Methylation of tin(II) by methyl iodide: influences of different environmental factors on the efficiency and reaction kinetics

The methylation reaction of Sn(II) with methyl iodide (MeI) in water has been studied using sensitive GC-QSIL-FPD technology. The pH value, amount of MeI and salinity (S) are the three important factors that influence the methylation reaction in an aquatic environment. In all experiments, monomethyltin (MMT) is the only methylation product of the tin(II) reacting with MeI observed. At the 95% confidence level, the pH, MeI and S are significant for the MMT yield. The concentration of MMT in the reactor increases with increase in pH within the selected pH range of 4–9 because four different species of Sn(II)–Sn²⁺, SnOH⁺, Sn(OH)₂⁰ and Sn(OH)₃⁻–have different reaction activities with MeI. The methylation activity of Sn(II) was found to be highest at a salinity of 0.1 M at three different pH levels: 5, 7 and 9. Higher concentration of Cl⁻ (as a relatively weak nucleophilic ion) will obstruct nucleophilic attack of Sn(II) on MeI. MMT production also increases with rising volume of MeI. Moreover, first-order reaction rates have been calculated at different pH, salinity and MeI, and found to be in the range 0.0018–0.0199 h⁻¹. The reaction rate also varies largely under different reaction conditions. One probable mechanism for the methylation reaction of Sn(II) with MeI is a S_N2 nucleophilic attack on the methyl group of MeI by Sn(II), via a process of oxidative methyl-transfer. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Methylation of tin(II) by methyl iodide in porewater

The methylation of tin(II) chloride by methyl iodide in porewater and formation of monomethyltin as the only methyltin product are described. A factorial experiment tested the effects of concentrations of tin(II), methyl iodide, and oxygen on monomethyltin yields. The experiments gave 0.18 to 12.8 % yield. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) calculations showed that all three variables were significant at the 95 % level. Comparison of yields in aqueous 23 g kg^?1 sodium chloride solutions to those in porewater and to those containing fulvic acid, salicylic acid, and EDTA showed that only fulvic acid significantly reduced yields. Reasons for this observation are discussed and the findings in the model system are related to methylation of tin compounds in sediments.     

The methylation of arsenic in marine sediments

Laboratory studies have shown that microorganisms present in both natural marine sediments and sediments contaminated with mine-tailings are capable of methylating arsenic under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Incubation of sediments with culture media produced volatile arsines [including AsH₃, (CH₃)AsH₂, and (CH₃)₃As] as well as the methylarsenic(V) compounds (CH₃)_nAs(O) (OH)_3?n (n = 1, 2, 3). The concentration of the arsines increased and then decreased in a growth and decay pattern reminiscent of the methylation and demethylation of mercury. Thus, arsenic speciation varied with time, being controlled by the biochemical activity of the dominant microbe(s) at the time of sampling, and changing in response to the ecological succession within the microbial community. The analysis of the interstitial waters of sediments collected from several British Columbia (Canada) coastal sites gave results that were consistent with the culture experiments, in that the methylarsenicals were ubiquitous, but present only in small amounts. It is estimated that methylarsenic(V) species account for less than 1% of the arsenic present in porewaters. The actual proportion was dependent on a number of factors but, contrary to prevailing viewpoints, there was no relationship to the organic content of the sediments, nor did methylation occur only in the presence of high arsenic concentrations. Instead, all of the evidence was consistent with in situ microbial methylation and demethylation processes that are similar to the arsenic transformations that occur in soil ecosystems. The results are discussed in terms of the cycling of arsenic in the marine environment and within the marine food web.     

Electronic structure of 10-alkyl(aryl)phenoxarsines and the mechanism of their reactions with methyl iodide

The structure of 10-alkyl(aryl)phenoxarsines has been investigated by the semiempirical quantum-chemical PM3 method. The As^III atom has a positive charge and simultaneously exhibits nucleophilic properties in the reaction with methyl, iodide. The reactions of 10-alkyl(aryl)phenoxarsines with methyl iodide are probably controlled by charge distribution. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2368–2371, November, 1998.     

Seasonal control of arsenic speciation in an estuarine ecosystem

Arsenic speciation in the Itchen estuary and Southampton Water (UK) has been shown to vary seasonally, with detectable (>0.02μg As dm^?3) dissolved arsenic(III) and methylated arsenic only being present from May to early October. This corresponds to the time period during which water temperatures exceed 12°C. For the remainder of the year, inorganic arsenic(V) was the only detectable species. At its peak, ca 30% of the dissolved arsenic was present as methylated forms with dimethylarsenic (DMAs) being the predominant bioarsenical. Significant quantities of monomethyl-arsenic (MMAs) and inorganic arsenic(III) were also present, however. The concentrations of the bioarsenical species varied with position in the estuary and generally increased with salinity. Measurements made during the period of peak algal activity implicated the highsalinity area of the estuary as the most probable region in which the methylated arsenicals are generated. At some sites, a distinct lag was observed between the appearance of dimethylarsenic and the detection of arsenic(III)and monomethylarsenic. Chlorophyll a concentration proved to be a poor predictor of the appearance of reduced and methylated arsenic in the water column. Possible sources of dissolved methylated arsenic are discussed.     

Effect of the ionic strength on the redox reaction of dicyanobis(bipyridine)iron(III)‐iodide in binary and ternary solvent systems

The redox reaction between dicyanobis(bipyridine)iron(III) and iodide ion follows first‐order kinetics in 10% (v/v) tertiary butyl alcohol‐water. The reaction was found first and zero order in iodide and dicyanobis(bipyridine)iron(III), respectively, at 0.06 M ionic strength and 293 ± 1 K. The thermodynamic parameters of activation such as E_A (16.07 kJ mol^?1), A (1 × 10^?4 M s^?1), ΔH^# (13.6 kJ mol^?1), ΔS^# (?329.81 J K^?1 mol^?1), and ΔG^# (90.1 kJ mol^?1) were determined. The effect of the ionic strength on the rate constant leads to recognizing the stabilization or destabilization of the transition state complex that forms during the rate‐determining step of the reaction. The value of the zero‐order rate constant was decreased with increasing ionic strength that yielded a negative value of the slope in each binary and ternary solvent systems. This negative sign refers to the electron transfer between opposite charge carriers such as [Fe^III(bpy)₂(CN)₂]⁺ and I^? during the rate‐determining step. The destabilization of the transition state complex is surfaced by the increasing slope, that is, 5 < 10 < 15% (v/v) tertiary butyl alcohol‐water with a gradual decrease in the rate constant. However, its stability emerges by relatively small values of the slope in 17.5 < 25 ≤ 30% (v/v) tertiary butyl alcohol‐water and 8:2:90 < 6:4:90% (v/v) dioxane: tertiary butyl alcohol: water with reasonably fast rate of reaction.     

Reactions of P(III) thiobenzyl esters with methyl iodide

The reactions of S-benzyl diphenylthiophosphinite and 2-benzylthio-4,5-benzo-1,3-dioxaphospholane with methyl iodide have been examined. In contrast to the oxygen analogs, the reaction occurs under mild conditions, and does not give Arbuzov reaction products.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2856–2857, December, 1991.     

Reaction of methyl iodide with organylethynyl silatranylmethyl chalcogenides

The reactivity of organylethynyl silatranylmethyl chalcogenides RC=CYCH₂Si(OCH₂CH₂)₃N (R=Ph, Me₃Si; Y=S, Se, Te) in the reaction with methyl iodide depending on the nature of the chalcogen Y, the substituent R at the triple bond, and the reaction conditions was studied. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2550–2551, December, 1998.     

Accumulation of arsenic(III) by chlorella vulgaris

Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment and also through agricultural and industrial pollution. Since arsenic species show different toxicities, it is important to be able to separate them. Methods using microorganisms are being applied increasingly to remove metal ions and different metal species from aqueous solutions. Accumulation of As(III) by Chlorella vulgaris algae was studied, including various factors that influence on accumulation capacity, e.g. pretreatment of the algae (live, dry and lyophilized algae), temperature (4, 22, 37 and 100 °C), pH and exposure time of the algae to arsenic solutions. The pH appears to be the most critical factor, probably due to the species presenting different charges with pH variation. For arsenic species determination, hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG–AAS) was employed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Model reactions for abiotic mercury(II) methylation: Kinetics of methylation of mercury(II) by mono-, di-, and tri-methyltin in seawater

The usual presence of mercury(II) with monodi-, and tri-methyltin in water, sediments, and plants in estuarine environments suggests possible abiotic formation of methylmercury via methyl transfer from methyltin compounds. Kinetics studies of reactions between mercury(II) and methyltin compounds under pseudo-first-order conditions in seawater show that relative rate of methylmercury formation under the same conditions are: monomethyltin <trimethyltin> dimethyltin. This order is explainable mainly by the speciation and charge of methyltin compounds in seawater and by the existence of mercury(II) as a tetrachloro anion. A factorial experiment with the variables pH and salinity (seawater diluted with deionized water) showed that pH, but not salinity, is significant at the 95% confidence level; and that reaction rates increase as pH increases. These results suggest the possibility of abiotic methylation of mercury(II) in seawater. Additional experiments in seawater demonstrated an absence of methylation of mercury(II) (14 days) and mercury(0) (35 days) by methyl iodide.     

Indium(III) iodide-mediated Strecker reaction in water: an efficient and environmentally friendly approach for the synthesis of α-aminonitrile via a three-component condensation

A mild, efficient and environmentally friendly method has been developed for the synthesis of α-aminonitriles via a three-component condensation of aldehyde, amine and TMSCN in the presence of a catalytic amount of indium(III) iodide in water. The reactions proceeded smoothly at room temperature in water to generate the corresponding products in moderate to excellent yields.     

Enthalpies of formation of adducts of antimony(III) iodide with pyridine and methyl-pyridines

Solid adducts of formula SbI₃·L (L = pyridine or 2-, 3- or 4-methylpyridine abbreviated as Py, 2MPy, 3MPy or 4MPy) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and thermal analysis. IR data showed that coordination to antimony is through nitrogen. Thermal degradation of adducts starts at 431, 423, 413 and 411 K for Py, 2MPy, 3MPy and 4MPy, respectively. Reaction-solution calorimetry was used to evaluate the enthalpy change of reaction: SbI₃(cr) + L(l) = SbI₃·L(cr), 61.13 ± 1.75, −82.60 ± 1.55, −67.50 ± 0.97 and −74.10 ± 1.19 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Enthalpy change values for decomposition of adducts, lattice enthalpies and enthalpies of the Lewis acid-base reaction in the gas phase were calculated through appropriate thermochemical cycles. Mean SbN bond enthalpies were estimated as 134 ± 3, 154 ± 3, 140 ± 3 and 147 ± 4 kJ mol⁻¹, for Py, 2MPy, 3MPy and 4MPy, respectively.     

间歇釜中BZ类均相无机振荡反应的研究

在间歇釜中, 以BrO3^--H2PO2^--Mn^2^+-Fe(phen)3^2^+-H2SO4为体系, 本文首次设计了一个纯无机均相BZ类化学振荡体系, 采用溴离子选择性电极和紫外可见分光光度计可分别观察到[Br^-],[Mn^3^+]和[Fe(phen)3^3^+]的振荡现象。对振荡反应产物及总反应计量关系进行了分析, 考察了反应物浓度和反应温度对体系振荡反应的影响, 并由此计算得到振荡反应的表观活化能, 研究了Cl^-,Br^-, Br2, 丙烯腈等因素对振荡反应的影响, 并由此对振荡反应的控制机理作了探索。对体系中两种金属离子的作用进行了分析。在此基础上提出了一种在间歇釜中设计均相BZ类振荡反应的新方法。利用这一方法, 不仅可以设计无机振荡反应, 而且还可以设计一系列由氨基酸、多肽、糖类等具有生物功能的物质参与的化学振荡, 有助于理解生物体内普遍存在的周期性现象。     

Urinary arsenic species in an arsenic‐affected area of West Bengal,India (part III)

Arsenic contamination of groundwater has long been reported in the Mushidabad district of West Bengal, India. We visited 13 arsenic‐affected families in the Makrampur village of the Beldanga block in Mushidabad during 18–21 December 2001 and collected five shallow tubewell‐water samples used general household purposes, four deep tubewell‐water samples used for drinking and cooking purposes, and 44 urine samples from those families. The arsenic concentrations in the five shallow tubewell‐water samples ranged from 18.0 to 408.4 ppb and those in the four deep tubewell‐water samples were from 5.2 to 9.6 ppb. The average arsenite (arsenic(III)), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and arsenate (arsenic(V)) in urine were 28.7 ng mg^?1, 168.6 ng mg^?1, 25.0 ng mg^?1 and 4.6 ng mg^?1 creatinine respectively. The average total arsenic was 227.0 ng mg^?1 creatinine. On comparison of the ratio of (MMA + DMA) to total arsenic, the average proportion was 86.7 ± 9.2% (mean plus/minus to residual standard deviation, n = 43). The exception was data for one boy, whose proportion was 8.0%. One woman excreted the highest total arsenic, at 2890.0 ng mg^?1 creatinine. When using 43 of the urine samples (the exception being the one sample obtained from the boy) there were significantly positive correlations (p < 0.01) between arsenic(III) and MMA, between arsenic(III) and DMA and between MMA and DMA. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The methylation of inorganic tin by humic materials in an aquatic environment

This paper presents a study of methylation of inorganic tin (SnCl₄·5H₂O) by humic materials (humic and fulvic acids) isolated from the sediment of Tianjin Harbor, Tianjin, China, and the effects of pH, salinity, and the concentration of inorganic tin on the production of methyltin were investigated. These humic materials could methylate inorganic tin, and the methyltin product was mainly monomethyltin. Low molecular weight compounds of the humus fraction (i.e. fulvic acid) were more active in the methylation, which could be facilitated by salinity and affected by pH.     

Osmium (VIII)-mediated oxidation of arsenic (III)/antimony (III) by 1-equivalent oxidants

Os(VIII) catalysis of oxidation of As(III)/Sb(III) by 1-equivalent oxidants like Ce(IV) and Mn(III) in acid medium is studied. A multistep mechanism involving the intervention of the intermediate oxidation states of osmium is found to apply. Specific rates of different steps in the mechanism are estimated and used to calculate reaction rates which are in reasonable agreement with those of experiment.     

On the Ambiphilic Reactivity of Geometrically Constrained Phosphorus(III) and Arsenic(III) Compounds: Insights into Their Interaction with Ionic Substrates

The ambiphilic nature of geometrically constrained Group 15 complexes bearing the N,N‐bis(3,5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐2‐phenolate)amide pincer ligand (ONO^3?) is explored. Despite their differing reactivity towards nucleophilic substrates with polarised element–hydrogen bonds (e.g., NH₃), both the phosphorus(III), P(ONO) ( 1 a ), and arsenic(III), As(ONO) ( 1 b ), compounds exhibit similar reactivity towards charged nucleophiles and electrophiles. Reactions of 1 a and 1 b with KOtBu or KNPh₂ afford anionic complexes in which the nucleophilic anion associates with the pnictogen centre ([(tBuO)Pn(ONO)]^? (Pn=P ( 2 a ), As ( 2 b )) and [(Ph₂N)Pn(ONO)]^? (Pn=P ( 3 a ), As ( 3 b )). Compound 2 a can subsequently be reacted with a proton source or benzylbromide to afford the phosphorus(V) compounds (tBuO)HP(ONO) ( 4 a ) and (tBuO)BzP(ONO) ( 5 a ), respectively, whereas analogous arsenic(V) compounds are inaccessible. Electrophilic substrates, such as HOTf and MeOTf, preferentially associate with the nitrogen atom of the ligand backbone of both 1 a and 1 b , giving rise to cationic species that can be rationalised as either ammonium salts or as amine‐stabilised phosphenium or arsenium complexes ([Pn{ON(H)O}]⁺ (Pn=P ( 6 a ), As ( 6 b )) and [Pn{ON(Me)O}]⁺ (Pn=P ( 7 a ), As ( 7 b )). Reaction of 1 a with an acid bearing a nucleophilic counteranion (such as HCl) gives rise to a phosphorus(V) compound HPCl(ONO) ( 8 a ), whereas the analogous reaction with 1 b results in the addition of HCl across one of the As?O bonds to afford ClAs{(H)ONO} ( 8 b ). Functionalisation at both the pnictogen centre and the ligand backbone is also possible by reaction of 7 a / 7 b with KOtBu, which affords the neutral species (tBuO)Pn{ON(Me)O} (Pn=P ( 9 a ), As ( 9 b )). The ambiphilic reactivity of these geometrically constrained complexes allows some insight into the mechanism of reactivity of 1 a towards small molecules, such as ammonia and water.     

Solvent effect on reaction rates: Reaction between sodium ethoxide and methyl iodide in ethanol + cyclohexane solvent systems

The kinetics of the reaction between sodium ethoxide and methyl iodide has been studied at 25°C in various cyclohexane-ethanol solvent mixtures with a cyclohexane content of 10 to 50% per volume. The determination of the rate constants att=0 were carried out by a new iterative method proposed in this investigation. The obtained results show that the reaction rate decreases with the increasing cyclohexane content. This behavior can be attributed to various solute-solvent interactions of electrostatic nature. On the other hand, the variation of ion and ion pairs rate constants with solvent composition permits the various solvation effects to be taken into account.     

Tolerance,bioaccumulation and biotransformation of arsenic in freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

Tolerance bioaccumulation and biotransformation of arsenic compounds by a freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) were investigated. M. rosenbergii was exposed to 10, 20, 30 and 35 μg As cm⁻³ of disodium arsenate [abbreviated as As(V)], 25, 50, 100 and 120 μg As cm⁻³ of methylarsonic acid (MMAA), or 100,200, 300 and 350 μg As cm⁻³ of dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA). Tolerances (50% lethal concentration: LC₅₀) of the prawn against As(V), MMAA, and DMAA were 30, 100, and 300 μg As cm⁻³, respectively. The prawn accumulated arsenic compounds directly from aqueous phase and biotransformed them in part. Both methylation and demethylation of the arsenicals were observed in vivo. Highly methylated and less toxic arsenicals were less accumulated in M. rosenbergii.     

Environmentally friendly organic synthesis using bismuth compounds: bismuth(III) iodide catalyzed deprotection of acetals in water

The chemoselective deprotection of a wide range of acetals and ketals in water is catalyzed by bismuth(III) iodide. Bismuth(III) compounds are remarkably nontoxic and hence are attractive as environmentally friendly catalysts.