SERF-filtered experiments: new enantio-selective tools for deciphering complex spectra of racemic mixtures dissolved in chiral oriented media

The use of chiral liquid crystals as NMR solvent is a powerful tool to visualize and quantify enantiomers. This technique is much more robust than traditional liquid state techniques. Recent developments have been performed to simplify proton spectra obtained in these solvents which are usually complex to analyze. In the different published sequences the enantiomeric differentiation can be visualized but none of them rely the different (1)H-(1)H couplings to have a coherent set for each enantiomer especially in cases of racemic mixtures. In this work to overcome such limitations, we present a new NMR pulse sequence using semi-selective pulses to assign for each enantiomer the different (1)H-(1)H couplings. The aim is to obtain the signal of only one enantiomer, through a first Selective ReFocussing (SERF) filtering block implemented for the enantio-selection followed by a second SERF block for measuring a chosen coupling. The whole sequence is called (1)H SERF-filtered-SERF. These techniques permit for the first time to assign all dipolar couplings to each enantiomer of racemic mixtures dissolved in chiral oriented media. We demonstrate that using this experiment it is possible to visualize enantio-differentiation even in the case where the multiplets are not resolved in the SERF experiments, pushing back the limits of the enantiomeric visualization.     

Dioxane and Dioxine Heterocycles Obtained Simultaneously on a Same Substrate from the Condensation Reaction Between p-Hydroxyacetophenone and Polymerised Formaldehyde

The condensation reaction between polymerised formaldehyde and a ketone possessing a methylene group α to the carbonyl function, in the presence of a polystyrene (1) or fluorinated (2) ion-exchange catalyst, leads to the corresponding 1,3-dioxane and is characterized by excellent yield and selectivity.     

Promotion of nickel catalysts for the steam reforming of methane

The influence of additives (Cu, Fe and Al₂O₃) on the textural and catalytic properties of nickel in steam reforming of methane is described. The effects of structural promoting by Al₂O₃ and of electronic promoting by copper are reported. The rate of steam reforming of methane was measured in a gradientless reactor at atmospheric pressure.

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(Cu, Fe Al₂O₃) . Al₂O₃ . .

     

Unmanned platform for long-range remote analysis of volatile compounds in air samples

This paper describes a long-range remotely controlled CE system built on an all-terrain vehicle. A four-stroke engine and a set of 12-V batteries were used to provide power to a series of subsystems that include drivers, communication, computers, and a capillary electrophoresis module. This dedicated instrument allows air sampling using a polypropylene porous tube, coupled to a flow system that transports the sample to the inlet of a fused-silica capillary. A hybrid approach was used for the construction of the analytical subsystem combining a conventional fused-silica capillary (used for separation) and a laser machined microfluidic block, made of PMMA. A solid-state cooling approach was also integrated in the CE module to enable controlling the temperature and therefore increasing the useful range of the robot. Although ultimately intended for detection of chemical warfare agents, the proposed system was used to analyze a series of volatile organic acids. As such, the system allowed the separation and detection of formic, acetic, and propionic acids with signal-to-noise ratios of 414, 150, and 115, respectively, after sampling by only 30 s and performing an electrokinetic injection during 2.0 s at 1.0 kV.     

Low power upconversion using MLCT sensitizers

Selective low energy excitation of the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transition in [Ru(dmb)(3)](2+)(dmb = 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine) in the presence of anthracene or 9,10-diphenylanthracene yields easily visualized upconverted singlet fluorescence resulting from triplet-triplet annihilation at low excitation power.     

Determination of 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione in red wines using methanol chemical ionization ion trap mass spectrometry

A compound associated with oxidized flavor in red wines was recently-identified as 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione (MND). In order to quantify it, positive chemical ionization (PCI) in an ion trap was studied using conventional liquid reagents such as methanol, acetonitrile, and acetone, as well as non-conventional liquid reagents such as ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, pentane, isohexane, and heptane. Under laboratory conditions, very different response factors were obtained with MND depending on the gas. We also compared the detection limit of conventional CI with hybrid chemical ionization (HCI). Finally, this compound was quantified in red wines by liquid/liquid extraction without any derivatization steps, followed by GC/MS-CI analysis, using methanol as the reagent gas. Coelutions of compounds with the same m/z were checked using methanol-d(4). The method we developed was linear in the 10-300 ng/L range of MND concentrations, with satisfactory repeatability. The detection limit was 4.3 ng/L, over 3 times lower than the olfactory perception threshold of this compound (16 ng/L). The suitability of this method for assaying this diketone in red wine was demonstrated by the analyzing many wines from different vintages.     

Strain effects in electron spin resonance spectroscopy of quintet 2,6-bis(4'-nitrenophenyl)-4-phenylpyridine

Photolysis of 2,6-bis(4'-azidophenyl)-4-phenylpyridine in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2MTHF) glass at 7 K leads to quintet 2,6-bis(4'-nitrenophenyl)-4-phenylpyridine as a mixture of rotational isomers. The electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrum of this mixture of rotamers shows a considerable broadening of many transitions in the range of 0-5000 G and cannot be reproduced by computer simulations solely based on the tuning of the spin Hamiltonian parameters g, D(Q), and E(Q) alone or on predictions of DFT calculations. The best modeling of the experimental ESR spectrum is obtained only when the large line-broadening parameter of Γ(E(Q)) = 1200 MHz along with the spin Hamiltonian g = 2.003, D(Q) = 0.154 cm(-1), and E(Q) = 0.050 cm(-1) is used in the spectral simulations. The most accurate theoretical estimations of the magnetic parameters of the dinitrene in a 2MTHF glass are obtained from the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)+PBE/DZ/COSMO calculations of the spin-spin coupling parameters D(SS) and E(SS). Such calculations overestimate the E(Q) and D(Q) values of the dinitrene just by 1% and 10%, respectively, demonstrating that contributions of the spin-orbit coupling parameters D(SOC) and E(SOC) to the total D(Q) and E(Q) values are negligibly small. The research shows that ESR studies of polynuclear high-spin nitrenes, obtained by photolysis of rotational isomers of the starting azides, can only be successful if large E(Q) strain effects are taken into account in the spectral simulations.     

Sorption of benzene vapors to flexible metal–organic framework [Zn2(bdc)2(dabco)]

The isotherms of benzene sorption by the metal–organic coordination polymer [Zn₂(bdc)₂(dabco)] were studied within the temperature range 25–90 °C at pressures up to 75 torr. The maximal benzene content in [Zn₂(bdc)₂(dabco)] at room temperature was demonstrated to correspond to the composition [Zn₂(bdc)₂(dabco)]·3.8C₆H₆. It was established that the process of benzene desorption from the substance under investigation occurs in three stages. (1) Evaporation of benzene from the phase of variable composition (phase C) with compression and distortion of the unit cell (the composition of the phase C varies from [Zn₂(bdc)₂(dabco)]·3.8C₆H₆ to [Zn₂(bdc)₂(dabco)]·3.2C₆H₆). (2) The transformation of the phase C into phase P. The phase P has the same unit cell geometry as that for the empty framework. The maximal benzene content is [Zn₂(bdc)₂(dabco)]·1.0C₆H₆. (3) Benzene evaporation from the phase P of variable composition. We studied the temperature dependences of the equilibrium vapor pressure of benzene for the samples with compositions [Zn₂(bdc)₂(dabco)]·3.0(3)C₆H₆ and [Zn₂(bdc)₂(dabco)]·2.0(3)C₆H₆ within the temperature range 290–370 K. The thermodynamic parameters of benzene vaporization were determined for the latter compound ( $ \Updelta {\text{H}}_{{{\text{av}} .}}^{o} = 49\left( 1 \right) \,{\text{kJ }}\left( {{\text{moleC}}_{6} {\text{H}}_{6} } \right)^{ - 1} $ ; $ \Updelta {\text{S}}_{{{\text{av}} .}}^{^\circ } = 100\left( 3 \right)\, {\text{J}}\left( {{\text{moleC}}_{6} {\text{H}}_{6} {\text{K}}} \right)^{ - 1} $ ; $ \Updelta {\text{G}}_{298}^{^\circ } = 19.0\left( 2 \right)\, {\text{kJ}}\left( {{\text{moleC}}_{6} {\text{H}}_{6} } \right)^{ - 1} $ ).     

Studies on the Synthesis of Eremophilane Sesquiterpenes. A Novel Entry into the Aristolane Ring System

Readily available tricyclo[3.2.2.0^2,4]non-6-en-8-one is converted into the tricyclo ring system of the aristolane sesquiterpenes via an alkoxide accelerated [3, 3]-sigmatropic rearrangement.