Binding characteristics of native cyclofructan 6 and its derivatives with metal ions

The binding ability of native, isopropylated and permethylated cyclofructan 6 (CF6) with various cations was characterised in water and hydro-organic solvents. Association constants (K_ass) of 24 cations including alkali metals, transition metals and lanthanides were measured using NMR titrations and a nonlinear least square treatment of the data. Ba²⁺ and Pb²⁺ showed the highest binding abilities with native CF6 in both D₂O and 40% methanol-d₄. Metal ion binding increased with an increasing in methanol content. The weaker binding of cations with CF6 in acetonitrile-d₃ compared with those of methanolic solvents was noted and indicated the importance of dehydration of the host and guest to binding affinity. The effect of counteranions such as chloride, nitrate, perchlorate and acetate on binding was examined. Isopropyl-CF6 provided slightly higher binding affinities with cations than native CF6 in D₂O and 40% methanol-d₄, whereas permethylated CF6 only associated with K⁺ cation in 80% methanol-d₄. There are distinctly different metal ion-binding selectivities between native and derivatised CF6.     

A method for simulation of photochemical processes and calculation of quantum yields of reactions

The possibility of construction of a semiempirical method for simulation of photochemical processes and calculation of quantum yields of reactions has been studied. The practicability of the approach was demonstrated for the o-xylene → m-xylene, m-xylene → p-xylene, m-xylene → o-xylene, and o-diethylbenzene → m-diethylbenzene photoisomerization reactions as an example. The calculated quantum yields of the reactions are in qualitative agreement with experimental data.     

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.     

The Photochemistry of Diazomethane the Reactions of Methylene with Toluene and P-Xylene in Liquid Phase (I)

The photochemistry of diazomethane in toluene and p-xylene solutions was investigated. The reactions of methylene with toluene gave eight products. In the diazomethane p-xylene solution, p-ethyltoluene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,4-dimethylcyclohepatriene-1,3,5 and three unidentified compounds were found as products of the reaction of methylene with p-xylene. The relative rates of addition and insertion reaction of methylene with toluene and p-xylene have been calculated.     

Acid-Catalyzed Regioselective Nitration of o-Xylene to 4-Nitro-o-xylene with Nitrogen Dioxide: Brønsted Acid Versus Lewis Acid

Nitration of o-xylene with nitrogen dioxide imparts remarkable selectivity to 4-nitro-o-xylene. The addition of Brønsted acids and Lewis acids can effectively improve the selectivity for 4-nitro-o-xylene and/or yield, and the Lewis acids present a better influence on the reactions than Brønsted acids do. A 71% yield of mononitro-o-xylene with high selectivity for 4-nitro-o-xylene (ratio 4-/3- = 3.91) has been achieved by the assistance of bismuth trichloride under solvent-free conditions.     

Density and Viscosity of the Binary Mixtures Formed by p-Xylene with Methanol,n-Propanol and n-Butanol+

Abstract

Density and viscosity measurements on the binary mixtures of methanol+p-xylene, n-propanol+p-xylene and n-butanol+p-xylene at 303.15, 313.15 and 323.15K are reported The representation of the data by common mixing rules is also studied.     

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.     

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.     

A Study of Heat Conductivity of Methanol-n-Nonanol Binary Mixtures in a Wide Range of Temperatures and Pressures

The heat conductivity of liquid binary mixtures of the system methanol-n-nonanol was measuredat different temperatures, pressures, concentrations. A relationship between the heat conductivity ofthe binary mixtures and the concentration of their components was established.     

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.     

Heat Conductivity of Methanol-n-Dodecanol Binary Solutions in a Wide Range of Temperatures and Pressures

The heat conductivity of mutual methanol-n-dodecanol solutions was measured at various pressures, temperatures, and concentrations. The measurements were carried out on a modified cylindrical tricalorimeter.     

Mechanisms of Xylene Isomer Oxidation by Non-thermal Plasma via Paired Experiments and Simulations

Xylene is a widely used solvent and industrial chemical, but it is also considered to be a volatile organic compound (VOC) pollutant. Meanwhile, non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a potential method for remediating VOC contaminants, especially aromatic hydrocarbons. During NTP degradation of xylene, the different oxidation mechanisms of three isomers, p-xylene, o-xylene and m-xylene, have attracted lots of attention but not been studied at the molecular level. In this study, the individual degradation rates of xylene isomers in a NTP system are measured. The results show the oxidation degradation rates have the following order: o-xylene?>?p-xylene?≈?m-xylene. Molecular dynamics simulations with an applied external electric field were adopted to examine the oxidation process of xylene isomers, as well. The oxidation rates from the simulations were calculated, the order of which is in a good agreement with the experimental results. The oxidation pathways of xylene isomers were analyzed more thoroughly to explain the rate differences. The external electrical field is found to have two effects: one is to speed up the oxidation rate of xylene isomers overall, and the other is to alter the oxidation pathways to increase the probability of the faster ring cleavage pathways of o-xylene.

     

Kinetic modeling of the ethylbenzene/xylene isomerization reaction over HZSM-5 zeolites revisited

In this article, a binderless dealuminated HZSM-5 zeolite (Si/Al = 41.4) was used as a catalyst for the isomerization of a mixture of ethylbenzene and xylene. The experimental results indicated that at low residence times the catalyst is effective to isomerize the ethylbenzene into xylenes. A comprehensive kinetic model considering chemisorption, surface chemical reactions, and diffusional processes was developed for this reaction. The intrinsic activation energy (71.99 kJ mol⁻¹) for the surface reaction of ethylbenzene into m-xylene was calculated for the first time, and the corresponding intrinsic activation energies for o-xylene to m-xylene and m-xylene to p-xylene surface reactions were calculated to be 59.45 and 50.68 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Lower apparent values have been reported in the literature, and we rationalize that they correspond to multistep processes and intrinsically include a negative activation energy pertaining to chemisorption. The results also revealed that the ethylbenzene diffusion within the zeolite channels was four orders of magnitude smaller than p-xylene.     

Formation of ring-retaining products from the OH radical-initated reactions of o-, m-, and p-xylene

The ring-retaining products formed from the OH radical-initiated reactions of o-, m-, and p-xylene in the presence of NO_x have been identified and their formation yields determined. Experiments were carried out at 298 ± 2 K and in the presence of 740 torr total pressure of air. The products observed, and their yields, were: from o-xylene, o-tolualdehyde, 0.0453; 2-methylbenzyl nitrate, (0.0135 + 5.5 × 10^?17 [NO₂]); 2,3-dimethylphenol, 0.097; 3,4-dimethyl-phenol, 0.064; 3-nitro-o-xylene, 0.0059; 4-nitro-o-xylene, (0.0111 + 9.9 × 10^?17 [NO₂]); from m-xylene, m-tolualdehyde, 0.0331; 3-methylbenzyl nitrate, 0.0061; 2,4-dimethylphenol, 0.099; 2,6-dimethylphenol, 0.111; 4-nitro-m-xylene, 0.0018; 5-nitro-m-xylene, (0.0032 + 1.6 × 10^?17 [NO₂]); from p-xylene, p-tolualdehyde, 0.0701; 4-methylbenzyl nitrate, 0.0082; 2,5-dimethylphenol, 0.188, 2-nitro-p-xylene, (0.0120 + 2.8 × 10^?17 [NO₂]), where the NO₂ concentration is in molecule cm^?3 units. The nitro-xylene data are consistent with our recent product study of the corresponding reactions of benzene and toluene and indicate that under the experimental conditions employed the dimethylhydroxycyclohexadienyl radicals reacted with NO₂ and not with O₂. When combined with literature ring-cleavage product yields, these data show that ca. 55–80% of the reaction pathways are accounted for.     

Bemerkungen zur Synthese von 5-Amino-m-xylol-2-sulfonsäure und 5-Amino-m-xylol-4-sulfonsäure

Some comments on the syntheses of 5-amino-m-xylene-2-sulfonic acid and 5-amino-m-xylene-4-sulfonic acid Treatment of 5-amino-m-xylene ( 1 ) with oleum led to a 55:45 mixture of 5-amino-m-xylene-2-sulfonic acid ( 2 ) and 5-amino-m-xylene-4-sulfonic acid ( 3 ). The structure of both isomers was proven by reaction of sulfur dioxide with the diazonium chlorides derived from 2-amino-5-nitro-m-xylene ( 5 ) and 4-amino-5-nitro-m-xylene ( 8 ) giving 5-nitro-m-xylene-2-sulfonyl chloride ( 6 ) and 5-nitro-m-xylene-4-sulfonyl chloride ( 9 ) respectively, followed by hydrolyses to the corresponding sulfonic acids 7 and 10 , and final Béchamp reductions. The sulfonic acid 2 was also prepared by sulfonation of 5-acetylamino-m-xylene ( 4 ) to 5-acetylamino-m-xylene-2-sulfonic acid ( 11 ) and subsequent hydrolysis. A further procedure for the synthesis of 3 was sulfonation of 5-amino-2-chloro-m-xylene ( 12 ) – prepared by Béchamp reduction of 2-chloro-5-nitro-m-xylene ( 13 ) – or of 5-amino-2-bromo-m-xylene ( 15 ) – prepared by bromination of 4 and subsequent hydrolysis – to 5-amino-2-chloro-m-xylene-4-sulfonic acid ( 16 ) and 5-amino-2-bromo-m-xylene-4-sulfonic acid ( 17 ) respectively, followed by hydrogenolysis.     

Development of a membrane-based vapor-phase bioreactor

A vapor-phase bioreactor has been developed utilizing porous metal membranes in a cylindrical design employing radial flow as opposed to traditional axial flow for the vapor stream. The system was evaluated for the biodegradation ofp-xylene (p-xylene) from a water-saturated air stream byPseudomonas putida ATCC 23973 immobilized onto sand. The biocatalyst was placed in the annular space between two cylindrical, porous stainless-steel membranes. Details of the reactor system are presented along with biological data verifying system performance. The feed flow rate andp-xylene concentration were varied between 60 and 130 cm³/min and 15–150 ppm, respectively. Continuous reactor operation was maintained for 80–200 h with removal efficiencies (based onp-xylene disappearance) between 80 and 95%. The effluent concentration histories were compared to determine the operating range of the bioreactor.     

Speed of Sound and Isentropic Compressibilities of N-Methylcyclohexylamine with Benzene and Substituted Benzenes at 303.15 K

Abstract

New experimental sound velocity and density data for binary mixtures of N-methyl-cyclohexylamine with benzene, toluene, o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene, chlorobenzene, bromobenzene and nitrobenzene at 303.15K have been reported. The sound velocity data were also used to compute the isentropic compressibilities (K_s ). The deviation in isentropic compressibilities (ΔK_s ) from ideal behaviour suggests that the existence of weak dipole-induced dipole and dipole-dipole interactions between unlike molecules.     

Density, Excess Volume, and Viscosity of Vinyl Acetate or?Benzyl Acetate with (o-, m-, p-)Xylenes and?Ethylbenzene at T=(303.15 and 313.15) K

Viscosity η, and density ρ, of binary liquid mixtures of vinyl acetate or benzyl acetate with o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene and ethyl benzene have been determined at (303.15 and 313.15) K for the entire composition range. From the experimental values excess molar volume and deviations in viscosity have been calculated. These excess quantities were fitted to the Redlich-Kister polynomial equation. The viscosity data have been correlated using the Grunberg-Nissan, Tamura and Kurata, Auslander, and Jouyban-Acree models.     

Preparation of poly-p-xylylenes by electrolysis

Poly-p-xylylenes were prepared by electrolytic reduction of α,α′-dihalo-p-xylenes at controlled cathode potentials (c.p.). Polymers and halides are formed at the cathode; at the anode the halide is oxidized to halogen. Poly-p-xylylene was prepared from α,α′-dichloro-p-xylene (c.p. ?1.2 v.) and α,α′-dibromo-p-xylene (c.p. ?1.2 v.); poly-p-2-chloroxylylene from α,α′,2-trichloro-p-xylene (c.p. ?1.4 v.) and α,α′-dibromo-2-chloro-p-xylene (c.p. ?1.2 v.); poly-α,α,α′,α′-tetrachloro-p-xylylene from α,α,α,α′,α′,α′-hexachloro-p-xylene (c.p. ?0.7 v.), and poly-α,α,α′,α′-tetrafluoro-p-xylylene from α,α′-dibromo-α,α,α′,α′-tetrafluoro-p-xylene (c.p. ?1.1 v.). The cathode potentials were measured and controlled with respect to a saturated calomel electrode. Current efficiencies up to 96% were observed. α,α,α′,α′-Tetrachloro-p-xylylene was identified as an intermediate in the reduction of α,α,α,α′,α′,α′-hexachloro-p-xylene. A general mechanism for these reactions is suggested and discussed. It involves elimination of halide by a two-electron charge transfer with formation of a xylyl anion, followed by an elimination of halide in α′-position yielding xylylenes which then polymerize.     

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.