The role of bismuth as promoter in Pd–Bi catalysts for the selective oxidation of glucose to gluconate

Bismuth is a well-established promoter of noble metal-based catalysts for the selective liquid phase oxidation of alcohols, aldehydes and carbohydrates with molecular oxygen. Experiments were carried out to improve the understanding of the promoting role of bismuth in bimetallic Pd–Bi catalysts used for the selective oxidation of glucose to gluconate. In relationship with the fact that these catalysts undergo substantial bismuth leaching under the reaction conditions, particular attention was paid to the possible role played by the soluble fraction of bismuth in the oxidative process. Carbon-supported Pd–Bi/C catalysts characterized by various Bi–Pd compositions (0.33≤Bi/Pd≤3.0,10 wt.%Pd+Bi) were prepared from acetate-type precursors, tested under various experimental conditions and analyzed by X-ray diffractometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Whatever the initial catalyst composition, the surface intensity ratio measured by XPS in used catalysts lies in the range 0.4–0.6, suggesting that the dynamic state of the catalyst involves the association of one Bi and two to three Pd atoms. The leaching process and the promoting effect itself are discussed in line with the formation of Bi–glucose and Bi–gluconate complexes present in solution but also as adsorbed species at the catalyst surface. The performances of a monometallic Pd/C catalyst are significantly improved in the presence of adequate amounts of soluble Bi. The involvement of the soluble fraction of bismuth in the overall mechanistic scheme of glucose oxidative dehydrogenation is suggested. The detrimental effect of large amounts of soluble bismuth is attributed to a too extensive adsorption of Bi–glucose complexes on the surface Pd atoms.     

Étude physico-chimique des substances thermomètres

Résumé Les auteurs ont donné un résumé de leurs recherches sur la pyrolyse de 32 substances qui changent de couleur entre 35 et 450° C et qui peuvent s'utiliser comme indicateurs de température. Les courbes de thermolyse ne sont pas reproduites à cause de leur simplicité. Les causes des changements de couleur sont variables. Dans quelques cas, il s'agit d'un changement d'état allotropique (dérivés du mercure) et l'on observe une réversibilité parfaite. Dans d'autres cas, sous l'action d'une reprise d'humidité, on revient à la teinte initiale. Enfin, comme la température de destruction dépend beaucoup du mode de préparation, de la vitesse de chauffe, de l'atmosphère environnante, certaines températures de virage ne doivent pas être considérées comme absolues. C'est pourquoi certaines de nos valeurs s'écartent de celles des auteurs précédents.

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Summary The writers have given a résumé of their investigations of the pyrolysis of 32 substances which change color between 35 and 450° C and which can be employed as temperature indicators. The thermolysis curves are not reproduced because of their simplicity. There are various reasons for these changes in color. In some instances a change in allotropic state is involved (mercury derivatives) and a perfect reversibility is observed. In other cases, the initial color is restored because of the recovery of moisture. Finally, since the temperature of destruction depends greatly on the method of preparation, the rate of heating and the surrounding atmosphere, certain color change temperatures should not be regarded as absolute. This explains the divergence of our values from those of previous workers.

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Zusammenfassung Über die Untersuchungen der Pyrolyse von 32 Substanzen, die zwischen 35 und 450° C ihre Farbe ändern und daher als Wärmeindikatoren dienen können, wird zusammenfassend berichtet. Die Thermolysekurven sind ihrer Einfachheit wegen nicht wiedergegeben. Die Ursachen der Farbänderung sind unterschiedlich. Mitunter handelt es sich um Polymorphien (Quecksilberverbindungen), die vollständig reversibel sind. In anderen Fällen führt die Wiederaufnahme von Wasser auch zur ursprünglichen Farbe. Da die Zersetzungstemperatur weitgehend von der Art der Darstellung des Präparates, der Geschwindigkeit des Erhitzens, der umgebenden Atmosphäre abhängt, sind manche Umwandlungspunkte nicht als Absolutwerte anzusehen. Aus diesem Grund ergaben sich auch Abweichungen gegenüber Angaben anderer Autoren.

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En l'honneur du ProfesseurFrite Feigl, pour son 70^e anniversaire.     

Étude de réactions à l'état solide entre l'arbre de Saturne et des sels contenant le groupement XO3

Résumé Le plomb utilisé sous forme d'arbre de Saturne possède une grande réactivité et permet de réduire les nitrates en nitrites. Il s'agit d'une réaction à l'état solide, débutant dès la température ordinaire. On a pu caractériser ainsi la présence de nitrites en mélangeant le plomb avec les nitrates de lithium, sodium, potassium, césium, cuivre, argent, magnésium, calcium, strontium, baryum, zinc, thallium, plomb, cobalt et nickel.

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Summary Lead used in the form of the lead tree has great reactivity and is able to reduce nitrates to nitrites. This involves a solid state reaction and starts at room temperature. In this way it is possible to detect the presence of nitrites after mixing the lead with the following nitrates — Li, Na, K, Cs, Cu, Ag, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn, Tl, Pb, Co, Ni.

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Zusammenfassung In der Form des Bleibaumes ist Pb sehr reaktionsfähig und reduziert Nitrat zu Nitrit. Dabei handelt es sich um eine Festkörperreaktion, die bei gewöhnlicher Temperatur einsetzt. Nach Vermengen von Blei mit den Nitraten von Li, Na, K, Cs, Cu, Ag, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn, Th, Pb, Co und Ni konnte die Anwesenheit von Nitrit festgestellt werden.

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En l'honneur du ProfesseurA. A. Benedetti-Pichler, pour son 70^e anniversaire.     

Dendrimeric Nanoparticles for Two-Photon Photodynamic Therapy and Imaging: Synthesis,Photophysical Properties,Innocuousness in Daylight and Cytotoxicity under Two-Photon Irradiation in the NIR

The synthesis and the photophysical properties of a new class of fully organic monodisperse nanoparticles for combined two-photon imaging and photodynamic therapy are described. The design of such nanoparticles is based on the covalent immobilization of a dedicated quadrupolar dye that combines excellent two-photon absorbing (2PA) properties, fluorescence and singlet oxygen generation ability, in a phosphorous-based dendrimeric architecture. First, a bifunctional quadrupolar dye bearing two different grafting moieties, a phenol function and an aldehyde function, was synthesized. It was then covalently grafted through its phenol function to a phosphorus-based dendrimer scaffold of generation 1. The remaining aldehyde functions were then used to continue the dendrimer synthesis up to generation 2, introducing finally 24 water-solubilizing triethyleneglycol chains at its periphery. A dendrimer confining 12 photoactive quadrupolar units in its inner scaffold and showing water solubility was thus obtained. Interestingly, the G1 and G2 dendrimers retain some fluorescence as well as significant singlet oxygen production efficiencies while they were found to show very high 2PA cross-sections in a broad range of the NIR biological spectral window. Hydrophilic dendrimer G2 was tested in vitro on breast cancer cells, first in one- and two-photon microscopy, which allowed for visualization of their cell internalization, then in two-photon photodynamic therapy. While being nontoxic in the dark and, more importantly, under exposure to daylight, dendrimer G2 proved to be a very efficient cell-death inducer only under two-photon irradiation in the NIR.     

Aqua­bis­(crotonato)­bis­(pyridine)­copper(II)

The title compound, [Cu(O₂CCH=CHCH₃)₂(C₅H₅N)₂(H₂O)], crystallizes as a monomer, with the copper ion in a pentacoordinated square‐pyramidal environment, bisected by a twofold axis passing through the metal atom and the apex. The mol­ecules organise in chains connected by hydrogen bonds running along the unique b axis.     

Families of prudent self-avoiding walks

A self-avoiding walk (SAW) on the square lattice is prudent if it never takes a step towards a vertex it has already visited. Prudent walks differ from most classes of SAW that have been counted so far in that they can wind around their starting point.Their enumeration was first addressed by Préa in 1997. He defined 4 classes of prudent walks, of increasing generality, and wrote a system of recurrence relations for each of them. However, these relations involve more and more parameters as the generality of the class increases.The first class actually consists of partially directed walks, and its generating function is well known to be rational. The second class was proved to have an algebraic (quadratic) generating function by Duchi (2005). Here, we solve exactly the third class, which turns out to be much more complex: its generating function is not algebraic, nor even D-finite.The fourth class—general prudent walks—is the only isotropic one, and still defeats us. However, we design an isotropic family of prudent walks on the triangular lattice, which we count exactly. Again, the generating function is proved to be non-D-finite.We also study the asymptotic properties of these classes of walks, with the (somewhat disappointing) conclusion that their endpoint moves away from the origin at a positive speed. This is confirmed visually by the random generation procedures we have designed.     

Improving vaccines by targeting antigens to dendritic cells

A new approach to enhancing the effectiveness of vaccines is to deliver antigens selectively to dendritic cells (DC) in situ, via monoclonal antibodies specific for particular DC surface molecules. This can markedly enhance CTL responses and, via helper T cells, also enhance antibody responses. DC activation agents or adjuvants must also be administered for effective CTL responses, but in some cases good antibody responses can be obtained without adjuvants. Here we review the role of different DC subsets and different DC target molecules in obtaining enhanced immune responses.     

Enantioselective aptameric molecular recognition material: Design of a novel chiral stationary phase for enantioseparation of a series of chiral herbicides by capillary electrochromatography

A chiral stationary phase derived from an L-RNA aptamer is evaluated for the enantiomer separation of a series of herbicide molecules (aryloxypropionic, aryloxyphenoxypropionic, and aminopropionic acid) by CEC after binding to biotin and grafting upon streptavidin-modified porous glass beads. We demonstrated that the aptamer capillary was stable in term of efficiency and retention during a long period. The influences of the mobile phase constitution and its flow-velocity on the enantioseparation were also investigated. The results suggest that the interactions of the enantiomer during CEC are solely based on chromatographic mechanisms and that the electrophoresis plays only a minor role. The separation efficiency and peak shape could be improved by Mg2+ divalent cation that stabilized the aptamer secondary structure and thus enhanced the mass transfer kinetics during the ligand-aptamer binding process. In addition, it was demonstrated that the determination of the enantiomerization barrier of flamprop was possible using this chiral stationary phase.