The gas-phase ozonolysis reaction of methylbutenol: A mechanistic study

The gas-phase ozonolysis reaction of methylbutenol through the Criegee mechanism is investigated. The initial reaction leads to a primary ozonide (POZ) formation with barriers in the range of 10–28 kJ mol⁻¹. The formation of 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-propanal (HMP) and formaldehyde-oxide is more favorable, by 10 kJ mol⁻¹, than the syn-CI and formaldehyde. The unimolecular dissociation of the more stable syn-CI via 1,5-H transfer into an epoxide is more favored than the epoxide and ³O₂ formation. The ester channel led to the formation of the acetone and formic acid favorably from the anti-CI. The hydration of the anti-CI with H₂O and (H₂O)₂ is significantly barrierless with a higher plausibility to the latter, and thus they may lead to the formation of peroxides and ultimately OH radicals, as well as airborne particulate matter. Reaction of anti-CI with water dimers enhances its atmospheric reactivity by a factor of 28 in reference to water monomers.     

Order of stabilities in water nanoclusters: Insight from some recent double‐hybrid functionals

In the present work, the applicability of some of the recently proposed and modern double‐hybrid (DH) models and other density functional theory (DFT) approximations has been analyzed for a difficult test, the order of stability in low‐energy isomers of water nanoclusters. In particular, we aim to systematically investigate for these functionals the role played by several factors such as dispersion correction, integrand functions upon which the DHs are based, and different spin scaling for the perturbative term in DH calculations of the relative energies for various isomers of water nanoclusters (H₂O)₂₀. From the obtained results, the superior performance of DHs with respect to the functionals from previous rungs is confirmed. It is shown that the dispersion corrected DHs perform better than noncorrected counterparts. Plus, the DH models based on cubic integrand (CI) and quadratic integrand (QI) functions are nearly equivalent in performance. We also find that using only contributions of electron pairs with opposite spin for the perturbative correlation part through scaled opposite spin scheme does not represent a significant improvement on accuracy of the results. Putting all the results together, the dispersion corrected parameterized DHs and parameter‐free DH models involving CI and QI functions outperform other approximations for relative energies of water 20‐mers. Altogether, predicting the correct order of the stability in water nanoclusters may be considered as another Achilles' heel in DFT calculations, although more analyses in this context are still needed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Dabsyl chloride derivatisation of melamine followed by high-performance liquid chromatography determination in water samples

A new and sensitive precolumn derivatisation with dabsyl chloride was developed for the analysis of melamine in water samples by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with visible detection. Derivatisation with dabsyl chloride leads to improving sensitivity and hydrophobicity of melamine. Under optimum conditions of derivatisation and microextraction, the method yielded a linear calibration curve ranging from 10 to 2000 µg L^?1 with a determination coefficient (R²) of 0.9952. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 2.0 and 6.0 µg L^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviation per cent (RSD%) for intraday and inter-day extraction and determination at 20 and 200 µg L^?1 levels of melamine was less than 8.2% (n = 6). Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of melamine in different water samples and satisfactory results were obtained (relative recovery ≥91%).     

A magnetic nanoparticle‐catalyzed regioselective ring opening of epoxides by aromatic amines

Sulfonic acid‐functionalized silica‐coated magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized and applied as a green catalyst for an efficient and environmentally friendly ring opening of epoxides with aromatic amines in good to excellent yields with high chemoselectivity. Clean aminolysis of various aliphatic and aromatic epoxides in ethanol generates β‐hydroxyamines under mild reaction conditions. The synthesized acidic magnetic nanoparticles were recovered using a simple external magnet and successfully reused for five runs without any appreciable loss of catalytic activity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cu–S‐(propyl)‐2‐aminobenzothioate on magnetic nanoparticles: highly efficient and reusable catalyst for synthesis of polyhydroquinoline derivatives and oxidation of sulfides

Cu–S‐(propyl)‐2‐aminobenzothioate supported on functionalized Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles is reported as a reusable and highly efficient nanocatalyst for the one‐pot synthesis of polyhydroquinoline derivatives and also for selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission and scanning electron microscopies, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy. The nanocatalyst was easily recovered using an external magnet and reused several times without significant loss of its catalytic efficiency. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Automation isn't automatic

Automation has become an increasingly popular tool for synthetic chemists over the past decade. Recent advances in robotics and computer science have led to the emergence of automated systems that execute common laboratory procedures including parallel synthesis, reaction discovery, reaction optimization, time course studies, and crystallization development. While such systems offer many potential benefits, their implementation is rarely automatic due to the highly specialized nature of synthetic procedures. Each reaction category requires careful execution of a particular sequence of steps, the specifics of which change with different conditions and chemical systems. Careful assessment of these critical procedural requirements and identification of the tools suitable for effective experimental execution are key to developing effective automation workflows. Even then, it is often difficult to get all the components of an automated system integrated and operational. Data flows and specialized equipment present yet another level of challenge. Unfortunately, the pain points and process of implementing automated systems are often not shared or remain buried deep in the SI. This perspective provides an overview of the current state of automation of synthetic chemistry at the benchtop scale with a particular emphasis on core considerations and the ensuing challenges of deploying a system. Importantly, we aim to reframe automation as decidedly not automatic but rather an iterative process that involves a series of careful decisions (both human and computational) and constant adjustment.

The process of automating chemistry involves a wide variety of considerations that are often overlooked.     

Temperature triggered alternating copolymerization of epoxides and lactones via pre-sequenced spiroorthoester intermediates

We report the alternating copolymerization of caprolactone and epoxide through the in situ formation of pre-sequenced spiroorthoester monomer. The reaction is catalyzed by the temperature triggered, bifunctional cationic indium complex (±)-[(NN_iO_tBu)In(CH₂SiMe₃)][B(C₆F₅)₄] (1). 1 can catalyze the coupling of epoxide and lactone to form spiroorthoester at 60 °C and its double ring-opening polymerization at 110 °C to form poly(ether-alt-ester). The post-polymerization modification and degradation of the poly(ether-alt-ester) are further investigated.

We report the alternating copolymerization of caprolactone and epoxide through the in situ formation of pre-sequenced spiroorthoester monomer.     

CFD modeling of convection heat transfer using 1.7 MHz and 24 kHz ultrasonic waves: a comparative study

The effects of 24 kHz and 1.7 MHz ultrasonic waves on heat transfer from a thin platinum wire are investigated. The results revealed that the 1.7 MHz ultrasound waves could increase the heat transfer rate more efficiently than the lower frequency one. The CFD modeling of ultrasonication was performed to compare heat transfer, predict fluid flow patterns. The CFD results were validated by the experimental results with an excellent agreement.     

Widening basins of attraction of optimal iterative methods

In this work, we analyze the dynamical behavior on quadratic polynomials of a class of derivative-free optimal parametric iterative methods, designed by Khattri and Steihaug. By using their parameter as an accelerator, we develop different methods with memory of orders three, six and twelve, without adding new functional evaluations. Then a dynamical approach is made, comparing each of the proposed methods with the original ones without memory, with the following empiric conclusion: Basins of attraction of iterative schemes with memory are wider and the behavior is more stable. This has been numerically checked by estimating the solution of a practical problem, as the friction factor of a pipe and also of other nonlinear academic problems.