Derivation and synthesis of renewable surfactants

This critical review focuses on the origins and preparation of bio-based surfactants, defined here as non-soap, amphiphilic molecules in which the carbon atoms are derived from annually renewable feedstocks. Environmental concerns and market pressures have led to greater relevance of these chemicals in commercial applications in recent years and extensive research has gone into exploring new classes of surfactants. Highlighted here are examples of bio-based surfactants that are produced on an industrial scale and/or are based on abundant starting materials. The trend of increasing use of renewable resources as starting materials for surfactants is introduced, followed by extensive discussion of the major classes of bio-derived hydrophobes and hydrophiles. Also discussed is the status of research and development with regard to biosynthetically produced surfactants. Finally, concluding remarks address the potential for new surfactant molecular structures as a result of ongoing development in the chemistry of biorefineries, i.e., that the transformation of lignocellulose into fuels is likely to support the manufacturing of new bio-based coproducts (238 references).     

Comparisons of zinc with cadmium in N2S2 coordination and as S-bonded adducts to tungsten carbonyls

The synthesis and characterization of bis-mercaptoethanediazaheptane cadmium(II) is reported and compared to the analogous zinc complex. Of significance is the dimeric form of the [Zn(N(2)S(2))](2) complex achieves penta-coordination about zinc through a bridging thiolate whereas cadmium engages two thiolate as S-bridges resulting in hexa-coordination about cadmium within a coordination polymer whose X-ray crystal structure is reported here. In the presence of W(CO)(5), this polymer breaks up, generating dimeric [Cd(N(2)S(2))](2) with two W(CO)(5) units appended to the terminal thiolates, a feat that is not observed for the zinc dimer analogue. The greater thiophilicity of cadmium over zinc is noted in several features of these complexes.     

Bis-diimidazolylidine complexes of nickel: investigations into nickel catalyzed coupling reactions

Air and moisture stable homoleptic bis(diimidazolylidine)nickel(II) complexes, ([(diNHC)(2)Ni](2+)) 3a,b and their corresponding silver(I) 4a,b and palladium(II) 5a,b complexes were synthesized and characterized by NMR and single crystal X-ray analysis. The catalytic potential of complex 3a was assessed in Mizoroki-Heck and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions. In the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction, nickel precatalyst 3a was active for the coupling of aryl chlorides as well as aryl fluorides. The analogously synthesized Pd(II) complexes resulted in formation of (diNHC)PdCl(2) species which were not active for the coupling of aryl fluorides. For the Mizoroki-Heck reaction, it was found that aryl iodides could be activated in the absence of nickel or palladium precatalysts when using Na(2)CO(3) or NEt(3) as base while aryl iodides and aryl bromides could be activated in the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction sans precatalyst when K(3)PO(4) was used as base.     

A critical measure-valued branching process with infinite mean

A critical spatially homogeneous measure-valued branching process in R^dis studied where the initial state has infinite asymptotic density. In low dimen-dimensions it explodes (locally), but in a critical dimension both effects are exhibited.     

Broadband long-wavelength infrared Si/SiO2 subwavelength grating reflector

A long-wavelength IR broadband reflector is demonstrated using a high-index-contrast subwavelength grating based on a Si/SiO2 system. The field response has been computationally and experimentally verified to exhibit broadband reflectance in the spectral range of 13-16 μm with Δλ/λ=18.5% for reflectance >70%. The gratings exhibit incident field polarization dependence with an average extinction ratio of 1:1.6.     

Mononuclear palladacycles of N,N′-diaryl-2-iminoisoindolines

Reaction of acetato-bridged dinuclear palladacycles, [Pd(iminoisoindoline)(μ-OAc)]₂, with stoichiometric amounts of PR₃ (where R = Ph or Cy) resulted in formation of the corresponding mononuclear phosphine-ligated, six-membered palladacycles with the general formula [Pd(iminoisoindoline)(OAc)PR₃]. The analogous chloride complexes were synthesized by reaction of [Pd(iminoisoindoline)(μ-OAc)]₂ with LiCl in acetone followed by addition of phosphine to afford the monomeric derivatives [Pd(iminoisoindoline)(Cl)PR₃]. Representative crystal structures of both types of mononuclear palladacycles confirmed the mononuclear nature of the complexes and showed a trans-arrangement of the phosphine ligand to the heterocyclic imine-nitrogen of the palladacycles.     

Comparative qualitative analysis of different classes of compounds in selected Australian and Indian Eucalyptus and Corymbia species: a convenient de-replication method for the eucalypts

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - Eucalypts are a large group of woody trees with about 900 taxa in 3 genera: Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora. The secondary...     

NMR spectral studies: XIII—titanium tetrachloride-induced and lanthanide-induced shifts in the proton NMR spectra of β-lactams

2-Azetidinones which carry a proton each on C-3 and C-4 often pose a problem in the correct assignment of the resonances due to these protons; titanium tetrachloride has been shown to be an effective and reliable n.m.r. shift reagent to differentiate between these two protons on the basis of their different sensitivities to this reagent. A few compounds were also studied with Eu(fod)₃ and Pr(fod)₃ for the sake of confirmation.