Catalyst parameters determining activity and selectivity of supported gold nanoparticles for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols: the molecular reaction mechanism

As previously reported for for solventless reactions, gold nanoparticles supported on ceria are also excellent general heterogeneous catalysts for the aerobic oxidations of alcohols in organic solvents. Among organic solvents it was found that toluene is a convenient one. A systematic study on the influence of the particle size and gold content on the support has established that the activity correlates linearly with the total number of external gold atoms, and with the surface coverage of the support. Amongst catalysts with different supports, but similar gold particle size and content, gold on ceria exhibits the highest activity. By means of a kinetic study (influence of sigma+ parameter, kinetic isotopic effect, temperature, alcohol concentration and oxygen pressure) a mechanistic proposal consisting of the formation of metal-alcoholate, beta-hydride shift from carbon to metal and M--H oxidation has been proposed that explains all experimental results.     

Synthesis of molecular chains: phenylene thioether and sulfoxide oligomers

The application of a general synthetic approach to prepare molecular chains is reported. It is based on a step-by-step method each consisting first in a Pd-catalyzed reaction between ArI and HXAr′Br (Ar=aryl, Ar′=arylene) to give ArXAr′Br followed by a Cu-catalyzed replacement of Br by I to give ArXAr′I that can be reacted with HXAr′Br in the following step. The application of this method is here illustrated to prepare phenylene sulfide oligomers (X=S). Starting from RC₆H₄I-4 (R=H, MeO, NO₂, NH₂) and HSC₆H₄Br-x (x=2, 4) it is possible to grow chains in one direction to give X(C₆H₄S-m)_nC₆H₄R-4 (n=1, X=Br, m=4, R=H, MeO, NO₂, NH₂, SMe and m=2, R=H, MeO, NO₂; n=1, X=I, m=2 or 4, R=H, MeO, NO₂; n=2, X=Br, m=2 or 4, R=H, MeO, NO₂; n=2, X=I, m=4, R=MeO, NO₂; n=3, X=Br, m=4, R=MeO, NO₂; n=3, X=I, m=4, R=NO₂ and n=4, X=Br or I, m=4, R=NO₂). From HSC₆H₄Br-x and IC₆H₄I-4 the chains can grow in two directions to give X(C₆H₄S-4)_nC₆H₄X-4 (n=2 or 4, X=Br or I), 2-XC₆H₄(SC₆H₄-4)_nSC₆H₄X-2 (n=3 or 5, X=Br). Using diiodomesitylene the dithioethers C₆HMe₃-2,4,6-(SC₆H₄X-4)₂-1,3 (X=Br, I) have been prepared. The series of sulfoxides X(C₆H₄S(O)-4)_nC₆H₄R-4 (X=Br, n=1, R=MeO, n=3, R=NO₂, n=4, R=Br; X=R=I, n=2) has been obtained from the corresponding thioethers and PhICl₂.     

Size-exclusion chromatographic determination of polymer molar mass averages using a fractal calibration

The characterization of polymers by size-exclusion chromatography basically consists of the determination of the weight-average molar mass (Mw), number-average molar mass (Mn), and polydispersity index (I). An accurate estimation of these magnitudes requires the use of a reliable and trusted calibration curve. Three procedures for building up a calibration curve are analyzed in this work. The first is the classical universal calibration (UC), based on the elution of tetrahydrofuran-polystyrene in a system as reference. The second is based on the proper calibration curve made with standards of the sample under study. However, two main drawbacks arise when using these methodologies: the nonfulfilment of the UC when secondary mechanisms, other than pure size-exclusion, are present in the separation process; and the lack of a broad set of narrow standards of the sample under analysis in the second procedure. In order to circumvent these difficulties, a third, recently-proposed approach based on fractal considerations is applied. The accuracy and reliability of this method is proven through the calculation of the deviations observed in the estimation of the Mw values for polymer samples in different solvent-gel chromatographic systems. Whereas the classical UC shows a mean deviation of approximately 80% relative to the values given by the manufacturer, the fractal calibration yields a mean deviation of approximately 16%, similar to that obtained from the proper calibration. Moreover, the fractal procedure only needs one polymeric sample to generate the calibration curve.     

Suitability of several carbon sorbents for the fractionation of various sub-groups of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans

Feasibility of several sorbents, Amoco PX-21, Carbosphere, Carbopack B and C and 2-(1-pyrenyl) ethyldimethylsilylated silica gel (PYE), for the fractionation of polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans was investigated. Selection was based on their suitability for quantitative isolation of the target compounds with special attention for the most toxic mono- and non-ortho-CBs to prevent coelution with other congeners during the final determination by gas chromatography. Cost-effectiveness in terms of solvent and time consumption as well as feasibility for routine analysis and automation were considered additional merits of the methods compared. Final evaluation of the procedures providing the best results was done by comparison of the results obtained from the analysis of real-life samples. The results showed that, among the sorbents tested, Carbopack B and PYE were the most suitable for routine analysis. In particular, these sorbents allowed a more reliable determination of the toxic congeners and, consequently, of the toxic equivalents of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin content in environmental samples.     

Determination of carbaryl, carbofuran and methiocarb in cucumbers and strawberries by monoclonal enzyme immunoassays and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. An analytical comparison

Carbaryl, carbofuran and methiocarb are three of the most important N-methylcarbamate pesticides. In the present work, the application of laboratory-developed monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to the determination of these compounds in fruits and vegetables is described. Cucumbers and strawberries were spiked with the three carbamates at 10, 50 and 200 ppb. After extraction and clean-up, samples were analyzed by immunoassay and by HPLC with post-column derivatization and fluorescence detection (US Environmental Protection Agency Method 531.1). Results obtained by ELISA correlated well with those obtained by HPLC, both in terms of accuracy and precision. Recoveries were in the 60-90% range by ELISA and in the 50-90% range by HPLC, depending on the particular combination of commodity, pesticide, and fortification level under consideration. ELISAs were also applied to the analysis of non-purified sample extracts with excellent results: recoveries close to 100% were obtained, while maintaining similar precision values. This approach avoids the use of solid-phase extraction columns, saves time, and considerably increases the sample throughput. Results clearly indicate that the developed immunoassays may be suitable for the quantitative and reliable determination of carbaryl, carbofuran and methiocarb in fruits and vegetables even without including clean-up steps. These considerations make these ELISAs very useful analytical tools for monitoring and regulatory programs, without the need of complex and expensive instrumentation.     

Rapid and high-yielding cysteine labelling of peptides with N-succinimidyl 4-[18F]fluorobenzoate

Fast cysteine labelling of peptides promoted by an adjacent arginine has been observed with a standard labelling agent specific for amines, N-succinimidyl 4-[(18)F]fluorobenzoate.     

Unique gold chemoselectivity for the aerobic oxidation of allylic alcohols

Gold nanoparticles supported on nanocrystalline ceria has been found to be more active and chemoselective than palladium and gold(core)-palladium(shell) nanoparticles for the aerobic oxidation of allylic alcohols.     

Optimization of pressurized liquid extraction of Piper gaudichaudianum Kunth leaves

Piperaceae family is original from tropical regions and it shows more than 700 species around the world. Piper gaudichaudianum Kunth is the specie more abundant in Brazil, occurring from Northeast to South Brazil. In this paper, it was investigated the influence of some experimental parameters on the pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) of P. gaudichaudianum Kunth leaves, using petroleum ether as extractor solvent. The optimization of the main variables involved in the PLE process (extraction temperature and time) has been done by response surface methodology (RSM) using, as responses, the extraction yield and the chromatographic profile (GC/MS) of the extracts. The optimized procedure employed 3 g of ground leaves, 10 min of extraction and one cycle of extraction at 85 degrees C. The major compounds present in the petroleum ether extracts were: palmitic acid, stearic acid and nerolidol. The results presented in this work show the possibility of using a fast and easy process to recover compounds from P. gaudichaudianum Kunth.