Degradation of Benzotriazole UV Stabilizers in PAA/d-Electron Metal Ions Systems—Removal Kinetics,Products and Mechanism Evaluation

Benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVs) have gained popularity, due to their absorption properties in the near UV range (200–400 nm). They are used in the technology for manufacturing plastics, protective coatings, and cosmetics, to protect against the destructive influence of UV radiation. These compounds are highly resistant to biological and chemical degradation. As a result of insufficient treatment by sewage treatment plants, they accumulate in the environment and in the tissues of living organisms. BUVs have adverse effects on living organisms. This work presents the use of peracetic acid in combination with d-electron metal ions (Fe²⁺, Co²⁺), for the chemical oxidation of five UV filters from the benzotriazole group: 2-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)benzotriazole (UV-P), 2-tert-butyl-6-(5-chloro-2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-methylphenol (UV-326), 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(5-chloro-2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)phenol (UV-327), 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4,6-di-tert-pentylphenol (UV-328), and 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol (UV-329). The oxidation procedure has been optimized based on the design of experiments (DoE) methodology. The oxidation of benzotriazoles follows first order kinetics. The oxidation products of each benzotriazole were investigated, and the oxidation mechanisms of the tested compounds were proposed.     

Novel Gluten-Free Bread with an Extract from Flaxseed By-Product: The Relationship between Water Replacement Level and Nutritional Value,Antioxidant Properties,and Sensory Quality

The food industry generates a great amount of food waste and by-products, which in many cases are not fully valorized. Press cakes, deriving from oilseeds extraction, represent interesting co-products due to their nutritional value, high biopolymers content, and the presence of bioactive phytochemicals. Gluten-free breads (GFBs) are products that have disadvantages such as unsatisfactory texture, low nutritional value, and short shelf life, so natural additives containing proteins and hydrocolloids are in demand to increase GFBs value. In this study, extract from flaxseed by-product (FOCE—Flaxseed Oil Cake Extract) was used to replace water (25–100%) in GFBs formulations and their nutritional value, antioxidant properties, and sensory features were investigated. The results showed that GFBs with FOCE had an elevated nutritional and nutraceutical profile (up to 60% more proteins, significantly increased K, Mg, and P levels). Moreover, the addition of FOCE improved the technological parameters (increased specific volume, number of cells and height/width ratio, reduced density, average size, and perimeter of cells), antioxidant potential, and overall sensory quality of GFBs. This study showed an encouraging way of using a by-product that, due to its high content of proteins, polysaccharides, minerals, and antioxidants, can add value to GFBs.     

Impact of Coffee Bean Roasting on the Content of Pyridines Determined by Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds

The aim of the study was to analyze the process of roasting coffee beans in a convection–conduction roaster (CC) without a heat exchanger and a convection–conduction–radiation roaster (CCR) with a heat exchanger for determination of the aroma profile. The aroma profile was analyzed using the SPME/GC-MS technique, and an Agrinose electronic nose was used to determine the aroma profile intensity. Arabica coffee beans from five regions of the world, namely, Peru, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Brazil, were the research material. The chemometric analyses revealed the dominance of azines, alcohols, aldehydes, hydrazides, and acids in the coffee aroma profile. Their share distinguished the aroma profiles depending on the country of origin of the coffee beans. The high content of pyridine from the azine group was characteristic for the coffee roasting process in the convection–conduction roaster without a heat exchanger, which was shown by the PCA analysis. The increased content of pyridine resulted from the appearance of coal tar, especially in the CC roaster. Pyridine has an unpleasant and bitter plant-like odor, and its excess is detrimental to the human organism. The dominant and elevated content of pyridine is a defect of the coffee roasting process in the CC roaster compared to the process carried out in the CCR machine. The results obtained with the Agrinose showed that the CC roasting method had a significant effect on the sensor responses. The effect of coal tar on the coffee beans resulted in an undesirable aroma profile characterized by increased amounts of aromatic volatile compounds and higher responses of Agrinose sensors.     

The effective absorption cross-section of thermal neutrons in a medium containing strongly or weakly absorbing centres

The structure of a heterogeneous system influences diffusion of thermal neutrons. The thermal-neutron absorption in grained media is considered in the paper. A simple theory is presented for a two-component medium treated as grains embedded in the matrix or as a system built of two types of grains (of strongly differing absorption cross-sections). A grain parameter is defined as the ratio of the effective macroscopic absorption cross-section of the heterogeneous medium to the absorption cross-section of the corresponding homogeneous medium (consisting of the same components in the same proportions). The grain parameter depends on the ratio of the absorption cross-sections and contributions of the components and on the size of grains. The theoretical approach has been verified in experiments on prepared dedicated models which have kept required geometrical and physical conditions (silver grains distributed regularly in Plexiglas). The effective absorption cross-sections have been measured and compared with the results of calculations. A very good agreement has been observed. In certain cases the differences between the absorption in the heterogeneous and homogeneous media are very significant. A validity of an extension of the theoretical model on natural, two-component, heterogeneous mixtures has been tested experimentally. Aqueous solutions of boric acid have been used as the strongly absorbing component. Fine- and coarse-grained pure silicon has been used as the second component with well-defined thermal-neutron parameters. Small and large grains of diabase have been used as the second natural component. The theoretical predictions have been confirmed in these experiments.     

Enhancement of solid solubility in binary solvent mixtures. The systemo-toluic acid-cyclohexane+methylene iodide

solubilities of solid o-toluic acid in five binary mixtures of cyclohexane with methylene iodide were measured in the temperature range from 290 to 350 K. All systems studied were found to exhibit a synergetic effect of solubility. The data were fitted by the two-parameter h equation with root mean square deviations not greater than 1.3 K.     

Phase diagram for the system KVO3 + NH4HCO3 + NH4VO3 + KHCO3 + H2O at 303 K

Solubility data of the KVO₃ + NH₄HCO₃ + NH₄VO₃ + KHCO₃ + H₂O system at 303 K were determined under varying pressure conditions. The results were used to construct a phase diagram in the oblique projection according to Jänecke's method. At constant p and T this diagram includes two invariant points, five double saturated liquid curves, and four crystallization fields corresponding to KVO₃, NH₄HCO₃, NH₄VO₃, and KHCO₃. It has been found that ammonium meta-vanadate is a sparingly soluble salt. NH₄VO₃ and KHCO₃ compose the stable pair of salts, whereas KVO₃ and NH₄HCO₃ form the unstable salt-pair. A thorough knowledge of the solubility phase diagram for this reciprocal quaternary salt system is the theoretical basis of the carbonation process of the potassium meta-vanadate saturated ammonia solution.     

A study of the reactions of methionine- and histidine-containing peptides with palladium(II) complexes: The key role of steric crowding on palladium(II) in the selective cleavage of the peptide bond

¹H NMR spectroscopy was applied to study the reactions of palladium(II) complexes, cis-[Pd(dpa)Cl₂] and cis-[Pd(dpa)(H₂O)₂]²⁺ (dpa is 2,2′-dipyridylamine acting as a bidentate ligand) with the dipeptides methionylglycine (Met-Gly) and histidylglycine (His-Gly), and the N-acetylated derivatives of these dipeptides, MeCOMet-Gly and MeCOHis-Gly. All reactions were carried out in the pH range 2.0–2.5 with equimolar amounts of the palladium(II) complex and the peptide at two different temperatures, 25 and 60 °C. In the reactions of cis-[Pd(dpa)Cl₂] and cis-[Pd(dpa)(H₂O)₂]²⁺ with Met-Gly and His-Gly, no hydrolysis of the peptide bond was observed. The final product in these reactions was the [Pd(dpa)₂]²⁺ complex. The square-planar structure of this complex was confirmed by X-ray analysis. The reaction of the cis-[Pd(dpa)(H₂O)₂]²⁺ complex with the MeCOHis-Gly and MeCOMet-Gly peptides under the previously mentioned experimental conditions was remarkably selective in the cleavage of the amide bond involving the carboxylic group of methionine in the side chain. The modes of coordination of cis-[Pd(dpa)Cl₂] and cis-[Pd(dpa)(H₂O)₂]²⁺ in the reactions with the non-acetylated peptides and the total steric inhibition of the hydrolytic reaction between cis-[Pd(dpa)(H₂O)₂]²⁺ and MeCOHis-Gly can be attributed to the steric bulk of the palladium(II) complex. This finding should be taken into consideration in designing new palladium(II) complexes for the regioselective cleavage of peptides and proteins.     

Novel chiral pyromellitdiimide (1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxydiimide) dimers and trimers: exploring their structure,electronic transitions,and exciton coupling

The chiral but highly symmetrical acyclic and cyclic pyromellitic diimide dimers and trimers 2-5 have been obtained and characterized for the first time. The pyromellitdiimide chromophores in these molecules are linked by a rigid diequatorially 1,2-disubstituted cyclohexane skeleton. The structures of the compounds have been determined in detail by molecular modeling and, in the case of cyclic dimer 4 and trimer 5, by means of X-ray diffraction analysis. The electronically excited states of the pyromellitdiimide chromophore (1a) have been studied in these and other model compounds by means of linear dichroism (LD), magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. CD spectra of the rigid cyclic trimer 5 have provided the most detailed information on the excited states of the pyromellitdiimide chromophore. The low-energy tail (340-360 nm) of the absorption envelope can be assigned to out-of-plane polarized n-pi* transitions (I, II). The higher energy bands are due to contributions from up to six pi-pi* transitions, these being polarized either along the long (IV-VI, VIII) or short axis (III, VII). The results of ab initio CIS/cc-pVDZ and semiempirical INDO/S-CI calculations have been compared with the experimental data. CD Cotton effects in the region 200-260 nm, which result from exciton interactions between electric dipole allowed transitions of two pyromellitdiimide chromophores in compounds 2-5, provide reliable and useful information concerning the conformation and absolute configuration of these molecules, which may be extrapolated to other oligoimide systems.     

Influence of size and shape effects on the high-pressure solubility of n-alkanes: Experimental data, correlation and prediction

(Solid + liquid) phase equilibria (SLE) of (n-hexadecane, or n-octadecane + 3-methylpentane, or 2,2-dimethylbutane, or benzene) at very high pressures up to about 1.0 GPa have been investigated at the temperature range from T = (293 to 353) K. The thermostated apparatus for the measurements of transition pressures from the liquid to the solid state in two component isothermal solutions was used. The pressure-temperature-composition relation of the high pressure (solid + liquid) phase equilibria, polynomial based on the general solubility equation at atmospheric pressure was satisfactorily used. Additionally, the SLE of binary systems (n-hexadecane, or n-octadecane + 3-methylpentane, or 2,2-dimethylbutane, or benzene, or n-hexane or cyclohexane) at normal pressure was discussed. The results at high pressures were compared for every system to these at normal pressure. The influence of the size and shape effects on the solubility at 0.1 MPa and high pressure up to 600 MPa was discussed.The main aim of this work was to predict the mixture behaviour using only pure components data and cubic equation of state in the wide range of pressures, far above the pressure range which cubic equations of state are normally applied to. The fluid phase behaviour is described by the corrected SRK-EOS and the van der Waals one fluid mixing rules.