Calorimetric study of the solvation of benzene and its chloro-, nitro-, and aminoderivatives by n-hexane, 1-butanol, and mixed solvent n-hexane-1-butanol

The heats of dissolution of benzene, chlorobenzene, ortho-dichlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, and aniline in n-hexane and 1-butanol and those of benzene, chlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, and aniline in a mixture of n-hexane and 1-butanol were measured by calorimetry at 25°C. The enthalpies of solvation of the compounds were calculated. The correlation between the enthalpies of solvation of the compounds and their molar refraction was studied. The enthalpies of solvation of the compounds and their functional groups by the mixture of n-hexane and 1-butanol were considered.     

Reduced sample recovery in liquid chromatography at critical adsorption point of high molar mass polystyrene

Low sample recovery may represent an important drawback in liquid chromatography at the critical adsorption point (LC-CAP) if the critical eluent is not carefully fitted to the system. So far, this problem was often overlooked and only few experimental examples can be found in literature. We showed that in the case of polystyrene (PS) in a tetrahydrofuran (THF)/n-hexane critical mixed eluent, PS with molar masses higher than 100 kg mol⁻¹ were not eluted from a tandem of two columns packed by bare silica gels with 30 nm and 100 nm pore size, respectively. The polymer trapped within the columns was well recovered after injection of a small volume of pure THF as demonstrated using 2D chromatography. We studied PS conformations by means of small angle neutron scattering and found that the THF/n-hexane critical eluent is in fact a theta solvent for PS. By replacing it by a CH₂Cl₂/n-hexane critical mixture, which is a good solvent for PS, the limits of reduced sample recovery was displaced towards far higher molar masses. Thus, thermodynamic quality of eluent - theta or good solvent - plays an important role on the phenomenon of sample recovery.     

Extraction of surfactin from fermentation broth with n-hexane in microporous PVDF hollow fibers: Significance of membrane adsorption

In order to avoid foaming behavior and the formation of stable emulsions in traditional extraction, non-dispersive extraction of surfactin from the fermentation broth of Bacillus subtilis ATCC 21332 culture with n-hexane was studied in microporous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF, pore size 0.2 μm) hollow fiber module. In this work, the broth was pretreated by acid precipitation and the precipitate was then dissolved in NaOH solution, and the treated broth was passed through the lumen side of the module and n-hexane was flowed across the shell side. Experiments were performed at a fixed pH of 8.0 and a flow rate of both phases of 2.5 mL min⁻¹ but at different surfactin concentrations (300–3000 mg L⁻¹). Under the conditions studied, it was shown that surfactin was adsorbed onto the surface of the fibers, instead of being extracted by n-hexane and transported through the pores of the fibers into bulk n-hexane phase. The adsorption capacity was determined and the adsorption dynamics was analyzed. The purity of surfactin desorbed from the fibers with ethanol was found to be higher than that obtained after solvent extraction with n-hexane.     

A study of the radiation-chemical transformation of n-hexane on the surface of aluminum

The radiation-chemical decomposition of n-hexane in the Al-n-hexane system under the action of gamma radiation was studied by reflectance-absorption IR spectroscopy. The radiolysis of n-hexane on the surface of aluminum at absorbed doses of 5 kGy ≤ D _γ ≤ 40 kGy was accompanied by the formation of aluminum alkyls, π-complexes of olefins, and aluminum hydrides. The kinetics of the accumulation of molecular hydrogen was analyzed to determine its radiation-chemical yield, G _ads (H₂) = 29.6 molecules/100 eV. A possible mechanism of this process is discussed.     

Heats of n-hexane and n-heptane vapor adsorption onto polyhydroxyaluminum montmorillonite

The differential isosteric heat of the adsorption of n-hexane and n-heptane vapors on dehydrated polyhydroxyaluminum montmorillonite was determined. Using the temperature dependence of the parameters of the adsorption equilibrium, it was established that substituting sodium ions for polyhydroxyaluminum cations leads to an increase in the volume of micropores and the adsorption heat of hydrocarbons, and the curves of the adsorption heats of C₆H₁₄ and C₇H₁₆ are of an extreme nature. The appearance of the maxima is associated with the interaction between and among the adsorbate molecules and active centers, due to consolidation in the process of filling micropore volumes.     

Formation of carbon nanofilaments from C6-C16 alkanes over nickel-containing catalysts

The properties of 85%Ni/Al₂O₃ and NiO/Sibunit series catalysts have been studied in the formation of carbon nanofilaments from n-hexane, n-undecane, and n-hexadecane. In the temperature range 450–600°C, the reactivity of these hydrocarbons decreases in the following order: n-hexane > n-undecane > n-hexadecane. The deposition rate of carbon nanofilaments from n-hexane or n-undecane over the 85%Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst in the range 450–600°C slightly depends on the reaction temperature. The activation energy of the formation of carbon nanofilaments from n-hexane is 10 kcal/mol and that from n-undecane, 13.5 kcal/mol. The rate-limiting reaction is the interaction of a paraffin molecule with the nickel metal surface. As the reaction temperature increases to 700°C, the formation rates of carbon nanofilaments from the C₆-C₁₆ paraffin hydrocarbons are equalized, which is associated with the increase in the intensity of thermal pyrolysis reactions of alkanes. The resulting olefins, first of all, ethylene and propylene, become major contributors to carbon formation.     

Deep oxidative desulfurization of fuels catalyzed by molybdovanadophosphoric acid on amino-functionalized SBA-15 using hydrogen peroxide as oxidant

This study reports the usage of molybdovanadophosphoric acid catalyst on amino-functionalized SBA-15(PMoV₂/SBA-15-NH₂) for the removal of sulfur from model oil (dibenzothiophene dissolved in n-hexane). To increase the tendency for adsorption of heteropoly acids, mesoporous SBA-15 silica was functionalized with amino groups by postsynthesis grafting, using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxy silane as the coupling agent. Immobilization of molybdovanadophosphoric acid on pure SBA-15 (PMoV₂/SBA-15) was also studied for comparison and the catalysts were characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. It was found that the catalysts exhibit high catalytic activities and PMoV₂/SBA-15-NH₂ is more durable than PMoV₂ impregnated on unmodified mesoporous SBA-15 silica. The results may bring about improvement for oxidative desulfurization of transportation fuels.     

Speed of sound,molar volume,and molar isobaric heat capacity for binary liquid mixtures: analysis in terms of van der Waals's one-fluid theory

The speed of sound and excess molar isobaric heat capacity at 298.15 K, and the excess molar volume at 303.15 K are reported for (n-dodecane + n-hexane). The results, in combination with the excess molar volume at 298.15 K published previously, are used to obtain the interaction parameters a₁₂ and b₁₂ for the mixture treated as a pure fluid obeying a generalized van der Waals's equation of state. Similar analyses, using results from our previous investigations, are presented for (di-n-propylether + n-heptane) and (benzene + cyclohexane).     

Temperature-programmed desorption of n-hexane from hydrated HZSM-5 and NH4ZSM-5 zeolites

Temperature-programmed desorption coupled with mass spectrometer as a detector (TPD), IR and ¹³C NMR measurements are used to study the adsorption of n-hexane on hydrated HZSM-5 and NH₄ZSM-5 zeolites. The ¹³C NMR measurements show that n-hexane can access the pore structure of ZSM-5 zeolites previously saturated with water. TPD spectra of n-hexane are monitored in the temperature region 50–300°C, in the case of fully or partially hydrated samples; two-stage desorption of n-hexane is found. Simultaneous desorption of water and n-hexane in the same temperature region are found, in all investigated samples.     

Solvation-dependent diastereofacial selectivity: addition of lithioacetonitrile to 2-phenyl propanal

Diastereofacial selectivity in the addition of lithioacetonitrile to 2-phenyl propanal is temperature and solvent-dependent. Each solvent studied (benzene, toluene, n-hexane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, THF, and diethyl ether) shows a different Eyring plot of ln(anti/syn) versus 1/T with specific differential activation parameters ΔΔH^≠ and ΔΔS^≠, and discloses the presence of inversion temperatures (T_invs). We demonstrated that the opposite temperature behaviour of the diastereomeric ratio (dr) observed for n-hexane and methylcyclohexane does not depend on the base (n-BuLi, LDA and LiHMDS) used to generate the anion, but is exclusively due to the reaction solvent. A 5 mol% of an amine in n-hexane and methylcyclohexane deeply affects the anti/syn ratio, the differential activation parameters, and the T_inv values. For n-hexane we were able to connect the inversion temperature of the pure solvent and of the Bu₃N-mixture with dynamic solvation phenomena revealed by VT ¹³C NMR measurements.     

Interaction between low molecular weight organic acids and hydroxyapatite with different degrees of crystallinity

In this study, two types of hydroxyapatite (HAP) with different degrees of crystallinity were prepared by a sol-gel method and a chemical precipitation method. Influences of crystallinity on the adsorption and dissolution properties of HAP, and the release of phosphorus (total phosphorus) during the adsorption of organic acid were investigated. Results showed that crystallinity had a great effect on the adsorption capacity and dissolution properties of HAP, as well as the adsorption mechanisms of organic acids on HAP surfaces. The poorly crystallized (the degree of crystallinity X_c = 0.23) HAP adsorbed greater amounts of oxalic, citric, or malic acid than the well crystallized (X_c = 0.86) HAP, and the former could release more phosphorus in the presence of organic acids. The adsorption capacity of oxalic acid was much higher than citric and malic acids on both the well and the poorly crystallized HAP, which was due to the strong coordination of oxalic acid with calcium on HAP surface, and that physical adsorption was more inclined to dominate the adsorption of malic or citric acid on the well crystallized HAP. These findings might be of importance in understanding the effects of crystallinity and organic acid binding on the dissolution of calcium phosphates and the adsorption characteristics of HAP.     

Bioguided Fractionation of Local Plants against Matrix Metalloproteinase9 and Its Cytotoxicity against Breast Cancer Cell Models: In Silico and In Vitro Study (Part II)

In our previous work, the partitions (1 mg/mL) of Ageratum conyzoides (AC) aerial parts and Ixora coccinea (IC) leaves showed inhibitions of 94% and 96%, respectively, whereas their fractions showed IC₅₀ 43 and 116 µg/mL, respectively, toward Matrix Metalloproteinase9 (MMP9), an enzyme that catalyzes a proteolysis of extracellular matrix. In this present study, we performed IC₅₀ determinations for AC n-hexane, IC n-hexane, and IC ethylacetate partitions, followed by the cytotoxicity study of individual partitions against MDA-MB-231, 4T1, T47D, MCF7, and Vero cell lines. Successive fractionations from AC n-hexane and IC ethylacetate partitions led to the isolation of two compounds, oxytetracycline (OTC) and dioctyl phthalate (DOP). The result showed that AC n-hexane, IC n-hexane, and IC ethylacetate partitions inhibit MMP9 with their respective IC₅₀ as follows: 246.1 µg/mL, 5.66 µg/mL, and 2.75 × 10⁻² µg/mL. Toward MDA-MB-231, 4T1, T47D, and MCF7, AC n-hexane demonstrated IC₅₀ 2.05, 265, 109.70, and 2.11 µg/mL, respectively, whereas IC ethylacetate showed IC₅₀ 1.92, 57.5, 371.5, and 2.01 µg/mL, respectively. The inhibitions toward MMP9 by OTC were indicated by its IC₅₀ 18.69 µM, whereas DOP was inactive. A molecular docking study suggested that OTC prefers to bind to PEX9 rather than its catalytic domain. Against 4T1, OTC showed inhibition with IC₅₀ 414.20 µM. In conclusion, this study furtherly supports the previous finding that AC and IC are two herbals with potential to be developed as triple-negative anti-breast cancer agents.     

Phytochemical Characterization,In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory,Anti-Diabetic,and Cytotoxic Activities of the Edible Aromatic Plant; Pulicaria jaubertii

Pulicaria jaubertii is a medicinal herb that alleviates inflammations and fever. Chromatographic separation, phytochemical characterization, and in vitro biological activities of the plant n-hexane extract were conducted for the first time in this study. Six compounds were isolated for the first time from the n-hexane fraction of Pulicaria jaubertii aerial parts and were identified on the bases of NMR and MS analyses as pseudo-taraxaterol (1), pseudo-taraxasterol acetate (2), 3β-acetoxytaraxaster-20-en-30-aldehyde (3), calenduladiol-3-O-palmitate (4), stigmasterol (5), and α-tocospiro B (6). Compound (6) was a rare tocopherol-related compound and was isolated for the first time from family Asteraceae, while compound (3) was isolated for the first time from genus Pulicaria. The total alcoholic extract and n-hexane fraction were tested for their anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and cytotoxic activities. The n-hexane fraction has dose dependent red blood cells (RBCs) membrane stabilization and inhibition of histamine release activities with IC₅₀: 60.8 and 72.9 µg/mL, respectively. As antidiabetic activity, the alcoholic extract exerted the most inhibition on the activity of yeast α-glucosidase, with an IC₅₀: 76.8 µg/mL. The n-hexane fraction showed cytotoxic activity against hepatocarcinoma (HepG-2), breast carcinoma (MCF-7), and prostate carcinoma (PC-3) cell lines with IC₅₀: 51.8, 90.8 and 62.2 µg/mL, respectively. In conclusion, the anti-inflammatory effect of Pulicaria jaubertii might be attributed to the triterpenoid constituents of the n-hexane extract of the plant.     

Ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from mussels followed by spectrofluorimetric determination

An ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction procedure has been optimised to speed up total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (T-PAHs) extraction from mussel soft tissue. The T-PAHs releases have been evaluated by spectrofluorimetry (excitation and fluorescence emission wavelengths of 300 and 382 nm, respectively, and using chrysene as calibrant). Variables such as sonication time, ultrasound frequency, n-hexane volume, dichloromethane volume, number of repeated extractions with n-hexane and number of repeated extraction with dichloromethane were simultaneously studied by applying a Plackett-Burman design (PBD) approach. Results showed that ultrasound frequency and n-hexane and dichloromethane volumes were statistically significant variables (confidence interval of 95%). These last two variables were finally optimised by using central composite designs (CCD), yielding optimum n-hexane and dichloromethane volumes of 2.5 and 6.5 ml, respectively. The lowest T-PAHs releasing at high ultrasound frequency (35 kHz) led to choice the lowest ultrasound frequency (17 kHz) to perform the extraction. Variables such as sonication time and number of repeated extraction with n-hexane or dichloromethane were statistically non-significant and they were fixed at 10 min and the extraction with n-hexane and dichloromethane were performed once. The limit of detection was 0.021 μg g⁻¹ (referred to dried mass), the repeatability of the overall method was 4.7% (n = 9) and the analytical recoveries were between 98 and 105%. The proposed method was finally applied to 16 mussel samples (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from Ría de Arousa estuary (Galicia, northwest Spain).     

Enthalpy–entropy compensation for n-hexane adsorption on HZSM-5 containing transition metal ions

In this work, the values of entropy changes related to n-hexane adsorption onto ion-exchanged ZSM-5 zeolites were calculated from differential heats, obtained from microcalorimetric experiments. The existence of enthalpy–entropy compensation effect, evidenced by the linearity of −ΔH vs. −ΔS plots and characteristic for all investigated ZSM-5 zeolites, was found. In the case of ZSM-5 structure, modifying the zeolite structure by ion-exchange gives rise to changes in the heats of adsorption and adsorption entropy in the same manner. The factors that can influence the appearance of entropy–enthalpy compensation were discussed. It was found that compensation effect is governed by ion-induced dipole interaction between highly polarising cationic centres in zeolite and nonopolar n-hexane molecules, and hence, depends on the size, charge and electron configuration of the cation. It was found also that the compensation temperature is in correlation with the number of zeolites’ strong acid centres. Contrary to the adsorption of n-hexane on ZSM-5 zeolites, compensation effect was not found for the adsorption of the same gas on faujasite-type zeolites.     

Thermodynamic parameters for the dissolution of n-alkanes and n-alkanols in a liquid-crystalline polypropylenimine dendrimer: A gas-chromatographic study

Thermodynamic parameters for the dissolution of n-alkanes (C₇-C₁₁) and n-alcohols (C₅-C₉) under infinite dilution in the columnar and isotropic phases of a polypropylenimine dendrimer have been determined by inverse gas chromatography. Thermodynamic functions have been investigated as a function of the phase state of a mesogen, the length of alkyl chains of sorbates, and temperature. For the dissolution of low-molecular-mass organic compounds, a higher endothermic effect corresponds to a larger entropy factor with its positive deviation from ideality. The dominant effect of the entropy constituent of the Gibbs energy on the dissolution of sorbates in a high-molecular-mass LC solvent has been revealed. The Rohrschneider constants have been estimated for the stationary phase based on the dendrimer. The experimental data indicate the low polarity of the sorbent that is close to those of phenyl-containing siloxane phases.     

Gaschromatographische Untersuchung der Adsorptionseigenschaften von Silicalit und ZSM-5

High silica molecular sieves (silicalite, ZSM-5) were tested as adsorbents for gas chromatographic trace analysis. Therefore the retention behaviour of low-boiling organic compounds (hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, amines, alcohols and ethers) on these materials was investigated. The specific retention volumes at different temperatures have been determined and elution orders and peak shapes were studied. The retention data allow a simple calculation of the breakthrough volumes (dynamic adsorption capacity) and the chromatographic characterisation of the adsorbents. Both nitrogen and oxygen containing compounds could not—or at least unreproducibely—be eluated up to 300°. The elution order and the peak shape of compounds with the same number of carbon atoms but different geometric and electronic structure (e.g.n-butenes;n-hexane, cyclohexane, benzene) can be explained by the action of exclusion effects and different diffusion barriers. On the basis of calculated breakthrough volumes we conclude that silicalite should be useful in the preconcentration of both saturated C₃–C₆ hydrocarbons and C₁–C₂ chlorinated hydrocarbons from gaseous streams.     

The vapour pressure behaviour and the association of N-methylethylamine,diethylamine and their N-deuterioanalogues in mixtures with n-hexane

The vapour pressure isotherms of mixtures of N-methylethylamine and N-methyl(N-²H)ethylamine with n-hexane have been measured between 273 and 323 K. The vapour pressure isotherms of mixtures of diethylamine and (N-²H)diethylamine with nhexane between 293 and 353 K have also been measured. In addition, the vapour pressures of the pure amines have been determined down to 228 or 243 K. As evidenced by the small values for the Wilson coefficients, the activity coefficients, the Gibbs free energies and the data derived from the theory of ideal associated solutions, the association of diethlamine is very weak; that of N-methylethylamine is not much larger. The observations on the vapour pressure isotope effect of the two amines and their N-deuterioanalogues are compatible with this interpretation. The normal effect is smaller for diethylamine, with ratios P_D/P_H of 0.972–0.997 between 243 and 323 K, than for N-methylethylamine with values of 0.965–0.991, and the partial pressure quotients calculated for mixtures of the two compounds with n-hexane show the transition from the normal to the inverse effect on low dilution. The data for the N-deuterioanalogues and their mixtures with n-hexane suggest a somewhat greater energy of the deuterium bonds.     

Investigation of the coupled reaction of methyl acetate and n-hexane over HZSM-5

The coupled reaction of methyl acetate and n-hexane was carried out over a HZSM-5 catalyst. In addition to a thermal coupling effect, systematic variations in the product distribution were also observed in the coupled system. The bezene-toluene-xylene (BTX) selectivity was remarkably improved while the H₂, CO, and CO₂ selectivity decreased. Rapid deactivation of the catalyst was observed, caused by the extremely high reactivity of methyl acetate, which was alleviated after adding n-hexane. These results indicated that a coupling effect exists in this system. A detailed pathway for the coupled system is suggested based on the analysis of the surface species, carbonaceous species deposited on the catalyst, as well as the product selectivity changes. The good match between the “hydrogen deficiency” of methyl acetate and the “hydrogen richness” of n-hexane is consistent with the observed coupling effect.     

Can alkane isomers be separated? Adsorption equilibrium and kinetic data for hexane isomers and their binary mixtures on MFI

In this study we present a global overview of the adsorption behavior of hexane isomers on MFI. With an experimental approach that couples a manometric technique with Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, which has been recently developed, we did address adsorption kinetic properties of n-hexane, 2-methylpentane, 2,2-dimethylbutane and 2,3-dimethylbutane, and their binary mixtures. The adsorption equilibrium properties of the binary mixtures were also assessed using the same technique. Whereas the adsorption isotherms and heats of adsorption for single components have been studied by a manometric technique coupled with a micro calorimeter. The differential heats of adsorption of n-hexane increase slightly with loading, on the other hand the heat of adsorption of branched hexanes exhibits a decrease with loading. The diffusion rates on MFI of n-hexane, 2-methylpentane and 2,3-dimethylbutane are in the same order of magnitude. However, the diffusion rate of 2,2-dimethylbutane is two orders of magnitude lower than rates of the other isomers. In the binary mixtures the components interact and the difference between the diffusion rates of the components decreases. The MFI zeolite presents equilibrium selectivity towards the less branched isomers. In conclusion, a separation process for linear/mono-branched alkanes + double-branched alkanes, has to be based on its equilibrium properties and not based on adsorption kinetics.