Kinetics and mechanism of uncatalysed and ruthenium(III) catalysed oxidation of allyl alcohol by diperiodatoargentate(III) in aqueous alkaline medium

The oxidation of allyl alcohol by diperiodatoargentate(III) (DPA) is carried out both in the absence and presence of ruthenium(III) catalyst in alkaline medium at 298 K and a constant ionic strength of 1.1 mol dm^?3 was studied spectrophotometrically. The oxidation products in both the cases were acrolein and Ag(I), identified by spectral studies. The stoichiometry is same in both the cases, that is, [AA]/[DPA] = 1:1. The reaction shows first order in [DPA] and has less than unit order dependence each in both [AA] and [Alkali] and retarding effect of [IO] in both the catalysed and uncatalysed cases. The order in [Ru(III)] is unity. The active species of DPA is understood to be as monoperiodatoargentate(III) (MPA) in both the cases. The uncatalysed reaction in alkaline medium has been shown to proceed via a MPA–allyl alcohol complex, which decomposes in a rate determining step to give the products. In catalysed reaction, it has been shown to proceed via a Ru(III)‐allyl alcohol complex, which further reacts with one molecule of MPA in a rate determining step to give the products. The reaction constants involved in the different steps of the mechanisms were calculated for both reactions. The catalytic constant (K_c) was also calculated for catalysed reaction at different temperatures. The activation parameters with respect to slow step of the mechanisms were computed and discussed for both the cases. The thermodynamic quantities were also determined for both reactions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Removal of Cu(II) and Zn(II) from industrial wastewater by acid-activated montmorillonite-illite type of clay

An acid-activated montmorillonite-illite type of clay collected from the Gulbarga region of Karnataka, India was examined for removing copper and zinc ions from industrial wastewater containing Cu(II), Zn(II) and minor amounts of Pb(II). Langmuir, Freundlich, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and competitive Langmuir (two competing ions) isotherms were fitted to experimental data and the goodness of their fit for adsorption was compared. The shapes of isotherms obtained indicated multilayer adsorption of Cu(II) and monolayer adsorption of Zn(II) on the acid-activated clay. Competitive adsorption was found to be significant due to the presence of Cu(II) in the wastewater.     

Gold‐Nanoparticle‐Decorated Boron Nitride Nanosheets: Structure and Optical Properties

Synergetic cooperation of individual components of the nanocomposites (NCs) is responsible for their novel properties that lead to various technological applications. A simple chemical process depicting the deposition of functionalized gold nanoparticles on the surface of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) in solution is reported. The structure, chemical composition, and optical properties of nanosheets are systematically studied. The deposition of Au nanoparticles on BNNS (BNNS_Au) results in plasmonic band modulation, thus altering the optoelectronic properties of BNNSs. The intense surface plasmon absorption band of BNNS_Au is narrowed and red‐shifted relative to the absorption band of as synthesized monometallic BNNSs. The observations reflect the strong interfacial interaction between BNNS and Au nanoparticles. This approach constitutes a basis for a simple process leading to the preparation of functionalized BNNSs and their utilization as nanoscale templates for assembly and integration with other nanoscale materials for futuristic optoelectronic devices.     

HBTU Mediated Synthesis of α,β-Unsaturated γ-Lactams from E-α,β-Unsaturated γ-Amino Acids

The α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams have been found in many biologically active peptide natural products. Due to their biological activities, extensive efforts have been made in the literature to synthesize the α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams. Here, we are reporting the spontaneous transformation of E-α,β-unsaturated γ-amino acids into α,β-unsaturated γ-lactam through in-situ activation of free carboxylic acid using peptide coupling reagent HBTU and base DIPEA at room temperature. The transformation also involves the E→Z isomerization of α,β-unsaturated γ-amino acids. The reaction is also compatible with the peptides consisting of E-α,β-unsaturated amino acids at the C-terminus. The α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams were isolated in very good yields. Even though the reaction required very mild conditions, the products were isolated in the form of a racemic mixture. However, the products can be separated under a chiral environment. No α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams were observed if the reaction was performed in the presence of free amines. In addition, no racemization was observed during the peptide synthesis. The analysis of the reactions of various substrates revealed that amide NH and γ-CH are important for lactamization. No α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams or E→Z isomerization products were observed in the case of N-Me-(E)-α,β-unsaturated γ-amino acids, whereas in the case of E-α,β-unsaturated γ,γ-dimethyl amino acid α,β-unsaturated γ-lactam was isolated, however, with low yield.     

Kinetic study of ruthenium(III)-catalyzed oxidation of <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-alanine by diperiodatoargentate(III) in aqueous alkaline medium

The kinetics of Ru(III)-catalyzed oxidation of l-alanine (Ala) by diperiodatoargentate(III) (DPA) in alkaline medium at 25 °C and a constant ionic strength of 0.90 mol dm⁻³ was studied spectrophotometrically. The products are acetaldehyde, Ag(I), ammonia and bicarbonate. The [Ala] to [DPA] stoichiometry is 1:1. The reaction is first order in both [Ru(III)] and [DPA] and has less than unit order in both [Ala] and [alkali]. Addition of periodate has a retarding effect on the reaction. The effects of added products, ionic strength and dielectric constant of the reaction medium have been investigated. The reaction proceeds via a Ru(III)–Ala complex, which further reacts with one molecule of monoperiodatoargentate(III) in the rate-determining step. The reaction constants were calculated at different temperatures and the activation parameters have been evaluated.     

Thermodynamic quantities for the oxidation of ranitidine by diperiodatocuprate(III) in aqueous alkaline medium

The kinetics of oxidation of the anti-ulcer drug, ranitidine hydrochloride (RNH) by diperiodatocuprate(III) (DPC) in alkaline medium was studied spectrophotometrically. The reaction exhibits 1:2 stoichiometry (ranitidine:DPC). The reaction is of first order in [DPC] and has less than unit order in [RNH] and negative fractional order in [alkali]. The involvement of free radicals was observed in the reaction. The oxidation has been found to proceed via a DPC-ranitidine complex, which decomposes slowly in a rate-determining step followed by other fast steps to give the products, which were identified as ranitidine sulfoxide by spot test and spectroscopic studies. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Microbial Exo-xylanases: A Mini Review

Exo-xylanases are a class of glycosyl hydrolases and play an important role in hydrolysis of xylan to xylose. They belong to glycosyl hydrolase (GH) family 8 with a characteristic (α/α)₆ barrel fold in their molecular structures. These enzymes are generally produced by bacteria. Exceptionally, the endo-xylanases from Trichoderma reesei Rut C-30 and a few bacterial strains also show considerable exo-xylanase activities. Exo-xylanases are active on natural xylan substances, hydrolyzing long-chain xylo-oligomers from the reducing end to produce short-chain xylo-oligomers and xylose. Exo-xylanases usually show multiple enzyme functions such as β-xylosidase, exo-glucanase, β-glucosidase, and arabinofuranosidase activities, which are helpful for more efficient hydrolysis of xylan. The combined use of exo- and endo-xylanases can increase the xylose yield compared to using either of them alone. Screening new exo-xylanase-producing microbes, mining the enzyme coding sequences, genetically engineering the enzymes, and producing them in a large scale are recommended for their commercial applications in lignocellulose-based biorefinery.     

Mechanistic and spectroscopic investigations of oxidative degradation of aspirin by aqueous alkaline permanganate

The kinetics of oxidation of aspirin (ASP) by permanganate in alkaline medium at a constant ionic strength of 0.06 mol dm⁻³ was studied spectrophotometrically using a rapid kinetic accessory. The reaction between permanganate and aspirin in alkaline medium exhibited 1:4 stoichiometry (aspirin: permanganate). The reaction was of first order in [permanganate ion] and had less than unit order in both [ASP] and [alkali]. A decrease in the dielectric constant of the medium decreased the rate of reaction. The effect of added products and ionic strength of the reaction medium have been investigated. The oxidation reaction in alkaline medium has been shown to proceed via a permanganate–aspirin complex, which decomposes slowly in a rate determining step followed by other fast steps to give the products. The main products were identified by spot test and spectroscopic studies. A suitable mechanism is proposed. The reaction constants involved in the different steps of the mechanism were derived. The activation parameters with respect to the slow step of the mechanism were computed and discussed and thermodynamic quantities were also determined.     

Enhancement of electro-optical response of ferroelectric liquid crystal: the role of graphene quantum dots

We present a pioneer study depicting a significant improvement in the photoluminescence (PL) intensity and display of an expeditious electro-optic response of ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) when doped with graphene quantum dots (GQDs). Significant threefold enhancement in PL intensity of GQDs/FLC composite material can be ascribed to the additive combination of emissions from GQDs and FLCs. Furthermore, promptness in electro-optical response by a factor of 34% can be attributed to the lowering of rotational viscosity of the FLC material due to the incorporation of GQDs. These results would certainly be helpful in realisation of highly luminescent and faster generation of LC systems.     

Oxidation of L-phenylalanine by diperiodatoargentate(III) in aqueous alkaline medium. A Mechanistic approach

The kinetics of oxidation of L-phenylalanine (L-Phe) by diperiodatoargentate(III) (DPA) in alkaline medium at a constant ionic strength of 0.25 mol/dm⁻³ has been studied spectrophotometrically. The reaction between DPA and L-phenylalanine in alkaline medium exhibits 1: 1 stoichiometry (L-phenylalanine: DPA). The reaction shows first order in [DPA] and has less than unit order dependence each in both [L-Phe] and [Alkali] and retarding effect of [IO₄⁻] under the reaction conditions. The active species of DPA is understood to be as monoperiodatoargentate(III) (MPA). The reaction is shown to proceed via a MPA-L-Phe complex, which decomposes in a rate-determining step to give intermediates followed by a fast step to give the products. The products were identified by spot and spectroscopic studies. The reaction constants involved in the different steps of the mechanisms were calculated. The activation parameters with respect to slow step of the mechanism were computed and discussed. The thermodynamic quantities were also determined for the reaction.