1,3-dihalo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin/NaNO2 as an efficient heterogeneous system for the N-nitrosation of N,N-dialkylamines under mild conditions

A combination of 1,3-dihalo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (X = Br, Cl) and sodium nitrite in the presence of wet SiO₂ was used as an effective nitrosating agent for the nitrosation of N,N-dialkyl amines to their corresponding nitroso derivatives under mild and heterogeneous conditions in good to excellent yields.     

Synthesis of 2-substituted benzimidazoles and bis-benzimidazoles by microwave in the presence of alumina-methanesulfonic acid

A microwave-assisted method for the synthesis of 2-substituted benzimidazoles in the presence of alumina-methanesulfonic acid (AMA) is reported. In addition, by this method some new bis-benzimidazoles from the direct reaction of phenylenediamine and dicarboxylic acid under microwave irradiation in good to excellent yields are described.     

Tribromoisocyanuric Acid (TBCA) and Oxone®‐MX Systems as Oxidizing Agents: Oxidative Coupling of Thiols to Their Corresponding Disulfides under Mild and Heterogeneous Conditions

Tribromoisocyanuric acid (TBCA) and Oxone^®‐MX systems were used as effective oxidizing agents for the oxidation of thiols to their corresponding disulfides under mild conditions at room temperature with good to excellent yields.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-Phenylenediamine as a New Catalyst in the Highly Regioselective Conversion of Epoxides to Halohydrins with Elemental Halogens

Summary. The regioselective ring opening of epoxides using elemental iodine and bromine in the presence of o-phenylenediamine as a new catalyst affords vicinal iodo alcohols and bromo alcohols in high yields. The major advantages of this method are versatility, high regioselectivity, a cheap and commercially available catalyst, mild and neutral reaction conditions, and short reaction times. Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy was used to study the reaction of iodine with o-phenylenediamine. The results indicate that the complex [(Diamine)I]⁺·I₅^– is formed, and we suggest that the major nucleophile is the pentaiodide ion. This bulky nucleophile has a fundamental role in the high regioselectivity observed attacking the less sterically hindered epoxide carbon.     

Preparation of Silica-Bonded S-Sulfonic Acid: A Recyclable Catalyst for the Synthesis of Bis-Indolylmethanes

Silica bonded S-sulfonic acid (SBSSA) was prepared by the reaction of 3-mercaptopropylsilica (MPS) and chlorosulfonic acid in chloroform. Silica-bonded S-sulfonic acid, as a reusable solid acid catalyst, was used for the condensation reactions of indole with carbonyl compounds at ambient temperature. Tetra-(indolyl)methanes were also obtained by the condensation reaction of indole with dialdehyde compounds. Silica bonded S-sulfonic acid was recovered and reused.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.     

An optimal type II fuzzy sliding mode control design for a class of nonlinear systems

This study deals with the problem of controlling a class of uncertain nonlinear systems in the presence of external disturbances. To achieve this goal, a new Optimal Type-2 Fuzzy Sliding Mode Controller (OT2FSMC) is introduced. In the proposed controller, a novel heuristic algorithm, namely particle swarm optimization with random inertia weight (RNW–PSO), is employed. To achieve an optimal performance, the parameters of the proposed controller as well as the input and output membership functions are optimized simultaneously by RNW–PSO. The globally asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system is mathematically proved. Finally, this method of control is applied to the inverted pendulum system as a case study. Simulation results show the system performance is desirable.     

An investigation of Forex market efficiency based on detrended fluctuation analysis: A case study for Iran

The efficient market hypothesis (EMH) states that asset prices fully reflect all available information. As a result, speculators cannot predict the future behavior of asset prices and earn excess profits at least after adjusting for risk. Although initial tests of the EMH were performed on stock market data, the EMH was soon applied to other markets including foreign exchange (FX). This study uses the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) technique to test 01:12:2005–18:04:2010 Iranian Rial/US Dollar exchange rate time series data to see if it can be explained by the weak form of the EMH. Moreover, to determine changes in the degree of inefficiency over time, the whole period has been divided into four subperiods. The study shows that the Iranian Forex market (the Rial/Dollar case) is weak-form inefficient over the whole period and in each of the subperiods. However, the degree of inefficiency is not constant over time. The findings suggest that profitable risk-adjusted trades could be made using past data.