In comparison to other Pseudomonas, P. aeruginosa grows poorly in L-lysine as a sole source of nutrient while fast growth mutants can be obtained. The proposed catabolic pathway involves lysine decarboxylation to cadaverine and its subsequent degradation through g-glutamylation pathway to d-aminovalerate and glutarate. The lysine decarboxylase A (ldcA) gene, previously identified as a member of the ArgR regulon of L-arginine metabolism, was found essential for L-lysine catabolism. The ldcA gene encodes a decarboxylase which takes L-lysine but not L-arginine as substrate. Contrarily, the ldcA expression was inducible by L-arginine but not by L-lysine. This peculiar arginine control on lysine utilization was also noted from uptake experiments. The lack of lysine-responsive control on lysine catabolism and its tight connection to arginine regulatory network provided an explanation of lysine as poor nutrient for P. aeruginosa. Catabolism of cadaverine, a product from lysine decarboxylation, was investigated and compared to that of putrescine, another diamine of similar biochemical properties that is derived from arginine and ornithine. While the g-glutamylation pathway was first reported in E. coli for putrescine utilization, an expanded version of this pathway was found in P. aeruginosa with redundant enzymes for polyamine degradation. The PauR protein was identified as a transcriptional repressor of genes for the catabolism of putrescine and cadaverine, as well as their corresponding downstream metabolites, g-aminobutyrate (GABA) and d-aminovalerate (AMV). PauR shows distinct dimer configuration after glutaraldehyde crosslinkage, and possible conformational changes could be triggered by the presence of putrescine and cadaverine, but not GABA. A newly identified ABC transport system, encoded by the agtABCD operon, was found important for the uptake of GABA and AMV; and expression of which is controlled by the AgtSR two-component system. The CbrAB two-component system was proposed to regulate the catabolite repression control protein Crc through a small RNA CrcZ. A consensus CbrB recognition sequence was proposed based on the conserved palindromic nucleotide sequence in the upstream activating sequence of the crcZ promoter. Genetic studies indicated utilization of arginine, lysine and diamines (but not histidine, GABA and AMV) might be under CbrAB regulation through the CbrAB/CrcZ/Crc system in P. aeruginosa.

Basé sur les concepts de développement durable et de chimie verte, l’une des alternatives envisagées par les chimistes, pour une chimie plus propre, est de substituer les solvants organiques, pouvant être dangereux et toxiques, par des solvants plus verts. L’eau est un bon candidat pour cette substitution car c’est le solvant le moins cher dans nos contrées, et le plus sûr : il est non-toxique, ininflammable et non explosif. Afin de palier la faible solubilité de la majeure partie des composés organiques dans l’eau, les tensioactifs peuven têtre utilisés afin d’améliorer les rendements réactionnels. Les milieux ainsi obtenus sont difficilement recyclables car ils nécessitent une forte dilution afin de casser les agrégats et de récupérer les produits. C’est pourquoi, l’utilisation de tensioactifs photo-régulables est une bonne alternative car il est possible d’organiser/désorganiser les agrégats par irradiation lumineuse et ainsi récupérer les composés organiques en fin de réaction tout en recyclant le milieu réactionnel. Pour cela, nous avons synthétisé trois tensioactifs possédant une fonction azobenzène(anionique, cationique, non ionique), afin de les tester en catalyse micellaire. Certains de ces tensioactifs, après en avoir déterminé leurs propriétés physico-chimiques (cmc et spectre UV-Visible) ont été testés dans une réaction pallado-catalysée : la substitution allylique de Tsuji-Trost. Nous avons réussi à démontrer l’intérêt d’utiliser un tensioactif photo-régulable par rapport aux tensioactifs commerciaux en terme de rendement et de recyclabilité. D’autre part, la décarboxylation de Barton, décrite pour la première fois en 1983, permet la formation d’alcanes à partir d’acides carboxyliques en utilisant un dérivé d’étain comme donneur d’hydrogène. Depuis lors, cette réaction a toujours été utilisée comme étape clé en synthèse totale de composés naturels et en solvants organiques. De plus, cette réaction est historiquement réalisée par activation conventionnelle, thermique ou par irradiation ultra-violette. C’est pourquoi, nous avons décidé d’étudier cette décarboxylation radicalaire dans l’eau, en présence de tensioactifs et en utilisant des modes d’activation non conventionnels : les micro-ondes et les ultrasons. De plus, en lieu et place d’étain, nous avons préféré l’utilisation de N-phénylmaléimide, déjà connu et étudié comme piège à radicaux, afin d’obtenir des maléimides substitués par des chaînes carbonées. Les rendements obtenus en milieux micellaires se sont avérés être aussi bons, voire meilleurs qu’en solvants organiques. / Based on concepts of sustainable development and green chemistry, one of the alternatives envisioned by chemists is to substitute organic solvents, which can be dangerous and toxic, for greener solvents. Water is the best candidate for this substitution because it is thesafest and cheapest solvent in our countries : this solvent is non-toxic, non-flammable and inexplosive. In order to overcome the low solubility of most of organic compounds in water, surfactants can be used to improve the reaction yields. Media thus obtained are difficult to recycle because they require high dilution in order to break aggregates and recover products. Therefore, using photo-switchable surfactants is a good alternative because they can organize/disorganize by light irradiation. Organic compounds could be recovered after reactions and the recyclability of the medium can be improved. For this purpose, we synthesized three surfactants having an azobenzene moiety (anionic,cationic, nonionic), to test them in micellar catalysis. Some of these surfactants, after determining their physicochemical properties (CMCs and UV-visible spectra) were studied in a pallado-catalyzed reaction, the allylic substitution of Tsuji-Trost. We have successfully demonstrated the value of using a photo-switchable surfactant compared to commercialones in terms of yields and recyclability. In other hand, Barton decarboxylation, described for the first time in 1983, permits the formation of alkanes from carboxylic acids, using tin derivatives as hydrogen donors. Since then, this reaction has always been used as a key step in total synthesis of natural compounds in organic solvents. In addition, historically, this reaction was carried out by conventional activation (heat or ultraviolet light). Therefore, we decided to study this radical decarboxylation in water, in the presence of surfactants and using unconventional activation modes : microwave and ultrasound. Moreover, instead of tin, we preferred the use of N-phenylmaleimide, already known and studied as a radical trap, to obtain maleimides substituted by carbon chains. Yields obtained in micellar media were found tobe at least as good as in organic solvents.

No description available.

It has been observed that in certain cases the exposure of dyed fibres to aging techniques results in the strengthening of fibres. This thesis explores the hypothesis that the strengthening is due to radical cross-coupling reactions that could be initiated through metal ion mediated photodecarboxylation. The approaches taken in this research include kinetic experiments (using flash photolysis), examination of possible cross-coupling experiments (using species of opposite charge), and the design and examination of small molecule model systems. A flash photolysis system was developed and used in attempts to determine the rates of photochemical product formation for cobalt(III) amino acid complexes. Lower limits have been established for the rate of product formation in these systems. The lower limits are: 2 x 10⁷ s⁻¹ for [Co(bpy)2(gly)]²⁺; 2 x 10⁷ s⁻¹ for [Co(tpa)(gly)]²⁺; and 5 x 10⁶ s⁻¹ for [Co(tpa)(aib)]²⁺, where bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine; gly is glycinate; tpa is tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine; and aib is aminoisobutyrate. In past studies, the rates of a series of cobalt(III) amino acid complexes were reported as being the same, and much slower. It is thought that in these cases it may not be the rate of the formation of product that was being measured, but rather the response time of the electronics that was being observed. In this thesis the results obtained for the rate for the aib complex were somewhat lower than those of the gly complexes. This may imply, for the aib complex at least, the rate of the formation of the metallocycle is being observed (and not the response times of the electronics or other limitations of the instrumentation), but the data is poor and there is considerable doubt about this. The steady state photolysis of opposite charged species [Co(bpy)2(gly)]²⁺ and [Co(EDTA)]⁻ is reported. The reactions were carried out on a small scale in deuterated solvent for NMR spectrometry analysis and also on a large scale for the possible isolation and characterisation of the products. Evidence was found for a different reaction occurring when both complexes were present. The exact nature of the product remains elusive. A model system was designed in which a dinuclear ligand would bind to two metal centres and a fibre mimic would be later added. Eight ligands are discussed that could potentially bind two octahedral metal centres. They all had a xylene spacing group linking the two polydentate sites together. Five of the ligands have two bidentate binding sites. The other three had two tridentate sites. The binding sites in three of the bis(bidentate) ligands were based on ethane-1,2- diamine (en). Two of these ligands produced hypodentate monocobalt and sundentate dicobalt complexes. The other two bidentate ligands were based on 2- aminomethylpyridine (ampy). Both of these ligands degraded in the complexation reaction conditions. The binding sites in the tridentate ligands were all based on tacn. Once again, the principal products isolated were hypodentate systems in which only one metal ion was coordinated by the ligands. There is a distinct pattern observed in the xylene spaced ligands to form hypodentate complexes with cobalt(III) metal centred complexes. There is evidence of the di-nuclear species from a reaction with a charcoal catalyst in the bis(bidentate) system. ¹H NMR spectrometry, ¹³C NMR spectrometry, elemental analysis, X-ray crystallography and UV-vis spectroscopy were used to study and characterise the complexes and ligands that were prepared in this project.

The Quantum chemical cluster approach has been shown to be quite powerful and efficient in the modeling of enzyme active sites and reaction mechanisms. In this thesis, the reaction mechanisms of several enzymes have been investigated using the hybrid density functional B3LYP. The enzymes studied include four dinuclear zinc enzymes, namely dihydroorotase, N-acyl-homoserine lactone hydrolase, RNase Z, and human renal dipeptidase, two trinuclear zinc enzymes, namely phospholipase C and nuclease P1, two tungstoenzymes, namely formaldehyde ferredoxin oxidoreductase and acetylene hydratase, aspartate α-decarboxylase, and mycolic acid cyclopropane synthase. The potential energy profiles for various mechanistic scenarios have been calculated and analyzed. The role of the metal ions as well as important active site residues has been discussed.   In the cluster approach, the effects of the parts of the enzyme that are not explicitly included in the model are taken into account using implicit solvation methods.   For all six zinc-dependent enzymes studied, the di-zinc bridging hydroxide has been shown to be capable of performing nucleophilic attack on the substrate. In addition, one, two, or even all three zinc ions participate in the stabilization of the negative charge in the transition states and intermediates, thereby lowering the barriers.   For the two tungstoenzymes, several different mechanistic scenarios have been considered to identify the energetically most feasible one. For both enzymes, new mechanisms are proposed.   Finally, the mechanism of mycolic acid cyclopropane synthase has been shown to be a direct methyl transfer to the substrate double bond, followed by proton transfer to the bicarbonate.   From the studies of these enzymes, we demonstrate that density functional calculations are able to solve mechanistic problems related to enzymatic reactions, and a wealth of new insight can be obtained.

Block copolymer self-assembly has demonstrated sub-optical lithographic resolution . High values of chi, the block copolymer interaction parameter, are required to achieve next-generation lithographic resolution . Unfortunately, high values of chi can lead to thin film orientation control difficulties , which are believed to be caused by large differences in the surface energy of each block relative to the substrate and the free surface. The substrate-block interface can be modified to achieve a surface energy intermediate to that of each individual block ; the air-polymer interface, however, presents additional complications. This thesis describes the synthesis of polymers for top coat surface treatments, which are designed to modify the surface energy of the air-block copolymer interface and enable block copolymer orientation control upon thermal annealing. Polymers with β-keto acid functionality were synthesized to allow polarity switching upon decarboxylation. Syntheses of anhydride containing polymers were established that provide another class of polarity switching materials. / text

Gram-positive bacteria are part of the normal flora of fish from different aquatic environments. They are mesophilic bacteria and demonstrate optimum growth at ambient temperature. In the sub-tropics, marine fish are caught from seas at temperatures of 16 to 34C, they are usually not iced and are handled at ambient temperature. It was hypothesized that under these conditions Gram-positive bacteria will be abundant in sub-tropical marine fish and will have roles in the spoilage of fish. A review of literature showed that there is a gap in understanding the Gram-positive bacterial populations in sub-tropical marine fish. This is partly due to the fact that the selective media used for isolating Gram-positive bacteria have limitations. Ecological and speciation studies have revealed that the ecology and speciation of many Gram-positive bacteria have not been clearly elucidated. The effect of ambient storage on the individual genera and species of Gram-positive bacteria in fish has been rarely studied. The spoilage potential of Gram-positive bacteria of marine fish origin has not been clearly determined. Therefore, the main aims of this study were to isolate Gram-positive bacteria from fresh and ambient-temperature-stored sub-tropical marine fish, speciate the isolates and study the spoilage potential of the isolates. The practical components of this study were conducted in four parts. The first part dealt with validation of tryptone soya agar with 0.25% phenylethyl alcohol (PEA-TSA) to enumerate Gram-positive bacteria. The second part enumerated Gram-positive bacteria from the muscles, gills and gut of Pseudocaranx dentex (Silver Trevally), Pagrus auratus (Snapper) and Mugil cephalus (Sea Mullet) stored at 25C for 15 hours using PEA-TSA. The third part dealt with the speciation of the isolates using appropriate methods such as polymerase chain reaction, 16S rRNA gene sequence, the VITEK JR system and conventional biochemical methods. In the fourth part, the isolates were assayed qualitatively for their ability to produce volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), reduce trimethylamine oxide and decarboxylate histidine, lysine and ornithine at mesophilic temperature, 32C. Initial studies indicated that PEA-TSA significantly (P< 0.05) reduced the total aerobic bacterial count of fish whereas control Gram-positive bacteria were not affected (P> 0.05). Gram-positive aerobic bacterial counts (GABC) significantly (P< 0.05) increased in the muscles and gills during ambient storage for 15 hours. Within each species, no significant (P> 0.05) differences were found in GABC between muscles and gills. Moreover, there were no significant differences (P> 0.05) in GABC between fish species during storage. In total, 390 bacteria were isolated from the fresh and stored fish; 339 isolates (87%) were found to be Gram-positive. Two hundred and sixty-six isolates (78%) of Gram-positive bacteria were identified to fall into 13 genera, namely Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Bacillus, Virgibacillus, Brevibacillus, Corynebacterium, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Aerococcus, Exiguobacterium, Carnobacterium, Vagococcus and Sporosarcina and 30 species. In fresh fish, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Micrococcus luteus were the most frequent isolates. The effect of storage at 25C for 15 hours resulted in a change of Gram-positive bacterial populations; while S. epidermidis, S. xylosus and Bacillus megaterium were no longer present, S. warneri, B. sphaericus, Brevibacillus borstelensis, Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus uberis increased. Three species, E. faecium, Str. uberis and B. sphaericus, were the most prevalent at the end of storage. Micrococcus luteus and S. warneri were the most prevalent isolates from Pseudocaranx dentex, but E. faecium and Str. uberis were the most frequently isolated from Pagrus auratus and Mugil cephalus. With respect to different parts of the fish body, E. faecium, Str. uberis and B. sphaericus were the most frequent isolates from the muscles, E. faecium, Str. uberis from the gills and M. luteus from the gut. Among the 228 isolates examined, Br. borstelensis 73, Br. borstelensis 291, Str. uberis 339, Vagococcus fluvialis 31 and Vag. fluvialis 132 produced VSC from sodium thiosulphate, cysteine and methionine. However, strains varied in sulphur source utilization. Exiguobacterium acetylicum 5, Exiguobacterium spp. 191, Carnobacterium spp. 338, Br. borstelensis 73, Br. borstelensis 291, Str. uberis 30, Str. uberis 339, Vag. fluvialis 31 and Vag. fluvialis 132 reduced TMAO. No histidine decarboxylase activity was found in the Gram-positive bacterial species tested. Lysine and ornithine were decarboxylated mainly by different strains of S. warneri, S. epidermidis and M. luteus. During ambient storage of fish, the frequency of lysine-decarboxylating bacteria increased and became more diverse after 5 hours of storage. Among fish species examined, the frequencies of lysine- and ornithine-decarboxylating bacteria were higher and more diverse in Pseudocaranx dentex than in Pagrus auratus and Mugil cephalus. This study found that Gram-positive bacteria were abundant and diverse in sub-tropical marine fish; however, their frequencies were affected by fish habitat and fish body part. Ambient temperature storage determined which Gram-positive bacterial species were dominant. With the exception of one isolate of S. aureus, Gram-positive bacteria isolated from sub-tropical marine fish caught from unpolluted water were not potential pathogens. The study also showed that Gram-positive bacteria had greater ability to decarboxylate lysine and ornithine than to produce VSC or reduce TMAO, and the spoilage potential of a bacterial species was a strain-dependent behaviour. This is a significant study as it is the first study on this aspect sub-tropical marine fish. It validated a selective medium that can be used to enumerate most Gram-positive bacteria from a marine environment. Most of the Gram-positive bacterial species from sub-tropical marine fish identified in this study were documented for the first time. The effects of ambient storage and the spoilage potential of Gram-positive bacteria from sub-tropical marine were clearly elucidated.

It has been observed that in certain cases the exposure of dyed fibres to aging techniques results in the strengthening of fibres. This thesis explores the hypothesis that the strengthening is due to radical cross-coupling reactions that could be initiated through metal ion mediated photodecarboxylation. The approaches taken in this research include kinetic experiments (using flash photolysis), examination of possible cross-coupling experiments (using species of opposite charge), and the design and examination of small molecule model systems. A flash photolysis system was developed and used in attempts to determine the rates of photochemical product formation for cobalt(III) amino acid complexes. Lower limits have been established for the rate of product formation in these systems. The lower limits are: 2 x 10⁷ s⁻¹ for [Co(bpy)2(gly)]²⁺; 2 x 10⁷ s⁻¹ for [Co(tpa)(gly)]²⁺; and 5 x 10⁶ s⁻¹ for [Co(tpa)(aib)]²⁺, where bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine; gly is glycinate; tpa is tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine; and aib is aminoisobutyrate. In past studies, the rates of a series of cobalt(III) amino acid complexes were reported as being the same, and much slower. It is thought that in these cases it may not be the rate of the formation of product that was being measured, but rather the response time of the electronics that was being observed. In this thesis the results obtained for the rate for the aib complex were somewhat lower than those of the gly complexes. This may imply, for the aib complex at least, the rate of the formation of the metallocycle is being observed (and not the response times of the electronics or other limitations of the instrumentation), but the data is poor and there is considerable doubt about this. The steady state photolysis of opposite charged species [Co(bpy)2(gly)]²⁺ and [Co(EDTA)]⁻ is reported. The reactions were carried out on a small scale in deuterated solvent for NMR spectrometry analysis and also on a large scale for the possible isolation and characterisation of the products. Evidence was found for a different reaction occurring when both complexes were present. The exact nature of the product remains elusive. A model system was designed in which a dinuclear ligand would bind to two metal centres and a fibre mimic would be later added. Eight ligands are discussed that could potentially bind two octahedral metal centres. They all had a xylene spacing group linking the two polydentate sites together. Five of the ligands have two bidentate binding sites. The other three had two tridentate sites. The binding sites in three of the bis(bidentate) ligands were based on ethane-1,2- diamine (en). Two of these ligands produced hypodentate monocobalt and sundentate dicobalt complexes. The other two bidentate ligands were based on 2- aminomethylpyridine (ampy). Both of these ligands degraded in the complexation reaction conditions. The binding sites in the tridentate ligands were all based on tacn. Once again, the principal products isolated were hypodentate systems in which only one metal ion was coordinated by the ligands. There is a distinct pattern observed in the xylene spaced ligands to form hypodentate complexes with cobalt(III) metal centred complexes. There is evidence of the di-nuclear species from a reaction with a charcoal catalyst in the bis(bidentate) system. ¹H NMR spectrometry, ¹³C NMR spectrometry, elemental analysis, X-ray crystallography and UV-vis spectroscopy were used to study and characterise the complexes and ligands that were prepared in this project.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T13:21:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2470601 bytes, checksum: bbe63c6c08f3ff229939be1fa3d736d8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-11-16 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The aim of this study is the preparation and characterization of the Pd/C catalyst for the stearic acid decarboxylation in order to obtain paraffinic biodiesel. The precursors used in the coal preparation were the coconut endocarp and the Manila palm sheath. These coals were chemically activated and by microwave hydrothermal treatment with HNO3 solution. Its characterization showed that the microwave activation induced a decrease in catalysts microporous structure. The porous structure of each coal was determined by N2 adsorption at 77 K. The isotherm data were by BET, Langmuir, t-plot and BJH methods. The ZCP values and the ash content were determined. The identification and quantification of chemical groups on the activated coals surface used the Boehm method and infrared spectroscopy, which showed formation of carboxylic groups for all samples. The coals originated from the coconut endocarp (CAE AC and CAE MW), activated by both methods, had higher SMIC than the coals from the palm sheath (CAB and CAB AC MW). The CAB coals are more mesoporous, while the CAE coals have a more relevant microporous structure. The Pd/C catalysts were prepared by dry impregnation and by alcohol reduction. The catalysts characterization was performed using the SEM-FE, H2 chemisorption, N2 adsorption/desorption of at 77 K and FTIR. The metallic phase deposition favored a decrease in total surface area. The catalysts synthesized by dry impregnation showed larger micropore areas. The SEM-FE showed that in the catalysts prepared by alcohol reduction the metal deposition occurred preferentially at the surface, where as it in the catalysts prepared by dry impregnation, probably occurred within the pores. The Pd/C catalysts used in the catalytic decarboxylation reaction of stearic acid, at 350°C in H2 atmosphere showed conversions and high selectivity for heptadecane. The catalysts derived from coal CAE showed higher selectivity in relation to the formation of the desired product, the heptadecane. We observed a trend of higher conversions for the catalysts synthesized by dry impregnation. Some catalysts showed deactivation after three hours of reaction. / A proposta deste trabalho é estudar a preparação e caracterização do catalisador Pd/C para a descarboxilação do ácido esteárico, a fim de obter biodiesel parafínico. Os precursores utilizados na preparação dos carvões foram o endocarpo do coco da baía e a bainha da palmeira de manila. Estes carvões foram ativados quimicamente e por microondas com solução de HNO3. A estrutura porosa de cada carvão foi determinada por adsorção de N2 a 77 K. Os dados das isotermas foram tratados pelas metodologias de BET, Langmuir, t-plot e BJH. Sua caracterização permitiu concluir que a ativação por microondas induziu uma diminuição da estrutura microporosa dos catalisadores. Foram determinados os valores de PCZ e teor de cinzas. Na identificação e quantificação dos grupos químicos da superfície dos carvões utilizou-se o método de Boehm e espectroscopia de infravermelho, que evidenciaram a formação de grupos carboxílicos para todas as amostras ativadas. Os carvões originados do endocarpo do coco ativados quimicamente e por microondas (CAE AC e CAE MW) apresentaram SMIC mais elevadas do que os carvões provenientes da bainha da palmeira (CAB AC e CAB MW). Os carvões CAB são mais mesoporosos, enquanto os CAE possuem estrutura microporosa mais relevante. Todos os carvões ativados apresentaram PCZ ácido. A ativação do CAE por microondas favoreceu o aumento da estrutura mesoporosa, com significativa diminuição da microporosa. Os catalisadores Pd/C foram preparados por impregnação seca e por redução por álcool. A caracterização destes catalisadores foi feita através do FE-SEM, quimissorção de H2, adsorção/dessorção de N2 a 77 K e FTIR. A deposição da fase metálica favoreceu uma diminuição da área superficial total. Os catalisadores sintetizados por impregnação seca apresentaram maiores áreas de microporos. O FE-SEM mostrou que nos catalisadores preparados por redução por álcool a deposição do metal ocorreu preferencialmente na superfície, enquanto nos preparados por impregnação seca, possivelmente ocorreu dentro dos poros. Os catalisadores Pd/C utilizados na reação de descarboxilação catalítica do ácido esteárico a 350 ºC, em atmosfera de H2 apresentaram elevada atividade catalítica e seletividade para o heptadecano. Os catalisadores derivados do carvão CAE mostraram seletividade superior em relação à formação do produto desejado, o heptadecano. Foi observada uma tendência de conversões maiores para os catalisadores sintetizados por impregnação seca. Alguns catalisadores apresentaram desativação após três horas de reação.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T13:21:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1107754 bytes, checksum: 2b95f8e4dd03a5d3ac60341d4518d860 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The reactions of deoxygenation fatty acids are widely used for production of biofuels, using temperatures ranging from 300-350 °C. The purpose of this work was to prepare and characterize the catalyst SrSn0,9Ni0,1O3 applied in decarboxylation of stearic acid to obtain bio-oil. The strontium stannate (SrSnO3) orthorhombic perovskite is widely studied due to their technological applications and is now being widely used in catalysis. In this work, the SrSnO3 pure and doped with 10 mol % nickel (SrSnO3, SrSn0,9Ni0,1O3) were synthesized by the polymeric precursor method. The solids were characterized by the techniques of thermal analysis (TG/DTA), infrared spectroscopy (IR) spectroscopy of the ultraviolet-visible, micro-raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and surface area by the BET method . The materials obtained showed SrCO3 as the secondary phase, with the addition of nickel in the structure increased the formation of carbonate as the results of thermogravimetry (TG) and infrared spectroscopy, and still caused a disruption long and short range, according to the data of micro-Raman spectroscopy and XRD. The catalyst SrSn0,9Ni0,1O3 used in catalytic decarboxylation reaction of stearic acid at 340 °C in H2 atmosphere showed activity for the major product (heptadecane) but not proved to be due to the selective formation of octadecenos in greater quantity. There was a trend to higher conversion of stearic acid to lower concentrations of H2. / As reações de desogixenação de ácidos graxos são bastante utilizadas para a produção de biocombustíveis, com o uso de temperatura variando entre 300-350 ºC. A proposta deste trabalho foi preparar e caracterizar o catalisador SrSn0,9Ni0,1O3 e aplicá-lo na descarboxilação do ácido esteárico para obtenção de bio-óleo. O estanato de estrôncio (SrSnO3) é uma perovskita ortorrômbica bastante estudada devido suas aplicações tecnológicas e atualmente vem sendo muito utilizada na área de catálise. Neste trabalho, o SrSnO3 puro e dopado com 10 % em mol de níquel (SrSnO3, SrSn0,9Ni0,1O3) foram sintetizados pelo método dos precursores poliméricos. Os sólidos foram caracterizados pelas técnicas de análise térmica (TG/DTA), espectroscopia de infravermelho (IV), espectroscopia na região do ultravioleta- visível, espectroscopia micro-RAMAN, Difratometria de Raios-X (DRX) e área superficial pelo método de BET. Os materiais obtidos, apresentaram o SrCO3 como fase secundária, sendo que a adição de níquel na estrutura aumentou a formação de carbonato, conforme os resultados de termogravimetria (TG) e espectroscopia de infravermelho, e ainda provocou uma desorganização a longo e curto alcance, de acordo com os dados de espectroscopia micro-Raman e Difratometria de Raios-X (DRX). O catalisador SrSn0,9Ni0,1O3 utilizado na reação de descarboxilação catalítica do ácido esteárico a 340 ºC, em atmosfera de H2 apresentou atividade para o produto principal (heptadecano), mas não mostrou-se seletivo devido a formação de octadecenos em maior quantidade. Foi observada uma tendência para maior conversão do ácido esteárico em menores concentrações de H2.