Template evaporation method for controlling anatase nanocrystal size in ordered macroporous TiO2

The importance of pure-phase titanium oxide materials as catalysts, sensors, and photonic band-gap materials has been growing steadily. Recently, more attention has been focused on nanostructured titanium oxide showing controlled and periodic porosity on a nanometric scale. The nanocrystal size control of porous nanostructured titanium oxide in an anatase form is a crucial step for the organic template method. Simple template removal by evaporation in an inert atmosphere is reported in this article and compared with the calcination technique usually reported in the literature. The proposed method allows the formation of a double-porous (macro and meso) anatase phase. We demonstrate that it highly preserves the macropore order into a titanium oxide material and induces narrowly dispersed mesopores by controlling the nano-crystal size that is kept around 6 nm. For the proposed method, polystyrene beads are particularly suitable as templates, being evaporated in the temperature range of anatase existence. The final high surface area makes the materials appealing for applications as photocatalysts or sensors.     

Fluoride-induced coupling of perfluoroketene dithioacetals with silyl alkynes: A way towards new polyfunctionalized trifluoromethyl building blocks

Under fluoride activation, the vinyl fluorine of perfluoroketene dithioacetal may be substituted by silylated nucleophiles. Using silyl alkynes, a formal transition metal free sila-Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction occurred. The resulting enynes were hydrolyzed giving new polyfunctional trifluoromethyl building blocks.     

One-Pot,Fluoride-Promoted Wittig Reaction

A one-pot, fluoride-promoted Wittig reaction was developed. The reactions of ethyl α-bromoacetate with aliphatic, aromatic, and heteroaromatic aldehydes in the presence of tri-n-butylphosphine and tetrabutylammonium fluoride produced α,β-unsaturated esters in good to excellent yields and E-stereoselectivity. Under the same conditions, reactions of ethyl α-bromopropionate, α-bromo acetonitrile, and α-bromoacetophenone with aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of tri-n-butylphosphine and tetrabutylammonium fluoride produced the expected α,β-unsaturated derivatives in good E-stereoselectivity. The protocol was extended to semistabilized ylides and applied to the synthesis of some combretastatin analogs.     

Tail resonances of Fermi-Pasta-Ulam q-breathers and their impact on the pathway to equipartition

Upon initial excitation of a few normal modes the energy distribution among all modes of a nonlinear atomic chain (the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam model) exhibits exponential localization on large time scales. At the same time, resonant anomalies (peaks) are observed in its weakly excited tail for long times preceding equipartition. We observe a similar resonant tail structure also for exact time-periodic Lyapunov orbits, coined q-breathers due to their exponential localization in modal space. We give a simple explanation for this structure in terms of superharmonic resonances. The resonance analysis agrees very well with numerical results and has predictive power. We extend a previously developed perturbation method, based essentially on a Poincare-Lindstedt scheme, in order to account for these resonances, and in order to treat more general model cases, including truncated Toda potentials. Our results give a qualitative and semiquantitative account for the superharmonic resonances of q-breathers and natural packets.     

Anti-Staphylococcal Activity of the Auranofin Analogue Bearing Acetylcysteine in Place of the Thiosugar: An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation

Auranofin (AF, hereafter) is an orally administered chrysotherapeutic agent approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis that is being repurposed for various indications including bacterial infections. Its likely mode of action involves the impairment of the TrxR system through the binding of the pharmacophoric cation [AuPEt₃]⁺. Accordingly, a reliable strategy to expand the medicinal profile of AF is the replacement of the thiosugar moiety with different ligands. Herein, we aimed to prepare the AF analogue bearing the acetylcysteine ligand (AF-AcCys, hereafter) and characterize its anti-staphylococcal activity. Biological studies revealed that AF-AcCys retains an antibacterial effect superimposable with that of AF against Staphylococcus aureus, whereas it is about 20 times less effective against Staphylococcus epidermidis. Bioinorganic studies confirmed that upon incubation with human serum albumin, AF-AcCys, similarly to AF, induced protein metalation through the [AuPEt₃]⁺ fragment. Additionally, AF-AcCys appeared capable of binding the dodecapeptide Ac-SGGDILQSGCUG-NH₂, corresponding to the tryptic C-terminal fragment (488–499) of hTrxR. To shed light on the pharmacological differences between AF and AF-AcCys, we carried out a comparative experimental stability study and a theoretical estimation of bond dissociation energies, unveiling the higher strength of the Au–S bond in AF-AcCys. From the results, it emerged that the lower lipophilicity of AF-AcCys with respect to AF could be a key feature for its different antibacterial activity. The differences and similarities between AF and AF-AcCys are discussed, alongside the opportunities and consequences that chemical structure modifications imply.     

Evaluation of a high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer for the gas chromatographic determination of selected environmental contaminants

A benchtop high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF MS) was evaluated for the determination of key organic microcontaminants. The major advantage of the TOF MS proved to be the high mass resolution of about 0.002 Da (10 ppm). Consequently, the detectability of polar pesticides, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls is excellent, and detection limits are in the order of 1–4 pg injected mass. Best mass spectral resolution was obtained for medium-scale peaks. It is a disadvantage that the calibration range is rather limited, viz. to about two orders of magnitude. The high mass spectral resolution was especially useful to improve the selectivity and sensitivity when analyzing target compounds in complex samples and to prevent false-positive identifications.     

Experimental and modeling assessment of sulfur release from coal under low and high heating rates

Coal combustion releases elevated amounts of pollutants to the atmosphere including SO_X. During the pyrolysis step, sulfur present in the coal is released to the gas phase as many different chemical species such as H₂S, COS, SO₂, CS₂, thiols and larger tars, also called SO_X precursors, as they form SO_X during combustion. Understanding the sulfur release process is crucial to the development of reliable kinetic models, which support the design of improved reactors for cleaner coal conversion processes. Sulfur release from two bituminous coals, Colombian hard coal (K1) and American high sulfur coal (U2), were studied in the present work. Low heating rate (LHR) experiments were performed in a thermogravimetric analyzer coupled with mass spectrometry (TG-MS), allowing to track the mass loss and the evolution of many volatile species (CO, CO₂, CH₄, SO₂, H₂S, COS, HCl and H₂O). High heating rate (HHR) experiments were performed in an entrained flow reactor (drop-tube reactor – DTR), coupled with MS and nondispersive infrared sensor (NDIR). HHR experiments were complemented with CFD simulation of the multidimentional reacting flow field. A kinetic model of coal pyrolysis is employed to reproduce the experiments allowing a comprehensive assessment of the process. The suitability of this model is confirmed for LHR. The combination of HHR experiments with CFD simulations and kinetic modeling revealed the complexity of sulfur chemistry in coal combustion and allowed to better understand of the individual phenomena resulting in the formation of the different SO_X precursors. LHR and HHR operating conditions lead to different distribution of sulfur species released, highly-dependent on the gas-phase temperature and residence time. Higher retention of total sulfur in char is observed at LHR (63%) when compared to HHR (37–44%), at 1273 K. These data support the development of reliable models with improved predictability.