Plasma Thermal Conversion of Methane to Acetylene

This paper describes a re-examination of a known process for the direct plasma thermal conversion of methane to acetylene. Conversion efficiencies (% methane converted) approached 100% and acetylene yields in the 90–95% range with 2–4% solid carbon production were demonstrated. Specificity for acetylene was higher than in prior work. Improvements in conversion efficiency, yield, and specificity were due primarily to improved injector design and reactant mixing, and minimization of temperature gradients and cold boundary layers. At the 60-kilowatt scale cooling by wall heat transfer appears to be sufficient to quench the product stream and prevent further reaction of acetylene resulting in the formation of heavier hydrocarbon products or solid carbon. Significantly increasing the quenching rate by aerodynamic expansion of the products through a converging–diverging nozzle led to a reduction in the yield of ethylene but had little effect on the yield of other hydrocarbon products. While greater product selectivity for acetylene has been demonstrated, the specific energy consumption per unit mass of acetylene produced was not improved upon. A kinetic model that includes the reaction mechanisms resulting in the formation of acetylene and heavier hydrocarbons, through benzene, is described.     

Computer simulation of conformational movement based on interconversion phenomena

A computer method has been developed which is an alternative to molecular dynamics in the sense that it pictures conformational motion. It simulates propagation in conformational movement based on conformational interconversion phenomena. The method starts with the knowledge of the topology of the conformational potential energy hyper-surface, which is described by the minima and the transition states. The topology is obtained by the recently described software . The simulation of conformational motion is based on the Boltzmann statistics of movement between the minima and the transition states at a given temperature. The method is illustrated for methyl--glucopyranoside and - -galNAc(1-3)[- -Fuc(1-2)]Gal-O-Me molecules. Conformational transitions of hydroxyl groups as well as glycosidic linkages are discussed.     

Performance of SuSi: a method for generating atomistic models of amorphous polymers based on a random search of energy minima

The performance of a recently developed method to generate representative atomistic models of amorphous polymers has been investigated. This method, which is denoted SuSi, can be defined as a random generator of energy minima. The effects produced by different parameters used to define the size of the system and the characteristics of the generation algorithm have been examined. Calculations have been performed on poly(L,D-lactic) acid (rho = 1.25 g/cm3) and nylon 6 (rho = 1.084 g/cm(3)), which are important commercial polymers.     

A model for the etching of silicon in SF6/O2 plasmas

A model has been developed to describe the chemistry which occurs in SF₆/O₂ plasmas and the etching of silicon in these plasmas. Emphasis is placed nn the gas-phase free radical reactions, and the predictions n( the model are compared with experimental results. Forty-seven reactions are included, although a subset of 18 reactions describes the chemistry equally well. Agreement between the calculated and measured concentrations of stable products downstream of the plasma is better than a factor of 2. The need for additional kinetic data and fàr well-characterized diagnostic studies of SF₆/O₂ plasmas is discussed.     

Formal Mathematical Analysis of the Existence of the Common Intersection Point in Relation to Determining the Parameters Describing Ion Adsorption at the Oxide/Electrolyte Interface: Comparison of the Triple and Four-Layer Models

For most oxide/electrolyte systems potentiometric titration curves measured for different ionic strengths have a Common Intersection Point (CIP) which corresponds to the Point of Zero Charge (PZC). However, there are systems where a CIP exists but the surface charge at this point does not equal zero (PZC CIP). In this paper theoretical analysis of the systems in which the PZC and CIP do not coincide is presented. It is based on the well-known 2-pK surface charging approach and Triple Layer Model (TLM) as well as the Four Layer Model (FLM) of the electric double layer. The appropriate mathematical criterion for CIP existence was applied with detailed derivations, both for TLM and FLM. Having determined in this manner the parameter values, one can draw proper conclusions about the features of oxide/electrolyte adsorption systems, in which PZC and CIP do not coincide. The values of adsorption parameters are found by fitting simultaneously the obtained theoretical expressions to both of the experimental titration isotherms, and to the individual isotherms of electrolyte cation adsorption measured using radiometric methods.     

Cure kinetics of epoxy-amine resins used in the restoration of works of art from glass or ceramic

The cure kinetics of two epoxy/amine resins, Araldite 2020 and AY103-HY956 widely used as adhesives in the restoration of works of art from glass or ceramic was investigated using FTIR spectroscopy. These resins are two-part adhesives, consisting of a resin - A, based on a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, and a hardener - B which is either a cycloaliphatic amine (isophorone diamine) for Araldite 2020, or a mixture of three aliphatic amines in HY956. The study was based on the collection of IR spectra, in the middle range (4000-600 cm⁻¹), of mixtures of resin and hardener at different proportions and isothermal temperatures (22-70 °C) as a function of curing time. A kinetic model was employed to simulate the experimental data using two kinetic rate constants. Diffusion control was incorporated to describe the cure behaviour at high degrees of conversion. From fitting to experimental data the kinetic and diffusional parameters were estimated, together with the activation energies of the kinetic and autocatalytic rate constants. It was found that higher degrees of curing are obtained at higher temperatures and increased amounts of hardener. Differences in the performance of the two adhesives are explained based on the type of the amines used as hardener.     

Adsorption of organic substances on broken clay surfaces: a quantum chemical study

Hydrogen-bonded interactions between local defect structures on broken clay surfaces modeled as molecular clusters and the organic molecules acetic acid, acetate, and N-methylacetamide (NMA) have been investigated. Density functional theory and polarized basis sets have been used for the computation of optimized interaction complexes and formation energies. The activity of the defect structures has been characterized as physical or chemical in terms of the strength of the hydrogen bonds formed. Chemical defects lead to significantly enhanced interactions with stronger hydrogen bonds and larger elongation of OH bonds in comparison to the physical defects. The type of interaction with the defect structure significantly influences the planarity of the model peptide bond in NMA. Both cases, enhancement of the planarity by increase of the CN double bond character and strong deviations from planarity, are observed.     

The computer program LUDI: A new method for the de novo design of enzyme inhibitors

Summary A new computer program is described, which positions small molecules into clefts of protein structures (e.g. an active site of an enzyme) in such a way that hydrogen bonds can be formed with the enzyme and hydrophobic pockets are filled with hydrophobic groups. The program works in three steps. First it calculates interaction sites, which are discrete positions in space suitable to form hydrogen bonds or to fill a hydrophobic pocket. The interaction sites are derived from distributions of nonbonded contacts generated by a search through the Cambridge Structural Database. An alternative route to generate the interaction sites is the use of rules. The second step is the fit of molecular fragments onto the interaction sites. Currently we use a library of 600 fragments for the fitting. The final step in the present program is the connection of some or all of the fitted fragments to a single molecule. This is done by bridge fragments. Applications are presented for the crystal packing of benzoic acid and the enzymes dihydrofolate reductase and trypsin.     

interaction of nitro compounds with radicals: a quantum chemical study

Photoreduction of nitro compounds is accompanied by formation of various radical products that can react with the starting nitro compound, thus causing deviation of the decomposition kinetics from the first-order kinetics with respect to the nitro compound. The results of quantum chemical modeling of the reactions of nitro compounds with radicals and the pathways of further transformations of radical adducts formed in the reactions are presented. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 202–206, February, 2006.     

Parameter identification of thermophilic anaerobic degradation of valerate

The considered mathematical model of the decomposition of valerate presents three unknown kinetic parameters, two unknown stoichiometric coefficients, and three unknown initial concentrations for biomass. Applying a structural identifiability study, we concluded that it is necessary to perform simultaneous batch experiments with differenitial conditions for estimating these parameters. Four simultaneous batch experiments were conducted at 55°C, characterized by four different initial acetate concentrations. Product inhibition of valerate degradation by acetate was considered. Practical identification was done optimizing the sum of the multiple determination coefficients for all measured state viariables and for all experiments simultaneously. The estimated values of kinetic parameters and stoichiometric coefficients were characterized by the parameter correlation matrix, the confidence interval, and the student's t-test at 9% significance level with positive results except for the saturation constant, for which more eperiments for improving its identifiability should be conducted. In this article, we discussekinetic parameter estimation methods.