Effect of calcination temperature during preparation of Ru?Sn-alumina catalysts on the hydrogenation of carboxylic acid

The conversion of a carboxylic acid was increased to 90% with 100% selectivity to the corresponding alcohol by calcination of the catalyst precursor, Sn/alumina, of Ru–Sn/alumina in the hydrogenation of the carboxylic acid.     

Stereoselective hydrogenation of (−)-menthone and (+)-isomenthone mixture using nickel catalysts

The catalytic hydrogenation of an optically active mixture of (−)-menthone and (+)-isomenthone was studied. The catalysts Raney nickel and Ni/SiO₂ were used for these hydrogenations. Catalysts modified with (2R,3R)-(+)-tartaric acid were tested as well. Various non-equilibrium mixtures of isomers were produced by means of these reactions, especially mixtures containing the less stable menthol isomers, (+)-neomenthol and (+)-neoisomenthol. (−)-Menthol was produced during these reactions to a limited extent, the production of (−)-isomenthol was barcly existent. Isomerization of (−)-menthone and (+)-isomenthone occurred during these reactions. Isomerizations among individual isomers were barely detectable. The catalysts used showed a very low activity under the given reaction conditions.     

Enantioselective Homogeneous Hydrogenation of Monosubstituted Pyridines and Furans

Summary.  The first case of an enantioselective hydrogenation of monosubstituted pyridines and furans with homogeneous rhodium diphosphine catalysts with low but significant enantioselectivities and catalyst activities is reported. Best enantioselectivities (ees of 24–27%) were obtained for the hydrogenation of 2- and 3-pyridine carboxylic acid ethyl ester and 2-furan carboxylic acid with catalysts prepared in situ from [Rh(nbd)₂]BF₄ and the chiral ligands diop, binap, or ferrocenyl diphosphines of the josiphos type. Turnover numbers (ton) were in the order of 10–20, turnover frequencies (tof) usually 1–2 h⁻¹. Diphosphines giving 6- or 7-ring chelates led to higher ees than 1,2-diphosphines; otherwise, no clear correlation between ligand properties and catalytic performance was found. In some experiments black precipitates were observed at the end of the reaction, indicating the decomposition of the homogeneous catalysts for certain ligand/metal/substrate combinations. Received April 5, 2000. Accepted (revised) May 2, 2000     

Liquid-phase CO hydrogenation over silica-supported transition metal and Cu?Zn?Cr oxide catalysts

CO hydrogenation in the liquid phase using transition metal catalysts and Cu−Zn−Cr oxide has been investigated. Cu−Zn−Cr was also effective in the liquid phase for methanol formation.     

Calorimetric investigation of interactions in the LaNi4.75Al0.25−H2 and LaNi4.8Sn0.2−H2 systems

The interaction of hydrogen with intermetalic compounds LaNi_4.75Al_0.25 and LaNi_4.8Sn_0.2 has been studied in the temperature range 308–353 K by the calorimetry titration method. The mechanism of hydrogenation was investigated. It was shown that, as the temperature increases, the initial concentration of hydrogen in the metal lattice needed for β-hydride formation decreases. It was assumed that this effect is related to the concentration of H^δ+ atoms, which “oxidize” the metallic matrix according to the scheme H^δ++M⁰→H^δ−+M⁺. The enthalpy and entropy of hydrogenation for the LaNi_4.75Al_0.25−H₂ system were calculated from thep-C-T curves and the calorimetry results. The thermodynamic parameters of the LaNi_4.8Sn_0.2−H₂ system were obtained for the first time. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1841–1844, October, 1999.     

Effect of Hydrogenation on Ring C of Flavonols on Their Affinity for Bovine Serum Albumin

In this paper, the effect of hydrogenation on ring C of flavonols on the affinity for bovine serum albumin was investigated. Two differently substituted B-ring hydroxylation flavonols (myricetin and quercetin) and their dihydrides (dihydromyricetin and dihydroquercetin) were used to study their affinities for BSA by quenching the intrinsic BSA fluorescence in solution. From the spectra, the bimolecular quenching constants, the binding constants, the number of binding sites and the binding distances were calculated. The hydroxylation on ring B and hydrogenation on ring C of flavonols significantly affected the binding/quenching process; in general, the hydroxylation increased the affinity and the hydrogenation decreased the affinity. For myricetin and quercetin, the binding constants (K _a) for BSA were 1.84×10⁸ L⋅mol⁻¹ and 3.83×10⁷ L⋅mol⁻¹. For dihydromyricetin, the binding constant was 1.36×10⁴ L⋅mol⁻¹, while dihydroquercetin hardly quenched the BSA intrinsic fluorescence. These results showed that hydrogen bonding and conjugative effects may play an important role in binding of flavonols to BSA. These results also showed that the properties of flavonols are related to their chemical structure.     

Gas-phase catalytic oxidation ofm-xylene

The gas-phase oxidation ofm-xylene on catalysts for partial hydrocarbon oxidation (Bi−Fe−Co−Ni−Mo−P−O, V−Sb−O and V−Ti−O) has been studied at 325–400°C. 3-Methylbenzaldehyde (for the first two catalysts), or both 3-methylbenzaldehyde and 3-methylbenzoic acid (for the last one) were shown to be the main partial oxidation products.     

Kinetic Studies on the Complexation of Chromium(III) with some Amino Acids in Aqueous Acidic Medium

Summary.  The kinetics of the formation of the 1:3 complex of chromium(III) with L-glutamic acid and DL-lysine were studied spectrophotometrically at and 550 nm. The reaction was found to be first order in both reactants. Increasing the hydrogen ion concentration from 3.2×10⁻⁵ to 1.0×10⁻³ molċdm⁻³ retarded the reaction rate which is of the form . Values of 28.8 and 63.6 kJċmol⁻¹ were obtained for the energy of activation and −184 and −116 Jċ K⁻¹ċmol⁻¹ for the entropy of activation for L-glutamic acid and DL-lysine. The logarithms of the formation constants of the two complexes were found to be 5.9 and 5.1. Received January 7, 2000. Accepted (revised) March 8, 2000     

Thermodynamic Properties of Hydrofullerene C60H36 from 5 to 340 K

The temperature dependence of the molar heat capacity (C⁰ _p) of hydrofullerene C₆₀H₃₆ between 5 and 340 K was determined by adiabatic vacuum calorimetry with an error of about 0.2%. The experimental data were used for the calculation of the thermodynamic functions of the compound in the range 0 to340 K. It was found that at T=298.15 K and p=101.325 kPa C⁰ _p (298.15)=690.0 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹,H^o(298.15)−H^o(0)= 84.94 kJ mol⁻¹,S^o(298.15)=506.8 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹, G^o(298.15)−H^o(0)= −66.17 kJ mol⁻¹. The standard entropy of formation of hydrofullerene C₆₀H₃₆ and the entropy of reaction of its formation by hydrogenation of fullerene C₆₀ with hydrogen were estimated and at T=298.15 K they were Δ_fS^o= −2188.4 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ and Δ_rS^o= −2270.5 J K⁻¹mol⁻¹, respectively. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Kinetic Studies on the Complexation of Chromium(III) with some Amino Acids in Aqueous Acidic Medium

 The kinetics of the formation of the 1:3 complex of chromium(III) with L-glutamic acid and DL-lysine were studied spectrophotometrically at and 550 nm. The reaction was found to be first order in both reactants. Increasing the hydrogen ion concentration from 3.2×10⁻⁵ to 1.0×10⁻³ molċdm⁻³ retarded the reaction rate which is of the form . Values of 28.8 and 63.6 kJċmol⁻¹ were obtained for the energy of activation and −184 and −116 Jċ K⁻¹ċmol⁻¹ for the entropy of activation for L-glutamic acid and DL-lysine. The logarithms of the formation constants of the two complexes were found to be 5.9 and 5.1.     

Anode oxidation of copper in alkali media in the presence of glycine, α-alanine,and asparagine acid

The effect of glycine, α-alanine, and asparagine acid on the kinetics of anode processes occurring for copper in alkali electrolytes is studied. The experiments are performed in a background solution of 1 × 10⁻² M NaOH (pH 12). The concentrations of glycine and α-alanine are varied in the range of 1 × 10⁻⁶-1 × 10⁻¹ M, and the concentration of asparagine acid is varied in the range of 1 × 10⁻⁵-1 × 10⁻³ M. All amino acids used in this work have been found to stimulate anode oxidation of passivated copper, initiating local activation (LA) of the metal. Depending on the nature of amino acids, this effect occurs in various concentration ranges: for glycine and α-alanine, it takes place at c= 5 × 10⁻³-2 × 10⁻² M, while for asparagine acid, at c = 1 × 10⁻⁵−1 × 10⁻³ M. In addition to this general regularity, several individual peculiarities have been revealed: in the systems containing a monobasic amino acid additive, local activation occurs at E = 0.10–0.20 V, while in the presence of a dibasic amino acid, the local activation is observed at two potentials, E _LA¹ = 0.20–0.30 V and = E _LA² = 0.80–0.90 V, separated by the repassivation region.     

Low-molecular-weight phenolic compounds from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hedysarum theinum</Emphasis> roots

Isoflavonoids (−)-medicarpin, (−)-vestitol, formononetin, 8-hydroxydaidzein, and 6″-O-acetylononin were isolated for the first time in addition to (−)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, protocatechoic acid, raspberry ketone, and rhododendrol from the alcohol extract of Hedysarum theinum roots. __________ Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 26–28, January–February, 2008.     

Electrochemical determination of ascorbic acid using the poly-cysteine film-modified electrode

A poly(L-cysteine) thin film was prepared onto electrode surface via electropolymerization. In pH 7.0 phosphate buffer, L-cysteine was oxidized during the cyclic potential sweep between −0.60 and 2.00 V, forming a thin film at the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface. The electrochemical behaviors of ascorbic acid at the bare GCE and the poly(L-cysteine) film-coated GCE were investigated. The oxidation peak potential of ascorbic acid shifts to more negative potential at the poly(L-cysteine) film-modified GCE. Moreover, the oxidation peak current significantly increases at the poly(L-cysteine) film-modified GCE. These phenomena indicate that poly(L-cysteine) film shows highly-efficient catalytic activity to the oxidation of ascorbic acid. Based on this, a sensitive and simple electrochemical method was proposed for the determination of ascorbic acid. The oxidation peak current of ascorbic acid is proportional to its concentration over the range from 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 5.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹. The limit of detection is evaluated to be 4.0 × 10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹.     

Production of Butyric Acid from Glucose and Xylose with Immobilized Cells of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clostridium tyrobutyricum</Emphasis> in a Fibrous-bed Bioreactor

Butyric acid has many applications in chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries. In the present study, Clostridium tyrobutyricum ATCC 25755 was immobilized in a fibrous-bed bioreactor to evaluate the performance of butyrate production from glucose and xylose. The results showed that the final concentration and yield of butyric acid were 13.70 and 0.46 g g⁻¹, respectively, in batch fermentation when 30 g L⁻¹ glucose was introduced into the bioreactor. Furthermore, high concentration 10.10 g L⁻¹ and yield 0.40 g g⁻¹ of butyric acid were obtained with 25 g L⁻¹ xylose as the carbon source. The immobilized cells of C. tyrobutyricum ensured similar productivity and yield from repeated batch fermentation. In the fed-batch fermentation, the final concentration of butyric acid was further improved to 24.88 g L⁻¹ with one suitable glucose feeding in the fibrous-bed bioreactor. C. tyrobutyricum immobilized in the fibrous-bed bioreactor would provide an economically viable fermentation process to convert the reducing sugars derived from plant biomass into the final bulk chemical (butyric acid).     

Water Activity and Osmotic Coefficients in Solutions of Glycine,Glutamic Acid,Histidine and their Salts at 298.15 K and 310.15 K

From vapor pressure osmometry data, the activity of water, osmotic coefficients and mean ionic activity coefficients of glycine (m=0.006−3.2 mol⋅kg⁻¹), L-histidine (m=0.005−0.23 mol⋅kg⁻¹), L-histidine monohydrochloride (m=0.008−0.63 mol⋅kg⁻¹), glutamic acid (m=0.004−0.05 mol⋅kg⁻¹), sodium L-glutamate (m=0.007−0.6 mol⋅kg⁻¹), and calcium L-glutamate (m=0.008−0.6 mol⋅kg⁻¹) have been obtained in aqueous solutions at 298.15 and 310.15 K. The Pitzer equations and the mean spherical approximation (MSA) are used for theoretical modeling. The results are supplied as reference thermodynamic material for the characterization of more complex molecules such as proteins.     

The influence of serum fatty acid binding proteins on arachidonic acid uptake by macrophages

The role of serum fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) in arachidonic acid (AA) uptake by murine peritoneal macrophages has been studied. The kinetics of [³H]arachidonic acid uptake by the cells was investigated over a wide range of AA concentration (10⁻¹⁰–10⁻⁵ M). It was shown that these putative fatty acid transporters dramatically change the uptake processes. In the presence of FABPs, the time-course curves of AA uptake exhibited two distinct periods: one with a rapid AA uptake during the first hour with an equilibrium in 1–2.5 h and another with an equilibrium reached in 20 h, whereas in the absence of FABPs the uptake curves were smooth without kinks and with the equilibrium reached in 10 h. In addition, it was shown that the amount of incorporated AA was linearly dependent on the concentration of AA over the range of 10⁻¹⁰–10⁻⁶ M in the presence of serum FABPs and 10⁻¹⁰–10⁻⁷ M in their absence. We assume that the changes in the character of AA uptake by macrophages in the presence of FABP soccur due to the interaction of FABPs with the cell plasma membrane.     

Some peculiarities of interactions in the Hf2Fe−H2 system at low temperatures and high pressures

Hydride formation was studied in the Hf₂Fe−H₂ system at hydrogen pressure of up to 2000 atm in a temperature range from 195 to 295 K. Hydride phases of different compositions were studied by the X-ray diffraction method. The hydrogenation reaction in the system can take two pathways to form two stable hydride phases depending on the conditions of initial hydrogenation. Absorption of hydrogens at a pressure of about 2000 atm yields a hydride which contains two H atoms per metal atom. Models of the arrangement of hydrogen atoms in the crystal lattice of hydride phases were suggested. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 33–36, January, 1997.     

Citric acid production from raw glycerol by acetate mutants of Yarrowia lipolytica

Three acetate mutants of the yeast species Yarrowia lipolytica were screened using batch cultivation. The strain Y. lipolytica 1.31 was found to be the most suitable for citric acid production from raw glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production from rapeseed oil. At the initial concentration of glycerol of 200 g dm⁻³, the citric acid production of 124.5 g dm⁻³, yield of 0.62 g g⁻¹, and productivity of 0.88 g dm⁻³ h⁻¹ were achieved. Presented at the 33rd International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 22–26 May 2006.     

Theoretical study of the energies and activation barriers of elementary reactions of hydrogenation of the Ti-doped closo-aluminide cluster Al@TiAl11 and its anion Al@TiAl 11?

The potential energy surfaces, energies E, and activation barriers h of elementary reactions of addition of an H₂ molecule to the Ti-doped closo-aluminide cluster Al@TiAl₁₁ and its anion Al@Ti₁₁⁻ with an icosahedral and marquee structure in the states with different multiplicity were calculated within the B3LYP approximation of the density functional theory using the 6–31G* and 6–311+G* basis sets. The results were compared with the data calculated at the same level of theory for the related reactions of hydrogenation of bare closo-aluminides Al₁₃ and Al₁₃⁻ and their B-, C-, Si-, and Ge-doped derivatives. The computations demonstrated that, depending on the structure, charge, and multiplicity of the Al@TiAl₁₁ cluster, the hydrogenation energy varies in the range 15–23 kcal/mol. At the first stage of addition (chemisorption) of H₂, a μ-H₂ complex at the Ti atom (intermediate) forms with the distance R(Ti-H₂) ∼ 1.9–2.0 ?, which is accompanied by an energy decrease of ∼4–10 kcal/mol. The H-H bond in the μ-H₂ complex is ∼0.1 ? longer and the stretching vibration frequency V_val(HH) is ∼700–1500 cm⁻¹ (or more) lower than the corresponding characteristics of the isolated H₂ molecule. In the transition state with an imaginary frequency of ∼600i–1100i, the H₂ molecule is coordinated to the attacked edge Ti-Al_r, and its length increases to ∼0.9–1.1 ?. The activation barrier height h varies from a few kcal/mol to ∼8–10 kcal/mol when measured from the μ-H₂ complex and is within 18–22 kcal/mol when measured from the product (dihydride Al@TiAl₁₁H₂). The latter barrier (to the reverse reaction of dehydrogenation) is considerably higher than the barriers to migration of hydrogen atoms around the metal cage in the Al@TiAl₁₁H₂ dehydrides. There is a correlation between the energies E and barriers h of hydrogenation reactions and the structure, external charge, and multiplicity of the Al@TiAl₁₁ cluster. In all cases, the hydrogenation should occur significantly more readily than dehydrogenation. It was shown that these reactions can be both irreversible (for example, for an icosahedron in the singlet state) and reversible (for a marquee in the triplet state and others). The conclusion was drawn that the elementary reactions of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation for Ti-doped aluminides should occur considerably faster and under milder conditions than for bare aluminides or their analogues doped with main-group atoms. Original Russian Text ? V.K. Charkin, O.P. Kochnev, N.M. Klimenko, 2009, published in Zhurnal Neorganicheskoi Khimii, 2009, Vol. 54, No. 8, pp. 1345–1354.