Acceleration of Acetal Hydrolysis by Remote Alkoxy Groups: Evidence for Electrostatic Effects on the Formation of Oxocarbenium Ions

In contrast to observations with carbohydrates, experiments with 4‐alkoxy‐substituted acetals indicate that an alkoxy group can accelerate acetal hydrolysis by up to 20‐fold compared to substrates without an alkoxy group. The acceleration of ionization in more flexible acetals can be up to 200‐fold when compensated for inductive effects.     

Crystallization kinetics and morphology of biodegradable poly(lactic acid) with a hydrazide nucleating agent

The effect of tetramethylenedicarboxylic dibenzoylhydrazide (designated here as TMC) on the nonisothermal and isothermal crystallization behavior of PLA was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). TMC shows excellent nucleating effect on PLA. With the addition of 0.05 wt% TMC, the crystallization half-time of PLA decreases from 26.06 to 6.13 min at 130 °C. The isothermal crystallization data were further analyzed by the Avrami model. The values of the Avrami exponent of the blends are comparable to that of neat PLA, indicating that the presence of TMC does not change the crystallization mechanism of the matrix. The observation from POM and WAXD measurements showed that the presence of TMC increases significantly the nuclei density of PLA but has no discernible effect on its crystalline structure.     

Analysis of volatile organic compounds released from the decay of surrogate human models simulating victims of collapsed buildings by thermal desorption–comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry

Field experiments were devised to mimic the entrapment conditions under the rubble of collapsed buildings aiming to investigate the evolution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the early dead body decomposition stage. Three pig carcasses were placed inside concrete tunnels of a search and rescue (SAR) operational field terrain for simulating the entrapment environment after a building collapse. The experimental campaign employed both laboratory and on-site analytical methods running in parallel. The current work focuses only on the results of the laboratory method using thermal desorption coupled to comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TD-GC × GC-TOF MS). The flow-modulated TD-GC × GC-TOF MS provided enhanced separation of the VOC profile and served as a reference method for the evaluation of the on-site analytical methods in the current experimental campaign. Bespoke software was used to deconvolve the VOC profile to extract as much information as possible into peak lists. In total, 288 unique VOCs were identified (i.e., not found in blank samples). The majority were aliphatics (172), aromatics (25) and nitrogen compounds (19), followed by ketones (17), esters (13), alcohols (12), aldehydes (11), sulfur (9), miscellaneous (8) and acid compounds (2). The TD-GC × GC-TOF MS proved to be a sensitive and powerful system for resolving the chemical puzzle of above-ground “scent of death”.     

A kinetic and mechanistic study of dinuclear Pt(II) 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine compounds bridged with polyethyleneglycol ether flexible linkers

A series of dinuclear Pt(II) complexes bridged with polyethyleneglycol ether of the type [ClPt(tpy)O(CH₂CH₂O)_n(tpy)PtCl]Cl₂ where n = 1 (Ptdteg), 2 (Ptdtdeg), 3 (Ptdtteg), 4 (Ptdttteg), and linker-free complex, (Ptdt) (where tpy = 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine), were synthesized and characterized to investigate the role of bridging polyethyleneglycol ether linker on the substitution reactivity of dinuclear Pt(II) complexes. Substitution reactions were studied using thiourea nucleophiles, viz. thiourea (TU), 1,3-dimethyl-2-thiourea (DMTU), 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-2-thiourea (TMTU) under pseudo-first-order conditions as a function of concentration and temperature by conventional stopped-flow reaction analyzer. The reactions gave single exponential fits following the rate law k_obs = k₂[Nu]. Introduction of polyethyleneglycol ether linker decreases the electrophilicity of the platinum center and the whole complex. The results obtained indicate that the rate of substitution is controlled by both electronic and steric hindrance which increases with the length of the linker. Experimental results are supported by density functional theory calculations and structures obtained at B3LYP/LANL2DZ level. The order of the reactivity of the nucleophiles is TU > DMTU > TMTU. The magnitude and the size of the enthalpy of activation and entropy of activation support an associative mode of mechanism, where bond formation in the transition state is favored.     

Spectroscopic and Kinetic Evidence for the Crucial Role of Compound 0 in the P450cam‐Catalyzed Hydroxylation of Camphor by Hydrogen Peroxide

The hydroperoxo iron(III) intermediate P450_camFe^III–OOH, being the true Compound 0 (Cpd 0) involved in the natural catalytic cycle of P450_cam, could be transiently observed in the peroxo‐shunt oxidation of the substrate‐free enzyme by hydrogen peroxide under mild basic conditions and low temperature. The prolonged lifetime of Cpd 0 enabled us to kinetically examine the formation and reactivity of P450_camFe^III–OOH species as a function of varying reaction conditions, such as pH, and concentration of H₂O₂, camphor, and potassium ions. The mechanism of hydrogen peroxide binding to the substrate‐free form of P450_cam differs completely from that observed for other heme proteins possessing the distal histidine as a general acid–base catalyst and is mainly governed by the ability of H₂O₂ to undergo deprotonation at the hydroxo ligand coordinated to the iron(III) center under conditions of pH≥p${K{{{\rm P450}\hfill \atop {\rm a}\hfill}}}$ . Notably, no spectroscopic evidence for the formation of either Cpd I or Cpd II as products of heterolytic or homolytic O?O bond cleavage, respectively, in Cpd 0 could be observed under the selected reaction conditions. The kinetic data obtained from the reactivity studies involving (1R)‐camphor, provide, for the first time, experimental evidence for the catalytic activity of the P450Fe^III–OOH intermediate in the oxidation of the natural substrate of P450_cam.     

Adsorption of Propene on Neutral Gold Clusters in the Gas Phase

The adsorption of propene on neutral gold clusters is investigated in a collision cell under a few collision conditions. The adsorption reaction is studied by pressure‐dependent kinetic measurements and delayed unimolecular dissociation of the excited Au_n?propene complexes. The cluster size (n=9–25) and temperature (T=90–300 K) dependence of the propene adsorption is analyzed. Strong size dependences of the absorption reaction are observed; a larger propene adsorption probability was found for gold clusters composed of an even number of atoms. Propene binding energies are estimated by comparison of the temperature‐dependent unimolecular dissociation rates with rates obtained by using statistical RRKM modeling. The Au_n–propene binding energies decrease non‐monotonously with cluster size and are in the range of 1.2–0.85 eV for n=9–25. Finally, the bonding of C₃H₆ on Au_n is qualitatively described and similarities with the absorption of CO molecules on gold clusters are discussed.     

利用基于Gouy-Chapman模型的离子有效电荷定量表征离子特异性效应

离子特异性效应在固-液界面反应中是普遍存在的. 近期研究指出, 在较低电解质浓度的某些体系中, 离子特异性效应可能并非来源于色散力、经典诱导力、离子半径或水合半径的大小等, 而是界面附近强电场中的离子极化作用. 这种作用可使界面附近的吸附态反号离子被强烈极化(高达经典极化的10⁴倍). 强烈极化的结果将导致离子在界面附近受到的库仑力远远超过离子电荷所能产生的库仑力, 这体现在离子的有效电荷将远大于离子的实际电荷. 因此胶体体系中基于这种强极化的离子有效电荷可以用来定量表征离子特异性效应的强度. 本研究在蒙脱石-胡敏酸混合悬液凝聚过程中发现了Na⁺、K⁺、Ca²⁺、Cu²⁺四种离子的离子特异性效应, 提出了基于激光散射技术测定离子有效电荷的方法, 并成功获得了被强烈极化后的离子有效电荷数值. 实验测得的Na⁺、K⁺、Ca²⁺、Cu²⁺四种离子的有效电荷值分别为: Z_{Na(effective)}=1.46, Z_K(effective)=1.86, Z_{Ca(effective)}=3.92, Z_{Cu(effective)}=6.48.该结果表明: (1) 离子在强电场中的极化将大大提高离子的有效电荷, 从而极大地增强离子所受的库仑作用力;(2) 离子的电子层数越多, 离子极化越强烈, 离子的有效电荷增加越多.     

大颗粒磷钼酸铵:制备与结晶动力学(英文)

通过缓慢滴加焦磷酸钾的硝酸溶液到钼酸铵溶液中制得了大颗粒磷钼酸铵(AMP)。研究了AMP的成核速率(G)与晶体生长速率。与晶体生长速率相比成核速率的反应级数更高。最初,大颗粒磷钼酸铵的结晶过程处于相变反应控制的动力学区域,此时溶液的过饱和生成速率比过饱和消除速率高。晶体线生长速率与溶液的过饱和度先增加后降低。在滴加中期,过饱和消除速率增长到与其生成速率相当。在滴加后期,晶体成核速率快速增高,而晶体的线生长速率下降。晶体的成核速率成为过饱和消除的唯一控制步骤。因此,AMP成核大部分是在首先接触到滴加液的局部溶液中完成的。     

α-SiW_(11)Zn/三乙醇胺的非等温热分解反应动力学

合成了Keggin结构锌取代杂多钨硅酸盐三乙醇胺电荷转移配合物α-Si W11Zn/TEA,用元素分析,IR,XRD和TG-DTG对其进行了表征。同时,采用TG-DTG技术研究了标题化合物在氮气气氛中的热分解机理及非等温动力学,结果表明,α-Si W11Zn/TEA的分解反应共有3个阶段,第一阶段分解反应的表观活化能Ea与指前因子ln A分别为:4.81k J·mol-1和7.36 min-1,机理函数为G(α)=α+(1-α)ln(1-α);第二步分解过程的表观活化能Ea与指前因子ln A分别为:7.27 k J·mol-1和11.48min-1,机理函数为:G(α)=[-ln(1-α)]0.1;第三步分解过程的表观活化能Ea与指前因子ln A分别为17.16 k J·mol-1和8.999 min-1机理函数为:G(α)=1-(1-α)4。     

Effect of Fluorine Substitution on the Charge Carrier Dynamics of Benzothiadiazole‐Based Solar Cell Materials

The femtosecond transient absorption (TA) characterization of a new benzothiadiazole (BT)‐based donor–acceptor conjugated copolymer, poly[(2,6‐dithieno[3,2‐b:2′,3′‐d]thiophene)‐alt‐(4,7‐di(4‐octyldodecylthiopen‐2‐yl)‐2,1,3‐benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (PBT), as well as its fluorinated derivatives, PFBT and PDFBT, is carried out. Additionally, bulk heterojunction (BHJ) films consisting of the copolymers and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₇₁‐butylic acid methyl ester (PC₇₀BM) are examined using TA spectroscopy. Both the singlet excited state dynamics in the copolymers and the charge transfer state dynamics in the BHJs are investigated in terms of fluorination dependency; the fluorinated copolymers exhibit less singlet exciton recombination rate than the fluorine‐free copolymer, and the BHJs including the fluorinated copolymers display slower monomolecular recombination than the fluorine‐free analogue. Furthermore, the excitation‐intensity‐dependent TA dynamics of the copolymers and BHJs is investigated, revealing that, when sufficiently high excitation intensity is used to induce annihilation processes, the fluorinated copolymers and BHJs incorporating the fluorinated copolymers show more rapid TA decay ascribable to morphological enhancement. These TA spectroscopic findings are found to correlate with the device characteristics with respect to fluorinated content in the polymer solar cells. In particular, both the short‐circuit current density and fill factor of BHJ solar cells correspond closely with the fast decay parameters of the BHJ films under high excitation intensity.