A calculation of the relative protonation energies of amines in solution

Relative protonation energies in the primary, secondary and tertiary aliphatic series of amines are calculated by a semiempirical method employing the virtual charge model. The method accounts quite well for the observed differences between the gas-phase protonation affinities and the protonation enthalpies in solution, but when allowance is made for steric shielding from the bulk solvent for “non-edge” atoms, some anomalies in the uncorrected model are removed. The calculated solute-solvent interactions are related to experimental enthalpies of solution and to trends expected from the Born model.     

Identification of micro-scale calorimetric devices

Micro-calorimetric devices using Si-based sensors are very useful for the study of gas–solid reactions, in which very low mass of reactants are necessary. But in fact the consequence of using flat detectors is an increase of the uncertainty in the measured energy. In this work a calorimetric gas sensor based on Xensor chip is analysed studying the local x–y contributions of dissipation to the sensitivity related to the value in the centre. We study also the effects of the gas-flow on the sensitivity, comparing the results obtained with two Xensor type chips. Finally we carry out a deeper analysis of the x–y effects on the calorimetric detector for dissipations in the reactant shell extremely close to the detector surface to visualize the link between the power density distribution and the output signal.     

Conformationally controlled (entropy effects), stereoselective vibrational quenching of singlet oxygen in the oxidative cleavage of oxazolidinone-functionalized enecarbamates through solvent and temperature variations

On photooxygenation (methylene blue as sensitizer) of E/Z enecarbamates, equipped with the oxazolidinone chiral auxiliary, the oxidative cleavage of the alkenyl functionality releases the enantiomerically enriched methyldesoxybenzoin (MDB) product. The extent (% ee) as well as the sense (R vs S) of the stereoselectivity in the MDB formation depends on the choice of the alkene configuration; the efficacy of stereocontrol may be tuned by appropriate solvent and temperature conditions. Highlighted is the finding that the formation of the preferred MDB enantiomer (R or S) depends for the E isomer on the chosen solvent and temperature, but not for the corresponding Z isomer. The activation parameters for the various solvents disclose that differential entropy effects (ΔΔS^‡) dominate the conformationally more flexible E diastereomers. As mechanistic rationale for this unprecedented conformationally imposed stereochemical behavior, we propose the competitive action of stereoselective vibrational quenching of the attacking singlet oxygen by the enecarbamate versus sterically controlled stereoselective oxidative cleavage of its double bond.     

Ab Initio (GIAO) Calculations of Absolute Nuclear Shieldings for Representative Compounds Containing 1(2)H, 6(7)Li, 11B, 13C, 14(15)N, 17O, 19F, 29Si, 31P, 33S,and 35Cl Nuclei

Two kinds of ab initio calculations (B3LYP and HF) using the GIAO approach have been carried out for fifteen H, three Li, three B, eleven C, seven N, nine O, four F, three Si, four P, six S and five Cl containing derivatives. The calculated absolute nuclear shieldings have been compared with experimental absolute values (either measured or estimated from relative chemical shifts) when available or with relative chemical shifts (¹¹B, ³⁵Cl). The correlations range from good to excellent and only three compounds (PN, P₂H₂, SO₂) deviate significantly.     

Electrochemical synthesis of π-indenyl-π-(3)-1,2-dicarbollyliron(III)

Co-electrolysis of potassium 1,2-dicarbadodecahydroundecaborate and indene in 0.1N sodium bromide solution in dimethylsulfoxide using iron electrodes afforded -indenyl--(3)-1,2-dicarbollyliron(III).Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 764–765, April, 1993.     

Thermodynamic properties of electrolyte solutions: An EMF study of the activity coefficients of KCl in the system KCl−KNO3−H2O at 25, 35 and 45°C

Electromotive force measurements were carried out on the system KCl–KNO₃–H₂O at constant total ionic strengths of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 mol-kg^–1 and at 25, 35 and 45°C using a cell consisting of a potassium ionselective electrode and a Ag/AgCl electrode. The Harned coefficients and the Pitzer binary and ternary interaction parameters for the system have been evaluated at each temperature. The osmotic coefficients, excess free energies of mixing and heats of mixing of the system have been predicted at each of the experimental temperatures and ionic strengths. The solubility data at 25°C are also interpreted.     

Parametric study of the flow and temperature fields in an inductively coupled r.f. plasma torch

A theoretical investigation of the effect of different parameters on the flow and the temperature fields in a radiofrequency inductively coupled plasma is carried out. The parameters studied are: central injection gas flow rate, total gas flow rate, input power, and the type of plasma gas. The results obtained for argon and nitrogen plasmas at atmospheric pressure indicate that the flow and the temperature fields in the coil region, as well as the heat flux to the wall of the plasma confinement tube, are considerably altered by the changes in the torch operating conditions.     

Analytical applications of a differential technique in laser-induced fluorimetry: accurate and precise determination of uranium in concentrates and for designing microchemielectronic devices for on-line determination in processing industries

A novel instrumental technique for the direct, fast, accurate, and precise determination of uranium in concentrates and other U-rich materials (as well as to mineralized rocks) is presented. The proposed technique is an absolute methodology, based on the comparison of the fluorescence of the accurately known standard with a sample of similar but unknown concentration in the low operational range of the instrument (on same sample-dilution basis), by the use of H₃PO₄-NH₄H₂PO₄ as a fluorescence-enhancing reagent. The relative standard deviation of the proposed technique was 0.5-0.9% (n=9) at 18.1, 36.2, 61.2, and 99.6% U₃O₈. The proposed technique is suitable for the determination of uranium in samples arising from exploration projects, ores from mining operations, mill process samples, uranium ore concentrates leading to fuel fabrication as well as samples from environmental monitoring containing up to 100% uranium. The results are in good agreement with those obtained by titrimetric, gravimetric, and TBP extraction-H₂O₂ spectrophotometric methods. The precision of the technique is within the acceptable ‘pure geochemistry’ type of analysis (R.S.D. ∼ 1.0%) and is comparable even those obtained with titrimetric and gravimetric assay. The proposed differential technique coupled with flow injection may open up new advancement in instrumentation leading to design and development of microchemielectronic devices for direct on-line determination, more compatible with the tools of computer age as also to help in handling of radioactive solutions in chemical laboratories in uranium processing industries.     

Titanocene(III) mediated radical cyclization of α-bromo carbonyl compounds: synthesis of tri-substituted tetrahydrofurans

A novel and efficient methodology has been developed for the construction of synthetically important tri-substituted tetrahydrofuran derivatives from bromo-alkenes and bromo-alkynes by radical cyclization reactions using the radical initiator Cp₂TiCl, generated in situ from commercially available titanocene dichloride and Zn dust in tetrahydrofuran under argon.     

Synthesis of N-heterocyclic carbene precursors bearing biphenyl units and their use in ruthenium-catalyzed ring-opening metathesis polymerization

A range of new imidazolium and imidazolinium chlorides bearing biphenyl units on their nitrogen atoms was synthesized. They differed by the electron-withdrawing or -donating nature and the steric bulk of the substituents on their aromatic rings. These various N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors were combined with the [RuCl₂(p-cymene)]₂ dimer and potassium tert-butoxide to generate the corresponding ruthenium-arene complexes [RuCl₂(p-cymene)(NHC)] in situ. The catalytic activity of these species was investigated in the photoinduced ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of cyclooctene. The results obtained confirmed the necessity of blocking the ortho-positions of the phenyl rings in the vicinity of the metal center in order to attain high catalytic efficiencies. They also showed that changing the steric and electronic properties of the substituents on the remote phenyl rings of the biphenyl units had no significant influence on the outcome of the polymerization.