| 1. |
- Co, Michelle, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Degradation effects in the extraction of antioxidants from birch bark using water at elevated temperature and pressure
- 2012
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Ingår i: Analytica Chimica Acta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-2670 .- 1873-4324. ; 716, s. 40-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Experiments with birch bark samples have been carried to enable a distinction between extraction and degradation effects during pressurised hot water extraction. Two samples, E80 and El 80, contained birch bark extracts obtained after extraction at 80 and 180 degrees C for up to 45 min, respectively. Two other samples, P80 and P180, were only extracted for 5 min at the two temperatures and were thereafter filtered and hydrothermally treated at 80 and 180 degrees C, respectively. During the latter treatment, samples were collected at different times to assess the stability of the extracted compounds. An offline DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay, as well as a high performance liquid chromatographic separation coupled to an electrochemical detector, were used to determine the antioxidant capacity of the processed samples. The results obtained with the different techniques were compared to assess the yield of the extraction and degradation processes. In addition, an online hyphenated system comprising high performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode-array; electrochemical; and tandem mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-DAD-ECD-MS/MS) was used to study the compositions of the extracts in more detail. The results for the samples processed at 80 degrees C showed that the extraction reached a steady-state already after 5 min, and that the extracted compounds were stable throughout the entire extraction process. Processing at 180 degrees C, on the other hand, gave rise to partly degraded extracts with a multitude of peaks in both the diode array and electrochemical detectors, and a higher antioxidant capacity compared to for the extracts obtained at 80 degrees C. It is concluded that HPLC-DAD-ECD is a more appropriate technique for the determination of antioxidants than the DPPH assay. The mass spectrometric results indicate that one of the extracted antioxidants, catechin, was isomerised to its diastereoisomers; (+)-catechin, (-)-catechin, (+)-epicatechin, and (-)-epicatechin.
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| 2. |
- Hedlund, Artur, et al.
(författare)
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Microstructures of cellulose coagulated in water and alcohols from 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate : contrasting coagulation mechanisms
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cellulose. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0969-0239 .- 1572-882X. ; 26:3, s. 1545-1563
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract: Coagulation of cellulose solutions is a process whereby many useful materials with variable microstructures and properties can be produced. This study investigates the complexity of the phase separation that generates the structural heterogeneity of such materials. The ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc]), and a co-solvent, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), are used to dissolve microcrystalline cellulose in concentrations from 5 to 25 wt%. The solutions are coagulated in water or 2-propanol (2PrOH). The coagulated material is then washed and solvent exchanged (water → 2PrOH → butanone → cyclohexane) in order to preserve the generated microstructures upon subsequent drying before analysis. Sweep electron microscopy images of 50 k magnification reveal open-pore fibrillar structures. The crystalline constituents of those fibrils are estimated using wide-angle X-ray spectroscopy and specific surface area data. It is found that the crystalline order or crystallite size is reduced by an increase in cellulose concentration, by the use of the co-solvent DMSO, or by the use of 2PrOH instead of water as the coagulant. Because previous theories cannot explain these trends, an alternative explanation is presented here focused on solid–liquid versus liquid–liquid phase separations. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].
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| 3. |
- Svensson, Britt-Marie, 1956-
(författare)
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Methodology for evaluation of hazards from solid waste and landfill-generated leachate
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A methodology based on an analytical protocol for evaluation of hazards from landfill leachate and solid waste is described. A dynamic analytical protocol, the LAQUA protocol, including measurements of inorganic and water-quality parameters, polar and non-polar organic marker compounds, and toxicity, was constructed. An acute toxicity test, using the brackish water crustacean Artemia salina as test organism, was developed. The methodology was applied to authentic problems such as investigation of different treatment techniques for landfill leachate, evaluation of leaching tests and characterization of solid wastes, and an investigation of a filter material aimed for leachate treatment. Investigated treatment methods comprised in all cases pre-treatment by aeration combined with sedimentation, followed by one of: bioremediation, ozonation, chemical oxidation by Fenton’s reagent, or geo-bed filters. Evaluated filter materials were mixtures of natural or residual waste products. A combination of pre-treatment followed by a geo-bed filter containing a mixture of peat and carbon-containing ash gave an efficient simultaneous removal of metals and organic pollutants. The performance of two leaching tests for characterization of solid waste, the up-flow percolation test (SIS-CEN/TS 14405:2004) and the batch test (SS-EN 12457 -3), was investigated. Solid waste materials (sludge from street gutters and fragmented metallic waste) were characterized using leaching tests and the hazards of the materials were evaluated in the eluate, obtained at specific liquid-to-solid ratios (L/S). The L/S 2 and L/S 10 values were compared with limit values included in the waste acceptance criteria (WAC). The analyses were extended towards specific organic compounds, such as individual phenolic compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). Organic compounds were found in eluates from both types of tests, showing the possibility to use these methods to evaluate the leaching of such compounds from waste materials. The use of authentic leachate as leachant, leads to increased concentrations of heavy metals in the eluate, compared to the prescribed use of demineralised water as leachant. Generally good agreement was found between the results of the two leaching methods. A strategy based on batch tests is described for investigation of a filter material for leachate treatment. Batch tests gave suitable information about the leaching from new and used material, and showed high removal efficiencies of metals and non-polar organic compounds. However, for investigation of removal of polar organic markers (e.g. phenolic compounds) a batch test is not sufficient and should be supplemented by a column test.
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| 4. |
- Ottosson, Niklas, et al.
(författare)
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On the Origins of Core-Electron Chemical Shifts of Small Biomolecules in Aqueous Solution : Insights from Photoemisson and ab Initio Calculations of Glycine(aq)
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society. - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 133:9, s. 3120-3130
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The local electronic structure of glycine in neutral, basic, and acidic aqueous solution is studied experimentally by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretically by molecular dynamics simulations accompanied by first-principle electronic structure and spectrum calculations. Measured and computed nitrogen and carbon is binding energies are assigned to different local atomic environments, which are shown to be sensitive to the protonation/deprotonation of the amino and carboxyl functional groups at different pH values. We report the first accurate computation of core-level chemical shifts of an aqueous solute in various protonation states and explicitly show how the distributions of photoelectron binding energies (core-level peak widths) are related to the details of the hydrogen bond configurations, i.e. the geometries of the water solvation shell and the associated electronic screening. The comparison between the experiments and calculations further enables the separation of protonation-induced (covalent) and solvent-induced (electrostatic) screening contributions to the chemical shifts in the aqueous phase. The present core-level line shape analysis facilitates an accurate interpretation of photoelectron spectra from larger biomolecular solutes than glycine.
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| 5. |
- Thornqvist, Viveca
(författare)
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Synthesis of Spiro-bicyclo[2.2.2]Octane Derivatives Towards the Development of Paclitaxel Mimetics
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Many of the drugs that are developed in the pharmaceutical industry have their origin in natural products. Paclitaxel, the active substance of the medicine Taxol, was found in the bark of the Pacific yew tree (Taxus brevifolia). This was discovered in the early 1960's when a screening program was initiated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the US, with the aim to find new natural products that could be of use in cancer treatment. The low yield of paclitaxel from the bark and the fact that the tree dies without its bark, together with the many positive reports on different types of tumors, lead to a massive effort to find new ways of producing paclitaxel. Production via total synthesis of this complex molecule is both complicated and expensive. However, the need could be satisfied via a semi synthetic route starting from a closely related analogue, which can be isolated from the leaves of the European yew (Taxus baccata). Today, paclitaxel is produced by plant tissue cultures and is used in the treatment of a variety of cancers. However, its use is limited due to severe side effects, low water solubility and resistance. The primary intention with the work presented in this thesis was to synthesize paclitaxel mimetics and to test them for biological activity. Paclitaxel mimetics can be described as synthetic, structurally simplified compounds which share paclitaxel's mechanism of action and that ideally show the same or improved activity. Compounds of this kind might become valuable tools for further investigations aimed at addressing the various concerns of paclitaxel. For the design of our paclitaxel mimetic, we searched for simple rigid skeletons that could replace paclitaxel's complex core structure. The geometry of the new structure had to be such, that when decorated with the pharmacophores (structural parts that are of importance for activity) of paclitaxel, they should have proper spatial arrangements. By molecular modelling we identified a spiro-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane framework to be a suitable core structure. In the course of our study, we successfully developed a synthesis of novel racemic bridgehead hydroxyl bicyclo[2.2.2]octane derivatives. This methodology was subsequently modified so as to allow the synthesis of both enantiomers of the bicyclic structures in high enantiomeric excess. In addition, a methodology for the spiro-annulation was developed. Functionalisation of the spiro-bicyclic core structure with the necessary paclitaxel pharmacophores, in order to obtain a testable mimetic, still remains to be completed.
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| 6. |
- Abrahamsson, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Steric influence on the excited-state lifetimes of ruthenium complexes with bipyridyl-alkanylene-pyridyl ligands.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : ACS. - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 47:9, s. 3540-3548
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The structural effect on the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited-state lifetime has been investigated in bis-tridentate Ru(II)-polypyridyl complexes based on the terpyridine-like ligands [6-(2,2'-bipyridyl)](2-pyridyl)methane (1) and 2-[6-(2,2'-bipyridyl)]-2-(2-pyridyl)propane (2). A homoleptic ([Ru(2)(2)](2+)) and a heteroleptic complex ([Ru(ttpy)(2)](2+)) based on the new ligand 2 have been prepared and their photophysical and structural properties studied experimentally and theoretically and compared to the results for the previously reported [Ru(1)(2)](2+). The excited-state lifetime of the homoleptic Ru-II complex with the isopropylene-bridged ligand 2 was found to be 50 times shorter than that of the corresponding homoleptic Ru-II complex of ligand 1, containing a methylene bridge. A comparison of the ground-state geometries of the two homoleptic complexes shows that steric interactions involving the isopropylene bridges make the coordination to the central Ru-II ion less octahedral in [Ru(2)(2)](2+) than in [Ru(1)(2))(2+). Calculations indicate that the structural differences in these complexes influence their ligand field splittings as well as the relative stabilities of the triplet metal-to-ligand charge transfer ((MLCT)-M-3) and metal-centered ((MC)-M-3) excited states. The large difference in measured excited-state lifetimes for the two homoleptic Ru-II complexes is attributed to a strong influence of steric interactions on the ligand field strength, which in turn affects the activation barriers for thermal conversion from (MLCT)-M-3 states to short-lived (MC)-M-3 states.
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| 7. |
- Bohlin, Christina, et al.
(författare)
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Product profiles in enzymic and non-enzymic oxidations of the lignin model compound erythro-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanediol
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Molecular Catalysis - B Enzymatic. - : Elsevier BV. - 1381-1177 .- 1873-3158. ; 35:4-6, s. 100-107
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The erythro form of the lignin model compound 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanediol (1) was oxidized with laccase/ABTS, lead(IV) tetraacetate (LTA), lignin peroxidase/H2O2, cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN) and Fenton's reagent. The product profiles obtained with the different oxidants were compared after separation, identification and quantification of the products using HPLC, UV-diode array detector and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in positive ionization mode. The oxidants generated different product profiles that reflected their different properties. Oxidation with laccase/ABTS resulted almost exclusively in formation of 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1-propanone (2). Oxidation with LTA resulted in more 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde (3) than ketone 2. Lignin peroxidase and CAN gave similar product profiles and aldehyde 3 was the predominant product (only small amounts of ketone 2 were formed). Oxidation with Fenton's reagent resulted in the formation of more aldehyde 3 than ketone 2 but the yields were very low. CAN served as an excellent model for the lignin peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation, while the laccase-mediator system, LTA and Fenton's reagent provided distinctly different product profiles. Erythro-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2,3-propanetriol was present among the products obtained on oxidation with LTA, lignin peroxidase, CAN and Fenton's reagent. The differences in redox potential between the oxidants afford an explanation of the diverse product patterns but other factors may also be of importance. The reactions leading to cleavage of the β-ether bond with formation of 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2,3-propanetriol (veratrylglycerol) were found to proceed without affecting the configuration at the β-carbon atom.
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| 8. |
- Delcey, Mickael G, 1988-, et al.
(författare)
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Soft X-ray signatures of cationic manganese–oxo systems, including a high-spin manganese(v) complex
- 2022
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 24:6, s. 3598-3610
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Limitations in synthesis of high-valent metal–oxo complexes are circumvented by trapping a series of ionic Mn–oxo complexes. One of them is a rare high-spin Mn(v)–oxo, which can serve as a template to identify similar intermediates in catalysis.
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| 9. |
- Barker, David, 1993, et al.
(författare)
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Filter function of graphene oxide: Trapping perfluorinated molecules
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 1089-7690 .- 0021-9606. ; 152:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We need clean drinking water, but current water purification methods are not always sufficient. This study examines the binding and binding mechanisms when graphene oxide is used as a filter material for removing perfluorinated substances and trihalomethanes. We use density functional theory calculations to examine the binding of the harmful molecules on graphene oxide. Our results indicate that the binding energies between graphene oxide and the investigated molecules are in the range of 370-1450 meV per molecule, similar to the binding energies obtained in other studies, where adsorption of similar size molecules onto graphene oxide has been investigated. This indicates that graphene oxide has the potential to separate the molecules of interest from the water. Significant contribution to the binding energies comes from the van der Waals (dispersion) interaction between the molecule and graphene oxide, while the hydrogen bonding between the functional groups of graphene oxide and the hydrogen atoms in functional groups on the molecules also plays a role in the binding.
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| 10. |
- Öhrn, Anders
(författare)
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Development and Application of a First Principle Molecular Model for Solvent Effects
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A considerable part of chemistry in nature and industry, takes place in an environment of other molecules. Reactions, transitions, interactions or other chemical processes are almost always modified by the environment. These modifications or environment effects depend ultimately on the interactions between the molecules, the so called intermolecular interactions. The special case of effects induced by a solvent, such as water, are called solvent effects, and are widely studied and used to fine-tune properties of chemical processes. In this thesis, solvent effects are studied theoretically. Fundamental questions of how certain effects come about, that is their molecular origin, can be addressed through computer simulations. A new model with this purpose is formulated in the thesis. The model is developed from fundamental relations and well-established knowledge of intermolecular interactions, statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. No experimental data are used as input into the model, rather the model proceeds from theoretical first principles. In the discussion of the model, special attention is given to the question of the balance between the various approximations. The model is found to accurately reproduce well-determined experimental data for a few test systems. The model is also used to study solvation and photophysical processes for which experiment is presently unable to elucidate the molecular origin. Noteworthy results from these studies are: asymmetric solvation of the quadrupolar para-benzoquinone, interface specific effects to the spectra of indole at the air/water interface, polarization-repulsion couplings in the solvation of monatomic ions and significant dependence of the molecular structure of urea on the properties of the environment.
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