Characterization of some essential oils and their key components: Thermoanalytical techniques

The present study was aimed at determining the kinetics of evaporation and establishing vapor pressure curves for both single and multi-component systems by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Essential oils (e.g. lavender oil, orange oil, clove oil and eucalyptus oil, etc.) are typically multi-component systems consisting of various volatile pure components (e.g. linalyl acetate, limonene, cinnamaldehyde, etc.) which resemble single component systems. In this study linalyl acetate was taken as the calibration compound for TG. The vapor pressure curves for the pure substances were plotted using TG and vapor pressure plots for clove oil and eucalyptus oil were constructed using DSC. The thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the pure compounds were compared to that of the multi-component systems to quantitatively and qualitatively measure the influence of different compounds on each other. The k-value from the vapor pressure data for linalyl acetate was calculated as 112006 Pa kg^0.5mol^0.5s^-1 m^-2 K^-0.5. The vapor pressure values were used to determine the Antoine constants using the SPSS 10.0 software.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

高聚物固体电解质聚氧化乙烯－溴化铜复阻抗谱及介电常数的静水压效应

采用分子量５００万的聚氧化乙烯和无水溴化铜，通过混溶蒸发法制备成高聚物固体电解质Ｐ（ＥＯ）ｎ－ＣｕＢｒ２薄膜，并在０．１～３００ＭＰａ范围不同的流体静水压下详细测量其复平面阻抗谱，分别得到在不同压力下离子电导率和介电常数与测量频率的关系．进一步解谱准确地求出Ｐ（ＥＯ）ｎ－ＣｕＢｒ２（ｎ＝１２、１６）薄膜离子电导率和介电常数的静水压效应，并结合Ｘ－光物相分析，根据离子迁移通道的物理图象和高聚物的极化机构进行了初步的讨论．添加２０％的增塑剂碳酸丙烯酯，较大改进了压力下的导电性．１２０～３００ＭＰａ的离子电导率提高一个数量级     

Development of a new analytical method for the evaluation of hazards from slow decomposition of waste streams and process solutions

A wide variety of liquid streams are generated as part of the process research and development effort. Frequently these streams are drummed off, either as intermediates that must be held for processing or as wastes that must be sent off-site for disposal. Because of the long times and low concentrations often involved, current thermoanalytical techniques were inadequate to detect the potential of streams to generate gas. A custom-made apparatus, the gas evolution test cell (GETC), was developed in the Merck Research Laboratories to measure the gas generation potential of various streams under precisely defined conditions, is the key innovation for the development of a quantitative gas-generation test method.     

Oxidative coupling of methane over Na-Mn-W/SiO2 catalyst at higher pressure

Na-Mn-W/SiO₂ catalysts were prepared and their catalytic performance for oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) was evaluated in a stainless-steel microreactor at elevated pressure. The results show that a CH₄ conversion of 15.1% with a C₂₊ selectivity of 71.8% was obtained under 750^oC, 1.0×10⁵h^-1 GHSV, CH₄/O₂ ratio of 8 and 1.0 MPa. Moreover, 17.3% CH₄ conversion with 51.6% C₂ selectivity and 23.6% C₃-C₄ selectivity was obtained under 750^oC, 2.0×10⁵h^-1 GHSV, CH₄/O₂ ratio of 8 and 1.0 MPa.     

Magnetic phase transitions in nanostructures induced by shear stress under high pressure

Magnetic phase transitions of the first and second order were revealed by Mössbauer spectroscopy in nanosystems of - and -ferric oxides and metallic europium subjected to shear stress (240°) under high pressure (20 kbar). For - and -ferric oxide nanoclusters, the Curie (Neel) points decreased to 300 K, whereas for nanostructured europium the Neel point increased from 90 to 100 K. The thermodynamic model of magnetic phase transitions predicting a change in the character of magnetic phase transitions and a decrease (increase) in the critical Neel (Curie) points in nanoclusters was developed. The type of magnetic phase transitions and the change in the critical points were caused by defects in nanoclusters, whose maximum concentration was observed for the clusters with the 20—50 nm size range.     

An application of the modified Poisson- Boltzmann equation in studies of osmotic properties of micellar solutions

The spherical cell model of colloidal solutions is applied in calculations of the osmotic pressure of micellar systems. The predictions of the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation (MPB) and of the Modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation (MPB) containing the leading terms of the fluctuation potential and the exclusion volume corrections to the mean potential acting on simple ions are compared with the results of recent computer simulations. Both PB and MPB seem satisfactory for solutions with monovalent counterions while the MPB is preferable for studies of the solutions containing divalent countenons.On leave from the University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia     

Vapor pressure,speciation, and chemical activities in highly concentrated sodium borate solutions at 277 and 317°C

The system H₂O-B₂O₃-Na₂O has been studied experimentally at 277 and 317°C. The activities of water and boric acid have been determined at mole ratios Na/B from 0 to 1.5, and total dissolved solids 3 to 80 weight percent. The activity of boric acid has been fitted to within experimental error using a speciation model with eight complex species. This model is consistent with the model previously published by Mesmer et al. The electrolyte properties of the liquid are modeled using the Pitzer-Simonson model of very concentrated electrolyte solutions. The calculated values of water activity agree with experiment, and the activity of NaOH and pOH have also been calculated. The potassium borate system also was briefly studied at 317°C, and is adequately described by a model with five complex species. The potassium borate liquid is more alkaline at K/B= 1 than a sodium borate liquid at the same mole ratio, but pOH in the two systems is the same at lower mole ratios.     

Synthesis of macrocyclic tetraamides derived from α-amino acids and their investigations using ESI-MS technique

Chiral α,ω-diesters react under high-pressure conditions (10 kbar) with α,ω-diamines to give chiral cyclic tetraamides of C₂-symmetry. The complexation properties of tetraamides towards alkali metal cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺ and Cs⁺) were estimated on the basis of ESI-MS spectra.     

表面膨胀粘度的测定研究

用不同浓度的NaCl和表面活性剂直链的十二烷基苯磺酸钠(LAS)、稳定剂聚丙烯酰胺和水所组成的泡沫体系为研究对象,通过表面压松弛的方法,利用计算机数据拟合,得到了计算表面膨胀粘度的方法。     

Solubility of α-amino acids in water under high pressure: glycine, -alanine, -valine, -leucine, and -isoleucine

The solubility of glycine, -alanine, -valine, -leucine, and -isoleucine in water was measured at 298.15 K and pressures up to 400 MPa. The standard deviation of the logarithm of the solubility is 0.001–0.003, equal to or better than the accuracy of atmospheric pressure measurement in the literature (0.001–0.05). A variety of solubility phenomena were observed. The solubility of glycine decreased with increasing pressure, whereas that of -alanine increased. The -valine and -isoleucine have a solubility maximum at around 100 MPa, and -leucine seems to exhibit a solid-phase phase transition at around 200 MPa. Pressure coefficient of the solubilities at 0.10 MPa is compared with that thermodynamically estimated in reference to aqueous density measurements of glycine and -alanine at 298.15 K and 0.10 MPa, supporting a reliability of our high-pressure measurements.