Determination of Anionic Surfactants in Water

The use of ternary complexes in the determination of anionic surfactants has been investigated and an analytical method using linear alkyl sulfonates as a test substance has been developed. The method involves the formation of the chloroform-extractable bisphenanthroline Cu(II)-linear alkyl sulfonate (LAS) complex and the subsequent equilibration of the extract with erythrosine to form the extractable bisphenanthroline Cu(II)-erythrosine complex. In the equilibration step erythrosine displaces LAS quantitatively, allowing the determination of the LAS originally present by measuring the absorbance of the extracted bisphenanthroline-Cu(II)-erythrosine complex. Results are reported of studies made to determine the optimum analytical conditions, the sensitivity, and the precision for the method described.     

Biofuels–Renewable Energy Sources: A Review

Biodiesel is biodegradable and nontoxic, and it significantly reduces toxic and other emissions when burned as a fuel. The advantages of biodiesel as diesel fuel are its portability, ready availability, renewability, higher combustion efficiency, non-toxicity, higher flash point, and lower sulfur and aromatic content, higher cetane number, and higher biodegradability. The major disadvantages of biodiesel are its higher viscosity, lower energy content, higher cloud point and pour point, higher nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions, lower engine speed and power, injector coking, engine compatibility, high price, and greater engine wear. The technical disadvantages of biodiesel/fossil diesel blends include problems with fuel freezing in cold weather, reduced energy density, and degradation of fuel under storage for prolonged periods. The sources of biodiesel are vegetable oils and fats. The direct use of vegetable oils and/or oil blends is generally considered to be unsatisfactory and impractical for both direct injection and indirect type diesel engines because of their high viscosities and low volatilities injector coking and trumpet formation on the injectors, higher level of carbon deposits, oil ring sticking, and thickening and gelling of the engine lubricant oil, acid composition. Biodiesel is obtained by transesterifying triglycerides with methanol. A popular variation of the batch transesterification process which needs high alcohol/acid ratio (several separation problems and high corrosivity and toxicity) is the use of continuous stirred tank reactors in series. This continuous process is heterogeneous and is based on reactive distillation. The key factor is the selection of the right and effective solid catalyst which leads to reduction of energy consumption and investments at all.     

高通量蛋白质结晶及其在药物设计中的应用

针对靶标蛋白质的小分子药物研究中,蛋白质的三维结构起到了非常重要的作用.最近高通量蛋白质结晶的快速发展为蛋白质结构的快速确定和药物先导的发现提供了许多新的机会.本文综述了高通量蛋白质结晶及其在新药设计中应用的最新进展。     

甲烷与氯气取代反应实验的创新设计*

基于甲烷氯代反应的机理,对物质体系、反应容器、光照条件、实验表征等进行分析,创新设计甲烷氯代反应实验,利用数字化实验的压强和温度传感器采集的实验数据为支持,更直观地多重表征甲烷与氯气发生的“取代”过程,对于成功实现甲烷氯代反应实验具有指导意义。     

CBS还原合成手性1-苯乙醇实验设计*

将学科热点之一催化不对称合成策略引入实验教学中,通过CBS还原制备手性醇。实验以苯乙酮为原料,还原得到粗产物手性1-苯乙醇,经制备色谱仪分离提纯,气相色谱和自动旋光仪表征产物的光学性质。实验为综合型有机化学实验,通过此实验,学生在掌握手性醇合成原理与方法的同时,进一步学习手套箱、气相色谱、制备色谱仪、自动旋光仪等新技术,以提升学生综合科研素质。     

重视反馈的逆向教学设计:以质谱课程的教学为例*

基于逆向教学设计的特点及实践,分析了传统逆向教学设计的课堂实现中存在的关于预期评估与实际评估脱节的问题,阐述了教学反馈的重要性。从而提出了一种重视反馈的逆向教学设计方法。这种方法将评估预判和反馈策略充分结合到逆向教学设计中,在评估和反馈之间进行了有效关联,很好地解决了以上问题。结合笔者在质谱课程中的实践经验,对相应的教学设计的过程进行了举例说明。     

A new C2-symmetric azolium compound for Cu-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of R2Zn to cyclic enone

A new chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand was designed. Thus, an efficient synthetic route to C₂-symmetric bis(hydroxyamide)-functionalized benzimidazolium salts from chiral β-amino alcohols was developed. The combination of Cu(OTf)₂ and the chiral azolium compound efficiently promoted the conjugate addition reaction of cyclic enone with dialkylzinc to give the corresponding adduct in good yield. Among a series of chiral NHC proligands, the functionalized benzimidazolium chloride possessing a tert-butyl group as a stereodirecting group was found to be the best choice of ligand. Under optimized reaction conditions, an excellent enantioselectivity (96% ee) was realized by allowing 2-cyclohepten-1-one to react with Bu₂Zn at room temperature.     

Anaerobic reduction of a sulfonated azo dye, Congo Red, by sulfate-reducing bacteria

The capacity for anaerobic decolorization of a sulfonated azo dye, Congo Red, by a strain of a sulfate-reducing bacterium was evaluated. After optimizing the growth rate of the bacteria on a simple carbon source and terminal electron acceptor pair, lactate and sulfate, respectively, the effect of the dye concentration on their growth rate was analyzed. The decolorization rate was affected by the dye concentration in the growth medium. The azo-bond cleavage mechanism of reductive decolorization with the formation of benzidine was consistent with the results, as this metabolite was identified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Several fractions of the culture medium, including lysed cell extracts, were examined for the capacity to reduce the azo dye. This reduction capacity was found in the culture medium in which the cells had previously grown. The results showed that the mechanism of reductive decolorization of this sulfonated azo dye was extracellular and nonenzymatic, consistent with the production of sulfide anion by the microorganisms while growing on lactate and sulfate. The sulfide anions were the cause of the reduction leading to the disappearance of color in the medium. To increase the rate of decolorization, the presence of ferrous ion was also necessary together with the lactate and sulfate substrates.     

Relationship between coffee husk caffeine degradation and respiration of Aspergillus sp. LPBx in solid-state fermentation

Studies were carried out in a packed-bed column fermentor using coffee husk as substrate in order to verify a relationship between caffeine degradation and the respiration of Aspergillus sp. LPBx. Fermentation conditions were optimized by using factorial design experiments. The kinetic study showed that the caffeine degradation was related to the development of mold and its respiration and also with the consumption of reducing sugars present in coffee husk. From the values obtained experimentally for oxygen uptake rate and CO₂ evolved, we determined a biomass yield of 3.811 g of biomass/g of consumed O₂ and a maintenance coefficient of 0.0031 g of consumed O₂/(g of biomass·h). The maximum caffeine degradation achieved was 90%.