BaSnF4 fast ion conductor: Variations versus the method of preparation and anomalous temperature variation of the quadrupole splitting

A new method of preparation of high performance fluoride ion conductor, BaSnF₄, by water leaching of newly discovered barium tin(II) chloride fluorides, has been designed, and the materials have been studied and compared to the solid prepared by the usual dry method. The unit-cell parameters and crystallite dimensions were found to vary with the method of preparation. In addition, the crystallite dimensions were found to be highly anisotropic for the samples obtained by the wet method. The Mössbauer spectrum is made of a large tin(II) quadrupole doublet, and a broad tin(IV) oxide peak due to surface oxidation. The tin(II) spectrum is in agreement with covalently bonded tin(II) having a strongly stereoactive lone pair. An unusually high dependence of the quadrupole splitting at low temperatures was observed (5.8 times larger than for α-SnF₂).     

Phase behaviour,structural properties and intermolecular interactions of systems based on substituted thiacalix[4]arene and nonionic surfactants

Supramolecular organised materials were prepared from nonionic surfactants and the following macrocyclic ionic liquids: n-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arenes containing quaternary ammonium fragments with amino acid substituents. Tetraethylene glycol monododecyl ether and decadiethylene glycol monododecyl ether were used as nonionic surfactants. They form lamellar and hexagonal mesophases in aqueous media, respectively. Liquid crystal and structural properties of these systems were studied. Intermolecular interactions of system components leading to formation of lyomesophases were estimated. Molecular structure of thiacalixarene contributes to the formation of a hydrogen bonding with surfactants. This process, in turn, initiates formation of a denser packed hexagonal structure.     

Protein environmental effects on iron‐sulfur clusters: A set of rules for constructing computational models for inner and outer coordination spheres

The structural properties and reactivity of iron‐sulfur proteins are greatly affected by interactions between the prosthetic groups and the surrounding amino acid residues. Thus, quantum chemical investigations of the structure and properties of protein‐bound iron‐sulfur clusters can be severely limited by truncation of computational models. The aim of this study was to identify, a priori, significant interactions that must be included in a quantum chemical model. Using the [2Fe‐2S] accessory cluster of the FeFe‐hydrogenase as a demonstrative example with rich electronic structural features, the electrostatic and covalent effects of the surrounding side chains, charged groups, and backbone moieties were systematically mapped through density functional theoretical calculations. Electron affinities, spin density differences, and delocalization indexes from the quantum theory of atoms in molecules were used to evaluate the importance of each interaction. Case studies for hydrogen bonding and charged side‐chain interactions were used to develop selection rules regarding the significance of a given protein environmental effect. A set of general rules is proposed for constructing quantum chemical models for iron‐sulfur active sites that capture all significant interactions from the protein environment. This methodology was applied to our previously used models in galactose oxidase and the 6Fe‐cluster of FeFe‐hydrogenase. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Self‐Sufficient Formaldehyde‐to‐Methanol Conversion by Organometallic Formaldehyde Dismutase Mimic

The catalytic networks of methylotrophic organisms, featuring redox enzymes for the activation of one‐carbon moieties, can serve as great inspiration in the development of novel homogeneously catalyzed pathways for the interconversion of C₁ molecules at ambient conditions. An imidazolium‐tagged arene–ruthenium complex was identified as an effective functional mimic of the bacterial formaldehyde dismutase, which provides a new and highly selective route for the conversion of formaldehyde to methanol in absence of any external reducing agents. Moreover, secondary amines are reductively methylated by the organometallic dismutase mimic in a redox self‐sufficient manner with formaldehyde acting both as carbon source and reducing agent.     

Determination and removal of sulfonamides and quinolones from environmental water samples using magnetic adsorbents

In this study, the magnetic materials known as polymerized ionic liquid@3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized and utilized as potential adsorbents. First, these nanoparticles were applied to the analysis of sulfonamides and quinolones present in different water samples using magnetic solid phase extraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography. Under optimized conditions, the developed method showed excellent detection sensitivity, with limits of detection (S/N = 3) and quantification limits (S/N = 10) within 0.2–1.0 and 0.8–3.4 μg/L, respectively. The spiked recoveries of the SAs and QNs in environmental water samples ranged from 83.5 to 103.0%, with RSDs of less than 4.5%. In addition, the adsorbents effectively removed sulfamethoxazole and ofloxacin present in existing aquatic environments. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of sulfamethoxazole and ofloxacin on the magnetic adsorbents were studied to assess removal performance. The results indicate that the adsorption process follows a pseudo‐second‐order mechanism, which reveals that the sorption mechanism is the rate‐limiting step and produces high q_max values (sulfamethoxazole = 70.35 mg/g and ofloxacin = 48.95 mg/g), thus demonstrating the enormous adsorption capacity of these magnetic adsorbents.     

Computer‐Assisted Design of Imidazolate‐Based Ionic Liquids for Improving Sulfur Dioxide Capture,Carbon Dioxide Capture,and Sulfur Dioxide/Carbon Dioxide Selectivity

A new strategy involving the computer‐assisted design of substituted imidazolate‐based ionic liquids (ILs) through tuning the absorption enthalpy as well as the basicity of the ILs to improve SO₂ capture, CO₂ capture, and SO₂/CO₂ selectivity was explored. The best substituted imidazolate‐based ILs as absorbents for different applications were first predicted. During absorption, high SO₂ capacities up to ≈5.3 and 2.4 mol mol_IL⁻¹ could be achieved by ILs with the methylimidazolate anions under 1.0 and 0.1 bar (1 bar=0.1 MPa), respectively, through tuning multiple N ⋅⋅⋅ S interactions between SO₂ and the N atoms in the imidazolate anion with different substituents. In addition, CO₂ capture by the imidazolate‐based ILs could also be easily tuned through changing the substituents of the ILs, and 4‐bromoimidazolate IL showed a high CO₂ capacity but a low absorption enthalpy. Furthermore, a high selectivity for SO₂/CO₂ could be reached by IL with 4,5‐dicyanoimidazolate anion owing to its high SO₂ capacity but low CO₂ capacity. The results put forward in this work are in good agreement with the predictions. Quantum‐chemical calculations and FTIR and NMR spectroscopy analysis methods were used to discuss the SO₂ and CO₂ absorption mechanisms.     

A simple method for evaluation of the self-consistency of the radial distribution functions and the orientation of water molecules in the first coordination sphere from the results of molecular dynamics calculations

A simple method for determination of the angular orientation of water molecules in the first coordination sphere from the radial distribution functions is proposed. A comparative analysis of the ability of the model potentials of pair interaction to take into account the effects of manybody interactions (MBI) was performed. The responses of the model pair potentials to the MBI effects in the first and second coordination spheres were found to be poorly correlated with each other. It was concluded that it is necessary to derive a new analytical type of potential functions of pair interaction. Published inIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya. No. 11, pp. 1842–1846. November. 2000.     

The coupling of aryl halides in the ionic liquid [bmim]PF6

Several aryl halides have been coupled using the zero valent nickel catalyst [(PPh₃)_nNi(0)], to give the biaryl in moderate to good yield, employing the ionic liquid [bmim]PF₆. The ionic liquid and catalyst were recycled after extraction of the biaryl.     

Speciation of phytate ion in aqueous solution. Cadmium(II) interactions in aqueous NaCl at different ionic strengths

Interactions between myo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakis(dihydrogen phosphate) (phytic acid) and cadmium(II) were studied by using potentiometry (at 25 °C with the ISE-H⁺ glass electrode) in different metal to ligand (Phy) ratios (1:1≤Cd²⁺:Phy≤4:1) in NaCl_aq at different ionic strengths (0.1≤I/mol L⁻¹≤1). Nine Cd_iH_jPhy^{(12−2i−j)−} species are formed with i=1 and 2 and 4≤j≤7; and trinuclear Cd₃H₄Phy²⁻. Dependence of complex formation constants on ionic strength was modeled by using Specific ion Interaction Theory (SIT) equations. Phytate and cadmium speciation are also dependent on the metal to ligand ratio. Stability of Cd_iH_jPhy^{(12−2i−j)−} species was modeled as a function of both the ligand protonation step (j) and the number of metal cations bound to phytate (i), and relationships found were used for the prediction of species other than those experimentally determined (mainly di- and tri-protonated complexes), allowing the possibility of modeling Phy and Cd(II) behavior in natural waters and biological fluids. A critical evaluation of phytate sequestering ability toward cadmium(II) has been made under several experimental conditions, and the determination of an empirical parameter has been proposed for an objective “quantification” of this ability. A thorough analysis of literature data on phytate–cadmium(II) complexes has been performed. Previous contributions to this series: [1–8]