Adsorbent screening for biobutanol separation by adsorption: kinetics, isotherms and competitive effect of other compounds

Butanol, considered as one of the best renewable alternatives for gasoline, has attracted significant attention in recent years. However, biobutanol production via fermentation is plagued by the low final product concentration due to product inhibition. It is possible to enhance productivity by selectively removing biobutanol from the fermentation broth. Adsorption is one of the most promising and energy-efficient techniques for butanol separation and recovery. In the present study, different adsorbents were tested by performing kinetic and equilibrium experiments to find the best adsorbent for butanol separation. Activated carbon (AC) F-400 showed the fastest adsorption rate and the highest adsorption capacity amongst ACs and zeolites tested. AC F-400 also showed the highest affinity toward butanol and to a lesser extent for butyric acid whereas its adsorption capacity for the other main components present in acetone–butanol–ethanol fermentation broths was very low. In addition, the butanol adsorption capacity was not affected by the presence of ethanol, glucose and xylose while the presence of acetone led to a slight decrease in adsorption capacity at low butanol concentrations. On the other hand, the presence of acids (acetic acid and butyric acid) showed a significant effect on the butanol adsorption capacity over a wide range of butanol concentration and this effect was more pronounced for butyric acid.     

Exploring the uranyl organometallic chemistry: from single to double uranium-carbon bonds

Uranyl organometallic complexes featuring uranium(VI)-carbon single and double bonds have been obtained from uranyl UO(2)X(2) precursors by avoiding reduction of the metal center. X-ray diffraction and density functional theory analyses of these complexes showed that the U-C and U=C bonds are polarized toward the nucleophilic carbon.     

Transition‐Metal‐Free Carbon Isotope Exchange of Phenyl Acetic Acids

A transition‐metal‐free carbon isotope exchange procedure on phenyl acetic acids is described. Utilizing the universal precursor CO₂, this protocol allows the carbon isotope to be inserted into the carboxylic acid position, with no need of precursor synthesis. This procedure enabled the labeling of 15 pharmaceuticals and was compatible with carbon isotopes [¹⁴C] and [¹³C]. A proof of concept with [¹¹C] was also obtained with low molar activity valuable for distribution studies.     

Curvature corrections and Kac–Moody compatibility conditions

We study possible restrictions on the structure of curvature corrections to gravitational theories in the context of their corresponding Kac–Moody algebras, following the initial work on E ₁₀ in Damour and Nicolai [Class Quant Grav 22:2849 (2005)]. We first emphasize that the leading quantum corrections of M-theory can be naturally interpreted in terms of (non-gravity) fundamental weights of E ₁₀. We then heuristically explore the extent to which this remark can be generalized to all over-extended algebras by determining which curvature corrections are compatible with their weight structure, and by comparing these curvature terms with known results on the quantum corrections for the corresponding gravitational theories.     

MISTRAL: A new program for precise atomic mass determinations of nuclides far from stability

The MISTRAL project (Mass measurements at ISolde using a Transmission RAdiofrequency spectrometer on-Line) is scheduled to begin experiments towards the end of 1996. With high resolution (10⁵), potentially high accuracy (5×10^–7) and excellent sensitivity (10 s^–1), the MISTRAL spectrometer promises to provide needed mass measurements in regions of very-short lived nuclei. The spectrometer operation principles are described and a discussion concerning the interest in using highly charged ions is presented.CSNSM, Orsay; IAP, Bucharest; PPE Division, CERN; GSI, Darmstadt; University of Mainz; McGill University, Montreal; IPN, Orsay; Chalmers University, Göteborg; University of Giessen and the ISOLDE Collaboration.     

Measurement of infrared transition of NH3 from a microwave line shift due to a non-resonance infrared field

An i.r. spectroscopic technique is proposed which may be useful for the determination of i.r. transitions and for the assignment of molecular spectra. This method is based on the microwave line shift in the presence of a non-resonant laser field. For NH₃ gas, the accuracy is of about the same order of magnitude as the one obtained from the i.r. Stark spectroscopy technique.     

β-delayed charged particles from 9Li and 11Li

β-delayed emission of α-particles from ⁹Li and of both α and ⁶He particles from ¹¹Li is observed. Singles energy spectra and two-dimensional energy spectra of coincident particles are measured. A time-of-flight versus energy measurement is used to identify the mass of the particle. New β-branches are observed which populate high-energy levels in the daughter nuclei. The branching ratios are measured and the β-delayed neutron emission probabilities $\text{P}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>n</mtext>}}\text{for}{}^9\text{Li and}\text{P}{}_{\mathrm{3n}}\text{for}{}^{11}\text{Li}$ are deduced.     

MALDI tissue profiling of integral membrane proteins from ocular tissues

MALDI tissue profiling and imaging have become valuable tools for rapid, direct analysis of tissues to investigate spatial distributions of proteins, potentially leading to an enhanced understanding of the molecular basis of disease. Sample preparation methods developed to date for these techniques produce protein expression profiles from predominantly hydrophilic, soluble proteins. The ability to obtain information about the spatial distribution of integral membrane proteins is critical to more fully understand their role in physiological processes, including transport, adhesion, and signaling. In this article, a sample preparation method for direct tissue profiling of integral membrane proteins is presented. Spatially resolved profiles for the abundant lens membrane proteins aquaporin 0 (AQP0) and MP20, and the retinal membrane protein opsin, were obtained using this method. MALDI tissue profiling results were validated by analysis of dissected tissue prepared by traditional membrane protein processing methods. Furthermore, direct tissue profiling of lens membrane proteins revealed age related post-translational modifications, as well as a novel modification that had not been detected using conventional tissue homogenization methods.     

Synthesis of a stable radical anion via the one electron reduction of a 1,1-bis-phosphinosulfide alkene derivative

A new type of stable radical ligand featuring a 1,1-bis-phosphinosulfide alkene backbone has been prepared and characterized on the basis of X-ray diffraction, EPR and DFT studies.