Autocatalytic oxidation of β‐alanine by peroxomonosulfate in the presence of copper(II) ion

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of β‐alanine by peroxomonosulfate (PMS) in the presence of Cu(II) ion at pH 4.2 (acetic acid/sodium acetate) has been studied. Autocatalysis was observed only in the presence of copper(II) ion, and this was explained due to the formation of hydroperoxide intermediate. The rate constant for the catalyzed (k) and uncatalyzed (k) reaction has been calculated. The kinetic data obtained reveal that both the reactions are first order with respect to [PMS]. k values initially increase with the increase in [β‐alanine] and reach a limiting value, but k values decrease with the increase in [β‐alanine]. k values increase linearly with the increase in [Cu(II)], whereas k values increase with [Cu(II)]². Furthermore, k values are independent of [acetate], but k values decrease with the increase in acetate. A suitable mechanism has been proposed to explain the experimental observation. The reaction has been studied at different temperatures, and the activation parameters are calculated. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 44–49, 2008     

Peculiar kinetics of the complex formation in the iron(III)–sulfate system

The results of comprehensive equilibrium and kinetic studies of the iron(III)–sulfate system in aqueous solutions at I = 1.0 M (NaClO₄), in the concentration ranges of T = 0.15–0.3 mM, and at pH 0.7–2.5 are presented. The iron(III)–containing species detected are FeOH²⁺ (=FeH_?1), (FeOH) (=Fe₂H_?2), FeSO, and Fe(SO₄) with formation constants of log β = ?2.84, log β = ?2.88, log β = 2.32, and log β = 3.83. The formation rate constants of the stepwise formation of the sulfate complexes are k_1a = 4.4 × 10³ M^?1 s^?1 for the ${\rm Fe}^{3+} + {\rm SO}_4^{2-}\,\stackrel{k_{1a}}{\rightleftharpoons}\, {\rm FeSO}_4^+The results of comprehensive equilibrium and kinetic studies of the iron(III)–sulfate system in aqueous solutions at I = 1.0 M (NaClO₄), in the concentration ranges of T = 0.15–0.3 mM, and at pH 0.7–2.5 are presented. The iron(III)–containing species detected are FeOH²⁺ (=FeH_?1), (FeOH) (=Fe₂H_?2), FeSO, and Fe(SO₄) with formation constants of log β = ?2.84, log β = ?2.88, log β = 2.32, and log β = 3.83. The formation rate constants of the stepwise formation of the sulfate complexes are k_1a = 4.4 × 10³ M^?1 s^?1 for the ${\rm Fe}^{3+} + {\rm SO}_4^{2-}\,\stackrel{k_{1a}}{\rightleftharpoons}\, {\rm FeSO}_4^+$ step and k₂ = 1.1 × 10³ M^?1 s^?1 for the ${\rm FeSO}_4^+ + {\rm SO}_4^{2-} \stackrel{k_2}{\rightleftharpoons}\, {\rm Fe}({\rm SO}_4)_2^-$ step. The mono‐sulfate complex is also formed in the ${\rm Fe}({\rm OH})^{2+} + {\rm SO}_4^{2-} \stackrel{k_{1b}}{\longrightarrow} {\rm FeSO}_4^+$ reaction with the k_1b = 2.7 × 10⁵ M^?1 s^?1 rate constant. The most surprising result is, however, that the 2 FeSO? Fe³⁺ + Fe(SO₄) equilibrium is established well before the system as a whole reaches its equilibrium state, and the main path of the formation of Fe(SO₄) is the above fast (on the stopped flow scale) equilibrium process. The use and advantages of our recently elaborated programs for the evaluation of equilibrium and kinetic experiments are briefly outlined. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 114–124, 2008     

Studies on the oxygen atom transfer reactions of peroxomonosulfate: Oxidation of lactic acid

Kinetics of oxidation of lactic acid by peroxomonosulfate (PMS) catalyzed by Ni(II) ions has been studied in aqueous buffered (sodium acetate‐acetic acid) medium. The reaction follows first order in [PMS] and [Ni(II)] and inverse first order in [H⁺]. The effect of pH on the rate suggests that both HSO and SO are the active forms of the oxidant. The intermolecular reaction between HSO and nickel lactate results in hydroperoxide intermediate in the rate‐limiting step. The deprotonated form of PMS, SO, gives a lactate‐nickel‐peroxomonosulfate intermediate, which then undergoes intramolecular oxidation–reduction reaction. The thermodynamic parameters also support the kinetic scheme. Comparison with (nickel) glycolate shows that the electron‐donating methyl group in lactic acid enhances the nucleophilic interaction of the α‐hydroxyl group. A suitable mechanistic scheme is also proposed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 41: 449–454, 2009     

The lowest order relativistic corrections for the hydrogen molecule

We have calculated the lowest order relativistic corrections for the X ¹Σ, B¹Σ, a³Σ, b³Σ, I¹Π_g, C¹Π_u, i³Π_g, c³Π_u, J¹Δ_g, and j³Δ_g states of the hydrogen molecule using variational Monte Carlo methods and compact, explicitly correlated trial wavefunctions. Our values are in good agreement with earlier calculations on the X¹Σ and B¹Σ states. For the other states, our work provides the first estimate of these properties. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Determination of relative sensitivity factors during secondary ion sputtering of silicate glasses by Au+, Au and Au ions

In recent years, Au‐cluster ions have been successfully used for organic analysis in secondary ion mass spectrometry. Cluster ions, such as Au and Au, can produce secondary ion yield enhancements of up to a factor of 300 for high mass organic molecules with minimal sample damage. In this study, the potential for using Au⁺, Au and Au primary ions for the analysis of inorganic samples is investigated by analyzing a range of silicate glass standards. Practical secondary ion yields for both Au and Au ions are enhanced relative to those for Au⁺, consistent with their increased sputter rates. No elevation in ionization efficiency was found for the cluster primary ions. Relative sensitivity factors for major and trace elements in the standards showed no improvement in quantification with Au and Au ions over the use of Au⁺ ions. Higher achievable primary ion currents for Au⁺ ions than for Au and Au allow for more precise analyses of elemental abundances within inorganic samples, making them the preferred choice, in contrast to the choice of Au and Au for the analysis of organic samples. The use of delayed secondary ion extraction can also boost secondary ion signals, although there is a loss of overall sensitivity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The natural abundance of 15N in plant and soil‐available N indicates a shift of main plant N resources to NO from NH along the N leaching gradient

To investigate which of ammonium (NH) or nitrate (NO) is used by plants at gradient sites with different nitrogen (N) availability, we measured the natural abundance of ¹⁵N in foliage and soil extractable N. Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endlicher) planted broadly in Japan was selected for use in this study. We estimated the source proportion of foliar N (NH vs. NO) quantitatively using mass balance equations. The results showed that C. obtusa used mainly NH in N‐limited forests, although the dependence of C. obtusa on NO was greater in other NO‐rich forests. We regarded dissolved organic N (DON) as a potential N source because a previous study demonstrated that C. obtusa can take up glycine. Thus we added DON to our mass balance equations and calculated the source proportion using an isotope‐mixing model (IsoSource model). The results still showed a positive correlation between the calculated plant N proportion of NO and the NO pool size in the soil, indicating that high NO availability increases the reliance of C. obtusa on NO. Our data suggest the shift of the N source for C. obtusa from NH to NO according to the relative availability of NO. They also show the potential of the foliar δ¹⁵N of C. obtusa as an indicator of the N status in forest ecosystems with the help of the δ¹⁵N values of soil inorganic and organic N. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure and dissociation energy of weakly bound H (n = 5−8) complexes

The geometrical parameters, vibrational frequencies, and dissociation energies for H (n = 5–8) clusters have been investigated using high level ab initio quantum mechanical techniques with large basis sets. The highest level of theory employed in this study is TZ2P CCSD(T). The C₁ structure of H is predicted to be a global minimum, while the C_s structure of H is calculated to be a transition state. Harmonic vibrational frequencies are also determined at the DZP and TZ2P CCSD levels of theory. The dissociation energies, D_e, for H (n = 5–8) have been predicted using energy differences at each optimized geometry, and zero‐point vibrational energies (ZPVEs) are considered to compare with experimental values. The dissociation energies (D_o) have been predicted to be 1.69, 1.65, 1.65, and 1.46 kcal · mol for H, H, H (C₁ symmetry) and H, respectively, at the TZ2P CCSD(T) level of theory. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Chemical wave studies in the bromate–pyrocatechol beads system

We studied the chemical wave activity of the pyrocatechol‐acidic bromate system in the presence of ferroin‐loaded beads. The wave activity lasted for more than 24 h while meandering spirals continued for up to 10 h. Rigid and meandering spiral waves were investigated. We have analyzed the wave propagation speed and spiral tip trajectory versus the initial concentrations of all reagents as well as the age of the solution. Wave velocity depends on [H⁺] and [BrO] concentrations by the relationship v=k[H⁺]^1/2[BrO]^1/2, which is in agreement with other studies. This system is ideal to study wave activity and spiral waves as it does not produce precipitates under the studied conditions. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 43: 198–203, 2011     

A method to calculate the one‐electron reduction potentials for nitroaromatic compounds based on gas‐phase quantum mechanics

Nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) are widespread environmental contaminants, and the one‐electron reduction potential (E) is an important parameter used in modeling their environmental fate. We have identified a method that is both accurate and efficient to predict E values for NACs, using gas‐phase quantum mechanics (QM) calculations combined with empirical correlations. First, the adiabatic electron affinity (EA) at 0 K is calculated using the B98/MG3S method, and the predictions are scaled by a factor of 0.802 to account for systematic errors in the density functional calculations. Second, the E values are predicted from a linear correlation between E and EA. Using this method, E values were predicted with a mean absolute deviation from measured values of 0.021 V for the 14 NACs used to obtain the correlation and 0.029 V for six additional NACs. This represents a substantial improvement in accuracy over predictions by other QM methods, which are affected by large errors in solvation or aqueous‐phase calculations for some compounds. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010.     

Solvent effects on kinetics of the reaction between 2‐chloro‐3,5‐dinitropyridine and aniline in aqueous and alcoholic solutions of [bmim]BF4

Rate constants, k_A, for the aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction of 2‐chloro‐3,5‐dinitropyridine with aniline were determined in different compositions of 1‐(1‐butyl)‐3‐methylimidazolium terafluoroborate ([bmim]BF₄) mixed with water, methanol, and ethanol at 25°C. The obtained rate constants of the reaction in pure solvents are in the following order: water > methanol > ethanol > [bmim]BF₄. In these solutions, rate constants of the reaction decrease with the mole fraction of the ionic liquid. Single‐parameter correlations of log k_A versus normalized polarity parameter (E), hydrogen bond acceptor basicity (β), hydrogen bond donor acidity (α), and dipolarity/polarizability (π*) do not give acceptable results in all solutions. Dual‐parameter correlations of log k_A versus E and β also α and β gave reasonable results (e.g., in solutions of water with [bmim]BF₄, the correlation coefficients are 0.994 and 0.996, respectively). The proposed dual‐parameter models demonstrate that the reaction rate constant increases with E, β, and α. The increase in the rate constant is attributed to hydrogen‐bonding interactions (donor and acceptor) of the media with an activated complex of the reaction that has the zwitterionic character. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 39: 681–687, 2007     

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of benzohydrazide by bromate catalyzed by vanadium(IV) in aqueous acidic medium

The reaction between benzohydrazide and potassium bromate catalyzed by vanadium(IV) was studied under pseudo‐first‐order condition keeping large excess of hydrazide concentration over that of the oxidant. The initiation of the reaction occurs through oxidation of the catalyst vanadium(IV), VO²⁺, to vanadium(V), VO, which then reacts with hydrazide to give N,N′‐diacylhydrazine and benzoic acid as the products. The order in [H⁺] is found to be two, and its effect is due to protonation and hydrolysis of oxidized form of the catalyst to form HVO₃. The oxidized form of the catalyst, VO, forms a complex with the protonated hydrazide as evidenced by the occurrence of absorption maxima at 390 nm. The rate of the reaction remains unaffected by the increase in the ionic strength. The activation parameters were determined, and data support the mechanism. The detailed mechanism and the rate equation are proposed for the reaction. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 151–159, 2008     

Solvation Chemistry of DL‐Nor‐Valine in Aqueous Mixture of Dipolar Aprotic N,N‐Dimethyl Formamide

In this article, we reported the solubilities of the amino acid DL‐nor‐valine (VAL) at five equidistant temeratures i.e. from 15 to 35 °C in aqueous mixtures of N,N‐dimethyl formamide (DMF). The Standard free energies (ΔG (i)) and entropies (ΔS (i)) of transfer of VAL from water to aqueous mixture of cationophilic dipolar aprotic DMF have been evaluated at 25 °C. The transfer of Gibbs energies (ΔG (i)) and entropies (TΔS (i)) due to the chemical effects have been obtained after elimination of cavity effect, estimated by the scaled particle theory and dipole‐dipole interaction effects, computed by the used of Keesom‐orientation expression. The chemical contribution of transfer energetics of DL‐nor‐valine (VAL) are mainly guided by the composite effects of increased dispersion interaction, basicity effect and decreased acidity, hydrogen bonding effects, hydrophilic hydration and hydrophobic hydration of aqueous DMF mixtures as compared to that of reference solvent, water.     

New simple method of measuring the surface glass transition temperature of polymers

A lap‐shear joint mechanical testing method has been probed to measure the surface glass transition temperature (T) of the thick bulk films of high‐molecular‐weight polymers. As T, the temperature transition “occurrence of autoadhesion–nonoccurrence of autoadhesion” has been proposed. The influence of chain flexibility, of molecular architecture, of polymer morphology, and of chain ends concentration on the T has been investigated. The correlation between the reduction in T with respect to the glass transition temperature of the bulk (T) and the intensity of the intermolecular interaction in the polymer bulk in amorphous polymers has been found. The effect of surface roughness on T has been discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 2012–2021, 2010     

Experimental and theoretical investigation on binary anionic clusters of AlmBi

Al_mBi (m = 1–12; n = 1–4) binary cluster anions are generated by laser ablation of a sample composed of Al and Bi, and studied by reflectron time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (RTOF‐MS) in the gas phase. Some clusters with magic numbers are present in the mass spectrum. The structures of Al_mBi (m + n ≤7) clusters are investigated with the density functional theory (DFT) method and the most likely structures are obtained. The calculations of the binding energy (BE), energy gain (Δ) and HOMO‐LUMO gaps confirm that the Al₂Bi cluster has a very stable structure, which agrees well with the experimental results. It is further established that Al₂Bi can be considered as a gas‐phase Zintl analogue that follows Wade's rules and is the analogue of Ga₂Bi and Sn Zintl ions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A kinetic study of the autocatalytic permanganate oxidation of formic acid

The kinetics of the permanganate oxidation of formic acid in aqueous perchloric acid has been studied. The results indicate that this reaction is autocatalyzed by both manganese(II) ion (formed as a reaction product) and colloidal manganese dioxide (formed as an intermediate). The apparent rate constants corresponding to the noncatalytic and autocatalytic reaction pathways are given, respectively, by the following equations The activation energies associated with the true rate constants, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, and ?? are 37.2, 62.5, 70.9, 52.5, 40.8, and 59.9 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The percentage of the total reaction corresponding to each pathway is given for typical experimental conditions. Mechanisms in agreement with the kinetic data are proposed for the six different reaction pathways observed.     

A fragmentation study of dihydroquercetin using triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and its application for identification of dihydroflavonols in Citrus juices

A mass spectrometric method using electrospray ionization with triple quadrupole and quadrupole time‐of‐flight hybrid (Q‐Tof) mass spectrometry has been applied to the structural characterization of dihydroflavonols. This family of compounds has been studied by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) for the first time in this work. A comprehensive study of the product ion MS spectra of the [M+H]⁺ ion of a commercially available standard has been performed. The most useful fragmentations in terms of structural identification are those that involve cleavage of the C‐ring, resulting in diagnostic ions of dihydroflavonol family: ^1,3A, ^1,2B, ^1,2B‐CO, ^0,2A, ^0,2A‐H₂O, ^0,2A‐CO, and ^0,2A‐H₂O‐CO, that allow the characterization of the substituents in the A‐ and B‐rings. In addition to those ions, other product ions due to losses of H₂O and CO molecules from the Y ion were observed. Their fragmentation mechanisms and ion structures have been proposed. The established fragmentation patterns have been used to successfully identity three dihydroflavonols found in tangerine juices for the first time. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mechanistic investigation of vibrational fine structure in e‐H2 scattering using local complex potential‐based time dependent wave packet approach

The structural features of vibrational excitation cross‐sections in resonant e‐H₂ scattering have been investigated using a time dependent wave packet approach and a local complex potential to describe the ²Σ H anion. An analysis of the partial contributions to the vibrational excitation cross‐sections reveals that all features of the excitation profile result from simple interference between bound vibrational levels of H₂ and H. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008     

Probing the ultrafast photoelectron spectra of Br2 molecule

The time‐dependent‐wave‐packet method is applied to study the ionization of Br₂ molecule with four ionization processes. The ground state absorption makes the photoelectron to be left in the three final ionic states: Br (X²∑), Br (A²∏_u), and Br (B²∑), and each population of these ionic states is related with the laser intensities. The information of the dissociation can be got by analyzing the photoelectron features of the transient wave packet, which also suggests that an ionization process occurs during the dissociation, and the Br atoms that mainly resulted from the dissociation of Br₂ (C¹∏_u) are ionized at later time delays as the dissociation is nearly complete. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Theoretical study of one‐electron bonds in a series of high‐spin lithium–beryllium–hydrogen clusters: “Valence shell single‐electron repulsion” rule and electron localization function analysis

A series of high‐spin clusters containing Li, H, and Be in which the valence shell molecular orbitals (MOs) are occupied by a single electron has been characterized using ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A first type (⁵Li₂, ⁿ⁺¹LiH_n+ (n = 2–5), ⁸Li₂H) possesses only one electron pair in the lowest MO, with bond energies of ～3 kcal/mol. In a second type, all the MOs are singly occupied, which results in highly excited species that nevertheless constitute a marked minimum on their potential energy surface (PES). Thus, it is possible to design a larger panel of structures (⁸LiBe, ⁷Li₂, ⁸Li, ⁴LiH⁺, ⁶BeH, ⁿ⁺³LiH (n = 3, 4), ⁿ⁺²LiH (n = 4–6), ⁸Li₂H, ⁹Li₂H, ²²Li₃Be₃ and ²²Li₆H), single‐electron equivalent to doublet “classical” molecules ranging from CO to C₆H₆. The geometrical structure is studied in relation to the valence shell single‐electron repulsion (VSEPR) theory and the electron localization function (ELF) is analyzed, revealing a striking similarity with the corresponding structure having paired electrons. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

The adsorption of CO2, H2CO3, HCO3− and CO32− on Cu2O (111) surface: First‐principles study

The adsorption of CO₂, and its derivatives, H₂CO₃, HCO, and CO, on Cu₂O (111) surface has been investigated by first‐principles calculations based on the density functional theory at B3LYP hybrid functional level. The Cu₂O (111) surface has been modeled using an embedded cluster method,in which the quantum clusters plus some ab initio ion model potentials were inserted in an array of point charges. On the surface, H₂CO₃ was dissociated into an H⁺ and an HCO ion. Among the CO₂ species, HCO was the only activated species on the surface. The results suggest that the reduction of CO₂ on Cu₂O (111) surface can start from the form of HCO. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011