Ring-closing metathesis as a basis for the construction of aromatic compounds

The use of metathesis, especially in the context of ring-closing metathesis (RCM) to form five- and six-membered rings, is widespread in organic chemistry today. However, there are surprisingly few examples of the reaction being used to form aromatic compounds. The central place of aromatic compounds in both medicinal chemistry and natural products synthesis, coupled with the efficiency and functional group tolerance of RCM catalysts, means that there is now an interesting opportunity to use RCM for the synthesis of arenes. Although the formation of an aromatic compound was viewed in many early examples as an undesirable degradation product, several rationally designed methods towards the preparation of aromatic compounds by RCM have recently been developed.     

Excess of nio loading - key for catalyst activity decline prevention

Summary The activity of co-precipitated NiO-Al₂O₃ catalyst for partial oxidation of methane in a steel flow reactor was investigated. The catalyst samples loaded with 5, 10 and 20 wt.% nickel before use were thermally treated at 400, 700 and 1100^oC. The feed gas for catalytic oxidation was prepared by dilution of natural gas with air, and had approximately the following volume composition: CH₄: O₂: N₂ = 5: 2: 8. The reaction was carried out over 100 mg unreduced NiO-Al₂O₃ catalyst at gas flow rate of 50 cm³/min at 650^oC and atmospheric pressure. The catalyst activity with 5 and 10 wt.% of nickel was very similar, decreasing with enhance of previous heat treatment. Further nickel loading did not increase significantly the catalyst activity compared to low level nickel samples. However, high nickel content has a levelling effect on catalyst activity, suppressing the undesired effect of previous heat treatment at high temperature     

In vitro formation of phase I and II metabolites of propranolol and determination of their structures using chemical derivatization and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Derivatization with 1,2‐dimethylimidazole‐4‐sulfonyl chloride (DMISC) has been successfully used as a tool to differentiate between aromatic and aliphatic O‐glucuronides of hydroxypropranolol. The analyses were performed with liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/MS) with both a triple quadrupole and an ion trap instrument. Hydroxylated forms of propranolol can be glucuronidated in aliphatic as well as aromatic positions. These isoforms are not distinguishable by tandem MS alone, as they both initially lose 176 Da, i.e. monodehydrated glucuronic acid, giving back the aglycone. Two in vitro systems were set up for the production of propranolol metabolites. The obtained isomers of 4′‐hydroxypropranolol glucuronide were determined to correspond to one aliphatic and one aromatic form, using chemical derivatization with DMISC and LC‐MSⁿ. DMISC was shown to react with the secondary amine in the case where the naphtol was occupied by the glucuronyl moiety, resulting in a different fragmentation pattern compared with that of the aliphatic glucuronide, where the naphtol group was accessible to derivatization. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterizing changes in levan physicochemical properties in different pH environments using asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation

The purpose of this study was to assess the stability of the polyfructan levan under different pH solution conditions by monitoring changes in the levan physicochemical properties, such as molar mass (M), root mean square radius (r _rms ), hydrodynamic radius (r _h ), structure factor (r _rms /r _h ), and aggregation state with respect to solution pH and hydrolysis time. A commercial levan produced from Z. Mobilis was characterized using asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) in combination with online multiangle light scattering (MALS) and differential refractive index (dRI) detection. Under neutral pH solution conditions the levan was found to have a M ranging from 10⁵ to 5?×?10⁷ g/mol, a r _rms ranging from ~25 to 100 nm and a r _h from ~3 to 151 nm. Two populations were observed in the sample. One population with a M less than 10⁶ g/mol which represented ~60 % of the sample and a second population with an ultrahigh M up to 5?×?10⁷ g/mol, which comprised ~40 % of the sample. The measured r _rms /r _h structure factor decreased from 1.8 to 0.65 across the AF4 fractogram indicating that early eluting low M levan species had a random coil configuration and late eluting high M species had more homogeneous spherical structures. The measured apparent density values decreased from 80 to 10 kg/m³ across the elution profile and suggest that the observed second population also contains aggregates. The stability of levan in different pH conditions ranging from 1.3 to 8.5 was assessed by tracking changes in the average M and r _h , and monitoring the formation of fructose over 1 week. The onset of levan acid hydrolysis was observed to occur sooner at lower pH conditions and no hydrolysis was observed for pH 5.5 and higher.     

Effect of deaeration on the adsorption of a mixture of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and cetyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride at the mercury/electrolyte solution interface

The effect of deaeration on the adsorption of a mixture of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and cetyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride at the mercury/electrolyte interface solution is studied using capacitance measurements focusing mainly at very low temperatures. Isochronous capacitance vs potential curves reconstructed from capacitance time curves show that the deaeration depends on the type of inert gas used as well as the deaeration process. The deaeration changes mainly the kinetics of the change of the capacitance with time. In cases where a condensed film is formed, the equilibrium capacitance value does not change with deaeration, indicating that the organization of the surfactants at the interface is not connected with the deaeration. The effect is attributed to the removal of dissolved gases from water.     

Development of an organo- and enzyme-catalysed one-pot,sequential three-component reaction

A one-pot, three-component process is described which involves both organo- and enzyme-catalysed carbon–carbon bond-forming steps. In the first step, an organocatalyst catalyses the aldol reaction between acetaldehyde and a glyoxylamide. After dilution with additional aqueous buffer, and addition of pyruvate and an aldolase enzyme variant, a second aldol reaction occurs to yield a final product. Crucially, it was possible to develop a reaction in which both the organo- and enzyme-catalysed reactions could be performed in the same aqueous buffer system. The reaction described is the first example of a one-pot, three-component reaction in which the two carbon–carbon bond-forming processes are catalysed using the combination of an organocatalyst and an enzyme.     

Ni-W alloy coatings deposited from a citrate electrolyte

Ni-W alloy coatings were deposited by applying current pulses with different pulse parameters at 60°C onto mild steel substrates from aqueous electrolytes with different tungstate concentration. Morphology and composition of the alloys were analyzed by SEM and EDX, respectively. XRD was used to determine metallic phases. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that deposition parameters had a strong effect on the morphology of the coatings. Increasing the duty cycle or decreasing the off time led to a compact morphology. Corrosion properties of the coatings were investigated by potentiodynamic polarization in a chloride medium. It was found that compact morphology of the deposits and high content of tungsten in the coating contribute to satisfactory corrosion results of Ni-W alloy coatings under the conditions studied.     

Quantifying Mass Transport during Polarization in a Li Ion Battery Electrolyte by in Situ (7)Li NMR Imaging

Poor mass transport in the electrolyte of Li ion batteries causes large performance losses in high-power applications such as vehicles, and the determination of transport properties under or near operating conditions is therefore important. We demonstrate that in situ (7)Li NMR imaging in a battery electrolyte can directly capture the concentration gradients that arise when current is applied. From these, the salt diffusivity and Li(+) transport number are obtained within an electrochemical transport model. Because of the temporal, spatial, and chemical resolution it can provide, NMR imaging will be a versatile tool for evaluating electrochemical systems and methods.     

LC-QTOF/MS metabolomic profiles in human plasma after a 5-week high dietary fiber intake

The objective was to investigate the alterations of plasma metabolome profiles to identify exposure and effect markers of dietary fiber intake. Subjects (n?=?25) aged 58.6 (1.1)?years (mean and SD) with a body mass index of 26.6 (0.5)?kg/m² were given a high fiber (HF) and a low fiber (LF) diet, in a 5-week randomized controlled crossover intervention. The HF diet consisted of oat bran, rye bran, and sugar beet fiber incorporated into test food products, whereas the LF diet was made of equivalent food products to the HF diet, but without adding fibers. Blood plasma samples were collected at the start and end of each intervention period and analyzed by LC-QTOF/MS. In total, 6 features in positive mode and 14 features in negative mode were significantly different between the HF and the LF diet (p?<?0.01, q?<?0.05). Two markers, 2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid and 2-aminophenol sulfate, were increased after HF diet, along with a tentatively identified saponin derived from oat avenacosides. The untargeted metabolomics approach enabled the identification of two new markers of dietary fiber intake in human plasma. Further studies will be needed to verify if these markers could serve as compliance markers of fiber intake.     

Self-Crosslinkable poly(arylene ether)s containing pendent phenylenetriazene groups

Self-crosslinkable poly(arylene ether)s 6 , and 8 , containing pendent triazene groups were prepared by nucleophilic substitution reaction of poly(arylene ether)s 5 , and 7 , respectively, with 1-[4-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)phenylene]triazenes, 4 , in the presence of potassium carbonate in N,N-dimethylacetamide. A series of triazenes 4 containing various substituents have been synthesized. Self-crosslinkable polymer 6e containing phenyl-substituted triazene pendants can be crosslinked at 215°C, which is about 40°C lower than the glass transition temperature of the virgin base polymer 5 . The degree of crosslinking can be tailored by varying the concentration of the pendent phenylenetriazene groups in the polymer. After curing, the flexible polymer films (ca. 10 μm thick) exhibit high gel contents, increased glass transition temperatures, improved resistance to organic solvents, and little change in dielectric constant and thermal stability. These self-crosslinkable poly(arylene ether)s are potential candidates for electronic applications. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.