Mixture segregation by an inertial cavitation bubble

Pressure diffusion is a mass diffusion process forced by pressure gradients. It has the ability to segregate two species of a mixture, driving the densest species toward high pressure zones, but requires very large pressure gradients to become noticeable. An inertial cavitation bubble develops large pressure gradients in its vicinity, especially as the bubble rebounds at the end of its collapse, and it is therefore expected that a liquid mixture surrounding such a bubble would become segregated. Theory developed in an earlier paper shows that this is indeed the case for sufficiently large molecules or nano-particles. The main theoretical results are recalled and a possible implication of this segregation phenomenon on the well-known cavitation-enhanced crystals nucleation is proposed.     

Strong localization and macroscopic atoms for directed polymers

In this article, we derive strong localization results for directed polymers in random environment. We show that at “low temperature” the polymer measure is asymptotically concentrated at a few points of macroscopic mass (we call these points -atoms). These results are derived assuming weak conditions on the tail decay of the random environment. Partially supported by CNRS (UMR 7599 “Probabilités et Modèles Aléatoires”).     

Electrophilic chemistry of thia-PAHs: stable carbocations (NMR and DFT), S-alkylated onium salts, model electrophilic substitutions (nitration and bromination), and mutagenicity assay

First examples of stable carbocations are reported from several classes of thia-PAHs with four fused rings, namely, benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene (1) and its 3-methoxy derivative (2), phenanthro[4,3-b]thiophene (3) and its 7-methoxy (4), 10-methoxy (5), and 9-methoxy (6) derivatives, phenanthro[3,4-b]thiophene (7) and its 7-methoxy (8) and 9-methoxy (9) derivatives, and 3-methoxybenzo[b]naphtha[1,2-d]thiophene (11). In several cases, the resulting carbocations were also studied by GIAO-DFT. Charge delocalization modes in the resulting carbocations were probed. A series of S-alkylated onium tetrafluoroborates, namely, 1Me+, 1Et+, 2Et+, and 7Me+ (from 1, 2, and 7), 10Me+ and 10Et+ (from benzo[b]naphtha[1,2-d]thiophene 10), 12Me+ and 12Et+ (from phenanthro[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene 12), 13Me+ (from 3-methoxyphenanthro[3,2-b]benzothiophene 13), 14Me+ (from phenanthro[4,3-b][1]benzothiophene 14), and 15Me+ (from 3-methoxyphenanthro[4,3-b][1]benzothiophene 15), were synthesized. PAH-sulfonium salts 1Me+, 1Et+, 10Me+, 10Et+, 12Me+, and 14Me+ proved to be efficient akylating agents toward model nitrogen nucleophile receptors (imidazole and azaindole). Facile transalkylation to model nucleophiles (including guanine) is also supported by favorable reaction energies computed by DFT. Ring opening energies in thia-PAH-epoxides from 1, 3, and 7 and charge delocalization modes in the resulting carbocations were also evaluated. The four-ring-fused thia-PAHs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 11 are effectively nitrated under extremely mild conditions. Nitration regioselectivity corresponds closely to protonation under stable ion conditions. Bromination of 4 and 6 is also reported. Comparative mutagenicity assays (Ames test) were performed on 1 versus 1NO2, 5 versus 5NO2, and 11 versus 11NO2. Compound 5NO2 was found to be a potent direct acting mutagen.     

Reactions of Cl*/Cl2*- radicals with the nanoparticle silica surface and with humic acids: model reactions for the aqueous phase chemistry of the atmosphere

Reactions of chlorine radicals might play a role in aqueous aerosols where a core of inorganic components containing insulators such as SiO2 and dissolved HUmic-LIke Substances (HULIS) are present. Herein, we report conventional flash photolysis experiments performed to investigate the aqueous phase reactions of silica nanoparticles (NP) and humic acid (HA) with chlorine atoms, Cl*, and dichloride radical anions, Cl2*-. Silica NP and HA may be taken as rough models for the inorganic core and HULIS contained in atmospheric particles, respectively. Both Cl* and Cl2*- were observed to react with the deprotonated silanols on the NP surface with reaction rate constants, k +/- sigma, of (9 +/- 6) x 10(7) M(-1) s(-1) and (7 +/- 4) x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. The reaction of Cl* with the surface deprotonated silanols leads to the formation of SiO* defects. HA are also observed to react with Cl* and Cl2*- radicals, with reaction rate constants at pH 4 of (3 +/- 2) x 10(10) M(-1) s(-1) and (1.2 +/- 0.3) x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. The high values observed for these constants were discussed in terms of the multifunctional heterogeneous mixture of organic molecules conforming HA.     

Role of guiding groups in cinchona-modified platinum for controlling the sense of enantiodifferentiation in the hydrogenation of ketones

Systematic structural variations of cinchona-type modifiers used in the platinum-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones give insight into the adsorption mode of the modifier and its interaction with the substrate on the platinum surface under truly in situ conditions. The performance of a new modifier, O-(2-pyridyl)-cinchonidine, is compared to that of O-phenyl-cinchonidine and cinchonidine (CD). In the hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate, ketopantolactone, and 2-methoxyacetophenone, CD gives the (R)-alcohol in excess. Introduction of the bulky O-phenyl group favors the (S)-enantiomer, whereas upon replacement of the phenyl by a 2-pyridyl group the (R)-alcohol is again the major product. This finding is particularly striking, because the two ether groups have virtually identical van der Waals volumes. A catalytic study including the nonlinear behavior of modifier mixtures, and attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy of the solid-liquid interface in the presence of hydrogen, revealed the adsorption mode and strength of the modifiers on Pt. Theoretical calculations of the modifier-substrate interactions offered a feasible explanation for the different role of the bulky ether groups: repulsion by the phenoxy and attraction by the 2-pyridoxy groups. Simulation of the interaction of o-pyridoxy-CD with ketopantolactone on a model Pt surface suggests that formation of two N-H-O-type H-bonds--involving the quinuclidine and pyridine N atoms, and the two keto-carbonyls in the substrate--controls the adsorption of the substrate during hydrogen uptake. This mechanistic study demonstrates the potential of insertion of suitable substituents into CD and their influence on adsorption and stereocontrol on the platinum surface.     

Benzylic substitution of gramines with boronic acids and rhodium or iridium catalysts

Gramine-MeI salts were useful starting materials for the synthesis of 3-benzyl- and 3-allylindoles by the 1,4-addition of boronic acids to the C=C-C=N linkages generated in situ under Rh(I)-catalysis. On the other hand, under Ir(I) catalysis, the reaction of gramines with indoles was used to produce nonsymmetrical diindolylmethanes. [reaction: see text]     

Preliminary electrochemical studies of the flavohaemoprotein from Ralstonia eutropha entrapped in a film of methyl cellulose: Activation of the reduction of dioxygen

A flavohaemoprotein (FHP) from Ralstonia eutropha, obtained in a pure and active form, has been entrapped in a film of methyl cellulose on the electrode surface and gives a stable and reproducible electrochemical response at pH 7.00 when subject to cyclic voltammetry using a glassy carbon electrode. To our knowledge, no previous direct electrochemistry had been achieved with a bacterial flavohaemoglobin, which possess both a FAD and a haem. A single couple is observed which is assigned to the haem moiety of the protein, since the same result is obtained with a semi-apo form of the protein deprived of FAD (semi-apo FHP). The data collected were further confirmed by potentiometry with a platinum electrode, and the homogeneous electron transfer rate estimated by double potential step chronocoulometry at a bare glassy carbon electrode in the presence of methyl viologen (MV). The presence of FAD in the holoprotein is easily confirmed by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, but its expected electron relay role remains elusive. The protein activates the reduction of dioxygen by about 400 mV, the reduction current being proportional to the concentration of dioxygen up to 10% in volume in the gas mixture.     

Relationship between the critical points found by the electron localization function and atoms in molecules approaches in adducts with hydrogen bonds

In this work, 11 adducts with hydrogen bonds were studied by using the B3LYP exchange-correlation functional of the Kohn-Sham approach and the M?ller-Plesset second-order perturbation theory MP2. With both approaches, the geometry of each adduct was optimized with the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set. The binding energies of the considered systems, found by the MP2 method, range from 1.2 to 8.3 kcal/mol. By using the atoms in molecules (AIM) analysis and the electron localization function (ELF) we found that the critical points positions characteristic of hydrogen bonds obtained by AIM and ELF are very similar each other. Besides, we found a linear correlation between the critical points positions found by AIM and those obtained by ELF with the B3LYP method and also with the MP2 method. The slope of such a linear relationship was close to 1 and the y-intercept close to 0.