- Email: [email protected]
Maria Curie-Sklodowska university, Lublin, Poland
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available data can be described quite satisfactorily in classical terms. It would seem that the general importance of tunnelling in surface reactions involving C-H bonds remains an open question.
C.S. McKEE Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland
The Maria Curie-Sklodowska University was founded on 23 October 1944. At the same time that the Chemistry Section began, a part ofthe Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science commenced activities. More recently, the Institute of Chemistry, which for some time had belonged to the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, was transformed into the Faculty of Chemistry in 1989. At present, this Faculty includes eleven departments and four laboratories. Prof. Andrzej Dabrowski is currently Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, Assoc. Prof. Jacek Goworek is the Vice-Dean for Research, and Assoc. Prof. Zbigniew Hubicki is the Vice-Dean for Education. The activities of some of the departments may be of interest to some of the readers of News Brief and these are outlined below. The Department of Chemical Physics and Physicochemical Separation Methods is headed by Prof. Zdzislaw Suprynowicz. The research in the department concerns the following topics: preparation and properties of new types of sorbents with chemically bonded and immobilized stationary phases; elaboration of methods for analysis and preparation of samples for use in environmental protection as well as applied catalysis A: General
clinical and biochemical analyses; preparation and properties of sorbents and supports based on glasses of controlled porosity and their application in industry and biotechnology as well as for clinical analysis purposes; preparation and properties of silica, carbon and carbonmineral adsorbents in chromatography, their adsorption and industrial application in environmental protection, especially in the analysis of water for trace amounts of organic substances; statistical mechanics of surface phenomena: (a) theory of gas and liquid adsorption on solid surfaces and in porous centres; (b) methods of computer simulations in studies on surface phenomena, phase transitions and critical phenomena; and (c) theory of chromatographic processes. The Department of Chemical Technology is head by Assoc.Prof. Tadeusz Borowiecki. The Department's interest is centred on heterogeneous catalysts used for technological processes, their properties and preparation. Investigations in the department include: catalysts for hydrocarbon steam reforming which are resistant to coking; impregnated nickel catalysts of high metal dispersion; hydrocarbon synthesis from hydrogen and carbon monoxide; oxidative coupling of methane into higher hydrocarbons; bimetallic carrier catalysts of metal-metal interactions; application of IR spectroscopy for studies of EDTA adsorption on aluminium oxide; catalysts of the water-gas shift reaction; and the kinetics of the gasification of carbonaceous material. The Department of Crystallography is headed by Assist. Prof. Anna Koziol. The research based on X-ray crystal structure analysis are used for the determination of crystal and molecular structure (stereo-
Volume 130 No. 1 - - 14 September 1995
N4
chemistry of derivatives of natural products and compounds of biological importance, heterocyclic compounds, and transition and alkali metal complexes with organic ligands). Methods of applied X-ray crystallography are used for studies of zeolite structural changes in the metal/zeolite systems occurring in the processes of oxidation and metal reduction. The Department of Organic Chemistry is headed by Assoc. Prof. Michal Pietrusiewicz. The research (since 1993) includes stereoselective organic synthesis based on multifunctional organophosphorus synthons and chirons with a special regard to the total synthesis of some natural products, asymmetric synthesis and processes catalyzed by transition metal complexes. The Department of Physical Chemistry is headed by Prof. Emil Chibowski. Research is carried out in five groups: studies on surface phenomena (e.g. adsorption, flotation, flocculation, aggregation, molecular interactions, surface free energy, surface tension, double electrical layer, properties of liquid films on solid surfaces) occurring in various chemical liquid/solid and liquid/gas systems (minerals, polymers, soil components) which are applied for separation and concentration of solution components, mineral enrichment and metal precipitate flotation; studies on theoretical and experimental aspects of optimalization of mixture separation with the use of planar and liquid column chromatography, and studies on new supports for planar chromatography and their application in chemical analysis and in environmental protection; problems concerning the adsorption process from the liquid phase: (a) column and thin-layer chromatographic applications in chemical ana-
applied catalysis A: General
lysis; (b) experimental and theoretical studies on adsorption from aqueous solutions of weak electrolytes on active carbons; and (c) adsorption of multicomponent mixtures of non-electrolytes on oxide adsorbents (recent work on pore structure based on thermal desorption of liquids has aroused great interest); syntheses of new adsorbents used for gas, liquid planar and high-performance column chromatography, these being used for the determination of mechanisms of retention and providing information about optimal selection of chemical compounds which are surface modifiers in adsorbent synthesis; and new applications of thermal analysis studies to liquid/solid systems to obtain information about properties of adsorption layers, surface heterogeneity and the mode of molecular interactions, with interest in the purification of local minerals (e.g. dolomite and feldspar) and their application in environmental protection. The Department of Polymer Chemistry and Technology is headed by Assoc. Prof. Tadeusz Matynia. The main research subjects are as follows: synthesis and studies of properties of polymer packings for chromatography; new technologies for the preparation of structural resins; the modification of plastics; the synthesis and application of unsaturated polyester resins with a particular regard to resins with diminished flammability; and synthesis and application studies of accelerating and hardening agents for polyester and epoxide resins. The Department of Theoretical Chemistry is headed by Prof. Wladyslaw Rudzinski. The research is mainly concerned with the theory of adsorption: theoretical studies on the effects of energetic heterogeneity of solid surfaces (porosity, hete-
Volume 130 No. 1 - - 14 September 1995
N5
rogeneity) in the phenomena of adsorption from the gaseous phase or solution, and the application of chromatographic methods in physicochemical measurements; elaboration of a general theory of liquid chromatography with multicomponent mobile phases; computer simulations of adsorption processes; statistical description of fluid behaviour in outer potential fields and its application for adsorption; theoretical studies of calorimetric effects of surfactant adsorption from the aqueous phase on solid surfaces and ions in the electrical double layer at the water/metal oxide interface; perturbation theory in quantum chemistry with its application in NMR spectroscopy. Finally, the Laboratory of Optical Fibre Technology is headed by Assoc. Prof. Jan Rayss. This laboratory is the only one in Poland dealing with the problems of optical fibre technology. Research includes: studies of the methods of fabrication of super pure raw materials, particularly silica glass prepared using the sol/gel method; studies of new optical fibre technologies including the optical fibres doped with rareearth ions for optical amplifiers and fibre lasers; preparation of special optical fibres for application in laser surgery and industry; applications of new polymers for optical fibre protective coatings; and analysis of phenomena at the polymer/optical fibre interface. The laboratory has unique facilities for fabrication of different optical fibre preforms, their characterization as well as drawing and characterization of fibres. If you wish to obtain further information on the Faculty of Chemistry at Maria CurieSklodowska University, its postal address is: 2 M.Curie-Sklodowska Square, 20-031 Lublin, Poland, tel. (+48-81) 375716,
applied catalysis A: General
375712, or 375702; fax. (+48-81) 33669, or 37-51-02. J. RYCZKOWSKI Editors" Note: We shall be happy to publish similar descriptions of other faculties and departments with similar concentrations of research of this sort.
Novel Materials that are of Interest as Catalysts
Close inspection of the literature in the first part of this year indicates a potential explosion has occurred in the synthesis of new and potentially interesting materials. It occurs to me that some of these may be of use as catalysts or catalyst supports and hosts, therefore I have collected together a few interesting materials. P. Timmerman et al. report a synthetic receptor based on two fragments of 1,2-difunctionalised calix[4]arene that are orientated either endo or exo [J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., (1995) 417]. It is possible that these receptor sites could provide interesting stereochemistry as supports of catalysts for fine chemicals synthesis. A novel layered aluminium phosphate [Co(en)~,13P4016.3H20] assembled about a chiral metal complex has been reported by Morgan et al. [J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., (1995) 425] and this may be of interest to those researching enantioselective catalysis. Liquid crystalline polymeric phthalocyanines have been synthesised for the first time by Bryant et al. [J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., (1995) 467]. These may be of interest when exchanged or treated with metal salts as potential oxidation catalysts. Self assembly appears to be one of the most used phrases in papers being published this Volume 130 No. 1 - - 14 September 1995
available data can be described quite satisfactorily in classical terms. It would seem that the general importance of tunnelling in surface reactions involving C-H bonds remains an open question.
C.S. McKEE Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland
The Maria Curie-Sklodowska University was founded on 23 October 1944. At the same time that the Chemistry Section began, a part ofthe Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science commenced activities. More recently, the Institute of Chemistry, which for some time had belonged to the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, was transformed into the Faculty of Chemistry in 1989. At present, this Faculty includes eleven departments and four laboratories. Prof. Andrzej Dabrowski is currently Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, Assoc. Prof. Jacek Goworek is the Vice-Dean for Research, and Assoc. Prof. Zbigniew Hubicki is the Vice-Dean for Education. The activities of some of the departments may be of interest to some of the readers of News Brief and these are outlined below. The Department of Chemical Physics and Physicochemical Separation Methods is headed by Prof. Zdzislaw Suprynowicz. The research in the department concerns the following topics: preparation and properties of new types of sorbents with chemically bonded and immobilized stationary phases; elaboration of methods for analysis and preparation of samples for use in environmental protection as well as applied catalysis A: General
clinical and biochemical analyses; preparation and properties of sorbents and supports based on glasses of controlled porosity and their application in industry and biotechnology as well as for clinical analysis purposes; preparation and properties of silica, carbon and carbonmineral adsorbents in chromatography, their adsorption and industrial application in environmental protection, especially in the analysis of water for trace amounts of organic substances; statistical mechanics of surface phenomena: (a) theory of gas and liquid adsorption on solid surfaces and in porous centres; (b) methods of computer simulations in studies on surface phenomena, phase transitions and critical phenomena; and (c) theory of chromatographic processes. The Department of Chemical Technology is head by Assoc.Prof. Tadeusz Borowiecki. The Department's interest is centred on heterogeneous catalysts used for technological processes, their properties and preparation. Investigations in the department include: catalysts for hydrocarbon steam reforming which are resistant to coking; impregnated nickel catalysts of high metal dispersion; hydrocarbon synthesis from hydrogen and carbon monoxide; oxidative coupling of methane into higher hydrocarbons; bimetallic carrier catalysts of metal-metal interactions; application of IR spectroscopy for studies of EDTA adsorption on aluminium oxide; catalysts of the water-gas shift reaction; and the kinetics of the gasification of carbonaceous material. The Department of Crystallography is headed by Assist. Prof. Anna Koziol. The research based on X-ray crystal structure analysis are used for the determination of crystal and molecular structure (stereo-
Volume 130 No. 1 - - 14 September 1995
N4
chemistry of derivatives of natural products and compounds of biological importance, heterocyclic compounds, and transition and alkali metal complexes with organic ligands). Methods of applied X-ray crystallography are used for studies of zeolite structural changes in the metal/zeolite systems occurring in the processes of oxidation and metal reduction. The Department of Organic Chemistry is headed by Assoc. Prof. Michal Pietrusiewicz. The research (since 1993) includes stereoselective organic synthesis based on multifunctional organophosphorus synthons and chirons with a special regard to the total synthesis of some natural products, asymmetric synthesis and processes catalyzed by transition metal complexes. The Department of Physical Chemistry is headed by Prof. Emil Chibowski. Research is carried out in five groups: studies on surface phenomena (e.g. adsorption, flotation, flocculation, aggregation, molecular interactions, surface free energy, surface tension, double electrical layer, properties of liquid films on solid surfaces) occurring in various chemical liquid/solid and liquid/gas systems (minerals, polymers, soil components) which are applied for separation and concentration of solution components, mineral enrichment and metal precipitate flotation; studies on theoretical and experimental aspects of optimalization of mixture separation with the use of planar and liquid column chromatography, and studies on new supports for planar chromatography and their application in chemical analysis and in environmental protection; problems concerning the adsorption process from the liquid phase: (a) column and thin-layer chromatographic applications in chemical ana-
applied catalysis A: General
lysis; (b) experimental and theoretical studies on adsorption from aqueous solutions of weak electrolytes on active carbons; and (c) adsorption of multicomponent mixtures of non-electrolytes on oxide adsorbents (recent work on pore structure based on thermal desorption of liquids has aroused great interest); syntheses of new adsorbents used for gas, liquid planar and high-performance column chromatography, these being used for the determination of mechanisms of retention and providing information about optimal selection of chemical compounds which are surface modifiers in adsorbent synthesis; and new applications of thermal analysis studies to liquid/solid systems to obtain information about properties of adsorption layers, surface heterogeneity and the mode of molecular interactions, with interest in the purification of local minerals (e.g. dolomite and feldspar) and their application in environmental protection. The Department of Polymer Chemistry and Technology is headed by Assoc. Prof. Tadeusz Matynia. The main research subjects are as follows: synthesis and studies of properties of polymer packings for chromatography; new technologies for the preparation of structural resins; the modification of plastics; the synthesis and application of unsaturated polyester resins with a particular regard to resins with diminished flammability; and synthesis and application studies of accelerating and hardening agents for polyester and epoxide resins. The Department of Theoretical Chemistry is headed by Prof. Wladyslaw Rudzinski. The research is mainly concerned with the theory of adsorption: theoretical studies on the effects of energetic heterogeneity of solid surfaces (porosity, hete-
Volume 130 No. 1 - - 14 September 1995
N5
rogeneity) in the phenomena of adsorption from the gaseous phase or solution, and the application of chromatographic methods in physicochemical measurements; elaboration of a general theory of liquid chromatography with multicomponent mobile phases; computer simulations of adsorption processes; statistical description of fluid behaviour in outer potential fields and its application for adsorption; theoretical studies of calorimetric effects of surfactant adsorption from the aqueous phase on solid surfaces and ions in the electrical double layer at the water/metal oxide interface; perturbation theory in quantum chemistry with its application in NMR spectroscopy. Finally, the Laboratory of Optical Fibre Technology is headed by Assoc. Prof. Jan Rayss. This laboratory is the only one in Poland dealing with the problems of optical fibre technology. Research includes: studies of the methods of fabrication of super pure raw materials, particularly silica glass prepared using the sol/gel method; studies of new optical fibre technologies including the optical fibres doped with rareearth ions for optical amplifiers and fibre lasers; preparation of special optical fibres for application in laser surgery and industry; applications of new polymers for optical fibre protective coatings; and analysis of phenomena at the polymer/optical fibre interface. The laboratory has unique facilities for fabrication of different optical fibre preforms, their characterization as well as drawing and characterization of fibres. If you wish to obtain further information on the Faculty of Chemistry at Maria CurieSklodowska University, its postal address is: 2 M.Curie-Sklodowska Square, 20-031 Lublin, Poland, tel. (+48-81) 375716,
applied catalysis A: General
375712, or 375702; fax. (+48-81) 33669, or 37-51-02. J. RYCZKOWSKI Editors" Note: We shall be happy to publish similar descriptions of other faculties and departments with similar concentrations of research of this sort.
Novel Materials that are of Interest as Catalysts
Close inspection of the literature in the first part of this year indicates a potential explosion has occurred in the synthesis of new and potentially interesting materials. It occurs to me that some of these may be of use as catalysts or catalyst supports and hosts, therefore I have collected together a few interesting materials. P. Timmerman et al. report a synthetic receptor based on two fragments of 1,2-difunctionalised calix[4]arene that are orientated either endo or exo [J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., (1995) 417]. It is possible that these receptor sites could provide interesting stereochemistry as supports of catalysts for fine chemicals synthesis. A novel layered aluminium phosphate [Co(en)~,13P4016.3H20] assembled about a chiral metal complex has been reported by Morgan et al. [J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., (1995) 425] and this may be of interest to those researching enantioselective catalysis. Liquid crystalline polymeric phthalocyanines have been synthesised for the first time by Bryant et al. [J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., (1995) 467]. These may be of interest when exchanged or treated with metal salts as potential oxidation catalysts. Self assembly appears to be one of the most used phrases in papers being published this Volume 130 No. 1 - - 14 September 1995