Effective Utilization of Carbohydrate in Corncob to Synthesize Furfuralcohol by Chemical–Enzymatic Catalysis in Toluene–Water Media

In this study, carbohydrates (cellulose plus hemicellulose) in corncob were effectively converted furfuralcohol (FOL) via chemical–enzymatic catalysis in a one-pot manner. After corncob (2.5 g, dry weight) was pretreated with 0.5 wt% oxalic acid, the obtained corncob-derived xylose (19.8 g/L xylose) could be converted to furfural at 60.1% yield with solid acid catalyst SO₄ ^2?/SnO₂-attapulgite (3.6 wt% catalyst loading) in the water–toluene (3:1, v/v) at 170 °C for 20 min. Moreover, the oxalic acid-pretreated corncob residue (1.152 g, dry weight) was enzymatically hydrolyzed to 0.902 g glucose and 0.202 g arabinose. Using the corncob-derived glucose (1.0 mM glucose/mM furfural) as cosubstrate, the furfural liquor (48.3 mM furfural) was successfully biotransformed to FOL by recombinant Escherichia coli CCZU-A13 cells harboring an NADH-dependent reductase (SsCR) in the water-toluene (4:1, v/v) under the optimum conditions (50 mM PEG-6000, 0.2 mM Zn²⁺, 0.1 g wet cells/mL, 30 °C, pH 6.5). After the bioreduction for 2 h, FAL was completely converted to FOL. The FOL yield was obtained at 0.11 g FOL/g corncob. Clearly, this one-pot synthesis strategy shows high potential application for the effective synthesis of FOL.     

Steam pretreatment of acid-sprayed and acid-soaked barley straw for production of ethanol

Barley is an abundant crop in Europe, which makes its straw residues an interesting cellulose source for ethanol production. Steam pretreatment of the straw followed by enzymatic hydrolysis converts the cellulose to fermentable sugars. Prior to pretreatment the material is impregnated with a catalyst, for example, H₂SO₄, to enhance enzymatic digestibility of the pretreated straw. Different impregnation techniques can be applied. In this study, soaking and spraying were investigated and compared at the same pretreatment condition in terms of overall yield of glucose and xylose. The overall yield includes the soluble sugars in the liquid from pretreatment, including soluble oligomers, and monomer sugars obtained in the enzymatic hydrolysis. The yields obtained differed for the impregnation techniques. Acid-soaked barley straw gave the highest overall yield of glucose, regardless of impregnation time (10 or 30 min) or acid concentration (0.2 or 1.0 wt%). For xylose, soaking gave the highest overall yield at 0.2 wt% H₂SO₄. An increase in acid concentration resulted in a decrease in xylose yield for both acid-soaked and acid-sprayed barley straw. Optimization of the pretreatment conditions for acid-sprayed barley straw was performed to obtain yields using spraying that were as high as those with soaking. For acid-sprayed barley straw the optimum pretreatment condition for glucose, 1.0 wt% H₂SO₄ and 220°C for 5 min, gave an overall glucose yield of 92% of theoretical based on the composition of the raw material. Pretreatment with 0.2wt% H₂SO₄ at 190°C for 5 min resulted in the highest overall xylose yield, 67% of theoretical based on the composition of the raw material.     

载铂Sr(Zr1－xYx)O3－δ-TiO2异质结光催化剂模拟太阳光催化产氢

利用光化学还原法制备载铂Sr(Zr_1－xY_x)O_3－δ-TiO₂ (Pt-SZYT)异质结光催化剂, 采用XRD, SEM, UV-Vis, PL对催化剂的形貌及性能进行表征. 以工业有机污染物草酸为电子给体, 模拟太阳光下光催化产氢为探针, 评价了催化剂的活性. 研究了载铂量、草酸浓度对催化剂产氢活性的影响, 并探讨了Pt-SZYT催化剂产氢活性与光致发光(PL)性能的关系, 以及催化剂的连续使用效果. 结果表明: 模拟太阳光条件下, Pt-SZYT催化剂具有良好稳定的光催化产氢活性, 催化剂的最佳载铂量为0.90 wt%. PL分析表明Pt-SZYT的光催化产氢活性越高, 其荧光强度越弱. 草酸50 mmol•L^－1, 催化剂用量1.0 g•L^－1时, 催化剂(w＝0.90%) Pt-SZYT-70的平均产氢速率为1.68 mmol•h^－1.     

Effect of span 20 concentration on oxalic acid production from post-refining fatty acids by Aspergillus niger XP

Submerged fermentation experiments were carried out to study the stimulating effects of the surfactant Span 20 on the growth of Aspergillus niger XP mutant and oxalic acid production from the post-refining fatty acids. Span 20 concentration of 0.75 g dm⁻³ was found to be the most suitable for oxalic acid production from fatty acids. Using this dose and a fermentation medium containing 30 g dm⁻³ of post-refining fatty acids, the oxalic acid production, oxalate yield, and overall oxalate productivity were the highest. Presented at the 33rd International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 22–26 May 2006.     

Ag/TiO2光催化还原硝酸氮

利用化学还原法制备不同Ag掺杂量TiO₂纳米催化剂,采用TEM、XRD、XRF和UV-Vis对催化剂进行表征。考察了催化剂在紫外光(254 nm)和可见光照射下还原初始浓度100 mgN·L^-1水相硝酸氮的活性和效果。重点考察了紫外光照射下Ag掺杂量、不同空穴捕获剂(甲酸、甲醇、乙酸、乙醇、草酸、草酸钠等)及甲酸浓度对硝酸氮还原的影响;对硝酸氮转化率和总氮去除率、形成亚硝酸氮、氨氮浓度及氮气选择性的影响。甲酸浓度为0.030 mol·L^-1、Ag掺杂量为1.0wt%时催化剂效果最佳。此时,硝酸氮、总氮的转化率分别为98.43%、78.13%;亚硝酸氮浓度为零,转化的硝酸氮中只有20.76%转化为氨氮,氮气选择性为79.24%。可见光下进行光催化还原反应时,硝酸氮转化率仅37.98%,但氮气的选择性较高。     

Kinetics and mechanism of chromic acid oxidation of oxalic acid in absence and presence of different acid media. A kinetic study

Kinetics and mechanism of the reaction of Cr(VI) with oxalic acid have been studied in presence and absence of H₂SO₄, HClO₄, and CH₃COOH by monitoring the formation of Cr(III)-oxalic acid complex at 560 nm. The effect of total [oxalic acid], [Cr(VI)], [H₂SO₄], [HClO₄], and [CH₃COOH] on the reaction rate was determined at 30°C. Formation of carbon dioxide was also confirmed. The oxidation rate increases with [oxalic acid] and [CH₃COOH] while it decreases with [H₂SO₄], [HClO₄], and pH. The rate law governing the oxidation of oxalic acid over a wide range of conditions is rate=k₁ K_es1 [oxalic acid]_T [Cr(VI)]_T 1+K_es1 [oxalic acid]_T, where only undissociated oxalic acid is kinetically active. Kinetic evidence for the formation of a Cr(VI)(SINGLEBOND)oxalic acid 1:1 complex has been obtained and the equilibrium constant for their formation has been determined. The 1:1 complex exists most likely in an open chain form. The rate-limiting step of the oxidation reaction involves the breaking of the C(SINGLEBOND)C bond in the 1:2 complex. Oxidizing ability of Cr(VI) species have been discussed. Mechanism with the associated reaction kinetics is assigned. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 30: 335–340, 1998     

Mixed insoluble acidic salts of tetravalent metals

Solid amorphous Zr-, Ti- and Zr_xTi_(1–x) phosphates (where x=0.10, 0.33, 0.66, and 0.90) in various sodium forms were contacted with an excess of solid oxalic acid dihydrate to its molten state for a given time. The oxalic acid was removed by extraction and the residue was washed with redistilled water. As a result of this, crystalline forms of Zr-, Ti-, and Zr_xTi_(1–x) phosphates were obtained. Using various sodium forms of the initial samples, higher rate of crystallisation resulted than that found in case of hydrogen forms of initial samples.     

Selective fast pyrolysis of biomass impregnated with ZnCl2: Furfural production together with acetic acid and activated carbon as by-products

Fast pyrolysis of biomass materials impregnated with ZnCl₂ offered a promising way to obtain a liquid product rich in furfural (FF) and acetic acid (AA), and the pyrolytic solids could be used as the precursors to prepare activated carbons (ACs). In this study, a lab-scale fast pyrolysis set was designed and used for the quantitative production of the three chemicals. The maximum FF was produced from the corncob impregnated with at least 15 wt% ZnCl₂ and at the pyrolysis temperature around 340 °C, with the yield of more than 8 wt% compared with only 0.49 wt% from the raw corncob. Meanwhile, AA of around 4 wt% could be obtained. The content of the FF and AA was over 50 wt% and 25 wt% on the water-free basis of the pyrolytic liquids. In addition, ACs were prepared from the pyrolytic solids, and they exhibited similar properties as those prepared from direct activation of ZnCl₂-impregnated biomass materials.     

Magnesium Oxide-Catalyzed Conversion of Chitin to Lactic Acid

Although chitin, an N-acetyl-D-glucosamine polysaccharide, can be converted to valuable products by means of homogeneous catalysis, most of the chitin generated by food processing is treated as industrial waste. Thus, a method for converting this abundant source of biomass to useful chemicals, such as lactic acid, would be beneficial. In this study, we determined the catalytic activities of various metal oxides for chitin conversion at 533 K and found that MgO showed the highest activity for lactic acid production. X-ray diffraction analysis and thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis showed that the MgO was transformed to Mg(OH)₂ during chitin conversion. The highest yield of lactic acid (10.8 %) was obtained when the reaction was carried out for 6 h with 0.5 g of the MgO catalyst. The catalyst could be recovered as a solid residue after the reaction and reused twice with no decrease in the lactic acid yield.     

Succinic,fumaric, adipic and oxalic acid cocrystals of promethazine hydrochloride

Novel cocrystals of promethazine hydrochloride [PTZ‐Cl; systematic name: N,N‐dimethyl‐1‐(10H‐phenothiazin‐10‐yl)propan‐2‐aminium chloride] with succinic acid (PTZ‐Cl‐succinic, C₁₇H₂₁N₂S⁺·Cl^?·0.5C₄H₆O₄), fumaric acid (PTZ‐Cl‐fumaric, C₁₇H₂₁N₂S⁺·Cl^?·0.5C₄H₄O₄) and adipic acid (PTZ‐Cl‐adipic, C₁₇H₂₁N₂S⁺·Cl^?·0.5C₆H₁₀O₄) were prepared by solvent drop grinding and slow evaporation from acetonitrile solution, along with two oxalic acid cocrystals which were prepared in tetrahydrofuran (the oxalic acid hemisolvate, PTZ‐Cl‐oxalic, C₁₇H₂₁N₂S⁺·Cl^?·0.5C₂H₂O₄) and nitromethane (the hydrogen oxalate salt, PTZ‐oxalic, C₁₇H₂₁N₂S⁺·C₂HO₄^?). The crystal structures obtained by crystallization from tetrahydrofuran and acetonitrile include the Cl^? ion in the lattice structures, while the Cl^? ion is missing from the crystal structure obtained by crystallization from nitromethane (PTZ‐oxalic). In order to explain the formation of the two types of supramolecular configurations with oxalic acid, the intermolecular interaction energies were calculated in the presence of the two solvents and the equilibrium configurations were determined using density functional theory (DFT). The cocrystals were studied by X‐ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Additionally, a stability test under special conditions and water solubility were also investigated. PTZ‐Cl‐succinic, PTZ‐Cl‐fumaric and PTZ‐Cl‐adipic crystallized having similar lattice parameter values, and showed a 2:1 PTZ‐Cl to dicarboxylic acid stoichiometry. PTZ‐Cl‐oxalic crystallized in a 2:1 stoichiometric ratio, while the structure lacking the Cl atom belongs has a 1:1 stoichiometry. All the obtained crystals exhibit hydrogen bonds of the type PTZ…Cl…(dicarboxylic acid)…Cl…PTZ, except for PTZ‐oxalic, which forms bifurcated bonds between the hydrogen oxalate and promethazinium ions, along with an infinite hydrogen‐bonded chain between the hydrogen oxalate anions.     

Enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of poplar bark by combined use of gamma ray and dilute acid for bioethanol production

Pretreatment of poplar bark with a combination of sulfuric acid (3%, w/w, H₂SO₄) and gamma irradiation (0–1000 kGy) was performed in an attempt to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis for bioethanol production. The yields of reducing sugar were slightly increased with an increasing irradiation dose, ranging from 35.4% to 51.5%, with a 56.1% reducing sugar yield observed after dilute acid pretreatment. These results clearly showed that soluble sugars were released faster and to a greater extent in dilute acid-pretreated poplar bark than in gamma irradiation-pretreated bark. When combined pretreatment was carried out, a drastic increase in reducing sugar yield (83.1%) was found compared with individual pretreatment, indicating the possibility of increasing the convertibility of poplar bark following combined pretreatment. These findings are likely associated with cellulose crystallinity, lignin modification, and removal of hemicelluloses.     

Influence of Organic Additive on the Morphological, Electrical and Electrochromic Properties of Sol-Gel Derived WO3 Coatings

The WO₃ electrode is ubiquitous in an electrochromic device (ECD) and is a common choice as the electrochromic (EC) layer. EC films were deposited on different substrates by spin coating using peroxotungstic acid based precursor solutions followed by appropriate thermal treatment. Many properties of the films, including some of the EC properties dependant on microstructure of the films, were found to be modified by the addition of small amounts of organic acid to the precursor solution. A study of structural, electrical and electrochromic properties of films cast by using precursor solution comprising 0 to 10 wt% of oxalic acid dihydrate (OAD) was carried out in terms of surface morphology, electrical resistance, structure and EC response. The important findings are that the addition of oxalic acid to the precursor solution results in films with excellent EC properties, devoid of cracks and decreases their dc electrical resistance.     

Carbonyl‐Grafted g‐C3N4 Porous Nanosheets for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Carbonyl‐grafted g‐C₃N₄ porous nanosheets (COCNPNS) were fabricated by means of a two‐step thermal process using melamine and oxalic acid as starting reagents. The combination of melamine with oxalic acid to form a melamine–oxalic acid supramolecule as a precursor is key to synthesizing carbonyl‐grafted g‐C₃N₄. The bulk carbonyl‐grafted g‐C₃N₄ (COCN) was further thermally etched onto porous nanosheets by O₂ under air. In such a process, the carbonyl groups were partly removed and the obtained sample showed remarkably enhanced visible‐light harvesting and promoted the separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes. With its unique porous structure and enhanced light‐harvesting capability, under visible‐light illumination (λ >420 nm) the prepared COCNPNS exhibited a superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 83.6 μmol h⁻¹, which is 26 times that of the p‐CN obtained directly from thermal polycondensation of melamine.     

Conversion of solid amorphous mixed zirconium-titanium phosphates into crystalline from by molten oxalic acid

Solid amorphous mixed zirconium-titanium phosphates, with general formula Zr_xTi_/1–x//HPO₄/₂.n H₂O/ where x=0.1–1, and n=3–5/, are mixed with an excess of solid oxalic acid dihydrate and digested in molten oxalic acid. Then oxalic acid is removed by extraction and the residue washed with dilute /O.OlM/ HCl solution and bidistilled water. As a result of this method, crystalline mixed zirconium-titanium phosphate is formed.     

草酰胺配体的微波合成

在微波辐照下, 分别由苯胺、取代苯胺和草酸通过无溶剂法反应, 合成出N,N′-二(苯基)草酸二酰胺和N,N′-二(取代苯基)草酸二酰胺, 利用¹H NMR, MS和元素分析对其结构进行了表征. 研究表明, 增加辐照功率选择合适的辐照时间有利于产物收率的提高, 甲基或氯单取代的苯胺得率高于苯胺, 增加固液两相的接触面积可大大提高产物的收率.     

Optimization of Adiponitrile Hydrolysis in Subcritical Water Using an Orthogonal Array Design

A study of the hydrolysis of adiponitrile (ADN) was performed in subcritical water to research the dependence on experimental conditions. An L₂₅(5⁶) orthogonal array design (OAD) with six factors at five levels using statistical analysis was employed to optimize the experimental conditions for each product in which the interactions between the variables were temporarily neglected. The six factors were adiponitrile concentration (ADN c, wt%), temperature (T), time (t h), percentage of additives (reactant/additive, wt/wt%), additives (A), and pressure (p, MPa). The effects of these parameters were investigated using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine the relationship between experimental conditions and yield levels of different products. The results showed that (ADN c) and T had a significant influence on the yields of adipamide, adipamic acid, and adipic acid at p<0.05. Time was the statistically significant factor for the yield of 5-cyanovalermic acid at p<0.05 and (ADN c) was the significant factor for the yield of 5-cyanovaleramide at p<0.1. Finally, five supplementary experiments were conducted under optimized conditions predicted by the Taguchi method; the results showed that the yield obtained of each product was no lower than that of the highest in the 25 experiments. Carbon balance was calculated to demonstrate the validity of the experimental technique and the reliability of the results. Based on the experimental results, a possible reaction mechanism was proposed.     

Effect of polyborazine additive on thermolysis of polyphenylsilane and polyvinylsilane

To improve the ceramic residue yields and processabilities of polyphenylsilane (PPS) and polyvinylsilane (PVS), polyborazine (PBN) was employed as an additive. The ceramic residue yield of PPS increased from an original 39wt% to 65wt%, and of PVS from an original 26wt% to 64wt% by simply heating with 1wt% PBN at 70 °C. Furthermore, low viscous PPS and PVS were transformed into highly viscous polymers, which were found to be suitable for hand drawing into green fibers. The enhanced properties were attributed to an increased molecular weight, as analyzed by GPC. ¹H-NMR and ²⁹Si-NMR spectra suggested that dehydrocoupling of SiH₃ in PVS and SiH in PPS by PBN was responsible for the improved ceramic yields.     

Crystal Engineering of Stable Temozolomide Cocrystals

The antitumor prodrug temozolomide (TMZ) decomposes in aqueous medium of pH≥7 but is relatively stable under acidic conditions. Pure TMZ is obtained as a white powder but turns pink and then brown, which is indicative of chemical degradation. Pharmaceutical cocrystals of TMZ were engineered with safe coformers such as oxalic acid, succinic acid, salicylic acid, d,l ‐malic acid, and d,l ‐tartaric acid, to stabilize the drug as a cocrystal. All cocrystals were characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), single crystal X‐ray diffraction, and FT‐IR as well as FT‐Raman spectroscopy. Temozolomide cocrystals with organic acids (pK_a 2–6) were found to be more stable than the reference drug under physiological conditions. The half‐life (T_1/2) of TMZ–oxalic and TMZ–salicylic acid measured by UV/Vis spectroscopy in pH 7 buffer is two times longer than that of TMZ (3.5 h and 3.6 h vs. 1.7 h); TMZ–succinic acid, TMZ–tartaric acid, and TMZ–malic acid also exhibited a longer half‐life (2.3, 2.5, and 2.8 h, respectively). Stability studies at 40 °C and 75 % relative humidity (ICH conditions) showed that hydrolytic degradation of temozolomide in the solid state started after one week, as determined by PXRD, whereas its cocrystals with succinic acid and oxalic acid were intact at 28 weeks, thus confirming the greater stability of cocrystals compared to the reference drug. The intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR) profile of TMZ–oxalic acid and TMZ–succinic acid cocrystals in buffer of pH 7 is comparable to that of temozolomide. Among the temozolomide cocrystals examined, those with succinic acid and oxalic acid exhibited both an improved stability and a comparable dissolution rate to the reference drug.     

Oxidations by the system ‘hydrogen peroxide-[Mn2L2O3][PF6]2 (L=1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane)-carboxylic acid’. Part 10: Co-catalytic effect of different carboxylic acids in the oxidation of cyclohexane, cyclohexanol, and acetone

Hydrogen peroxide oxidation of cyclohexane in acetonitrile solution catalyzed by the dinuclear manganese(IV) complex [LMn(O)₃MnL](PF₆)₂ (L=1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane, TMTACN) at 25 °C in the presence of a carboxylic acid affords cyclohexyl hydroperoxide as well as cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol. A kinetic study of the reactions with participation of three acids (acetic acid, oxalic acid, and pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid, 2,3-PDCA) led to the following general scheme. In the first stage, the catalyst precursor forms an adduct. The equilibrium constants K₁ calculated for acetic acid, oxalic acid, and 2,3-PDCA were 127±8, (7±2)×10⁴, and 1250±50 M⁻¹, respectively. The same kinetic scheme was applied for the cyclohexanol oxidation catalyzed by the complex in the presence of oxalic acid. The oxidation of cyclohexane in water solution using oxalic acid as a co-catalyst gave cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone, which were rapidly transformed into a mixture of over-oxidation products. In the oxidation of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone, varying the concentrations of the reactants and the reaction time we were able to find optimal conditions and to obtain the cyclohexanone in 94% yield based on the starting cyclohexanol. Oxidation of acetone to acetic acid by the system containing oxalic acid was also studied.     

Deuterium MAS NMR Studies of Dynamics on Multiple Timescales: Histidine and Oxalic Acid

Deuterium (²H) magic‐angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance is applied to monitor the dynamics of the exchanging labile deuterons of polycrystalline L ‐histidine hydrochloride monohydrate‐d₇ and α‐oxalic acid dihydrate‐d₆. Direct experimental evidence of fast dynamics is obtained from T_1Z and T_1Q measurements. Further motional information is extracted from two‐dimensional single‐quantum (SQ) and double‐quantum (DQ) MAS spectra. Differences between the SQ and DQ linewidths clearly indicate the presence of motions on intermediate timescales for the carboxylic moiety and the D₂O in α‐oxalic acid dihydrate, and for the amine group and the D₂O in L ‐histidine hydrochloride monohydrate. Comparison of the relaxation rate constants of Zeeman and quadrupolar order with the relaxation rate constants of the DQ coherences suggests the co‐existence of fast and slow motional processes.