A new xanthone from Hedychium gardnerianum

A new xanthone (2), 3-(2-hydroxyethoxy)xanthone, and three known compounds, 1-hydroxyxanthone, salicylic acid and the sesquiterpene oplopanone, were isolated for the first time from the rhizomes of Hedychium gardnerianum Rosc. The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of detailed spectral analysis, including 2D NMR experiments.     

Modeling of the hysteresis phenomena in finite-sized slitlike nanopores. Revision of the recent results by rigorous numerical analysis

The systematic investigation of the hysteresis phenomena in finite-sized slitlike nanopores via the Aranovich-Donohue (AD) lattice density functional theory (LDFT) is presented. The new reliable quantitative modeling of the adsorption and desorption branch of the hysteresis loop, through the formation and movement of the curved meniscus, is formulated. As a result, we find that our proposal, which closely mimics the experimental findings, can reproduce a rounded shape of the desorption branch of the hysteresis loop. On the basis of the exhausted commutations, we proved that the hysteresis loop obtained in the considered finite-sized slitlike geometry is of the H1 type of the IUPAC classification. This fundamental result and the other most important results do not confirm the results of the recent studies of Sangwichien et al., whereas they fully agree with the recent lattice studies due to Monson et al. We recognize that the nature of the hysteresis loops (i.e. position, width, shape, and the multiple steps) mainly depends on the value of the energy of both the adsorbate-adsorbate and adsorbate-adsorbent interactions; however, the first one is critical for the appearance of hysteresis. Thus, for relatively small adsorbate-adsorbate interactions, the adsorption-desorption process is fully reversible in the whole region of the bulk density. We show that the strong adsorbate-adsorbent interactions produce (also observed experimentally) multiple steps within hysteresis loops. Contrary to the other studies of the hysteresis phenomena in confined geometry via the LDFT formalism, we constructed both ascending and descending scanning curves, which are known from the experimental observations. Additionally, we consider the problem of the stability of both the obtained adsorption and desorption branches of the computed hysteresis loop in finite-sized slitlike nanopores.     

New Benzo[ b ]xanthones from Diels-Alder Reactions of Chromone-3-carboxaldehydes with ortho -Benzoquinodimethanes

 New benzo[b]xanthone derivatives, having substituents in the A and D rings, were prepared from cycloaddition reactions of chromone-3-carboxaldehydes with ortho-benzoquinodimethanes, generated in situ from 1,3-dihydrobenzo[c]thiophene 2,2-dioxide, followed by oxidation of the obtained diastereomeric adducts. The structure of all compounds was fully established by 1D and 2D NMR, MS, and elemental analysis. The stereochemistry of the obtained diastereomeric cycloadducts was established by NOESY experiments.     

4‐hydroxy‐6‐methyl‐3‐(5‐phenyl‐2E,4E‐pentadien‐1‐oyl)‐2H‐pyran‐2‐one: Synthesis and reactivity with amines

The synthesis and reactivity studies of 4‐hydroxy‐6‐methyl‐3‐(5‐phenyl‐2E,4E‐pentadien‐1‐oyl)‐2H‐pyran‐2‐one 2 with nucleophiles are reported. Reactions of 2 with hydrazine derivatives gave new pyrazole‐type com pounds while the reaction with ortho‐phenylenediamines yielded 1,5‐benzodiazepines. The reaction of 2 with ethylamine implies the 2H‐pyran‐2‐one ring opening and the formation of a strong conjugated compound 3.     

Identification of subsurface oxygen species created during oxidation of Ru(0001)

The oxidation states formed during low-temperature oxidation (T < 500 K) of a Ru(0001) surface are identified with photoelectron spectromicroscopy and thermal desorption (TD) spectroscopy. Adsorption and consecutive incorporation of oxygen are studied following the distinct chemical shifts of the Ru 3d(5/2) core levels of the two topmost Ru layers. The evolution of the Ru 3d(5/2) spectra with oxygen exposure at 475 K and the corresponding O2 desorption spectra reveal that about 2 ML of oxygen incorporate into the subsurface region, residing between the first and second Ru layer. Our results suggest that the subsurface oxygen binds to the first and second layer Ru atoms, yielding a metastable surface "oxide", which represents the oxidation state of an atomically well ordered Ru(0001) surface under low-temperature oxidation conditions. Accumulation of more than 3 ML of oxygen is possible via defect-promoted penetration below the second layer when the initial Ru(0001) surface is disordered. Despite its higher capacity for oxygen accumulation, also the disordered Ru surface does not show features characteristic for the crystalline RuO2 islands. Development of lateral heterogeneity in the oxygen concentration is evidenced by the Ru 3d(5/2) images and microspot spectra after the onset of oxygen incorporation, which becomes very pronounced when the oxidation is carried out at T > 550 K. This is attributed to facilitated O incorporation and oxide nucleation in microregions with a high density of defects.     

Improvement of the Derjaguin-Broekhoff-de Boer theory for capillary condensation/evaporation of nitrogen in mesoporous systems and its implications for pore size analysis of MCM-41 silicas and related materials

In this work, we propose an improvement of the classical Derjaguin-Broekhoff-de Boer (DBdB) theory for capillary condensation/evaporation in mesoporous systems. The primary idea of this improvement is to employ the Gibbs-Tolman-Koenig-Buff equation to predict the surface tension changes in mesopores. In addition, the statistical film thickness (so-called t-curve) evaluated accurately on the basis of the adsorption isotherms measured for the MCM-41 materials is used instead of the originally proposed t-curve (to take into account the excess of the chemical potential due to the surface forces). It is shown that the aforementioned modifications of the original DBdB theory have significant implications for the pore size analysis of mesoporous solids. To verify our improvement of the DBdB pore size analysis method (IDBdB), a series of the calcined MCM-41 samples, which are well-defined materials with hexagonally ordered cylindrical mesopores, were used for the evaluation of the pore size distributions. The correlation of the IDBdB method with the empirically calibrated Kruk-Jaroniec-Sayari (KJS) relationship is very good in the range of small mesopores. So, a major advantage of the IDBdB method is its applicability for small mesopores as well as for the mesopore range beyond that established by the KJS calibration, i.e., for mesopore radii greater than approximately 4.5 nm. The comparison of the IDBdB results with experimental data reported by Kruk and Jaroniec for capillary condensation/evaporation as well as with the results from nonlocal density functional theory developed by Neimark et al. clearly justifies our approach. Note that the proposed improvement of the classical DBdB method preserves its original simplicity and simultaneously ensures a significant improvement of the pore size analysis, which is confirmed by the independent estimation of the mean pore size by the powder X-ray diffraction method.     

Possibilities for recycling cellulases after use in cotton processing: part I: Effects of end-product inhibition,thermal and mechanical deactivation,and cellulase depletion by adsorption

Preliminary recycling experiments with cellulase enzymes after cotton treatments at 50 degrees C showed that activity remaining in the treatment liquors was reduced by about 80% after five recycling steps. The potential problems of end-product inhibition, thermal and mechanical deactivation, and the loss of some components of the cellulase complex by preferential and or irreversible adsorption to cotton substrates were studied. End-product inhibition studies showed that the build-up of cellobiose and glucose would be expected to cause no more than 40% activity loss after five textile treatment cycles. Thermal and mechanical treatments of cellulases suggested that the enzymes start to be deactivated at 60 degrees C and agitation levels similar to those used in textile processing did not cause significant enzyme deactivation. Analysis of cellulase solutions, by fast protein liquid chromatography, before and after adsorption on cotton fabrics, suggested that the cellobiohydrolase II (Cel6A) content of the cellulase complex was reduced, relative to the other components, by preferential adsorption. This would lead to a marked reduction in activity after several treatment cycles and top-up with pure cellobiohydrolase II would be necessary unless this component is easily recoverable from the treated fabric.     

Diastereoselective Diels-Alder Reaction of 2-Thienyl and 2-Furyl Substituted 3-Propenethioamides with Electron Deficient Dienophiles

Summary. The hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of N-aryl-3-(2-thienyl)-2-propenethioamides with N-phenylmaleimide and maleimide yielded a mixture of endo- and exo-2-arylimino-4-(2-thienyl)tetrahydrothiopyran[2,3-c]pyrroles. Cycloaddition to diethyl fumarate required acylation and furnished a mixture of diastereoisomeric 5-(N-acetylphenylamino)-2,3-bis-(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-(2-thienyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-thiopyrans. Reactions of 3-(2-furyl)-2-propenethioamides with N-arylmaleimides furnished the correspondent 2-arylimino-4-(2-furyl)tetrahydrothiopyran[2,3-c]pyrroles. In the cycloadditions of the heterodienes with N-arylmaleimides the endo-cycloadducts were formed as the major products.     

Ab initio prediction of the potential energy surface and vibrational-rotational energy levels of dialuminum monoxide, Al2O

The equilibrium structure and potential energy surface of dialuminum monoxide, Al(2)O, have been determined from large-scale ab initio calculations using the coupled-cluster method, CCSD(T), in conjunction with basis sets of triple- through quintuple-zeta quality. The effects of core-electron correlation on the calculated molecular parameters were investigated. The vibrational-rotational energy levels of the Al(2) (16)O and Al(2) (18)O isotopic species were calculated by a variational approach. The predicted energy levels are in remarkably good agreement with the available experimental spectroscopic data (from laser-induced fluorescence), demonstrating that the Al(2)O molecule is linear at equilibrium in its ground electronic state. The reported theoretical data settle controversies between the experimental studies about the equilibrium structure and assignment of vibrational fundamentals of the Al(2)O molecule.