New aspects of the electroadsorption of ethyl xanthate on copper electrodes

The interaction of the ethyl xanthate (EX) anion with a copper electrode in a borate buffer solution, pH 9.2, has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and measurements of contact angle (CA) under controlled potential. The results obtained allow establishing that, in the potential range from -0.80 and -0.60 V, two parallel reactions were characterized. These reactions were the ethyl xanthate electroadsorption and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This last reaction has not been described by previous authors. Besides, the EIS measurements show that the mechanism of the HER on copper electrodes is not affected by the presence of a ethyl xanthate species. The EQCM study shows that in the electrodesorption process the departure of each ethyl xanthate species from the copper electrode is accompanied with the simultaneous entry of four to five water molecules. This fact is in accordance with the number of copper atoms involved in the adsorption of one ethyl xanthate species.     

Surface modification of pyrophyllite with amino silane coupling agent for the removal of 4-nitrophenol from aqueous solutions

The surface of naturally hydrophobic mineral pyrophyllite was modified to hydrophilic by treatment with prehydrolyzed N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APEO) coupling agent to prepare a novel and effective adsorbent for the removal of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) from aqueous solutions. XRD, FTIR, and SEM analyses were used to characterize the surface modification. It was found that after the grafting procedure, heat treatment at 110 degrees C results in condensation reaction between the OH groups of the APEO molecule and the hydroxyl groups and/or oxygen atoms on the pyrophyllite surface and the adsorption of 4-NP by APEO-modified pyrophyllite involves interactions between dissociated 4-NP molecules and protonated amine groups of APEO molecules attached to the mineral surface. Adsorption equilibrium data for 4-NP adsorption on APEO-treated and untreated pyrophyllite were most satisfactorily fitted using the Freundlich adsorption isotherm and adsorption capacity was found to be 0.268 mg/g for modified pyrophyllite whereas it was only 0.105 mg/g for untreated pyrophyllite.     

Hexaruthenium carbonyl cluster complexes with basal edge-bridged square pyramidal metallic skeleton: efficient synthesis of 2-imidopyridine derivatives and determination of their reactive sites in carbonyl substitution reactions

The reactions of [Ru(3)(CO)(12)] with half equivalent of 2-amino-6-methylpyridine (H(2)ampy) or 2-aminopyridine (H(2)apy) in refluxing xylene give the hexanuclear products [Ru(6)(mu(3)-H)(2)(mu(5)-eta(2)-L)(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(14)] (L = ampy, 1; apy, 2). These reactions represent the first high-yield syntheses of hexanuclear complexes with a basal edge-bridged square pyramidal metallic skeleton. Five metal atoms of these complexes are bridged by the N-donor ligand in such a way that the edge-bridging metal atom is attached to the pyridine nitrogen, while the basal atoms of the square pyramid are capped by an imido fragment that arises from the activation of both N-H bonds of the NH(2) group. The reactive sites of these complexes in CO substitution reactions have been determined by studying the reactivity of 1 with triphenylphosphine. Two kinetically controlled monosubstitutions take place on the edge-bridging metal atom in positions cis to the pyridine nitrogen, leading to a mixture of two isomers of formula [Ru(6)(mu(3)-H)(2)(mu(5)-eta(2)-ampy)(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(13)(PPh(3))] (3 and 4). On heating at 80 degrees C, these monosubstituted isomers are transformed, via a dissociative pathway, into the product of thermodynamic control (5), which has the PPh(3) ligand on the apical Ru atom. The di- and trisubstituted derivatives [Ru(6)(mu(3)-H)(2)(mu(5)-eta(2)-ampy)(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(12)(PPh(3))(2)] (6) and [Ru(6)(mu(3)-H)(2)(mu(5)-eta(2)-ampy)(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(11)(PPh(3))(3)] (7) are stepwise formed from 3-5 and PPh(3). Compound 6 has the PPh(3) ligands on the edge-bridging and apical Ru atoms, and compound 7 has an additional PPh(3) ligand on an unbridged basal Ru atom. The compound [Ru(6)(mu(3)-H)(2)(mu(5)-eta(2)-ampy)(mu-CO)(2)(CO)(12)(mu-dppm)] (8), in which a basal and the apical Ru atoms are spanned by the dppm ligand, has been isolated from the reaction of 1 with bis(diphenylphosphino)methane.     

Simultaneous determination of propacetamol and paracetamol by derivative spectrophotometry

The present paper describes a procedure that phenols in air were preconcentrated in a membrane cell and their content was determined by adsorptive polarography. First, the phenols in air samples were preconcentrated in a membrane cell using 2.0 M NaOH solution, then in a pH 1.3 buffer solution p-bromophenylamine forms a diazoate with NaNO(2), and into the mixture the collected phenols were added to form azo-compound in a pH 13 buffer solution. The azo-compound can be adsorbed at the mercury electrode and yields a sensitive oscillopolarographic wave. Over the range 2.0x10(-8)-2.0x10(-5) M, the peak currents are linearly proportional to the concentration of phenols. The detection limit is 5.0x10(-9) M.     

Hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination of As, Bi, Sb, Se(IV) and Te(IV) in aqua regia extracts from atmospheric particulate matter using multivariate optimization

A highly sensitive and simple method, based on hydride generation and atomic fluorescence detection, has been developed for the determination of As, Bi, Sb, Se(IV) and Te(IV) in aqua regia extracts from atmospheric particulate matter samples. Atmospheric particulates matter was collected on glass fiber filters using a medium volume sampler (PM1 particulate matter). Two-level factorial designs have been used to optimise the hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) procedure. The effects of several parameters affecting the hydride generation efficiency (hydrochloric acid, sodium tetrahydroborate and potassium iodide concentrations and flow rates) have been evaluated using a Plackett-Burman experimental design. In addition, parameters affecting the hydride measurement (delay, analysis and memory times) have been also investigated. The significant parameters obtained (sodium tetrahydroborate concentration, sodium tetrahydroborate flow rate and analysis time for As; hydrochloric acid concentration and sodium tetrahydroborate flow rate for Se(IV); and sodium tetrahydroborate concentration and sodium tetrahydroborate flow rate for Te(IV)) have been optimized by using 2ⁿ + star central composite design. Hydrochloric acid concentration and sodium tetrahydroborate flow rate were the significant parameters obtained for Sb and Bi determination, respectively. Using a univariate approach these parameters were optimized. The accuracy of methods have been verified by using several certified reference materials: SRM 1648 (urban particulate matter) and SRM 1649a (urban dust). Detection limits in the range of 6 × 10⁻³ to 0.2 ng m⁻³ have been achieved. The developed methods were applied to several atmospheric particulate matter samples corresponding to A Coruña city (NW Spain).     

Reactivity of benzoyl chlorides in nonionic microemulsions: potential application as indicators of system properties

The solvolysis reactivity of benzoyl chlorides entails a high sensitivity on medium properties. A systematic study of the reaction of a series of these substrates, varying the electron-withdrawing character of the substituent, has been performed in nonionic microemulsions. The kinetic effects due to variation of microemulsion compositions can be assigned to modifications in system properties, to be precise, to modifications in interface properties. Microemulsion properties that are obtained from kinetic analysis of solvolysis show a good agreement with the characterization of the microemulsion that was made via 1H NMR and solvatochromic fluorescence probes. Benzoyl chlorides with electron-donating groups react through a dissociative mechanism, whereas electron-withdrawing groups favor an associative mechanism. A comparative analysis of reactivity between the different substrates at the interface shows a variation in the contributions of both reaction pathways, associative and dissociative, to the whole reaction mechanism. The confined media shift the point where the mechanism changes from an associative to a dissociative pathway, far away from the turning point in water. Furthermore, the change in mechanism can be modulated by modification of the microemulsion composition.     

Some polyhydroxy azo–azomethine derivatives of salicylaldehyde: Synthesis, characterization, spectroscopic, molecular structure and antimicrobial activity studies

Some new substituted polyhydroxy azo–azomethine compounds were prepared by reaction of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane with (E)-2-hydroxy-5-(phenyldiazenyl) benzaldehyde and its substituted derivatives. The structures of azo and azo–azomethine compounds were determined by IR, UV–vis, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic techniques, and/or X-ray diffraction studies. According to IR spectra, all azo–azomethine compounds adopt keto form in solid state. UV–vis analysis has shown the presence of keto–enol tautomerism in solution for all azo–azomethine compounds, except that for nitro substituted derivative, enol form is dominantly favored in solution. At the same time, above mentioned derivative compounds were studied in vitro for their antimicrobial properties. Among the phenylazosalicylaldehyde series compound tested, 4-phenylazosalicylaldehyde, 4-(3-chlorophenylazo)salicylaldehyde, 4-(2-chlorophenylazo)salicylaldehyde, 4-(4-fluorophenylazo)salicylaldehyde, 4-(3-chlorophenylazo)salicylaldehyde and 4-(4-ethylphenylazo)salicylaldehyde showed a weak antimicrobial activity only against gram positive bacteria. On the contrary, phenylazosalicylaldehyde series compounds were reacted tris(hydroxmethyl)aminomethane, that exhibited a strong antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria, yeast and mould. Moreover, while the 2-{[1,3-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)propan-2-ylimino]methyl}phenol did not show an inhibition on tested microorganism, the addition of phenyldiazine groups to 2-{[1,3-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)propan-2-ylimino]methyl}phenol resulted in a strong increases in antimicrobial activity.     

Production of recombinant bleaching enzymes from thermophilic microorganisms in fungal hosts

Cost-effective production of enzymes for industrial processes makes the appropriate selection of the host-vector expression system critical. We have developed two systems for the bulk production of bleaching enzymes from thermophiles. Kluyveromyces lactis has been developed as a secretion host employing expression vectors based on the 2μ-like plasmid pKD1 of Kluyveromyces drosophilarium. Our second system involves the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei. Fusion and nonfusion vectors have been constructed using the strong cellobiohydrolase 1 (cbh1) promoter. The KEX2 protease cleavage site and a 6 × HIS-tag have been incorporated to facilitate both cleavage and purification of the mature foreign proteins.     

Palladium-arene interactions in catalytic intermediates: an experimental and theoretical investigation of the soft rearrangement between eta1 and eta2 coordination modes

A series of dichloro-bridged arylbicycloheptylpalladium complexes have been synthesized and characterized by means of NMR spectroscopy. The compound [(C16H19)PdCl]2*CH2Cl2 with ortho and para methyl substituents at the arene has been characterized by means of X-ray diffraction techniques. The C(ipso) atom of the arene lies almost at the fourth planar coordination site of the metal [Pd-C(ipso) = 2.22(1) A (average)], and due to the arene's tilting, the substituted C(ortho) atom is relatively close to the metal atom [2.54(1) A (average)]. The coordinated C(ipso)-C(ortho) linkage, in a seemingly dihapto coordination, is anti with respect to the CH2 bridge of the bicycloheptyl unit. Variable-temperature NMR experiments for the para-substituted dimer 9 reveal restricted rotation of the two aryl groups about the corresponding C-C(ipso) bonds (DeltaE < or =17 kcal x mol(-1)). DFT-B3LYP calculations have been carried out on the known and similar monomer (phenylbicycloheptenyl)Pd(PPh3)I (4) and its related substituted derivatives. The essential results are as follows: (i) The potential energy surface for twisting the phenyl ring away from the symmetric eta(1) coordination in 4 is very flat (DeltaE < or = 1 kcal x mol(-1)) whereas an Atoms in Molecules analysis excludes the existence of an actual Pd-C(ortho) bond in the seemingly eta2-type conformer. (ii) Complete rotation of the unsubstituted phenyl ring is not facile but feasible. A significant strain affects the transition-state structure featuring a Pd-HC(aryl) agostic-type bond. The calculated destabilization of 10.3 kcal x mol(-1), with respect to the ground state, can be compared to the experimental barrier of the dimer 9. (iii) Various methyl-substituted derivatives of 4 have been optimized, and their structural and energetic trends are discussed. An almost ideal eta1 coordination is shown by the anti conformer of the C(ortho)-substituted complex due steric effects. For all of the other cases, a slipped eta2 coordination may be described. As a general conclusion, the unsaturated metal center receives pi electron density of the arene mainly through its C(ipso) atom. The effect may be slightly improved if the C(ortho) atom also gets closer to the metal, but in no case, does the slipped eta2 coordination seem to be crucial for the stability of the system.