Volume 60, Issue 4

The oxidation of iron(II) with tert-butyl hydroperoxide was investigated in the absence of oxygen in water, methanol, and the dichloromethane—methanol solvent mixture (φr = 2:1). The oxidation rate depends on solvent polarity; measured in the presence of SCN− at constant 0.8 mmol dm−3 HCl, the rate constant increases with the polarity decrease passing from water and methanol to the dichloromethane—methanol solvent mixture. Further, in non-aqueous solutions at this acid concentration the rate constant was higher than the rate constant in the presence of Cl− only. The oxidation rate measured in the [FeCl]2+ complex in dichloromethane—methanol was slow in acidic medium and increased by decreasing the acid concentration. Approaching the physiological pH conditions the rate constant attained the value of an order of magnitude of 103 dm3 mol−1 s−1, while very little alteration of stoichiometry of the oxidation reaction was observed. The rate constant measured in the presence of Cl− strongly depends on electrolyte concentration at concentrations less than 0.5 mmol dm−3 HCl, both in MeOH and the solvent mixture. Based on these results, a possible mechanism of the influence of solvent, acidity, and ligand type on the rate constant is discussed. We assume that the oxidation proceeds by an inner-sphere mechanism considering that the breakdown of the successor inner-sphere complex forming reactive alkoxyl radicals is probably the rate-limiting step.

2H-5-Amino-6-cyano-3,7-dioxothiazolo[2,3-b]pyrimidine was subjected to ring formation affording thiazolo[2,3-b]pyrimidine derivatives. 2H-5-Amino-6-cyano-3,7-dioxo-2-phenylmethylenethiazolo[2,3-b]pyrimidine was also subjected to ring formation affording pyrimido[4,5-d]-, pyrano[2,3-d]-, and pyrido[2,3-d]thiazolo[2,3-b]pyrimidine derivatives. 2-Anilinothiocarbonyl-3,9-dioxo-8-imino-7-phenyl-6-thioxothiazolo[2,3-b]pyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidine and 8-amino-3,9-dioxo-6-thioxothiazolo[2,3-b]pyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidine reacted with α-haloactive-methylene compounds to afford heterocyclic compounds containing two, fused and isolated, thiazole moieties, respectively.

The relative enthalpy of titanite and enthalpy of CaTiSiO5 melt have been measured using drop calorimetry between 823 K and 1843 K. Enthalpies of solution of titanite and CaTiSiO5 glass have been measured by the use of hydrofluoric acid solution calorimetry at 298 K. Enthalpy of vitrification at 298 K, δvitr H(298 K) = (80.7 ± 3.4) kJ mol−1, and enthalpy of fusion at the temperature of fusion 1656 K, δfus H(1656 K) = (139 ± 3) kJ mol−1, of titanite have been determined from experimental data. The obtained enthalpy of fusion is considerably higher than up to the present published values of this quantity.

The catalytic effect of manganese(II) on the oxidation of the dye, sodium salt of 4-(2-hydroxynaphth-1-ylazo)benzenesulfonic acid, with potassium periodate in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline in weakly acidic media was studied. The reaction was followed spectrophotometrically by measuring the decrease in the absorbance of the dye at λ = 483 nm. Under the optimum conditions Mn(II) concentration within the range of 0.08–4 ng cm−3 could be determined by the fixed-time method with a detection limit of 0.025 ng cm−3. The method was applied for the determination of manganese content in tomatoes, aubergine, white radish, and French beans. The results showed a good agreement with those obtained by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

A new ternary ion-association complex of tungsten(VI), 4-nitrocatechol (NC), and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (Thiazolyl Blue, MTT) was obtained and studied using an extraction-spectrophotometric method. The optimum pH, reagent concentrations, and extraction time were determined. The composition of the complex was found to be W(VI): NC: MTT = 1: 2: 2. The extraction process was investigated quantitatively and the key constants were calculated. The molar absorptivity of the chloroform extract at λmax = 415 nm was 2.8 × 104 dm3 mol−1 cm−1, and the Beer’s law was obeyed up to 8.8 μg cm−3 tungsten(IV). The limit of detection and limit of quantification were calculated to be 0.27 μg cm−3 and 0.92 μg cm−3, respectively. The effect of foreign ions and reagents was studied and a competitive method for determination of tungsten in products from ferrous metallurgy was developed. The residual standard deviation and the relative error were 0.53 % and 0.2 %, respectively.

A simple flow-injection chemiluminescence method with synergistic enhancement has been investigated for the rapid and sensitive determination of antipsychotic risperidone. The synergistic action was significant in the chemiluminescence system of luminol—hydrogen peroxide with risperidone as an enhancer. The increased chemiluminescence intensity was correlated with risperidone concentration within the range from 10 pg mL−1 to 1.0 ng mL−1 with relative standard deviations lower than 5.0 % and the detection limit of 4 pg mL−1. At a flow rate of 2.0 mL min−1, the flow-injection chemiluminescence method exhibited both a high sensitivity and excellent selectivity giving a throughput of 120 times per hour. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine the risperidone content in human urine without any pretreatment. It was found that the excretive amounts of risperidone reached their maximum after taking 2.0 mg of risperidone for 1 h, with a total excretive ratio of 17.37 % in 8.5 h.

The characteristics of anodic electrochemical dissolution of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) powder in hydrochloric acid medium with sodium chloride have been studied. Cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry of immobilized microparticles using paraffin-impregnated graphite electrode was employed. Present work is focused on electrochemical identification of chalcopyrite cathodic and anodic reaction products within the potential range of −0.7 to +0.8 V (vs. SCE) in hydrochloric acid solution containing sodium chloride and/or copper(II) chloride.

Concentration of four trace elements (copper, zinc, iron, and selenium) was determined in colon tissue from twenty-three patients with colorectal cancer. The tissue samples were dried and dissolved using microwave-assisted digestion technique. The content of trace elements was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. No significant differences between Zn levels in normal and cancerous tissues were observed. However, the levels of Cu, Fe, and Se were significantly higher in cancerous tissues than in the control samples. The results obtained sing microwave-assisted technique were compared to those obtained via alkaline digestion with tetramethylammonium hydroxide. Both techniques were used for the digestion of certified reference material of pork liver. Very good agreement with the certified values of Cu, Fe, and Zn in the reference material was achieved using alkaline digestion procedure. This technique seems to be an efficient alternative to decomposition of biological samples.

The structure of tetrakis(pyridinioacetate) neodymium(III) tetrahydrate perchlorate, [Nd(pyBET)4 · 4H2O](ClO4)3, is reported. The neodymium atom is eight-coordinate dodecahedrally distorted polyhedron. The molecule consists of discrete [Nd(pyBET)4 · 4H2O]3+ cation and perchlorate anions held by ionic electrostatic force.

The oligo-ortho-aminophenol was synthesized by the oxidative polycondensation of ortho-aminophenol with air oxygen. The oligophenylazomethinephenol was synthesized by the condensation of aniline with oligosalicylaldehyde. Metal complexes of these oligomers with Cu(II), Co(II), Zn(II), and Ni(II) were synthesized and characterized. Based on the results of thermogravimetric analysis, synthesized oligomer—metal complexes were more stable against heat and thermooxidative decomposition than some polymeric Schiff bases and polymer—metal complexes. Additionally, the presence of metal ions increased the thermal stability of oligo-ortho-aminophenol, while the thermal stability of oligophenylazomethinephenol was lowered.

The adsorption of SO2 on alumina used in the aluminium industry, the so-called smelter-grade alumina, was studied in the temperature range 15–120°C. It was found that at temperatures lower than 40°C, sulphur dioxide was bonded to alumina reversibly by physical forces, and the adsorption could be described satisfactorily by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The heat of adsorption was estimated to be −33 kJ mol−1. At temperatures ranging from 80°C to 120°C, which prevail in dry scrubbers in the aluminium industry, the heat of adsorption was determined to be −56 kJ mol−1. When SO2 was adsorbed at temperatures higher than 80°C, about 30 % of the SO2 could not be desorbed even if the samples were heated up to 250°C. In the presence of SO2 and oxygen, the formation of sulphate was observed at temperatures above 90°C.

Various imines and hydrazones were reduced to the corresponding amines and hydrazines using borane-tetrahydrofuran complex as a reducing agent in the solution of lithium perchlorate in diethyl ether. The initial imines or hydrazones have been prepared at the same conditions just before the reduction step. Both steps were carried out in one vessel with a good yield and insignificant formation of by-products.

Cyclopentanone or cyclohexanone were condensed with aromatic aldehydes to give corresponding α,α′-bis(R-benzylidene)cyclopentanones or α,α′-bis(R-benzylidene)cyclohexanones. The reaction was catalyzed by potassium hydrogen sulfate with a yield of 84–95% under solvent-free conditions.

The specific conductivity of the molten KF—K2TaF7 system was measured within the temperature range from 1155 K to 1255 K using a two-molybdenum electrode cell. It was found that the addition of up to 10 mass % K2TaF7 caused a decrease of the system specific conductivity.

New chiral nitrogen ligands based on the substituted mono-and bis(imidazolyl)pyridines have been prepared and characterised. Their complexes with cupric acetate were used as catalysts in the nitroaldolisation reaction. In the case of optically pure complexes of mono(imidazolyl)pyridine, the isolated products were 2-nitro-1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethanols or 2-nitro-1-(4-nitrophenyl)ethanols in overall yields of 49–93 % and with the maximum enantiomeric excess of 15.6 %. The complexes of bis(imidazolyl)pyridine also catalyse the nitroaldol reaction, the yields being 64–90 %, but with zero enantioselective excess.