Fluoride effect on the palladium–phenanthroline catalyzed carbonylation of nitroarenes to carbamates

Fluorides promote the palladium–phenanthroline catalyzed carbonylation of nitroarenes to carbamates. The effect is more evident on the rate of the reaction at short reaction times, but a positive effect on selectivity is also observed under certain conditions. The effect is observed even under conditions under which chloride inhibits the reaction. Tetraethylammonium is a better countercation than sodium. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Repulsive Gravity in the Very Early Universe

I present two examples in which the curvature singularity of a radiation-dominated Universe is regularized by (a) the repulsive effects of spin interactions, and (b) the repulsive effects arising from a breaking of the local gravitational gauge symmetry. In both cases the collapse of an initial, asymptotically flat state is stopped, and the Universe bounces towards a state of decelerated expansion. The emerging picture is typical of the pre-big bang scenario, with the main difference that the string cosmology dilaton is replaced by a classical radiation fluid, and the solutions are not duality-invariant.     

Amperometric acetylcholine and choline sensors with immobilized enzymes

Acetylcholine and choline sensors are prepared by immbilizing enzymes on nylon net attached to a hydrogen peroxide snsor. Choline oxidase is used for the choline sensor; acetylcholinesterase choline oxidase are used for acetylcholine. The platinum/silver electrode pair is polarized at +0.6 V. The assembly is protected with an acetate cellulose membrane to enhance selectivity. The ranges measured are 1–10 μmol l^?1 in 0.1–1 ml of sample. The response times are 1–2 min.     

1,3-Alternate calix[4]arenes, selectively functionalized by amino groups

General strategies are described to synthesize calix[4]arenes which are fixed in the 1,3-alternate conformation and substituted selectively by amino groups. These derivatives are useful starting materials for the attachment of various groups via amide bonds, as demonstrated by several examples, but may be converted also to ureas, imides or azomethines. Four amino groups may be attached to the narrow rim via(several) methylene groups as spacer by O-alkylation with omega-bromophthalimides or omega-bromonitriles. From the resulting tetraethers the amino functions are obtained by cleavage with hydrazine or by hydrolysis, allowing a selective functionalisation of both sides of the molecule (phenolic units A, C versus B, D). Amino functions at the wide rim are introduced by ipso-nitration of the respective t-butylcalix[4]arene derivatives and subsequent reduction. Selective ipso-nitration of a 1,3-diether, followed by O-alkylation with allylbromide to obtain the tetraether in the 1,3-alternate conformation, hydrogenation of allyl and nitro groups (in one step), protection of the amino functions as phthalimides followed by ipso-nitration of the remaining t-butyl phenol rings, allows again to distinguish both sides of the molecule (units A, C versus B, D). Reaction of a wide rim tetraamine in the 1,3-alternate conformation by Boc-anhydride allows not only to obtain the mono- and tri-Boc derivative, but also in nearly 60% yield the C2-symmetrical di-Boc derivative, in which two adjacent phenolic units are protected (distinction of A, B from C, D). This paves the way for the preparation of chiral derivatives or assemblies. O-Alkylation with omega-bromophthalimides followed by ipso-nitration leads to precursors for octaamines in the 1,3-alternate conformation, in which the potential amino functions on both rims can be selectively "activated" by reduction or hydrazinolysis. The structures of the newly synthesized molecules were mainly confirmed by their 1H NMR spectra, which allow a distinction from isomeric derivatives in the cone and partial cone conformation. Single crystal X-ray analyses were obtained for two analogous derivatives in the 1,3-alternate conformation (27, n = 3,4), an isomeric compound in the cone conformation (27, n = 3,4), and a derivative in the partial cone conformation (11).     

Kinetic Study of Propylene Hydrogenation over Pt/Al2O3 by Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization

Parahydrogen-induced polarization has been successfully used for a kinetic study of propylene hydrogenation over a Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst. It was shown that the reaction orders with respect to hydrogen are different for the pairwise and the non-pairwise hydrogen addition and are equal to 0.7 and 0.1, respectively. This observation of different reaction orders confirms the coexistence of different types of active sites which are responsible for the overall and the pairwise hydrogen addition to the propylene C=C double bond. Moreover, 0.7 reaction order with respect to H₂ for pairwise hydrogen addition indicates that the contribution of pairwise addition depends on the concentration of molecular hydrogen. Therefore, this observation can be developed into a practical tool for producing fluids with highly polarized nuclear spins by changing the hydrogen concentration.     

Characterisation of anodic oxide films on zirconium formed in sulphuric acid: XPS and corrosion resistance investigations

Present work describes investigations of a two-step process consisting of galvanostatic anodising in a 1 M H₂SO₄ solution at 100 mA cm⁻² up to the limiting voltages of 20, 60, 80, 100 and 120 V, directly after which potentiostatic regime was employed and the current was allowed to drop. The total treatment time (5 min) was held constant for all samples. The treatment was carried out to improve the corrosion resistance of zirconium in physiological conditions, which was determined by electrochemical evaluation in Ringer’s solution. XPS studies revealed that after anodising sulphur was incorporated into the oxide film in the form of sulphated zirconia. The maximum content of sulphate in the oxide layer was observed after anodising at 80 V. Anodising at higher voltages resulted in formation of coatings with decreasing amount of sulphur. It was found that there is a strong correlation between the sulphur content in the oxide layers and the measured corrosion current density. On the other hand, the pitting corrosion resistance seemed to be unaffected by the presence of S and it was improving with the increasing limiting voltage of the treatment.