Spectroscopic and theoretical investigation of molecular complexes of 2,4,6-trinitropyridine-1-oxide with some pyridine derivatives

Summary Stability constants and enthalpies of formation were determined forEDA complexes of 2,4,6-trinitropyridine-1-oxide (TNPO) with some pyridine bases. Energies of transition,hv _CT , calculated by the SCF MO CI-1 PPP method fit well the corresponding experimental data. Based on these results, geometries for the systems under study are proposed.

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Spektroskopische und theoretische Untersuchung von molekularen Komplexen des 2,4,6-Trinitropyridin-1-oxids mit einigen Pyridinderivaten

Zusammenfassung Es wurden Stabilitätskonstanten und Bildungsenthalpiewerte einigerEDA-Komplexe von 2,4,6-Trinitropyridin-1-oxid mit ausgewählten Pyridinbasen bestimmt. Dabei wurde eine gute Übereinstimnmung zwischen den Anregungsenergienhv _CT aus den UV-VIS-Spektren und den mit der SCF-MO-CI-1 PPP-Methode errechneten Werten gefunden. Es werden für die untersuchten Komplexe entsprechende Strukturen vorgeschlagen.

     

Implementation of chemometric techniques for evaluation of antioxidant properties of Camellia sinensis extracts

In this study, antioxidant properties of commercial green teas and dietary supplements containing Camellia sinensis extracts were evaluated. Extracts were examined using two antioxidant assays (DPPH^· radical method and ABTS^·+ cation radical method). A Folin-Ciocalteu assay was used to evaluate the total polyphenol content in the extracts. In order to compare and characterize the investigated Camellia sinensis extracts, chemometric techniques based on fingerprint chromatograms, antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content were applied. Application of chemometric methods allowed for reduction of multidimensionality of the data set and grouped the samples into differentiable clusters. The relationship between the antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content was also assessed. The results indicated that extracts with the higher polyphenolic content exhibited the stronger antiradical activity against both DPPH^· radicals and ABTS^·+ cation radicals. The multivariate calibration technique (such as a tree regression algorithm) can be a useful tool for rapid determining the antioxidant activity of a herbal product based on its fingerprint chromatogram      

Chemical Kinetics of Methane Pyrolysis in Microwave Plasma at Atmospheric Pressure

Results of chemical kinetics modeling in methane subjected to the microwave plasma at atmospheric pressure are presented in this paper. The reaction mechanism is based on the methane oxidation model without reactions involving nitrogen and oxygen. For the numerical calculations 0D and 1D models were created. 0D model uses Calorimetric Bomb Reactor whereas 1D model is constructed either as Plug Flow Reactor or as a chain of Plug Flow Reactor and Calorimetric Bomb Reactor. Both models explain experimental results and show the most important reactions responsible for the methane conversion and production of H₂, C₂H₂, C₂H₄ and C₂H₆ detected in the experiment. Main conclusion is that the chemical reactions in our experiment proceed by a thermal process and the products can be defined by considering thermodynamic equilibrium. Temperature characterizing the methane pyrolysis is 1,500–2,000 K, but plasma temperature is in the range of 4,000–5,700 K, which means that methane pyrolysis process is occurring outside the plasma region in the swirl gas flowing around the plasma.     

Theoretical studies of electronic structure and structural properties of anhydrous alkali metal oxalates

The theoretical analysis of electronic structure and bonding properties of anhydrous alkali metal oxalates, based on the results of DFT FP-LAPW calculations, Bader’s QTAIM topological properties of electron density, Cioslowski and Mixon’s topological bond orders [reported in the first part of this paper by Kole?yński (doi:10.1007/s10973-013-3126-z)] and Brown’s Bond Valence Model calculations, carried out in the light of thermal decomposition pathway characteristic for these compounds are presented. The obtained results shed some additional light on the origins of the complex pathway observed during thermal decomposition process (two stage process, first the formation of respective carbonate and then decomposition to metal oxide and carbon dioxide). For all structures analyzed, strong similarities in electronic structure and bonding properties were found (ionic-covalent bonds in oxalate anion with C–C bond as the weakest one in entire structure and almost purely ionic between oxalate group and alkali metal cations), allowing us to propose the most probable pathway consisting of consecutive steps, leading to carbonate anion formation with simultaneous cationic sublattice relaxations, which results in relative ease of respective metal carbonate formation.     

Analytical protocol for investigation of zinc speciation in plant tissue

A specific procedure is proposed for investigating the chemical speciation of zinc (Zn) in plant tissues, viz., the extraction of Zn compounds from Plantago lanceolata L. followed by the chromatographic separation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) identification of these compounds. In order to separate the Zn compounds, both size-exclusion (SEC) and ionexchange liquid chromatography (IC) were used in direct sequential and reverse sequential modes. In the direct sequential mode, the entire extract undergoes SEC separation and then the individual fractions are injected onto the ion-exchange column. The molecular size distribution is evaluated by SEC coupled on-line to the UV detector. In the reverse sequential mode, the entire extract undergoes the ion-exchange chromatographic separation and then the individual fractions are injected onto the size-exclusion column. The identification of Zn incorporated into the compounds is further performed using ICP-MS. This procedure is particularly useful in speciation studies when identification of the individual components of the element is problematic due to the lack of suitable standard substances, as is the case for Zn compounds. The proposed procedure facilitates assignment of the signals to the individual components of the fractions for both types of chromatography, thus rendering the chemical speciation of Zn possible when the lack of suitable standard substances impedes the identification of individual components.     

Promoted ternary CuO-ZrO2-Al2O3 catalysts for methanol synthesis

Ternary CuO-ZrO₂-Al₂O₃ catalysts promoted by palladium or gold were prepared and tested in CO hydrogenation reaction at 260°C under elevated pressure (4.8 MPa). The promotion effect of palladium or gold addition on the physicochemical and catalytical properties of CuO-ZrO₂-Al₂O₃ catalysts in methanol synthesis (MS) was studied. The catalysts were characterized by BET, XRD, TPR-H₂, TPD-NH₃ methods. The BET results showed that the ternary system CuO-ZrO₂-Al₂O₃ had the largest specific surface area, cumulative pore volume and average pore size in comparison with the promoted catalysts. The yield of methanol can be given through the following sequence: 5%Pd/CuO-ZrO₂-Al₂O₃ > CuO-ZrO₂-Al₂O₃ > 2%Au/CuO-ZrO₂-Al₂O₃. We also found that the presence of gold or palladium on catalyst surface has strong influence on the reaction selectivity. The high selectivity of gold doped ternary catalyst is explained by the gold-oxide interface sites created on the catalyst surface and the acidity of those systems. The higher selectivity to methanol in the case of the palladium catalyst is explained by the spillover effect between Pd and CuO.      

Syntheses of diaza-18-crown-6 ligands containing two units each of 4-hydroxyazobenzene,benzimidazole, uracil,anthraquinone, or ferrocene groups

Six new diaza-18-crown-6 ligands each containing two aromatic side arms with responsive functions were prepared. Diaza-18-crown-6 containing two 4-hydroxyazobenzene ( 3 ) or two 4 -hydroxy- 4′ -(dimethyl-amino)azobenzene ( 4 ) substituents were prepared via a one-pot Mannich reaction. Diaza-18-crown-6 containing two benzimidazole ( 5 ), two uracil ( 6 ) or two 9,10-anthraquinone ( 7 ) substituents were prepared by treating the diazacrown with the appropriate chloromethyl-containing compound. Reductive amination using sodium triacetoxyborohydride, diaza-18-crown-6 and ferrocenecarboxaldehyde was used to prepare bisferrocene-substituted diaza-18-crown-6 ( 8 ). Interactions of compounds 3 , 5 , and 6 with Na⁺, K⁺, Ba²⁺, Ag⁺, and Cu²⁺ were evaluated by a calorimetric titration technique at 25° in methanol. All three ligands form more stable complexes with Ag⁺ and Cu²⁺ ( 5 forms a precipitate with Ag⁺) than with Na⁺ and K⁺. Ligand 5 also forms a highly stable complex with Ba²⁺.     

Controlled Rate Thermal Analysis of Hydrated Borates

Quasi-isothermal-isobaric analysis was applied as a main method for investigation of thermal decomposition of borates. The structural mechanism of the dehydration and dehydroxylation of selected borates is considered. It has been found that they consist of two independent stages: formation of gaseous water molecules localized into the structural framework and their release. The internal pressure of gaseous water molecules is the factor influencing the course of these processes. The strengths of the chemical bonds of the components and the freedom of their displacement also determine thermal stability of hydrated borates. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Prediction of protein structure using a knowledge-based off-lattice united-residue force field and global optimization methods

A united-residue model of polypeptide chains developed in our laboratories with united side-chains and united peptide groups as interaction sites is presented. The model is designed to work in continuous space; hence efficient global-optimization methods can be applied. In this work, we adopted the distance-scaling method that is based on continuous deformation of the original rugged energy hypersurface to obtain a smoothed surface. The method has been applied successfully to predict the structures of simple motifs, such as the three-helix bundle structure of the 10-58 fragment of staphylococcal protein A in de novo folding simulations and more complicated motifs in inverse-folding simulations. Received: 24 April 1998 / Accepted: 4 August 1998 / Published online: 2 November 1998     

Synthesis and Spectroscopic Studies of Chosen Heteropolytungstates and Their Ln(III) Complexes

The heteropolytungstates [(Na)P₅W₃₀O₁₁₀]^4– (I), [(Na)Sb₉W₂₁O₈₆]^18– (II) and [(Na)As₄W₄₀O₁₄₀]^27– (III) and the monovacant Keggin structure of the general formula [XW_11–xMo_xO₃₉]^n– (X-Si, P; n = 7 for P and 8 for Si) (IV) as well as their europium(III) complexes were studied. The structures of I–IV as well as the europium(III) encrypted [(Eu)P₅W₃₀O₁₁₀]^12– (VI), [(Eu)Sb₉W₂₁O₈₆]^16– (VII), [(Eu)As₄W₄₀O₁₄₀]^25– (VIII) and sandwiched [Eu(XW_11–xMo_xO₃₉)₂]^n– (n =11 for P and n = 13 for Si) (V) complexes were synthesized and spectroscopically characterized. The complexes were studied using UV-Vis absorption and luminescence, as well as the laser-induced europium ion luminescence spectroscopy. Absorption spectra of Nd(III) were used to characterize the complexes formed. Excitation and emission spectra of Eu(III) were obtained for solid complexes and their solutions. The relative luminescence intensities of the Eu(III) ion, expressed as the ratio of the two strongest lines at 594 nm and 615 nm, = I₆₁₅/I₅₉₄, which is sensitive to the environment of the primary coordination sphere about the Eu(III) ion, was calculated. In the case of the sandwiched [Eu(XW_11–xMo_xO₃₉)₂]^n– complexes a linear dependence of the luminescence quantum yield of Eu(III) ion, , (calculated using [Ru(bpy)₃]Cl₂ as a standard) on the content of Mo (number of atoms, x) in the [Eu(XW_11–xMo_xO₃₉)₂]^n– structure was observed.