Synthesis and Characterization of Tetraosmium Carbonyl Complexes Containing a Bridging CO2 Ligand

Treatment of (thd)H (thd=2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptandionate) with excess Os₃(CO)₁₂ in an autoclave at 180°C gives the formation of a brown metal chain complex [Os₂(CO)₅(thd)₂]₂ (1) and a yellow CO₂ cluster complex [Os₄(-H)(-CO₂)(thd)(CO)₁₃] (2) in low yields. Complex 2 was fully identified by a combination of spectroscopic methods and X-ray diffraction study, showing a unique CO₂ ligand bridging a triosmium metal fragment, Os₃(-H)(CO)₁₀ and a monometallic osmium fragment, Os(CO)₃(thd). Upon treatment of 1 with Me₃NO at an elevated temperature, oxidation of the CO ligand occurred at the position trans to the unique CO₂ ligand on the Os(CO)₃(thd) fragment, giving the formation of a second CO₂ cluster [Os₄(-H)(-CO₂)(thd)(CO)₁₂(NCMe)] (3), which is stabilized by a weakly coordinated acetonitrile molecule.     

Novel type of heterogenized CuCl2 catalytic systems for oxidative carbonylation of methanol

A novel type of heterogenized CuCl₂ catalysts was designed for the oxidative carbonylation of methanol to dimethyl carbonate (DMC) taking account of the plausible reaction mechanism and intermediates. To prevent severe corrosion of the reaction equipment materials due to Cl^– while keeping the catalytic activity of the homogeneous CuCl₂ catalyst, we adopted, as supports (or ligands) of CuCl₂, four polymers, bearing a 2,2-bipyridine (bpy) or pyridine (py) unit, namely, poly(2,2-bipyridine-5,5-diyl) (Pbpy), poly(pyridine-2,5-diyl) (Ppy), poly(N,N-bisphenylene-2,2-bipyridine-4,4-dicarboxylic amide) (Bpya), and poly(4-methyl-4-vinyl-2,2-bipyridine) (Pvbpy), together with one chelate compound, 8-quinolinol. The catalytic activity, stability of heterogenized CuCl₂ and their corrosivities to stainless steels were examined in the liquid-phase reaction of the oxidative carbonylation of methanol. These polymer-supported catalysts showed considerable catalytic activity and stability for the DMC synthesis. In particular, the Pbpy-CuCl₂ and Ppy-CuCl₂ catalysts exhibited high DMC yields and selectivity comparable to those of the homogeneous CuCl₂ catalyst. This high activity appears to be associated with the presence of the -conjugated system in the polymers, which affect the redox reactions of Cu involved in the catalytic reaction. All of the polymer-supported CuCl₂ catalysts could be easily recycled after filtration, and the initial catalytic activity was maintained after three times of use. The corrosive characters of the catalysts were closely related to CuCl₂ leaching from the supports, which reflects the ability of supports to coordinate Cu. These experimental results suggest that both the electronic structure and the coordination ability of the polymer supports are key factors for the development of an effective catalytic system.     

π-Bindungsbeitrag in Boranen, 2. Mitt.:Ab initio- und Kraftfeld-Rechnungen von Vinyldifluorboran

Ab initio calculations on vinyldifluoroborane yield a -contribution of 23 kJ/mol (5.5 kcal/mol) mainly due to the C=C bond and not to the lone pairs of the fluorine atoms. The rotational barrier was also determined. The force field calculations favour the interpretation of the bond structure derived from the theab initio results.

     

Absence of p,π-conjugation in the Cl2C=CHOMe molecule from data ofab initio calculations

ab initio Calculation of the Cl₂C=CHOMe molecule has been carried out with geometrical optimization in the split valence basis set in the RHF/6-31G^*//RHF/6-31G^* approximation. An analysis of the populations of the p-orbitals of the Cl atoms implies the absence of p,-conjugation between the unshared electron pairs of these atoms and the -bond. The asymmetry parameters of the electric field gradient at the³⁵Cl nuclei, calculated from the 3p-orbital populations of the Cl atoms, practically coincide with the experimental values.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2369–2372, December, 1995.The authors are grateful to G. S. Beloglazov for assistance in accomplishingab initio calculations.     

Synthesis of silk-like FeS2/NiS2 hybrid nanocrystals with improved reversible oxygen catalytic performance in a Zn-air battery

The development of highly active and stable reversible oxygen electrocatalysts is crucial for improving the efficiency of metal-air battery devices. Herein, an efficient liquid exfoliation strategy was designed for producing silk-like FeS₂/NiS₂ hybrid nanocrystals with enhanced reversible oxygen catalytic performance that displayed excellent properties for Zn-air batteries. Because of the unique silk-like morphology and interface nanocrystal structure, they can catalyze the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) efficiently with a low overpotential of 233 mV at j = 10 mA cm^?2. This is an improvement from the recently reported catalysts in 1.0 M KOH. Meanwhile, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of the silk-like FeS₂/NiS₂ hybrid nanocrystals showed an onset potential of 911 mV and a half-wave potential of 640 mV. In addition, the reversible oxygen electrode activity of the silk-like FeS₂/NiS₂ hybrid nanocrystals was calculated to be 0.823 V, based on the potential of the OER and ORR. Further, the homemade rechargeable Zn-air batteries using FeS₂/NiS₂ hybrid nanocrystals as the air-cathode displayed a high open-circuit voltage of 1.25 V for more than 17 h and an excellent rechargeable performance for 25 h. The solid Zn-air batteries exhibited an excellent rechargeable performance for 15 h. This study provided a new method for designing interface nanocrystals with a unique morphology for efficient multifunctional electrocatalysts in electrochemical reactions and renewable energy devices.     

Phosphorescence lifetime of naphthalene and phenanthrene in aggregated aromatic molecule-β-cyclodextrin-precipitant complexes

Aggregated aromatic molecule--cyclodextrin-precipitant complexes exhibit long-lived phosphorescence at room temperature in water after the chemical binding of oxygen. The temperature dependences of the phosphorescence lifetimes of naphthalene-h₈, naphthalene-de, and phenanthrene in the aggregates were measured. For example, the phosphorescence lifetimes of naphthalene-d₈ aggregated with -cyclodextrin and cyclohexane are equal to 25.1, 17.6, and 6.8 s at 77, 276, and 347 K, respectively, and that of phenanthrene aggregated with isooctane and -cyclodextrin are 3.24, 3.06, and 1.26 s at 268, 274, and 335 K, respectively. The temperature dependences of the phosphorescence lifetimes at room temperature are determined by the rate constants of the radiative and nonradiative transitions from the triplet state of an aromatic molecule.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 2225–2228, September, 1996.     

Overproduction of riboflavin by anArthrobacter sp. mutant resistant to 5-fluorouracil

Effects of pH and dissolved oxygen concentration on batchwise riboflavin production by a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant mutant ofArthrobacter sp. were investigated. The reaction was carried out in a jar fermentor. The optimal pH of culture medium was around 7.3. Dissolved oxygen concentration was almost constant during fermentation at 600 rpm of agitation rate. Production of riboflavin reached a maximum of 160 mg/L after 70 h fermentation under the agitation rate of 600 rpm, aeration rate of 1.0 L/min, and pH 7.0.     

A novel vapor phase process for aromatic ketone synthesis

The vapor phase catalytic reaction between aromatic carboxylic acid and acetic acid was investigated. Many metal oxides catalyzed the reaction between 2methylbenzoic acid (OTA) and acetic acid (AA) to produce 2methylacetophenone (OMA), and weakly acidic oxides such as Th, U, Ce, and La oxide exhibited higher yield of OMA. The OMA yield depended on the catalyst support. SiO₂, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, and ZrO₂ with a surface area of less than 200 m² g^–1 appeared to be suitable as industrial catalyst supports. CeO₂ on Al₂O₃was chosen as an industrial catalyst for the synthesis of OMA because of higher productivity, longer catalyst life, and lifting of legal restrictions on catalyst handling. This catalyst system can also be applied to the syntheses of acetophenone, nitroacetophenone, and chloroacetophenone.     

Michael and ring expansion reactions of 6-carboethoxy-3,5-diaryl-2-cyclohexen-1-ones

When -keto-ester1 a was reacted with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate ring expansion occurred to give substituted cyclooctadienones.Michael reactions of the title compounds1 with unsaturated ketones gave adducts, some of which underwent further cyclization reactions. A new route to -tetralone ring system10 via cyclization of the intermediateMichael adduct9 is described.

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Michael- und Ringerweiterungsreaktionen von 6-Carboethoxy-3,5-diaryl-2-cyclohexen-1-onen

Zusammenfassung Bei der Reaktion von -Keto-ester1 a mit Dimethyl-acetylendicarboxylat wurden unter Ringerweiterung substituierte Cyclooctadienone erhalten. DieMichael-Reaktion der Titelverbindung1 mit ungesättigten Ketonen ergab Addukte, von denen einige weitere Cyclisierungsreaktionen eingingen. Es wird ein neuer Weg zum -Tetralonsystem10 über die Cyclisierung des intermediärenMichael-Addukts9 beschrieben.

     

Application of water as a solvent in microwave-assisted extraction for analysis of PCBs and CBzs in fly ash

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorobenzenes (CBzs) are two classes of dioxin precursors formed in municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs); they produce negative health effects similar to those of dioxins. Reducing the analytical time required for determining the concentrations of these compounds in MSWIs is important for quickly evaluating their importance and assessing associated health risks. In the present study, water is used as a safe and environmentally friendly solvent in microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) for PCB and CBz analyses. MAE is compared with traditional Soxhlet extraction (SE) to determine the extraction efficiencies. The evaluation of extraction efficiencies shows that MAE has a high extraction efficiency compared with that of SE when water content is lower than 60%. Furthermore, the extraction time and organic solvent consumption are reduced with MAE compared with SE.