsifier, or surfactant. This water‐soluble, spherical, and stable nanohybrid containing Fe₃O₄ MNPs of average size 10 ± 2 nm has a zeta potential value of ?41.89 mV under physiological conditions. Magnetic measurement confirmed that the nanohybrid shows typical magnetic behavior having a saturation magnetization (Ms) value of 32.3 emu/g and a transverse relaxivity (r2) value of 29.97 mM^?1 s^?1, which signifies that it can be used as a T2 contrast agent in MRI. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019     

Existence of homoclinic solutions for nonlinear second-order coupled systems

This work presents sufficient conditions for the existence of homoclinic solutions for second order coupled discontinuous systems of differential equations on the real line without the usual growth condition in the literature.The arguments apply the fixed point theory, Green's functions technique, $L^1$-Carathéodory functions, lower and upper solutions and Schauder's fixed point theorem.     

Advanced Li-Ion Batteries with High Rate,Stability, and Mass Loading Based on Graphene Ribbon Hybrid Networks

To optimize the cycle life and rate performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), ultra-fine Fe₂O₃ nanowires with a diameter of approximately 2 nm uniformly anchored on a cross-linked graphene ribbon network are fabricated. The unique three-dimensional structure can effectively improve the electrical conductivity and facilitate ion diffusion, especially cross-plane diffusion. Moreover, Fe₂O₃ nanowires on graphene ribbons (Fe₂O₃/GR) are easily accessible for lithium ions compared with the traditional graphene sheets (Fe₂O₃/GS). In addition, the well-developed elastic network can not only undergo the drastic volume expansion during repetitive cycling, but also protect the bulk electrode from further pulverization. As a result, the Fe₂O₃/GR hybrid exhibits high rate and long cycle life Li storage performance (632 mAh g⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹, and 471 mAh g⁻¹ capacity maintained even after 3000 cycles). Especially at high mass loading (≈4 mg cm⁻²), the Fe₂O₃/GR can still deliver higher reversible capacity (223 mAh g⁻¹ even at 2 A g⁻¹) compared with the Fe₂O₃/GS (37 mAh g⁻¹) for LIBs.     

Lone-Pair Enhanced Birefringence in an Alkaline-Earth Metal Tin(II) Phosphate BaSn2(PO4)2

The first alkaline-earth metal tin(II) phosphate, BaSn₂(PO₄)₂, has been discovered, which consists of layered structures constructed from strictly alternating [SnO₃]⁴⁻ and [PO₄]³⁻ moieties. This compound is expected to have a large birefringence with Δn≈0.071 at 1064 nm, owing to the presence of stereochemically active lone pair metal cations.     

Enhanced 1T′-Phase Stabilization and Chemical Reactivity in a MoTe2 Monolayer through Contact with a 2D Ca2N Electride

Among the widely studied 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), MoTe₂ has attracted special interest for phase-change applications due to its small 2H-1T′ energy difference, yet a large scale phase transition without structural disruption remains a significant challenge. Recently, an interesting long-range phase engineering of MoTe₂ has been realized experimentally by Ca₂N electride. However, the interface formed between them has not been well understood, and moreover, it remains elusive how the presence of Ca₂N would affect the basal plane reactivity of MoTe₂. To address this, we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the potential of tuning the phase stability and chemical reactivity of a MoTe₂ monolayer via interacting with Ca₂N to form a van der Walls heterostructure. We found that the contact nature at the 2H-MoTe₂/Ca₂N interface is Schottky-barrier-free, allowing for the spontaneous electron transfer from Ca₂N to 2H-MoTe₂ to make it strongly n-type doped. Moreover, Ca₂N doping significantly lowers the energy of 1T′-MoTe₂ and dynamically triggers the 2H-to-1T′ transformation. The Ca₂N-induced phase modulation can also be applied to tune the phase energetics of MoS₂ and MoSe₂. Furthermore, using H adsorption as the testing ground, we also find that the H binding on the basal plane of MoTe₂ is enhanced after forming heterostructure with Ca₂N, potentially providing basis for surface modification and other related catalytic applications.