Catalytic gasification of pyrolytic oil from tire pyrolysis process

The present work deals with thermo-catalytic decomposition of pyrolytic oil from the scrap tire pyrolysis process. Such oil can be used as a model tar in an experimental study of tar removal from pyrolysis or gasification process gas. Several experiments under different conditions were carried out in order to determine conditions of the gasification and pyrolysis processes. Influence of the oil to steam ratio, temperature, and of the presence of dolomite catalyst was studied. Addition of water steam has positive effect on the hydrogen content in the outgoing process gas as well as on the conversion of the injected oil. The catalytic gasification experiment in a quasi steady state produced process gas with the composition: 61 mole % of H₂, 6.4 mole % of CO, and 11.7 mole % of CH₄. At temperatures lower than 800°C, the amount of process gas decreased resulting also in a decrease of the oil conversion. A comparison of gasification experiments using fresh calcined dolomite with experiments proceeding with regenerated dolomite was done under the same conditions. There was a decrease in the process gas volumetric flow when regenerated catalyst was used.     

Studies on oxidation of ergot alkaloids: oxidation and desaturation of dihydrolysergol—stereochemical requirements

A new method for the oxidation of ergoline alcohols to aldehydes was found (TFFA-DMSO, −78 °C, then DIPEA). Structural features of ergolines required for successful C7-C8 double bond introduction via Polonovski-Potier reaction of respective 6-N-oxides were defined and experimentally confirmed: (i) the presence of electron-withdrawing group at C-8; (ii) trans-diaxial orientation of N6-O and C7-H bonds (both requirements are fulfilled for dihydrolyserg-17-al and its 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazone prepared in this work).     

Improved cycling performances of binder-free macroporous silicon Li-ion negative electrodes using room temperature ionic liquid electrolyte

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - The present article describes the innovative combination of freestanding macroporous silicon layers on copper foil collectors and room temperature ionic,...     

Comparison of nine different real-time PCR chemistries for qualitative and quantitative applications in GMO detection

Several techniques have been developed for detection and quantification of genetically modified organisms, but quantitative real-time PCR is by far the most popular approach. Among the most commonly used real-time PCR chemistries are TaqMan probes and SYBR green, but many other detection chemistries have also been developed. Because their performance has never been compared systematically, here we present an extensive evaluation of some promising chemistries: sequence-unspecific DNA labeling dyes (SYBR green), primer-based technologies (AmpliFluor, Plexor, Lux primers), and techniques involving double-labeled probes, comprising hybridization (molecular beacon) and hydrolysis (TaqMan, CPT, LNA, and MGB) probes, based on recently published experimental data. For each of the detection chemistries assays were included targeting selected loci. Real-time PCR chemistries were subsequently compared for their efficiency in PCR amplification and limits of detection and quantification. The overall applicability of the chemistries was evaluated, adding practicability and cost issues to the performance characteristics. None of the chemistries seemed to be significantly better than any other, but certain features favor LNA and MGB technology as good alternatives to TaqMan in quantification assays. SYBR green and molecular beacon assays can perform equally well but may need more optimization prior to use.     

Evaluation of the reliability of maize reference assays for GMO quantification

A reliable PCR reference assay for relative genetically modified organism (GMO) quantification must be specific for the target taxon and amplify uniformly along the commercialised varieties within the considered taxon. Different reference assays for maize (Zea mays L.) are used in official methods for GMO quantification. In this study, we evaluated the reliability of eight existing maize reference assays, four of which are used in combination with an event-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay validated and published by the Community Reference Laboratory (CRL). We analysed the nucleotide sequence variation in the target genomic regions in a broad range of transgenic and conventional varieties and lines: MON 810 varieties cultivated in Spain and conventional varieties from various geographical origins and breeding history. In addition, the reliability of the assays was evaluated based on their PCR amplification performance. A single base pair substitution, corresponding to a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) reported in an earlier study, was observed in the forward primer of one of the studied alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (Adh1) (70) assays in a large number of varieties. The SNP presence is consistent with a poor PCR performance observed for this assay along the tested varieties. The obtained data show that the Adh1 (70) assay used in the official CRL NK603 assay is unreliable. Based on our results from both the nucleotide stability study and the PCR performance test, we can conclude that the Adh1 (136) reference assay (T25 and Bt11 assays) as well as the tested high mobility group protein gene assay, which also form parts of CRL methods for quantification, are highly reliable. Despite the observed uniformity in the nucleotide sequence of the invertase gene assay, the PCR performance test reveals that this target sequence might occur in more than one copy. Finally, although currently not forming a part of official quantification methods, zein and SSIIb assays are found to be highly reliable in terms of nucleotide stability and PCR performance and are proposed as good alternative targets for a reference assay for maize.     

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of ZnO nanostructures

The paper reports on the use of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to determine the doping character and carrier density of freshly prepared and annealed ZnO nanostructures. The ZnO nanostructures were obtained by chemical oxidation of metallic Zn in a 5% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) aqueous solution at 95 °C for 24 h. The as-grown nanostructured ZnO samples display a high donor density of 3.71 ± 0.88 × 10²¹ cm^?3. Annealing at 100 and 200 °C did not have any effect on the donor density while thermal annealing at 300 °C in air for 1 h induced a decrease in the doping concentration without affecting the surface morphology.     

XeF4 as a Ligand for a Metal Ion

Noble molecule : [Mg(XeF₂)(XeF₄)](AsF₆)₂ is the first coordination compound in which XeF₄ acts as a ligand to a metal center. It is also the first known compound, in which XeF₂ and XeF₄ are simultaneously coordinated to the same metal center (see structure; purple Xe, green F, gray Mg, yellow As).