Lowering water's octane.
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A life cycle assessment has been done to compare the potential environmental impacts of various gasoline blends that meet octane and vapor pressure specifications. The main blending components of alkylate, cracked gasoline, and reformate have different octane and vapor pressure values as well as different potential environmental impacts. Because the octane and vapor pressure values are nonlinearly related to impacts, the results of this study show that some blends are better for the environment than others. To determine blending component compositions, simulations of a reformer were done at various operating conditions. The reformate products of these simulations had a wide range of octane values and potential environmental impacts. Results of the study indicate that for low-octane gasoline (95 Research Octane Number), lower reformer temperatures and pressures generally decrease the potential environmental impacts. However, different results are obtained for high-octane gasoline (98 RON), where increasing reformer temperatures and pressures increase the reformate octane values faster than the potential environmental impacts. The higher octane values for reformate allow blends to have less reformate, and therefore high-octane gasoline can have lower potential environmental impacts when the reformer is operated at higher temperatures and pressures. In the blends studied, reformate and cracked gasoline have the highest total impacts, of which photochemical ozone creation is the largest contributor (assuming all impact categories are equally weighted). Alkylate has a much lower total potential environmental impact but does have higher impact values for human toxicity by ingestion, aquatic toxicity, terrestrial toxicity, and acidification. Therefore, depending on environmental priorities, different gasoline blends and operating conditions should be chosen to meet octane and vapor pressure specifications.
Several lines of evidence suggest that odorants are recognized through a combinatorial process in the olfactory system; a single odorant is recognized by multiple receptors and multiple odorants are recognized by the same receptor. However few details of how this might actually function for any particular odour set or receptor family are available. Approaching the problem from the ligands rather than the receptors, we used the response to a common odorant, octanal, as the basis for defining multiple receptor profiles. Octanal and other aldehydes induce large EOG responses in the rodent olfactory epithelium, suggesting that these compounds activate a large number of odour receptors (ORs). Here, we have determined and compared the pharmacological profile of different octanal receptors using Ca(2+) imaging in isolated olfactory sensory neurones (OSNs). It is believed that each OSN expresses only one receptor, thus the response profile of each cell corresponds to the pharmacological profile of one particular receptor. We stimulated the cells with a panel of nine odorants, which included octanal, octanoic acid, octanol and cinnamaldehyde among others (all at 30microM). Cluster analysis revealed several distinct pharmacological profiles for cells that were all sensitive to octanal. Some receptors had a broad molecular range, while others were activated only by octanal. Comparison of the profiles with that of the one identified octanal receptor, OR-I7, indicated several differences. While OR-I7 is activated by low concentrations of octanal and blocked by citral, other receptors were less sensitive to octanal and not blocked by citral. A lower estimate for the maximal number of octanal receptors is between 33 and 55. This large number of receptors for octanal suggests that, although the peripheral olfactory system is endowed with high sensitivity, discrimination among different compounds probably requires further central processing.
Gelatin-containing microemulsion based organogels have been used as an immobilisation matrix for lipases from a number of different sources. Kinetic resolutions of octan-3-ol, 1-octen-3-ol and 1-octyn-3-ol by esterification with decanoic acid have been performed using Chromobacterium viscosum (CV) lipase. CV lipase is highly enantioselective in favour of the (R)-(-) isomer of octan-3-ol, but the enantioselectivity is both reversed and decreased by the introduction of unsaturation at the 1-position. Marked improvements in enantioselectivity were achieved by carrying out the reaction at -15 degrees C, the enantiomeric excess of the ester product increasing from 47% (E = 3) to 73% (E = 8) in the case of 1-octen-3-ol, and from 17% (E = 1.4) to 38% (E = 2.5) in the case of 1-octyn-3-ol. The enantiomeric excess was approximately 85% (E approximately 15) for octan-3-ol, and there was no marked improvement in enantioselectivity even at -15 degrees C. Apparent activation energies for the esterification using decanoic acid of octan-3-ol, 1-octen-3-ol and 1-octyn-3-ol by CV lipase were 32 kJ mol-1, 31 kJ mol-1 and 41 kJ mol-1, respectively. This compares to an activation energy of 21 kJ mol-1 for the esterification of octan-1-ol with decanoic acid using CV lipase under the same conditions. Lipases from Pseudomonas (Fluka), Pseudomonas (Genzyme) and lipoprotein lipase ex Microbial (Genzyme) also selectively esterified the (R)-(-) isomer of racemic octan-3-ol, the two Pseudomonas preparations yielding product with an enantiomeric excess of 90%. Candida cylindracea lipase did not exhibit activity in gelatin-containing MBGs. Large-scale syntheses were performed in a 1 dm3 batch reactor in which 200 cm3 of pelleted MBG (containing 350 mg of CV lipase) was used repeatedly for the kinetic resolution of octan-3-ol.
A new, analytically valid procedure is described to assess the exposure of human beings to the so-called microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) in air. The method can be used routinely for large sample numbers and is especially valuable as a basis for further research on the correlation between single MVOCs and indoor mould growth. The procedure is based on the fact that fungi produce a variety of volatile organic compounds, such as 3-methylbutan-1-ol, 3-methylbutan-2-ol, fenchone, heptan-2-one, hexan-2-one, octan-3-one, octan-3-ol, pentan-2-ol, alpha-terpineol, and thujopsene, which they emit into the indoor environment. Using diffusive samplers, these MVOCs are adsorbed onto charcoal during a sampling interval of four weeks. The described method is thus superior to existing methods which use short-term active sampling. After desorption with carbon disulfide, the MVOCs were determined by dual-column gas chromatography with flame ionization detection using the large-volume injection technique for sample introduction. The detection limits ranged between 0.15 and 0.53 microgram m-3, within-series precision was found to range between 6.5 and 19.0%, and recovery was between 77 and 118%. The procedure has been successfully applied in the context of a large field study to measure the indoor MVOC exposure in children's rooms of 132 dwellings. The objective of the study was to examine the relation between indoor mould growth, the indoor MVOC exposure and the prevalence of adverse health effects. Information about mould formation has been obtained by a questionnaire and by the determination of colony forming units of mould fungi in mattress dust. With the exception of 3-methylbutan-2-ol, fenchone, nonan-2-one, octan-2-one, and thujopsene, indoor air concentrations of all MVOCs under investigation were significantly higher inside damp and mouldy dwellings. From the primary MVOCs under investigation, 3-methylbutan-1-ol, hexan-2-one, heptan-2-one, and octan-3-ol were found to be most reliable indicators for mould formation. A correlation was also found between selected MVOCs and the occurrence of mould species in mattress dust. Aspergillus sp. correlated with heptan-2-one, hexan-2-one, octan-3-ol, octan-3-one, and alpha-terpineol, while the occurrence of Eurotium sp. was correlated with higher indoor air concentrations of 3-methylbutan-1-ol, 3-methylbutan-2-ol, heptan-2-one, hexan-2-one, octan-3-ol, and thujopsene. Children living in dwellings with elevated MVOC levels had a higher prevalence of asthma, hay fever, wheezing, and irritations of the eyes. These positive associations persisted after controlling for confounding factors such as age, sex, body-mass index, number of siblings, social status, passive smoking, type of heating, and ventilation habits. However, they were not statistically significant. This lack of significance may be a result of the small number of investigated samples.
To evaluate the effect of straight-chain alkanes on normal detoxication reactions, we studied the in vitro effect of the homologous series n-hexane through n-dodecane on two cytochrome P-450 (EC 1.14.14.1) enzyme activities. Benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase (BaPOHase) and 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase activities were measured in liver and lung microsomes of control and beta-naphthoflavone-treated rats. In the presence of 2 mM n-hexane through n-dodecane, liver BaPOHase activity decreased from 67% of control with n-dodecane to 21% of control with octane. Lung benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase was insensitive to all tested alkanes at 2 mM. In the presence of 2 mM alkanes, liver 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase activity decreased from 73% of control with n-octane to 28% with n-octane. Lung 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase was also sensitive to the alkane series. In the presence of 2 mM alkane the greatest effect was obtained with n-octane and represented a 56% loss in activity. Alkane concentration-dependence measurements showed 0.02-0.20 mM as the sensitive region of the curve for n-octane with maximal loss of activity achieved at 0.20 mM. Liver ethoxycoumarin deethylase activity from beta-naphthoflavone-treated rats was less sensitive towards the reactive alkane, n-octane, than the activity from control rats. Double-reciprocal-plot analysis revealed the maximal velocity (Vmax) was decreased in the presence of 0.2 mM n-octane. Hence this hydrocarbon did not exert its effect solely as an alternate substrate. The data show the n-alkanes, n-hexane through n-dodecane, interfered with a normal detoxication pathway in a manner that was chainlength-dependent, tissue-specific, and dependent on the preexposure history of the animal.
A microbial whole-cell biosensor was developed, and its potential to measure water-dissolved concentrations of middle-chain-length alkanes and some related compounds by bioluminescence was characterized. The biosensor strain Escherichia coli DH5 alpha(pGEc74, pJAMA7) carried the regulatory gene alkS from Pseudomonas oleovorans and a transcriptional fusion of PalkB from the same strain with the promoterless luciferase luxAB genes from Vibrio harveyi on two separately introduced plasmids. In standardized assays, the biosensor cells were readily inducible with octane, a typical inducer of the alk system. Light emission after induction periods of more than 15 min correlated well with octane concentration. In well-defined aqueous samples, there was a linear relationship between light output and octane concentrations between 24 and 100 nM. The biosensor responded to middle-chain-length alkanes but not to alicyclic or aromatic compounds. In order to test its applicability for analyzing environmentally relevant samples, the biosensor was used to detect the bioavailable concentration of alkanes in heating oil-contaminated groundwater samples. By the extrapolation of calibrated light output data to low octane concentrations with a hyperbolic function, a total inducer concentration of about 3 nM in octane equivalents was estimated. The whole-cell biosensor tended to underestimate the alkane concentration in the groundwater samples by about 25%, possibly because of the presence of unknown inhibitors. This was corrected for by spiking the samples with a known amount of an octane standard. Biosensor measurements of alkane concentrations were further verified by comparing them with the results of chemical analyses.
The results of this paper demonstrate for the first time that a number of saturated aliphatic aldehydes, e.g. octanal, when incubated with rat liver microsomes and NADPH in vitro cause the time dependent destruction of cytochrome P-450 and the formation of green pigments. No loss of this cytochrome occurred when microsomes were incubated with aldehydes in the absence of NADPH. The activating enzymes had some characteristics typical of the microsomal mixed-function oxidases. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde did not appear to be activated by this system. Octanal had no effect on hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 when administered to rats (1 mmol/kg, i.p.) in vivo. Under similar conditions, the ethynyl-substituted 1-octyne caused a significant destruction of this cytochrome. In order to prelabel liver haem with 14C, rats were pretreated with 5-amino[4-14C]laevulinic acid. Microsomal fractions prepared from these animals were incubated with octanal. Destruction of cytochrome P-450 was accompanied by the appearance of 14C-labelled green pigments separated by HPLC. The properties of the green pigments produced by incubating microsomes with either octanal or 1-ocytne have been compared. From their chromatographic behaviour and spectrophotometrically they appear to be similar though not identical. The results suggest that octanal induced green pigments may contain chelated iron which is not readily removed. The possibility that aldehyde could be metabolically activated via a ketene intermediate was investigated. Although attempts to prepare the ketene analogue of octanal were not successful, ketene gas, prepared chemically, reacted with haem in chloroform and to a limited extent with aqueous microsomal suspensions. However, the reaction products were brown in colour and gave an absorption spectrum indistinguishable from that of haem. There was no evidence of green pigment formation.
The thermodynamics of adsorption of amphiphilic surface-active compounds at the interface between two immiscible liquids is considered. At the interface, these molecules are supposed to replace a few of the adsorbed molecules of both solvents. Classical isotherms of adsorption (Frumkin, Langmuir, Henry) were based on the model of nonpenetrable interface, where an adsorbate can substitute only molecules of one solvent. However, at the interface between two immiscible electrolytes, like nonpolar oil-water interfaces, or liquid membrane amphiphilic molecules can substitute molecules of both solvents; therefore, classical isotherms are not applicable in these cases. The generalization of Langmuir and Frumkin isotherms for permeable and nonpermeable interfaces, known as the Markin-Volkov (MV) isotherm, gives the possibility to analyze adsorption and the interfacial structure in a general case. In the present paper, the adsorption isotherms of pentafluorobenzoic acid at the octane-water interface at various pH were measured by the drop-weight method. The thermodynamic parameters of pentafluorobenzoic acid (PFBA) adsorption at the octane-water interface were found. From the measurements of PFBA adsorption, the structure of the octane-water interface was determined. Substitution of one adsorbed octane molecule requires approximately three adsorbed PFBA molecules. This result shows that the orientation of solvent molecules at the interface is different from the bulk solution. Adsorbed octane molecules have a lateral orientation with respect to the interface. Gibbs free energy of adsorption equilibrium and thermodynamic parameters of PFBA adsorption show that the adsorption of PFBA at the octane-water interface is accompanied by a reduction in the attraction between adsorbed PFBA molecules as the pH decreases to the acidic region.
The organic solvent octane has been used routinely to permeabilize the hydrophobic vitelline membrane surrounding the Drosophila embryo, thereby allowing the movement of small molecules into the egg. We present evidence that hexane is a more effective permeabilizing agent than octane and compare the effects of these solvents on uniformity of permeabilization and embryonic viability. The ability of each solvent to make the embryo accessible to a range of biological stains was compared. The effect of octane versus hexane permeabilization on subsequent embryonic viability was measured at seven different stages during early embryogenesis. We found that although hexane is a superior solvent for permeabilizing the vitelline membrane, it decreases the viability of embryos exposed between 0 and 3 hr of age. Older embryos treated with either hexane or octane are usually viable. We also showed that molecules with a molecular mass of 984 Daltons or more did not diffuse into the embryo following treatment with either hexane or octane. Results presented here challenge a phase-partition model that has been proposed previously to explain the molecular basis of permeabilization of the Drosophila egg. An alternative model is described as well as an optimized protocol for permeabilizing and staining Drosophila embryos at any stage during early embryogenesis while maintaining viability for subsequent culture.
The oxidation of medium chain length alkanes and alkenes (C6 to C12) by Pseudomonas oleovorans and related, biocatalytically active recombinant organisms, in two-liquid phase cultures can be used for the biochemical production of several interesting fine chemicals. The volumetric productivities that can be attained in two-liquid phase systems can be, in contrast to aqueous fermentations, limited by the transport of substrates from an apolar phase to the cells residing in the aqueous phase and by toxic effects of apolar solvents on microbial cells. We have assessed the impact of these possible limitations on attainable productivities in two-liquid phase fermentations operated with mcl-alkanes. Pseudomonas oleovorans grows well in two-liquid phase media containing a bulk n-octane phase as the sole carbon source. However, cells are also damaged, typically resulting in a cell lysis rate of about 0.08 to 0. 10 h-1. These rates could be lowered by 50 to 70% to 0.03 h-1 and substrate yields increased from 0.55 to 0.85 g g-1 by diluting octane in non-metabolizable long-chain hydrocarbon solvents. Transfer rates of medium chain length (mcl) alkanes from the apolar phase to the cells were determined by following growth and the rate at which carbon-containing metabolites accumulated in the different phases of the cultures. mcl-Alkane solvent-cell transfer rates of at least 79, 64, and 18 mmol per liter of aqueous medium per hour were determined for n-heptane, n-octane, and n-decane, respectively. Rates of up to 30 mmol L-1 h-1 were observed under octane-limiting conditions in systems where the apolar substrate was dissolved to concentrations below 3% (v/v) in hexadecene. Based on low power input experiments, we estimated the maximum obtainable mass transfer rates in large scale processes to be in the range of 13 mmol L-1 h-1 for decane and higher than 45 mmol L-1 h-1 for octane and heptane. The results indicate that high solvent to cell mass transfer rates and minimized cell damage will enable high production rates in two-liquid phase bioprocesses, justifying ongoing efforts to attain high densities of catalytically, highly active cells in such systems. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
PURPOSE: To describe the techniques and results of perfluoro-N-octane used during vitrectomy for managing retinal detachment with severe proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). METHODS: The authors retrospectively studied 223 consecutive patients who underwent vitreoretinal surgery for severe PVR (93% D1-D3). Patients underwent an average of 1.72 prior vitreoretinal surgeries. Perfluoro-N-octane was used intraoperatively to flatten the retina, avoiding posterior drainage retinotomy, to identify areas of residual retinal traction and periretinal membranes, to stabilize the peripheral retina during dissection of anterior PVR, and to help determine the extent and location of relaxing retinotomies. Extended-term gas tamponade was used in 91% of eyes. All patients were followed for a minimum of 6 months. RESULTS: Seventy-eight percent of the retinas were reattached posterior to the scleral buckle after a single vitreoretinal surgery and 96% were reattached after multiple surgeries. An average of 1.24 vitrectomy surgeries were required. The final visual acuity was 20/400 or better in 74% of eyes and 20/80 or better in 30% (P = 0.004). Preoperative hypotony (intraocular pressure < or = 5 mmHg) and multiple prior vitreoretinal surgeries were associated with a poor final visual acuity (P = 0.01 and 0.02, respectively). Preoperative hypotony (intraocular pressure < or = 5 mmHg) was associated with a greater frequency of relaxing retinotomies (P = 0.02). Retained perfluoro-N-octane was observed postoperatively in the vitreous cavity in 1.3% and subretinal perfluoro-N-octane in 0.9%. CONCLUSION: Experience with perfluoro-N-octane has demonstrated its usefulness both diagnostically and therapeutically as an intraoperative tool and improved the anatomic and visual outcome for retinal detachment complicated by severe PVR.
The effect of curing agents (salt, glucose, nitrate, nitrite, and ascorbic acid) on the binding of skeletal peptides (carnosine and anserine) and a sarcoplasmic protein (myoglobin) with key flavor compounds (hexanal, octanal, 2-pentanone, 2-methylbutanal, and 3-methylbutanal) has been studied by solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Curing agents had an effect on the interaction process between carnosine and volatile compounds, which was higher than the interactions observed with anserine and myoglobin. Sodium chloride decreased the interaction of volatiles with carnosine except for octanal, which was increased, and 2-pentanone, which was unaltered. Ascorbic acid exerted the highest effect by decreasing the interaction of carnosine with all of the volatile compounds except for octanal and 2-pentanone. The interaction with anserine was affected by sodium chloride, nitrate, and nitrite, producing a decrease in the interaction with hexanal, octanal, and methional. Finally, sodium chloride, glucose, and nitrite increased the interaction of myoglobin with hexanal, octanal, and methional. The effect of simulated stages of the curing process on the binding was also studied. A combined effect of the curing agents resulted in a change in the relative proportions of volatile compounds that can lead to different flavor perceptions of dry-cured meat products.
The hydrolysis was studied of potassium (+)-octan-2-yl sulphate by two analogous, optically stereospecific, secondary alkylsulphohydrolases purified from two detergent-degrading micro-organisms, Comamonas terrigena and Pseudomonas C12B. Polarimetry studies have shown that (+)-octan-2-yl sulphate prepared from (+)-octan-2-ol is hydrolysed by both enzymes to yield (-)-octan-2-ol. This inversion of configuration implies that the enzymes are catalysing the scission of the C-O bond of the C-O-S linkage, a type of bond scission apparently not hitherto encountered among hydrolytic enzymes acting on ester bonds. Enzymic hydrolysis of potassium (+)-octan-2-yl sulphate in the presence of H218O and analysis of hydrolysis products for the presence of 18O has confirmed that C-O bond scission (and not O-S bond scission) occurs with both enzymes.
We present molecular dynamics results for the interaction between two solid elastic walls during pull-off for systems with and without octane (C(8)H(18)) lubricant. We used two types of substrate--flat and corrugated--and varied the lubricant coverage from approximately 1/8 to approximately 4 ML (monolayers) of octane. For the flat substrate without lubricant the maximum adhesion was found to be approximately three times larger than for the system with the corrugated substrate. As a function of the octane coverage (for the corrugated substrate) the pull-off force first increases as the coverage increases from 0 to approximately 1 ML, and then decreases as the coverage is increased beyond monolayer coverage. It is shown that at low octane coverage, the octane molecules located in the substrate corrugation wells during squeezing are pulled out of the wells during pull-off, forming a network of nanocapillary bridges around the substrate nanoasperities, thus increasing the adhesion between two surfaces. For greater lubricant coverages a single capillary bridge is formed. The adhesion force saturates for lubricant coverages greater than 3 ML. For the flat substrate, during pull-off we observe discontinuous, thermally activated changes in the number n of lubricant layers (n-1-->n layering transitions), whereas for the corrugated substrate these transitions are "averaged" by the substrate surface roughness.
The methylenedioxyphenyl moiety in the structure of sesamin and episesamin was changed into the catechol moieties, (1R,2S,5R,6S)-6-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]octane, (1R,2R,5R,6S)-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-6-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]octane, (1R,2R,5R,6S)-6-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]octane, (1R,2S,5R,6S)-2,6-bis(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]octane, and (1R,2R,5R,6S)-2,6-bis(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]octane, in supercritical water. These products had same structures as the sesamin metabolites which act as antioxidants in the liver. These features suggested the direct preparation of antioxidants from sesamin by a one-step reaction using supercritical water.
The fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus produce a potent class of hepatocarcinogens known as aflatoxins. Corn-derived volatile compounds have been previously found to affect growth and aflatoxin production in A. flavus. In this study, the effects on A. parasiticus of three corn-derived volatile compounds, n-decyl aldehyde, hexanal and octanal, were measured. These three compounds were previously found to be variably expressed in five Aspergillus-resistant maize strains and three susceptible strains. In this study, A. parasiticus radial growth was restricted least by n-decyl aldehyde and most by octanal. Treatments of 100 microl of both hexanal and octanal were found to completely inhibit radial growth of the fungus using an agar plate assay method. While the volatile compound n-decyl aldehyde had less of an effect on radial growth than the other volatiles, the n-decyl aldehyde treated colonies had a predominance of uniquely aerial hyphae. These colony structures were found to have more complex hyphae and significantly fewer conidiophores than the control and other aldehyde treatments. Furthermore, aflatoxin production by the fungus was reduced by n-decyl aldehyde and hexanal, but was stimulated by octanal. The results presented here indicate that all three volatile compounds reduce radial growth but only n-decyl aldehyde significantly inhibits aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. parasiticus.
N-[4-[[2,4-diamino-6-pteridinyl)methyl]amino]bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-1-carbonyl]-L-glutamic acid (1) was synthesized and tested for antifolate activity. N-(4-Aminobicyclo[2.2.2]octane-1-carbonyl-L-glutamic acid dimethyl ester (6), the side chain precursor to subject compound 1, was synthesized readily via reported bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-1,4-dicarboxylic acid monoethyl ester (2). The side chain precursor 6 was alkylated by 6-(bromomethyl)-2,4-pteridinediamine (7). Subsequent ester hydrolysis then afforded 1. Antifolate and antitumor evaluation of 1 verses L1210 dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and three tumor cell lines (L1210, S180, and HL60) showed it to be ineffective. Although compound 1 was very similar to aminopterin structurally, the bicyclo[2.2.2]octane ring system in place of the phenyl ring in the p-aminobenzoate moiety effectively negates the stoichiometric binding displayed by many classical DHFR inhibitors bearing appropriate aromatic ring systems in the side chain.