Photochemically Induced Solid-State Degradation, Condensation, and Rearrangement Reactions in Lignin Model Compounds and Milled Wood Lignin

Abstract— Milled wood lignin produced from alkaline hydrogen peroxide-bleached softwood thermomechanical pulp (TMP) fibers was adsorbed on pure cellulose and irradiated for variable periods of time under oxygen and/or nitrogen. The absolute amounts of β-O-4 ethers, phenolic hydroxyl groups, carboxylic acids and various condensed phenolic units were quantified, nondestructively, using ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. Photoirradiation was found to severely cleave the β-O-4 ethers present in lignin with the concomitant formation of new phenolic units. The rate of this cleavage was found to be faster under oxygen than under nitrogen. The catalytic role of oxygen can be rationalized by invoking the formation of peroxy free radicals that may initiate new sites of radical generation ( e.g. ketyl radicals) within the lignin causing the subsequent breakdown of the β-O-4 linkage. The photoirradiation was found to cause a net increase of the C₅-related condensed phenolic units in lignin. Among these, C_α-C₅ and/ or C_β-C₅ phenolic moieties were found to predominate. Similar irradiation of a binary mixture of model compounds resembling structures present in softwood lignin resulted in 18 products that were identified and quantified using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The photochemical products obtained supported the phenacyl and ketyl mechanistic pathways to pho-toyellowing, whereas the detection of β-5 coupling products (common in both the model compound and milled wood lignin studies) may point a new avenue toward the formation of light-induced products that has not been previously considered in the solid state.     

Study of the 'teaching system' according to systems theory

The traditional triadic 'Teaching System' (the teacher, the student and mathematics) and the new quaternary version (the teacher, the student, mathematics and new technologies), are studied according to Systems Theory. Systems Theory is described and the model of the traditional 'Teaching System' and that of the new system are analysed with the aid of this theory; that is the structure of each system (elements, interactions) and its function are described. Finally, comments are made about the application of the new system on didactic, on the one hand, and the philosophical background of the incorporation of the fourth element (new technologies) in the traditional system, on the other.     

Bootstrap robust prescriptive analytics

Mathematical Programming - We address the problem of prescribing an optimal decision in a framework where the cost function depends on uncertain problem parameters that need to be learned from...     

Ionic liquid crystals derived from the protonation of poly(propylene imine) dendrimers with a cholesterol-based carboxylic acid

The liquid crystalline character of salts resulting from the interaction of poly(propylene imine) dendrimers with 3-cholesteryloxycarbonylpropanoic acid has been studied. The supramolecular structure and consequently the observed liquid crystalline phases are dictated by the degree of protonation of primary amino groups as compared with that of tertiary ones, determined by FTIR spectroscopy in the bulk and by NMR spectroscopy in solution. Glass transition temperatures of the materials are about 38°C. At higher temperatures they are transformed to smectic C* phases while a second-order smectic C phase to smectic A phase transition is observed between 90 and 110°C depending on dendrimer generation. At about 150°C the onset of degradation is observed. The influence of the ionic dendrimeric scaffold on the thermotropic properties is discussed.     

2,2,2‐Trifluoroacetophenone as an Organocatalyst for the Oxidation of Tertiary Amines and Azines to N‐Oxides

A cheap, mild and environmentally friendly oxidation of tertiary amines and azines to the corresponding N‐oxides is reported by using polyfluoroalkyl ketones as efficient organocatalysts. 2,2,2‐Trifluoroacetophenone was identified as the optimum catalyst for the oxidation of aliphatic tertiary amines and azines. This oxidation is chemoselective and proceeds in high‐to‐quantitative yields utilizing 10 mol % of the catalyst and H₂O₂ as the oxidant.     

Selective Enzymatic Oxidation of Silanes to Silanols

Compared to the biological world's rich chemistry for functionalizing carbon, enzymatic transformations of the heavier homologue silicon are rare. We report that a wild‐type cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450_BM3 from Bacillus megaterium, CYP102A1) has promiscuous activity for oxidation of hydrosilanes to give silanols. Directed evolution was applied to enhance this non‐native activity and create a highly efficient catalyst for selective silane oxidation under mild conditions with oxygen as the terminal oxidant. The evolved enzyme leaves C?H bonds present in the silane substrates untouched, and this biotransformation does not lead to disiloxane formation, a common problem in silanol syntheses. Computational studies reveal that catalysis proceeds through hydrogen atom abstraction followed by radical rebound, as observed in the native C?H hydroxylation mechanism of the P450 enzyme. This enzymatic silane oxidation extends nature's impressive catalytic repertoire.     

On the mathematical formulation of the problem of reassembling fragmented objects: two new theorems

In this paper two new theorems are proved in association with the problem of matching three dimensional solid bodies. Rigorous mathematical criteria are given in order to test if two such bodies actually match in a certain position. Since this problem finds important application to the actual problem of reassembling fragmented objects e.g. archaeological, special care is taken to account for small gaps between matching fragments and fuzziness of the matching parameters.