Circular dichroism of 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene derivatives reveals both the absolute configuration and conformation: a novel approach to Mislow's helicity rule

The absolute configuration and the conformation of 9,10-trans-disubstituted 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenes, known chiral metabolites of phenanthrene-9,10-oxide, have been determined by circular dichroism. The absolute configuration assignment is based on the sign of the long-wavelength Cotton effect (A-band), which is conformation invariant and originates from benzylic chirality. This provides a new interpretation of the Mislow biphenyl-helicity rule for the case of the 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene chromophore. The sign of the B-band Cotton effect reflects the conformation of the biphenyl chromophore in 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenes. It is shown that the origin of chiroptical properties of 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenes is closely related to those of 5,6-trans-disubstituted 1,3-cyclohexadienes.     

Unusual solid-state conformation of D-glucitol hexa(p-chlorobenzoate)

The carbon atom chain in the molecule ofd-glucitol hexa (p-chlorobenzoate) adopts a planar, zigzag conformation in the solid state, as determined by X-ray crystallography. The preference for such conformation in the crystal can be ascribed to the stacking interactions in which an infinite number of p-chlorobenzoyloxy substituents is involved.     

USAEME-GC/MS Method for Easy and Sensitive Determination of Nine Bisphenol Analogues in Water and Wastewater

A new, simple and sensitive method for isolating nine compounds from the bisphenol group (analogues: A, B, C, E, F, G, Cl₂, Z, AP) based on one-step liquid–liquid microextraction with in situ acylation followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed and validated using influent and effluent wastewaters. The chemometric approach based on the Taguchi method was used to optimize the main conditions of simultaneous extraction and derivatization. The recoveries of the proposed procedure ranged from 85 to 122%, and the repeatability expressed by the coefficient of variation did not exceed 8%. The method’s limits of detection were in the range of 0.4–64 ng/L, and the method’s limits of quantification ranged from 1.3 to 194 ng/L. The developed method was used to determine the presence of the tested compounds in wastewater from a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in northeastern Poland. From this sample, eight analytes were detected. Concentrations of bisphenol A of 400 ng/L in influent and 100 ng/L in effluent were recorded, whereas other bisphenols reached 67 and 50 ng/L for influent and effluent, respectively. The removal efficiency of bisphenol analogues in the tested wastewater treatment plant ranged from 7 to approximately 88%.     

Thermal,Raman and dielectric study of 0.5K0.5Bi0.5TiO3–0.5PbTiO3 ceramics

The 0.5K_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃–0.5PbTiO₃ ceramics were prepared by following a standard solid-state method. The Raman, thermal and dielectric properties of these ceramics were investigated. The X-ray measurements showed that samples have single perovskite-type structure with tetragonal symmetry. Dielectric study revealed that the dielectric behaviour of the investigated ceramics is rather of normal ferroelectrics with large thermal hysteresis. The transition temperature observed by means of differential scanning calorimetry measurements is in good agreement with that obtained from dielectric study.     

The Effect of the Modification of Carbon Spheres with ZnCl2 on the Adsorption Properties towards CO2

Zinc chloride and potassium oxalate are often applied as activating agents for carbon materials. In this work, we present the preparation of ZnO/carbon spheres composites using resorcinol-formaldehyde resin as a carbon source in a solvothermal reactor heated with microwaves. Zinc chloride as a zinc oxide source and potassium oxalate as an activating agent were applied. The effect of their addition and preparation conditions on the adsorption properties towards carbon dioxide at 0 °C and 25 °C were investigated. Additionally, for all tested sorbents, the CO₂ sorption tests at 40 °C, carried out utilizing a thermobalance, confirmed the trend of sorption capacity measured at 0 and 25 °C. Furthermore, the sample activated using potassium oxalate and modified using zinc chloride (a carbon-to-zinc ratio equal to 10:1) displayed not only a high CO₂ adsorption capacity (2.69 mmol CO₂/g at 40 °C) but also exhibited a stable performance during the consecutive multicycle adsorption–desorption process.     

An analysis of the applicability of the Scheil equation in the determination of segregation in monocrystals of the manganese-zinc ferrites Mn1?xZnxFe2O4

Theoretical assumptions concerning the segregation phenomenon of alloying components during formation of monocrystals of the manganese-zinc ferrite Mn_{1 x}Zn_xFe₂O₄ have been presented. Taking into account the case of the unidirectional solidification of the above ferrite by means of the Bridgman furnace, which is working in:

• Closed system.
• Open system, with adding of the pure component (melting at an elevated temperature).
• Open system, with adding of ferrite of a nominal composition.
• The method for calculation of alloying components segregation has been analysed. A possibility of modelling the segregation by means of the choice of the size of the melting zone has been considered for a given monocrystal.

     

Mixed Cultures of Saccharomyces kudravzevii and S. cerevisiae Modify the Fermentation Process and Improve the Aroma Profile of Semi-Sweet White Wines

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae and S. kudriavzevii mixed culture on the fermentation, chemical and aromatic composition of semi-sweet white wines. The variables tested in the experiment were the initial ratio of yeast in mixed cultures and the time of inoculation of the S. kudriavzevii co-culture. The addition of S. kudriavzevii to the inoculum did not significantly change the chemical composition of the wines obtained. No reduction in ethanol yield was found in mixed culture fermented wines; however, in some variants of the experiment, the ethanol content was higher. The mixed cultures of S. cerevisiae and S. kudriavzevii increased the level of volatile compounds in white grape wines. Wines fermented with the co-culture of S. kudriavzevii were characterized by a more diversified ester profile. The mixed cultures of S. cerevisiae and S. kudriavzevii raised the levels of terpenes in white wines. The most promising results were obtained for mixed culture variants, in which S. kudriavzevii was sequentially inoculated on the sixth day of fermentation.     

Analysis of phenolic acids in fruits by HPLC with monolithic columns

Reversed-phase HPLC was optimised for simultaneous determination of several derivatives of benzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids (so-called phenolic acids) in plums using a commercially available monolithic column. Mobile phase pH and concentration of organic modifier (methanol and acetonitrile) were tested in order to obtain the best resolution. Satisfactory separation was achieved in gradient mode with a mobile phase consisting of 50 mM phosphate buffer at pH 2.2 (solvent A) and acetonitrile (solvent B). The limits of detection for a UV detector ranged between 0.098 and 2.04 microg/mL for vanillic acid and p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, respectively. The developed method was used for monitoring the content of polyphenolic acids in plums during their ripening process. The presence of these constituents was confirmed by checking their MS spectra.     

New Insight on Carbon Dioxide-Mediated Hydrogen Production**

A new approach to hydrogen production from water is described. This simple method is based on carbon dioxide-mediated water decomposition under UV radiation. The water contained dissolved sodium hydroxide, and the solution was saturated with gaseous carbon dioxide. During saturation, the pH decreased from about 11.5 to 7–8. The formed bicarbonate and carbonate ions acted as scavengers for hydroxyl radicals, preventing the recombination of hydroxyl and hydrogen radicals and prioritizing hydrogen gas formation. In the presented method, not yet reported in the literature, hydrogen production is combined with carbon dioxide. For the best system with alkaline water (0.2 m NaOH) saturated with CO₂ under UV-C, the hydrogen production amounted to 0.6 μmol h⁻¹ during 24 h of radiation.     

Empirical parameters of lewis acidity and basicity for aqueous binary solvent mixtures

Empirical parameters of Lewis acidity, E^N_T, introduced by Reichardt et al., and Lewis basicity, B_KT , introduced by Kamlet and Taft, have been determined for mixtures of water with ten organic solvents. In the case of water/alcohol mixtures a distinct dependence between these acidity and basicity parameters have been found. For the other solvent mixtures the E^N_T on B_KT dependence is more complex even if these parameters are purified from non-specific solute/solvent interactions.