The application of triphenylmethane dyes to visualization of selected aliphatic compounds in thin-layer chromatography

Selected triphenylmethane dyes were used as new visualizing agents in thin-layer chromatography of higher fatty acids, higher fatty alcohols, and higher aliphatic amines.     

Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Catalyzed by Ru Nanocatalysts: Labelling of Complex Molecules Containing N-Heterocycles and Reaction Mechanism Insights

Ruthenium nanocatalysis can provide effective deuteration and tritiation of oxazole, imidazole, triazole and carbazole substructures in complex molecules using D₂ or T₂ gas as isotopic sources. Depending on the substructure considered, this approach does not only represent a significant step forward in practice, with notably higher isotope uptakes, a broader substrate scope and a higher solvent applicability compared to existing procedures, but also the unique way to label important heterocycles using hydrogen isotope exchange. In terms of applications, the high incorporation of deuterium atoms, allows the synthesis of internal standards for LC-MS quantification. Moreover, the efficacy of the catalyst permits, even under subatmospheric pressure of T₂ gas, the preparation of complex radiolabeled drugs owning high molar activities. From a fundamental point of view, a detailed DFT-based mechanistic study identifying undisclosed key intermediates, allowed a deeper understanding of C−H (and N−H) activation processes occurring at the surface of metallic nanoclusters.     

A New Route to 3-Phosphonylpyrazoles

The regioselective synthesis of 3-diethoxyphosphonopyrazoles has been accomplished through the addition of aryl or alkyl hydrazines to (3-ethoxyacryloyl)phosphonic acid diethyl ester. An example of hydrolysis of the pyrazolephosphonic ester to the corresponding acid is described.     

Probabilistic representation and approximation for coupled systems of variational inequalities

Our study is dedicated to the probabilistic representation and numerical approximation of solutions of coupled systems of variational inequalities. We interpret the unique viscosity solution of a coupled system of variational inequalities as the solution of a one-dimensional constrained BSDE with jumps. This new representation allows for the introduction of a natural probabilistic numerical scheme for the resolution of these systems.     

Multicentered effective group potentials: ligand-field effects in organometallic clusters and dynamical study of chemical reactivity

A new multicentered effective group potential (EGP) is obtained for η⁶-benzene. Applications on $[\hbox{Ru}_{4}(\hbox{H})_{4}(\hbox{C}_{6}\hbox{H}_{6})_{4}]^{n+}$ clusters (n = 0 or 2) are in excellent agreement with reference DFT studies in terms of geometries, energies and electronic structures. In particular, the small singlet–triplet energy difference (3.8 kcal mol^?1) in [Ru₄(H)₄(C₆H₆)₄]²⁺ is very well reproduced. This new EGP is nevertheless not free from the limitations associated to this first generation of molecular pseudopotentials. A cautious analysis of the nature and exact role of this EGP is made, which provides new directions for the elaboration of the next generation of EGPs. In addition, the η⁵-cyclopentadienyl EGP has been used to perform a constrained dynamical simulation for the reaction of Cp₂LaH with H₂. The energy conservation during the simulation as well as the activation barrier extracted from the simulation clearly demonstrate the good behavior of this EGP in the context of molecular dynamics. Anharmonic effects on this reaction are underlined, further demonstrating the high accuracy of the potential energy surface obtained with EGPs. From a more general point of view, such EGPs are expected to provide accurate albeit low-cost ligand-field effects in organometallic clusters or nanoparticles and to allow dynamical studies at the surface of such compounds.     

Theoretical and experimental studies on the carbon-nanotube surface oxidation by nitric acid: interplay between functionalization and vacancy enlargement

The nitric acid oxidation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes leading to surface carboxylic groups has been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The experimental results show that such a reaction involves the initial rapid formation of carbonyl groups, which are then transformed into phenol or carboxylic groups. At room temperature, this reaction takes place on the most reactive carbon atoms. At higher temperatures a different mechanism would operate, as evidenced by the difference in activation energies. Experimental data can be partially related to first-principles calculations, showing a multistep functionalization mechanism. The theoretical aspects of the present article have led us to propose the most efficient pathway leading to carboxylic acid functional groups on the surface. Starting from mono-vacancies, it ends up with the synergistic formation of dangling -COOH groups and the enlargement of the vacancies.     

Numerical aspects of improvement of the unsteady pipe flow equations

The paper presents an analysis of some recently proposed improvements of the water hammer equations, which concern the friction term in the momentum equation. A comparison of the experimental data and numerical results shows that the required damping and smoothing of the pressure wave cannot be obtained by modification of the friction factor only. In order to evaluate the significance of the introduced improvements into the momentum equation, the accuracy of the numerical solution has been analysed using the modified equation approach. The analysis shows why the physical dissipation process observed in the water hammer phenomenon cannot be reproduced with the commonly used source term in Darcy–Weisbach form, representing friction force in the momentum equation. Therefore, regardless of the proposed form of the friction factor for unsteady flow, the model of water hammer improved in such a way keeps its hyperbolic character. Consequently, it cannot ensure the expected effects of damping and smoothing of the calculation head oscillations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.