Synthesis, characterization, and catalytic properties of new half-sandwich zirconium(IV) complexes

A number of new half-sandwich zirconium(IV) complexes bearing N,N-dimethylaniline-amido ligands with the general formula Cp*ZrCl(2)[ortho-(RNCH(2))(Me(2)N)C(6)H(4)] [R = 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3) (1), 2,6-(i)Pr(2)C(6)H(3) (2), (i)Pr (3), (t)Bu (4)] were synthesized by the reaction of Cp*ZrCl(3) with the corresponding ortho-(Me(2)N)C(6)H(4)CH(2)NRLi. All new zirconium complexes were characterized by (1)H and (13)C NMR, elemental analyses and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The molecular structural analysis reveals that the NMe(2) group does not coordinate to the zirconium atom in all cases. Complexes 1-4 all have a pseudo-tetrahedral coordination environment in their solid state structures and adopt a three-legged piano stool geometry for the zirconium atoms with the amide N atom and the two Cl atoms being the three legs and the Cp* ring being the seat. Variable-temperature (1)H NMR experiments for all complexes 1-4 were performed to investigate the possible intramolecular interaction between the N atom in the NMe(2) group and the central zirconium atom in solution. Upon activation with Al(i)Bu(3) and Ph(3)CB(C(6)F(5))(4), complexes 1-4 all exhibit moderate to good catalytic activity for ethylene polymerization and copolymerization with 1-hexene, producing linear polyethylene or poly(ethylene-co-1-hexene) with moderate molecular weight and reasonable 1-hexene incorporation.     

Carbon monoxide-assisted synthesis of single-crystalline Pd tetrapod nanocrystals through hydride formation

Carbon monoxide can adsorb specifically on Pd(111) to induce the formation of unique Pd nanostructures. In the copresence of CO and H(2), single-crystalline Pd tetrapod nanocrystals have now been successfully prepared. The Pd tetrapods are enclosed by (111) surfaces and are yielded through hydride formation. Density functional theory calculations revealed that the formation of PdH(x) in the presence of H(2) reduces the binding energy of CO on Pd and thus helps to decrease the CO coverage during the synthesis, which is essential to the formation of the PdH(x) tetrapod nanocrystals. In addition to tetrapod nanocrystals, tetrahedral nanocrystals were also produced in the copresence of CO and H(2) when the reaction temperature was ramped to further lower the CO coverage. Upon aging in air, the as-prepared PdH(x) nanocrystals exhibited a shape-dependent hydrogen releasing behavior. The conversion rate of PdH(x) tetrapod nanocrystals into metallic Pd was faster than that of tetrahedral nanocrystals.     

Enantioseparation of dansyl amino acids and dipeptides by chiral ligand exchange capillary electrophoresis based on Zn(II)-l-hydroxyproline complexes coordinating with γ-cyclodextrins

A chiral ligand exchange capillary electrophoresis (CLE-CE) method using Zn(II) as the central ion and l-4-hydroxyproline as the chiral ligand coordinating with γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) was developed for the enantioseparation of amino acids (AAs) and dipeptides. The effects of various separation parameters, including the pH of the running buffer, the ratio of Zn(II) to l-4-hydroxyproline, the concentration of complexes and cyclodextrins (CDs) were systematically investigated. After optimization, it has been found that eight pairs of labeled AAs and six pairs of labeled dipeptides could be baseline-separated with a running electrolyte of 100.0 mM boric acid, 5.0 mM ammonium acetate, 3.0 mM Zn(II), 6.0 mM l-hydroxyproline and 4.0 mM γ-CD at pH 8.2. The quantitation of AAs and dipeptides was conducted and good linearity (r² ≥ 0.997) and favorable repeatability (RSD ≤ 3.6%) were obtained. Furthermore, the proposed method was applied in determining the enantiomeric purity of AAs and dipeptides. Meanwhile, the possible enantiorecognition mechanism based on the synergistic effect of chiral metal complexes and γ-CD was explored and discussed briefly.     

Automatic Electronic Tongue for On-Line Detection and Quantification of Organophosphorus and Carbamate Pesticides Using Enzymatic Screen Printed Biosensors

This work presents an automatic system, based on an electronic tongue, for resolution of mixtures of three pesticides. Inhibition detections were performed during the steady state of biosensors response. Three biosensors were built using two enzymes, electric eel (EE), genetically-modified Drosophila melanogaster (B131), and electric eel co-immobilized with drosophila melanogaster (BH). Calibrations curves for paraoxon, dichorlvos, and carbofuran were performed in the ranges 0.4–50.4 µM, 0.01–1.01 µM, 0.01–0.41 µM with LOD of 3.91 × 10^?8, 6.30 × 10^?11, and 5.84 × 10^?10, respectively. An artificial neural network (ANN) was used to model the combined response of three pesticides. A set of 19 mixtures were prepared in order to train the artificial neural network, the modeling was validated with a set of 6 spiked samples of river water. The error and recovery yields were found in consistent with expected values.     

吡啶团簇的飞秒光电离和从头计算研究

用飞秒激光电离飞行时间质谱研究了吡啶分子团簇在400 nm波长下的多光子光电离,实验观测到一系列的质子化和非质子化团簇离子.结果表明,质子转移也能发生在弱氢键结合的分子间.通过分析离子峰宽和离子信号强度随气源压力的变化,得到质子化团簇离子来源于大团簇离子的碎裂,而非质子化团簇离子是中性团簇直接电离的结果.从头计算结果表明,吡啶团簇是通过弱氢键C-H…N 结合在一起的,并且团簇离子离解倾向于生成质子化产物.     

太阳能热泵热水系统循环水流量控制仿真

设计了一套新的太阳能热泵热水系统,介绍了该系统的工作原理和特点,分析表明,该系统既具有普通太阳能热泵的优点,又能够实现供暖、供冷、全年供应生活热水等多种功能。采用机理建模的方法建立了房间冷负荷、风机盘管、执行器、传感器和循环水系统的传递函数模型。设计了太阳能热泵热水系统的循环水系统PID控制、模糊控制和模糊自适应PID控制三种控制方案,并针对设计的三种控制方案对系统进行了控制仿真。结果表明,从调节时间、超调量和阶跃响应等几个方面综合考虑,由于模糊自适应PID控制能够在线调整控制系统的特性参数,随时适应系统的运行变化,在太阳能热泵热水系统的循环水系统运行控制上具有明显的优势。     

Three‐dimensional simulation of planar contraction viscoelastic flow by penalty finite element method

The planar contraction flow is a benchmark problem for the numerical investigation of viscoelastic flow. The mathematical model of three‐dimensional viscoelastic fluids flow is established and the numerical simulation of its planar contraction flow is conducted by using the penalty finite element method with a differential Phan‐Thien–Tanner constitutive model. The discrete elastic viscous split stress formulation in cooperating with the inconsistent streamline upwind scheme is employed to improve the computation stability. The distributions of velocity and stress obtained by simulation are compared with that of Quinzani's experimental results detected by laser–doppler velocimetry and flow‐induced birefringence technologies. It shows that the numerical results agree well with the experimental results. The numerical methods proposed in the study can be well used to predict complex flow patterns of viscoelastic fluids. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Control of pore environment in highly porous carbon materials for C2H6/C2H4 separation with exceptional ethane uptake

Adsorptive separation of C₂H₆ from C₂H₄ by adsorbents is an energy-efficient and promising method to boost the polymer grades C₂H₄ production. However, that C₂H₆ and C₂H₄ display very similar physical properties, making their separation extremely challenging. In this work, by regulating the pore environment in a family of chitosan-based carbon materials (C-CTS-1, C-CTS-2, C-CTS-4, and C-CTS-6)- we target ultrahigh C₂H₆ uptake and C₂H₆/C₂H₄ separation, which exceeds most benchmark carbon materials. Explicitly, the C₂H₆ uptake of C-CTS-2 (166 cm³/g at 100 kPa and 298 K) has the second-highest adsorption capacity among all the porous materials. In addition, C-CTS-2 gives C₂H₆/C₂H₄ selectivity of 1.75 toward a 1:15 mixture of C₂H₆/C₂H₄. Notably, the adsorption enthalpies for C₂H₆ in C-CTS-2 are low (21.3 kJ/mol), which will facilitate regeneration in mild conditions. Furthermore, C₂H₆/C₂H₄ separation performance was confirmed by binary breakthrough experiments. Under different ethane/ethylene ratios, C-CTS-X extracts a low ethane concentration from an ethane/ethylene mixture and produces high-purity C₂H₄ in one step. Spectroscopic measurement and diffraction analysis provide critical insight into the adsorption/separation mechanism. The nitrogen functional groups on the surface play a vital role in improving C₂H₆/C₂H₄ selectivity, and the adsorption capacities depend on the pore size and micropore volume. Moreover, these robust porous materials exhibit outstanding stability (up to 800 °C) and can be easily prepared on a large scale (kg) at a low cost (～$26 per kg), which is very significant for potential industrial applications.     

Solar Driven Gas Phase Advanced Oxidation Processes for Methane Removal - Challenges and Perspectives

Methane (CH₄) is a potent greenhouse gas and the second highest contributor to global warming. CH₄ emissions are still growing at an alarmingly high pace. To limit global warming to 1.5 °C, one of the most effective strategies is to reduce rapidly the CH₄ emissions by developing large-scale methane removal methods. The purpose of this perspective paper is threefold. (1) To highlight the technology gap dealing with low concentration CH₄ (at many emission sources and in the atmosphere). (2) To analyze the challenges and prospects of solar-driven gas phase advanced oxidation processes for CH₄ removal. And (3) to propose some ideas, which may help to develop solar-driven gas phase advanced oxidation processes and make them deployable at a climate significant scale.