A ternary library of 64 ZnO/CuO/CuCl(2) impregnated activated carbon samples was synthesized and screened automatically using a combinatorial (combi) method. The ability of the samples to adsorb toxic gases was screened gravimetrically. The stoichiometric ratio of reaction (SRR) between the moles of toxicant and the total moles of impregnant was obtained from the calculated mass increase of the samples after chemisorption, with a high SRR indicating high efficiency of toxicant removal. The combi samples that exhibited good dry SO(2) and NH(3) adsorption were prepared in bulk using the incipient wetness method and were evaluated for multigas respirator function by dynamic adsorption studies of SO(2), NH(3), HCN, and C(6)H(12) gases in either dry or humid conditions at ambient temperature. The bulk samples showed equivalent gas adsorption capacities when exposed to the different challenge gases indicating the value of the combi method for initial screening. Cu(2)Cl(OH)(3) was identified to be a potential multigas adsorbent.

The synthesis of mixed primary-, secondary-, and tertiary-alkyl phthalimidyl carbonates from N,N�-Diphtalimidylcarbonate (DPC) can be performed in a facile way, in one step reaction and with good yields. This new carbonate compound is usefull for peptide synthesis in preparation of active esters (activation step) and also in the protecting reactions by alkoxycarbonylation at nitrogen nucleophiles of amine- and aminoacid-types. It was proved that N,N�-diphtalimidylcarbonate (DPC) exhibited a similar reactivity to N,N�-disuccinimidylcarbonate, but the advantage of DPC seems to be that N-hydroxyphthalimide can be easily recovered quantitatively after the reaction.