Three chiral vinyldioxaza­borocanes

The structures of three chiral vinyldioxaza­borocanes are reported, namely (2E)‐ and (2Z)‐6‐benzyl‐2‐buten‐2‐yl‐1,3,6,2‐dioxaza­borocane, C₂₇H₃₀BNO₂, (II) and (III), respectively, and (2Z)‐2‐buten‐2‐yl‐6‐isobutyl‐1,3,6,2‐dioxaza­boro­cane, C₂₄H₃₂BNO₂, (IV). These compounds may be useful in asymmetric reactions. In the structures reported here, the N—B donor–acceptor bond is longer than in any previously reported analogous compounds.     

Validity of the rotational sudden approximation for vibrational relaxation in He + CO

Calculations of cross sections and rate constants are reported for the vibrational relaxation of CO in collision with ³He and ⁴He. Results computed using a semiclassical technique and a vibrational close-coupling, rotational infinite-order sudden method are compared.     

Mechanism of photoinduced changes in the structure and optical properties of amorphous As2S3

We propose a mechanism of photostructural changes in amorphous As2S3 ( a-As2S3) on the basis of ab initio molecular orbital calculations on clusters of atoms modeling the local structure of the amorphous system. We have found that trigonal AsS3 pyramidal units can be transformed into a fivefold coordinated As site having four As-S bonds and one As-As bond via a photoionization process. This photoinduced coordination defect center exhibits a lower photoabsorption energy as compared with the usual pyramidal structure, explaining the observed photodarkening effect of a-As2S3.     

Vortex Counter-Current Chromatography: Performance of a New Preparative Column

A new preparative column for the vortex counter-current chromatograph was fabricated by making many (966) cylindrical separation units to a high-density polyethylene disk and then threading them with 6–40 taps. The resulting column had a total capacity of 364 mL. The performance of this vortex column was examined with three different two-phase solvent systems each using a set of suitable test samples: hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–0.1 M hydrochloric acid (1:1:1:1, v/v) for the separation of DNP-amino acids; 1-butanol–acetic acid–water (4:1:5, v/v) for the separation of dipeptides; and hexane–acetonitrile–water (20:15:2, v/v) for the separation of Sudan dyes. Most of the separations show high partition efficiency of over a thousand theoretical plates, as expected based on the results previously obtained in preliminary separations with a small column. Overall, the results of the present study suggest that further improvement of the partition efficiency can be obtained by the modifying column configuration.

     

Improved partition efficiency with threaded cylindrical column in vortex counter-current chromatography

Type-I coil planet centrifuge produces a uniformly circulating centrifugal force field to produce vortex motion of two immiscible solvent phases in a cylindrical cavity of the separation column to perform efficient countercurrent chromatography. The partition efficiency obtained from the original vortex column was substantially improved by threading the cylindrical cavity to increase the area of mass transfer between the two phases. Partition efficiency of the threaded column was evaluated by three different two-phase solvent systems with a broad range of hydrophobicity each with a set of suitable test samples. Overall results of the present studies indicated that the threaded cylindrical column substantially improves the partition efficiency in terms of theoretical plate number, peak resolution, and height equivalent of one theoretical plate. The results also indicated that higher peak resolution is produced by eluting either the upper phase in the head to tail direction or the lower phase in the reversed direction. When there is a choice in the mobile phase, a better separation is achieved by using the less viscous phase as the mobile phase. Since the present system gives extremely low column pressure, it may be a potential alternative to the conventional type-J HSCCC system for a large-scale preparative separation.     

Hydride as a leaving group in the reaction of pinacolborane with halides under ambient Grignard and Barbier conditions. One-pot synthesis of alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, vinyl, and allyl pinacolboronic esters

Grignard reagents (aliphatic, aromatic, heteroaromatic, vinyl, or allylic) react with 1 equiv of 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane (pinacolborane, PinBH) at ambient temperature in tetrahydrofuran (THF) to afford the corresponding pinacolboronates. The initially formed dialkoxy alkylborohydride intermediate quickly eliminates hydridomagnesium bromide (HMgBr) and affords the product boronic ester in very good yield. Hydridomagnesium bromide (HMgBr) in turn disproportionates to a 1:1 mixture of magnesium hydride (MgH(2)) and magnesium bromide (MgBr(2)) on addition of pentane to the reaction mixture. DFT calculations (Gaussian09) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory show that disproportionation of HMgBr to MgH(2) and MgBr(2) is viable in the coordinating ethereal solvents. This reaction also can be carried out under Barbier conditions, where the neat PinBH is added to the flask prior to the in situ formation of Grignard reagent from the corresponding organic halide and magnesium metal. Pinacolboronic ester synthesis under Barbier conditions does not give Wurtz coupling side products from reactive halides, such as benzylic and allylic halides. The reaction between PinBH and various Grignard reagents is an efficient, mild, and general method for the synthesis of pinacolboronates.     

A multifaceted approach to hydrogen storage

The widespread adoption of hydrogen as an energy carrier could bring significant benefits, but only if a number of currently intractable problems can be overcome. Not the least of these is the problem of storage, particularly when aimed at use onboard light-vehicles. The aim of this overview is to look in depth at a number of areas linked by the recently concluded HYDROGEN research network, representing an intentionally multi-faceted selection with the goal of advancing the field on a number of fronts simultaneously. For the general reader we provide a concise outline of the main approaches to storing hydrogen before moving on to detailed reviews of recent research in the solid chemical storage of hydrogen, and so provide an entry point for the interested reader on these diverse topics. The subjects covered include: the mechanisms of Ti catalysis in alanates; the kinetics of the borohydrides and the resulting limitations; novel transition metal catalysts for use with complex hydrides; less common borohydrides; protic-hydridic stores; metal ammines and novel approaches to nano-confined metal hydrides.     

Ab initio computation of vibrational relaxation rate coefficients for the collisions of CO2 with helium and neon atoms

Ab initio calculations of rate coefficients are reported for the vibrational relaxation of CO₂ molecules in collision with helium and neon atoms. Self consistent-field computations have been performed to parameterise simple three-dimensional potential energy functions which have been used in vibrational close-coupling, rotational infinite-order-sudden calculations of rate coefficients. Excellent agreement is obtained between the calculated and experimental rate coefficients for the deactivation of the (01₁0) vibrational level in the He + CO₂ system at temperatures of 300 K and above. The ab initio predictions of rate coefficients for relaxation of CO₂ vibrational levels such as (10⁰0) and (02⁰0) should be useful in computer simulations of CO₂ lasers.     

Predicting catalysis: understanding ammonia synthesis from first-principles calculations

Here, we give a full account of a large collaborative effort toward an atomic-scale understanding of modern industrial ammonia production over ruthenium catalysts. We show that overall rates of ammonia production can be determined by applying various levels of theory (including transition state theory with or without tunneling corrections, and quantum dynamics) to a range of relevant elementary reaction steps, such as N(2) dissociation, H(2) dissociation, and hydrogenation of the intermediate reactants. A complete kinetic model based on the most relevant elementary steps can be established for any given point along an industrial reactor, and the kinetic results can be integrated over the catalyst bed to determine the industrial reactor yield. We find that, given the present uncertainties, the rate of ammonia production is well-determined directly from our atomic-scale calculations. Furthermore, our studies provide new insight into several related fields, for instance, gas-phase and electrochemical ammonia synthesis. The success of predicting the outcome of a catalytic reaction from first-principles calculations supports our point of view that, in the future, theory will be a fully integrated tool in the search for the next generation of catalysts.