The lifetime of CFC substitutes studied by a network trained with chaotic mapping modified genetic algorithm and DFT calculations

The hydrohaloalkanes have attracted much attention as potential substitutes of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that deplete the ozone layer and lead to great high global warming. Having a short atmospheric lifetime is very important for the potential substitutes that may also induce ozone depletion and yield high global warming gases to be put in use. Quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) studies were presented for their lifetimes aided by the quantum chemistry parameters including net charges, Mulliken overlaps, E _HOMO and E _LUMO based on the density functional theory (DFT) at B3PW91 level, and the C-H bond dissociation energy based on AM1 calculations. Outstanding features of the logistic mapping, a simple chaotic system, especially the inherent ability to search the space of interest exhaustively have been utilized. The chaotic mapping aided genetic algorithm artificial neural network training scheme (CGANN) showed better performance than the conventional genetic algorithm ANN training when the structure of the data set was not favorable. The lifetimes of HFCs and HCs appeared to be greatly dependent on their energies of the highest occupied molecular orbitals. The perference of the RMSRE comparing to RMSE as objective function of ANN training was better for the samples of interest with relatively short lifetimes. C₂H₆ and C₃H₈ as potential green substitutes of CFCs present relatively short lifetimes.     

A genetic algorithm based on prepotency evolution using chaotic initiation used for network training

The concept of "prepotency" is introduced in evolution algorithm. The logistic mapping as a simple and powerful device in the chaos theory is combined with the newly proposed prepotency evolution (PE) algorithm to formulate a new genetic algorithm. PE with a population initialized by chaotic numbers is applied to the multiple-layer feed-forward ANN training (PECNN). The logistic mapping ensures the PE starts each time from different initial population never used before. The newly designed PE operator partially includes the crossover and mutation operations implicitly. The proposed algorithm has a higher convergence speed comparing to the conventional GA. During the PE operation the distances between members would become smaller and smaller until all members turning to be almost identical with the potential best minimum being found. It does not waste searching time surrounding the testing minima like the conventional GA and not show symptoms of overfitting to the training set samples. The combination of logistic mapping and PE used in ANN training makes PECNN be able to test lots of minima rapidly and effectively. This greatly enlarges the opportunity to find the global minimum. The proposed algorithm has been testified by prediction of the frequency data of tetrahedral vibration modes (nu(1) and nu(2)) of tetrahalide MX(4)(n) ions. The results obtained by the proposed PECNN compared favorably with those of the conventional chemometric method PLS regression.     

Genetic training of network using chaos concept: application to QSAR studies of vibration modes of tetrahedral halides

The chaotic dynamical system is introduced in genetic algorithm to train ANN to formulate the CGANN algorithm. Logistic mapping as one of the most important chaotic dynamic mappings provides each new generation a high chance to hold GA's population diversity. This enhances the ability to overcome overfitting in training an ANN. The proposed CGANN has been used for QSAR studies to predict the tetrahedral modes (nu(1)(A1) and nu(2)(E)) of halides [MX(4)](epsilon). The frequencies predicted by QSAR were compared with those calculated by quantum chemistry methods including PM3, AM1, and MNDO/d. The possibility of improving the predictive ability of QSAR by including quantum chemistry parameters as feature variables has been investigated using tetrahedral tetrahalide examples.     

A chaotic approach to maintain the population diversity of genetic algorithm in network training

The concept of chaos being radically different from statistical randomness is introduced into chemometrics research. The chaotic system that is deterministic with underlying patterns and inherent ability in searching the space of interest has been employed to improve the performance of chemometric algorithms. In this paper, a chaotic mutation is introduced into the genetic algorithm (GA) which is used for artificial neural network (ANN) training. The chaotic algorithm is very efficient in maintaining the population diversity during the evolution process of GA. The proposed algorithm CGANN has been testified by prediction of vibrational frequencies of octahedral hexahalides from some selected molecular parameters.     

Fluorocarbons in the global environment: a review of the important interactions with atmospheric chemistry and physics

Fluorocarbon impact on ozone depletion is reviewed together with the efficacy of the Montreal Protocol in acting to correct the imbalance between stratospheric ozone production and destruction. The Protocol is also helping to reduce global warming: CFCs are shown to be currently the largest fluorocarbon contributors to climate change. Relative contributions to climate change from CFCs and their HFC substitutes are discussed, together with the consequences of control of minor greenhouse gases on an environmental impact which is dominated by carbon dioxide emissions. Both the potencies of the materials for environmental change and their concentrations in the atmosphere are important and are considered here.Trifluoroacetic acid, a minor product of atmospheric decomposition of some HCFCs and HFCs and of the pyrolysis of fluoropolymers, has been shown to be uniformly distributed in seawater to a depth of over 4000 m and so is natural, although the actual source has yet to be identified.The Montreal Protocol is only one example of action to reduce undesirable impact from fluorocarbons. Other, less universal, actions include abatement of fluoroform greenhouse gas emissions from HCFC manufacturing, process changes to eliminate trifluoromethylsulfur pentafluoride emissions from electrochemical fluorination and ceasing manufacture of perfluorooctanyl sulfonate compounds due to their persistence in human tissue.     

Rate coefficients for the reactions of OH with CF3CH2CH3 (HFC-263fb), CF3CHFCH2F (HFC-245eb), and CHF2CHFCHF2 (HFC-245ea) between 238 and 375 K

Rate coefficients for reaction of the hydroxyl radical (OH) with three hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) CF3CH2CH3, HFC-263fb, (k1); CF3CHFCH2F, HFC-245eb, (k2); and CHF2CHFCHF2, HFC-245ea, (k3); which are suggested as potential substitutes to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were measured using pulsed laser photolysis-laser-induced fluorescence (PLP-LIF) between 235 and 375 K. The Arrhenius expressions obtained are k1(T) = (4.36 +/- 0.72) x 10(-12) exp[-(1290 +/- 40)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1); k2(T) = (1.23 +/- 0.18) x 10(-12) exp[-(1250 +/- 40)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1); k3(T) = (1.91 +/- 0.42) x 10(-12) exp[-(1375 +/- 100)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). The quoted uncertainties are 95% confidence limits and include estimated systematic errors. The present results are discussed and compared with rate coefficients available in the literature. Our results are also compared with those calculated using structure activity relationships (SAR) for fluorinated compounds. The IR absorption cross-sections at room temperature for these compounds were measured over the range of 500 to 4000 cm-1. The global warming potentials (GWPs) of CF3CH2CH3(HFC-263fb), CF3CHFCH2F(HFC-245eb), and CHF2CHFCHF2(HFC-245ea) were calculated to be 234, 962, and 723 for a 20-year horizon; 70, 286, and 215 for a 100-year horizon; and 22, 89, and 68 for a 500-year horizon; and the atmospheric lifetimes of these compounds are 0.8, 2.5, and 2.6 years, respectively. It is concluded that these compounds are acceptable substitutes for CFCs in terms of their impact on Earth's climate.     

Radiative efficiencies for fluorinated esters: indirect global warming potentials of hydrofluoroethers

Density Functional Theory (DFT) has been used with an empirically-derived correction for the wavenumbers of vibrational band positions to predict the infrared spectra of several fluorinated esters (FESs). Radiative efficiencies (REs) were then determined using the method of Pinnock et al. and these were used with atmospheric lifetimes from the literature to determine the direct global warming potentials of FESs. FESs, in particular fluoroalkylacetates, alkylfluoroacetates and fluoroalkylformates, are potential greenhouse gases and their likely long atmospheric lifetimes and relatively large REs, compared to their parent HFEs, make them active contributors to global warming. Here, we use the concept of indirect global warming potential (indirect GWP) to assess the contribution to the warming of several commonly used HFEs emitted from the Earth's surface, explicitly taking into account that these HFEs will be converted into the corresponding FESs in the troposphere. The indirect GWP can be calculated using the radiative efficiencies and lifetimes of the HFE and its degradation FES products. We found that the GWPs of those studied HFEs which have the smallest direct GWP can be increased by 100-1600% when taking account of the cumulative effect due to the secondary FESs formed during HFE atmospheric oxidation. This effect may be particularly important for non-segregated HFEs and some segregated HFEs, which may contribute significantly more to global warming than can be concluded from examination of their direct GWPs.     

WO3/ZrO2 Strong Acid as a Catalyst for the Decomposition of Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC-12)

IntroductionChlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) diffusing to the stratosphere isa major reason forozone de-pletion[1 ] .Also CFCshasbeen claimed to be notoriousforitsgreenhouseeffect[2 ] .So,recent-ly it has become very important to eliminate CFCs as far as protecting the ozone layer sur-rounding the earth is concerned.Among various kinds of approaches to do destruction toCFCs,the catalytic decomposition seems to be the most practical and energetically favorableone,especially for treating small amo…     

Analysis of anions in hydrofluoro ethers by ion chromatography

Hydrofluoro ethers (HFES) are considered to be an ideal cleaning solvent in applications like vapor degreasing and wet cleaning. It is also a good solvent replacement for CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons), HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) and chlorinated solvents because they have a short atmospheric lifetime and low global warming potential. Based upon their properties, hydrofluoro ethers are ideally suited for the demands of the electronics industry. However, the electronics industry requires these solvents to have high purity, especially in the area of residual anions. This paper will present information on an extraction methodology for the transfer of anions from the hydrofluoro ether to water. Then, an analytical method utilizing ion chromatography that is capable of detection of 10 anions (fluoride, acetate, formate, chloride, nitrite, bromide, nitrate, sulfate, oxalate, and phosphate) in the part per billion level will be demonstrated.     

CFC phase-out: have we met the challenge?

In 1974 Nobel prize winners Rowland and Molina proposed that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were stable enough to reach the stratosphere, where, under intense solar radiation they released Cl atoms that could destroy stratospheric ozone protecting the earth’s surface from UV rays. The CFC industry funded both scientific studies to test the Rowland and Molina hypothesis and programmes to identify potential replacements, from which the HFCs emerged as likely candidates. After 5 years it was concluded, on the best scientific evidence available, that stratospheric ozone was being depleted at ∼3% per decade, but sufficient time was available for an orderly phase-out. Although the USA and a few other countries stopped the use of CFCs in aerosols little further work was done until 1985 when the CFC debate was renewed following the discovery of stratospheric ozone depletion over the Antarctic during its spring. Manufacturers restarted their R&D programmes; governments negotiated the Montreal Protocol in 1987 agreeing the partial phase-out of the CFCs. As a result of subsequent amendments CFCs have now been phased-out in the developed world and HCFCs will follow over the next two decades. This paper reviews what has been achieved and what remains to be done. Has the world-wide effort been successful in protecting the ozone layer? Have “acceptable” alternatives been found for the CFCs/HCFCs in their various applications?     

The evaluation of time variation global warming effects, TWPA and CWP, for CFC alternatives

Evaluations methods of global warming are presented by considering the direct warming effect of chemical compounds and of decomposed compounds, warming effect due to the formation of troposphere ozone, and the cooling effect due to the decomposition of stratosphere ozone. It is easy to take account the stabilization of global warming gases concentration in the atmosphere, as those methods can conduct the time variations analysis. The methods are named Total Warming Prediction Analysis (TWPA) and Composite Warming Potential (CWP). The evaluation of Mobile Air Conditioning refrigerant is presented as an example of application of our method.     

Fluorocarbon Separation in a Thermally Robust Zirconium Carboxylate Metal–Organic Framework

Fluorocarbons have important applications in industry, but are environmentally unfriendly, and can cause ozone depletion and contribute to the global warming with long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming potential. In this work, the metal–organic framework UiO‐66(Zr) is demonstrated to have excellent performance characteristics to separate fluorocarbon mixtures at room temperature. Adsorption isotherm measurements of UiO‐66(Zr) display high fluorocarbon sorption uptakes of 5.0 mmol g^?1 for R22 (CHClF₂), 4.6 mmol g^?1 for R125 (CHF₂CF₃), and 2.9 mmol g^?1 for R32 (CH₂F₂) at 298 K and 1 bar. Breakthrough data obtained for binary (R22/R32 and R32/R125) and ternary (R32/R125/R134a) mixtures reveal high selectivities and capacities of UiO‐66(Zr) for the separation and recycling of these fluorocarbon mixtures. Furthermore, the UiO‐66(Zr) saturated with R22 and R125 can be regenerated at temperatures as low as 120 °C with excellent desorption–adsorption cycling stabilities.     

Global minimum structure searches via particle swarm optimization

Novel implementation of the evolutionary approach known as particle swarm optimization (PSO) capable of finding the global minimum of the potential energy surface of atomic assemblies is reported. This is the first time the PSO technique has been used to perform global optimization of minimum structure search for chemical systems. Significant improvements have been introduced to the original PSO algorithm to increase its efficiency and reliability and adapt it to chemical systems. The developed software has successfully found the lowest-energy structures of the LJ(26) Lennard-Jones cluster, anionic silicon hydride Si(2)H(5) (-), and triply hydrated hydroxide ion OH(-) (H(2)O)(3). It requires relatively small population sizes and demonstrates fast convergence. Efficiency of PSO has been compared with simulated annealing, and the gradient embedded genetic algorithm.     

Thermodynamic analysis of a direct expansion solar-assisted heat pump system working with R290 as a drop-in substitute for R22

The thermodynamic analysis of direct expansion solar-assisted heat pump system working with R290 as a drop-in substitute for R22 was carried out under the metrological conditions of Calicut, India. A prototype of a DXSAHP system consists of a compressor, an air-cooled condenser with evaporator–collector and thermostatic expansion valve. The experiments were carried during the winter months of 2016. The artificial intelligence technique artificial neural network integrated with genetic algorithm model was presented to predict energy and exergy performance of a system. The energy performance ratio of a system was found to be 5.75% higher and reduced heating capacity of about 6.8% when compared to R22. Similarly, the second law analysis (exergy analysis) of a total system working with R290 was found to be better when compared to baseline refrigerant. The selected alternative working fluid is a hydrocarbon and has zero ozone depletion and negligible global warming potential. Hence, R290 can be used as a drop-in substitute for R22 in DXSAHP systems.

     

A New Mechanism for the Formation of the Ozone Hole in the Earth Atmosphere

It is generally accepted that the Earth ozone layer is depleted by chlorine atoms produced via solar photolysis of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the upper stratosphere^[1]. This photodissociation model predicts an ozone depletion maximum at an altitude between 30 and 40 km and negligible ozone depletion below 20 km^[1]. However, the Antarctic/Arctic ozone hole appearing in each spring is observed to be located at an altitude of about 15 km^[2]. The formation of the ozone hole has been attributed to heterogeneous reactions on the surface of polar stratosphere clouds (PSCs) consisting mainly of condensed water ice:HCl+ClONO₂→Cl₂+HNO₃^[3,4]. Recently, it has been observed that dissociation of CFCs by capture of low-energy electrons is enhanced by several orders of magnitude when CFCs are adsorbed on the surfaces of ice films of polar molecules such as H₂O and NH₃^[5,6]. This enhancement is due to transfer of electrons in precursors of solvated states in polar molecular ice to CFCs that then dissociate^[7]. This effect should be most efficient in the lower stratosphere of about 15 km, where low-energy electrons can be produced by cosmic-ray ionization and localized in precursors of solvated electrons in PSCs^[8]. Strong and straightforward evidence of this new mechanism for ozone depletion has also been found in data obtained from field measurements (satellites, balloons, etc.)^[8]. In this talk, we will present the data from both field and laboratory measurements and discuss the new mechanism for the formation of the ozone hole.     

Hybridized particle swarm algorithm for adaptive structure training of multilayer feed-forward neural network: QSAR studies of bioactivity of organic compounds

The multilayer feed-forward ANN is an important modeling technique used in QSAR studying. The training of ANN is usually carried out only to optimize the weights of the neural network and without paying attention to the network topology. Some other strategies used to train ANN are, first, to discover an optimum structure of the network, and then to find weights for an already defined structure. These methods tend to converge to local optima, and may also lead to overfitting. In this article, a hybridized particle swarm optimization (PSO) approach was applied to the neural network structure training (HPSONN). The continuous version of PSO was used for the weight training of ANN, and the modified discrete PSO was applied to find appropriate the network architecture. The network structure and connectivity are trained simultaneously. The two versions of PSO can jointly search the global optimal ANN architecture and weights. A new objective function is formulated to determine the appropriate network architecture and optimum value of the weights. The proposed HPSONN algorithm was used to predict carcinogenic potency of aromatic amines and biological activity of a series of distamycin and distamycin-like derivatives. The results were compared to those obtained by PSO and GA training in which the network architecture was kept fixed. The comparison demonstrated that the HPSONN is a useful tool for training ANN, which converges quickly towards the optimal position, and can avoid overfitting in some extent.