Revealing structural effects: electrochemical reactions of butanols on platinum

Spectroelectrochemical studies on the reactivity of butanol isomers on Pt electrodes in perchloric acid medium led to the observation of structural effects that result from the different arrangements of atoms in the organic molecules. The use of differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) to detect volatile products showed that all four isomers react on the electrode, though different product yields were observed for each compound. In spite of the differences in the electrochemical behaviour of the butanol isomers, a series of general processes accounts for the results obtained. The formation of strongly adsorbed residues by a dehydration process leading to the formation of a C=C bond was proposed for all isomers. Electroreduction of the adsorbates produces C(4) and C(3) alkanes, and the latter reveal the existence of a fragmentation process. The C(4) hydrocarbons can be formed by hydrogenation of these residues and by hydrogenolysis of alcohol molecules in the bulk solution which react at the electrode with adsorbed hydrogen. On the other hand, CO(2) is formed during electrooxidation of the adsorbed species. Partial-oxidation products containing a carbonyl group were detected from 0.2 M solutions of 1-butanol, isobutyl alcohol and sec-butyl alcohol. The tertiary alcohol tert-butyl alcohol only reacts in its adsorbed state.     

Carbon fiber cylindrical microelectrode-based detector for the determination of antithyroid drugs

An amperometric flow-injection method for the determination of antithyroid drugs such as 6-methyl-2-thiouracil (MTU) using a carbon fiber cylindrical microelectrode-based detector is reported. A home-made flow-cell specially adapted for working with cylindrical microelectrodes ranging between 4 and 10 mm in length was used for this purpose. Methanol containing 0.05 mol l(-1) tetrabutylammonium perchlorate as the supporting electrolyte was employed, and a potential of +1.6 V was selected for the amperometric detection of MTU. No cleaning or electrode surface regeneration of the fiber was necessary during the whole working day. A limit of detection of 2.6x10(-7) mol l(-1) (37 mug MTU l(-1)) was achieved. The method was applied to the determination of MTU in spiked feed samples (peas and corn flour), at the 142 mug g(-1) level. The procedure involved the extraction of the drug in methanol, a clean-up step using Florisil cartridges and the use of the standard additions method. Recoveries of 81+/-6 and 85+/-8% were obtained for peas and corn flour, respectively.     

Totally selective ring-opening of amino epoxides with ketones: a general entry to enantiopure (2R,3S)- and (2S,3S)-3-aminoalkano-1,2-diols

[Reaction: see text] Transformation of enantiopure diastereoisomers (2R,1'S)- and (2S,1'S)-2-(1-aminoalkyl)epoxides into the corresponding 4-(1-aminoalkyl)-1,3-dioxolanes is achieved by reaction with different ketones in the presence of BF3.Et2O. The conversion takes place in very high yields, total selectivity, and without epimerization. A mechanism to explain this transformation is proposed. The obtained 1,3-dioxolanes can be deprotected, and (2R,3S)- and (2S,3S)-3-aminoalkano-1,2-diols were isolated.     

Role of vibrationally excited NO in promoting electron emission when colliding with a metal surface: a nonadiabatic dynamic model

A nonadiabatic quantum dynamic model has been developed to study the process of electron emission from a low-work-function metal surface. The process is initiated by scattering a highly vibrationally excited NO molecule from a surface composed of a Cs layer covering a Ru crystal. The model addresses the increasing quantum yield of the electron emission as a function of the molecular vibrational excitation and incident kinetic energy. The reaction mechanism is identified as a long-range harpooning electron transfer to a molecular ion which is then accelerated toward the surface. Upon impact, the molecular ion emits its excess electron.     

Cycloaddition reactions of 5-deutero-1-phenyl-4-vinylpyrazole. Stereoselectivecis “ene” reaction and simplification of NMR spectra of mixtures of cycloadducts

Summary The reaction of methyl propiolate (MP) with 1-phenyl-4-vinylpyrazole deuterated in the five position has clarified the¹H NMR spectrum of the mixture of the adducts 1:2 which are obtained as a result of a Diels-Alder cycloaddition followed by a non-regioselective ene reaction. The deuterated substrate allowed at the same time to establish the stereochemistry of the ene reaction as a concertedcis process.

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Cycloadditionsreaktionen von 5-Deutero-1-phenyl-4-vinylpyrazol. Stereoselektivecis-en-Reaktion und Vereinfachung von NMR-Spektren von Mischungen der Cycloaddukte (Kurze Mitt.)

Zusammenfassung Die Reaktion von Methylpropiolat (MP) mit an der 5-Stellung deuteriertem 1-Phenyl-4-vinylpyrazol wurde zur vereinfachten Interpretation der¹H-NMR-Spektren einer 1:2 Mischung von Addukten aus der Diels-Alder-Cycloaddition mit nachfolgender nicht-regioselektiver en-Reaktion eingesetzt. Das deuterierte Substrat erlaubte zugleich auch die Bestimmung der Stereochemie der en-Reaktion als einen konzertiertencis-Prozeß.

     

Determination of lead in the urine of exposed and unexposed adults by extraction and flow-injection/atomic absorption spectrometry

Lead is extracted from urine with ammonium pyrrolidien dithiocrbamate into methyl isobutyl ketone, and 20 μl of the extract is injected into a water carrier stream in a flow-injection/atomic absorption system. The procedure is simple, quick, accurate and reproducible. Recoveries are 96–105%. The mean urine lead contents of 20 unexposed and 20 printing-press lead exposed workers was found to be 39.0 ± 8.3 and 71.7 ± 26.3 μg Pb l^?1, respectively.     

Structural characterization of single-walled carbon nanotube bundles by experiment and molecular simulation

A procedure, combining molecular simulation, Raman spectroscopy, and standard nitrogen adsorption, is developed for structural characterization of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) samples. Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations of nitrogen adsorption are performed on the external and internal adsorption sites of homogeneous arrays of SWNTs of diameters previously determined by Raman spectroscopy of the sample. The results show the importance of the peripheral grooves of a nanotube bundle at low relative pressure and the insensitivity of nanotube diameter toward adsorption on the external surface of the bundle at higher pressures. Simulations also reveal that samples containing thin nanotubes have less internal adsorption capacity that saturates at lower pressure than those comprising large diameter nanotubes. The fraction of open-ended nanotubes in a sample can be estimated by scaling the simulated internal adsorption inside nanotubes to obtain a near perfect fit between simulated and experimental isotherms. This procedure allows extrapolation of adsorption properties to conditions in which all nanotubes in the sample are open-ended.     

High-throughput screening of enzyme libraries: thiolactonases evolved by fluorescence-activated sorting of single cells in emulsion compartments

Single bacterial cells, each expressing a different library variant, were compartmentalized in aqueous droplets of water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions, thus maintaining a linkage between a plasmid-borne gene, the encoded enzyme variant, and the fluorescent product this enzyme may generate. Conversion into a double, water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) emulsion enabled the sorting of these compartments by FACS, as well as the isolation of living bacteria cells and their enzyme-coding genes. We demonstrate the directed evolution of new enzyme variants by screening >10(7) serum paraoxonase (PON1) mutants, to yield 100-fold improvements in thiolactonase activity. In vitro compartmentalization (IVC) of single cells, each carrying >10(4) enzyme molecules, in a volume of <10 femtoliter (fl), enabled detection and selection despite the fast, spontaneous hydrolysis of the substrate, the very low initial thiolactonase activity of PON1, and the use of difusable fluorescent products.     

Analysis of the Micropore Structure of Various Microporous Materials from Nitrogen Adsorption at 77 K

The micropore structure of four microporous materials (two zeolites, ZSM-5 and Y-82; an activated carbon and an alumina pillared clay) and their binary physical mixtures (50-50 wt%) have been examined by nitrogen adsorption at 77 K. Various micropore sizes have been considered from the stages on the micropore filling mechanism in the microporous materials. The application of the Dubinin-Astakhov (DA) equation to characterize and obtain the adsorption potential distributions of the microporous materials is presented.     

Intercalation of Cyclic Amines into α-Titanium Phosphate

The intercalation of some amines (aniline, benzylamine, cyclohexylamine,piperidine, pyridine, pyrazine and piperazine) into -titaniumphosphate, Ti(HPO₄)_2×H₂O,has been investigated by the batch method and/or by exposing the host to thevapour of the amines. The changes in the interlayer distance of the solidduring the intercalation process was followed by X-ray powder diffraction.The new intercalates were characterised by chemical and thermal analysis.Materials with a monolaminar and/or bilaminar arrangement of amine moleculesin the phosphate interlayer region are obtained depending on the nature ofthe amine. Due to steric hindrance, saturated phases are not obtained forall amines studied. The thermal decomposition of the intercalates (nitrogenatmosphere), takes place in three stages: dehydration, removal of amines andcondensation of the hydrogenphosphate to pyrophosphate groups.