Kinetic and Mechanistic Aspects of Reactivity of the Oxidation of Some Fe(II)–Tris Schiff Base Complexes by Peroxydisulfate: Spectrophotometric Tracer and Solvent Effect on the Reactivity

The kinetics of the oxidation of some Fe(II)–Tris Schiff base complexes by peroxydisulfate was studied spectrophotometrically in the aqueous medium and in the organic–aqua binary mixture. The inspected complexes were derived from the condensation of 2‐acetylpyridine and substituted benzylamines. The oxidation reaction of the studied complexes was followed at 303 K under pseudo–first‐order conditions. It was found that the oxidation reaction by S₂O₈^2? consists of two steps. The first step is the formation of an ion pair from the reactants, and the second step is an electron transfer from the metal center to the peroxydisulfate oxidant, with an associated peroxo bond fissure. A mechanism, based on the experimental results, was proposed, and the rate law was derived. The effect of organic solvent on the reaction rate was studied in the presence of different ratios (v/v) of methanol–water and acetone–water mixtures. Moreover, the changes in the activation barrier from water to water–methanol and water–acetone mixtures were estimated from the kinetic data. The transfer chemical potentials of the initial and transition states from water into mixed solvents were determined from solubility measurements. Solvent effects on the reaction rate were discussed in terms of initial state versus transition state solvation.     

The Effect of Copolymer Composition on Surface Free‐Energy of Poly(2‐Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate–Crotonic Acid) Copolymers

Abstract

Poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate–crotonic acid) P(HEMA/CrA) copolymers with varying compositions were prepared from ternary mixtures of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)/crotonic acid (CrA)/water by using ⁶⁰Co γ‐rays. The wetting forces were determined according to the Wilhelmy Plate Technique. Di‐iodomethane, ethylene glycol, and formamide were used as probe liquids. Lifshitz–van der Waals surface energy components, Lewis acid–base surface components, and total surface energies were calculated using van Oss et al. methodology. It was determined that Lifshitz–van der Waals component (γ_S ^LW) of the copolymers did not differ much from the copolymer composition. However, the electron‐donor surface free energy components (γ_S ^?) of the copolymers were decreased considerably with the increase of the CrA content of the copolymers, the surfaces of these copolymers were still found to have a basic character.     

ROP of L-lactide and ε-caprolactone catalyzed by tin(ii) and tin(iv) acetates–switching from COOH terminated linear chains to cycles

The catalytic potential of tin(II)acetate, tin(IV)acetate, dibutyltin-bis-acetate and dioctyl tin-bis-acetate was compared based on polymerizations of L-lactide conducted in bulk at 160 or 130°C. With SnAc₂ low-Lac/Cat ratios (15/1–50/1) were studied and linear chains having one acetate and one carboxyl end group almost free of cyclics were obtained. Higher monomer/catalyst ratios and lower temperatures favored formation of cycles that reached weight average molecular weights (Mw's) between 100,000 and 2,500,000. SnAc₄ yielded mixtures of cycles and linear species under all reaction conditions. Dibutyltin- and dioctyl tin bis-acetate yielded cyclic polylactides under most reaction conditions with Mw's in the range of 20,000–80,000. Ring-opening polymerizations performed with ε-caprolactone showed similar trends, but the formation of COOH-terminated linear chains was significantly more favored compared to analogous experiments with lactide. The reactivity of the acetate catalysts decreased in the following order: SnAc₂ > SnAc₄ > Bu₂SnAc₂ ~ Oct₂SnAc₂.     

Preconcentration by coprecipitation of arsenic and tin in natural waters with a Ni–pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate complex and their direct determination by solid-sampling atomic-absorption spectrometry

A method for the determination of trace amounts of arsenic and tin in natural waters is described. Trace amounts of arsenic and tin were preconcentrated by coprecipitation with a Ni–ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) complex. The coprecipitates obtained were directly analyzed by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) using the Ni–APDC complex solid-sampling technique. The coprecipitation conditions used for the trace amounts of arsenic and tin in natural water were investigated in detail. It was found that arsenic and tin at sub-ng mL^–1 levels were both coprecipitated quantitatively by Ni(PDC)₂ in the pH range 2–3. The concentration factors by coprecipitation reached approximately 40,000 when 2 mg nickel was added as a carrier element to 500 mL of the water sample. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of trace amounts of arsenic and tin in river water and seawater reference materials, and the detection limits for arsenic and tin, which were calculated from three times of the standard deviation of the procedural blanks, are 0.02 ng mL^–1 and 0.04 ng mL^–1, respectively, for 500-mL volumes of water sample.     

Methylation of inorganic tin by decaying spartina alterniflora in estuarine water and by estuarine water

Methyltin compounds (MeSn) which do not originate from man–made pollution are common in estuaries and particularly in salt marshes containing the marsh grass Spartina alterniflora. This study reports the results of experiments in which estuarine water containing S. alterniflora leaves is spiked with inorganic tin, and estuarine water alone is spiked with inorganic tin and MeSn. When decaying leaves are present, inorganic tin concentrations in the water decrease and there is a 10-fold increase in inorganic tin concentration in the leaves. This biosorption follows pseudo–first–order kinetics. MeSn³⁺ and Me₂Sn²⁺ occur occasionally in the water. The Me₂Sn²⁺ concentration decreases with time and the Me₃Sn²⁺ concentration increases with time in S. alterniflora leaves. The results of estuarine water amended with inorganic tin and MeSn in the absence of leaves are quite different. The overall inorganic tin concentration decreases significantly during the experiment, the MeSn³⁺ concentration is approximately constant, and concentrations of Me₂Sn²⁺ and Me₃Sn⁺ increase. This means that net methylation of inorganic tin has occurred. We conclude that decaying S. alterniflora is likely to be important in the cycling of tin in salt marshes.     

Solution thermodynamics and preferential solvation of triclocarban in {1,4-dioxane (1) + water (2)} mixtures at 298.15 K

The equilibrium solubility and preferential solvation of triclocarban in {1,4-dioxane (1) + water (2)} mixtures at 298.15 K was reported. Mole fraction solubility varies continuously from 2.85 × 10^–9 in neat water to 2.39 × 10^–3 in neat 1,4-dioxane. Solubility behaviour was adequately correlated by means of the Jouyban-Acree model. Based on the inverse Kirkwood-Buff integrals, preferential solvation parameters were calculated. Triclocarban is preferentially solvated by water in water-rich mixtures (0.00 < x₁ < 0.18) and also in 1,4-dioxane-rich mixtures (0.78 < x₁ < 1.00) but preferentially solvated by 1,4-dioxane in mixtures with similar solvent compositions.     

A study of methylation of inorganic tin by iodomethane in an aquatic environment with 13C carbon isotope tracer technique

The methylation of tin(II) [Sn(II)] by iodomethane (CH₃I) under environmental conditions has been further demonstrated by a ¹³C carbon isotope tracer method. Methylation products are mainly monomethyltin, and very small amounts of dimethyltin. The reaction of Sn(II) and CH₃I was investigated at pH 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and salinity (S) 8, 15, 22, 28, 35%; it has been found the reaction was affected by pH and salinity, the tin methylation activity being highest at about pH 6 and S = 28% . The methylation reaction is first-order for both CH₃I and Sn(II), and the rate equation has been obtained as follows: .     

Synthesis and Reactivity of 2,2,4,4–Tetrakis(tri–tert–butoxysilanethiolato)–1,3,2,4–dithiadistannetane – Crystal and Molecular Structures of Two Polymorphic Forms

The title compound, [Sn(μ–S){SSi(O^tBu)₃}₂]₂ ( 1 ), containing four–coordinated tin(IV), crystallizes in two polymorphic modifications. The orthorhombic 1a –form has been obtained in the reaction of (^tBuO)₃SiSH and Et₃N with SnCl₂, whereas the triclinic 1b –form in the reaction with SnCl₄ as substrate. The crystal and molecular structures of both polymorphs ( 1a as a redetermination) have been determined by a single–crystal X–ray diffraction study at room temperature. The title compound was shown to react with ammonia and ammonia complexes of some d–block metal cations giving products of Sn–S bond cleavage.     

Photocatalyzed Hydrogen Evolution from Water by a Composite Catalyst of NH2‐MIL‐125(Ti) and Surface Nickel(II) Species

A composite of the metal–organic framework (MOF) NH₂‐MIL‐125(Ti) and molecular and ionic nickel(II) species, catalyzed hydrogen evolution from water under UV light. In 95 v/v % aqueous conditions the composite produced hydrogen in quantities two orders of magnitude higher than that of the virgin framework and an order of magnitude greater than that of the molecular catalyst. In a 2 v/v % water and acetonitrile mixture, the composite demonstrated a TOF of 28 mol H₂ g(Ni)^?1 h^?1 and remained active for up to 50 h, sustaining catalysis for three times longer and yielding 20‐fold the amount of hydrogen. Appraisal of physical mixtures of the MOF and each of the nickel species under identical photocatalytic conditions suggest that similar surface localized light sensitization and proton reduction processes operate in the composite catalyst. Both nickel species contribute to catalytic conversion, although different activation behaviors are observed.     

Interaction of –CClx (x=1–3) with Ru2 and RuSn dimers: a density functional study

Density functional calculation were performed on the Ru₂ and RuSn metal dimers and the species formed from their interaction with –CCl_x (x=1–3) fragments. The importance of these fragments in the hydrodechlorination of carbon tetrachloride has been motivated this study aiming to contribute to understand the effect of the tin in the performance of the noble metals based catalysts. We have observed that the carbon tetrachloride does not form a precursor with the metal dimers. The CCl₄ readily dissociates forming adsorbed chlorine and –CCl₃ complexes. The chlorine atoms prefer to adsorb on the bridge sites and the RuSn–Cl binding energy is about 5 kcal mol⁻¹ larger than the Ru₂–Cl binding energy. The Ru₂–CCl_x (x=1–3) binding energies are larger than the respective RuSn–CCl_x (x=1–3) binding energies. However, the reaction energy of the dechlorination of CCl₄ leading to adsorbed –CCl_x (x=1–3) and chlorine is thermodynamically more favorable for RuSn than the Ru₂. The differences between Ru₂ and RuSn systems have been discussed based on the different interaction mechanism due to the presence of the tin center and its affinity for the chlorine atoms.     

Homogeneous catalysis of the water gas shift reaction by iridium carbonyl in alkaline solution

The water gas shift reaction, H₂O + CO ? H₂ + CO₂, catalyzed homogeneously by a system based on tetrairidiumdodecacarbonyl (Ir₄(CO)₁₂) in alkaline 2-ethoxyethanol/water solution was examined at moderate temperatures (90–130°C) and pressures (P_CO 0.5–2.0 atm). The catalytic reaction showed an approximate first-order dependence on base concentration and on the concentration of iridium. The catalytic cycle was shown to have a zero order dependence on the partial pressure of CO. An apparent activation energy of 10.7 kcal mol^?1 was obtained from a linear Arrhenius plot based on hydrogen production over the temperature range 90–130°C. The predominant pathway of the reaction can be explained by a mechanism in which activation of CO by nucleophilic attack of hydroxide on the metal hydride species HIr₄(CO)₁₁^? produces the dihydride species, H₂Ir₄(CO)₁₀^2? in the rate-limiting step. Subsequent reaction of this anion with H₂O gives H₂ plus HIr₄(CO)₁₁^? again. The complex Ir₈(CO)₂₀^2? is shown to be a catalytically poor component of the solution. The system has also been shown to be active toward the decomposition of formate. This pathway however, is concluded to make an insignificant contribution to the catalysis rate under water gas shift reaction conditions.     

Reactivity Tracers of the Hydrolysis of Fe(II)‐Bis(salicylidene) Complexes: Initial–Transition States Analysis and Enhanced Impact of Tensides on the Kinetic Trends

The kinetics of the acid hydrolysis reaction of Fe(II)‐bis(salicylidene) complexes were followed under pseudo–first‐order conditions ([H⁺] >> [complex]) at 298 K. The ligands of the studied azomethine complexes were derived from the condensation of salicylaldehyde with different five α‐amino acids. The hydrolysis reactions were studied in acidic medium at different ratios (v/v) of aqua–organic mixtures. The decrease in the dielectric constant values of the reaction mixture enhances the reactivity of the reaction. The transfer chemical potentials of the initial and transition states (IS–TS) from water into mixed solvents were determined from the solubility measurements combined with the kinetic data. Nonlinear plots of logk_obs versus 1/D (the reciprocal of the dielectric constant) suggest the influence of the solvation of IS–TS on the reaction reactivity. Furthermore, the acid hydrolysis reactions were screened in the presence of different concentrations of cationic and anionic tensides. The addition of surfactants to the reaction mixture accelerates the reaction reactivity. The obtained kinetic data were used to determine the values of δ_mΔG^# (the change in the activation barrier) for the studied complexes when transferred from “water to various ratios (v/v) of water–co‐organic binary mixtures” and from “water to water containing different [surfactant].” It was found that the reactivity of the acid hydrolysis reaction was controlled by the hydrophobicity of the studied chelates.     

Synthesis and structure of dithizonato complexes of antimony(III), copper(II) and tin(IV)

In view of the important role of dithizone in trace metal analyses, new structural aspects and approaches used to probe metal complexes of dithizone are of interest. Three X-ray diffraction structures are reported, dichloridobis(dithizonato)tin(IV), dichlorido(dithizonato)antimony(III), and bis(dithizonato)copper(II). During synthesis of the tin complex, auto-oxidation of Sn^IICl₂ to Sn^IV occurred without chloride liberation. The Sb^III complex revealed a unique distorted see-saw geometry which is, as for the other complexes, predicted by DFT molecular orbital calculations. The computed products of the lowest energy reactions are in agreement with experimentally obtained reaction products, which, together with molecular orbital renderings serve as a tool toward prediction of modes of coordination in these complexes. The S–M–N bond angle in the five-membered coordination ring shows a linear relationship with the corresponding metal ionic radii.     

Galvanic Replacement Reactions of Active‐Metal Nanoparticles

We present a systemic investigation of a galvanic replacement technique in which active‐metal nanoparticles are used as sacrificial seeds. We found that different nanostructures can be controllably synthesized by varying the type of more noble‐metal ions and liquid medium. Specifically, nano‐heterostructures of noble metal (Ag, Au) or Cu nanocrystals on active‐metal (Mg, Zn) cores were obtained by the reaction of active‐metal nanoparticles with more noble‐metal ions in ethanol; Ag nanocrystal arrays were produced by the reaction of active‐metal nanoparticles with Ag⁺ ions in water; spongy Au nanospheres were generated by the reaction of active‐metal nanoparticles with AuCl₄^? ions in water; and SnO₂ nanoparticles were prepared when Sn²⁺ were used as the oxidant ions. The key factors determining the product morphology are shown to be the reactivity of the liquid medium and the nature of the oxidant–reductant couple, whereas Mg and Zn nanoparticles played similar roles in achieving various nanostructures. When microsized Mg and Zn particles were used as seeds in similar reactions, the products were mainly noble‐metal dendrites. The new approach proposed in this study expands the capability of the conventional nanoscale galvanic replacement method and provides new avenues to various structures, which are expected to have many potential applications in catalysis, optoelectronics, and biomedicine.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Formation of δ‐Lactones from Unsaturated Acyl Halides

Previously unexplored enantiopure zwitterionic ammonium dienolates have been utilized in this work as reactive intermediates that act as diene components in hetero‐Diels–Alder reactions (HDAs) with aldehydes to produce optically active δ‐lactones, subunits of numerous bioactive products. The dienolates were generated in situ from E/Z mixtures of α,β‐unsaturated acid chlorides by use of a nucleophilic quinidine derivative and Sn(OTf)₂ as co‐catalyst. The latter component was not directly involved in the cycloaddition step with aldehydes and simply facilitated the formation of the reactive dienolate species. The scope of the cycloaddition was considerably improved by use of a complex formed from Er(OTf)₃ and a simple commercially available norephedrine‐derived ligand that tolerated a broad range of aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes for a cooperative bifunctional Lewis‐acid‐/Lewis‐base‐catalyzed reaction, providing α,β‐unsaturated δ‐lactones with excellent enantioselectivities. Mechanistic studies confirmed the formation of the dienolate intermediates for both catalytic systems. The active Er^III complex is most likely a monomeric species. Interestingly, all lanthanides can catalyze the title reaction, but the efficiency in terms of yield and enantioselectivity depends directly on the radius of the Ln^III ion. Similarly, use of the pseudolanthanides Sc^III and Y^III also resulted in product formation, whereas the larger La^III and other transition metal salts, as well as main group metal salts, proved to be inefficient. In addition, various synthetic transformations of 6‐CCl₃‐ or 4‐silyl‐substituted α,β‐unsaturated δ‐lactones, giving access to a number of valuable δ‐lactone building blocks, were investigated.     

Application of Multivariate Calibration Methods for the Simultaneous Multiwavelength Spectrophotometric Determination of Fe(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Mn(II) in Mixtures

Abstract

A sensitive method for the simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of Fe(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Mn(II) in mixtures has been developed with the aid of multivariate calibration methods, such as classical least squares (CLS), principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS). The method is based on the spectral differences of the analytes in their complexation reaction with 4‐(2‐pyridylazo)‐resorcinol (PAR) and the use of full spectra with wavelengths in the range of 300–600 nm. It was found that both the spectral positive and negative bands obtained against the PAR blank, are proportional to the concentration for each metal complex. The obtained linear calibration concentration ranges are 0.025–0.6, 0.05–0.8, 0.025–0.8, and 0.05–0.8 µg ml^?1 for Fe(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Mn(II), respectively, and the LODs for the four metal ions were found to be approximately 1–3×10^?2 µg ml^?1. The proposed method was applied to a verification set of synthetic mixtures of these four metal ions, with models built in three different wavelength ranges, i.e., 300–450, 450–600, and 300–600 nm, corresponding to the positive, negative bands and their combinations, respectively. It was shown that the PLS model for the 300–600 nm range gave the best results (RPE_T=6.9% and average recovery ～100%; cf. PCR: RPE_T=9.5% and average Recovery ～110%). This method was also successfully applied for the determination of the four metal ions in pharmaceutical preparations, chicken feedstuff, and water samples.     

The Role of Solvent on the Mechanism of Proton Transfer to Hydride Complexes: The Case of the [W3PdS4H3(dmpe)3(CO)]+ Cubane Cluster

The kinetics of reaction of the [W₃PdS₄H₃(dmpe)₃(CO)]⁺ hydride cluster ( 1 ⁺) with HCl has been measured in dichloromethane, and a second‐order dependence with respect to the acid is found for the initial step. In the presence of added BF₄^? the second‐order dependence is maintained, but there is a deceleration that becomes more evident as the acid concentration increases. DFT calculations indicate that these results can be rationalized on the basis of the mechanism previously proposed for the same reaction of the closely related [W₃S₄H₃(dmpe)₃]⁺ cluster, which involves parallel first‐ and second‐order pathways in which the coordinated hydride interacts with one and two acid molecules, and ion pairing to BF₄^? hinders formation of dihydrogen bonded adducts able to evolve to the products of proton transfer. Additional DFT calculations are reported to understand the behavior of the cluster in neat acetonitrile and acetonitrile–water mixtures. The interaction of the HCl molecule with CH₃CN is stronger than the W? H???HCl dihydrogen bond and so the reaction pathways operating in dichloromethane become inefficient, in agreement with the lack of reaction between 1 ⁺ and HCl in neat acetonitrile. However, the attacking species in acetonitrile–water mixtures is the solvated proton, and DFT calculations indicate that the reaction can then go through pathways involving solvent attack to the W centers, while still maintaining the coordinated hydride, which is made possible by the capability of the cluster to undergo structural changes in its core.     

Synthesis and application of tin triflate-containing MCM-41 as heterogeneous Lewis acid catalysts for the Mukaiyama aldol reaction at room temperature

Sn-containing MCM-41 (Sn-MCM-41) with different tin content was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis then treated with triflic acid to form tin triflate within the silica framework (SnOTf-MCM-41). XRD and UV–visible measurements revealed that SnOTf-MCM-41 have highly ordered mesoporous structures with tetrahedrally-coordinated Sn species. Moreover, results from FT-IR analysis revealed that triflate ligands are selectively coordinated with Sn⁴⁺ species in the mesoporous silica frameworks. SnOTf-MCM-41, as Lewis acid catalysts, promoted the Mukaiyama aldol reaction of benzaldehyde with 1-trimethylsiloxycyclohexene at room temperature and had greater catalytic activity than untreated Sn-MCM-41. Taking into account results from in situ FT-IR experiments using pyridine as probe molecule, the enhanced catalytic performance after triflic acid treatment was attributed to an increase in the number of acid sites, because of appearance of water tolerance by the formation of metal triflate species. In addition, the SnOTf-MCM-41 catalyst was reusable at least three times in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction.     

Role of Re Species and Acid Cocatalyst on Ir‐ReOx/SiO2 in the C–O Hydrogenolysis of Biomass‐Derived Substrates

The catalytic performance of ReO_x‐modified Ir metal catalyst in the hydrogenolysis of C–O bonds is strongly dependent on the choice of solvent. The acidic property of the Re species becomes obvious in the alkane solvent, and the hydrogenolysis reaction proceeds mainly by acid‐catalyzed dehydration and the subsequent metal‐catalyzed hydrogenation. The acidic property of the Re species is weakened in water; however, the hydrogenolysis reaction proceeds in water via a direct mechanism involving S_N2‐like attack of a hydride species at the interface between Ir and ReO_x on the adsorbed Re alkoxide species. This mechanism enabled the selective dissociation of the C–O bond neighboring the CH₂OH group.