The Photochemical Synthesis of Fine Chemicals with Sunlight

The light of the sun can be used directly for changing chemical structures photochemically. Any industrial application must conform to the limitations imposed by the spectral distribution of the photons from the sun, the interruptions to the radiation due to the day/night rhythm, and the weather. In this review, we describe the photochemical potential of the sun, give a fundamental treatment of the concept of photoreactors driven by sunlight (abbreviated to solar photoreactors), and give an account of the realization of this concept in the first pilot plant on the “Plataforma Solar de Almeria” in southern Spain and in other activities in this field. Based on experimental data from photochemical investigations on the pilot plant scale, possibilities, limitations, and the potential growth of solar photochemistry are described. Solar photochemistry, in our opinion, is a technique which could make a contribution to the chemistry of the future because of its photochemical synthesis potential, the avoidance of waste products, and the direct utilization of the sun, not only as a primary energy source, but also as a reaction partner.     

The Hochschild class of the Chern character for semifinite spectral triples

We provide a proof of Connes’ formula for a representative of the Hochschild class of the Chern character for (p,∞)-summable spectral triples. Our proof is valid for all semifinite von Neumann algebras, and all integral p?1. We employ the minimum possible hypotheses on the spectral triples.     

Some refinements of Dade's projective conjecture

In this paper a further refinement of Dade's projective conjecture, due to Boltje, is presented. This new statement includes ideas first published by Isaacs and Navarro as well as the recent contractibility version of Alperin's conjecture introduced by Boltje. Leaning heavily on the work of Robinson, weaker forms of the conjecture are proved in the case of p-solvable groups.     

Molybdenum-catalyzed episulfidation of (E)-cycloalkenes with elemental sulfur

Episulfidation of (E)-cyclooctene and (E)-cyclononene was achieved with elemental sulfur by using a catalytic amount of a molybdenum oxo complex.     

Synthesis and characterisation of some new stabilisers for polyvinylchloride

Some new stabilisers having a chelating polymeric structure were synthesised and characterised, i.e., 8-hydroxyquinoline-formaldehyde chelating resins of Cd, Zn, and Pb. The efficiency of these new stabilisers was studied with respect to PVC. The stabilised PVC samples showed outstanding thermal stability as studied by thermogravimetric techniques, i.e., the percentage of HCl evolved reduced remarkably with increasing polymer decomposition temperature.