Thermally induced solid-state transformation of cimetidine. A multi-spectroscopic/chemometrics determination of the kinetics of the process and structural elucidation of one of the products as a stable N3-enamino tautomer

Exposure of cimetidine (CIM) to dry heat (160–180 °C) afforded, upon cooling, a glassy solid containing new and hitherto unknown products. The kinetics of this process was studied by a second order chemometrics-assisted multi-spectroscopic approach. Proton and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), as well as ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopic data were jointly used, whereas multivariate curve resolution with alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) was employed as the chemometrics method to extract process information. It was established that drug degradation follows a first order kinetics.     

T1Effects in Sequential Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast Experiments

Residual effects of an initial bolus of gadolinium contrast agent have been previously demonstrated in sequential dynamic susceptibility contrast MR experiments. While these residual effects quickly reach a saturation steady state, their etiology is uncertain, and they can lead to spurious estimates of hemodynamic parameters in activation experiments. The possible influence ofT₁effects is now investigated with experiments in whichT₁weighting is varied as well as with serial regionalT₁measurements. Little evidence for significant residualT₁effects is found, suggesting instead that susceptibility effects underlie these observations. An initial saturation dose of contrast agent minimizes this effect.     

A note on tilde algebras

A closed setE is constructed so thatA∼(E) is an inseparable Banach space but its maximal ideal space isE. Supported in part by the National Science Foundation.     

A short and efficient synthesis of grisan

A three-step synthesis of grisan (spiro[benzofuran-2(3H)-1′-cyclohexane]), using methoxymethoxybenzene and 1-chloromethylcyclohexene as starting materials, is described.     

Vibrational emission of NO2 from the reaction of NO with O3

Vibrational chemiluminescence in the Δν₁ = Δν₃ = ?1 band of NO₂ is observed both in the O + NO and O₃ + NO reactions and shown to be emitted by molecules with up to 11 000 cm^?1 of vibrational energy. Quenching rate constants of NO₂³ are estimated ranging from about 6 × 10^?14 for Ar to about 3 × 10^?12 cm³ s^?1 for NO₂. The ratio of vibrational to electronic emission is 0.06 ± 0.03 for O + NO and 5.3 ± 1.0 for O₃ + NO. It is suggested that vibrationally excited NO₂ is a major product of that channel of the O₃ + NO reaction which forms ground-state NO₂(²A₁) directly.     

Reactions of methyltris(triarylphosphine)cobalt : I. Formation of biaryls

Methyltris(triarylphosphine)cobalt (Ar₃P)₃CoCH₃, decomposes in solutions of THF, benzene or chlorobenzene to yield biaryls. Coupling to biaryls occurs at the ring carbon originally bonded to phosphorus. Mixed biaryls are obtained from crossover reactions of complexes bearing different triarylphosphine ligands and reactions of complexes with free triarylphosphines.     

A biological process for the reclamation of flue gas desulfurization gypsum using mixed sulfate-reducing bacteria with inexpensive carbon sources

A combined chemical and biological process for the recycling of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum into calcium carbonate and elemental sulfur is demonstrated. In this process, a mixed culture of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) utilizes inexpensive carbon sources, such as sewage digest or synthesis gas, to reduce FGD gypsum to hydrogen sulfide. The sulfide is then oxidized to elemental sulfur via reaction with ferric sulfate, and accumulating calcium ions are precipitated as calcium carbonate using carbon dioxide. Employing anaerobically digested municipal sewage sludge (AD-MSS) medium as a carbon source, SRBs in serum bottles demonstrated an FGD gypsum reduction rate of 8 mg/L/h (10⁹ cells)^-1. A chemostat with continuous addition of both AD-MSS media and gypsum exhibited sulfate reduction rates as high as 1.3 kg FGD gypsum/m³d. The increased biocatalyst density afforded by cell immobilization in a columnar reactor allowed a productivity of 152 mg SO₄ ^-2/Lh or 6.6 kg FGD gypsum/m³d. Both reactors demonstrated 100% conversion of sulfate, with 75–100% recovery of elemental sulfur and chemical oxygen demand utilization as high as 70%. Calcium carbonate was recovered from the reactor effluent on precipitation using carbon dioxide. It was demonstrated that SRBs may also use synthesis gas (CO, H₂, and CO₂ in the reduction of gypsum, further decreasing process costs. The formation of two marketable products—elemental sulfur and calcium carbonate—from FGD gypsum sludge, combined with the use of a low-cost carbon source and further improvements in reactor design, promises to offer an attractive alternative to the landfilling of FGD gypsum.

     

An ODE-based approach to nonlinearly constrained minimax problems

We consider the following problem: Choosex ₁, ...,x _n to wherem ₁,m ₂,m ₃ are integers with 0m ₁m ₂m ₃, thef _i are given real numbers, and theg _i are given smooth functions. Constraints of the formg _i (x ₁, ...,x _n )=0 can also be handled without problem. Each iteration of our algorithm involves approximately solving a certain non-linear system of first-order ordinary differential equations to get a search direction for a line search and using a Newton-like approach to correct back into the feasible region when necessary. The algorithm and our Fortran implementation of it will be discussed along with some examples. Our experience to date has been that the program is more robust than any of the library routines we have tried, although it generally requires more computer time. We have found this program to be an extremely useful tool in diverse areas, including polymer rheology, computer vision, and computation of convexity-preserving rational splines.