Automated chemical resonance generation and structure filtration for kinetic modeling

This work discusses efficient and automated methods for constructing a set of representative resonance structures for arbitrary chemical species, including radicals and biradicals, consisting of the elements H, C, O, N, and S. Determining the representative reactive structures of chemical species is crucial for identification of reactive sites and consequently applying the correct reaction templates to generate the set of important reactions during automated chemical kinetic model generation. We describe a fundamental set of resonance pathway types, accounting for simple resonating structures, as well as global approaches for polycyclic aromatic species. Automatically discovering potential localized structures along with filtration to identify the representative structures was shown to be robust and relatively fast. The algorithms discussed here were recently implemented in the Reaction Mechanism Generator (RMG) software. The final structures proposed by this method were found to be in reasonable agreement with quantum chemical computation results of localized structure contributions to the resonance hybrid.     

Synthesis,characterization and electrocatalytic performance of a dinuclear triazenidosilver(I) complex for hydrogen production

Our group has developed a series of molecular electrocatalysts for hydrogen generation based on triazenido–metal complexes (cobalt, copper, etc.). In this paper, we first present the electrocatalytic performance of a new dinuclear silver complex, [Ag₂(L)₂], formed by the reaction of the triazenido ligand 1‐[(2‐carboxymethyl)benzene]‐3‐[(2‐methoxy)benzene]triazene (HL) with AgNO₃. At room temperature, the silver complex shows photoluminescence at 653 nm. The electrocatalytic systems based on this silver complex can afford 106.57 and 1536.36 moles of hydrogen per mole of catalyst per hour from acetic acid at an overpotential (OP) of 991.6 mV and from a neutral aqueous buffer (pH = 7.0) at an OP of 837.6 mV, respectively. Electrochemical investigations show that both silver ion and triazenido ligand play a role in determining the catalytic activities of the electrocatalytic system.     

Photooxidation Of Arsenobetaine And Arsenocholine To Generate Arsines Previous To Icp-Oes Measurement

Abstract

A photolytic method, which uses UV irradiation (254 nm) and K₂S₂O₈ in alkaline media has been optimized for the speciation of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic and dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine and arsenocholine. Under these conditions it is possible to obtain not only simple species from arsenobetaine and arsenocholine with good yields, but also to establish the optimum conditions to carry out the process on-line with HG-ICP/OES for the determination of these species.

The products obtained in the photolytic reaction are introduced into the reduction chamber to form arsines. According to the results obtained from the ICP measurements, the recoveries obtained are about 100% and the procedure has a good reproducibility.     

Simultaneous Determination of Arsenic and Lead in Vegetable Oil by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry after Vortex-Assisted Extraction

Hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) is used for the determination of hydride-forming elements due to its high sensitivity, simplicity, and low cost. A new HG-AFS method for the simultaneous determination of arsenic and lead in vegetable oil is reported. Vortex-assisted extraction with dilute nitric acid was used to isolate arsenic and lead from vegetable oil. The conditions influencing the fluorescence signal, including the carrier fluid, oxidizing agent, and reducing agent, were optimized. The interferences of coexisting ions were also evaluated. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection were 0.6 and 0.4?µg?kg^?1 for arsenic and lead. The recoveries were from 84.4 to 105% for both metals in vegetable oil. The optimized method was used for the determination of arsenic and lead in commercial vegetable oil. The analytical results by this approach were in good agreement with values obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with microwave digestion.     

Flow‐Injection Online Reduction Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry Determination of Se(IV) and Se(VI) with Electrochemical Hydride Generation

Abstract

A new flow‐injection online reduction electrochemical hydride generation system for the determination of Se(IV) and Se(VI) by atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) was developed. In the system, an electromagnetic induction oven was used as heating resource to reduce Se(VI) to Se(IV) and a homemade tubular electrolytic cell as hydride generator. All analytical procedures were automatically controlled by a computer. The conditions of online reduction, including temperature, HCl concentration, and reduction time, have been studied in detail. The detection limits (3σ) of Se(IV) and Se(VI) in aqueous solution were 0.26 µg L^?1 and 0.23 µg L^?1, respectively. The precision for 11 replicate measurements of 50 µg L^?1 Se(IV) and Se(VI) was 2.2% and 2.5%. This proposed method has been applied to the determination of Se(IV) and Se(VI) in springwater samples.     

Detailed experimental and kinetic modeling study of 3-carene pyrolysis

3-Carene is an important potential biofuel with properties similar to the jet-propellant JP-10. Its thermal decomposition and combustion behavior is to date unknown, which is essential to assess its quality as a fuel. A combined experimental and kinetic modeling study has been conducted to understand the initial decomposition of 3-carene. The pyrolysis of 3-carene was investigated in a jet-stirred quartz reactor at atmospheric pressure, at temperatures varying from 650 to 1050 K, covering the complete conversion range. The decomposition of 3-carene was observed to start around 800 K, and it is almost complete at 970 K. Online gas chromatography shows that primarily aromatics are generated which suggests that 3-carene is not a good fuel candidate. The potential energy surface for the initial decomposition pathways determined by KinBot shows that a hydrogen elimination reaction dominates, giving primarily cara-2,4-diene. Next to this molecular pathway, radical pathways lead to aromatics via ring opening. The kinetic model was automatically generated with Genesys and consists of 2565 species and 9331 reactions. New quantum chemical calculations at the CBS-QB3 level of theory were needed to calculate rate coefficients and thermodynamic properties relevant for the primary decomposition of 3-carene. Both the conversion of 3-carene and the yields of the primary products (ie, benzene and hydrogen gas) are well predicted with this kinetic model. Rate of production analyses shows that the dominant pathways to convert 3-carene are hydrogen elimination reaction and radical chemistry.     

Multistrain edge‐based compartmental model on networks

Multistrain diseases, which are infected through individual contacts, pose severe public health threat nowadays. In this paper, we build competitive and mutative two‐strain edge‐based compartmental models using probability generation function (PGF) and pair approximation (PA). Both of them are ordinary differential equations. Their basic reproduction numbers and final size formulas are explicitly derived. We show that the formula gives a unique positive final epidemic size when the reproduction number is larger than unity. We further consider competitive and mutative multistrain diseases spreading models and compute their basic reproduction numbers. We perform numerical simulations that show some dynamical properties of the competitive and mutative two‐strain models.     

Structural,magnetic and optical properties of two concomitant molecular crystals

A new 1D complex has been prepared and characterized. X-ray single crystal structure confirms that the Cu(II) ions assemble in alternating chains with Cu … Cu distances of 2.5685(4) and 3.1760(4) Å. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility reveals an antiferromagnetic interaction between the paddle-wheel copper centers with an exchange of −300 cm⁻¹. The exchange integral was also determined by quantum chemical ab-initio calculations, using polarised and unpolarised basis sets reproducing well the experimental value. The second harmonic generation efficiency of a concomitantly crystallized material was evaluated and was found to be comparable to urea.     

A computational method for geometric optimization of enhanced heat transfer devices based upon entropy generation minimization

A computational fluid dynamics‐based optimization methodology is developed, appropriate for the geometric optimization of enhanced heat transfer devices based upon the principle of entropy generation minimization, in which the objective function is evaluated from a flow field obtained by computational simulation. A quasi‐Newton optimization procedure is employed, with computation of the objective function gradients based upon a finite difference approach. The optimization procedure is developed to be general with regard to the choice of objective function, the details of the problem under consideration, and the computational methodology employed in solving the fluid flow and heat transfer problems. A novel implementation of a Taylor series‐based procedure for the fast solution of nearby problems is presented, which is found to greatly benefit the efficiency of the present methodology. Finally, a numerical experiment is presented, illustrating the use of the present method in the geometric optimization of a practical enhanced heat transfer device on the basis of the criterion of entropy generation minimization. The optimization of the fin spacing of a simple plate fin heat sink is considered, and a comparison of the computational results with results obtained by analytical optimization based upon empirical friction factor and Nusselt number correlations is given. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.