Preconcentration of cadmium, cobalt, copper, nickel and zinc by solvent extraction into methyl isobutyl ketone with 1,5-bis [1-(2-pyridyl) ethylidene] thiocarbonohydrazide and 1,5-bis [phenyl-(2-pyridyl) methylene] thiocarbonohydrazide

The synthesis, physicochemical properties and interactions of two new thiocarbohydrazones, namely 1,5-bis[1-(2-pyridyl) ethylidene] thiocarbonohydrazide (APTH) and 1,5-bis[phenyl-(2-pyridyl) methylene] thiocarbonohydrazide (BPTH) have been studied as well as the use of both compounds as extracting reagents. These thiocarbohydrazones form yellow complexes with bivalent metal ions, and these are extractable into methyl isobutyl ketone. Conditions for quantitative extraction of Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) are established from a critical study of the effect of pH, shaking time, reagent concentration in the organic phase, ionic strength and volume ratio of aqueous to organic phase.     

One-pot enantioselective formation of eight-membered rings from alkenyl Fischer carbene complexes and ketone enolates

Eight-membered carbocycles with up to five new stereogenic centers are enantioselectively obtained following a one-pot procedure that involves the coupling of three components: an alkenyl Fischer carbene complex, a ketone enolate, and allyl lithium.     

Effect of the carbon burn-off on the performance of activated carbon as a support for hydrogenation catalysts

The hydrogenation activity of Pt supported on activated carbon would depend on both the Pt dispersity (which can be modified by a partial carbon burn-off in air) and the impurities concentration.     

INTERMEDIATES IN THE ROOM TEMPERATURE FLASH PHOTOLYSIS AND LOW TEMPERATURE PHOTOLYSIS OF PURINE SOLUTIONS

The flash photolysis of purine in acetonitrile and in water at different pH was studied. The transients produced on flash excitation of degassed aqueous solutions have been identified as the triplet excited state, the hydrated electron, a purine radical cation and radical anion on the basis of quenching experiments and comparison to transients observed in low temperature photolysis.     

Formation of Tertiary 3-Nitro Allylic Alcohol by Condensation of 2-Chloroiso- butyrophenone with Nitromethanide Anion: Estimation of Gibbs Free Enthalpies of Reaction in Solution for the Reaction Mechanism [1]

Summary. The reaction of 2-chloroisobutyrophenones and nitromethanide anion gives stereoselectively (E)-3-nitro allylic alcohols. The Gibbs free enthalpies of reaction in DMSO for carbanion addition, epoxide formation, and rearrangement to 3-nitro allylic alcohol, as elementary steps for the reaction, were estimated from corresponding neutral gas reactions and using a thermodynamical approach to the transfer of gaseous compounds to DMSO. A criterion for assigning the sign of affinity of liquid compounds to DMSO was developed on the basis of the Gibbs enthalpies of liquefaction. The information obtained on reaction rate and thermodynamic viability of the steps indicates that carbanion addition is the rate-determining step.In memory of Prof. Dr. M. Ballester, deceased on April 6, 2005     

Why copper is intrinsically more selective than silver in alkene epoxidation: ethylene oxidation on Cu(111) versus Ag(111)

The heterogeneously catalyzed epoxidation of alkenes is experimentally challenging, theoretically interesting, and technologically important. Although large-scale ethylene epoxidation is universally carried out with Ag catalysts, recent laboratory studies on single crystal surfaces show that Cu is intrinsically much more selective than Ag in the epoxidation of a variety of terminal alkenes. The reasons for this striking difference between Ag and Cu have been investigated by means of density functional theory. It is found that the fundamental cause is the inversion in the ordering of activation barriers for the competing pathways to epoxide formation versus acetaldehyde formation (the latter being the first step on the route to combustion). On Cu, epoxide formation is less activated than aldehyde formation; the opposite is true on Ag. This behavior is associated with a late transition state to epoxidation on Cu (i.e., product-like) compared to an early (reactant-like) transition state to epoxidation on Ag.     

Effect of the parent ligand on the photophysical properties of closely-coupled, binuclear ruthenium(II) tris(2,2'-bipyridine) complexes

The photophysical properties of closely-coupled, binuclear complexes formed by connecting two ruthenium(II) tris(2,2'-bipyridine) complexes via an alkynylene group differ significantly from those of the relevant mononuclear complex. In particular, the energy of the first triplet excited state is lowered relative to the parent complex, because of the presence of the alkynylene substituent, while the triplet lifetime is prolonged, in part, because of extended electron delocalization. We now report that the triplet lifetime is also affected by the nature of the spectator 2,2'-bipyridyl ligands. Thus, replacing the parent 2,2'-bipyridine ligands with the corresponding 4,4'-dinitro-substituted ligands serves to decrease the luminescence yield and lifetime. With the corresponding carboxylate ester, the luminescence yield and lifetime are increased. Perdeuteration of the parent 2,2'-bipyridine ligands also leads to a modest increase in the luminescence yield. Such observations are indicative of electronic coupling between the various metal-to-ligand, charge-transfer excited triplet states. Temperature dependence studies confirm that these excited states are closely spaced and thermally accessible at ambient temperature. For some of the binuclear complexes, the quantum yield for formation of the lowest-energy triplet state is significantly less than unity.     

Di-2-pyridyl ketone 2-furoylhydrazone as a reagent for the fluorimetric determination of low concentrations of aluminium

The synthesis and properties of di-2-pyridyl ketone 2-furoylhydrazone as an analytical reagent are described. A rapid procedure for the fluorimetric determination of aluminium at the 10-100 ng ml level, at pH 6.1-6.5 (lambda(exc) 395 nm, lambda(em) 465 nm) has been established. Interferences have been evaluated, and the procedure has been applied satisfactorily to determination of aluminium in sea-water.