Sustainable Processes Employing Ionic Liquids for Secondary Alcohols Separation

Secondary chiral alcohols are very attractive intermediates in organic synthesis of pharmaceutical and the fine-chemical industries. The processes employing ionic liquids to obtain enantiomers of secondary alcohols have become sustainable. Furthermore, physico-chemical properties of ionic liquids opened new possibilities to design “solvent free” processes for the resolution of racemic secondary alcohols. This review is aimed to highlight some of the most important achievements in resolution of secondary alcohols.     

Selective influencing of the migration time of SO4(2-) by forming neutral species with Pb2+ in capillary zone electrophoresis.

Organic and inorganic anions are analyzed using capillary zone electrophoresis with indirect fluorescence detection. As electrolyte 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid is used. By adding Pb2+ to the electrolyte the migration time of SO4(2-) can be selectively influenced and the separation of Cl- and SO4(2-) considerably improved. The fluorescence intensity of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid increases in the presence of Pb2+ up to a concentration of 6*10(-4) mol/L Pb2+. Limits of detection in the lower mumol/L range were obtained.     

Synthesis of Zeolite L. Tuning Size and Morphology

Summary. A convenient synthesis of zeolite L is presented. The size of the crystals can be tuned between 30 and 6000nm, spanning a volume range of seven orders of magnitude. The zeolite L crystals, which typically feature a cylindrical morphology, are synthesized with various aspect ratios ranging from elongated to disc-shaped. The importance of obtaining zeolite crystals with well-defined size and morphology is discussed in view of potential applications of zeolite L containing organic dye molecules as guests.This revised version was published online in February 2005. In the previous version the issue was not marked as a special issue, and the issue title and the editor was missing     

Direct determination of selenium in urine samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using a Zr plus Rh-treated graphite tube and co-injection of Rh as chemical modifier

Different chemical modifiers for use with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) were investigated in relation to determining the selenium in human urine samples. The samples were diluted in a solution containing 1% v/v HNO₃ and 0.02% m/v cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC). Studying the modifiers showed that the use of either Ru or Ir as the permanent modifier gave low sensitivity to Se and the peak shape was very noisy, while Zr or Rh gave no peak at all. The same occurred when Zr was used in solution. For mixtures of permanent modifiers, Ir plus Rh or Zr plus Rh gave very low sensitivity, Zr plus Rh with co-injection of Ir in solution was also not efficient, Zr plus Rh in solution gave good sensitivity, but the best results were obtained with a mixture of Zr and Rh as the permanent modifier and co-injection of Rh in solution. Using this last modifier, the following dilutions with the HNO₃ and CTAC were studied: 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4. The best dilution was 1:1, which promoted good sensitivity and a more defined peak shape and made it possible to correct for the background using a deuterium arc lamp. Under these conditions, a characteristic mass of 26±0.2 pg was obtained for Se in aqueous solution. Six certified urine samples were analyzed using matrix matching calibration and the measured concentrations were in agreement with the certified values, according to a t-test at the 95% confidence level. Recovery tests were carried out and the recoveries were in the range 100–103%, with relative standard deviation better than 9%. The limit of detection (LOD, 3 sd, n=10) was 3.0 μg L⁻¹ in the sample. The treated graphite tube could be used for at least 600 atomization cycles without significant alteration of the analytical signal.     

Analysis of sorption and bioavailability of different species of mercury on model soil components using XAS techniques and sensor bacteria

The present work studies the adsorption behaviour of mercury species on different soil components (montmorillonite, kaolinite and humic acid) spiked with CH₃HgCl and CH₃HgOH at different pH values, by using XAS techniques and bacterial mercury sensors in order to evaluate the availability of methyl mercury on soil components. The study details and discusses different aspects of the adsorption process, including sample preparation (with analysis of adsorbed methyl mercury by ICP-OES), the various adsorption conditions, and the characterization of spiked samples by XAS techniques performed at two synchrotron facilities (ESRF in Grenoble, France and HASYLAB in Hamburg, Germany), as well as bioavailability studies using mercury-specific sensor bacteria. Results show that XAS is a valuable qualitative technique that can be used to identify the bonding character of the Hg in mercury environment. The amount of methyl in mercury adsorbed to montmorillonite was pH-dependent while for all soil components studied, the bond character was not affected by pH. On the other hand, clays exhibited more ionic bonding character than humic acids did with methyl mercury. This interaction has a higher covalent character and so it is more stable for CH₃HgOH than for CH₃HgCl, due to the higher reactivity of the hydroxyl group arising from the possible formation of hydrogen bonds.The bioavailability of methyl mercury adsorbed to montmorillonite, kaolinite and humic acids was measured using recombinant luminescent sensor bacterium Escherichia coli MC1061 (pmerBR_BSluc). In case of contact exposure (suspension assays), the results showed that the bioavailability was higher than it was for exposure to particle-free extracts prepared from these suspensions. The highest bioavailability of methyl mercury was found in suspensions of montmorillonite (about 50% of the total amount), while the bioavailabilities of kaolinite and humic acids were five times lower (about 10%). The behaviour of methyl mercury in the presence of montmorillonite could be explained by the more ionic bonding character of this system, in contrast to the more covalent bonding character observed for humic acids. Thus, XAS techniques seem to provide promising tools for investigating the mechanisms behind the observed bioavailabilities of metals in various environmental matrices, an important topic in environmental toxicology.     

PNPP Hydrolysis Catalyzed by Manganese(III) Complexes with Crowned Salicylaldimine Schiff Base Ligand

Four manganese(III) complexes (MnL¹Cl, MnL²Cl, MnL⁴₂Cl, MnL⁵₂Cl) with a crowned salicylaldimine Schiff base ligand have been synthesized and employed as models to mimic hydrolase in the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl picolinate (PNPP). The kinetics and mechanism of catalytic PNPP hydrolysis have been investigated. The kinetic mathematical model of PNPP cleavage catalyzed by these complexes has been proposed. The effects of the ligand structure and crown ether ring in complexes, and the reactive temperature on the rate of catalytic PNPP hydrolysis have been also examined. The results show that compared with the crown-free analogous MnL³Cl and MnL⁶₂Cl, the crowned Schiff base manganese(III) complexes, MnL¹Cl, MnL²Cl, MnL⁴₂Cl and MnL⁵₂Cl, exhibit more high catalytic activity, which follow the order: MnL¹Cl >MnL²Cl >MnL⁴₂Cl >MnL⁵₂Cl >MnL³Cl >MnL⁶₂Cl; the pseudo-first-order-rate (k_obs) for the PNPP hydrolysis catalyzed by the complex MnL¹Cl containing three crown ether rings is highest among six complexes and is 1.81 times that of MnL³Cl, 1.49 × 10³ times that of spontaneous hydrolysis of PNPP, respectively, at pH = 7.00, [S] = 2.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol dm⁻³.     

An automated method for the analysis of stable isotope labeling data in proteomics

An algorithm is presented for the generation of a reliable peptide component peak table from liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and subsequent quantitative analysis of stable isotope coded peptide samples. The method uses chemical noise filtering, charge state fitting, and deisotoping toward improved analysis of complex peptide samples. Overlapping peptide signals in mass spectra were deconvoluted by correlation with modeled peptide isotopic peak profiles. Isotopic peak profiles for peptides were generated in silico from a protein database producing reference model distributions. Doublets of heavy and light labeled peak clusters were identified and compared to provide differential quantification of pairs of stable isotope coded peptides. Algorithms were evaluated using peptides from digests of a single protein and a seven-protein mixture that had been differentially coded with stable isotope labeling agents and mixed in known ratios. The experimental results correlated well with known mixing ratios.     

Cationic dye-sensitized degradation of sodium hyaluronate through photoinduced electron transfer in the upper excited state

The formation of ground-state complexes of methylene blue (MB) and thionine (TN) with sodium hyaluronate (NaHA) was clearly observed by means of absorption spectra in aqueous solution. Irradiation of the complexes using 313 nm light caused significant degradation of NaHA under oxygen and argon. However, the use of visible light over 400 nm, which gives the lowest excited singlet state of the cationic dyes, caused no degradation. MB and TN were more efficient sensitizers for the degradation of NaHA than rose bengal (RB), although RB is a more efficient singlet oxygen (1O2) sensitizer than the cationic dyes. Under similar conditions the polysaccharides with carboxyl groups, such as alginic acid and polygalacturonic acid, also photodecomposed. However, the polysaccharides without carboxyl groups, such as pullulan and methyl cellulose, did not. The irradiation of the polysaccharides in the presence of powdered titanium dioxide as a photocatalyst to generate the hydroxyl radical (.OH) in aerated aqueous solution caused the fragmentation of all the polymers. It was confirmed that methyl viologen, an electron-accepting sensitizer, formed a charge-transfer complex with NaHA, the irradiation of which caused the efficient degradation of NaHA. In the presence of beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins the MB- and TN-sensitized photodegradation of NaHA was markedly suppressed. This was probably due to the formation of the inclusion complexes comprising the cationic dyes and the cyclodextrins. On the basis of the results obtained we propose that the cationic dye-sensitized degradation of NaHA involves a photoinduced electron-transfer process between the upper excited dyes and the ground-state NaHA and that .OH and 1O2 do not participate in the degradation.     

Influence of nanoporous carbon electrode thickness on the electrochemical characteristics of a nanoporous carbon|tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile solution interface

Electrochemical characteristics for the nanoporous carbon|Et₄NBF₄+acetonitrile interface have been studied by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy methods. The influence of the electrolyte concentration and thickness of the nanoporous electrode material on the shape of the cyclic voltammetry and impedance curves has been established and the reasons for these phenomena are discussed. A value of zero charge potential, depending slightly on the structure and concentration of the electrolyte, the region of ideal polarizability and other characteristics have been established. The nanoporous nature of the carbon electrodes introduces a distribution of resistive and capacitive elements, giving rise to complicated electrochemical behaviour. Analysis of the complex plane plots shows that the nanoporous carbon|Et₄NBF₄+acetonitrile electrolyte interface can be simulated by an equivalent circuit, in which two parallel conduction paths in the solid and liquid phases are interconnected by the double-layer capacitance in parallel with the complex admittance of the hindered reaction of the charge transfer or of the partial charge transfer (i.e. adsorption stage limited) process. The values of the characteristic frequency depend on the electrolyte concentration and electrode potential, i.e. on the nature of the ions adsorbed at the surface of the nanoporous carbon electrode. The value of the solid state phase resistance established is independent of the thickness of the electrode material.     

Dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements of passive layer cracking under static tensile stresses

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy allows the examination of corrosion susceptibility and resistance for different construction materials, in particular the determination of the properties of their passive films. This technique makes possible the analysis of electrochemical processes in time domain, including rapid phenomena such as changes in the properties of passive films, but it has never been used for passive layer cracking examination. In many cases, fracture of the passive film under tensile stresses leads to stress corrosion cracking. Therefore, investigations of passive layer cracking on austenitic stainless steels under tensile stresses facilitate the understanding of the mechanism of stress corrosion cracking in these common engineering materials. The effect of static tensile stresses on the passive film cracking behaviour of type 304L stainless steel immersed in 0.5 M NaCl solution at room temperature has been investigated. This paper presents the impedance spectra obtained for 304L stainless steel samples at different potential values.Contribution to the 3rd Baltic Conference on Electrochemistry, Gdansk-Sobieszewo, Poland, 23–26 April 2003Dedicated to the memory of Harry B. Mark, Jr. (28 February 1934–3 March 2003)