The adsorption of C4 unsaturated hydrocarbons on highly dehydrated silica. An IR-spectroscopic and thermodynamic study

The adsorptive interaction of 1-butyne and 1-butene with a highly dehydrated pyrogenic silica system has been studied to understand the thermodynamic behavior of the adsorption process by the application of the Langmuir model and of the Van't Hoff equation. In situ FTIR spectroscopy allowed the characterization of the adsorption phenomenon in terms of involved surface sites, gas-volumetric determinations yielded quantitative information relative to the adsorption process, and microcalorimetric results allowed the comparison between calculated and experimental data. K(eq) and Delta(ads)G degrees were obtained from Langmuir's model application; Delta(ads)H data were obtained from the Van't Hoff equation and by the isosteric heats method and were compared with experimental values. The virtual constancy of Delta(ads)H with equilibrium pressure and surface coverage (Langmuir model) allowed us to obtain the Delta(ads)H degrees values and, consequently, the Delta(ads)S degrees values for the systems of interest.     

New approaches to reversible crosslinking in epoxy resins

The objective of the research is to investigate epoxy resins where crosslinks formed in curing reactions can be cleaved and reformed without significant sacrifice in resin properties. Experimental disulfide-containing crosslinking agents have been selected for the study, including dihydrazides of dithiodicarboxylic acids (aliphatic and aromatic) and dithioaromatic diamines. Conditions for curing reactions and for subsequent cleavage of crosslinks by reduction have been determined in model systems and confirmed for a prototype epoxy resin. A comparative evaluation of cure kinetics, crosslink density, and thermal and mechanical properties has been carried out for resin cured with aromatic curing agents (dithiodianiline and methylenedianiline) and with aliphatic compounds (3, 3′-dithiopropionic acid dihydrazide and hexamethylenediamine). It has been shown that in resin fully cured with disulfide-containing crosslinking agents, crosslinks are ruptured by reduction, and re-established by oxidation under mild conditions, or by reaction of thiol groups with bifunctional alkylating agents.     

Accurate higher-order likelihood inference on P(Y<X)

The stress-strength reliability $R=P(Y<X)$ , where $X$ and $Y$ are independent continuous random variables, has obtained wide attention in many areas of application, such as in engineering statistics and biostatistics. Classical likelihood-based inference about $R$ has been widely examined under various assumptions on $X$ and $Y$ . However, it is well-known that first order inference can be inaccurate, in particular when the sample size is small or in presence of unknown parameters. The aim of this paper is to illustrate higher-order likelihood-based procedures for parametric inference in small samples, which provide accurate point estimators and confidence intervals for $R$ . The proposed procedures are illustrated under the assumptions of Gaussian and exponential models for $(X,Y)$ . Moreover, simulation studies are performed in order to study the accuracy of the proposed methodology, and an application to real data is discussed. An implementation of the proposed method in the R software is provided.     

Synthesis of optically active α-benzyl paraconic acids and their esters and assignment of their absolute configuration

The cis- and trans-4-benzylparaconic acids and their ethyl esters were synthesized with high enantiomeric excess by hydrolysis of the corresponding diastereomeric lactonic esters using α-chymotrypsin. Thus, at low conversion values, cis- and trans-4-benzyl-5-oxo-3-tetrahydrofurancarboxylic acids were separately isolated with 99% ee and 92% ee, respectively. Both ethyl ester diastereomers were also obtained in enantiopure form. The absolute configuration of the trans-lactonic acid was assigned by ¹H NMR analysis of its ester derivatives with both enantiomers of 1-(9-anthryl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, while that of the cis-lactonic acid was assigned by means of X-ray analysis of a crystalline derivative. The circular dichroism curves of the products obtained are also reported.     

Highly diastereoselective allylic azide formation and isomerization. Synthesis of 3(2'-amino)-beta-lactams

The stereoselective anti SN2' attack of NaN3 to 3-alkenyl-3-bromo-azetidin-2-ones gave a mixture of diastereomeric azides in fast equilibrium. The [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic azides occurred with complete stereocontrol, allowing the equilibrium to be directed preferentially toward the (E)- or (Z)-isomer, useful precursors of 3(2'-amino)-beta-lactams. [reaction: see text]     

Convergence of Gauss type product formulas for the evaluation of two-dimensional Cauchy principal value integrals

The authors consider product rules of Gauss type for the numerical approximation of certain two-dimensional Cauchy principal value integrals with respect to generalized smooth Jacobi weight functions.Convergence results for these rules are given, and some asymptotic estimates of the remainder are established.Work sponsored by Italian Research Council and by the Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione of Italy.     

Oxidation of aqueous solutions of cobalt(II) in the presence of some aminoacids

Summary The complexes between cobalt(III) and aminoacids such as glutamine, asparagine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid and proline were studied.Cobalt(III)-aminoacid systems were investigated by spectrophotometry after oxidizing the cobalt(II) complexes by sodium peroxide. The variation of the absorption spectra shows the pH dependence of the process and it is clear that the formation of the complexes occurs through oxo-intermediates.Complexation ratios, molar absorptivity values and the concentration quotients at equilibrium were determined at pH 2.2 to avoid the formation of binuclear dioxygen-cobalt complexes.     

Development and validation of an HPLC-UV detection assay for the determination of rufinamide in human plasma and saliva

The development of a simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the determination of the new antiepileptic drug rufinamide (RFN) in human plasma and saliva is reported. Samples (250 μl) are alkalinized with ammonium hydroxide (pH 9.25) and extracted with dichloromethane using metoclopramide as internal standard. Separation is achieved with a Spherisorb silica column (250 × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm) at 30 °C using as mobile phase a solution of methanol/dichloromethane/n-hexane 10/25/65 (vol/vol/vol) mixed with 6 ml ammonium hydroxide. The instrument used was a Shimadzu LC-10Av chromatograph and flow rate was 1.5 ml min^-1, with a LaChrom L-7400 UV detector set at 230 nm. Calibration curves are linear [r ² = 0.998 ± 0.002 for plasma (n = 10) and r ² = 0.999 ± 0.001 for saliva (n = 9)] over the range of 0.25–20.0 μg ml^-1, with a limit of quantification at 0.25 μg ml^-1. Precision and accuracy are within current acceptability standards. The assay is suitable for pharmacokinetic studies in humans and for therapeutic drug monitoring.