A Simple Extraction Method for Determination of High Molecular Weight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

A simplified extraction method was developed for extracting high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from river sediments. The samples were extracted 3 times with 5 mL of solvent (toluene:methanol, 9 : 1, v/v) at 100 °C, 10 minutes for each extraction. After clean‐up and concentration, extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer (GC‐MS). The extraction efficiency and accuracy was evaluated by the standard reference material (SRM‐1941b). Comparing to certified values, the average recoveries of high molecular weight PAHs with 3, 4, 5 and 6 fused benzene rings were 72.9∼113.2 % (R.S.D. 2.3∼6.3 %) except those of dibenz[a,h]anthracene (206.2±4.6 %). The average recoveries for PAHs spiked sediment samples were comparable with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and Soxhlet methods. The simple extraction method consumes less solvent, fewer amount of sample than those of conventional methods. The lowest quantitation limit of PAHs is 1.1 μg/kg.     

Extraction of Intercalated O2 from Aligned Carbon Nanotubes: The Breaking of Intertube Paths and Exponential Changes in Resistance

In carbon nanotube films, the alignment of carbon nanotubes creates Lennard–Jones potentials at intertube junctions and trapped O₂ appears to oscillate at elevated temperatures. Electrical measurements reveal a low hopping barrier along the transverse direction and an underlying mechanism that involves intercalated molecules acting as charge carriers between tubes. Ab initio calculations support dynamic intercalation and charge transfer through O₂ bouncing between tubes.     

Modeling of a free-burning,high-intensity arc at elevated pressures

A previously established model has been applied to a free-burning high-intensity argon arc at elevated pressures for simulating the situations experienced, for example, in plasma processing or in underwater welding. With the calculated thermodyanmic and transport properties and appropriate boundary conditions, solutions of the entire arc are obtained with exception of the electrode sheath regions. The results show that the arc contracts as the pressure increases. As a consequence of this contraction, the current density, the enthalpy flux, and the voltage drop increase also while the velocity of the induced cathode jet decreases.     

Chemistry of o-Benzoquinones and Masked o-Benzoquinones. VI. Cycloaddition of 6, 9 Dipropyl-1, 4-Dioxaspiro[4.5] Deca-6, 8-Dien-2, 10-Dione with Cycloheptatriene

Cycloaddition of masked o-benzoquinone, 6,9-dipropyl-1, 4-dioxaspiro[4.5]deca-6, 8-dien-2,10-dione, with cycloheptatriene afforded mainly [4π+2π] adducts which was transformed into 1, 4-dipropyl-5H-benzocycloheptene by hydrolysis, photolysis and dehydrogenation consecutively. These reaction sequences represent a novel method for the synthesis of 5H-benzocycloheptene from catechol via masked o-benzoquinone.     

Mössbauer Spectroscopic Studies of Bromostannate(II) Complexes in Frozen Aqueous Solutions

Mössbauer spectra of KSnBr₃·2H₂O were very broad and could not fit Lorentz equation, suggesting unresolvable quadrupole doublets. Its quadrupole splitting was estimated to be about 0.25 mm/s from the separate experiments on frozen aqueous solutions of Sn(II)-Br^? systems. Stability constants of bromostannate(II) complexes were determined at μ = 3.5 from the Δ-c_L curve by the approximation method, which were in agreement with the literature values.     

Spectroscopic study of [Fe2O2(5-Et3-TPA)2]3+: nature of the Fe2O2 diamond core and its possible relevance to high-valent binuclear non-heme enzyme intermediates

The spectroscopic properties and electronic structure of an Fe(2)(III,IV) bis-mu-oxo complex, [Fe(2)O(2)(5-Et(3)-TPA)(2)](ClO(4))(3) where 5-Et(3)-TPA = tris(5-ethyl-2-pyridylmethyl)amine, are explored to determine the molecular origins of the unique electronic and geometric features of the Fe(2)O(2) diamond core. Low-temperature magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) allows the two features in the broad absorption envelope (4000-30000 cm(-)(1)) to be resolved into 13 transitions. Their C/D ratios and transition polarizations from variable temperature-variable field MCD saturation behavior indicate that these divide into three types of electronic transitions; t(2) --> t(2) involving excitations between metal-based orbitals with pi Fe-O overlap (4000-10000 cm(-)(1)), t(2)/t(2) --> e involving excitations to metal-based orbitals with sigma Fe-O overlap (12500-17000 cm(-)(1)) and LMCT (17000-30000 cm(-)(1)) and allows transition assignments and calibration of density functional calculations. Resonance Raman profiles show the C(2)(h)() geometric distortion of the Fe(2)O(2) core results in different stretching force constants for adjacent Fe-O bonds (k(str)(Fe-O(long)) = 1.66 and k(str)(Fe-O(short)) = 2.72 mdyn/A) and a small ( approximately 20%) difference in bond strength between adjacent Fe-O bonds. The three singly occupied pi-metal-based orbitals form strong superexchange pathways which lead to the valence delocalization and the S = (3)/(2) ground state. These orbitals are key to the observed reactivity of this complex as they overlap with the substrate C-H bonding orbital in the best trajectory for hydrogen atom abstraction. The electronic structure implications of these results for the high-valent enzyme intermediates X and Q are discussed.     

Electrophoresis of a charge-regulated spheroid along the axis of an uncharged cylindrical pore

Boundary effects can have a profound influence on the electrophoretic behavior of a charged entity, in particular, when the entity is nonspherical and its surface conditions are dependent upon the nearby environment. In this study, the electrophoresis of a spheroid along the axis of an uncharged cylindrical pore is analyzed for the case where the electrical potential is low and the applied electric field is weak. We consider the case where the surface of a particle contains dissociable acidic and basic functional groups, which simulate biological colloids and entities covered by an artificial membrane. This leads to a mixed-type boundary value problem, which extends the conventional constant-surface-potential and constant-surface-charge-density models to a more general case. The effects of the particle aspect ratio, the relative magnitudes of particle and pore, the thickness of the double layer surrounding a particle, and the pH of the liquid phase on the electrophoretic mobility of a particle are investigated. Several interesting results are observed; for example, if the volume of a particle is fixed, its mobility may have a local maximum as the relative magnitudes of its two axes vary.     

Gold-catalyzed cyclization of enediynes and arenediynes to 6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-one and dibenzo[c,h]chromen-6-one derivatives

The efficient synthesis of 6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-one and dibenzo[c,h]chromen-6-one derivatives is described. Thus, treatment of arenediynes 1 and enediynes 5 with 5?mol % Ph₃PAuCl and 10?mol % of AgSbF₆ in refluxing toluene gave dibenzo[c,h]chromen-6-ones 4 and 6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones 6, in good yields, respectively.     

Chromium to chromium quintuple bonds in a trigonal lantern configuration

A new family of the quintuply bonded dichromium complexes [Cr₂{μ‐κ²‐HC(N‐2,6‐R₂C₆H₃)₂}₂(μ‐κ²‐HC[NAr]₂)] (R = ⁱPr, Ar = 4‐MeC₆H₄ ( 5 ), Ar = 3,5‐Me₂C₆H₃ ( 6 ), and Ar = 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃ ( 7 ); R = Et, Ar = 4‐MeC₆H₄ ( 8 ), Ar = 3,5‐Me₂C₆H₃ [ 9 ], and Ar = 2,6‐Et₂C₆H₃ ( 10 )) with a heteroleptic lantern configuration was obtained upon the addition of one equivalent of amidinate to the quintuply bonded dichromium amidinates [Cr{μ‐κ²‐HC(N‐2,6‐R₂C₆H₃)₂}]₂ (R = ⁱPr, Et). Additionally, the same approach was applied to the preparation of the acetate derivative [Cr₂{μ‐κ²‐HC(N‐2,6‐ ⁱPr₂C₆H₃)₂}₂(μ‐κ²‐CH₃CO₂)] ( 11 ), which represents the first example that the quintuply bonded dinuclear complex contains an oxygen‐containing ligand. Of particular interest is that the Cr‐Cr bond lengths in these new trigonal paddlewheel quintuple Cr‐Cr bond species are comparable with those in their precursor compounds. They show ultrashort Cr‐Cr bond lengths in a narrow range of 1.740–1.755 å on the basis of single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography. The small Mayer bond orders of the long Cr‐N bonds as well as divergent, C_2v and D_3h, structural conformations in 5 – 11 suggest that the metal–ligand interactions possess minor covalent character and the electrostatic interactions play a dominant role. As a result, these extremely short Cr‐Cr quintuple bonds are caused by the overlap between five pairs of d orbitals that do not involve much in metal–ligand bonding. Additionally, anionic lantern dichromium trisamidinates 5 – 10 can be chemically oxidized by one electron, supported by electrochemistry, and their ease to undergo oxidation is presumably associated with their neutral lantern dichromium trisamindinate products, whose structures inherently display a Jahn‐Teller distortion, exemplified by the structure of the homoleptic dichromium complex [Cr₂{μ‐κ²‐HC(N‐2,6‐Et₂C₆H₃)₂}₃] [ 12 ] determined by X‐ray crystallography. These results unambiguously support the Cr‐Cr quintuple bonding in these novel anionic lantern dichromium complexes.     

Development of dipyridine‐based coordinative polymers for reusable heterogeneous catalysts

Poly(di(pyridin‐2‐yl)methyl acrylate) (PDPyMA), which was obtained by the free radical polymerization of designed coordinative monomer of di(pyridin‐2‐yl)methyl acrylate, is able to coordinate with various metal ions to form heterogeneous catalysts for diverse catalytic reactions. The Pd and Cu complexes supported by PDPyMA were developed for the heterogeneous Suzuki‐Miyaura reaction and Friedel‐Crafts alkylation, respectively. The PDPyMA‐based catalysts showed no significant decline of reactivity after five times recycling. However, the hydrolysis of the PDPyMA backbone under alkaline conditions limited the catalytic efficiency of this heterogeneous catalyst so that the coordinative monomer was redesigned as 1,1‐di(pyridine‐2‐yl)‐2‐(4‐vinylphenyl)ethan‐1‐ol and then 2,2′‐(1‐methoxy‐2‐(4‐vinylphenyl)ethane‐1,1‐diyl)dipyridine (MVPhDPy). With copolymerization of N‐isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM), the efficiency of polymer‐based heterogeneous catalysts could be further raised, demonstrated by the increased turn over number in the Suzuki‐Miyaura reaction, which approached 5,260 by using the catalyst formed from poly(MVPhDPy‐co‐NIPAM) and Pd(OAc)₂. poly(MVPhDPy‐co‐NIPAM) copolymer, therefore, could be a versatile platform to support different metal ions for various heterogeneous catalytic reactions.