Palladium on carbon–bromobenzene mediated esterification and transesterification

A series of carboxylic acids were converted into their corresponding esters using the Pd/C catalyzed hydrogenation conditions in the presence of catalytic bromobenzene in alcohols and the method could also be applicable for the transesterification of esters. Good to excellent yields were obtained for different aliphatic or aromatic starting materials. The success of this esterification relies on the in situ generation of hydrobromic acid (HBr) from bromobenzene which provides a mild and acidic reaction environment. The palladium catalyst exhibits a remarkable activity and is reusable for up-to three consecutive cycles.     

STUDY OF DEMULSIFICATION OF WATER-IN-CRUDE OIL EMULSION

Demulsification of water-in-crude oil emulsion was studied at two different salinities, 0.5% and 10% sodium chloride, using five different nonionic surfactants. Equilibrium crude oil-water interfacial tension was measured with drop volume method. Low molecular weight surfactants were found to be completely ineffective as demulsifiers. Three surfactants which were effective demulsifiers, exhibited good interfacial activity, surface adsorption and surface pressure. The performance of the demulsifiers changed with change in salinity of aqueous phase. Surfactants effective as demulsifiers reduced surface tension of water by more than 25 dynes-cm^-1. For a given crude oil-water system, the surfactant which developed surface pressure in excess of 15 dynes-cm^-1 was found to be good demulsifier for that system. Based upon these studies, a physical model of demulsification has been proposed     

Enhanced dielectric and electro-optical properties of a newly synthesised ferroelectric liquid crystal material by doping gold nanoparticle-decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes

In this article, a newly synthesised ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) material, namely LAHS 22, has been characterised. The characterisation of the FLC material has been performed using dielectric relaxation spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and polarisation optical microscopy. We observed an enhancement in the dielectric and electro-optical properties of the FLC material by incorporating gold nanoparticles (GNPs)-decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The GNPs-decorated MWCNTs cause an increment in dielectric dispersion (up to kHz), absorption, spontaneous polarisation and rotational viscosity of the FLC material. The pure and GNPs-decorated MWCNTs doped FLC cells were analysed by means of various dielectric spectroscopic and optical measurements. The observed enhancement in the dielectric and electro-optical properties of the FLC material has also been studied with concentration of GNPs-decorated MWCNTs in FLC material. The GNPs-decorated MWCNTs/FLC composites are not only of fundamental importance, but also useful materials for device applications such as liquid crystal displays and memory devices.     

Production from ilmenite of TiO2-supported catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3

Economic production of titanium dioxide (yield >98 %) from ilmenite has been achieved by use of a modified sulfate reduction process. A series of samples were prepared by varying the concentration of titanium dioxide nuclei (0.2, 0.3, and 0.6 %) and further impregnation with antimony and vanadia. The structural and acidic properties of the samples were comprehensively studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, BJH pore size distribution, and temperature-programmed desorption of NH₃. The XRD results revealed the presence of intense peaks from anatase titanium dioxide. Enhancement of surface area was observed for second-time filtered samples, possibly because of loss of iron from the bulk. As a result, formation of additional micropores was apparent from N₂ adsorption and desorption isotherms. Among all the antimony and vanadia-doped samples, the first-time filtered sample with the low concentration of nuclei (0.2 %) had the highest catalytic activity at low temperatures, owing to its larger pore size and abundant acidic species.     

An elegant protocol for the synthesis of N-substituted pyrroles through C–N cross coupling/aromatization process using CuFe2O4 nanoparticles as catalyst under ligand-free conditions

A simple and efficient, ligand-free C–N cross-coupling of aryl halides/benzyl bromides with trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline has been developed to produce aromatized N-substituted pyrroles, using a catalytic amount of magnetically separable and recyclable CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles, in the presence of Cs₂CO₃ in DMSO at 100 °C.     

Densities,Refractive Indices,Ultrasonic Speeds and Excess Properties of Acetonitrile + Poly(ethylene glycol) Binary Mixtures at Temperatures from 298.15 to 313.15 K

The densities, ρ, refractive indices, n _D, and ultrasonic speeds, u, of binary mixtures of acetonitrile (AN) with poly(ethylene glycol) 200 (PEG200), poly(ethylene glycol) 300 (PEG300) and poly(ethylene glycol) 400 (PEG400) were measured over the entire composition range at temperatures (298.15, 303.15, 308.15 and 313.15) K and at atmospheric pressure. From the experimental data, the excess molar volumes, \( V_{\text{m}}^{\text{E}} \) , deviations in refractive indices, \( \Delta n_{\text{D}} \) , excess molar isentropic compressibility, \( K_{{s , {\text{m}}}}^{\text{E}} \) , excess intermolecular free length, \( L_{\text{f}}^{\text{E}} \) , and excess acoustic impedance, Z ^E, have been evaluated. The partial molar volumes, \( \overline{V}_{\text{m,1}} \) and \( \overline{V}_{\text{m,2}} \) , partial molar isentropic compressibilities, \( \overline{K}_{{s , {\text{m,1}}}} \) and \( \overline{K}_{{s , {\text{m,2}}}} \) , and their excess values over whole composition range and at infinite dilution have also been calculated. The variations of these properties with composition and temperature are discussed in terms of intermolecular interactions in these mixtures. The results indicate the presence of specific interactions among the AN and PEG molecules, which follow the order PEG200 < PEG300 < PEG400.     

Synthesis and Spectral Characterization of Some New 4-(2,6-Diarylpyridin-4-yl)-2H-chromen-2-ones

Some new 4-(2,6-diarylpyridin-4-yl)-2H-chromen-2-one derivatives 5a–l have been synthesized by reacting 4-(3-oxo-3-arylprop-1-enyl)-2H-chromen-2-ones 3a–c with appropriate 1-(2-oxo-2-arylethyl)pyridinium bromide salt 4a–d in the presence of ammonium acetate in refluxing glacial acetic acid. The newly synthesized compounds have been characterized by elemental and spectral analysis.     

Zinc triflate catalyzed acylation of alcohols,phenols, and thiophenols

An expedient procedure for the acylation of alcohols, phenols, and thiophenols using catalytic amount of Zn(OTf)₂ is described. This procedure is highly suitable for industrial application due to use of less toxic metal as a part of catalyst, short reaction time at ambient temperature, without any racemization of chiral alcohols.     

p-Tolyl isocyanate derivatization for analysis of CWC-related polar degradation products by mass spectrometry

Most of the precursors and/or degradation products related to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) are polar. Identification of these molecules in environmental samples provides clues regarding the alleged usage and/or synthesis of the parent toxic chemicals. Such polar compounds need to be derivatized in order to analyze them by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). In this study, we developed a new derivatizing reagent, para-tolyl isocyanate (PTI), for derivatization of polar CWC-related compounds. The PTI reagent selectively derivatizes the –OH and/or?SH functional groups with high efficiency, but does not react with carboxylic acid (?COOH) or phosphonic acid (?(O)P(OH)₂) groups. The PTI derivatives of dialkyl aminoethanols, dialkyl aminoethanol-N-oxides, and 3-quinuclidinol were successfully eluted through GC, and their electron ionization (EI) mass spectra were distinct and provided the structure information by which the isomeric compounds can be easily distinguished. We also calculated the GC-retention index values that can be used for further confirmation of the target compounds. All the studied PTI derivatives can be analyzed by EI-MS with direct insertion probe and/or by direct electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) together with the MS–MS data; both sets of data provide full structure information. The PTI reagent was found to be better in some respects than the conventional bistrimethylsilyl trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA), a trimethyl silylating reagent. The PTI reagent is commercially available, and the PTI derivatives are highly stable for months and are not sensitive to moisture. The applicability of the PTI derivatization for trace-level determination of the target CWC-related polar compounds in environmental matrices and in human plasma samples is also evaluated.