Laser-based detection of PAHs and BTXE-aromatics in oil polluted soil samples

Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy and fiber optics are applied for the detection of aromatic hydrocarbons in oil contaminated water and soil samples. Time-integrated data accumulation of fluorescence intensities in an early and in a late time window with respect to the exciting laser pulse simplifies the method in such a way that it becomes very attractive for practical applications. For ultraviolet laser excitation at 337 nm and recording fluorescence signals at 400 nm, typical detection limits of the present set-up are 0.5 mg engine oil/L in water and 5 mg engine oil/kg in soil. A discrimination between BTXE-aromatics and PAHs in oil polluted soil or water samples is possible, when more than one laser wavelength in the ultraviolet is used for the excitation. The possibilities for a thermal discrimination between different aromatics are also discussed.     

Darstellung,Kristallstruktur und spektroskopische Eigenschaften der Clusteranionen [(Mo6Br)X]2− mit Xa = F,Cl, Br,I

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Spectroscopic Properties of the Cluster Anions [(Mo₆Br )X ]^2? with X^a = F, Cl, Br, I The tetrabutylammonium (TBA), tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP) and tetraphenylarsonium (TPAs) salts of the octa-μ₃-bromo-hexahalogeno-octahedro-hexamolybdate(2?) anions [(Mo₆Br)X]^2? (X^a = F, Cl, Br, I) are synthesized from solutions of the free acids H₂[(Mo₆Br)X] · 8 H₂O with X^a = Cl, Br, I. The crystal structures show systematic stretchings in the Mo? Mo bond length and a slight compression of the Brⁱ₈ cube in the F^a to I^a series. The cations do not change much. The i.r. and Raman spectra show at 10 K almost constant frequencies of the (Mo₆Brⁱ₈) cluster vibrations, whereas all modes with X^a ligand contribution are characteristically shifted. The most important bands are assigned by polarization measurements and the force constants are derived from normal coordinate analysis. The ⁹⁵Mo nmr signals are shifted to lower field with increasing electronegativity of the X^a ligands. The fluorine compound shows a sharp ¹⁹F nmr singlet at ?184.5 ppm.     

A new class of conformable spectral observers for signal reconstruction

In this work, the design of spectral observers for signal reconstruction based on Kalman filters is performed and evaluated. The conformable derivative and the beta‐derivative were used to design the Kalman filters. Both derivatives satisfy the same formulas of the classical derivation, eg, the chain rule. The derivative order, the Ricatti equation parameters, and the observers tuning parameters were optimized using an optimization algorithm based on the bat's echolocation behavior (Bat algorithm). The simulation results showed the advantages of using the proposed observers for the signal reconstruction.     

Room Temperature Ionic Liquids in Asymmetric Hetero-Ene Type Reactions: Improving Organocatalyst Performance at Lower Temperatures

Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have been widely used as (co)solvents in several catalytic processes modifying, in most of the cases, the catalyst activity and/or the selectivity for the studied reactions. However, there are just a few examples of their use in hydrogen bonding organocatalysis. In this paper, we show the positive effect of a set of imidazole-based ionic liquids ([bmim]BF₄ and [hmim]PF₆) in the enantioselective addition of formaldehyde tert-butylhydrazone to prochiral α-keto esters catalyzed by a sugar-based chiral thiourea. Reactions performed in the presence of low percentages of RTILs led to an increase of the catalyst activity, thereby making possible to work at lower temperatures. Thus, the chiral tert-butyl azomethyl tertiary alcohols could be obtained with moderate to good conversions and higher enantioselectivities for most of the studied substrates when using up to 30 vol% of [hmim]PF₆ as a cosolvent in processes performed in toluene.     

Modeling the Dynamics of the Xylene Soluble Fraction (XS) in a Bulk Propylene Polymerization Process

A model is built to describe the dynamic trajectories of the xylene soluble fraction (XS) in an industrial bulk propylene polymerization process. Emphasis is given to the coupling between the XS dynamics and the reactor liquid bleed policy. It is shown that cocatalyst recirculation can affect the dynamics of the cocatalyst/donor ratio and consequently the dynamics of XS during polymerization. Simulation results indicate that the effect of the reactor liquid bleed operation and of the cocatalyst/donor ratio upon the XS trajectories can be minimized if PI controllers are designed to control the propane concentration and to increase the speed of the cocatalyst/donor transitions. Finally, it is shown that the model is able to reproduce the dynamic XS profile obtained during a large XS transition at plant site.

     

Wood cellulignin as an alternative matrix for enzyme immobilization

The objective of this work was to select an efficient methodology for preparing active samples of Candida rugosa lipase immobilized in wood cellulignin, to be applied in hydrolysis and ester reactions. For this purpose, lipase was immobilized in the matrix by physical adsorption (pure cellulignin) and covalent binding (activated cellulignin with glutaraldeyde or carbonyldiimidazole [CDI]) in the presence or absence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) (Molecular mass of 1500 Daltons) as stabilizing agent. The activating agent and the presence of PEG-1500 in the immobilization procedure showed a strong influence on enzyme retention in the support. The values for enzyme retention ranged from 20 to 68%, and the highest yield was obtained when the enzyme was immobilized in cellulignin activated with CDI in the presence of PEG-1500. This immobilized derivative presented high hydrolytic (193.27 μM/[mg·min]) and synthetic (522.92 μM/[g·min]) activities when compared with those obtained by other techniques. The superiority of this immobilized system was confirmed by additional analyses, such as infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis, which demonstrated an appropriate enzyme fixation and the highest level of protein incorporation in the support. Further information on the immobilized derivative was obtained by assessing the recycle potential in both aqueous and nonaqueous media.     

Beta-aminoethyltrifluoroborates: efficient aminoethylations via Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling

A set of phenethylamines has been successfully prepared via Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of diverse potassium beta-aminoethyltrifluoroborates with aryl halides. The potassium beta-aminoethyltrifluoroborates were easily prepared via hydroboration of enamine and enamide precursors. [reaction: see text].