pH-Driven dynamic stereoinduction: epimerization upon dimerization in rhenium(I) complexes

Stereochemistry at the metal centre in a Re(I) complex can be modified by manipulating the pH: while acidic conditions favour a monomeric system, basic conditions induce a dimerization which concomitantly epimerizes the metal centre.     

Al-promoted increase of surface area and adsorption capacity in ordered mesoporous silica materials with a cubic structure

The structure of ordered mesoporous materials presenting a cubic structure undergoes a strong modification after adding aluminium alkoxides to the synthesis gel. As a result, an outstanding increase in the surface area and pore volume is observed, together with changes in the mesopore ordering. Hydrated aluminium species influence the chemical environment of the micelles during synthesis, which seems to induce the accumulation of stacking faults in the mesopore framework, and give rise to closer structural packing. The adsorption and release of ibuprofen as a test molecule correlates well with the textural changes observed.     

Expeditious entry to novel 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuro[3,2-c] chromen-2-ones from 6-chloro-4-hydroxychromen-2-one and propargylic alcohols

A catalytic system consisting of the ruthenium(II) complex [Ru(η3-2-C3H4Me)(CO)(dppf)][SbF6] (dppf=1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene) and trifluoroacetic acid has been used to promote the coupling of secondary propargylic alcohols with 6-chloro-4-hydroxychromen-2-one. The reactions afforded unusual 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuro[3,2-c]chromen-2-ones in good yields.     

A comparative study of physical and chemical processes for removal of biomass in biofilters

After 6 months of operation a long-term biofilter was stopped for two weeks and then it was started up again for a second experimental period of almost 1.3 years, with high toluene loads and submitted to several physical and chemical treatments in order to remove excess biomass that could affect the reactor's performance due to clogging, whose main effect is a high pressure drop. Elimination capacity and removal efficiency were determined after each treatment. The methods applied were: filling with water and draining, backwashing, and air sparging. Different flows and temperatures (20, 30, 45 and 60 °C) were applied, either with distilled water or with different chemicals in aqueous solutions. Treatments with chemicals caused a decrease of the biofilter performance, requiring periods of 1 to 2 weeks to recover previous values. The results indicate that air sparging with pure distilled water as well as with solutions of NaOH (0.01% w/v) and NaOCl (0.01% w/v) were the treatments that removed more biomass, working either at 20, 30 or 45 °C and at relatively low flow rates (below 320 L h(-1)), but with a high biodegradation inhibition after the treatments. Dry biomass (g VS) content was determined at three different heights of the biofilter in order to carry out each experiment under the same conditions. The same amount of dry biomass when applying a treatment was established so it could be considered that the biofilm conditions were identical. Wet biomass was used as a control of the biofilter's water content during treatments. Several batch assays were performed to support and quantify the observed inhibitory effects of the different chemicals and temperatures applied.     

Translation-rotation energy levels of one H2 molecule inside the small, medium and large cages of the structure H clathrate hydrate

We report quantum dynamics calculations of the translation-rotation energy levels of one hydrogen molecule inside the small, medium and large cages of the structure H clathrate hydrate. The calculations are performed using the multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) method. Some low-lying states are computed for para-H(2), ortho-H(2), para-D(2), ortho-D(2) and HD, by block improved relaxation.     

Stationary Stokes, Oseen and Navier–Stokes Equations with Singular Data

The concept of very weak solution introduced by Giga (Math Z 178:287–329, 1981) for the Stokes equations has hardly been studied in recent years for either the Navier–Stokes equations or the Navier–Stokes type equations. We treat the stationary Stokes, Oseen and Navier–Stokes systems in the case of a bounded open set, connected of class C^1,1{\mathcal{C}^{1,1}} of \mathbbR³{\mathbb{R}^3}. Taking up once again the duality method introduced by Lions and Magenes (Problèmes aus limites non-homogènes et applications, vols. 1 & 2, Dunod, Paris, 1968) and Giga (Math Z 178:287–329, 1981) for open sets of class C^￥{\mathcal{C}^{\infty}} [see also chapter 4 of Necas (Les méthodes directes en théorie des équations elliptiques. (French) Masson et Cie, éd., Paris; Academia, éditeurs, Prague, 1967), which considers the Hilbertian case p = 2 for general elliptic operators], we give a simpler proof of the existence of a very weak solution for stationary Oseen and Navier–Stokes equations when data are not regular enough, based on density arguments and a functional framework adequate for defining more rigourously the traces of non-regular vector fields. In the stationary Navier–Stokes case, the results will be valid for external forces not necessarily small, which lets us extend the uniqueness class of solutions for these equations. Considering more regular data, regularity results in fractional Sobolev spaces will also be discussed for the three systems. All these results can be extended to other dimensions.     

The dependence of scaling law on stoichiometry for horizontally propagating vertical chemical fronts

Horizontally propagating fronts in the iodate-arsenous acid reaction are investigated experimentally in a vertically oriented Hele-Shaw cell by varying the height of liquid layer for various stoichiometry. At the preset conditions, a stable pattern develops which can be characterized by its mixing length defined as the standard deviation of the front position in the direction of propagation. The mixing length scales with the height of the reaction vessel, and although the exponent significantly changes by varying the ratio of the reactants, it has a universal value when the reaction front is thin and simple convection arises.     

Experimental and computational study on the molecular energetics of benzyloxyphenol isomers

This paper reports a combined experimental and computational thermochemical study of 4-benzyloxyphenol. Static bomb combustion calorimetry and Knudsen mass-loss effusion technique were used to determine the standard (p^° = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpy of combustion, , and of sublimation, , respectively, from which the standard (p^° = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpy of formation, in the gaseous phase, at T = 298.15 K, were derived.For comparison purposes, the gas-phase enthalpy of formation of this compound was estimated by G3(MP2)//B3LYP calculations, using a set of gas-phase working reactions; the results are in excellent agreement with experimental data. G3(MP2)//B3LYP computations were also extended to the calculation of the gas-phase enthalpies of formation of the 2- and 3-benzyloxyphenol isomers. Furthermore, this composite approach was also used to obtain information about the gas-phase acidities, gas-phase basicities, proton and electron affinities, adiabatic ionization enthalpies and, finally, O–H bond dissociation enthalpies.     

A theoretical plate model accounting for slow kinetics in chromatographic elution

The chromatographic elution has been studied from different perspectives. However, in spite of the simplicity and evident deficiencies of the plate model proposed by Martin and Synge, it has served as a basis for the characterization of columns up-to-date. This approach envisions the chromatographic column as an arbitrary number of theoretical plates, each of them consisting of identical repeating portions of mobile phase and stationary phase. Solutes partition between both phases, reaching the equilibrium. Mobile phase transference between the theoretical plates is assumed to be infinitesimally stepwise (or continuous), giving rise to the mixing of the solutions in adjacent plates. This yields an additional peak broadening, which is added to the dispersion associated to the equilibrium conditions. It is commonly assumed that when the solute concentration is sufficiently small, chromatographic elution is carried out under linear conditions, which is the case in almost all analytical applications. When the solute concentration increases above a value where the stationary phase approximates saturation (i.e. becomes overloaded), non-linear elution is obtained. In addition to overloading, another source of non-linearity can be a slow mass transfer. An extended Martin and Synge model is here proposed to include slow mass-transfer kinetics (with respect to flow rate) between the mobile phase and stationary phase. We show that there is a linear relationship between the variance and the ratio of the kinetic constants for the mass transfer in the flow direction (τ) and the mass transfer between the mobile phase and stationary phase (ν), which has been called the kinetic ratio (κ=τ/ν). The proposed model was validated with data obtained according to an approach that simulates the solute migration through the theoretical plates. An experimental approach to measure the deviation from the equilibrium conditions using the experimental peak variances and retention times at several flow rates is also proposed.