Showing papers on "Acetonitrile published in 2021"

Hybridization of Molecular and Graphene Materials for CO2 Photocatalytic Reduction with Selectivity Control.

Abstract: In the quest for designing efficient and stable photocatalytic materials for CO2 reduction, hybridizing a selective noble-metal-free molecular catalyst and carbon-based light-absorbing materials has recently emerged as a fruitful approach. In this work, we report about Co quaterpyridine complexes covalently linked to graphene surfaces functionalized by carboxylic acid groups. The nanostructured materials were characterized by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, IR and Raman spectroscopies, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and proved to be highly active in the visible-light-driven CO2 catalytic conversion in acetonitrile solutions. Exceptional stabilities (over 200 h of irradiation) were obtained without compromising the selective conversion of CO2 to products (>97%). Most importantly, complete selectivity control could be obtained upon adjusting the experimental conditions: production of CO as the only product was achieved when using a weak acid (phenol or trifluoroethanol) as a co-substrate, while formate was exclusively obtained in solutions of mixed acetonitrile and triethanolamine.

Highly efficient electrochemical hydrogenation of acetonitrile to ethylamine for primary amine synthesis and promising hydrogen storage

Abstract: Summary Selective nitrile hydrogenation to valuable primary amines under mild conditions is still a great challenge. Herein, we report the synergistic effect of a Cu catalyst and dissolved CO2 to electrochemically hydrogenate acetonitrile to ethylamine with a high selectivity (99%) and faradic efficiency (94%) in an aqueous electrolyte, superior to the best performance reported to date. The results show that a Cu catalyst offers preferential adsorption of the nitrile on the surface through the terminal C≡N group, facilitating the hydrogenation process on this site while suppressing the side reactions. The CO2 in the electrolyte protects the initially formed primary amine by reacting with the NH2 group, preventing it from condensing into amine dimers and trimers. Importantly, the method can be further extended to other aliphatic nitriles with functional groups, including carboxyl, hydroxyl, and cycloalkane, while exciting selectivity (>90%) of the corresponding primary amines was also obtained.

A comparative study of HPLC and UV spectrophotometric methods for oseltamivir quantification in pharmaceutical formulations

Abstract: Oseltamivir is an antiviral drug and is used in the treatment of all influenza viruses. It is the most effective antiviral option against all influenza viruses that can infect humans. UV and LC methods have been developed and validated according to ICH guidelines for various parameters like selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, LOD and LOQ, robustness for the quantitative determination of oseltamivir in pharmaceutical formulations. LC method has been performed using reverse phase technique on a C-18 column with a mobile phase consisting of 20 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution and acetonitrile (60:40, v/v) at 25 °C. The mobile phase flow rate was 1.2 mL min−1. For the determination of oseltamivir, UV spectrum has been recorded between 200 and 800 nm using methanol as solvent and the wavelength of 215 nm has been selected. Both methods have demonstrated good linearity, precision and recovery. No spectral and chromatographic interferences from the capsule excipients were found in UV and LC methods. In both methods, correlation coefficients were greater than 0.999 within a concentration range of 10–60 mg mL−1 using UV and LC. Intra-day and inter-day precision with low relative standard deviation values were observed. The accuracy of these methods was within the range 99.85–100.17% for LC and from 99.26 to 100.70% for UV. Therefore UV and LC methods gave the most reliable outcomes for the determination of oseltamivir in pharmaceutical formulation.

Integration of aprotic CO2 reduction to oxalate at a Pb catalyst into a GDE flow cell configuration

Abstract: Electrochemical CO2 reduction to oxalic acid in aprotic solvents could be a potential pathway to produce carbon-neutral oxalic acid. One of the challenges in aprotic CO2 reduction are the limited achievable current densities under standard conditions, despite the increased CO2 solubility compared to aqueous applications. The application of aprotic solvents can reduce CO2 rather selectively to oxalate, and faradaic efficiencies (FEs) of up to 80% were achieved in this study with a Pb catalyst in acetonitrile, the FE being mainly dictated by the local CO2 concentration at the electrode. This process was integrated into a flow cell employing a two-layered carbon-free lead (Pb) gas diffusion electrode (GDE) and a sacrificial zinc (Zn) anode. With the application of this GDE the applicable current densities could be improved up to a current density of j = 80 mA cm−2 at a FE(oxalate) = 53%, which is within the range of the highest j reported in the literature. In addition, we provide an explanation for the deactivation mechanism of metal catalysts observed in the aprotic CO2 reduction literature. The deactivation is not related to a mass transport limitation but to cathodic corrosion observed at highly negative potential when employing quaternary ammonium supporting electrolyte cations, promoting catalyst leaching.

Selective Separation of Lithium Chloride by Organogels Containing Strapped Calix[4]pyrroles.

Abstract: Reported herein are two functionalized crown ether strapped calix[4]pyrroles, H1 and H2. As inferred from competitive salt binding experiments carried out in nitrobenzene-d5 and acetonitrile-d3, these hosts capture LiCl selectively over four other test salts, viz. NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2. Support for the selectivity came from density functional theory (DFT) calculations carried out in a solvent continuum. These theoretical analyses revealed a higher innate affinity for LiCl in the case of H1, but a greater selectivity relative to NaCl in the case of H2, recapitulating that observed experimentally. Receptors H1 and H2 were outfitted with methacrylate handles and subject to copolymerization with acrylate monomers and cross-linkers to yield gels, G1 and G2, respectively. These two gels were found to adsorb lithium chloride preferentially from an acetonitrile solution containing a mixture of LiCl, NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2 and then release the lithium chloride in methanol. The gels could then be recycled for reuse in the selective adsorption of LiCl. As such, the present study highlights the use of solvent polarity switching to drive separations with potential applications in lithium purification and recycling.

Experimental and kinetic modeling study of oxidation of acetonitrile

Abstract: Oxidation of acetonitrile has been studied in a flow reactor in the absence and presence of nitric oxide. The experiments were conducted at atmospheric pressure in the temperature range 1150–1450 K, varying the excess air ratio from slightly fuel-lean to very lean. Oxidation of CH3CN was slow below 1300 K. Nitric oxide, hydrogen cyanide and nitrous oxide were detected as important products. A detailed chemical kinetic model for oxidation of acetonitrile was developed, based on a critical evaluation of data from literature. The rate coefficients for the reactions of CH3CN and CH2CN with O2 were calculated from ab initio theory. Modeling predictions were in satisfactory agreement with experiments. Calculations were sensitive to thermal dissociation of CH3CN and to the branching fraction for CH3CN + OH to CH2CN + H2O and HOCN + CH3, respectively. More work is desirable for these steps, as well as for reactions of CH2CN and HCCN.

Water-ratio directed selective turn-on fluorescence detection of copper and mercury in acetonitrile

Abstract: The development of novel sensor probes to sensitively and selectively detect more than one target ion in a given condition is a challenging duty due to the deficiency of effective design strategies. In this study, we report utilizing the water-ratio-directed properties of a TPE-TSC-based turn-on fluorescent selective detection of multiple ions by using acetonitrile and acetonitrile-water. When pure acetonitrile was used as the solvent, TPE-TSC was not showed a selective and sensitive effect for any ions. Thereupon, studies were carried out in aqueous solutions of acetonitrile. As a result of studies, TPE-TSC was showed a selective and sensitive fluorescence “turn on” response towards Cu2+ and Hg2+ in CH3CN/H2O (30–50% of water for Cu2+, 70–90% of water for Hg2+). When an aqueous solution of acetonitrile (CH3CN/H2O; v/v:1/1) was used, the TPE-TSC was determined to be a sensitive and selective fluorescent “turn on” sensing for Cu2+ with a LOD value of 15.74 µM, which is the range of copper that should be in the blood (11.8–23.6 μM). In addition, when the studies were carried out in CH3CN/H2O (v/v:1/9), TPE-TSC was further determined to be a turn-on fluorescent sensing for Hg2+ with a LOD value of 18 µM. Moreover, DFT calculations confirmed the nonplanar or propeller structures. As a result of all these studies, it can be said that TPE-TSC, may be a useful and water-ratio-directed selective turn-on sensor candidate for Cu2+ and Hg2+ sensing in industrial wastewaters.

Fluorescent Sensor for Copper(II) and Cyanide Ions via the Complexation-Decomplexation Mechanism with Di(bissulfonamido)spirobifluorene.

Abstract: A novel spirobifluorene derivative bearing two bissulfonamido groups is successfully synthesized by Sonogashira coupling. This compound exhibits a strong fluorescence quenching by Cu(II) ion in a 50% mixture between acetonitrile and 20 mM pH 7.0 N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-N'-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffer with a detection limit of 98.2 nM. However, this sensor also shows ratiometric signal shifts from blue to yellow in the presence of Zn(II), Pb(II), and Hg(II) ions. The static quenching mechanism is verified by the signal reversibility using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and the Stern-Volmer plots at varying temperatures. The Cu(II)-spirobifluorene complex shows a highly selective fluorescence enhancement upon the addition of CN- ion with the detection limit of 390 nM. The application of this complex for quantitative analysis of spiked CN- ion in real water samples resulted in good recoveries.

Facile One-pot Synthesis of CuCN by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Nitrile Solvents and Mechanistic Studies using Quantum Chemical Calculations

Abstract: Binding energies of different nitrile solvents and their utilization for CuCN formation were investigated through quantum chemical calculations. A pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) method for CuCN synthesis was developed herein. Initially, the interaction between the pulsed laser and the Cu-target generated Cu-ions and electrons at the point of contact. The laser beam also exhibited sufficient energy to dissociate the bonds of the respective solvents. In the case of acetonitrile, the oxidized Cu-ions bonded with CN− to produce CuCN with a cube-like surface structure. Other nitrile solvents generated spherically-shaped Cu@graphitic carbon (Cu@GC) nanoparticles. Thus, the production of CuCN was favorable only in acetonitrile due to the availability of the cyano group immediately after the fragmentation of acetonitrile (CH3+ and CN−) under PLAL. Conversely, propionitrile and butyronitrile released large amounts of hydrocarbons, which deposited on Cu NPs surface to form GC layers. Following the encapsulation of Cu NPs with carbon shells, further interaction with the cyano group was not possible. Subsequently, theoretical study on the binding energies of nitrile solvents was confirmed by highly correlated basic sets of B3LYP and MP2 which results were consistent with the experimental outcomes. The findings obtained herein could be utilized for the development of novel metal–polymer materials.

Iodine Promoted Conversion of Esters to Nitriles and Ketones under Metal-Free Conditions.

Abstract: We report a novel strategy to prepare valuable nitriles and ketones through the conversion of esters under metal-free conditions. By using the I2/PCl3 system, various substrates including aliphatic and aromatic esters could react with acetonitrile and arenes to afford the desired products in good to excellent yields. This method is compatible with a number of functional groups and provides a simple and practical approach for the synthesis of nitrile compounds and aryl ketones.