Ab initio study of the NMR shielding constants and spin-spin coupling constants in cyclopropene

Summary Ab initio calculations of parameters which characterize the NMR spectrum are presented for the cyclopropene molecule. The London orbitals CHF (or GIAO-CHF, Gauge-Independent Atomic Orbital Coupled Hartree-Fock) results for the shielding constants are in good agreement with the experimental data, accurately determined, and with otherab initio values. The calculations of the NMR spin-spin coupling constants have been performed using the Multiconfiguration Time-Dependent Hartree-Fock (MC TDHF) approach. Different basis sets and MC SCF wavefunctions were used to estimate the accuracy of the results. Good agreement is obtained with the coupling constants estimated using the available experimental data.Dedicated to Professor Werner Kutzelnigg on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Highly efficient redox isomerization of allylic alcohols at ambient temperature catalyzed by novel ruthenium-cyclopentadienyl complexes--new insight into the mechanism

A range of ruthenium cyclopentadienyl (Cp) complexes have been prepared and used for isomerization of allylic alcohols to the corresponding saturated carbonyl compounds. Complexes bearing CO ligands show higher activity than those with PPh3 ligands. The isomerization rate is highly affected by the substituents on the Cp ring. Tetra(phenyl)methyl-substituted catalysts rapidly isomerize allylic alcohols under very mild reaction conditions (ambient temperature) with short reaction times. Substituted allylic alcohols have been isomerized by employing Ru-Cp complexes. A study of the isomerization catalyzed by [Ru(Ph5Cp)(CO)2H] (14) indicates that the isomerization catalyzed by ruthenium hydrides partly follows a different mechanism than that of ruthenium halides activated by KOtBu. Furthermore, the lack of ketone exchange when the isomerization was performed in the presence of an unsaturated ketone (1 equiv), different from that obtained by dehydrogenation of the starting allylic alcohol, supports a mechanism in which the isomerization takes place within the coordination sphere of the ruthenium catalyst.     

Can a single oxidant with two spin states masquerade as two different oxidants? A study of the sulfoxidation mechanism by cytochrome p450

Density functional calculations were performed on the sulfoxidation reaction by a model compound I (Cpd I) of cytochrome P450. By contrast to previous alkane hydroxylation studies, which exhibit a dominant low-spin (LS) pathway, the sulfoxidation follows a dominant high-spin (HS) reaction. Thus, competing hydroxylation and sulfoxidation processes as observed for instance by Jones et al. (Volz, T. J.; Rock, D. A.; Jones, J. P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 9724) are the result of a two-state reactivity scenario, whereby the hydroxylation originates from the LS pathway and the sulfoxidation from the HS pathway. In this manner, two spin states of a single oxidant (Cpd I) can be disguised as two different oxidants. The calculations rule out the possibility that a second oxidant (the ferric peroxide, Cpd 0 species) interferes in the observed results of Jones et al.     

Crystal structure and magnetic structure of TbOOH

The monoclinic modification of terbium oxide hydroxide, TbOOH, was prepared using hydrothermal technique. The crystal structure was investigated by three-dimensional single-crystal X-ray analysis and was refined to a conventional R-value of 8.1%. The space group is $\text{P2}{}_1\text{m}$, No. 11, with a = 6.04 Å, b = 3.69 Å, c = 4.33 Å, and β = 109.0°. The terbium atom is seven coordinated with oxygen atoms, and the structure is not hydrogen bonded.The compound is antiferromagnetic with a Néel temperature of 10°K. Neutron diffraction powder patterns were measured at 300°K and 4.2°K. The magnetic super lattice reflections were indexed on the basis of a monoclinic unit cell with the dimensions a_M = 2a, b_M = b, c_M = c, and β_M = β, where a, b, c, and β are the dimensions of the chemical unit cell. The structure contains two independent magnetic atoms. A nonclinear antiferromagnetic arrangement of the spins describes the magnetic structure. The spin at one atom has an angle of 43° with the ac plane and the projection of the spin on the ac plane has an angle of 59° with the a axis. The spin on the other atom has an angle of ?43° with the ac plane, the projection having the same angle of 59° with the a axis.     

Protonation et hydrolyse d'enamine. Epimerisation des immoniums intermediaires

At pH 5 (AcOHAcONa) protonation of the enamine of 3,6,6-trimethylnorpinane 2-one (3-methylnopinone) yields the cis immonium ion 6 (X  OAc), which isomerizes to the thermodynamically more stable trans immonium ion 6′ (X  OAc). Under more strongly acid conditions (aqueous hydrochloric or perchloric acids), the enamonium salts 7 (X  Cl or ClO₄) are formed; these isomerize, with a rate increasing with decreasing acidity to the cis immonium salts 6, stable under these conditions. Epimerization of the cis salt 6 (X  Cl), occurs in ethereal hydrogen chloride, the rate increasing also with decreasing acidity. At pH 5, hydrolysis of the enamine yields 3-methylnopinone, the proportion of the less thermodynamically stable trans isomer increasing with a rise in reaction temperature.     

Water adsorption in disordered mesoporous silica (Vycor) at 300 K and 650 K: a Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulation study of hysteresis

This numerical simulation paper focuses on the adsorption/desorption of water in disordered mesoporous silica glasses (Vycor-like). The numerical adsorbent was previously obtained by off lattice method, and was shown to reproduce quite well the micro- and mesotextural properties of real Vycor, as well as morphological (pore size distribution) and topological (pore interconnections) disorder. The water-water interactions are described by the SPC model while water-silica interactions are calculated in the framework of the PN-TrAZ model. The water adsorption/desorption isotherms and the configurational energies are calculated by the Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulation method. The low pressure results compare well with experiments, showing the good transferability of the intermolecular potential. It is shown that if the hysteresis loop observed in the adsorption/desorption isotherm is considered as a true phase transition (which is actually still an open question in the case of disordered porous materials), then it is possible to calculate the grand potential by applying the thermodynamic integration scheme. The grand potential is shown to be multivalued for low (subcritical) temperature, and continuous for high (supercritical) temperature. A coexistence point is found within the hysteresis loop, actually close to the vertical desorption line. Below the equilibrium chemical potential, the gaslike branch is stable whereas the liquidlike branch is metastable. The situation is reversed above the coexistence point.     

Partial least-squares regression and fuzzy clustering — A joint approach

Chemical and physical analyses of malt, the main ingredient of beer, have been used to predict the concentration of certain volatile compounds in the finished beer.The prediction was done by means of the partial least squares regression (PLS2) in SIMCA. The total data set as well as individual malt clusters were submitted to PLS analysis. Best prediction was obtained by separating the total object matrix in classes according to similarity found by fuzzy pattern recognition (FCV). FCV was also used to separate the beer variables in classes and to select the subset of variables to be predicted.A joint approach of fuzzy pattern recognition to identify groups of samples and SIMCA-PLS2 to predict several dependent variables is suggested as a powerful tool in process-analytical chemistry.     

Thermal investigations on the crystallization of sorbitol

The melting and crystallization of sorbitol were investigated with the DSC method and thermal microscopy. Sorbitol was found to have two crystalline modifications (confirmed by X-ray diffraction) with different melting points, while rapid cooling of molten sorbitol resulted in an amorphous form. The effect of inoculation on the crystallization of the melt was studied too. Powders of both crystalline modifications were used for this purpose. A new technological process for rapid crystallization of molten sorbitol has been worked out on the basis of the thermal analysis results.     

Kinetic study of copper(II) complexation with 9-ethyl-3-carbazolecarboxaldehyde-thiosemicarbazone and kinetic-spectrophotometric determination of copper(II)

The kinetics of complexation reaction of Cu(II) with 9-ethyl-3-carbazolecarboxaldehyde-thiosemicarbazone (ECCAT) has been examined spectrophotometrically. The ligand was synthesized for the first time. The complexation reaction was carried out in a DMF-water medium at 35°C. The complex has maximum absorbance at 393 nm. Kinetic and activation parameters of the complexation reaction were calculated by the Arrhenius and Eyring equations using the data obtained from investigating the effect of temperature on reaction rates under the specified conditions. We also proposed reaction rate equations. Based on the studied complexation reaction, a simple kinetic method for the spectrophotometric determination of copper(II) has been developed. The calibration graphs are linear in the concentration range 0.2–1.9 μg/mL. The species that caused interference were investigated. The text was submitted by the authors in English.