Radiation pasteurised oil palm empty fruit bunch fermented with Pleurotus sajor-caju as feed supplement to ruminants

In solid state fermentation, Pleurotus sajor-caju has been found to be able to degrade at least 30% oil palm empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) fibre leaving 70 % useful materials. Conditions under which fermentation carried out were investigated. It was found that, in the temperature range between 25– 28 °C, relative ph between 6–8, moisture between 60–70 % and medium composition of CaCO₃: rice bran 2 %: 5 % were the optimum conditions. The results showed in fermented products that, there were substantial reduction in cellulosic component such as Crude Fiber (CF, 18 %); Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF, 45 %), Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF, 61 %) and Acid Detergent Lignin (ADL, 14 %). However, Crude Protein (CP, 10%) increased resulted from single cell protein enrichment of mycelial microbial mass. The mass reductions of substrate in fermentation process corresponds to the CO₂ released during fermentation. Hence, attributable to the decreased in content of CF, ADF, NDF, and ADL. The digestibility study has also been carried out to determine the useful level of this product to ruminant. Aflatoxin content was detected low in both the initial substrates and products. Based on nutritional value and low content of aflatoxin, the product is useful as a source of roughage to ruminant.     

syn-2,3-Disubstituted-2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzoxathiin rings: preparation from quinone ketals and 2-mercaptoethanols

A general method for the preparation of syn-2,3-disubstituted-2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzoxathiin rings from 2-mercaptoethanols and quinone ketals is presented. This ring system is produced by Michael addition of a 2-mercaptoethanol to a quinone ketal, followed by cyclization of the initial Michael adduct, and subsequent aromatization to afford a syn-2,3-disubstituted-1,4-benzoxathiin in fair to good chemical yield. Several chiral syn-2,3-disubstituted-2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzoxathiin rings were prepared with this method from enantioenriched 2-mercaptoethanols. No loss of enantiopurity was observed.     

Detection of cationic surfactants in oral rinses and a disinfectant formulation using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Three commercial oral rinses and one commercial disinfectant formulation were analyzed for the presence of cationic surfactants using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) in the positive ion mode. The product labels on these formulations indicate the presence of cetylpyridinium chloride, tetraalkylammonium or trialkylbenzylammonium chlorides. The resulting MALDI-TOF mass spectra only showed cetylpyridinium, tetraalkylammonium, and trialkylbenzylammonium ions, apparently due to the dissociation of the salts in the ion source. We confirmed the presence of cetylpyridinium salt in the three oral formulations, whereas the disinfectant formulation consisted of a complex mixture of the salts of dioctyldimethylammonium, didecyldimethylammonium, benzylmyristyldimethylammonium, decyloctyldimethylammonium, benzyldecyldimethylammonium, and benzylcetyldimethylammonium. This work demonstrates again the potential for using meso-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin as a matrix in the MALDI-TOFMS analysis of low molecular weight compounds. This study also demonstrates that the mode of ionization of quaternary ammonium compounds (cationic surfactant salts) under MALDI conditions is by dissociation, leading to the detection of only the positively charged moieties.     

Studies with dithizone analogues-II Preparation and characterization of 2,2'-dichlorodithizone and the investigation of its reactions with some metal ions

1,5-Di-(2-chlorophenyl)-3-mercaptoformazan (2,2'-dichlorodithizone) has been synthesized and characterized. Its acid dissociation constant and its partition coefficient between carbon tetrachloride and water have been determined. The introduction of chlorine atoms into the ortho positions of the phenyl nuclei of dithizone was found to affect the visible electronic spectra of the reagent and its metal complexes. The ranges of pH for complete extraction, and the extraction constants, for the Hg(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) complexes have been determined. The stability constants of the Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes were also determined. Discrepancies between the present extensive data and the corresponding earlier data have been attributed to use of impure materials and/or inaccuracy of measurements in the earlier work.     

Kinetic Behavior of Quaternary Ammonium Hydroxides in Mixed Methane and Carbon Dioxide Hydrates

This study evaluates the kinetic hydrate inhibition (KHI) performance of four quaternary ammonium hydroxides (QAH) on mixed CH₄ + CO₂ hydrate systems. The studied QAHs are; tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAOH), tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH), tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH), and tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPrAOH). The test was performed in a high-pressure hydrate reactor at temperatures of 274.0 K and 277.0 K, and a concentration of 1 wt.% using the isochoric cooling method. The kinetics results suggest that all the QAHs potentially delayed mixed CH₄ + CO₂ hydrates formation due to their steric hindrance abilities. The presence of QAHs reduced hydrate formation risk than the conventional hydrate inhibitor, PVP, at higher subcooling conditions. The findings indicate that increasing QAHs alkyl chain lengths increase their kinetic hydrate inhibition efficacies due to better surface adsorption abilities. QAHs with longer chain lengths have lesser amounts of solute particles to prevent hydrate formation. The outcomes of this study contribute significantly to current efforts to control gas hydrate formation in offshore petroleum pipelines.     

Mass transfer into near-critical extractants

One advantage which is often claimed for extraction operations carried out with near-critical extractants is that higher mass transfer rates may be obtained than with normal liquid extract. Although there is circumstantial evidence that this is the case, quantitative information is scarce.

On-going work at Birmingham which is directed towards the measurement of mass transfer rates into near-critical fluids and also the measurement of the associated phase equilibrium properties is described. Some new results are given, although the rate data presented are regarded as preliminary only. The extractant principally considered is carbon dioxide.     

The effect of relaxation and rumpling on the point ion potential at NaCl(001) surfaces

The effect of surface relaxation and rumpling on the potential in the vicinity of a (001) surface of the NaCI structure is calculated within the point-ion approximation. Zero order (the Madelung term), first, and second order kubic harmonics are considered, and it is shown that it may be necessary to go beyond simple Stark splitting to interpret the energies of cationic surface excitations.     

Ab initio calculation of vibrational frequencies of GexSe1−x glass

We have used the density functional theory to make the models of Ge_xSe_1?x glass for which the energy is a minimum. The clusters, Ge₂Se₂, Ge₂Se₃, Ge₃Se, Ge₃Se₂, Ge₄Se, GeSe₃, GeSe₄, chain mode zig-zag Ge₄Se₃, corner sharing GeSe₄, and edge sharing Ge₂Se₆, have been made successfully and their vibrational spectra have been calculated from the first principles. We are able to optimize the bond distances as well as the bond angles. The calculated values of the frequencies of vibrations of the various clusters have been compared with those obtained from the experimental Raman spectra of actual glasses, Ge_xSe_1?x(0 < x < 0.3). The local concentration, x within 0.25 nm is nonuniform in the amorphous material. When the same cluster occurs in two stable configurations, low frequency vibrations of frequency, ν < 100 cm^?1, are found. The corner sharing GeSe₄ has low frequency modes at 54 cm^?1 and 93 cm^?1 whereas these modes disappear in the pyramidal configuration. The low frequency modes are therefore associated with the breaking of C₄ symmetry of the pyramidal configuration. The computed vibrational frequencies of clusters Ge₃, Ge₄Se₃, Ge₂Se₃, GeSe₃ and Ge₃Se₂ are actually present in the Raman spectra of the glass, Ge_xSe_1?x(0 < x < 0.3).     

Ab initio calculation of vibrational frequencies of GexPxS1−2x glass

The vibrational frequencies of GeS₄, GeP₄, Ge₂S₆, GeP₃, Ge₃P, Ge₂P₂, P₂S₂, P₃S, P₄S₃, α-P₄S₄, β-P₄S₄, α-P₄S₅, β-P₄S₅, P₄S₇, P₄S₉ and P₄S₁₀ are theoretically computed from the first principles. The Raman frequencies of Ge_xP_xS_1−2x glass are obtained for x varying from 0.05 to 0.019. The computed fundamental frequencies of clusters are compared with those experimentally found. In this way, we are able to identify the vibrating clusters in the real glass. The clusters identified in the real glass are found to be Ge₂P₂, P₄S₃, α-P₄S₄, β-P₄S₄, β-P₄S₅, P₄S₇, P₄S₉, β-P₄S₅, Ge₂S₆, Ge₃P.