Joop A. Peters

The Reductive Amination of Aldehydes and Ketones and the Hydrogenation of Nitriles: Mechanistic Aspects and Selectivity Control

This review deals with two of the most commonly used methods for the preparation of amines: the reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones and the hydrogenation of nitriles. There is a great similarity betweenthese two methods, sin ce both have the imine as intermediate. However, due to the high reactivity of this intermediate, primary, secondary and/or tertiary amines are obtained (oftensimultan eously). The relationof the selectivity to different substrate structures and reaction condi- tions is briefly summarised, the main focus being on the catalyst as it is the most significant factor that governs the selectivity. Different mechanisms are discussed with the view to correlate the structure of the catalyst and, more particularly, the nature of the metal and the support with selectivity. The crucial point is the presumed location of the condensation and hydrogenation steps.

Studies on borate esters 1 : The ph dependence of the stability of esters of boric acid and borate in aqueous medium as studied by 11B NMR

The pH dependent stability of esters of boric acid and borate with glycol, glycolic acid, oxalic acid and glyceric acid as dihydroxy compounds has been studied. 11B NMR provides a suitable analytical tool for the quantitative determination and structure elucidation of the various esters in aqueous medium. The pH dependent stability of esters of boric acid and borate is formulated in a general rule of thumb: esters of boric acid and borate with dihydroxy compounds in aqueous medium show the highest stability at that pH where the sum of the charges of the free esterifying species is equal to the charge of the ester.

Studies on borate esters II: Structure and stability of borate esters of polyhydroxycarboxylates and related polyols in aqueous alkaline media as studied by 11B NMR

11B NMR data are presented for borate esters of a series of polyols and polyhydroxycarboxylates in aqueous alkaline solution. For each compound the prevailing borate mono- and diesters were identified. 11B chemical shifts and line widths together with the corresponding association constants have been determined. Empirical rules are put forward for predicting the 11B chemical shift, the relative stability and the structure of borate esters in aqueous media.

The structure and (local) stability constants of borate esters of mono- and di-saccharides as studied by 11B and 13C NMR spectroscopy

The formation of borate esters of various mono- and di-saccharides in aqueous solution was studied by 11B and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Association constants K(B-L) at a carbohydrate-borate molar ratio of 1:1, pH 7, and 25 degrees C were determined and compared with literature values obtained from potentiometry. The association constants K(B-L) were converted into local association constants Kloc(B-L) by using the distribution of the various anomeric forms in D2O. In this way, values of Kloc(B-L) were obtained, which appear to be characteristic of the configuration concerned. They explain the favourable effect of borate in the alkaline isomerisation of lactose into lactulose. At a low molar ratio (1:3) of carbohydrate-borate, predominantly diborate esters (B-)2L were formed.

Fine Tuning of the Relaxometry of γ-Fe2O3@SiO2 Nanoparticles by Tweaking the Silica Coating Thickness

We report the fine-tuning of the relaxometry of gamma-Fe2O3@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles by adjusting the thickness of the coated silica layer. It is clear that the coating thickness of Fe2O3@SiO2 nanoparticles has a significant impact on the r(1) (at low B0 fields), r(2), and r(2)* relaxivities of their aqueous suspensions. These studies clearly indicate that the silica layer is heterogeneous and has regions that are porous to water and others-that are not. It is also shown, that the viability and the mitochondrial dehydrogenase expression of the microglial cells do not appear to be sensitive to the vesicular load with these core-shell nanoparticles. The adequate silica-shell thickness can therefore be tuned to allow for both a sufficiently high response as contrast agent, and-adequate grafting of targeted biomolecules.

Zeolite GdNaY Nanoparticles with Very High Relaxivity for Application as Contrast Agents in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

In this paper we explore Gd(3+)-doped zeolite NaY nanoparticles for their potential application as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The nanoparticles have an average size of 80-100 nm, as determined by TEM and XRD. A powdered sample loaded with La3+ was characterised by means of multinuclear solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The NMR dispersion (NMRD) profiles obtained from aqueous suspensions of samples with Gd3+ doping ratios of 1.3-5.4 wt% were obtaining at different temperatures. The relaxivity increases drastically as the Gd3+ loading decreases, with values ranging between 11.4 and 37.7 s-1 mM-1 at 60 MHz and 37 degrees C. EPR spectra of aqueous suspensions of the samples suggest that an interaction between neighbouring Gd3+ ions within the same particle produces a significant increase in the transversal electronic relaxation rates in samples with a high Gd3+ content. The experimental NMRD and EPR data are explained with the use of a model that considers the system as a concentrated aqueous solution of Gd3+ in the interior of the zeolite that is in exchange with the bulk water outside the zeolite. The results obtained indicate that the Gd3+ ion is immobilised in the interior of the zeolite and that the relaxivity is mainly limited by the relatively slow diffusion of water protons from the pores of the zeolite channels into the bulk water.

Comparison of two MCM-41 grafted TEMPO catalysts in selective alcohol oxidation

A new heterogeneous system for catalytic oxidations has been developed by immobilising TEMPO onto ordered mesoporous silica (MCM-41-type). The immobilisation was performed according to different methods: (i) direct grafting of the silica surface with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyloxy-TEMPO obtained by coupling 4-hydroxy-TEMPO and allyl bromide followed by hydrosilylation; (ii) coupling of 4-carboxy-TEMPO with 3-aminopropylsilane previously grafted on the mesoporous silica surface; (iii) coupling of the N-succinimide ester of 4-carboxy-TEMPO with the same previously grafted 3-aminopropylsilane. Efficiency and anchoring of the TEMPO were studied by various spectroscopic techniques. The textural characteristics of the mesoporous support were preserved during the different modifications. Catalytic tests on the use of the materials in the oxidation of primary alcohols proved their activity and stability under the reaction conditions.

One-step synthesis of a highly active, mesoporous, titanium-containing silica by using bifunctional templating.

A highly active, three-dimensional, mesoporous titanosilica, TiTUD-1, with comparable properties to Ti-grafted mesoporous silica MCM-41, has been prepared in a one-step synthesis. A non-surfactant chemical, triethanolamine, was used as a template molecule. Triethanolamine easily forms complexes with titanium alkoxides, yielding titanatrane complexes, which together with free triethanolamine form meso-sized aggregates that template mesopores upon increasing the temperature of the synthesis mixture. Triethanolamine served as both mesopore template and ligand for the titanium complexes, which represent the majority of the catalytic-site precursors. The formation of the silica network and the titanium insertion were followed by a combination of diffuse reflectance UV/ Vis/NIR and FTIR spectroscopy. A titanium-rich phase was obtained on the mesopore surfaces during calcination, allowing for easy accessibility of the reactants to the catalytic sites. TiTUD-1 is about six times more active than framework-substituted Ti-MCM-41 and has similar activity to Ti-grafted MCM-41.

Tuning of the size of Dy2O3 nanoparticles for optimal performance as an MRI contrast agent.

The transverse 1H relaxivities of aqueous colloidal solutions of dextran coated Dy2O3 nanoparticles of different sizes were investigated at magnetic field strengths (B) between 7 and 17.6 T. The particle size with the maximum relaxivity (r2) appears to vary between 70 nm at 7 T (r2 approximately = 190 s(-1) mM(-1)) and 60 nm at 17.6 T (r2 approximately = 675 s(-1) mM(-1)). A small difference between r2 and r2* was observed, which was ascribed to the effect of the dextran coating. The value of r2 is proportional to B2 up to 12 T after which it saturates. Independent magnetization measurements on these particles at room temperature at magnetic field strengths up to 30 T, however, show a typical paramagnetic behavior with a magnetization of the particle that is proportional to the field strength. The saturation in the curve of r2 as a function of B2 was tentatively explained by the presence of an extremely fast relaxing component of the signal at high field strengths, which is not observable on the NMR time scale. The results of this study can be exploited for the rational design of MRI contrast agents, based on lanthanide oxide particles, with high efficiencies at magnetic field strengths of more than 1.5 T.

Evaluation of [Ln(H2cmp)(H2O)] Metal Organic Framework Materials for Potential Application as Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents

Aqueous suspensions of metal organic frameworks (MOF) containing different Ln(3+) ions, consisting of a series of layered Ln(3+) networks formulated as [Ln(H(2)cmp)(H(2)O)] (where H(5)cmp is (carboxymethyl)iminodi(methylphosphonic acid), with a relatively wide size distribution (400 nm to 1 microm) were studied by relaxometry. The water (1)H longitudinal (r(1)) and transverse (r(2)) relaxivities were obtained for aqueous suspensions of these materials with different lanthanide ions. The values of r(1) are very small and varied only slightly with the effective magnetic moment (mu(eff)) of the lanthanide ions, while r(2) values are larger and proportional to the value of mu(eff)(2). The dependence of R(2) on tau(CP) (the time interval between two consecutive refocusing pulses in the train of 180 degrees pulses applied in a CPMG pulse sequence) was evaluated. The value of R(2) initially increases with tau(CP) and then saturates at higher tau(CP) at a value that is about 3 to 5 times lower than R(2p)*. This can be explained by the static dephasing regime (SDR) theory, in which the diffusion effect is taken into account and where the condition tau(D) > Delta omega(r(p))(-1) holds (tau(D) = r(p)(2)/D, where D is the diffusion coefficient, r(p) is the radius of the particle, and Delta omega(r(p)) is the Larmor frequency shift at the particles surface). Separation of the particles into two fractions with different particle sizes led to a significant enhancement of the r(2) relaxivity of the smaller particles with a narrow size distribution. Magnetometric measurements performed with the particles containing Dy(III), Ho(III), and Gd(III) showed a typical paramagnetic behavior from 4 to 100 K, used to determine the Curie constants.