Sonochemistry and sonoprocessing: the link, the trends and (probably) the future

Studies on the lipolytic activity of sonicated enzymes from Yarrowia lipolytica

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of sonication in releasing protein from a widespread lipase-producing yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica KKP 379, and to examine the impact of ultrasound waves generated in a horn-type sonicator on the lipolytic activity of Y. lipolytica in the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl laurate. In this paper, we focused on a few parameters of ultrasound cell disruption, such as the time of sonication, acoustic power, storage time of the frozen yeast biomass used in sonication and the solvent used to suspend the yeast cells which were considered as the most important part in the process of obtaining a biocatalyst from Y. lipolytica for organic synthesis. The most effective additive in protein release proved to be 2% Tween 80; other ideal parameters of the process were ultrasonic power at 150 W for 15 min and 9 weeks of frozen biomass storage time. The sonication parameters, which were the best for protein release, did not seem to be the most effective for obtaining high lipolytic activity due to denaturation as an effect of cavitation.

Cu(OAc)2/MCM-41: an efficient and solid acid catalyst for synthesis of 2-arylbenzothiazoles under ultrasound irradiation

A new, convenient method for the syntheses of 2-arylbenzothiazoles is described in the presence of catalytic amounts of Cu(OAc)(2)/MCM-41 under ultrasonic irradiation. Short reaction times, easy and quick isolation of the products, reusability of the catalyst and excellent yields are the main advantages of this procedure.

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of chrysin derivatives linked with 1,2,3-triazoles by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction between 7-(3-azidopropoxy)-5-hydroxyflavone and phenylacetylene was carried out to investigate the synthesis of 7-(3-(4-phenyl-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)propoxy)- 5-hydroxyflavone in presence of ultrasound (sono-synthesis) and absence of ultrasound (conventional method) under relatively optimized solvent and catalyst conditions. The reaction rate was notably accelerated with the help of ultrasound irradiation. An experiment was especially carried out for investigating the acceleration mechanism of ultrasound on the cycloaddition. A novel series of chrysin derivatives linked with 1,2,3-triazoles were obtained by the copper(I)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar Huisgen cycloaddition reaction using t-BuOH/H(2)O (1:1 v/v) as reaction solvents and CuSO(4)·5H(2)O/sodium ascorbate as the catalyst at room temperature in the presence of ultrasound irradiation. Their structures are elucidated by NMR, ESI MS, IR and Elemental analysis.

Ultrasound promoted facile synthesis of some pentafluoropyridine derivatives at ambient conditions

Some pentafluoropyridine derivatives have been synthesized by the reaction of pentafluoropyridine with appropriate mono and bidentate nucleophile under ultrasonic irradiation. This new methodology provides good to excellent yields in short reaction times (25-120 min) at room temperature.

New evidence for the inverse dependence of mechanical and chemical effects on the frequency of ultrasound

Acoustic cavitation has been the subject of research and discussion for many years and it is the underlying driving force for sonochemistry. The collapse of acoustic cavitation bubbles in water near to a surface can bring about significant surface modification in terms of the mechanical damage caused by the asymmetric collapse of the bubbles which cause erosion and abrasion. A second effect of acoustic cavitation is the formation of short lived radicals caused by the breakdown of water inside the bubble. For the first time the dependence of these effects has been observed on the surface of a plastic material as a function of ultrasonic frequency.

Ultrasound-promoted greener synthesis of benzoheterocycle derivatives catalyzed by nanocrystalline copper(II) oxide

CuO nanoparticles provide an efficient, economic, and novel method for the synthesis of quinoxaline, benzoxazine, and benzothiazine under ultrasonic irradiation. The protocol offers advantages in terms of higher yields, short reaction times, and mild reaction conditions, with reusability of the catalyst.

A facile synthesis of deuteroporphyrins derivatives under ultrasound irradiation

A facile, efficient and general method for preparing deuteroporphyrin derivatives by using concentrated H(2)SO(4) and alcohol under ultrasound irradiation has been developed. A series of new deuteroporphyrin derivatives bearing different propionic ester groups have been synthesized in good yields starting from readily accessible deuterohemin. The characterization of these compounds confirms the synthetic methodology. Compared with conventional methods, the main advantages of the present procedure are shorter reaction time and higher yields.

Sonochemical preparation of antimony subiodide

The substantiated isolation of the antimony subiodide (Sb(3)I) is presented for the first time. It has been prepared using elemental Sb and I in ethanol under ultrasonic irradiation at 323 K. Its composition was characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) investigations exhibit that the samples are made up of large quantity of nanoparticles with diameters smaller than 20 nm and single crystalline in nature. The interplanar spacings in Sb(3)I that have been determined using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and HRTEM are very similar. Surprisingly, the registered XRD patterns are identical to the one reported earlier for Sb(4)O(5)I(2).

Sonochemical growth of antimony sulfoiodide in multiwalled carbon nanotube

This paper presents for the first time the nanocrystalline, semiconducting ferroelectrics antimony sulfoiodide (SbSI) grown in multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It was prepared sonochemically using elemental Sb, S and I in the presence of methanol under ultrasonic irradiation (35kHz, 2.6W/cm(2)) at 323K for 3h. The CNTs filled with SbSI were characterized by using techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and optical diffuse reflection spectroscopy. These investigations exhibit that the SbSI filling the CNTs is single crystalline in nature and in the form of nanowires. It has indirect forbidden energy band gap E(gIf)=1.871(1)eV.

Extraction of bitumen, crude oil and its products from tar sand and contaminated sandy soil under effect of ultrasound

In the present paper, the kinetics of the water extraction of bitumen from tar sand and crude oil or residual fuel oil from model contaminated soils under the effect of ultrasound is studied. The influence of process temperature, ultrasound power, the nature, and properties of the components of heterogeneous mixtures being separated, and the concentration of added alkaline reagents on the rate and degree of oil recovery is investigated. A functional form of the dependencies of separation efficiency on the mean size of solid particles and the temperature of a working medium is found. Optimum concentrations of reagents in the process solution are determined. It is shown that the spent solution of sodium silicate can be multiply used for separation, its reuse even speeding up the yield of oil in the initial period. Taking into account obtained results, a multipurpose pilot plant with a flow-type reactor for ultrasonic extraction of petroleum and its products from contaminated soils was manufactured and tested. During tests, the purification of sandy soil contaminated with residual fuel oil was carried out which verified the results of laboratory studies.

Contamination-free high capacity converging waves sonoreactors for the chemical industry

A new sonoreactor technology is presented here which should give a decisive impulse to sonochemistry in various areas of chemical processing. These exclusive systems use high power converging acoustic waves in a tube to produce a relatively large volume confined acoustic cavitation zone in flowing liquid reagents under pressure. It is well known that numerous chemical reactions are strongly accelerated when they take place inside such a zone. The new cylindrical sonoreactors do not contaminate the processed liquids with erosion products as most other devices do since the cavitation zone is maintained away from the wall of the tube. The processing conditions can be widely varied with pressure, power, temperature, and flow rate. The processing capacity of the largest models may be up to several tons per hour, depending on the required cavitation energy per unit volume to produce the desired process enhancement, using an electric power input of about 50 kW.

Sonochemical preparation of SbSI gel

A novel sonochemical method for direct preparation of nanocrystalline antimony sulfoiodide (SbSI) has been established. The SbSI gel was synthesized using elemental Sb, S and I in the presence of ethanol under ultrasonic irradiation (35 kHz, 2 W/cm2) at 50 degrees C for 2 h. The products were characterized by using techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and optical diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS). The SEM and HRTEM investigations exhibit that the as-prepared samples are made up of large quantity nanowires with diameters of about 10-50 nm and lengths reaching up to several micrometers and single-crystalline in nature.

Sono-synthesis of imidazolidine-2-thione as a base compound of some pharmaceutical products

This work describes the results of investigations carried out to investigate the synthesis of imidazolidine-2-thione as a heterocyclic compound in the presence of ultrasound (sono-synthesis) and in the absence of ultrasound (conventional method). Instead of reflux in the conventional method, the mixture was sonicated indirectly in sono-synthetic method with 500 kHz at different temperatures. Some experiments were also carried out without catalyst with 500 and 900 kHz. In the conventional method, the yield of the reaction was increased by increasing the temperature but in sono-synthetic method, the thermal dependence was different in the range of temperature studied (10-50 degrees C). In the presence of ultrasound, the yield was reached to more than 93% after 1h but in the conventional method it reached only 27% under the same conditions. Comparison was carried out with and without catalyst. It is also possible to achieve a high yield of product under sonication without the use of a catalyst.

Degradation of the drug diclofenac in water by sonolysis in presence of catalysts

Diclofenac, as one of the most popular antiphlogistics, is produced in great quantities. Nowadays this drug is ubiquitously present in the aquatic environment due to its resistance to biodegradation. Degradation by ultrasonic irradiation is a possibility to eliminate diclofenac from water without the addition of chemicals. The sonolysis of diclofenac in water was investigated at ultrasound frequencies of 24 kHz, 216 kHz, 617 kHz, and 850 kHz and in the presence of various catalysts (TiO2, SiO2, SnO2, and titanosilicate). The degradation of diclofenac by sonolysis of an aqueous solution at 617 kHz followed first-order kinetics. Catalysts, especially TiO2 increased the rate of degradation. Within 30 min of irradiation, the relative concentration of diclofenac decreased from 100% to 16%. By HPLC and GC-MS methods, chlorinated anilines, phenols and carboxylic acid derivatives were detected as a result of the sonolysis. About 35% of organic chlorine was transformed into inorganic chloride. Most of the identified degradation products in the sonolysis of diclofenac were the same compounds that were detected during photo-oxidation experiments with this anti-inflammatory drug.

Sonochemistry and the environment - providing a "green" link between chemistry, physics and engineering

Environmental protection and green science have an integral association and yet both terms can mean different things to different people and both refer to methods of preventing or removing pollution. The former includes such things as the development of low pollution fuels (including the use of biodiesel and fuel cells for vehicles) and the search for cleaner synthetic routes in the chemical industry. The latter tends to be more closely associated with the clean-up of the environment e.g. the purification of water (chemical and biological), the decontamination of the atmosphere and soil. In this article recent developments in the application of ultrasound in both environmental protection and remediation will be considered.

Sonophotocatalytic oxidation of elemental sulphur on titanium dioxide

The effect of ultrasound on the photocatalytic oxidation kinetics of elemental sulphur particles catalyzed by titanium dioxide was studied using a conductivity method to follow the reaction. The simultaneous use of photocatalyst and ultrasound have a positive effect on the reaction. The zero-order oxidation rate constant of sulphur, reached after an activation period of approximately 150 min, was about 20 times higher when the reactor was sonicated, using an ultrasonic processor of 30 kHz, compared to the rate found in its absence. Finally, when the amount of sulphur is changed in the reactor, saturation kinetics seems to be the most appropriate model to describe the oxidation process in the presence of ultrasound and, in the other hand, when titanium dioxide was increased, a maximum rate was achieved when 0.56 g/L TiO2 were used.

Matching a transducer to water at cavitation: acoustic horn design principles

High-power ultrasound for several decades has been an integral part of many industrial processes conducted in aqueous solutions. Maximizing the transfer efficiency of the acoustic energy between electromechanical transducers and water at cavitation is crucial when designing industrial ultrasonic reactors with large active volumes. This can be achieved by matching the acoustic impedances of transducers to water at cavitation using appropriately designed ultrasonic horns. In the present work, a set of criteria characterizing the matching capabilities of ultrasonic horns is developed. It is shown that none of the commonly used tapered-shape horns can achieve the necessary conditions. An analytical method for designing five-element acoustic horns with the desirable matching properties is introduced, and five novel types of such horns, most suitable for practical applications, are proposed. An evaluation of the horns' performance is presented in a set of experiments, demonstrating the validity of the developed theoretical methodology. Power transfer efficiency increase by almost an order of magnitude is shown to be possible with the presented horn designs, as compared to those traditionally utilized.

Applications of a polymeric microgel template/ultrasonic degradation method: preparation of poly(sodium acrylate)/La(OH)3 nano-composites

A polymeric microgel template/ultrasonic degradation method for the preparation of organic-inorganic nano-composites is proposed and successfully used in the preparation of poly(sodium acrylate) (PAANa) and lanthanium hydroxide nano-composites (PAANa/La(OH)(3)). The nano-composites were prepared via three steps. La(NO(3))(3) was trapped within the PAANa microgels first, and then the metal ions within the microgels were hydrolyzed by slow introduction of ammonia. Finally, the composites of the micro-particles were degraded by ultrasonic treatment. The product was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The average diameter of the composites prepared in this way is about 50 nm and the size distribution of them is narrow. TGA analysis shows that the content of La(OH)(3) in the composites is about 20%.

Noninvasive field measurement of low-frequency ultrasonic transducers operating in sealed vessels

This paper describes a noninvasive technique utilizing the acousto-optic effect, laser interferometry, and tomographic principles that have been implemented to measure the acoustic fields generated by low-frequency ultrasonic transducers operating into sealed, water-loaded vessels commonly used in industrial processing applications. A customized scanning frame, incorporating both linear and rotational stages, has been developed to facilitate manipulation of the laser head and vessel under evaluation. First, transmitted pressure profiles in air are predicted from surface displacement data acquired directly by laser measurement of the vibrating aperture. These profiles were then used to verify the measured fields obtained via conventional tomographic scanning procedures, coupled with laser interferometry, applied within a draft-proof scanning facility under free-field conditions. Next, the finite element code PZF(lex) was employed for the prediction of pressure fields within cylindrical cell configurations. Finally, precise manipulation of the laser firing angle and position was implemented in order to compensate for the effects of refraction at the cell wall boundaries, and to re-establish the projections required for the reconstruction algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate good corroboration with the PZF(lex) predictions, validating its application of ultrasound as a virtual prototyping tool for the design of high power ultrasonic test vessels.

Sonochemical cycloadditions in ionic liquids. Lessons from model cases involving common dienes and carbonyl dienophiles

This contribution describes a series of sonochemical cycloadditions involving either cyclopentadiene or 1,3-cyclohexadiene with carbonyl dienophiles in an imidazolium-based ionic liquid as reaction medium. In general, ultrasound does effectively improve these processes in terms of higher yields and/or shorter reaction times when compared with the corresponding silent reactions. Stereoselectivities, however, remain practically unaffected by sonication. The role of ionic liquids under ultrasonic activation is also discussed.

Power ultrasound in organic synthesis: moving cavitational chemistry from academia to innovative and large-scale applications

Ultrasound, an efficient and virtually innocuous means of activation in synthetic chemistry, has been employed for decades with varied success. Not only can this high-energy input enhance mechanical effects in heterogeneous processes, but it is also known to induce new reactivities leading to the formation of unexpected chemical species. What makes sonochemistry unique is the remarkable phenomenon of cavitation, currently the subject of intense research which has already yielded thought-provoking results. This critical review is aimed at discussing the present status of cavitational chemistry and some of the underlying phenomena, and to highlight some recent applications and trends in organic sonochemistry, especially in combination with other sustainable technologies. (151 references.).

Ultrasonication-induced Amyloid Fibril Formation of β2-Microglobulin

To obtain insight into the mechanism of fibril formation, we examined the effects of ultrasonication, a strong agitator, on beta2-microglobulin (beta2-m), a protein responsible for dialysis-related amyloidosis. Upon sonication of an acid-unfolded beta2-m solution at pH 2.5, thioflavin T fluorescence increased markedly after a lag time of 1-2 h with a simultaneous increase of light scattering. Atomic force microscopy images showed the formation of a large number of short fibrils 3 nm in diameter. When the sonication-induced fibrils were used as seeds in the next seeding experiment at pH 2.5, a rapid and intense formation of long fibrils 3 nm in diameter was observed demonstrating seed-dependent fibril growth. We then examined the effects of sonication on the native beta2-m at neutral pH, conditions under which amyloid deposits occur in patients. In the presence of 0.5 mm sodium dodecyl sulfate, a model compound of potential trigger and stabilizer of amyloid fibrils in patients, a marked increase of thioflavin T fluorescence was observed after 1 day of sonication at pH 7.0. The products of sonication caused the accelerated fibril formation at pH 7.0. Atomic force microscopy images showed that the fibrils formed at pH 7.0 have a diameter of more than 7 nm, thicker than those prepared at pH 2.5. These results indicate that ultrasonication is one form of agitation triggering the formation of amyloid fibrils of beta2-m, producing fibrils adapted to the respective pH.

Characterization of a 20 kHz sonoreactor. Part I: analysis of mechanical effects by classical and numerical methods

Numerical simulations have been carried out in order to characterize the ultrasonic field propagation and to obtain the spatial distribution of the mechanical effect derived from it. The results have been compared with those obtained with different classical physical methods (calorimetry, aluminium foil erosion, thermal probes) and have given useful information about the influence of the presence of probes and auxiliary tools in the ultrasonic field. All these information have been used for the development of the Part II of this work: analysis of chemical effects, providing an accurate picture of the reaction environment in the sonoreactor used (20 kHz, 100 W supplied by Undatim) for further uses in sonoelectrochemical studies.