Ru-catalyzed synthesis of substituted phthalides through C–H bond activation and functionalization

Synthesis of substituted phthalides through a ruthenium-catalyzed reaction of phthalic anhydrides with acrylates is described. The reaction proceeds via CH bond activation and leads to the formation of vinylated phthalides through a successive double vinylation accompanied by decarboxylation and annulation reactions.     

Modeling and simulation of mixed-culture interactions in anaerobiosis of inhibitory substrate

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - The model describes the anaerobiosis of 2-ethylhexanoic acid (2-EHA), which is a persistent and inhibitory organic waste. Model development was based on a...     

Engineering reactions in crystalline solids: predicting photochemical decarbonylation from calculated thermochemical parameters

A detailed thermochemical analysis of the alpha-cleavage and decarbonylation reactions of acetone and several ketodiesters was carried out with the B3LYP/6-31G* density functional method. The heats of formation of several ground-state ketones and radicals were calculated at 298 K to determine bond dissociation energies (BDE) and radical stabilization energies (RSE) as a function of substituents. Results show that the radical-stabilizing abilities of the ketone substituents play a very important role on the thermodynamics of the alpha-cleavage and decarbonylation steps. An excellent correlation between calculated values and previous experimental observations suggests that photochemical alpha-cleavage and decarbonylation in crystals should be predictable from knowledge of excitation energies and the RSE of the substituent.     

On solving a D.C. programming problem by a sequence of linear programs

We are dealing with a numerical method for solving the problem of minimizing a difference of two convex functions (a d.c. function) over a closed convex set in ⁿ . This algorithm combines a new prismatic branch and bound technique with polyhedral outer approximation in such a way that only linear programming problems have to be solved.Parts of this research were accomplished while the third author was visiting the University of Trier, Germany, as a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation.     

A simple reliable approximation for isotropic intermolecular forces. A critical test using HH(3Σu+) as a model

A simple semi-empirical approximation for the exchange energy (E_x), coupled with a tractable representation of the Coulomb energy (E_C), has been found to yield very accurate results for the isotropic part of the interaction energy (E_int = E_x + E_C) between two closed shell systems. The expression for E_int is based on the knowledge of the first order Coulomb energy and the first three terms in the asymptotic long range expansion of the second order Coulomb energy for the interaction and contains but one adjustable parameter which occurs in E_x. The usefulness of this approach for evaluating E_int is tested critically by using the non-bonded H(1s)H(1s) (³Σ_u⁺) interaction as a model (accurate values of the total interaction energy, the exchange energy, and various orders of Coulomb energies, are available for a wide range of R for this system). The results obtained for both E_int and (dE_int/dR) are inremarkable agreement with the exact results of Kotos and Wolniewicz for R > 3 a_o. Since the law of corresponding states for inert gas pairs holds equally well for the HH(³Σ_u⁺) interaction, our analysis of this simple system yields valuable information on the reliability of the approach for other van der Waals dimers.     

Molecular diodes based on conjugated diblock co-oligomers

This report describes synthesis and characterization of a molecular diode based upon a diblock conjugated oligomer system. This system consists of two conjugated blocks with opposite electronic demand. The molecular structure exhibits a built-in electronic asymmetry, much like a semiconductor p-n junction. Electrical measurements by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) clearly revealed a pronounced rectifying effect. Definitive proof for the molecular nature of the rectifying effect in this conjugated diblock molecule is provided by control experiments with a structurally similar reference compound.