Overseas Air Medical Repatriation of National Soccer Players Infected With Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Contacted Staff From Austria to South Korea.

Korea rarely has a system to transport patients from abroad. However, single-patient transfers are steadily being performed, and there was an experience of transferring a large number of personnel regardless of whether they were confirmed or not due to coronavirus disease 2019. Recently, a national soccer game was held abroad, and a total of 8 players and staff were infected. A total of 15 people were transported through a charter fully equipped with quarantine equipment by a medical response team with experience in air transport.

Steam reforming of glycerol for hydrogen production over supported nickel catalysts on alumina.

The experiment was carried out to produce hydrogen through steam reforming of glycerol over nano-sized Ni catalysts supported on alumina (Al2O3). The catalysts were characterized by BET surface area, metal dispersion, XRD, TPR, NH3-TPD and SEM. 15 wt% Ni/Al2O3 catalysts presented carbon nano fiber after the catalyst was used. However, when the Ni loading was higher than that of 15 wt%, the catalytic activity reduced, and the increase of the Ni particle size and the formation of graphitic carbon occurred. The Ni/SiO2(70)-Al2O3 with the high surface area and the small Ni particle size promoted the catalytic activity and could easily reduce from NiO to Ni, inhibiting the formation of NiAl2O4.

Direct observation of hexamethylbenzenium radical cations generated during zeolite methanol-to-olefin catalysis: an ESR study.

The generation of hexamethylbenzenium radical cations as the key reaction intermediate in chabazite-type molecular sieve acids (i.e., H-SAPO-34 and H-SSZ-13) during the methanol-to-olefin process has been directly evidenced by ESR spectroscopy.

Adsorption of pyridine onto the metal organic framework MIL-101.

The adsorption of pyridine onto the metal organic framework MIL-101 was investigated by experimental and theoretical methods. The amount of pyridine adsorbed on MIL-101 was extraordinarily large at 20 °C, corresponding to about 950 mg/g of dried MIL-101 and approximately half of the voids being filled. Most of the pyridine that had filled the voids was rapidly removed by evacuation at room temperature, but some of the pyridine was so strongly adsorbed that it was retained even under evacuation at 150 °C. Although IR spectra of the adsorbed pyridine indicated the adsorption of pyridine as pyridinium ions and coordinated pyridine at low temperatures, increasing the adsorption temperature induced partial cleavage of the pyridine rings. The high stabilization energy of pyridine on the coordinative unsaturated sites (CUS) of MIL-101, obtained by theoretical calculation, -103 kJ/mol, supported the strong adsorption of pyridine on the CUS.

Autothermal reforming of propane on Ni-supported perovskite, hydrotalcite, and metal oxide catalysts.

This study evaluated the autotherrmal reforming of propane over Ni-supported perovskite (LaAlO3), hydrotalcite as a layered structure (MgAl), and metal oxide (alpha-Al2O3, ZrO2) catalysts. The catalysts were also characterized via physicochemical property analysis, XRD, SEM, TEM, and TPR. The order of catalytic activity was ZrO2 > or = LaAlO3 > Al2O3 >> MgAl, and coincided with the reducibility of these catalysts to reduce the Ni2+ metallic ion of the NiO, as measured via TPR. Finally the reducility of Ni in the form of NiO was important to the reaction in the ATR process. The diffraction peak of Ni was observed after a 600 degrees C reduction in ZrO2, LaAlO3, and alpha-Al2O3.

Highly selective carbon dioxide sorption in an organic molecular porous material.

The organic molecular porous material 1 obtained by recrystallization of cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) from HCl shows a high CO(2) sorption capacity at 298 K, 1 bar. Most interestingly, 1 showed the highest selectivity of CO(2) over CO among the known porous materials so far. The remarkable selectivity of CO(2) may be attributed to the exceptionally high enthalpy of adsorption (33.0 kJ/mol). X-ray crystal structure analysis of CO(2) adsorbed 1 revealed three independent CO(2) sorption sites: two in the 1D channels (A and B) and one in the molecular cavities (C). The CO(2) molecules adsorbed at sorption site A near the wall of the 1D channels interact with 1 through hydrogen bonding and at the same time interact with those at site B mainly through quadrupole-quadrupole interaction in a T-shaped arrangement. Interestingly, two CO(2) molecules are included in the CB[6] cavity (site C), interacting not only with the carbonyl groups of CB[6] but also with each other in a slipped-parallel geometry. The exceptionally selective CO(2) sorption properties of 1 may find useful applications in the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process for CO(2) separation not only in the steel industry but also in other industries such as natural gas mining.

High activity of acid-treated quail eggshell catalysts in the transesterification of palm oil with methanol.

The transesterification of palm oil with methanol was investigated over calcium oxide catalysts prepared by calcining eggshells of quail and chicken. Compared to chicken eggshell, the palisade layer of quail eggshell had more closely dispersed micron-sized pores. Following treatment with 0.005M HCl solution for 2h to remove its dense cuticle layer and subsequent calcination above 800 degrees C, the quail eggshell had a large amount of strong basic sites and showed high catalytic activity comparable to that of potassium methoxide in the transesterification. The acid-treated, quail eggshell catalyst steadily maintained high conversions of over 98% during repeated fivefold usage at 65 degrees C with a reactant composed of methanol/oil (as mol)=12/1 and oil/catalyst (as g)=2/0.03.

Enhanced catalytic performance of copper-exchanged SAPO-34 molecular sieve in methanol-to-olefin reaction.

Methanol-to-olefin (MTO) reaction over copper-exchanged SAPO-34 catalysts was investigated in order to extend their catalyst life. The exchange of copper ions into the cages of an SAPO-34 molecular sieve was confirmed by ESR, XPS, and 129Xe NMR techniques. Copper ions located in its cages considerably reduced its deactivation rate in the MTO reaction, while those dispersed on the external surface of the SAPO-34 molecular sieve accelerated the deactivation due to the limited mass transfer through the pore entrances. The 13C NMR and UV-VIS spectroscopy investigations of the materials occluded on the copper-exchanged SAPO-34 catalysts during the MTO reaction clearly showed that the copper ions exchanged in the cages suppressed the further condensation of alkyl aromatics to large, fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Theoretical calculations for the SAPO-34 and copper-exchanged SAPO-34 molecular sieves supported this observation because copper ions located in the cages stabilized the alkyl aromatics. Therefore, the exchange of copper ions into the SAPO-34 molecular sieve stabilized the reactive intermediates, alkyl aromatics, of the MTO reaction and suppressed their further condensation to PAHs, thereby slowing the deactivation.

The exceptional activity of a phosphazenium hydroxide catalyst incorporated onto silica in the transesterification of tributyrin with methanol.

A phosphazenium hydroxide catalyst incorporated onto silica showed exceptional activity in the transesterification of tributyrin with methanol and could be used repeatedly without suffering any appreciable deactivation.

Postsynthetic modification switches an achiral framework to catalytically active homochiral metal-organic porous materials.

The postsynthetic modification strategy is adopted to demonstrate for the first time the syntheses of catalytically active chiral MOPMs from a preassambled achiral framework, MIL-101, by attaching L-proline-derived chiral catalytic units to the open metal coordination sites of the host framework. Various characterization techniques (including PXRD, TGA, IR, and N(2) absorption measurements) indicated that the chiral units are successfully incorporated into MIL-101, keeping the parent framework intact. The new chiral MOPMs show remarkable catalytic activities in asymmetric aldol reactions (yield up to 90% and ee up to 80%). It is interesting to note that these heterogeneous catalysts show much higher enantioselectivity than the corresponding chiral catalytic units as homogeneous catalysts. This study demonstrates a simple and efficient route for the generation of catalytically active chiral MOPMs. A variety of chiral catalytic units can be, in principle, incorporated into chemically robust achiral MOPMs with large pores by postmodification and the resulting chiral MOPMs may find useful applications in catalytic asymmetric transformations.

Utilization of evaporation during the crystallization process: self-templation of organic parallelogrammatic pipes.

Analogues of 4-dodecyloxy-2-trifluoromethylbenzamide (12FH2) consisting of a hydrophobic alkyl chain, a trifluoromethylated aromatic ring, and a self-complementary hydrogen-bonding amido group were synthesized, and the structural effect of each component on the formation of parallelogrammatic pipes was investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry and powder XRD analyses revealed that all-trans L and gauche-rich S polymorphic forms appeared for the analogues with more than eight carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, that is, the polymorphism originates in the conformation of the alkyl groups and hydrogen-bonding patterns of the benzamide group. Also, the trifluoromethyl substituent is crucial in that it provides an appropriate molecular balance between the benzamide and alkyl groups. Scanning electron microscopy and powder XRD analyses of solids obtained by a drying-mediated assembly process revealed that production of the L polymorph by polymorphic transition from the S polymorph resulted in evolution of a three-dimensional structure when the alkyl group has more than 12 carbon atoms. Among the series of compounds, 12FH2 and 4-tetradecyloxy-2-trifluoromethylbenzamide (14FH2) formed parallelogrammatic pipes with micrometer dimensions. An atomic force microscopy study of 12FH2 suggested that a single pipe may be composed of platelike crystallites of L polymorph. From a mercury-intrusion porosimetry study, it was determined that macroporous materials with average pore diameters of about 40 microm and porosity of about 80% were obtained. The previously proposed self-templation mechanism by polymorphic transition from S to L polymorph was further discussed in view of polymorphism and the crystallization rate. An appropriate molecular balance between the benzamide and alkyl groups is necessary to induce a proper polymorphic transition for the development of a three-dimensional hollow structure in the evaporation process.

Exceptional performance of sulfonic acid-incorporated-MCM-41 mesoporous materials prepared using a silane containing polysulfide linkages in the acetylation of anisole.

Sulfonic acid-incorporated-MCM-41 mesoporous materials prepared using a silane containing tetrasulfide linkages showed exceptional yields of the acetylated product in the acetylation of anisole due to their high content of strong acid sites.

FTIR analysis of cellulose treated with sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide.

Cellulose samples treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and carbon dioxide in dimethylacetamide (DMAc) were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. Absorbance of hydrogen-bonded OH stretching was considerably decreased by the treatment of NaOH and carbon dioxide. The relative absorbance ratio (A(4000-2995)/A(993)) represented the decrease of absorbance as a criterion of hydrogen-bond intensity (HBI). The absorbance of the band at 1430cm(-1) due to a crystalline absorption was also decreased by NaOH treatment. The absorbance ratio of the bands at 1430 and 987-893cm(-1) (A(1430)/A(900)), adopted as crystallinity index (CI), was closely related to the portion of cellulose I structure. With the help of FTIR equipped with an on-line evacuation apparatus, broad OH bending due to bound water could be eliminated. FTIR spectra of the carbon dioxide-treated cellulose samples at 1700-1525cm(-1) were divided into some bands including 1663, 1635, 1616, and 1593cm(-1). The broad OH bending due to bound water at 1641-1645cm(-1) was resolved to two bands at 1663 and 1635cm(-1). As a trace of DMAc, the band at 1616cm(-1) is disappeared by washing for the cellulose treated with carbon dioxide (Cell 1-C and Cell 2/60-C). The decrease of HBI, the easy removal of DMAc, and the band at 1593cm(-1) supported the introduction of new chemical structure in cellulose. The bands shown at 1593 and 1470cm(-1) was assigned as hydrogen-bonded carbonyl stretching and O-C-O stretching of the carbonate ion.

Phosphazenium chloride catalysts immobilized on SBA-15 mesoporous material and silica gel: new exceptionally active catalysts for the chlorination of organic acids.

Novel reusable phosphazenium chloride catalysts immobilized on SBA-15 mesoporous material and silica gel show exceptional activities and selectivities even in the continuous chlorination reaction of organic acids with thionyl chloride or phosgene.

Improvement in capacitive deionization function of activated carbon cloth by titania modification.

Activated carbon cloth (ACC) was modified by the reaction between polar groups on its surface and metal alkoxides of titanium, silicon, aluminum and zirconium to enhance its capacitive deionization (CDI) performance. Incorporated state of metals and surface property of modified ACC were deduced from surface analysis results obtained using FE-SEM, XRD, XPS and zeta-potential meter. Titania was highly dispersed on the ACC surface with tetrahedral coordination, and the incorporated titania was effective to decrease physical adsorption of NaCl and to increase electric field adsorption, resulting in a significant enhancement of CDI performance. The negligible contribution of silica, alumina and zirconia modifications suggested that the small oxidation-reduction potential of titania was responsible for the enhancement of the electric field adsorption. Reversibility of adsorption and desorption operation on titania-modified ACC were also discussed relating to its CDI function.

Role of titania incorporated on activated carbon cloth for capacitive deionization of NaCl solution.

Adsorption isotherms of NaCl on activated carbon cloth (ACC) and titania-incorporated activated carbon cloth (Ti-ACC) under an electric field were investigated to deduce the role of titania in capacitive deionization (CDI) of NaCl. Electrosorption of NaCl on the ACC was significantly increased by titania incorporation, whereas its physical adsorption was considerably decreased, resulting in an improved performance of the Ti-ACC as a CDI electrode. Langmuir isotherms based on a localized and fixed amount of adsorption were suitable for the simulation of electrosorption and physical adsorption of ions on the ACC electrodes. The variances of q(m) and b of Langmuir isotherms with electric potential indicate increases in the number of ions per adsorption site and in electrosorption strength of ions by titania incorporation. A cyclic voltammetric study for ion adsorption on ACC electrodes confirms the reversibility between electrosorption and desorption of ions, regardless of titania incorporation.