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<p> This thesis presents an experimental study of the decomposition of the four isomers of butyl acetate over charcoal catalyst in a fixed bed reactor. The research attempts to determine the kinetics and mechanism of butyl acetate decomposition over a high surface area, non-selective catalyst, and to compare the catalyzed reactions of butyl acetates with their gas-phase reactions. When interpreting the experimental kinetic data it is hypothesized that each of the butyl acetates follows the same mechanism when reacting on charcoal. The best theoretical equation for expressing the rate of butyl acetate reaction was selected from the Langmuir-Hinshelwood equations.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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No description available.

In this study, bulk conductivity of commercial base paper impregnated with different ionic liquids blends and additives, through bench coating was investigated. Bulk conductivity of base paper, ion conductive paper and surface sized ion conductive papers with and without the influence of calendering were evaluated at different concentrations of ionic liquids using at resistivity cell and four point probe technique. It was shown that bulk conductivity of base paper was increased by increasing the amount of ionic liquids. Nano fibril cellulose also showed positive influence on the bulk conductivity of coated papers. By increasing the line load in the calendering machine, a positive influence on the bulk conductivity was observed. The tensile index of all the coated papers was lower than that of the base paper.

L'objectif de ce travail était la synthèse en une étape de nanoparticules à cœur de poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) et couronne hydrophile, par polymérisation en miniémulsion. Deux familles de polymères amphiphiles ont été utilisées pour stabiliser la polymérisation. La première est constituée de trois dérivés amphiphiles du dextrane synthétisés au laboratoire: DexP11, DexP16 et DexP22. La seconde est composée de dérivés commerciaux du POE: le Brij®78, le Brij®700, et le Tween®80. Après avoir vérifié leur stabilité dans les conditions de polymérisation, leurs propriétés tensioactives ont été caractérisées en tensiométrie dynamique. Bien que le n-butyl cyanoacrylate soit un monomère extrêmement réactif, des nanoparticules de poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) ont pu être synthétisées avec succès par polymérisation anionique et/ou radicalaire en miniémulsion. La nature et la concentration du polymère amphiphile dans la phase aqueuse lors de la polymérisation en miniémulsion contrôlent la taille des particules, leur taux de recouvrement et l'épaisseur de la couche hydrophile à leur surface. La masse molaire du polymère constituant le cœur de la nanoparticule est quant à elle influencée par le pH de la phase continue et le mode de polymérisation (anionique ou radicalaire). Enfin, l’étude de l'encapsulation et de la libération d'une molécule modèle, le pyrène, a été abordée / The aim of this study was the one-step synthesis via miniemulsion polymerization, of nanoparticles with a hydrophobic core based on poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) and a hydrophilic shell. Two families of amphiphilic polymers were used to stabilize the miniemulsion. The first one was constituted of three dextran derivatives synthesized in the laboratory: DexP11, DexP16 and DexP22. The other three stabilizers were commercial products based on PEO: Brij®78, Brij®700, and Tween®80. Their stability under the conditions used for miniemulsion polymerization was checked. Their adsorption at oil-water interface was studied by dynamic surface tension measurement. Despite the high reactivity of the monomer, nanoparticles of poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) were synthesized via anionic and/or radical miniemulsion polymerization. Particle size, surface coverage and hydrophilic layer thickness were controlled by the structure and the amount of the amphiphilic polymer in the continuous phase, while the molar mass of the poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) depending on the pH of the continuous phase and the polymerization mechanism (anionic or radical). Finally, the encapsulation and the release of a model compound were studied

Afin d'obtenir le niveau requis d'indice d'octane et de limiter les rejets en monoxyde de carbone, les éthers carburants, principalement le méthyl tert-butyl éther (MTBE), sont incorporés dans les essences. A la suite de fuites, le MTBE est apparu comme un polluant majeur des nappes aquifères en raison de sa très faible biodégradabilité. L'objectif de ce travail a été d'étudier la dégradation du MTBE par Mycobacterium austroafricanum IFP 2012. La voie métabolique a été partiellement élucidée par l'identification de plusieurs intermédiaires (tert-butyl formiate (TBF), tert-butyl alcool (TBA), acide -hydroxyisobutyrique et acétone) et activités enzymatiques (MTBE/TBA mono-oxygénase non-hémique et inductible, TBF estérase, 2-propanol : NDMA oxydoréductase et une mono-oxygénase impliquée dans la dégradation de l'acétone). Le rôle du TBF et la nécessité de cobalt ont été proposés pour expliquer la faible biodégradation du MTBE ; le rôle de la liaison méthoxy semblant limité.

A technology for optimization of potential parameters from condensed phase simulations (POP) is discussed and illustrated. It is based on direct calculations of the derivatives of macroscopic observables with respect to the potential parameters. The derivatives are used in a local minimization scheme, comparing simulated and experimental data. In particular, we show that the Newton Trust-Region protocol allows for accurate and robust optimization. POP is illustrated for a toy problem of alanine dipeptide and is applied to folding of the peptide WAAAH. The helix fraction is highly sensitive to the potential parameters while the slope of the melting curve is not. The sensitivity variations make it difficult to satisfy both observations simultaneously. We conjecture that there is no set of parameters that reproduces experimental melting curves of short peptides that are modeled with the usual functional form of a force field. We then apply the newly developed technology to study the liquid mixture of tert-butanol and water. We are able to obtain, after 4 iterations, the correct phase behavior and accurately predict the value of the Kirkwood Buff (KB) integrals. We further illustrate that a potential that is determined solely by KB information, or the pair correlation function, is not necessarily unique. / text

Hydrogen is currently considered by many as the “fuel of the future”. It is particularly favoured as a replacement for fossil fuels due to its clean-burning properties; the waste product of combustion being water. While hydrogen is relatively easy to produce, there is currently a lack of practical storage methods for molecular H2, and this is greatly hindering the use of hydrogen as a fuel. Gases are normally stored in vessels under only moderate pressures and in liquid form where possible, which yields the highest energy density. However, to store reasonable quantities of hydrogen in similar volume containers, cryogenic temperatures or extreme pressure are required. Many potential hydrogen storage technologies are currently under investigation, including adsorption on metal hydrides, nanotubes and glass microspheres, and the chemical breakdown of compounds containing hydrogen to release H2. Recent studies have sparked interest in hydrates as a potential hydrogen storage material. The molecular storage of hydrogen in clathrate hydrates could offer significant benefits with regard to ease of formation/regeneration, cost and safety, as compared to other storage materials currently under investigation. Here, we present new experimental hydrate stability data for sII forming hydrogen–water (up to pressures of 180 MPa) and hydrogen–water–tetrahydrofuran systems, the structure-H forming hydrogen–water–methyclycohexane system, and semi-clathrate forming hydrogen–water–tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide/tetra–n-butyl ammonium fluoride systems.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.