Two new diruthenium(II,III) tetramidate compounds, Ru(2)(NHOCC(CH(3))(2))(4)Cl (1) and Ru(2)(NHOCCH(2)CH(3))(4)Cl (2) have been prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The activity of promoting sulfide oxygenation using simple oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) was studied. A UV-kinetics study indicated that the initial rates of 1 and 2 are comparable to the previously studied diruthenium tetracarboxylates in promoting TBHP oxygenation of methyl phenyl sulfide (MPS). Using excess oxidant and CH(3)CN as the solvent, organic sulfides MPS and diphenyl sulfide (PPS) were oxidized using 1 mol% of the catalytic species. Compound 1 is more effective than 2 in converting sulfides to sulfoxide under the same conditions. Fast conversion was achieved when the reactions were carried out in the solvent-free conditions, and the major oxidation product was the sulfoxide. The electronic structure of the title compounds was studied with DFT calculations to gain an understanding of the activation of peroxy reagents.

Diruthenium(II,III) carboxylates Ru2(esp)2Cl (1a), [Ru2(esp)2(H2O)2]BF4 (1b), and Ru2(OAc)4Cl (2) efficiently catalyze the oxygenation of organic sulfides. As noted in a previous work, 1a is active in oxygenation of organic sulfides with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) in CH3CN. Reported herein in detail is the oxygenation activity of 1a, 1b, and 2, with the latter being highly selective in oxo-transfer to organic sulfides using TBHP under ambient conditions. Solvent-free oxidation reactions were achieved through dissolving 1a or 1b directly into the substrate with 2 equiv of TBHP, yielding TOF up to 2056 h(-1) with 1b. Also examined are the rate dependence on both catalyst and oxidant concentration for reactions with catalysts 1a and 2. Ru2(OAc)4Cl may be kinetically saturated with TBHP; however, Ru2(esp)2Cl does not display saturation kinetics. By use of a series of para-substituted thioanisoles, linear free-energy relationships were established for both 1a and 2, where the reactivity constants (ρ) are negative and that of 1a is about half that of 2. Given these reactivity data, two plausible reaction pathways were suggested. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation for the model compound Ru2(OAc)4Cl·TBHP, with TBHP on the open axial site, revealed elongation of the O-O bond of TBHP upon coordination.

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The liquid states and the liquid-liquid equilibrium of surfactant molecules forming an interphase between air and water have been considered using Monte Carlo computer simulations. Specifically, the expanded and compressed liquid phases observed for surfactant molecules were characterized as a function of pressure and temperature. Simple modified beadlike potentials were implemented in order to describe the interparticle forces between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions of surfactant molecules at the air/water interface. A simulation box was defined such that the monolayer was exposed to an externally applied lateral pressure in a modified isothermal-isobaric ensemble, whereas the water bath was modeled in a canonical ensemble. The simulation resembles the experimental setup used to measure lateral pressure (Pi) versus area isotherms obtained with Langmuir troughs. The applied lateral pressure-surface area phase diagram clearly showed the coexistence of the expanded and compressed liquid phases within certain temperature and pressure ranges. Distribution functions of distances and enthalpies for the monolayer were computed to clearly identify each liquid phase and the coexistence region.