Synthesis and resolution of naphthyl-Tröger's base

A naphthyl analogue of Tröger's base {8H,16H-7,15-methanodinaphtho[2,1-b][2′,1′-f][1,5]-diazocine (NTB)} was prepared and successfully resolved using (−)- and (+)-di-p-toluoyl-tartaric acid. Enantiomers obtained show extremely high specific rotations related to (i) the rigid [1,5]-diazocine skeleton with molecular asymmetry and (ii) the presence of condensed aromatic rings, similar to helicenes.     

Kinetic characteristics of the destruction of β,β-annelated porphyrazines in a nitrogen-containing base–dimethylsulfoxide system

The state of tetra(1,2,5-thiadiazolo)porphyrazine in a dimethyl sulfoxide medium is investigated. Relatively high stability is observed for the resulting proton-transfer complex, and a chemical structure is proposed for it. It is shown that the nature of the substituent in the porphyrazine macrocycle influences the kinetic parameters of the destruction of tetra(1,2,5-thiadiazolo)porphyrazine, tetra(5-tert-butylpyrazino) porphyrazine, octaethyltetrapyrazinoporphyrazine, and octaphenyltetrapyrazinoporphyrazine in a nitrogen-containing base–dimethylsulfoxide system. The effect the NH acidity of the porphyrazine macrocycle and the nature of the nitrogenous bases have on the reaction rate and activation parameters of the destruction of β,β-annelated porphyrazine proton-transfer complexes is established.     

Acid–base interactions and swelling of cellulose fibers in organic liquids

Drago’s acid–base approach was used to quantify the hydrogen bonding interactions in solvent swelling of cellulose fibers. The fiber swelling was correlated with acid–base, dispersive interactions and solvent molar volume. The acid–base interaction potentials of solvents were expressed in terms of their electron pair donor and acceptor numbers. The acid–base interaction terms of cellulosic materials were determined by using: (1) Flory–Huggins; (2) multiple regression models. We have used the swelling data of Mantanis and coworkers, which were based on the equilibrium liquid holding capacities of various compressed fibers in water and series of organic solvents. According to our interpretations, acid–base interactions and molar volume parameters were the major contributors to the overall solubility parameter. Acid–base interaction terms were balanced in alpha-cellulose sample. However spruce wood and sulfite pulp samples were more acidic than basic and therefore swollen better in organic basic solvents. For a good swelling behavior solvent must have high electron pair donor number/acceptor number ratio and high electron pair donor number–acceptor number difference.     

The mechanism of Tröger's base formation probed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Using direct infusion electrospray ionization mass and tandem mass spectrometric experiments [ESI-MS(/MS)], we have performed on-line monitoring of some reactions used to form Tr?ger's bases. Key intermediates, either as cationic species or as protonated forms of neutral species, have been intercepted and characterized. The role of urotropine as the methylene source in these reactions has also been accessed. Reaction pathways shown by ESI-MS(/MS) have been probed by gas-phase ion/molecule reactions, and an expanded mechanism for Tr?ger's base formation based on the mass spectrometric data has been elaborated.     

Effect of a magnetic field on the rheological properties of the systems hydroxypropyl cellulose–ethanol and hydroxypropyl cellulose–dimethyl sulfoxide

With the use of viscometry, the cloud-point method, polarization microscopy, the turbidity-spectrum method, and a polarization photoelectric apparatus, the relaxation pattern of the rheological behaviors, phase transitions, and structures of the systems hydroxypropyl cellulose–ethanol and hydroxypropyl cellulose–dimethyl sulfoxide are studied. The regions of existence of isotropic and anisotropic phases and the concentration dependence of the sizes of supramolecular particles are determined. It is found that a magnetic field increases the viscosities of solutions. The concentration dependences of viscosity and particle size are described by curves with maxima.     

Investigation of the kinetics of the chain-radical process in the system iron carbonyl–Lewis base

An ESR spectroscopy investigation of the kinetics of accumulation and consumption of iron carbonyl radical anions, Fe₃(CO)₁₂⁻ and Fe₃(CO)₁₁⁻, arising in the reaction of Fe₃(CO)₁₂ with (Et₄N)SEt in THF at 19.5°C, was carried out using the stopped-flow technique. The solution of the inverse kinetic problem showed a satisfactory agreement between calculated and experimental data. This supports the principal idea that chain radical processes including preliminary complex formation followed by one-electron redox-initiation lie at the heart of the interaction of iron carbonyls with Lewis bases, and that the following transformations are due to electron and ligand changes in the coordination sphere of seventeen-electron coordinatively unsaturated species.     

Kinetic analysis of the crystallization processes in the glasses of the Bi–As–S system

Kinetic analysis of the crystallization process in Bi₄(As₂S₃)₉₆ and Bi₆(As₂S₃)₉₄ glasses was performed based on DSC curves recorded under non-isothermal measurement conditions. Samples were thermally treated at different heating rates in the temperature range 300?C770?K. The activation energy of crystallization E and the pre-exponential factor K ₀ are determined by the Kissinger method and the characteristic crystallization parameters m and n of investigated glasses by the Matusita method. For both crystallization processes the glass with 4 at.% of Bi is characterized by the mechanism of volume nucleation, which is manifested in the form of two-dimensional growth at the first crystallization process, and as three-dimensional at the second one. On the other hand, in the sample with 6 at.% Bi, the average value of the parameter m is close to one, which indicates one-dimensional crystal growth. Compatibility of the values of the parameters m and n suggests that this sample has a large number of crystallization centers, which do not increase significantly during the thermal treatment.     

Optimization of a hybrid chromatography-crystallization process for the separation of Tröger's base enantiomers

This paper presents an analysis of a hybrid process consisting of simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography and crystallization and studies its performance for the separation of the Tr?ger's base enantiomers. The SMB is simulated using a detailed model including column efficiency, thus, implying a proper evaluation of the effect of column size on column efficiency and separation performance. The crystallization operations are accounted for through material balances, assuming equilibrium between enantiopure crystals and mother liquor. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the combined process, using proper definitions of objective functions. Multi-objective optimization of this hybrid process for productivity and evaporation cost in terms of operating parameters, column length, and SMB feed concentration shows an optimum SMB purity value as a trade off between increased SMB performance and recycle of the mother liquor.     

Measurement and modeling of the equilibrium behavior of the Tröger's base enantiomers on an amylose-based chiral stationary phase

The binary isotherms of the two enantiomers of Tr?ger's base were measured on a system made of pure 2-propanol as the mobile phase and of Chiralpak AD, a chiral stationary phase (CSP) based on amylose tri-(3,5-dimethylphenyl carbamate). The experimental data were acquired using both frontal analysis and the perturbation method. The results obtained are most unusual. The adsorption of the more-retained (-)-enantiomer is not competitive: the amount adsorbed onto the CSP at equilibrium with a constant concentration of the (-)-enantiomer is independent of the concentration of the (+) enantiomer. On the other hand, the adsorption of the less-retained enantiomer is cooperative: the amount of this (+)-enantiomer adsorbed by the CSP at equilibrium with a constant concentration of this enantiomer increases with increasing concentration of the (-)-enantiomer. Such a phenomenon has hardly ever been reported. A model equation is proposed that accounts well for all these isotherm data.     

Mass transfer rate in liquid anion exchange processes—II: Kinetic of iron(III) transfer in the biphasic system trilaurylamine hydrochloride-aromatic diluent,HCl-water

The initial mass transfer rate of Fe(III) in the system trilaurylamine hydrochloride (TLAHCl)-aromatic diluent, HCl-water, has been studied in a constant interfacial area cell as function of the stirring speed of the phases, specific interfacial area and chemical composition of the system. The aromatic diluents benzene and toluene have been used. It has been shown that the rate of extraction is determined by interfacial chemical reactions occurring between the interfacially absorbed molecules of the liquid anion exchanger, TLAHCl, and the bulk species containing iron. Some evidence has been also obtained that the kinetically reactive aqueous iron species can be the neutral complex FeCl₃. A rate expression has been so derived and the rate constants of the interfacial reactions have been evaluated. The rate expression and rate constants have been found to be the same in both the organic diluents. By using the equilibrium law derived from the rate equation it has been demonstrated that distribution data can be predicted from kinetic measurements at time zero with a good degree of accuracy. Finally it has been proved that the proposed reaction mechanism does not vary with time and concentration vs time curves can be predicted from the calculated constants of the interfacial chemical reactions.     

Small-angle X-ray scattering of the gadolinium triacetate–undecane–water system

By small-angle X-ray scattering a gadolinium triacetate–undecane–water system is studied at hydrotrope concentrations of 0.05-0.5 М on the line of saturation with undecane at 298 K. In the ternary system mixed hydrotrope/undecane lamellar micelles form with lateral dimensions of hydrophilic and hydrophobic plates of 0.4 nm. It is shown that the Gibbs energy of the hydrophobic interaction and the micelle shape are determined by a joint (cooperative) effect of the hydrotrope and hydrocarbon on water.     

Theoretical study of proton transfer in ammonia–hydrogen halides in the presence of methanol

In this work, the effect of solvent (methanol, CH₃OH) molecules on proton transfer (PT) between ammonia and hydrogen halides was studied. We performed MP2 and B3LYP calculations on HX–NH₃–(CH₃OH) _n clusters for three hydrogen halides, HF, HCl, and HBr, with the number of methanol molecules varying from none to three (n = 0–3). The results showed that stepwise association of methanol molecules with the gas-phase complex can eventually facilitate ionization within the complex, producing the $ {\text{NH}}_{4}^{ + } {\text{X}}^{ - } - \left( {{\text{CH}}_{ 3} {\text{OH}}} \right)_{\text{n}} $ cluster. We found that PT occurs on addition of from one (for HBr) to three (for HF) methanol molecules. The interaction energy $ E_{\text{int}} $ and $ \Updelta E_{\text{add}} $ for the complexes were calculated and basis set superposition error (BSSE) correction was also performed. Atoms-in-molecule and natural-bond-orbital analysis were used to study the properties of the hydrogen bonds in the complexes.     

Tobacco pyrolysis. Kinetic evaluation of thermogravimetric–mass spectrometric experiments

The thermal decomposition of two tobacco blends was studied by thermogravimetry–mass spectrometry (TGA–MS) at slow heating programs under well-defined conditions. The kinetic evaluation was based on a distributed activation energy model (DAEM) which is a suitable tool for complex materials of plant origin. Linear and non-linear (stepwise) heating programs were employed to obtain information for reliable kinetic modeling. Series of experiments were evaluated simultaneously by the method of least squares. Efforts were made to identify and describe kinetically the similarities between two, highly different tobacco samples as well as between the various mass spectrometric intensity curves. This was achieved by evaluating large series of experimental results and assuming several kinetic parameters to be common for both samples and/or a group of mass spectrometric intensities.The methods and considerations outlined in the paper may be helpful in the studies of biomass and other organic samples by a wider variety of experimental techniques including TGA–FTIR and time-resolved pyrolysis.     

Synthesis, resolution, and absolute configuration of difunctionalized Tröger's base derivatives

Two racemic derivatives of Tr?ger's base, the 2,8-diboronic acid ester 6 and the 3,9-dibromo-substituted derivative 5, were synthesized and successfully resolved by HPLC on a chiral stationary Whelk-01 phase on a semipreparative scale, thereby giving rise to both enantiomers in a pure form. These functionalized C(2)-symmetric building blocks are valuable precursors for a variety of further applications. Their absolute configurations were determined by comparison of their quantum chemically calculated CD and UV/Vis spectra with the experimental ones and were independently confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

How does the never-dried state influence the swelling and dissolution of cellulose fibres in aqueous solvent?

The swelling and dissolution capacity of dried and never-dried hardwood and softwood pulps and cotton linters was compared in two aqueous solvents, N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO)-water at 90 °C with water contents ranging from 16 to 22% and NaOH—water at −6 °C with NaOH contents ranging from 5 to 8%. Swelling and dissolution mechanisms were observed by optical microscopy and dissolution efficiency was evaluated by recovering insoluble fractions. The results show a contrasted picture towards the effect of the never-dried state on the swelling and the dissolution capacity depending on the origin of the fibres and the type of aqueous solvent. In the case of NMMO—water, the presence of water within and around the fibre does not seem to favour dissolution initiation but after 2 h of mixing the dissolution yield appears to be similar for either dried or never-dried state. The limiting factor for dissolution in NMMO—water is not the penetration of the solvent inside the cellulose fibres, but only the local concentration of NMMO molecules around the fibre. For NaOH—water, both optical microscopy observations on individual fibres and dissolution yield measurements show that the never-dried state is more reactive for softwood pulps and cotton linters and has no significant effect on hardwood pulps. In this case, the local decrease of solvent strength is counteracted by the opening of the structure in the never-dried state which should enable the Na⁺ hydrated ions to penetrate easier.     

Adsorption behavior of the (+/-)-Tröger's base enantiomers in the phase system of a silica-based packing coated with amylose tri(3,5-dimethyl carbamate) and 2-propanol and molecular modeling interpretation

The binary adsorption isotherms of the enantiomers of Tr?ger's base in the phase system made of Chiral Technologies ChiralPak AD [a silica-based packing coated with amylose tri(3,5-dimethyl carbamate)] as the chiral stationary phase (CSP) and 2-propanol as the mobile phase were measured by the perturbation method. The more retained enantiomer exhibits a S-shaped adsorption isotherm with a clear inflection point, the concentration of the less retained enantiomer having practically no competitive influence on this isotherm: In the entire range of concentrations studied, dq2/dC1 approximately 0. By contrast, the less retained enantiomer has a Langmuir adsorption isotherm when pure. At constant mobile phase concentrations, however, its equilibrium concentration in the adsorbed phase increases with increasing concentration of the more retained enantiomer and dq1/dC2 > 0. This cooperative adsorption behavior, opposed to the classical competitive behavior, is exceedingly rare but was clearly demonstrated in this case. Two adsorption isotherm equations that account for these physical observations were derived. They are based on the formation of an adsorbed multi-layer, as suggested by the isotherm data. The excellent agreement between the experimental overloaded elution profiles of binary mixtures and the profiles calculated with the equilibrium-dispersive model validates this binary isotherm model. The adsorption energies calculated by molecular mechanics (MM) and by molecular dynamics (MD) indicate that the chiral recognition arising from the different interactions between the functional groups of the CSP and the molecules of the Tr?ger's base enantiomers are mainly driven by their Van der Waals interactions. The MD data suggest that the interactions of the (-)-Tr?ger's base with the CSP are more favored by 8+/-(5) kJ/mol than those of (+)-Tr?ger's base. This difference seems to be a contributing factor to the increased retention of the - enantiomer on this chromatographic system. The modeling of the data also indicates that both enantiomers can form high stoichiometry complexes while binding onto the stationary phase, in agreement with the results of the equilibrium isotherm studies.