Oxidation of Alcohols by [Cp*Rh(ppy)(OH)]+

Summary.  Rh(III) polypyridine complexes ([Cp ^*Rh(ppy)(H₂O)]²⁺; ppy = 2,2′-bipyridine, 2,2′-bipyridine-4,4′-dicarboxylate, o-phenanthroline, tetrahydro-4,4′-dialkyl-bis-oxazole) oxidize in organic or aqueous alkaline solution primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes or ketones and are thereby reduced to the Rh(I) complexes Cp ^*Rh(ppy). The Rh(III) form can be regenerated byoxidants like pyruvate or oxygen, making the reaction quasi-catalytic. The reaction follows anautocatalytic pathway; hydrogen transfer from the α-CH₂ group of an alcoholate complex [Cp ^*Rh(ppy)(OR)]⁺ to Cp ^*Rh(I)(ppy) is suggested to yield the Rh(II) intermediate Cp ^*Rh(ppy)H as the key and rate determining step. The knowledge of Rh(III)/Rh(I) redox potentials allows to estimate the thermodynamic driving force of the reaction which is not more than about 300 mV.     

Harmonic analysis from quasi-periodic domains

Harmonic analysis is applied in a quasi-periodic context to get rigidity results in orbit equivalence theory. This paper has been written while the author was visiting the University of Tokyo under a JSPS Fellowship for European researchers.     

On the number-average molecular weight of poly(1,4-trans isoprene) determined by conventional GPC

We became aware, in the course of our on-going research, that the number-average molecular weight of poly(1,4-trans isoprene) determined by conventional gel permeation chromatography (GPC) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) using polystyrene standards differs from its true value by a factor 2. As far as we know, the Mark-Houwink coefficients of this polymer in a widespread GPC eluent such as THF have never been determined. We provide in this contribution a simple relationship between the number-average molecular weight of poly(1,4-trans isoprene) determined by GPC in THF using polystyrene standards and its true value.     

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Multiple Reaction Pathways in Rhodium‐Catalyzed Hydrosilylations of Ketones

A detailed density functional theory (DFT) computational study (using the BP86/SV(P) and B3LYP/TZVP//BP86/SV(P) level of theory) of the rhodium‐catalyzed hydrosilylation of ketones has shown three mechanistic pathways to be viable. They all involve the generation of a cationic complex [L_nRh^I]⁺ stabilized by the coordination of two ketone molecules and the subsequent oxidative addition of the silane, which results in the Rh–silyl intermediates [L_nRh^III(H)SiHMe₂]⁺. However, they differ in the following reaction steps: in two of them, insertion of the ketone into the Rh? Si bond occurs, as previously proposed by Ojima et al., or into the Si? H bond, as proposed by Chan et al. for dihydrosilanes. The latter in particular is characterized by a very high activation barrier associated with the insertion of the ketone into the Si? H bond, thereby making a new, third mechanistic pathway that involves the formation of a silylene intermediate more likely. This “silylene mechanism” was found to have the lowest activation barrier for the rate‐determining step, the migration of a rhodium‐bonded hydride to the ketone that is coordinated to the silylene ligand. This explains the previously reported rate enhancement for R₂SiH₂ compared to R₃SiH as well as the inverse kinetic isotope effect (KIE) observed experimentally for the overall catalytic cycle because deuterium prefers to be located in the stronger bond, that is, C? D versus M? D.     

Structure of premixed flames of propylene oxide: Molecular beam mass spectrometric study and numerical simulation

The knowledge of the combustion chemistry of oxygenated fuels is essential for the development of detailed kinetic mechanisms suitable for the combustion processes involving biofuels. Moreover, epoxidized olefins, are increasingly used as chemical intermediates or as bulk chemicals. Nevertheless, a dearth of data for their reactivity in the oxidative environment can be observed in the current literature. This study reports the experimental and the model characterization of the flame structure of propylene oxide at stoichiometric and fuel-rich conditions at atmospheric pressure. To this aim, the species mole fractions in three premixed flames stabilized on a flat-flame burner have been quantitatively measured by using the flame sampling molecular beam mass spectrometry. Three chemical kinetic mechanisms retrieved from the current literature involving propylene oxide chemistry have been validated against the novel experimental data. In general, the predictions appeared to be in satisfactory agreement with measurements except for acetaldehyde and ketene. The rate of production analysis in the flame has shown that the discrepancies observed for these species are related basically to the incorrect ratio between the rates of primary reaction pathways of propylene oxide destruction.     

Simulation numérique des détonations à double structure cellulaireNumerical simulation of detonations with double cellular structure

We present the results of numerical two-dimensional simulations of detonation cellular structures under non-monotonous heat release provided by a chemical reaction comprising two successive exothermic steps. The influence of the rate of the second step of chemical reaction on the detonation cellular structure has been investigated. Our simulations are the first that reproduce a cellular structure composed of two clearly distinct sets of cells with different characteristic sizes where fine cells completely fill up larger ones, as has been observed experimentally. To cite this article: V. Guilly et al., C. R. Mecanique 334 (2006).     

Correlation between superhydrophobicity and the power spectral density of randomly rough surfaces

We show experimentally and analytically that for single-valued, isotropic, homogeneous, randomly rough surfaces consisting of bumps randomly protruding over a continuous background, superhydrophobicity is related to the power spectral density of the surface height, which can be derived from microscopy measurements. More precisely, superhydrophobicity correlates with the third moment of the power spectral density, which is directly related to the notion of Wenzel roughness (i.e., the ratio between the real area of the surface and its projected area). In addition, we explain why randomly rough surfaces with identical root-mean-square roughness values may behave differently with respect to water repellence and why roughness components with wavelength larger than 10 μm are not likely to be of importance or, stated otherwise, why superhydrophobicity often requires a contribution from submicrometer-scale components such as nanoparticles. The analysis developed here also shows that the simple thermodynamic arguments relating superhydrophobicity to an increase in the sample area are valid for this type of surface, and we hope that it will help researchers to fabricate efficient superhydrophobic surfaces based on the rational design of their power spectral density.