Electrochemical synthesis of Co,Ni, and Zn complexes with 2-Pyrrole-[N-(o-hydroxyphenyl)methylimines]: The crystal structure of 2,2′-Bipyridine bis{2-[(2-pyrrole)methylimino]5-methylphenolato}nickel(II)

The electrochemical oxidation of anodic cobalt, nickel, and zinc in acetonitrile containing both 2-pyrrole-[N-(o-hydroxyphenyl)methylimines] (H₂L) and a bidentate ligand (1, 10-phenanthroline(phen) or 2,2′-bipyridine(bipy)) yielded compounds of general formula M(HL)₂ · phen and M(HL)₂ · bipy (M = Co, Ni, Zn). The crystal structure of 2,2′-bipyridine bis{2-[(2-pyrrole)methylimino]5-methylphenolato}nickel(II) was determined by X-ray diffraction. This compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pccn with a = 19.430(2), b = 28.488(2), c = 17.567(1) Å. The nickel atom has a distorted octahedral geometry, and the pyrrole nitrogen is not coordinated. The IR, ¹H-NMR and UV-visible spectra of the complexes are discussed and related to the structure.     

Synthesis of an Azasteroid Using an Acyl Iminium Ion-Initiated Tandem Cyclization

An acyl iminium ion-initiated tandem cyclization gave an unexpected dienone product, a seco-azasteroid (2). The factors governing the formation of 2 were investigated in an attempt to optimize its formation. The reaction was applied to a more elaborate system, resulting in the synthesis of the full steroid skeleton of 13-azaandrosta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione (3), which contains the unusual substitution of a chlorine atom for the axial 19-methyl.     

Viscoelastic and thermal characterization of crosslinked PVC

Soft PVC is employed for the manufacturing of a wide range of products with different properties and a relatively low cost. The utilization of soft PVC is restricted by the poor thermal, chemical and mechanical resistance properties. Also, plasticizer migration can modify the properties or can make useless the materials for some applications because of toxicity or a general loss of properties. PVC crosslinking is the most effective way to improve mechanical and transport properties of rigid or flexible PVC at high temperatures, but at the same time the thermal stability of PVC may be significantly reduced. In this work, the crosslinking reaction of plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) through difunctional amines was studied. The mechanisms involved in the crosslinking reaction were explained by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The thermal activated crosslinking reaction was studied by cone and plate rheometry, analyzing the evolution of viscoelastic properties of the suspension as a function of time and temperature. The effect of the addition of crosslinking agents on the thermal stability of the polymer was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which revealed that crosslinking reactions promote thermal degradation phenomena in the polymer matrix. This is attributed to the formation of HCl and other species promoting polymer degradation during crosslinking, thus leading to higher weight loss during thermal treatment with respect to unmodified PVC plastisols. This was also confirmed by an evident yellowing after crosslinking, especially at higher temperatures.     

Volumetric Properties of the Ternary System 1,4-Dioxane + Butyl Acrylate + Ethyl Acrylate and Its Binary Butyl Acrylate + Ethyl Acrylate at 298.15 K

Densities of the ternary system 1,4-dioxane + butyl acrylate + ethyl acrylate and its binary butyl acrylate + ethyl acrylate have been measured in the whole composition range, at 298.15 K and atmospheric pressure, using an Anton Paar DMA 5000 oscillating U-tube densimeter. The calculated excess molar volumes of the binary system are positive and were correlated with the Redlich–Kister equation and with a series of Legendre polynomials. Several models were used to correlate the ternary behavior from the excess molar volume data of their constituent binaries and were found equally good to fit the data. The best fit was based on a direct approach, without information on the component binary systems.     

Flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of arylamines and sulphonamides by diazotization and coupling in a micellar medium

In a sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) micellar solution, the rate of coupling of a diazonium ion with N-(1- naphthyl)ethylenediamine (NED) increases greatly, the protonation of the resulting azo dyes takes place at higher pH values and the dyes are more soluble. These favourable features were applied to the development of a simple flow-injection spectrophotometric procedure for the determination of diazotizable substances of pharmaceutical interest. Limits of detection in the range 0.2–0.5 μg ml^?1 (signal-to-noise ratio=3), with relative standard deviation of 0.7–3% (n=3) for 5 μg ml^?1 standards, were obtained.     

Design and Application of a Set of Vitreous Standards for EDS-SEM Microanalysis of Melting Shop Slags

Non-metallic inclusions in steel are formed due to interactions between liquid steel and its environment in the melting shop (refractories and slags). Particles not trapped in the slag remain in the cast steel, impairing steel properties in service. Inclusion composition varies and certified standards covering the whole compositional range are unavailable.The present study describes the preparation of a set of homogeneous, glassy and crystalline standards with a wide compositional range for use in analysing non-metallic steel inclusions. For this, materials were designed based on knowledge of the compositional range of interest in the Al₂O₃–SiO₂–CaO–MgO–CaF₂ system, which is the matrix of the most frequent steel inclusions. The composition and microstructural homogeneity of the reference materials was verified.