The first example of an ene reaction between an ester of cyclopropenecarboxylic acid and an alkyne

Methyl cyclopropenecarboxylate (I) enters into the ene reaction with the cyclic acetylene (II), giving vinylcyclopropene (III) with a high yield.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 1229–1230, May, 1991.     

Steroids and an oxylipin from an algicolous isolate of Aspergillus flavus

A new oxylipin, (8E,12Z)-10,11-dihydroxyoctadeca-8,12-dienoic acid (1), a new steroid, 3β,4α-dihydroxy-26-methoxyergosta-7,24(28)-dien-6-one (2), and four known steroids, episterol (3), (22E,24R)-ergosta-7,22-dien-3β,5α,6α-triol (4), (22E,24R)-ergosta-5,22-dien-3β-ol (5), and (22E,24R)-ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one (6), were isolated from the cultures of Aspergillus flavus, an endophytic fungus isolated from the marine red alga Corallina officinalis. Their structures and relative stereochemistry were elucidated by 1D, 2D NMR and mass spectroscopic techniques. 1 and 2 exhibited low activity to inhibit acetylcholinesterase and no activity against plant pathogenic fungi Colletotrichum lagenarium and Fusarium oxysporum.     

Synthesis and DNA triplex formation of an oligonucleotide containing an urocanamide

An urocanamide nucleoside designed and previously tested as its protected ribose derivative in aprotic solvents for binding a cytosine-guanine (CG) Watson-Crick base pair was successfully incorporated into a triplex forming oligonucleotide. Binding affinity and specificity of this nonnatural nucleoside were studied in a triple helix with duplex targets containing all four possible Watson-Crick base pairs opposite the nucleoside analog in the third strand. UV melting experiments indicate the formation of a well-defined triplex with specific binding of the urocanamide analog to a CG inversion of the homopurine-homopyrimidine target. However, binding affinities in the triplex are weak and much lower when compared to the canonical base triads.     

A convenient and inexpensive conversion of an aziridine to an oxazolidinone

The conversion of an aziridine to the corresponding oxazolidinone using only carbon dioxide and a catalytic amount of lithium iodide is discussed. In all cases, either no reaction occurred or a high yield of product was obtained. HMPA has been added to the reaction mixture, as needed, to drastically improve the regioselectivity. Net retention of stereochemistry between the starting aziridine and the product oxazolidinone was observed.     

Chemical and hydrodynamic stability of an interface with an autocatalytic reaction

An autocatalytic reaction of the trimolecular type is assumed to take place at the interface of two immiscible fluids. By coupling the chemical rate equations with the surface hydrodynamic equations, the authors obtain the threshold conditions for chemical and hydrodynamic instability.     

Protrusion and deformation of an elastic particle at an advancing front interface

The response of an elastic particle to an extensional field close to an advancing liquid–gas interface in a capillary was examined both from an experimental and theoretical viewpoint. Experimental evidence is given on both the protrusion and deformation of an elastic particle at an advancing front interface. To interpret our experimental results, we followed and extended Hoffman's approach to the case of deformable particles. A hybrid approach was followed where the height of the bump was calculated theoretically as an equilibrium between capillary and drag forces for a given deformation of the particle, whereas the latter was supplied by an independent experimental measurement. For an elastic particle, the height of the bump goes through a maximum and further on decay almost linearly when plotted against the dimensionless parameter introduced by Hoffman. The difference between the theoretical prediction and the experimental data is discussed in relation to the asymmetry of the bump profiles observed in the experiment that could be responsible for a larger contribution of capillary forces from those calculated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1362–1374, 2003     

The silver salt of 12-tungstophosphoric acid: an efficient catalyst for the three-component coupling of an aldehyde, an amine and an alkyne

A three-component coupling of an aldehyde, an alkyne and an amine to prepare propargylamines was performed using the silver salt of 12-tungstophosphoric acid (Ag₃PW₁₂O₄₀) as a heterogeneous catalyst under mild reaction conditions in the absence of any co-catalyst. A variety of aldehydes and amines were converted to the corresponding propargylamines demonstrating the versatility of the reaction. The Ag₃PW₁₂O₄₀ (AgTPA) catalyst was recovered quantitatively by a simple filtration and reused several times.     

Design considerations and an example of application of an in-house made TG-MS interface

The design, the abilities and a characteristic application of an in-house made interface for combining thermogravimetry (TG) with mass spectrometry (MS) are presented. The TG-MS interface consists mainly of three co-axial tubes. The position of the intermediate tube was determined after calculation of the temperature profile at the TG furnace exit tube. The inner tube position was determined taking into consideration its protection against condensation of heavy molecules and the time delay for the transfer of the evolved gases. This interface allows either continuous sampling and transferring of the evolved gases from the TG to the MS or repetitive introduction of short sampling pulses of TG evolved gases to MS. The interface is capable of coupling various commercial instruments. In the present work two configurations of this interface are demonstrated. Finally an example of application of this interface on forest fuel pyrolysis is presented. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Identification of an adsorption complex between an alkane and zeolite active sites

Direct observation of the Bronsted acid site signal in an active zeolite catalyst following adsorption of stoichiometric quantities of isobutane reveals the presence of a specific adsorption complex. Independent polarization transfer experiments in which magnetization originates with either the catalyst or the adsorbed isobutane confirm this assignment. The initial steps in alkane reactivity are poorly defined, and this experimentally verified complex is proposed as a route to C-H bond activation in solid acids.     

Combination of an e-nose, an e-tongue and an e-eye for the characterisation of olive oils with different degree of bitterness

An electronic panel has been used to characterise the organoleptic characteristics of twenty-five extra virgin olive oils from varieties Hojiblanca, Picual and Arbequina, with different degree of bitterness. The method consists in the combination of three systems: electronic nose, electronic tongue and electronic eye. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA), where PC1, PC2 and PC3 explained 59% of the total variance between the samples, has demonstrated that the capability of discrimination of the combined system is superior to that obtained with the three instruments separately. This improvement is due to the increased information extracted from each sample. Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) has allowed separation of the groups in function of olive variety with a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) lower than 0.099.Using PLS1 and PLS2 regression models, good correlations have been found between the signals obtained from the electronic tongue and the polyphenolic content (measured by chromatographic methods) or the bitterness index (scored by a panel of experts) with correlation coefficients higher than 0.9 in calibration and validation.These preliminary results indicate that the combination of an e-nose, an e-tongue and an e-eye can be a useful tool for the analysis of olive oil bitterness.     

Electrostatic interaction between an ion-penetrable sphere and an ion-impenetrable sphere

The exact expression for the electrostatic interaction between an ionpenetrable sphere and an ion-impenetrable rigid sphere is derived on the basis of the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation without recourse to Derjaguin's approximation.     

Interaction of kerogen and mineral matrix of an oil shale in an oxidative atmosphere

The effects of the inorganic matrix of the oil shale on the oxidation of the kerogen at temperatures up to 1000°C in an air atmosphere were investigated Kerogen was isolated by successive HCl, HF and LiAlH₄ treatments. The initial shale and each product of every demineralization process were oxidized in a thermogravimetric system in an air atmosphere. The oxidation products were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Changes in the chemical structure of the organic material of the shale were correlated with the separated constituents of the inorganic matrix. Oxidation of the kerogen occurred in two stages. The first stage was complete at about 400°C. The oxidized product after the first stage contained a char of an aromatic ring system substituted with some aliphatic material and carbonyl groups. Calcium minerals increased the reactivity of the aromatic part of the organic material towards the oxidation reactions. Where calcium minerals were absent, mainly the aliphatic and the carbonyl groups decomposed. Silicates and pyrites did not affect the reactivity of the organic material in oxidation reactions.     

Thermogravimetry of the products in an imbalance condensation of an aromatic diamine and dichloride

Imbalance condensation of diaminophenylbenzimidazole, DAPBI, with terephthaloyl chloride, TPC was conducted for the purpose of synthesis of macromonomers, expected to be used in syntheses of aromatic polyamides with structural regularities. The products are soluble in dimethylsulfoxide—d6, and their 1H NMR spectra indicate that all the products are carboxyl-terminated. The signal of carboxyphenyl linked to chain ends is different from that of terephthaloyl in the 1H NMR spectra. By use of the ratio of the signal intensity of the former to that of the latter, the number-average degree of polymerization, DP _NMR is determined. With the mole ratio in feed, DP _NMR of the product increases. The TG thermograms of the products are a multistage one. Each stage is classified by temperature and mass loss at an inflection point. Mass loss of each stage classified by temperature at an inflection point corresponds to mass fraction of an aromatic amide with a characteristic degree of polymerization, DP, and that is, the DP distribution of the products is roughly estimated from the TG thermograms. The DP distribution of macromonomers influences performance of aromatic polyamides with structural regularities, derived from the macromonomers. The convenient estimation method of DP distribution by TG is useful in industries of high-performance polymers. To the knowledge, such convenient technique has never reported.     

Synthesis and characterization of an arylcobalt-corrin

Prolonged reaction of cob(I)inamide with methyl-p-bromobenzoate in methanol produces, in low yield, an organocobinamide which appears to be the methyl ester of p-carboxyphenylcobinamide. In aqueous base this compound undergoes slow hydrolysis to another organocobinamide assigned as the conjugate base of p-carboxyphenylcobinamide.     

Behavior of an Emulsion in a Centrifugal Field: Kinetics of an Increase in the Excess Pressure and Destruction of an Emulsion

The effect of centrifugal forces on a decrease in the content of the dispersion medium in an emulsion (increase in its expansion), decrease in the pressure in this medium, and increase in the capillary pressure was conductometrically studied, as well as the effect of these forces on the destruction of the emulsion as a whole. At low rotational speed of the centrifuge (< 500 rpm), the hydrostatically equilibrium capillary pressure and expansion are established in the emulsion. At higher angular velocities, the emulsion column is rapidly destroyed, as a certain critical pressure is reached in Plateau borders of the emulsion; this pressure is smaller than the pressure balancing the forces of the centrifugal field.