Kinetic stability of complex molecular clusters

This investigation is concerned with modeling the evaporation, or decay, of n-nonane molecular clusters. We use a unique cluster decay model that was first developed to estimate the decay time scale of argon clusters using molecular-dynamics simulations. In this study we seek to enhance the model so that it represents a more complex cluster decay dynamic, suitable for n-nonane clusters. Experimental measurements of nucleation rates of n-nonane droplets have been used to deduce the rate at which a molecule escapes from the cluster. Typically for an n-nonane cluster containing 40 molecules, at an experimental temperature of 225 K, the empirical decay time, which is the inverse of the decay rate, is estimated to be 50 ns. For this time scale, the direct observation of n-nonane cluster decay from a molecular-dynamics trajectory is not feasible, since decay events are so rare. However, the cluster decay model uses a combination of molecular dynamics and stochastic dynamics in order to resolve the problem associated with long decay time scales. The model is based on a Langevin treatment that views cluster decay as single-particle escape from a confining potential of mean force. It is used to predict kinetic decay times of n-nonane clusters. We discover this result differs significantly from a classically derived decay time scale determined from a continuum thermodynamic treatment of the population balance equations of clusters. However, the dynamically generated results obtained from the kinetic decay model compare more favorably than the classical results with the empirical decay times that are deduced from experimental measurements of n-nonane clusters.     

Probing the nucleation mechanism for the binary n-nonane/1-alcohol series with atomistic simulations

The AVUS-HR approach, which combines histogram reweighting with aggregation-volume-bias Monte Carlo nucleation simulations using self-adaptive umbrella sampling, was extended to multicomponent nucleation systems. It was applied to investigate the homogeneous vapor-liquid nucleation for the binary n-nonane/1-alcohol series, including the n-nonane/methanol, n-nonane/ethanol, n-nonane/1-propanol, n-nonane/1-butanol, n-nonane/1-hexanol, and n-nonane/1-decanol systems. The simple transferable potentials for phase equilibria-united atom force field was used in this investigation. It was found that the nucleation free energy (NFE) contour plots obtained for these binary n-nonane/1-alcohol nucleation systems exhibit rather interesting mechanistic features, some of which are distinct from other binary systems previously studied (such as water/ethanol and water/n-nonane). In addition, the NFE profiles show a subtle evolution with the increase in alcohol chain length, from a somewhat two-pathway type of shape as observed for the n-nonane/methanol system to a more normal single-pathway one for systems involving longer alcohols (1-hexanol and 1-decanol). In contrast, the NFE maps obtained for the other three binary systems involving those medium-length alcohols display the most striking feature with the saddle point stretched almost all the way from the n-nonane-enriched to the alcohol-enriched domain, implying that multiple pathways coexist on the nucleation map. These free energy profiles were shown to be consistent with the non-ideal nucleation behavior observed experimentally for this binary series, namely, a rather reluctant conucleation of the alcohols with n-nonane. In particular, this non-ideal behavior becomes more severe with a decrease in the alcohol chain length. Also, analysis of the compositions of the critical nuclei indicates a reluctant mixing behavior between these two species, i.e., depletion of the alcohol at low alcohol activity or depletion of n-nonane at low n-nonane activity, in agreement with the experimental interpretations. Furthermore, a microscopic inhomogeneity is present inside these critical nuclei, that is, alcohols aggregate via hydrogen bonds forming alcohol-enriched domains.     

Volumes of mixing of pyridine bases withn-alkanes: Comparison with the prigogine-flory-patterson theory

The excess molar volumes of binary mixtures pyridine and -picoline + C₆–C₁₀ n-alkanes have been measured at 25°C over the whole composition range. For pyridine + n-hexane and + n-heptane and also -picoline + n-hexane and n-heptane V ^E has an S-shaped behavior and is positive at low concentrations of the base. For the systems pyridine + n-octane + n-nonane + n-decane and -picoline + n-octane, n-nonane, and n-decane V ^E is positive. The Prigogine-Flory-Patterson theory has been fitted to our results.     

Studies about the desorption of volatile halocarbons from activated carbon by application of static headspace gas chromatography

The analysis of volatile halocarbons (VHCs) in air or ground air is often performed after their adsorption and enrichment on activated carbon. The current procedure for their subsequent determination is based on their extraction from the activated carbon with a volatile organic solvent such as n-pentane, followed by gaschromatographic (GC) analysis. In order to avoid extraction steps, the static headspace method in combination with GC analysis using diphenylmethane as a desorption agent has been applied. Satisfactory desorption rates for the chloromethanes, for 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethene and for tetrachloroethene have been obtained after a sample equilibration of 45 min at 120° C in the presence of diphenylmethane. The results have shown a higher recovering rate especially of the unsaturated VHCs compared to the extraction with n-pentane, whereby a potential loss of analytes by the latter procedure has been avoided.     

n-Pentane and isopentane in one-dimensional channels

Molecular dynamics studies of n-pentane and isopentane in one-dimensional channels of AlPO(4)-5 and a carbon nanotube are reported. Variation of the structure and energetics in AlPO(4)-5 along the channel axis of isopentane is similar to what has been found for other rigid molecular systems. In n-pentane, these properties exhibit more frequent undulations along the channel due to flexibility. The end-to-end distance of n-pentane is a function of its position along the channel in AlPO(4)-5, suggesting that n-pentane has to alternately stretch in the narrow part and destretch or coil in the broader part of the channel. n-Pentane lies flat instead of upright on the inner surface of the carbon nanotube. Both of the species exhibit diffusive motion in AlPO(4)-5, and the self-diffusivity is higher than that in bulk. Isopentane has a higher diffusivity than does n-pentane. This is attributed to the higher cross section of isopentane, which is closer to the void cross section. Further, the coupling of the translational motion with the slower dihedral angle reorientation in the case of n-pentane decreases its mobility. Superdiffusive motion is seen for both species in the carbon nanotube. These results can be understood in terms of the levitation effect.     

Molecular content and structure of aqueous organic nanodroplets from the vapor-liquid nucleation study of the water/n-nonane/1-alcohol series

Prompted by a previous finding of unusual mixing behavior for the critical clusters involved in the vapor-liquid nucleation of the ternary water/n-nonane/1-butanol mixture, atomistic simulations employing the AVUS-HR technique were carried out to extend such investigations to include both shorter and longer alcohols, namely, the water/n-nonane/CiH2i+1OH mixture with i = 2, 4, 6, and 8. It is clear from this extensive investigation that the miscibility between water and n-nonane can be further improved by increasing the chain length of the alcohol (surfactant). In fact, for the water/n-nonane/1-octanol mixture at an intermediate gas-phase activity composition, the nucleation can proceed via fully mixed critical nuclei containing a roughly equal amount of all three components, which is in contrast to the dominantly binary-like nucleation channels observed for such mixtures involving shorter alcohols. Structural analysis revealed that these mixed nuclei take on a multilayered structural motif of the core-shell (water-alcohol) type with n-nonane distributed outside, forming an additional layer, more or less uniformly, compared to the one-sided deposition found for systems involving shorter alcohols. This structure provides a microscopic origin for the enhanced miscibility of water with n-nonane observed in the presence of 1-alcohol. These results may also have important implications for atmospheric organic aerosols.     

Excess Molar Volumes of (Methyl Ethanoate + 1-Chlorooctane + an n-Alkane) Ternary Mixtures and Their Constituent Binaries at 25°C

Excess molar volumes, at the temperature 25°C and atmospheric pressure over the whole composition range, are reported for the following binary mixtures: methyl ethanoate + (n-octane, n-decane); methyl ethanoate + 1-chlorooctane; 1-chlorooctane + (n-heptane, n-octane, n-nonane, n-decane); and for the ternary mixtures methyl ethanoate + 1-chlorooctane + (n-heptane, n-octane, n-nonane, n-decane). The values of excess molar volumes were calculated from density and composition results. The excess volumes were utilized to test the multiproperty group-contribution model of Nitta et al. using parameter sets available in the literature. Experimental results from ternary mixtures have also been compared to predictions from several empirical and semiempirical models, which utilize, exclusively, results from binary mixtures.     

The solubilization of n-pentane gas in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyethylene glycol solutions with and without electrolyte

The solubility of n-pentane gas in aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), SDS-0.1 wt% polyethylene oxide (PEG), SDS-0.1 wt% PEG+NaCl (0.1 mol/l), and SDS-0.1 wt% PEG+NaOH (0.1 mol/l) has been determined at 318.15 K. The concentration of SDS (m(SDS)) is up to 50 mmol/kg. The solubility increases linearly with the concentration of SDS above its critical micelle concentration (CMC) or critical aggregation concentration (CAC), indicating that micelles in the solutions solubilize the gas molecules and the solubility of n-pentane gas in the micelles is independent of the SDS concentration. It was found that the solubilization ability of micelles bound to PEG and free micelles to n-pentane gas is almost the same. The solubility of n-pentane gas in micelle phase is three magnitudes higher than that in the bulk solution. The solubilization property of SDS is changed by the addition of PEG, although the solubilizing effect of the polymer alone is not considerable. NaCl and NaOH affect the solubilization noticeably and increase the interaction strength between SDS and PEG. The standard Gibbs energies for the transfer of n-pentane gas from bulk phase to micelle phase are large negative values, indicating that the hydrocarbon gas prefers to exist in the hydrophobic interior of the micelles.     

Effect of solvent on the mechanism of the thermal decomposition of the cumenyl ester ofβ-(trimethylsilyl)perpropionic acid

Conclusions The thermal decomposition of the cumenyl ester of-(trimethylsilyl)perpropionic acid in n-nonane and tetraethylstannane proceeds via a homolytic mechanism; heterolytic rearrangement of the perester with subsequent solvolysis and (or) decomposition of the rearranged product occurs in polar solvents (nitrobenzene and methanol) or in n-nonane containing trifluoroacetic acid.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 594–597, March, 1972.     

Adsorption of n-alkane vapours at the water surface

Monte Carlo simulations are reported here to predict the surface tension of the liquid-vapour interface of water upon adsorption of alkane vapours (methane to hexane). A decrease of the surface tension has been established from n-pentane. A correlation has been evidenced between the decrease of the surface tension and the absence of specific arrangement at the water surface for n-pentane and n-hexane. The thermodynamic stability of the adsorption layer and the absence of film for longer alkanes have been checked through the calculation of a potential of mean force. This complements the work recently published [Ghoufi et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 5203] concerning the adsorption of methane at the water surface. The decrease of the surface tension has been interpreted in terms of the degree of hydrogen bonding of water molecules at the liquid-vapour interface upon adsorption.     

Radiation-Induced Ionic Grafting of Ethyl Vinyl Ether to Polypropylene Film

The radiation-induced grafting of ethyl vinyl ether to polypropylene film in bulk has been investigated under super-dry conditions. The per cent grafting increased linearly with increasing dose without an induction period. The grafting did not take place in the presence of traces of water, indicating that the grafting proceeds by an ionic mechanism. The dose-rate dependence of the rate of grafting was found to be 0.25. The grafting was also examined in n-pentane and neopentane solutions. Although the per cent grafting in the solution system was lower than that in the bulk system, n-pentane was found to increase the grafting efficiency.     

Studies about the desorption of volatile halocarbons from activated carbon by application of static headspace gas chromatography

The analysis of volatile halocarbons (VHCs) in air or ground air is often performed after their adsorption and enrichment on activated carbon. The current procedure for their subsequent determination is based on their extraction from the activated carbon with a volatile organic solvent such as n-pentane, followed by gaschromatographic (GC) analysis. In order to avoid extraction steps, the static headspace method in combination with GC analysis using diphenylmethane as a desorption agent has been applied. Satisfactory desorption rates for the chloromethanes, for 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethene and for tetrachloroethene have been obtained after a sample equilibration of 45 min at 120 degrees C in the presence of diphenylmethane. The results have shown a higher recovering rate especially of the unsaturated VHCs compared to the extraction with n-pentane, whereby a potential loss of analytes by the latter procedure has been avoided.     

Internal pressure and cohesive energy density for binary non-electrolyte mixtures

Internal pressures and cohesive energy densities of binary liquid mixtures of n-pentane+dichloromethane, n-pentane+methylacetate, 2-propanol+methylacetate and n-bytylamine+1,4-dioxane at 25°C have been evaluated from molar volumes surface tensions and enthalpies. The data obtained provide information about interactions in the binary liquid mixtures which can be correlated with results from other thermodynamic properties.Presented at the VI Congreso Argentino de Fisicoquímica, Santiago del Estero, Argentina, 1989.     

Viscosity of the binary systems 2-methyl-2-propanol with n-alkanes at T = (303.15, 308.15, 313.15, 318.15 and 323.15) K: Prediction and correlation – New UNIFAC–VISCO interaction parameters

Viscosities for the binary mixtures 2-methyl-2-propanol + n-heptane, +n-octane, +n-nonane and +n-decane have been measured at 303.15, 308.15, 313.15, 318.15 and 323.15 K and atmospheric pressure. Viscosity deviations for the binary systems were fitted to the Redlich–Kister polynomial equation.     

Simulating the nucleation of water/ethanol and water/n-nonane mixtures: mutual enhancement and two-pathway mechanism

A combination of the aggregation-volume-bias and configurational-bias Monte Carlo algorithms and the umbrella sampling technique was applied to investigate two different binary vapor-liquid nucleation systems: water/ethanol and water/n-nonane. The simulations are able to reproduce the different nonideal nucleation behavior observed experimentally for these two systems, i.e., the mutual enhancement of nucleation rates for water/ethanol mixtures and the two-pathway nucleation for water/n-nonane mixtures. Structural analysis provides microscopic explanations for the observed nucleation behavior. In particular, the simulations show a large and size-dependent surface enrichment of ethanol in the water/ethanol droplets, which confirms the previous experimental interpretation for this system. The immiscibility observed even for small water/n-nonane clusters causes the two-pathway nucleation mechanism.     

Rapid hydrocarbon type separation of vacuum residues

Summary A simple and fast column chromatographic procedure for the separation of vacuum residues into saturates, mono-, di-, polyaromatics and polars has been standardized using silica-alumina-bauxite adsorbents and gradient elution with n-pentane, benzene, and methanol. The cut points have been monitored employing ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy. The method is applicable for preparative separation of short residues from processed products.

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Rasche Trennung der Kohlenwasserstofftypen von Vakuum-RückstÄnden

     

Dynamic structure of methane/n-nonane clusters during nucleation and growth

We report results on nucleation, growth, and structure formation of methane/n-nonane clusters in an expanding system investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. From bulk phase equilibria data, it is expected that the concentration of the less volatile substance n-nonane in the clusters is very high. However, analyses of experimental data in the literature suggest somewhat higher methane content at onset of nucleation. Our simulations show that the methane mole fraction is actually very high and increases even further at the beginning of the cluster growth. On the other hand, in this transient state after nucleation the methane mole fraction in the cluster core decreases, leaving a n-nonane rich core, i.e., we observe the phase separation inside the growing cluster. Methane is squeezed out from the core to the surface and then evaporates from the surface shell during expansion of the system.     

Effect of blowing agent content on the structure and flame-retardant properties of rigid polyurethane foam/expanded graphite composites

Driven by global environmental issues, the development of green building materials has become an immediate focus. In this work, n-pentane was used as an environmentally friendly blowing agent to prepare flame-retardant rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) with the addition of expandable graphite (EG) successfully, and the effect of n-pentane content on flame retardancy and compressive properties of RPUF/EG composites was investigated through limit oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL-94), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and compressive properties test. SEM results show that the content of EG and n-pentane causes a change in the cell structure of RPUF. The change of the n-pentane content has also an obvious effect on the thermal stability, flame retardancy, and specific compressive strength of RPUF/EG composites. In addition, the cell structure of RPUF matrix has an obvious influence on the distribution of EG in the composites, which indirectly affects the flame-retardant efficiency of EG. This research explores the conditions for the application of environmentally friendly RPUF and expands its application prospects.     

Ab initio studies of structural features not easily amenable to experiment: Part 16. Some characteristic structural aspects of non-cyclic hydrocarbons

The molecular structures of n-propane, n-butane, iso-butane and n-pentane have been determined by geometrically unconstrained ab initio force relaxations on the 4—21G level. Subtle but consistent trends suggest that the local symmetry of methyl groups in the stretched form of hydrocarbons is twofold rather than threefold due to differences in the planar and non-planar CH bonds and in the HCH angles. CH bond distances in the methylene groups are slightly longer than in methyl and increase with the number of adjacent CC bonds that are staggering the CH₂-group. Inner CC bonds in n-butane and n-pentane are slightly longer than those at the end of a chain. Even though most of these features have not yet been observed experimentally they can be expected to describe reasonable trends for the systems studied.     

STUDIES OF MECHANISM OF 2-METHYLTHIOPHENE AND THIOPHENE FORMATION FROM N-PENTANE AND HYDROGEN SULPHIDE USING 14C

Abstract

The mechanism of 2-methylthiophene formation from n-pentane and hydrogen sulphide over Cr-containing oxide catalyst is studied by using the Kinetic-Isotope method. The experiments were carried out in pulse system in He as a carrier gas (535° and 3 atm.) using ¹⁴C-labelled pentene and n-pentane. The reaction products were analyzed by radiochromatography. It is shown the 2-methylthiophene formation from n-pentane and hydrogen sulphide proceeds largely via consecutive dehydrogenation of n-pentane to pentenes, pentadiene followed by interaction with hydrogen sulphide. Thiophene is largely as a result of C₄-hydrocarbon interaction with hydrogen sulphide. A general scheme of the mechanism of 2-methylthiophene and thiophene formation is suggested.