Synergistic Activities in the Ullmann Coupling of Chloroarenes at Ambient Temperature by Pd‐Supported Calcined Ferrocenated La2O3

Novel palladium‐doped nanoparticles have been explored to serve as the first metal oxide‐derived heterogeneous catalyst for Ullmann reaction of chloroarenes under mild condition (34 °C). This heterogeneous catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity towards the Ullmann homocoupling of chloroarenes into a series of useful symmetrically biaryl products with good to excellent yields in the presence of ethanol and NaOH, thereby leading to green and economical Ullmann reaction. The produced nanoparticles were successfully characterized by various techniques including PXRD, XPS, HRTEM, SEM‐EDS, BET, TGA techniques, elemental mapping analysis and ICP‐OES. Interestingly, based on characterization and experimental data, a reasonable mechanism has been proposed. Also, the formation of aryl methyl ketone as a by‐product has been further confirmed by isotopic labelling experiments that the acetyl moiety is derived from ethanol. Moreover, the catalyst was stable and could be easily reused up to 5 times under atmospheric air without suffering significant loss in catalytic activity.     

The Influence of Peroxide on Bubble Stability and Rheological Properties of Biobased Poly(lactic acid)/Natural Rubber Blown Films

This study investigated the effects of natural rubber(NR)and an organic peroxide on the rheological properties,mechanical properties,morphology,and bubble stability during film blowing of poly(lactic acid)(PLA).The NR and peroxide contents were varied from 0 wt%to 25 wt%and 0 wt%to 0.5 wt%,respectively.The results confirmed that the presence of well-dispersed NR could significantly improve the toughness,elongation at break,and processability of PLA films,where the optimal amount of NR was 15 wt%.For the reactive blending with peroxide,a suitable peroxide content for good film toughness and clarity was 0.03 wt%,while the higher content of 0.1 wt%could provide slightly higher processability.These contents are considered much lower than that in the PLA system(without NR),which required up to 0.5 wt%peroxide.The rheological studies indicated that the melt strength,the storage modulus(G’)and complex viscosity(η*)at low frequency could be correlated with good film blowing processability of the PLA/NR films at low gel contents.These parameters failed to correlate in the films having high gel contents as the deformation rate experienced by each test was different leading to the different levels of response to the type and amount of gels.     

Transition Metals and Organic Ligands Influence Biodegradation of 1,4-Dioxane

1,4-Dioxane, a contaminant increasingly detected in water supplies, is a public health concern because it is classified as a possible human carcinogen. 1,4-Dioxane can be biodegraded by aerobic bacteria via monooxygenase-catalyzed reactions. While these metalloenzymes require trace metals as cofactors in their catalytic sites, these metals may be toxic at elevated concentrations. In this study, the effects of transition metals on 1,4-dioxane biodegradation by Pseudonocardia dioxanivorans CB1190, a monooxygenase-expressing bacterium, were investigated. Dose-dependent inhibition of 1,4-dioxane biodegradation by Cd(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II) was observed, whereas Zn(II) had no measurable effect on biodegradation rates. 1,4-Dioxane biodegradation in cultures exposed to 2 mg/L Cu(II) was restored in the presence of 0.005, 0.05, and 0.5 mM alginin, 0.05, and 0.5 mM cysteine, and 0.005 mM tannin. These results indicated that specific ligands bind with transition metals and alleviate bacterial toxicity. In parallel experiments, tannin and cysteine inhibited 1,4-dioxane biodegradation, but alginin, BSA, and SRNOM did not affect the biodegradation rates. Thus, monooxygenase-catalyzed biodegradation rates are subject to interactions among transition metals and natural organic ligands in the environment. Mechanistic insights and quantitative data obtained in this study will be useful for designing bioremediation strategies at sites simultaneously contaminated with metals and organic pollutants.