Regulations controlling diesel exhaust become more exacting with each passing year. Accordingly, diesel fuel properties are constantly being analyzed in an attempt to further reduce fuel emissions. There are many options, most often refinement processes or improving the cetane number. Essentially, short and branched ethers (used in gasoline) have a good octane number but poor cetane number, while those ethers used in diesel are linear and have a comparatively long chain (ideally 9 or more carbons). Di-n pentyl ether (DNPE) has shown most effective in reducing emissions, and is also relatively simple to synthesize via the bimolecular dehydration of 1-pentanol on acid catalysts, as seen below.

However, the dehydration reaction results in quite a lot of byproducts, including other ethers. As such, a selective catalyst is required to favor production of DNPE by reducing the amount of alkenes. Increased selectivity can be accomplished via gel-type acidic resins at a reaction temperature of 150°C. The article I looked at analyzed the selectivity and reaction rate of the dehydration of 1-pentanol to DNPE using a gel-type resin at various temperatures and alcohol flow rates.

Polymers have important uses in both research and industry. Alkoxyamines are used in ATRP (atom transfer radical polymerization)-based polymerizations and can serve as efficient regulators in the preparation of polymers. In the past, the alkoxyamines were produced by the creation of radicals that are carbon-centered and were then trapped by nitroxide. This method, however, gave low yields and undesired byproducts. The reaction shown here takes place at low temperatures and in the presence of a nitroxide, utilizing an ATRP-based initiator that is treated with copper bromide. The ATRP is involved in the living radical polymerization system. Me6-tren ligand forms a catalyst complex for the reaction of the initiator with nitroxide. Equilibrium between the transfer to and from radicals and dormant species in the reaction is controlled by the Me6-tren ligand forming a complex with the Cu(II), which the free radicals can then interact with. The catalyst name Me6-tren stands for the chemical tris(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)-amine. This is a more effective procedure for preparation that results in high yields. Discoveries such as this are important in areas such as nanotechnology.