Synthesis,Structure, and Theoretical Study of Trifluoromethyl Derivatives of C84(22) Fullerene

Trifluoromethylation of higher fullerene mixtures with CF₃I was performed in ampoules at 400 to 420 and 550 to 560 °C. HPLC separation followed by crystal growth and X‐ray diffraction studies allowed the structure elucidation of nine CF₃ derivatives of D₂‐C₈₄ (isomer 22). Molecular structures of two isomers of C₈₄(22)(CF₃)₁₂, two isomers of C₈₄(22)(CF₃)₁₄, four isomers of C₈₄(22)(CF₃)₁₆, and one isomer of C₈₄(22)(CF₃)₂₀ were discussed in terms of their addition patterns and relative formation energies. DFT calculations were also used to predict the most stable molecular structures of lower CF₃ derivatives, C₈₄(22)(CF₃)_2–10. It was found that the addition of CF₃ groups to C₈₄(22) is governed by two rules: additions can only occur at para positions of C₆(CF₃)₂ hexagons and no additions can occur at triple‐hexagon‐junction positions on the fullerene cage.     

Local Structure of Nanoscopic Magnesium Hydroxide ­Fluorides Studied by Natural Abundance 25Mg Solid State NMR Spectroscopy

Along with X‐ray diffraction measurements, ²⁵Mg solid state NMR experiments were performed in natural abundance at 9.4 T on crystalline and mechanically milled samples of MgO, Mg(OH)₂, MgF₂, and magnesium hydroxide fluorides Mg(OH)_xF_2–x prepared on mechanochemical and sol‐gel syntheses routes. In addition to single pulse and spin‐echo sequences, both static ¹H‐²⁵Mg CP and ¹⁹F‐²⁵Mg CP measurements allowed the registration of ²⁵Mg spectra in attractive short measurement times. Although an assignment of different magnesium species in magnesium hydroxide fluorides is only hardly possible, position and line shapes of ²⁵Mg spectra of magnesium hydroxide fluorides reflect chemically reliable trends. All samples studied here show a sixfold fluorine, oxygen, or mixed fluorine / oxygen coordination of magnesium, also in highly disordered samples.     

Biocatalytic designs for the conversion of renewable glycerol into glycerol carbonate as a value-added product

A comparative study of two different biocatalytic models, e.g. enzyme immobilized on magnetic particles (EIMP) and cross-linking enzyme aggregates onto magnetic particles (CLEMPA) was performed. The first model was designed as enzyme-immobilized on the magnetic particles surface (EIMP). The second model was constructed as a network structure with the enzyme aggregates and magnetic particles placed into the nodes and polyglutaraldehyde cross-linker as the network ledges. The design was called cross-linking enzyme aggregates onto magnetic particles (CLEMPA). The biocatalysts were prepared using lipase enzyme from Aspergillus niger for catalyzing the glycerol (Gly) conversion to glycerol carbonate (GlyC). The biocatalyst characteristics for both designs (EIMP and CLEMPA) were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser light scattering (LLS) and UV-Vis techniques. The EIMP model was strongly influenced by the composition of the polymeric layer covering the particles surface, while the size of the magnetic particles affected mostly the CLEMPA design. Also, the biocatalytic capacity of the tested models was evaluated as maximum 52% Gly conversion with 90% GlyC selectivity for EIMP, and 73% Gly conversion with 77% GlyC selectivity for CLEMPA. Both biocatalytic models were successfully used to prepare GlyC from “crude” glycerol collected directly from the biodiesel process (e.g. 49% Gly conversion with 91% GlyC selectivity for EIMP and 70% Gly conversion with 80% GlyC selectivity for CLEMPA).      

Mechanochemical synthesis of AlF3 with NH4F as fluorinating agent – Does it work?

Followed by X-ray diffraction, MAS NMR and elemental analysis the mechanochemical reaction between Al(OiPr)₃, γ-AlOOH and Al(ac)₂OH as possible aluminium sources on the one side, and NH₄F as fluorinating agent on the other side was studied. Encouraged by the successful mechanochemical synthesis of CaF₂ using the same fluorinating agent, the formation of AlF₃ was expected. However, it can be established that as long as NH₄F is supplied the formation of crystalline (NH₄)₃AlF₆ is observed instead.     

Trifluoromethyl Derivatives of C88 (33) Fullerene

The synthesis, separation and X-ray crystallographic analysis of the trifluoromethyl derivatives of fullerene C88 (isomer 33), C88(CF3)n (n = 16, 18 and 20), revealed close relations between their addition patterns, which indicate the formation of higher derivatives from lower ones by the addition of CF3 groups.