Noncatalytic kinetic study on site-selective H/D exchange reaction of phenol in sub- and supercritical water

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis of Hydrothermal Reactions of Ethyl- and Octylamine in Sub- and Supercritical Water

Hydrothermal reactions of aliphatic amines have recently gained importance in relation to the application of amines as film-forming corrosion inhibitors for steam-water cycles. The kinetics and mechanism of the hydrothermal reactions of ethylammomiun cation (EtAH⁺) and n-octylammonium cation (OctAH⁺) were studied for comparison with the corresponding neutral amines to elucidate their reaction products and pathways at sub- and supercritical temperatures of 300-400 °C as model reactions of aliphatic ammonium cations. We analyzed the reaction of ¹³C-¹⁵N-labeled EtAH⁺ using NMR spectroscopy and revealed that the initial hydrolysis to ethanol, known as the main path, is followed by the elimination reaction producing ethene and the disproportionation reaction giving diethylammonium cation. The OctAH⁺ yields octene and octanol, each of which isomerizes to thermodynamically more stable species as the major products. Comparisons were made between the reactions of the neutral amines and ammonium cations to highlight their different reactivity. The hydrolysis, alkene formation, and dehydration of alcohols to alkenes were all found to be accelerated at low pH. The formation of low-molecular-weight organic acids such as acetic acid and formic acid was not observed. These results indicate that the corrosion protection effect of film-forming amines will be maintained under practical conditions with pH values as high as around 9 to 10, and hence side reactions involving byproducts will be suppressed.

Separation processes for organic molecules using SCF Technologies

Supercritical fluids have been applied for many years for the separation of solutes from solids or solute mixtures in both exploratory and industrial applications. In the pharmaceutical industry the generation of pure solid states without impurities is important as the presence of impurities can result in a change in chemical properties or lead to physical instability. The literature on the separation and purification of solutes from solid matrices and solute mixtures using supercritical fluids, with the main emphasis on pharmaceutically important molecules, is reviewed in this article. Also discussed is the application of supercritical fluids in the control of process impurities such as chemical intermediates and residual solvent and in polymorphic control and chiral resolution. As the generation of organic molecules of pharmaceutical interest with high purity is important in pharmaceuticals this review additionally provides a brief overview of highly selective chemical reactions in supercritical fluids.

Mechanisms and kinetics of noncatalytic ether reaction in supercritical water. 2. Proton-transferred fragmentation of dimethyl ether to formaldehyde in competition with hydrolysis

Noncatalytic reaction pathways and rates of dimethyl ether (DME) in supercritical water are determined in a tube reactor made of quartz according to liquid- and gas-phase 1H and 13C NMR observations. The reaction is studied at two concentrations (0.1 and 0.5 M) in supercritical water at 400 degrees C and over a water-density range of 0.1-0.6 g/cm3. The supercritical water reaction is compared with the neat one (in the absence of solvent) at 0.1 M and 400 degrees C. DME is found to decompose through (i) the proton-transferred fragmentation to methane and formaldehyde and (ii) the hydrolysis to methanol. Formaldehyde from reaction (i) is consecutively subjected to four types of redox reactions. Two of them proceed even without solvent: (iii) the unimolecular proton-transferred decarbonylation forming hydrogen and carbon monoxide and (iv) the bimolecular self-disproportionation generating methanol and carbon monoxide. When the solvent water is present, two additional paths are open: (v) the bimolecular self-disproportionation of formaldehyde with reactant water, producing methanol and formic acid, and (vi) the bimolecular cross-disproportionation between formaldehyde and formic acid, yielding methanol and carbonic acid. Methanol is produced through the three types of disproportionations (iv)-(vi) as well as the hydrolysis (ii). The presence of solvent water decelerates the proton-transferred fragmentation of DME; the rate constant is reduced by 40% at 0.5 g/cm3. This is caused by the suppression of low-frequency concerted motion corresponding to the reaction coordinate for the simultaneous C-O bond scission and proton transfer from one methyl carbon to the other. In contrast to the proton-transferred fragmentation, the hydrolysis of DME is markedly accelerated by increasing the water density. The latter becomes more important than the former in supercritical water at densities greater than 0.5 g/cm3.

Mechanisms and Kinetics of Noncatalytic Ether Reaction in Supercritical Water. 1. Proton-Transferred Fragmentation of Diethyl Ether to Acetaldehyde in Competition with Hydrolysis

Noncatalytic reaction pathways and rates of diethyl ether in supercritical water are determined in a quartz capillary by observing the liquid- and gas-phase 1H and 13C NMR spectra. The reaction is investigated at two concentrations (0.1 and 0.5 M) in supercritical water at 400 degrees C and over a water-density range of 0.2-0.6 g/cm3, and in subcritical water at 300 and 350 degrees C. The neat reaction (in the absence of solvent) is also studied for comparison at 0.1 M and 400 degrees C. The ether is found to decompose through (i) the proton-transferred fragmentation to ethane and acetaldehyde and (ii) the hydrolysis to ethanol. Acetaldehyde from reaction (i) is consecutively subjected to the unimolecular and bimolecular redox reactions: (iii) the unimolecular proton-transferred decarbonylation forming methane and carbon monoxide, (iv) the bimolecular self-disproportionation producing ethanol and acetic acid, and (v) the bimolecular cross-disproportionation yielding ethanol and carbonic acid. Reactions (ii), (iv), and (v) proceed only in the presence of hot water. Ethanol is produced through the two types of disproportionations and the hydrolysis. The proton-transferred fragmentation is the characteristic reaction at high temperatures and is much more important than the hydrolysis at densities below 0.5 g/cm3. The proton-transferred fragmentation of ether and the decarbonylation of aldehyde are slightly suppressed by the presence of water. The hydrolysis is markedly accelerated by increasing the water density: the rate constant at 400 degrees C is 2.5 x 10(-7) s(-1) at 0.2 g/cm3 and 1.7 x 10(-5) s(-1) at 0.6 g/cm3. The hydrolysis becomes more important in the ether reaction than the proton-transferred fragmentation at 0.6 g/cm3. In subcritical water, the hydrolysis path is dominant at 300 degrees C (0.71 g/cm3), whereas it becomes less important at 350 degrees C (0.57 g/cm3). Acetic acid generated by the self-disproportionation autocatalyzes the hydrolysis at a higher concentration. Thus, the pathway preference can be controlled by the water density, reaction temperature, and initial concentration of diethyl ether.