InBr3 as a versatile and highly efficient catalyst for the synthesis of 3-allyl- and 3-benzylindoles

Indoles undergo smooth alkylation with allylic and benzylic alcohols in the presence of 10 mol % of InBr₃ under mild conditions to produce 3-allyl- and 3-benzyl indoles, respectively, in excellent yields and with high selectivity. This is the first example of the alkylation of indoles with benzylic alcohols using InBr₃ as an acid catalyst.     

Effect of 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane precursor on the properties of ambient pressure dried silica aerogels

The effect of an organically modified precursor, 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane in an ambient pressure process involving aging in silane solution for silica aerogels is presented. The effect of increasing trialkoxysilane/tetraalkoxysilane precursor ratio and the influence of water to Si molar ratio on the gelation and adsorption properties were investigated. An optimum water to Si molar ratio (8) gave the fastest gelation for all precursor ratios indicating a balance between the increase in rate of hydrolysis and a decrease in concentration of the monomers. Surface area analysis proved that in the dried gel, the organic groups are largely present on the pore walls and prevent the condensation of the silanol groups during drying. This in turn prevents pore collapse and further increases the total pore volume. The inclusion of the organically functionalised silane in the process further enhances the ambient pressure drying through this effect.     

Power-independent technique to extract the dispersion parameters of an optical fiber using four wave mixing

Conventional methods which extract dispersion parameters of an optical fiber using four wave mixing rely on the measurement of optical power in the generated wavelengths, and hence are prone to measurement errors. We propose and demonstrate a power-independent method to extract the dispersion curve of a fiber using four wave mixing (FWM). The analytical equations that have been traditionally used to estimate the phase mismatch in FWM are modified to cater to low-dispersion fibers, and are verified. Experiments to obtain the dispersion curve of a low-dispersion and highly nonlinear fiber are discussed and the results are analyzed. Limitations of any FWM-based method to extract the dispersion curve of a fiber are presented for the first time.     

Kac’s ring: Entropy and Poincaré recurrence

We study the entropy of an N$N$-site Kac ring in a non-equilibrium state. As the system dynamically evolves towards equilibrium and eventually to the initial state exhibiting Poincaré recurrence, we see that the entropy saturates over a period of time which is large for large N$N$. At about the time of order N$N$, the system starts to return to its initial state. We show that there is indeed a perfect “recurrence of statistical fluctuations”, which we are able to explore, as Kac’s ring possesses a finite recurrence time. Entropy is shown here to be a periodic function of the Poincaré recurrence time.     

One‐Pot Three‐Component Synthesis of α‐Amino Nitriles Catalyzed by 2,4,6‐Trichloro‐1,3,5‐triazine (Cyanuric Acid)

A simple and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of α‐amino nitriles from aldehydes, amines and trimethylsilyl cyanide (Me₃SiCN) in the presence of a catalytic amount of cyanuric acid at room temperature.     

Effects of lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation on expression of growth-associated genes by corticospinal neurons

Background  

Inflammation around cell bodies of primary sensory neurons and retinal ganglion cells enhances expression of neuronal growth-associated genes and stimulates axonal regeneration. We have asked if inflammation would have similar effects on corticospinal neurons, which normally show little response to spinal cord injury. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was applied onto the pial surface of the motor cortex of adult rats with or without concomitant injury of the corticospinal tract at C4. Inflammation around corticospinal tract cell bodies in the motor cortex was assessed by immunohistochemistry for OX42 (a microglia and macrophage marker). Expression of growth-associated genes c-jun, ATF3, SCG10 and GAP-43 was investigated by immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridisation.     

D-optimal design of DSC experiments for nth order kinetics

D-optimal experimental designs are developed for differential scanning calorimetry experiments conducted under non-isothermal, constant heating modes under the assumption that the kinetics can be described by an nth order model. Two separate cases are considered: single-scan experiments in which the entire rate of reaction versus temperature curve is available, albeit only at selected points, and multiple-scan experiments in which only the temperature at the maximum in the DSC curve is available but it is known at several heating rates. For the single-scan experiment, the D-optimal heating rate and critical extents of reaction where the data should be analyzed are determined. For the multiple-scan experiment the three D-optimal heating rates are determined. For both cases, a hypothetical example is given which illustrates the success and limitations of this approach.     

Reaction Kinetics of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Absorption in Sodium Salts of Taurine and Proline Using a Stopped‐Flow Technique

The pseudo–first‐order reaction rate constants (k₀, s^?1) for the reaction of carbon dioxide in aqueous solutions of sodium taurate (NaTau) and sodium prolinate (NaPr) were measured using a stopped‐flow technique at a temperature range of 298–313 K. The solutions concentration varied from 5 to 50 mol m^?3 and from 4 to 12 mol m^?3 for NaTau and NaPr, respectively. Comparing the k₀ values, aqueous NaPr was found to react very fast with CO₂ as compared with the industrial standard aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) and aqueous sodium taurate (NaTau) was found to react slower than aqueous MEA at the concentration range considered in this work. For the studied amino acid salts, the order of the reactions was found to be unity with respect to the amino acid salt concentration. Proposed reaction mechanisms such as termolecular and zwitterion reaction mechanisms for the reaction of CO₂ with aqueous solutions were used for calculating the second‐order reaction rate constants (k₂, m³ mol^?1 s^?1). The formation of zwitterion during the reaction with CO₂ was found to be the rate‐determining step, and the deprotonation of zwitterion was instantaneous compared to the reverse reaction of zwitterion to form an amino acid salt. The contribution of water was established to be significant for the deprotonation of zwitterion. Comparing the pseudo–first‐order reaction rate constants (k₀, s^?1) of various amino acid salts with CO₂, NaPr was found to be the faster reacting amino acid salt. The activation energy for NaTau was found to be 48.1 kJ mol^?1 and that of the NaPr was found to be 12 kJ mol^?1. The Arrhenius expressions for the reaction between CO₂ and the studied amino acid salts are