Facile access to γ-aminothiols from 1,3-thiazines via a microwave-assisted three-component reaction

A new efficient and general synthetic methodology to access γ-aminothiols was investigated and developed. 1,3-Thiazines were used as convenient precursors and were prepared by a fast microwave-assisted three-component reaction (3CR) of thioamides, aldehydes, and alkenes. The transformation of thiazines into aminothiols was achieved via a thiazinium salt hydrolysis, in three very facile steps.     

Progress in Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy by Coupling with Electrochemical Impedance and Quartz Crystal Microbalance

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is a powerful technique for performing quantitative measurements at a local scale. This paper covers the development of combinations of SECM with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM). Basic aspects are described and potential applications reported by several research groups are covered. The unique advantages of the coupled techniques—with additional information being obtained from each coupling—are also discussed.     

Measurement and prediction of activity coefficients at infinite dilution (γ), vapor–liquid equilibria (VLE) and excess enthalpies (H) of binary systems with 1,1-dialkyl-pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide using mod. UNIFAC (Dortmund)

Activity coefficients at infinite dilution (γ^∞), vapor–liquid equilibria (VLE) and excess enthalpies (H^E) were measured for alkanes and alkenes in the ionic liquids 1-butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BMPYR]⁺[BTI]⁻, 1-hexyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [HMPYR]⁺[BTI]⁻ and 1-octyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [OMPYR]⁺[BTI]⁻.     

Determination of seven arsenic species in seafood by ion exchange chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry following microwave assisted extraction: method validation and occurrence data

The determination of seven arsenic species in seafood was performed using ion exchange chromatography on an IonPac AS7 column with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection after microwave assisted extraction. The effect of five parameters on arsenic extraction recoveries was evaluated in certified reference materials. The recoveries of total arsenic and of arsenic species with the two best extraction media (100% H₂O and 80% aqueous MeOH) were generally similar in the five seafood certified reference materials considered. However, because MeOH co-elutes with arsenite, which would result in a positively biased arsenite concentration, the 100% H₂O extraction conditions were selected for validation of the method. Figures of merit (linearity, LOQs (0.019-0.075 mg As kg⁻¹), specificity, trueness (with recoveries between 82% (As(III)) and 104% (As(V) based on spikes or certified concentrations), repeatability (3-14%), and intermediate precision reproducibility (9-16%) of the proposed method were satisfactory for the determination of arsenite, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenate, arsenobetaine and arsenocholine in fish and shellfish. The performance criteria for trimethylarsine oxide, however, were less satisfactory. The method was then applied to 65 different seafood samples. Arsenobetaine was the main species in all samples. The percentage of inorganic arsenic varied between 0.4-15.8% in shellfish and 0.5-1.9% at the utmost in fish. The main advantage of this method that uses only H₂O as an extractant and nitric acid as gradient eluent is its great compatibility with the long-term stability of both IEC separation and ICP-MS detection.     

Impact of surface roughness on diffusion of confined fluids

Using event-driven molecular dynamics simulations, we quantify how the self diffusivity of confined hard-sphere fluids depends on the nature of the confining boundaries. We explore systems with featureless confining boundaries that treat particle-boundary collisions in different ways and also various types of physically (i.e., geometrically) rough boundaries. We show that, for moderately dense fluids, the ratio of the self diffusivity of a rough wall system to that of an appropriate smooth-wall reference system is a linear function of the reciprocal wall separation, with the slope depending on the nature of the roughness. We also discuss some simple practical ways to use this information to predict confined hard-sphere fluid behavior in different rough-wall systems.     

Kinetics and efficiency displayed by supported and suspended TiO2 catalysts applied to the disinfection of Escherichia coli

TiO₂-mediated photocatalysis is widely used in a variety of applications and products in the environmental and energy fields, including photoelectrochemical conversion, self-cleaning surfaces, and especially water purification systems. The dimensionality of the structure of a TiO₂ material can affect its properties, functions, and more specifically, its photocatalytic performance. In this work, the photocatalytic inactivation of Gram-negative Escherichia coli using three photocatalysts, differing in their structure and other characteristics, was studied in a batch reactor under UVA light. The aim was to establish the disinfection efficiency of solid TiO₂ compared with that of suspended catalysts, widely considered as reference cases for photocatalytic water disinfection. The bacterial inactivation profiles obtained showed that: (1) the photoinactivation was exclusively related to the quantity of photons retained per unit of treated volume, irrespective of the characteristics of the photocatalyst and the emitted light flux densities; (2) across the whole UV light range studied, each of the photocatalytic solids was able to achieve more than 2 log bacterial inactivation with less than 2 h UV irradiation; (3) none of the used catalysts achieved a total bacterial disinfection during the treatment time. For each of the catalysts the quantum yield has been assessed in terms of disinfection efficiency, the 2D material showed almost the same performance as those of suspended catalysts. This catalyst is promising for supported photocatalysis applications.     

Novel C3-symmetric molecular scaffolds with potential facial differentiation

The conversion of 1,3,5-substituted benzene and mesitylene by electrophilic aromatic substitution and Sonogashira cross-coupling, respectively, furnished the C3-symmetric, hexasubstituted benzene derivatives 1 and 2 with an alternating substitution pattern. Based on the molecular scaffolds obtained, the two systems serve as model compounds for novel receptor molecules with distinct geometric features. X-ray structures have been obtained for 1 and 2, which are discussed in regard to their aptitude as receptor platforms or supramolecular building blocks. By looking at the rotational barriers for the functional groups placed around the molecular scaffolds by variable temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy, 1 and 2 turn out to exist in rapidly interconverting conformations. The alignment of these potential binding groups around the molecular scaffolds should be strongly biased by specific interactions with suitable guest molecules.     

Surfactant-free water-processable photoconductive all-carbon composite

Heterojunctions between different graphitic nanostructures, including fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene-based sheets, have attracted significant interest for light to electrical energy conversion. Because of their poor solubility, fabrication of such all-carbon nanocomposites typically involves covalently linking the individual constituents or the extensive surface functionalization to improve their solvent processability for mixing. However, such strategies often deteriorate or contaminate the functional carbon surfaces. Here we report that fullerenes, pristine single walled carbon nanotubes, and graphene oxide sheets can be conveniently coassembled in water to yield a stable colloidal dispersion for thin film processing. After thermal reduction of graphene oxide, a solvent-resistant photoconductive hybrid of fullerene-nanotube-graphene was obtained with on-off ratio of nearly 6 orders of magnitude. Photovoltaic devices made with the all-carbon hybrid as the active layer and an additional fullerene block layer showed unprecedented photovoltaic responses among all known all-carbon-based materials with an open circuit voltage of 0.59 V and a power conversion efficiency of 0.21%. The ease of making such surfactant-free, water-processed, carbon thin films could lead to their wide applications in organic optoelectronic devices.