Efficient esterification of carboxylic acids and phosphonic acids with trialkyl orthoacetate in ionic liquid

An operationally simple, inexpensive, efficient, and environmentally friendly esterification of various carboxylic acids, phosphonic acids, and phosphinic acids with triethyl orthoacetate or trimethyl orthoacetate under neutral conditions in a typical room temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, was successfully carried out to provide the corresponding ethyl esters or methyl esters in high yields.     

Halogen derivatives of m-phenylene(carbeno)nitrene: a switch in ground-state multiplicity

m-Phenylene-coupled carbenonitrenes [(3-nitrenophenyl)methylene (2-H), (3-nitrenophenyl)fluoromethylene (2-F), (3-nitrenophenyl)chloromethylene (2-Cl), (3-nitrenophenyl)bromomethylene (2-Br)] have been investigated computationally (with B3LYP, MCSCF, CASPT2, ROMP2, and QCISD(T) methods) and experimentally (with IR, UV, and ESR spectroscopy). For each species, five electronic states were considered. At the highest level of theory explored, the parent compound (2-H) has a quintet ground state, but its halogen derivatives (2-X, X = F, Cl, and Br) have triplet ground states. A linear relationship between the Q[bond]T energy gap of 2-X and the T-S gap of the corresponding phenylcarbenes 8-X is found, which can be helpful in rationalizing and predicting ground-state multiplicities in m-phenylene-linked carbenonitrenes and similar species. Precursors for the photochemical generation of 2-X (X = H, F, Cl, and Br) were synthesized and photolyzed in matrixes (Ar, triacetin) at low temperatures. IR (Ar, 13 K) and ESR (triacetin, 77 K) data are compatible with the generation of triplet halocarbenonitrenes 2-X, (X = F, Cl, and Br). All four compounds upon further irradiation undergo isomerization to substituted cyclopropenes 5-X (X = H, F, Cl, and Br), as suggested by their IR spectra.     

Chemical conversion of various celluloses to glucose and its derivatives in supercritical water

The supercritical water biomass conversion system was designed and developed in our laboratory. The reaction vessel with cellulose sample was treated with this system at supercritical state of water for a designated period (3–105s) under the conditions of a tin bath temperature of 500°C and pressure of 35MPa. The recovered products of hydrolysates were then analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. The obtained results indicated that a high amount of glucose and levoglucosan can be achieved from both celluloses I and II for 5–10s supercritical treatment, while that from starch for 3–5s treatment. Although this difference could be due to a difference in the molecular structure between cellulose and starch, a difference between celluloses I and II was not significant. Instead, an accessibility of the water towards cellulose molecules seemed to be significant for their chemical conversion. With the longer treatment, amounts of these compounds observed were decreased due to decomposition. Therefore, it may be concluded that, compared with acid hydrolysis or enzymatic saccharification, cellulose may be hydrolyzed to glucose and its derivatives more or less to the same degree as in corn starch under supercritical state. This finding suggests that the supercritical treatment can overcome the difficulties in hydrolyzing cellulose to glucose, found in the acid hydrolysis or enzymatic saccharification techniques.     

o-Phenylene halocarbenonitrenes and o-phenylene chlorocarbenocarbene: a combined experimental and computational approach

[reaction: see text] Computations find that o-phenylene(halo)carbenonitrenes 2-XN, X = F, Cl, Br, have quinoidal singlet biradical ground states such as the parent o-phenylenecarbenonitrene (2-HN). Compared to the parent 2-HN, halogen substitution stabilizes the A' states relative to the A' ones. Halogen substitution also affects the barrier and exothermicity of the ring-opening reaction (to form unsaturated nitriles 4-XN, X = F, Cl, Br), but it has a smaller effect on the ring-closing reaction (to form benzo(aza)cyclobutadiene 3-XN, X = F, Cl, Br). Attempts to generate and observe the o-phenylene(halo)carbenonitrenes 2-XN, X = F, Cl, Br, using matrix isolation spectroscopy under conditions similar to those of the successful observation of 2-HN failed. Instead, the observed photoproducts were a mixture of 3-XN and 4-XN. In each case, the major product of the mixture appears to be the thermodynamically more stable one. In the case of X = Br, the observed mixture contains an additional component that is postulated to be Z-6-BrN. o-Phenylenechlorocarbenocarbene is also computed to have a quinoidal singlet biradical ground state and relatively stabilized A' excited states. Attempts to generate the biscarbene under matrix isolation conditions led to the detection of benzochlorocyclobutadiene (3-ClC), small amounts of the ring-open product (dienediyne 4-ClC), and cycloalkyne 5-ClC. Computations suggest that the formation of 5-ClC implies the generation of Z-6-ClC, which is analogous to the formation of Z-6-BrN from 2-BrN.     

Phenotyping of erythrocyte acid phosphatase and esterase D by high field strength isoelectric focusing on cellulose acetate membrane

Phenotyping of erythrocyte acid phosphatase (EAP) and esterase D (ESD) by cellulose acetate membrane isoelectric focusing (CAM-IEF) under a nonequilibrium condition is described. In an attempt to improve the method of CAM-IEF, we shortened the electrode distance to provide a higher field strength at a given (low) voltage. Various carrier ampholytes for EAP typing and various chemical separators for ESD typing were also tested. Good separations were obtained after 30 min IEF for EAP typing and 25 min for ESD typing. When applied to blood stains and stored for various periods at room temperature, the stains up to 8 months old could still be phenotyped for EAP and those up to 4 weeks old for ESD. CAM-IEF is suitable for routine forensic work of EAP and ESD phenotyping.     

Chemical reaction dynamics of PeCB and TCDD decomposition: A tight‐binding quantum chemical molecular dynamics study with first‐principles parameterization

The decomposition reaction dynamics of 2,3,4,4′,5‐penta‐chlorinated biphenyl (2,3,4,4′,5‐PeCB), 3,3′,4,4′,5‐penta‐chlorinated biphenyl (3,3′,4,4′,5‐PeCB), and 2,3,7,8‐tetra‐chlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxin (2,3,7,8‐TCDD) was clarified for the first time at atomic and electronic levels, using our novel tight‐binding quantum chemical molecular dynamics method with first‐principles parameterization. The calculation speed of our new method is over 5000 times faster than that of the conventional first‐principles molecular dynamics method. We confirmed that the structure, energy, and electronic states of the above molecules calculated by our new method are quantitatively consistent with those by first‐principles calculations. After the confirmation of our methodology, we investigated the decomposition reaction dynamics of the above molecules and the calculated dynamic behaviors indicate that the oxidation of the 2,3,4,4′,5‐PeCB, 3,3′,4,4′,5‐PeCB, and 2,3,7,8‐TCDD proceeds through an epoxide intermediate, which is in good agreement with the previous experimental reports and consistent with our static density functional theory calculations. These results proved that our new tight‐binding quantum chemical molecular dynamics method with first‐principles parameterization is an effective tool to clarify the chemical reaction dynamics at reaction temperatures. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Formation and Crystallization Behavior of Gels in the Na2O-SiO2-TiO2-ZrO2 System

SiO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂ and 5Na₂O·95(SiO₂ + TiO₂ + ZrO₂) gels were synthesized and role of Na₂O in gel formation and crystallization behavior of gels were studied. From Si(OC₂H₅)₄, Ti(iso-OC₃H₇)₄, Zr(n-OC₃H₇)₄ and NaOCH₃ solutions in EtOH without H₂O, transparent and opaque gels were obtained. Opaque bulk gels, rich in TiO₂ or ZrO₂ composition in Na₂O containing SiO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂ system, contain agglomerated spherical particles of diameter small <10 m, in contrast with opaque gels having large particles <30 m in alkali-free SiO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂ system. Crystallization temperature (Tc) was measured by DTA on dried gels. Compared with the alkali-free SiO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂ gels, 5 mol% Na₂O containing gels gave lower Tc in SiO₂ rich compositions and higher in TiO₂ rich or ZrO₂ rich compositions.     

Detection of varicocele by using 99mTc-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid human serum albumin (99mTc-DTPA human serum albumin)

In order to detect the varicocele, scrotal scintigraphies by using 99mTc-HSA-D were performed in 14 patients with male infertile or palpable mass in left scrotum on physical examinations. Abnormal pooling of 99mTc-HSA-D, indicative of varicocele lesion, could be found in left scrotum in 9 cases, confirmed surgically or clinically. Compared with 99mTc-HSA, 99mTc-HSA-D was superior in high uptake ratio of varicocele to soft tissue and in nonvisualization of bladder. Thus, 99mTc-HSA-D scrotal scintigraphy seemed to be of a great use to detect the varicocele.