Tetracyanoethylene oxide not only oxidizes sulfides to sulfoxides but also reduces sulfoxides to sulfides

It was found that tetracyanoethylene oxide not only oxidizes sulfides to sulfoxides but also reduces sulfoxides to sulfides with generation of two molecules of carbonyl cyanide. The reaction thus also functions as a new method for generation of carbonyl cyanide.     

Development of new photocatalytic water splitting into H2 and O2 using two different semiconductor photocatalysts and a shuttle redox mediator IO3-/I-

A new type of photocatalytic reaction that splits water into H2 and O2 was designed using a two-step photoexcitation system composed of an iodate/iodide (IO3-/I-) shuttle redox mediator and two different photocatalysts, one for H2 evolution and the other for O2 evolution. Photocatalytic oxidation of water to O2 and reduction of IO3- to I- selectively proceeded with good efficiencies over TiO2-rutile and Pt-WO3 photocatalysts under UV and visible light irradiations, respectively. The O2 evolution selectively proceeded even in the presence of a considerable amount of I- in the solutions, although the oxidation of water is thermodynamically less favorable than oxidation of I-. Both the adsorption property of IO3- anions and the oxidation property of the photocatalysts are doubtless responsible for the selective oxidation of water. On the other hand, photocatalytic reduction of water to H2 and oxidation of I- to IO3- proceeded over Pt-TiO2-anatase and Pt-SrTiO3:Cr/Ta (codoped with Cr and Ta) photocatalysts under UV and visible light, respectively. The combination of two different photocatalysts results in a stoichiometric evolution of H2 and O2 via the redox cycle of IO3- and I-. The photocatalytic water splitting under visible light irradiation (lambda > 420 nm) was demonstrated by using the Pt-SrTiO3:Cr/Ta, Pt-WO3, and IO3-/I- shuttle redox mediator.     

Reactions of 2-amino-, 2-alkylamino-, and 2-piperidino-1-azaazulenes with aryl and chlorosulfonyl isocyanates

Reaction of 2-amino-1-azaazulene with phenyl isocyanate gave 3-phenyl-2H-3,4-dihydro-1,3,4a-triazabenz[5,4-a]azulene-2,4-dione. Reactions of 2-alkylamino-1-azaazulenes with aryl isocyanates gave 2-(N-ethyl-N′-arylureido)-1-azaazulenes initially, which rearranged to N-aryl-2-alkylamino-1-azaazulene-3-carboxamides and successive reaction with another molar amount of aryl isocyanate furnished uracil-fuzed 1-azaazulenes. Reaction of 2-piperidino-1-azaazulene with aryl isocyanate gave N-aryl-2-piperidino-1-azaazulene-3-carboxamide. Reaction of 2-(substituted amino)-1-azaazulenes with chlorosulfonyl isocyanate gave 3-cyano- and 3-chloro-2-(substituted amino)-1-azaazulenes.     

Mixing of atmospheric <Superscript>210</Superscript>Pb and <Superscript>7</Superscript>Be and <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs and <Superscript>90</Superscript>Sr fission products in four characteristic soil types

Depth distribution of atmospheric ²¹⁰Pb and ⁷Be and ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs fission products was measured in two types of aeolian soils (desert dust and volcanic ash), irrigated paddy soil and strongly acidic soil. The depth dependence of ²¹⁰Pb, ⁷Be and ¹³⁷Cs show that these radionuclides have been diffused as solid soil particles in surface soil layers. In aeolian soil layers, about 50% of ⁹⁰Sr were diffused in surface soil layer and the remaining 50% had penetrated to deeper layers. The half of the fission particles containing ⁹⁰Sr were shown to have decomposed over the past 35 years.     

Studies on syntheses and permeabilities of special polymer membranes. 48. Transport of organic ions through crosslinked poly(isobutylene-alternative co-maleic anhydride) membranes

Ion exchange membranes with carboxyl groups, which were insoluble in acidic and alkaline aqueous solutions, were prepared from poly(isobutylene-alternative co-maleic anhydride) and poly(vinyl alcohol). When a membrane, one side of which was alkaline, the other, acidic, was fixed in a diaphragm cell, it transported organic ions, such as amino acids and aniline, from the acidic to the alkaline side or vice versa. The passage of organic ions through the membrane was governed by an electrochemical interaction between carboxyl groups in the membrance and transporting ions. The direction of the organic ions depended on a pH difference between the two sides of the membrane.     

Micelle Formation and Counterion Binding of Dodecylammonium Alkanesulfonates in Water at Different Temperatures

A temperature study was performed on micelle formation of a series of homologous cationic surfactants having organic counterions (alkanesulfonates) with carbon numbers ranging from 1 to 4: dodecylammonium salts of methanesulfonate (DAMS), ethanesulfonate (DAES), propanesulfonate (DAPS), and butanesulfonate (DABS) in water. The critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) and the degree of counterion binding (β) were determined at different temperatures ranging from 5 to 50°C by means of conventional electric conductance measurements. From the temperature dependence of β as well as CMC, Gibbs energy ΔG⁰_m, enthalpy ΔH⁰_m, and entropy ΔS⁰_m, on micelle formation, were estimated for the respective surfactants. As for the temperature dependence of CMC for these surfactants, the temperature-CMC curves have a minimum around 30°C and show that the CMC at each temperature is lowered by about 3 mmol dm^-3 per methylene group in the alkyl chain of the counterions. The relationship between β and temperature suggested that the counterion of MS^- behaves most similarly to common univalent ions such as halide ions. In contrast, PS^- and BS^-, having a stronger ability to lower CMC and to promote association of surfactant ions with counterions as well as of surfactant ions themselves, behave more like those of surfactant ions, and ES^- shows the most complicated character between those of common univalent ions and organic ions. However, the temperature dependence of enthalpy change, ΔH⁰_m demonstrates that these four surfactants are divided into two groups: (1) DAMS and DAES and (2) DAPS and DABS. In addition, the entropy change ΔS⁰_m as a function of alkyl chain length gives evidence that the contribution of the entropy term to the Gibbs energy on micelle formation clearly separates between DAES (m = 2) and DAPS (m = 3). A similar discontinuity is found even in the plot of ΔG⁰_m versus carbon atom number of alkyl chain, m, and in the plot of ΔG⁰_m versus estimated hydrodynamic radius of counterions. All the results obtained have indicated that lengthening the alkyl chains initially hinders micelle formation, but the longer chains are markedly effective in lowering the CMC and probably in increasing the aggregation number, owing to enhanced hydrophobic interaction between counterion and the micellar surface and/or core.     

Interaction of adenosine with alkyltrimethylammonium bromides

The interaction of adenosine with alkyltrimethylammonium bromides, C_mH_2m+1N(CH₃)₃Br(m=16, 14, 12, 10, 8, and 6), has been studied by 1 H NMR spectroscopy. When surfactants exist as monomer units, the adenine ring of adenosine preferentially associates with the middle portion of the alkyl chain of the surfactants. The interaction is less specific with surfactants of shorter alkyl chains. When surfactants form micelles, no specific interaction between the adenine ring and the alkyl chain of the surfactant can be detected. A coordination of the cationic part of the surfactants with the adenine ring is suggested. The degree of association was evaluated from association constants. Similar results were obtained for purine and alkyltrimethylammonium bromide.     

A kinetic study of the oxidation of ζ phase praseodymium oxide: 109Pr9O16 + 19O2 → Pr10O18

Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of the oxidation of ζ (n = 9 in Pr_nO_2n?2) to epsilon (n = 10) phase have been carried out using a thermogravimetric technique. The experiments covered a temperature range of 464 to 503°C and oxygen pressure varied from 0.01 to 50 Torr. The existence of a reproducible hysteresis loop which depends on the temperature and pressure is shown. Measurements of the oxidation rate under isothermal conditions were fitted to different rate equations and have been found to be well represented by the equation f = 1 ? (1 ? kt)³. This fact indicated that the process of oxidation was predominantly controlled by the chemical reaction at the interface. The activation energy for the reaction has been calculated to be 15.9 kcal/mole.     

Kinetic considerations of ion selectivity coefficients of ion-selective electrodes based on neutral carriers

Ion selectivity coefficients of ion-selective electrodes based on neutral carriers are described by means of a mixed potential model of ion transport reactions at the aqueous solution/ion-sensitive membrane interface. The decrease in ion selectivity can be explained by the deviations from the equilibrium conditions, which arise from the ionic partial current across the interface, but the proposed correspondence of the exchange current density of ion transfer reactions with the ion selectivity coefficients is rationalized only for certain conditions of the kinetic parameters. The ion selectivity for liquid membrane transport is discussed starting from three different rate-determining steps. It is shown that the potentiometric selectivities of ion-selective electrodes and the transport selectivities are correlated when the ionic transfer across the aqueous solution/ membrane interface is fast compared with the complex ion transport through the membrane. The significance of a kinetic approach for the design of neutral carriers for ion-selective electrodes is stressed.     

Immobilization of cytochrome P-450 and electrochemical control of its activity

P-450_cam (camphor-induced cytochrome P-450) was immobilized on an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode by polypyrrole and its activity was controlled electrochemically. The results showed that P-450_cam was immobilized on the ITO electrode without denaturing and the amount of P-450_cam could be easily controlled. When, the electric potential was swept repeatedly between 0.4 and 0 V, the remarkable decrease of oxygen in the reaction mixture solution was observed only in the presence of camphor. In addition, hydroxycamphor was detected only in the same system by means of gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. These results suggested that immobilized P-450_cam catalyzed the hydroxylation of camphor by the supply of electron from the electrode. The effect of pH and ionic strength on the activity was examined, and it was found that the high activity expressed at the pH of 6.0 – 7.0 and KCl concentration of 0.1 – 0.2 M . The paper is the first report that P-450 enzyme activity could be controlled artificially. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.