Ferroelectric lyo-mesophase of banana-shaped molecules

Preliminary results are reported on the first ferroelectric 'lyo-mesophases' of banana-shaped molecules. We studied the effect of the non-polar solvents p-xylene and m-xylene on the macroscopic properties of banana-shaped molecules having a B₇ phase. It was observed that by adding only 15% of solvent the isotropic-B₇ transition temperature was lowered from 130°C to 70°C and the ferroelectric electro-optical switching range was extended from 1-2°C to more than 50°C, thus maintaining the switching even at room temperature. The xylene molecules act as spacers, maintaining larger separations between the banana-molecules, thus reducing the polar packing order. These observations provide unique opportunities for tuning the intermolecular interactions of banana-shaped molecules and modifying their macroscopic properties.     

Preparation of amino-zirconia bonded phases and their evaluation in hydrophilic interaction chromatography of carbohydrates with pulsed amperometric detection

A series of non-porous, microspherical zirconia-based stationary phases with surface bound amine functionality have been introduced and evaluated in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) of underivatized, neutral carbohydrates and anion exchange chromatography of nucleotides using pulsed amperometric detection and ultraviolet detection, respectively. Three aminopropyl alkoxysilane compounds were used in the surface modification of the non-porous zirconia support, namely 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (monoamine), N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (diamine), and trimethoxysilylpropyldiethylenetriamine (triamine). Due to the relatively low specific surface area of the non-porous zirconia support used in this study (ca. 7.3 m²/g), zirconia with surface coating of the triamine type yielded the best results as far as the separations of chitooligosaccharides and maltooligosaccharides are concerned. Since a non-porous zirconia could be readily modified with amine functionality via Zr? O? Si bonds, it is expected that all the three aminopropyl alkoxysilane compounds would yield satisfactory results with porous zirconia microparticles because of their much higher specific surface areas. Although the non-porous zirconia exhibited some limitations, the present study has demonstrated that microspherical zirconia particles are suitable supports for the production of polar sorbents for HILIC of carbohydrates. Another surface modification, which involved the activation of the zirconia surface with aldehyde groups followed by reductive amination with tetraethylenepentamine, was also evaluated. Although this chemistry would in principle yield sorbents with higher concentration in amine groups, the conversion of the majority of the primary amine groups of the tetraethyle-nepetamine molecules to secondary amine functions in the course of the reductive amination reaction have provided a stationary phase that did not afford satisfactory resolution for carbohydrates. However, this same stationary phase behaved as a weak anion exchanger and allowed the high resolution separation of nucleoside-5′-mono-, -di-, and triphosphates. Overall, the results obtained with zirconia-based hydrophilic sorbents paralleled those obtained on amino-silica bonded phases.     

Infrared spectroscopic and gravimetric studies on the cyclopropylaminemetal(II) tetracyanonickellate(II) host–aromatic guest systems

The host complexes M(Cyclopropylamine)₂Ni(CN)₄ (M = Co or Cd) have been prepared in powder form. The spectral data suggest that the structures of these compounds are similar to those of the Hofmann-type hosts. The absorption and the liberation processes of the aromatic guests (benzene, toluene, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, o-xylene, m-xylene and p-xylene) in these hosts have been examined at room temperature by gravimetric and spectroscopic measurements. The desorption of the benzene guest against time has been measured. The host structures do not change on inclusion and liberation of the guest. The host compounds have been suggested as sorbents for isomeric separations.     

Infrared Spectroscopic and Gravimetric Studies on the Dicyclopentylaminemetal(II) Tetracyanonickellate(II) Host–Aromatic Guest Systems

The host complexes M(Cyclopentylamine)₂Ni(CN)₄ (M=Co or Cd) havebeen prepared in powder form. The spectral data suggest that the structures of thesecompounds are similar to those of the Hofmann-dma-type hosts. The absorptionand the liberation processes of the aromatic guests (benzene, toluene, 1,2-, 1,3-,1,4-dichlorobenzene, 1,4-dibromobenzene o-, m-, p-xylene, naphthalene)in these hosts have been examined at room temperature by gravimetric and spectroscopicmeasurements. The desorption of the benzene guest against time has been measured. Thehost structures do not change on inclusion and liberation of the guests. The host compoundshave been suggested as sorbents for isomeric separations.     

Infrared Spectroscopic and Gravimetric Studies on the Dicyclohexylaminemetal(II) Tetracyanonickellate(II) Host-aromatic Guest Systems

Co(Cyclohexylamine)₂Ni(CN)₄ and Cd(Cyclohexylamine)₂Ni(CN)₄ host compounds have been prepared in powder form. The spectral data suggest that these complexes are similar in structure to the Hofmann-dma-type hosts. The sorption processes of the aromatic guests (benzene, toluene, o-, m-, p-xylene, naphthalene, 1,2-, 1,3-dichlorobenzene and 1,4-dibromobenzene) inthese hosts have been examined at room temperature by gravimetric and spectroscopic measurements. The desorption of the benzene guest against time has been measured. The host structures change on inclusion of the guests and recover after liberation. The host complexes have been suggested as sorbents for isomeric separations.     

Hydrogen-bonding-driven self-assembly nonporous adaptive crystals for the separation of benzene from BTX and cyclohexane

Benzene is a volatile organic compound that can seriously harm human health, while it can serve as a precursor to produce chemicals of more complex structures in chemical industry. Capturing benzene using adsorbents is of great importance for human health, when the separation of hydrocarbons including benzene from crude oil was referred to as one of the “seven chemical separations to change the world”. In this work, we reported the efficient and selective separation of benzene from BTX and cyclohexane by hydrogen bonding self-assembly nonporous adaptive crystals AdaOH for the first time under mild and user-friendly conditions. Separation of benzene and cyclohexane (v/v = 1:1) can be achieved by AdaOH with a purity of benzene up to 96.8%. Separation of BTX (v/v; benzene:toluene:o-xylene:m-xylene:p-xylene= 1:1:1:1:1) can be achieved by AdaOH with a purity of benzene increased from 20% to 82.9%. Our results suggest that separation of benzene using the activated AdaOH as a non-porous adaptive crystal for selectively and efficiently capturing benzene can solve the challenge in separation of benzene from other chemicals such as cyclohexane in chemical industry, and can be helpful for removal of benzene that is released from the vehicles to air. The advantages of commercially availability, easy preparation, high separation efficiency and selectivity for benzene might endow this material with enormous potential for practical uses in areas like petrochemical industry.     

Abatement of Gas-phase p-Xylene via Dielectric Barrier Discharges

The effectiveness of applying dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) to remove p-xylene from gas streams was experimentally investigated in this study. Parameters investigated include applied voltage, gas flow rate, gas temperature and gas composition. Experimental results indicate that as high as 100% p-xylene removal efficiency is achieved for the gas stream containing low p-xylene concentration of 26 ppmv. Removal efficiency of p-xylene achieved with DBDs increases with increasing applied voltage. However, energy consumption is also increased with increasing applied voltage. The best energy efficiency of 7.1 g/kWh is achieved for the gas streams containing 500 ppmv p-xylene, 5% O₂, 1.6% H₂O_(g), and balanced N₂ at the applied voltage of 18 kV. Product analysis indicates that around 70 or 95% of the carbons in p-xylene molecules are transformed into carbon dioxide for the gas streams without or with water vapor, respectively.     

Breathing-Assisted Selective Adsorption of C8 Alkyl Aromatics in Zn-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks

The breathing phenomenon in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has revealed supramolecular host-guest interactions that could be beneficial for chemical separation in numerous industrial applications. The cost-effective purification of C₈ alkyl aromatics such as o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene, and ethylbenzene remains challenging owing to their similar molecular structures, boiling points, kinetic diameters, polarities, etc. Herein, we report two Zn-based pillar-bilayered MOFs, denoted [Zn₂(aip)₂(pillar)] (aip=5-aminoisophthalic acid; pillar: bpy=4,4’-bipyridine or bpe=1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane) that exhibit a breathing effect depending on the adsorbed guest molecules. Guest-dependent sorption studies in organic solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide, methanol, benzene, and water vapor display reversible structural flexibility through the breathing effect in both framework compounds. The experiments conducted on C₈-alkyl aromatics resulting in both MOF compounds can access these isomers in the shrunken pores, and thereby expand the pore size by framework breathing. In C₈ binary mixtures, these Zn-MOFs exhibit selective sorption properties based on the different interactions between guest C₈ aromatics and the framework structure.     

Infrared Spectroscopic and Gravimetric Studies on the Dicyclohexylaminecadmium(II) Tetracyanopalladate(II) Host-Aromatic Guest Systems

The host complex Cd(Cyclohexylamine)₂Pd(CN)₄ has been prepared in powder form. The spectral data suggest that the structure of this complex issimilar to those of the Hofmann-dma-type hosts. The sorption processes of thearomatic guests (benzene, toluene,o-, m-, p-xylene, naphthalene, 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-dichlorobenzene and 1,4-dibromobenzene) in this host have been examined at room temperature by gravimetric and spectroscopic measurements.The desorption of the benzene guest against time has been measured. The hoststructure changes on inclusion of the guests and recovers after liberations. Thehost complex has been suggested as sorbents for selective absorption.     

Separation of Xylene Isomers in the Anion-Pillared Square Grid Material SIFSIX-1-Cu

Xylene isomer separation is considered one of the seven separation challenges that changed the world. In addition, the high-energy demand of xylene separation highlights the need for efficient novel adsorbents. Herein, the liquid-phase separation potential of the anion-pillared hybrid material SIFSIX-1-Cu was studied for preferential adsorption of o-xylene and m-xylene over p-xylene, which was inspired by a previous complexation crystallization method for separating m-xylene. We report detailed experimental liquid-phase adsorption experiments, yielding selectivities of 3.0 for o-xylene versus p-xylene and 2.6 for m-xylene versus p-xylene. Our theoretical calculations thus provide a reasonable explanation that the xylene adsorption selectivity is attributed to the C−H⋅⋅⋅F interaction, and the host–guest interaction order agrees with the adsorption priority: o-xylene > m-xylene > p-xylene.     

Design and Development of Zeolite-Based Catalytic Processes for Aromatics Production

Processes for the production of xylenes, which occur in an integrated aromatic complex, are discussed. A brief overview of the work carried out at Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited for the development of zeolite-based catalytic processes for the production of aromatics is presented. This includes xylene isomerization, transalkylation and disproportionation of C₇ and C₉ aromatics for maximization of xylenes, selective disproportionation of toluene and selective alkylation of mono-alkylaromatics to p-dialkylbenzene. Achievements in the commercialization of zeolite-based catalysts and processes for isomerization of m-xylene to p- and o-xylene along with dealkylation of ethylbenzene, and for selective ethylation of ethylbenzene to produce p-diethylbenzene are highlighted.     

Crystal structures of the clathrate inclusion compounds formed by the host bis(isothiocyanato) tetrakis (4-methylpyridine) iron (II) with benzene,m-xylene andp-xylene as guests

Single crystal X-ray structures of three 1 : 1 (guest: host) compounds in which the Fe(NCS)₂ (4-methylpyridine)₄ complex is the host component and benzene,m-xylene andp-xylene are the respective guest components, are reported. The crystals of the inclusion compounds are tetragonalI4₁/a, with:a = 17.08(1),c = 23.66(3) Å (benzene clathrate);a = 17.17(1),c = 24.02(2) Å (m-xylene clathrate) anda = 17.12(1),c = 23.93(3) Å (p-xylene clathrate);Z = 8. The host complex molecule has the octahedral type of coordination of the N₆ donor system. The isothiocyanate ligands are intrans positions and related by twofold axial symmetry. The symmetry axis runs diagonally between the neighbouring, equatorial 4-methylpyridine (MePy) ligands. The two symmetrically independent McPy ligands form angles ofca. 45 and 55° with the equatorial Fe-N₄ plane. The absorption sites for guest molecules lie on centres of symmetry. Non-centrosymmetricm-xylene molecules occupy these sites randomly distributed over two orientations related by symmetry. The structures belong to the class oforganic zeolites since the cavities occupied by the guest molecules are interconnected to form a three-dimensional network.     

Synthesis and Study of Mono-Schiff Base MnIII Complexes with Aza-crown or Morpholino Pendant as Catalyst in Aerobic Oxidation of p-xylene to p-toluic Acid

Novel mono-Schiff base Mn^III complexes with pendant aza-crown or morpholino groups have been synthesized and studied as catalysts in aerobic oxidation of p-xylene to p-toluic acid. The oxidation of p-xylene to p-toluic acid with air at 120 °C under normal atmospheric pressure occured efficiently in the presence of aza-crown ether substituted mono-Schiff base Mn^III complexes. Significant selectivity (up to ~90%) and conversion levels (up to ~38%) were obtained. The effect of the aza-crown ether pendant in Mn^III Schiff base complexes on the oxidation of p-xylene was also investigated by comparison with the morpholino pendant analogues. The addition of alkali metal ions accelerated the rate of conversion of p-xylene to p-toluic acid.     

m-Xylene Isomerization in SAPO-11/HZSM-5 Mixed Catalyst

The catalytic isomerization of m-xylene was studied over a solid acid silicoaluminophosphate type SAPO-11, mixed to HZSM-5 zeolite. The reaction was processed varying the temperature and weight hourly space velocity, using a fixed bed continuous flow reactor. The m-xylene suffers isomerization to p-xylene and o-xylene by molecular displacement of methyl groups. The mixed catalyst was selective to p-xylene at 623 K and 2.5 h⁻¹ with a maximum p/o ratio of 2.05. The ethylbenzene formation was not observed in the products. In this process an apparent activation energy of the order of 13.9 kJ mol⁻¹ was obtained. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis and Study of Unsymmetrical Schiff Base Mn(III) Complexes with Pendant Aza-crown or Morpholino Groups as Catalyst in Aerobic Oxidation for p-Xylene to p-Toluic Acid

A series of novel unsymmetrical Schiff base Mn(III) complexes with pendant aza-crown or morpholino groups have been synthesized and studied as catalysts in aerobic oxidation of `p-xylene to p-toluic acid (PTA). The oxidation of p-xylene to p-toluic acid with air at 120°C under normal atmospheric pressure occurred efficiently in the presence of aza-crown ether substituted unsymmetrical Schiff base Mn(III) complexes. Significant selectivity (up to ～90%) and conversion levels (up to ～40%) were obtained. The effect of the aza-crown ring appended in Mn(III) Schiff base complexes on the oxidation of p-xylene were also investigated by comparison with the morpholino group pendant analogues. The addition of alkali metal ions accelerates the rate of conversion of p-xylene to p-toluic acid.     

Conversion of 1,3‐Dimethyl‐5‐(Arylazo)‐6‐Amino‐Uracils to 1,3‐Dimethyl‐5‐(Arylazo)‐Barbituric Acids: Spectroscopic Characterization,Photophysical Property and Determination of pKa of the Products

The study of inter‐conversion between molecules, especially biologically and pharmaceutically important molecules, is extremely important. This study reports the inter‐conversion between two azo‐derivtives: azo‐6‐aminouracils to azo‐barbituric acids. We successfully converted the 1,3‐dimethyl‐5‐(arylazo)‐6‐aminouracils ( Uazo‐1 to Uazo‐4 ) to 1,3‐dimethyl‐5‐(arylazo)‐barbituric acids ( BAazo‐1 to BAazo‐4 ) (where aryl?C₆H₅‐( 1 ); p‐MeC₆H₄‐( 2 ), p‐ClC₆H₄‐( 3 ), and p‐NO₂C₆H₄‐( 4 )) following an acid‐hydrolysis path. The products were characterized using spectroscopic tools like UV‐vis, IR, and NMR spectroscopy. UV‐vis spectra of the as‐prepared dyes reveal that in contrast to the azo‐6‐aminouracils they are hardly responsive towards solvatochromism. IR spectra exhibit three characteristic >C?O frequencies for as‐prepared azobarbituric acids instead of two for mother azo‐6‐aminouracils. ¹H NMR spectra which reflect the existence of solution species evidence the absence of >C?NH group (characteristic imido‐H at the 6‐position of hydrazone species of azo‐6‐aminouracils) and consequence presence of >C?O group at the same position in as‐prepared azobarbituric acids. They exhibit structural emissions in the range of 400–440 nm upon excitation at 360 nm. The determined acid dissociation constant (pKa) values of BAazos increase according to the following sequence: BAazo ‐ 2 > 1 > 3 > 4 .     

Metal Schiff-Base Complex Catalyzed Oxidation of p-Xylene and Methyl 4-Methylbenzoate to Carboxylic Acids

Oxidation of p-xylene and methyl 4-methylbenzoate were catalyzed by transition metal Schiff-base complexes having the general formula LMCl_1–2 (where M = manganese or ruthenium and L = salen, salicylaldehydeethylenediimine, saloph, salicylaldehyde-o-phenylenediimine and EDTA, ethylenediaminetetraacetate) at 150°C and 500 psig air and gave p-toluic acid (> 85 %) and monomethyl terephthalate (> 70%) as the major oxidation products, respectively.     

Catalytic properties of zeolites MCM-22 and NU-87 in disproportionation of toluene

The catalytic properties of MCM-22 and NU-87 were investigated for the disproportionation of toluene to produce benzene and xylene, and the results were compared with those obtained over mordenite, beta and ZSM-5. It turns out that dealumination of MCM-22 removes selectively the acid sites from the external surface and thus suppresses the secondary isomerization of p-xylene, enhancing the para-selectivity. This indicates that the dealuminated MCM-22 is a promising catalyst for the selective formation of p-xylene from toluene disproportionation. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

An Adaptive Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework for the Exclusive Recognition of p-Xylene

Separation of xylene isomers is one of the most important but most challenging and energy-intensive separation processes in the petrochemical industry. Here, we report an adaptive hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF-29) constructed from a porphyrin based organic building block 4,4′,4′′,4′′′-(porphyrin-5,10,15,20-tetrayl) tetrabenzonitrile (PTTBN), exhibiting the exclusive molecular recognition of p-xylene (pX) over its isomers of o-xylene (oX) and m-xylene (mX), as clearly demonstrated in the single crystal structure transformation and ¹H NMR studies. Single crystal structure studies show that single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation from the as-synthesized HOF-29 to the pX exclusively included HOF-29⊃pX is triggered by the encapsulation of pX molecules, accompanied by sliding of the 2D layers and local distortion of the ligand, which provides multiple C−H⋅⋅⋅π interactions.     

Isothermal Phase Equilibrium Studies on the Binary Mixtures of some Alkylbenzenes

Abstract

The gas chromatographic method proposed by us for simple and accurate measurement of isothermal phase equilibria has been applied to the binary mixtures formed by alkylbenzenes amongst themselves. Results on the binary mixtures of: benzene - toluene, toluene + o-xylene, toluene + p-xylene, toluene + ethylbenzene, ethylbenzene + o-xylene and ethylbenzene + p-xylene are presented in this paper. The present measurements on benzene + toluene system at 40°C are in good agreement with the isothermal phase equilibrium data available in the literature.