RESUMO
During engine tests, it has been observed that the combined use of molybdenum dithiocarbamates (MoDTC) and methylene-bis(dithiocarbamates) (MBDTC) in formulated engine oils resulted in better fuel efficiency, keeping the friction coefficient stable at low values for a longer period of time as compared to the same oil devoid of MBDTC. Therefore, the interactions between MBDTC and MoDTC have been investigated at the molecular level. The qualitative and quantitative evolution of MoDTC in two engine oils similarly formulated, but with and without MBDTC, were compared during engine tests using a specifically developed high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analytical method. Parallel to the molecular study, the evolution of the friction coefficients of both lubricants as well as the evolution of the fuel consumption of the engine were determined. The combined use of MoDTC and MBDTC was shown to exhibit better fuel efficiency and to maintain a relatively low friction coefficient for longer periods of time as compared to the oil devoid of MBDTC. It could be determined that the enhanced performances observed were presumably related to an extension of the lifetime of MoDTC in the engine oil containing MBDTC. Since the MoDTC remaining at the end of the engine test in oil containing MBDTC exclusively bear ligands corresponding to the dithiocarbamate moieties of MBDTC, it can be concluded that the prolonged existence of MoDTC was due to the progressive replacement of the degraded dithiocarbamate ligands on MoDTC educts by those released from MBDTC during engine functioning. As a result, the concentrations of MoDTC could be maintained at a useful level for a longer period in the engine oil containing MBDTC, leading to better fuel consumption performances.
RESUMO
Molybdenum dithiocarbamates (MoDTC) are widely used in automotive industries as lubricant additives to reduce friction and to enhance fuel economy. Sulfur-containing additives such as zinc dithiophosphates (ZnDTP) are proposed to play a key role in the improvement of friction reducing properties of MoDTC in formulated lubricants by facilitating the formation of MoS2 tribofilm at the rubbing contacts. This study focuses on the interactions between MoDTC and ZnDTP under conditions comparable with those prevailing in operating engines. The capacity of ZnDTP to sulfurize MoDTC in solution in a hydrocarbon base oil could be demonstrated. Sulfurized Mo complexes bearing one or two additional sulfur atoms (1S-MoDTC and 2S-MoDTC, respectively) which have replaced the genuine oxygen atom(s) from the MoDTC core were detected and quantified using a specifically developed HPLC-MS analytical method. A possible sulfurization mechanism relying on the higher affinity of phosphorus from ZnDTP for oxygen could be proposed. In parallel, the evolution and molecular transformation of the prepared 2S-MoDTC in hydrocarbon base oil under thermal and thermo-oxidative conditions were followed using HPLC-MS and compared with the evolution of their friction coefficients. 2S-MoDTC complexes were shown to exhibit a better retention of friction reducing capability under oxidative conditions than the "classical" MoDTC, although they did not seem to significantly reduce the friction coefficients of lubricants as compared to the "classical" MoDTC. Therefore, sulfurization of MoDTC by ZnDTP might contribute to delaying the progressive consumption of MoDTC and the loss of their friction-reducing efficiency in lubricants under thermo-oxidative conditions.
RESUMO
The tribological performances of engine oils have been shown to be enhanced by the synergistic interactions between Mo dithiocarbamates (Mo(DTC)2) with other additives, and notably Zn dithiophosphates (Zn(DTP)2). Being two key components in formulated lubricants, a detailed understanding of the mechanisms involved between these two types of additives is needed to develop engine oils with enhanced friction reduction performances, and improved fuel economy. In this context, we report here the investigation at the molecular level of the interactions between Mo and Zn complexes with DTC and DTP ligands using laboratory experiments. Our analytical approach comprised NMR spectroscopy (1H, 13C, 31P) allowing direct investigation of both homoleptic and heteroleptic Mo and Zn complexes as well as a specifically-developed HPLC-MS method for the investigation of the different DTC species formed during lubricant ageing experiments. The results showed that ligand exchange reactions between Mo(DTP)2 and Zn(DTC)2 complexes strongly favor the migration of the DTC ligands from Zn to Mo, illustrating the higher affinity of Mo for DTC ligands. In the case of binary mixtures involving Mo(DTC)2 and Zn(DTP)2 - a combination of additives frequently used in formulated lubricants - the formation of mixed complexes (Mo(DTC)(DTP)) resulting from ligand exchange reactions could be directly evidenced for the first time by the analytical methods used. These species could account, at least to some extent, for the synergistic effect of Mo(DTC)2 and Zn(DTP)2 on the friction reducing properties of engine oils. However, they were formed in significantly lower proportions than those previously reported in the literature using indirect methods.
RESUMO
Spurred on by the recent emerging interest from the chemical community for unsaturated four-membered heterocycles, an unprecedented approach to nitrogen-containing four-membered rings has been designed. 3,4-Disubstituted 2-azetines were synthesized from commercially available substrates, allowing for a straightforward access to a new library of chiral functionalized azetidines and amino alcohols. This original approach was applied to efficiently prepare functionalized azobenzenes, an emerging class of molecules with a large potential in photopharmacology.