Along with the growing interest in Fuel Cell powered cars comes the need for higher production methods of Hydrogen, both in bulk form and in-car conversions (for fuels such as methanol and ethanol to be converted to hydrogen on board). Previous methods of converting Ethanol to hydrogen was by means of high-temperature steam reformation (at temperatures in excess of 600° C) to produce Hydrogen gas and CO.

This journal describes a special method of low-temperature dehydrogenation of ethanol over special Raney catalyst with Cu added to it. The first step produces one mole each of hydrogen gas and acetaldehyde (per mole of ethanol). This is followed by the decarbonylation of acetaldehyde to form methanol and CO. The whole reaction undergoes a water-gas shift to net one mole each of Methane and Carbon dioxide and two moles of Hydrogen.

Compared to high temperature reformation methods, which produces 6 moles of hydrogen per mole of ethanol, this reaction doesn’t seem as fuel efficient, though the authors were confident, that with an internal combustion engine on-board that uses the methane produced as fuel, the total output energy would be equal.

The backbone of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is composed of nucleic acids, which are made up of ribofuranoside units strung together by phosphate esters. These phosphodiester bonds (two ester bonds) create the DNA backbone.

This simple ChemSketch shows the linking of nucleotides in DNA via phosphate ester groups:

Phosphate esters are created when phosphoric acid and an alcohol combine. Here is an example with methanol (alcohol), which can form three esters based on how many moles of methanol are used:

In addition to its role in the backbone of DNA, phosphate groups play a biochemical role in ribosome-substrate interactions and the regulation of cellular processes. The regulation of their formation on key body proteins regulates these processes, and malfunctions in their regulation can result in cancer, diabetes, and even obesity.
Phosphate groups also play a major part in the bending of the DNA backbone, due to the repulsion of the negative charges. Other experimentation concerning the role of phosphate ester groups includes looking at their electrostatic contribution to the free energy of the bent DNA backbone as well as the synthesis of heparin-immobilized polyetherurethanes, whose side groups have hydrolysable ester groups (heparin being a synthetic anti-coagulent).

The main protocol for the synthesis of β-alkoxy alcohols is the alcoholysis of 1,2-epoxides. To synthesize epoxides, we can use oxone in the presence of transition metal complexes, or cyclodextrines, or via the formation of dioxiranes.

An application of this type of reaction is the synthesis of β-methoxy alcohols. It is done by the one-pot reaction of alkenes with oxone in methanol without any other catalyst.

Note: Oxone (2KHSO5·KHSO4·K2SO4) is the registered trademark from Du Pont.

General reaction and some examples are shown above.