Volume 8, Issue 6

Review with 101 refs. of progress in synthetic applications and properties of P-acylphosphonium salts including acylation via P-acylphosphonium salts, enantioselective acylation using chiral phosphine ligands, nucleophilic (β)-oniovinylation, and reaction involving vinyloges of P-acylphosphonium salts formed by treatment conjugated alkenoates or alkynoates with phosphines.

A new organocatalytic system was tested as a promoter for the asymmetric addition of Chan’s diene to aldehydes under solvent-free conditions. This new organocatalyst generated in situ by mixing 1-naphthyl-TADDOL derivative and Emim BF4 was able to give enantioenriched vinylogous aldols and hetero-Diels-Alder cycloadducts. A mechanistic investigation through the detection of nonlinear effects confirmed the involvement of the ionic liquid in the formation of a new catalytic supramolecular species.

Antimony is perhaps the most frequently used doping element of tin dioxide. Although antimony of different oxidation states have been used in the synthesis, the effect of dopant’s valence on ion exchange properties has not been investigated critically. In our study the valence of antimony had clear effects on the metal uptake properties of Sb-doped SnO2 materials. Extremely high Tc uptake (Kd > 100 000 mL g−1) on Sb(III)-doped material was observed in conditions under which Sb(V)-doped material did not show any Tc uptake. However, the Sb(V)-doped material showed good Ni2+ uptake properties (Kd up to 33 000 mL g−1), even at pH values below the material’s point of zero charge (pzc), while the Sb(III)-doped material showed Ni2+ uptake only at pH above its pzc. The cation uptake of Sb-doped SnO2 resembles typical weakly acidic cation exchanger character but the uptake of TcO4- does not follow a typical anion exchange pattern. Instead, we propose a sorption process related to redox reactions as the probable Tc uptake process.

The partitioning of acetylspiramycin was carried out in an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) formed by a hydrophilic ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoraborate, [Bmim]BF4) and NaH2PO4. This ATPS is a simple, non-toxic and effective sample pretreatment technique, which was developed for the simultaneous separation, enrichment and rapid analysis of acetylspiramycin coupled with molecular fluorescence spectrophotometry. Analysis of the liquid-liquid equilibrium of [Bmim]BF4-salt ATPS demonstrated that the salting-out ability of different salts may be related to the Gibbs energy of hydration of the ions. The effects of types of salts, concentration of NaH2PO4, and temperature were analysed. Under optimum conditions, the average extraction efficiency and partition coefficient were 90.14% and 91.1, respectively. Thermodynamic functions provide some information about the molecular mechanism involved in acetylspiramycin transfer to the top phase, suggesting an important acetylspiramycin-[Bmim]BF4 interaction. The method yielded a linear range in the concentration from 1.0 to 10.0 µg mL−1 of acetylspiramycin, and the limit of detection was 0.02 µg mL−1. This method could be successfully applied for the analysis of acetylspiramycin in lake water, river water and groundwater. The proposed extraction technique appears to be suitable as a first step for the separation of macrolide antibiotics from real aqueous environments.

The bis(melaminium) sulphate dihydrate, 2,4,6-triamine-1,3,5-triazin-1,3-ium tartrate monohydrate, 2,4,6-triamine-1,3,5-triazin-1-ium hydrogenphthalate, 2,4,6-triamine-1,3,5-triazin-1-ium acetate acetic acid solvate monohydrate, 2,4,6-triamine-1,3,5-triazin-1-ium bis(selenate) trihydrate, melaminium diperchlorate hydrate, melaminium bis(trichloroacetate) monohydrate and melaminium bis(4-hydroxybenzenesulphonate) dihydrate were discovered recently as perspective materials for nonlinear optical applications. On the basis of X-ray structures for eight melaminium compounds the time dependent Hartree Fock (TDHF) method was used for calculation of the polarizability, and first and second hyperpolarizability. Detailed directional studies of calculated hyperpolarizability for all investigated melaminium compounds are shown. The theoretical results are compared with experimental values of β.

Retention indices for some precursors of peraza crown ethers were determined by reversed phase high-performance thin layer chromatography on RP-18 plates with methanol-water in different volume proportions as mobile phase. The Log P values for the same compounds were calculated using different computer programs: SciQSAR, SciLogP, Chem3D Ultra 8.0, XLOGP (based on atom contributions), Chemaxon and KOWWIN (based on atom/fragment contributions), cLogP (based on fragmental contributions), ALOGPS and IAlogP (based on atom-type electrotopological-state indices and neural network modeling). A comparative study concerning lipophilic parameters (RM0, b and ϕ0) and computed partition coefficients has been developed. Taking into account the correlation coefficients between determined and calculated Log P values, it seems that RM0 and b are less suitable than ϕ0 for estimating lipophilicity of the compounds investigated, and cLogP and ALOGPS provide the best correlations with experimental values.

SiCl4 can be conveniently activated by catalytic amounts of dimethyl sulfoxide or other readily-available sulfoxides for the allylation of aromatic, hetero-aromatic and unsaturated aldehydes in the presence of allyltributyl stannane. Chiral aryl methyl sulfoxides have been used to develop asymmetric allylation methods, as well as probe the aldehyde substrate scope.

The objective of this work was a correct statistical comparison of two assay methods for determination of glycated haemoglobin HbA1c. The immunoturbidimetric determination of HbA1c was performed in two ways: using an automatic analyser Hitachi 912, calibrated according to the IFCC reference system (International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine) and using an analyser Advia 1200 and the NGSP reference system (National Glycohaemoglobin Standardization Program). For statistical comparison of these two analytical methods several advanced regression methods were used, which respect random errors of both compared methods. Specifically, Deming regression with and without weights, orthogonal regression, and Passing-Bablok regression were employed. The results demonstrate that the investigated analytical assay methods do not correspond to each other. The summarized results indicate usefulness of better harmonisation of two existing reference systems.

Chiral, carboxylic acid-functionalised imidazolium zwitterions were synthesised from the corresponding L-amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine.

A novel composite superionic system, [Ag2HgI4:0.2AgI]:xCuI, (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 mol. wt.%), was prepared and [Ag2HgI4:0.2AgI] mixed system was used as the host. Electrical conductivity was measured to study the transition behavior at frequencies of 100 Hz, 120 Hz, 1 kHz, and 10 kHz in the temperature range 90°–170°C by a Gen Rad 1659 RLC Digibridge. Sharp increase in conductivity was observed for β-α phase transitions. As a result of increase in the dopant-to-host ratio, the conductivity of the system exhibited Arrhenius (thermally activated)-type behavior. X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) studies confirmed the doping effect on the transition in the host, the phase transition temperature increased with an increase in the dopant concentration. Activation energies for the system in eV both for the pretransition and post-transition phase transformations are reported. The addition of CuI to [Ag2HgI4:0.2AgI] shifted the phase transition of the host [Ag2HgI4:0.2AgI], due to an interaction between [Ag2HgI4:0.2AgI] and CuI.

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method is applied for the determination of galacturonic acid (GA) of pectins in different commercial fruit juices. The separation was carried out on a C18 column using precolumn derivatization with p-aminobenzoic acid (p-ABA) and UV detection at 304 nm. The identification of GA was confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) in positive ion mode. The concentration of GA in the samples analyzed ranged from 12.9 ± 0.5 to 49.4 ± 0.5 mgGA L−1. Amongst the samples analyzed, mango juice was found to be richest in GA content, and therefore a good source of pectins. Detection and quantification limits of the described methodology were 1.2 and 3.9 mg L−1, respectively. Quantitative GA recoveries in the beverages had a range between 90 and 98%. The results showed that the HPLC method proposed was precise and suitable for the identification and quantification of GA in commercial fruit juices.

Direct solid sampling analysis in atomic absorption spectrometry using flame-furnace atomizer allows to significantly decrease analysis duration, to avoid sample pollution and to exclude toxic reagents. The choice of chemical modifiers that decreases the detection limit and improves the repeatability of results is based on the mechanism of analyte-free atom formation. The kinetic approach developed here allows determination of pre-exponential factors k0 and apparent activation energies Ea of the atomization processes for Pb(II) and Cd(II) compounds and enables use of CaCO3 and KHF2 as effective chemical modifiers for soil samples. A fast and precise technique for lead and cadmium determination in soils using the proposed chemical modifiers was developed.

Seven alkyl methylphosphonic acids, products of hydrolytic degradation of organophosphorus chemical warfare agents, were obtained with a high purity (mostly above 98%), with the aim of being applyed as future certified reference materials. Ethyl (EMPA), isopropyl (IMPA), pinacolyl (PMPA), butyl (BUMPA), isobutyl (IBUMPA), cyclohexyl (CHMPA) and 2-ethylhexyl (EHMPA) monoesters of MPA were synthesized and characterized by MS EI, FTIR and NMR (1H, 13C, 31P), TLC, as well as GC and GC-MS after derivatization. The conditions for a direct quantitative GC FID analysis on CP-FFAP CB column of non-derivatized alkyl methylphosphonic acids were developed. This is the first successful attempt of a directed GC analysis of free alkyl phosphonic acids. Their chemical purity was determined and limit of quantification (LOQ) values for some of them were evaluated for the GC-FID method.

The aim of this work was to study the possibility of simultaneous voltammetric determination of some disinfectants used as components in cosmetic products. The examined compounds were: triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol), chloramine-T (N-chloro-p-toluenesulfonamide sodium salt), 4-chloro-3-methylphenol and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole. Measurements were performed using glassy carbon electrode immersed in Britton-Robinson buffers which acted as supporting electrolytes. The dependence of oxidation and reduction potentials on pH was examined using cyclic voltammetry. Britton-Robinson buffer of pH 9.9 was chosen for further studies to ensure the best separation of compounds. The resultant oxidation potentials indicate the possibility to simultaneously determine some of the disinfectants.. Oxidation reactions of mixtures containing two compounds (4-chloro-3-methylphenol and chloramine-T, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole and 4-chloro-3-methylphenol, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole and triclosan) were recorded as differential pulse voltammograms.

Two series of activated carbon have been prepared by chemical activation of Amygdalus Scoparia shell with phosphoric acid or zinc chloride for the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Several methods were employed to characterize the active carbon produced. The surface area was calculated using the standard Brunauer-Emmet-Teller method. The microstructures of the resultant activated carbon were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The chemical composition of the surface resultant activated carbon was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In the batch tests, the effect of pH, initial concentration, and contact time on the adsorption were studied. The data were fitted with Langmuir and Freundlich equations to describe the equilibrium isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacity of Pb(II) on the resultant activated carbon was 36.63 mg g−1 with H3PO4 and 28.74 mg g−1 with ZnCl2. To regenerate the spent adsorbents, desorption experiments were performed using 0.25 mol L−1 HCl. Here we propose that the activated carbon produced from Amygdalus Scoparia shell is an alternative low-cost adsorbent for Pb(II) adsorption.

Results of the formation of copper sulfide layers using the solutions of elemental sulfur in carbon disulfide as precursor for sulfurization are presented. Low density polyethylene film can be effectively sulfurized in the solutions of rhombic (α) sulfur in carbon disulfide. The concentration of sulfur in polyethylene increases with the increase of the temperature and concentration of sulfur solution in carbon disulfide and it little depends on the duration of sulfurization. Electrically conductive copper sulfide layers on polyethylene film were formed when sulfurized polyethylene was treated with the solution of copper (II/I) salts. CuxS layer with the lowest sheet resistance (11.2 Ω cm−2) was formed when sulfurized polyethylene was treated with copper salts solution at 80°C. All samples with formed CuxS layers were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. XPS analysis of obtained layers showed that on the layer’s surface and in the etched surface various compounds of copper, sulfur and oxygen are present: Cu2S, CuS, CuO, S8, CuSO4, Cu(OH)2 and water. The biggest amounts of CuSO4 and Cu(OH)2 are present on the layer’s surface. Significantly more copper sulfides are found in the etched layers.

The photocatalytic abatement of hazardous pharmaceuticals has been investigated at very low concentration in the ppb range as found in wastewater and in environmental pollutants. Photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline as a model compound with titania catalysts has been studied using solarium UV-A and black light with differentially applied electric power, tetracycline and catalyst concentration. Abatement of up to 90% has been achieved after 1 hour. Adsorption of tetracycline and photochemical degradation contribute significantly to the abatement of tetracycline resulting in an immediate reduction during the initial period of treatment. Contribution of adsorption is high at very low concentration (500 ppb). Photocatalytic treatment with titania is even highly efficient in the abatement of very small concentrations of tetracycline in drinking water.

Three-layer artificial neural networks (ANN) capable of recognizing the type of raw material (herbs, leaves, flowers, fruits, roots or barks) using the non-metals (N, P, S, Cl, I, B) contents as inputs were designed. Two different types of feed-forward ANNs — multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF), best suited for solving classification problems, were used. Phosphorus, nitrogen, sulfur and boron were significant in recognition; chlorine and iodine did not contribute much to differentiation. A high recognition rate was observed for barks, fruits and herbs, while discrimination of herbs from leaves was less effective. MLP was more effective than RBF.

Aluminium and zinc complexes bearing the N,O-chelating Schiff base ligand 4,6-bis-1-(2-(dimethylamino)ethylimino)ethyl)benzene-1,3-diol, (C6H2(OH)2(NCH2CH2NMe2)2) (1a), have been synthesized. Bimetallic aluminium and zinc alkyl complexes (2a–4a) were prepared by treatment of the hexadentate 1a with the appropriate amount of AlMe3, ZnMe2 and ZnEt2, respectively. 2a has been characterized crystallographically, it lies on a crystallographic two-fold rotation axis and each aluminium centre adopts a five coordinate geometry. Complex 2a was tested as a catalyst in the ring-opening polymerisation of ɛ-caprolactone. We describe here the synthesis of two neutral ligands (1a and (C6H2(OH)2(C6H5NH2) (C=O(CH3)) (1b)) and demonstrate their application in the synthesis of molecular aluminium and zinc derivatives.

This paper describes the synthesis and properties of a new type of ceramic fillers for composite polymer gel electrolytes. Hybrid TiO2-SiO2 ceramic powders have been obtained by co-precipitation from titanium(IV) sulfate solution using sodium silicate as the precipitating agent. The resulting submicron-size powders have been applied as fillers for composite polymer gel electrolytes for Li-ion batteries based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF/HFP) copolymeric membranes. The powders, dry membranes and gel electrolytes have been examined structurally and electrochemically, showing favorable properties in terms of electrolyte uptake and electrochemical characteristics in Li-ion cells.

The aqueous micellar solutions of monocationic surfactants N-hexadecyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide (CTABr), N-hexadecyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium nitrate (CTANO3), N,N,N-tributyl-N-hexadecylammonium bromide (CTBABr) and gemini surfactants 1,4-bis(N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethylammonium)ethane dibromide (C-E-C2Br), 1,4-bis(N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethylammonium)propane dibromide (C-P-C2Br), and 1,4-bis(N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethylammonium)butane dibromide (C-B-C2Br) were studied with a solvatochromic probe, 2,6-diphenyl-4-(2,4,6-triphenylpyridinium-1-yl)phenolate, better known as Reichard’s ET-30 dye. The local polarity at the probe site (ET) was calculated from the wavelength maximum of the lowest-energy intramolecular charge-transfer ϖ-ϖ* absorption band of ET-30. The results were compared with a kinetic investigation of the cyclization of 2-(3-bromopropyloxy)phenoxide (PhBr7) in micelles; this reaction is a model for SN2 reactions and it depends on medium polarity.

Aqueous sol-gel chemistry routes — based on ammonium hydrogen phosphate as the phosphorus precursor, calcium acetate monohydrate as the source of calcium ions, and 1,2-diaminocyclohexanetetraacetic acid monohydrate (DCTA) as the complexing agent — have been used to prepare calcium hydroxyapatite (HA). The sol-gel process was performed in aqueous solution at different pH values followed by calcination of the dry precursor gels for 5 h at 1000°C. Phase transformations, composition, and structural changes in the polycrystalline samples were studied by thermoanalytical methods (TG/DTA), infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray powder diffraction analysis (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was shown that pH adjustment has significant impact on the apatite formation process and on the morphology and phase purity of the ceramic samples.