Low-Temperature Pack Aluminization Process on Pipeline Steel To Inhibit Asphaltene Deposition.

Asphaltene deposition in petroleum refineries is known to be problematic as it reduces efficiency and may lead to structural failure or production downtime. Though several successful approaches have been utilized to limit deposition through the addition of dispersants and inhibitors to petroleum, these methods require constant intervention and are often expensive. In this study, we demonstrate an innovative technique to engineer the surface chemistry of pipeline steels to inhibit asphaltene deposition. Pack aluminization, a standard industrial-scale chemical vapor deposition process, is employed at a low temperature of 600 °C to aluminize API 5L X65 high strength pipe steel substrates. The results showed deposit-free steel surfaces after high-pressure and high-temperature fouling experiments. The improvement is attributed to the formation of an aluminide intermetallic phase of Fe2Al5, which changes the native oxide chemistry to favor alumina over hematite. The continuous passivating oxide scale, acting as a protective barrier, mitigates asphaltene deposition and sulfidic corrosion. Because this process is based on alloying the surface of the steel and is not a coating with a weakly adhered interface, it is not prone to delamination, and it can be re-formed when damaged within the aluminized region. The combination of low-cost processing and improved antifouling characteristics makes surface chemistry modification of steel a promising preventative approach against asphaltene deposition.

Initial Studies Directed toward the Rational Design of Aqueous Graphene Dispersants.

This study presents preliminary experimental data suggesting that sodium 4-(pyrene-1-yl)butane-1-sulfonate (PBSA), 5, an analogue of sodium pyrene-1-sulfonate (PSA), 1, enhances the stability of aqueous reduced graphene oxide (RGO) graphene dispersions. We find that RGO and exfoliated graphene dispersions prepared in the presence of 5 are approximately double the concentration of those made with commercially available PSA, 1. Quantum mechanical and molecular dynamics simulations provide key insights into the behavior of these molecules on the graphene surface. The seemingly obvious introduction of a polar sulfonate head group linked via an appropriate alkyl spacer to the aromatic core results in both more efficient binding of 5 to the graphene surface and more efficient solvation of the polar head group by bulk solvent (water). Overall, this improves the stabilization of the graphene flakes by disfavoring dissociation of the stabilizer from the graphene surface and inhibiting reaggregation by electrostatic and steric repulsion. These insights are currently the subject of further investigations in an attempt to develop a rational approach to the design of more effective dispersing agents for rGO and graphene in aqueous solution.

Recombinant silicateins as model biocatalysts in organosiloxane chemistry.

The family of silicatein enzymes from marine sponges (phylum Porifera) is unique in nature for catalyzing the formation of inorganic silica structures, which the organisms incorporate into their skeleton. However, the synthesis of organosiloxanes catalyzed by these enzymes has thus far remained largely unexplored. To investigate the reactivity of these enzymes in relation to this important class of compounds, their catalysis of Si-O bond hydrolysis and condensation was investigated with a range of model organosilanols and silyl ethers. The enzymes' kinetic parameters were obtained by a high-throughput colorimetric assay based on the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl silyl ethers. These assays showed unambiguous catalysis with kcat/Km values on the order of 2-50 min-1 µM-1 Condensation reactions were also demonstrated by the generation of silyl ethers from their corresponding silanols and alcohols. Notably, when presented with a substrate bearing both aliphatic and aromatic hydroxy groups the enzyme preferentially silylates the latter group, in clear contrast to nonenzymatic silylations. Furthermore, the silicateins are able to catalyze transetherifications, where the silyl group from one silyl ether may be transferred to a recipient alcohol. Despite close sequence homology to the protease cathepsin L, the silicateins seem to exhibit no significant protease or esterase activity when tested against analogous substrates. Overall, these results suggest the silicateins are promising candidates for future elaboration into efficient and selective biocatalysts for organosiloxane chemistry.

Crystal structure of catena-poly[hemi[1,3-bis-(2,6-diisoprop-ylphenyl)imidazolium] [[µ3-acetato-κ(3) O:O:O'-tri-µ2-acetato-κ(6) O:O'-dicopper(II)(Cu-Cu)]-µ-chlorido] di-chloro-methane sesqui-solvate].

The title copper(II) complex, {(C27H37N2)[Cu4(CH3COO)8Cl]·3CH2Cl2} n , is a one-dimensional coordination polymer. The asymmetric unit is composed of a copper(II) tetra-acetate paddle-wheel complex, a Cl(-) anion situated on a twofold rotation axis, half a 1,3-bis-(2,6-diisoprop-ylphenyl)imidazolium cation (the whole mol-ecule being generated by twofold rotation symmetry) and one and a half of a di-chloro-methane solvent mol-ecule (one being located about a twofold rotation axis). The central metal-organic framework comprises of a tetra-nuclear copper(II) acetate 'paddle-wheel' complex which arises from the dimerization of the copper(II) tetra-acetate core comprising of three µ2-bidentate acetate and one µ3-tridentate acetate ligands per binuclear paddle-wheel complex. Both Cu(II) atoms of the binuclear component adopt a distorted square-pyramidal coordination geometry (τ = 0.04), with a Cu⋯Cu separation of 2.6016 (2) Å. The apical coordination site of one Cu(II) atom is occupied by an O atom of a neighbouring acetate bridge [Cu-O = 2.200 (2) Å], while that of the second Cu(II) atom is occupied by a bridging chloride ligand [Cu⋯Cl = 2.4364 (4) Å]. The chloride bridge is slightly bent with respect to the Cu⋯Cu inter-nuclear axis [Cu-Cl-Cu = 167.06 (6)°] and the tetra-nuclear units are located about a twofold rotation axis, forming the one-dimensional polymer that propagates along [101]. Charge neutrality is maintained by the inclusion of the 1,3-bis-(2,6-diisoprop-ylphenyl)imidazolium cation within the crystal lattice. In the crystal, the cation and di-chloro-methane solvent mol-ecules are linked to the coordin-ation polymer by various C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds. There are no other significant inter-molecular inter-actions present.

Non-linear, cata-Condensed, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Materials: A Generic Approach and Physical Properties.

A generic approach to the regiospecific synthesis of halogenated polycyclic aromatics is made possible by the one- or two-directional benzannulation reactions of readily available (ortho-allylaryl)trichloroacetates (the "BHQ" reaction). Palladium-catalysed cross-coupling reactions of the so-formed haloaromatics enable the synthesis of functionalised polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with surgical precision. Overall, this new methodology enables the facile mining of chemical space in search of new electronic functional materials.

A synthetic approach to novel carvotacetone and antheminone analogues with anti-tumour activity.

A synthetic approach to analogues of the terpenoid natural product antheminone A is described which employs (-)-quinic acid as starting material. A key conjugate addition step proved to be unpredictable regarding its stereochemical outcome however the route allowed access to two diastereoisomeric series of compounds. The results of biological assay of the toxicity of the target compounds towards non-small-cell lung cancer cell line A549 are reported.

An Approach to the Synthesis of Functionalized Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

The application of a new benzannulation reaction for the regiocontrolled synthesis of functionalized chrysenes is reported. The initial benzannulation and the subsequent halogen displacement reactions are both highly regiospecific, which thereby enables the regiocontrolled synthesis of a variety of 4,10-disubstituted chrysenes from commercially available 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene.

First structurally confirmed example of the formation of a gold(III) carbon bond via transmetallation with a boroxine.

Cyclometallated gold(III) complexes containing functionalised (2-dimethylaminomethyl)phenyl ligands have been prepared by transmetallation from boroxines to sodium tetrachloroaurate.