Modified-TiO2 Photocatalyst Supported on β-SiC Foams for the Elimination of Gaseous Diethyl Sulfide as an Analog for Chemical Warfare Agent: Towards the Development of a Photoreactor Prototype

In the context of the increase in chemical threat due to warfare agents, the development of efficient methods for destruction of Chemical Warfare Agents (CWAs) are of first importance both for civilian and military purposes. Amongst possible methods for destruction of CWAs, photocatalytic oxidation is an alternative one. The present paper reports on the preparation of Ta and Sn doped TiO2 photocatalysts immobilized on β-SiC foams for the elimination of diethyl sulfide (DES) used as a model molecule mimicking Yperite (Mustard Gas) in gaseous phase. Photo-oxidation efficiency of doped TiO2 catalyst has been compared with TiO2-P25. Here, we demonstrate that the Sn doped-TiO2 with a Polyethylene glycol (PEG)/TiO2 ratio of 7 exhibits the best initial activity (up to 90%) but is deactivates more quickly than Ta doped-TiO2 (40% after 800 min). The activity of the catalysts is strongly influenced by the adsorption properties of the support, as β-SiC foams adsorb DES and other sulfur compounds. This adsorption makes it possible to limit the poisoning of the catalysts and to maintain an acceptable conversion rate even after ten hours under continuous DES flow. Washing with NaOH completely regenerates the catalyst after a firs treatment and even seems to “wash” it by removing impurities initially present on the foams.

Highly electroconductive and uniform WS2 film growth by sulfurization of W film using diethyl sulfide

The reduction of intrinsic defects, including vacancies and grain boundaries, remains one of the greatest challenges to produce high-performance transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) electronic systems. A deeper comprehension of the...

Synthesis, in vitro and in silico studies of inhibitory activity towards α-amylase of bis-azole scaffolds linked by an alkylsulfanyl chain

Twelve new α,ω-bis[(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-4-yl)methylsulfanyl]alkanes linked by alkyl, diethyl sulfide, and triethyl dioxide spacers were prepared by the multicomponent reaction of acetylacetone, formaldehyde, α,ω-dithiols, and monosubstituted hydrazines. Testing of these products for inhibition of α-amylase enzyme in vitro showed that bis(N-methylpyrazolylmethylsulfanyl)ethane 4a inhibits the enzyme by the competitive mechanism. Meanwhile, the water-soluble adduct of bis(isoxazolylmethylsulfanyl)ethane 2 with HCl (2·HCl) is a noncompetitive inhibitor. The molecular docking results attest to high complementarity between the test molecules and the enzymes such as α-amylases from Aspergillus niger and human pancreas. Bis-pyrazole compounds 1, 1·HCl, and 4a and bis-isoxazole compounds 2 and 2·HCl positioned in the active site of both α-amylases form two closely spaced clusters. For all cases, the bioactive conformations of the modeled ligands were identified, demonstrating high affinity of the bis-azoles (1, 1·HCl, 2, 2·HCl, 4a) to the enzymes. Hydrogen bonds stabilizing their position in both α-amylases active sites were identified.

Pollution status of volatile organic sulfur compounds causing odor in Xi River and factors influencing spatial distribution

This study investigated the pollution status of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) and the factors influencing their spatial distribution in the Xi River in Shenyang, China. A method for simultaneous determination of 14 VOSCs that cause odor in water samples was developed by using purge and trap coupled with gas chromatography and a flame photometric detector. The results indicated that each target compound could be identified from 15 sampling sites, and the total concentration of 14 VOSCs ranged from 2.575 to 52.981 μg L−1. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) was the most important contaminant with an average concentration of 4.029 μg L−1, a detection rate of 93.33% and a variation coefficient of 0.72. The VOSCs were primarily distributed in suburban and rural sections, and the suburban section was the worst in regard to pollution by VOSCs. Dimethyl trisulfide was primarily distributed in urban and suburban sections of the Xi River due to industrial emissions. Ethanethiol, DMS, and ethyl methyl sulfide, which are typical by-products of microbial anaerobic decomposition from domestic wastewater, were found in abundance in the suburban section. Diethyl sulfide, diethyl disulfide, methyl propyl disulfide, and 1-propyl disulfide representing agricultural nonpoint source pollution were mostly distributed in the rural section.

Effect of Ethanol on the Adsorption of Volatile Sulfur Compounds on Solid Phase Micro-Extraction Fiber Coatings and the Implication for Analysis in Wine

Complications in the analysis of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) in wine using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) arise from sample variability. Constituents of the wine matrix, including ethanol, affect the volatility and adsorption of sulfur volatiles on SPME fiber coatings (Carboxen- polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS); DVB-Carboxen-PDMS and DVB-PDMS), which can impact sensitivity and accuracy. Here, several common wine sulfur volatiles, including hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methanethiol (MeSH), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS), diethyl disulfide (DEDS), methyl thioacetate (MeSOAc), and ethyl thioacetate (EtSOAc) are analyzed, using SPME followed by gas chromatography (GC), using a system equipped with a pulsed-flame photometric detection (PFPD) system, at various ethanol concentrations in a synthetic wine matrix. Ethyl methyl sulfide (EMS), diethyl sulfide (DES), methyl isopropyl sulfide (MIS), ethyl isopropyl sulfide (EIS), and diisopropyl disulfide (DIDS) are evaluated as internal standards. The absorption of volatile compounds on the SPME fiber is greatly affected by ethanol. All compounds exhibit a stark decrease in detectability with the addition of ethanol, especially between 0.0 and 0.5% v/v. However, the ratio of interested sulfur compounds to the internal standard becomes more stable when the total alcohol concentration exceeds 2%. EMS was found to best resemble DMS. EIS and DES were found to best resemble DMDS, MeSOAc, and EtSOAc. DIDS was found to best resemble DEDS, DMTS, H2S, and MeSH.