Heterogeneous reactions between gas-phase oxidants and particulate-phase organic compounds impact many important atmospheric chemical processes. For example, little is known about the reaction dynamics of gaseous oxidants with organic compounds found in the atmosphere. The first step of the reaction between gaseous ozone and solid pentacene was investigated using Reflection Absorption Infrared Spectroscopy (RAIRS). Ozone was found to add to pentacene non-selectively and form a range of products after heavy ozone exposure. The rate limiting step had an activation energy of 17 kJ/mol, which is consistent with the findings of previous ozone oxidation studies for the cleavage of a carbon-carbon double bond. Unfortunately the products could not be used to distinguish between probable reaction mechanisms. Hydroxyl radicals (•OH) play a major role processing atmospheric hydrocarbons. Due to their short lifetimes, not much is known about the dynamics of the first steps of •OH reactions. To investigate these reactions, a rotational state-selector was constructed to filter a molecular beam of •OH for reaction dynamics investigations with organic surfaces. The rotational state-selector was designed to leverage the linear Stark effect to pass only suitable molecules in a particular rotational state and block the flow of any other atoms, molecules and ions in a molecular beam. The state-selector was validated and used to positively deflect molecular beams of methyl iodide and D₂O via the linear Stark effect. Future studies with the rotational state-selector will investigate the initial steps of •OH reactions with solid organic compounds. / Master of Science

<p>The structure, bonding and chemistry of water and hydroxyl on metal surfaces are presented. Synchrotron based x-ray photoelectron- and x-ray absorption spectroscopy along with density functional theory calculations mainly form the basis of the results. Conditions span the temperature range 35 - 520 K and pressures from ultra-high vacuum (~10 fAtm) to near ambient pressures (~1 mAtm). The results provide, e.g, new insights on the importance of hydrogen bonding for surface chemical kinetics.</p><p>Water adsorbs intact on the Pt(111), Ru(001) and Cu(110) surfaces at low temperatures forming 2-dimensional wetting layers where bonding to the metal (M) mainly occurs via H₂O-M and M-HOH bonds. Observed isotope differences in structure and kinetics for H₂O and D₂O adsorption on Ru(001) are due to qualitatively different surface chemistries. D₂O desorbs intact but H₂O dissociates in kinetic competition with desorption similar to the D₂O/Cu(110) system. The intact water layers are very sensitive to x-ray and electron induced damage.</p><p>The mixed H₂O:OH phase on Ru(001) consists of stripe-like structures 4 to 6 Ru lattice parameters wide where OH decorates the edges of the stripes. On Pt(111), two different long-range ordered mixed H₂O:OH structures are found to be inter-related by geometric distortions originating from the asymmetric H-bond donor-acceptor properties of OH towards H₂O.</p><p>Water adsorption on Cu(110) was studied at near ambient conditions and compared to Cu(111). Whereas Cu(111) remains clean, Cu(110) holds significant amounts of water in a mixed H₂O:OH layer. The difference is explained by the differing activation barriers for water dissociation, leading to the presence of OH groups on Cu(110) which lowers the desorption kinetics of water by orders of magnitude due to the formation of strong H₂O-OH bonds. By lowering the activation barrier for water dissociation on Cu(111) by pre-adsorbing atomic O, generating adsorbed OH, similar results to those on Cu(110) are obtained.</p>

Une étude détaillée a été effectuée sur l'utilisation de la technique électro-Fenton pour l'oxydation de quelques polluants organiques persistants (POP) dans le but du traitement des eaux usées. Cette technique génère, in situ et de manière électrocatalytique, les radicaux hydroxyles (OH) afin de les utiliser pour oxyder la polluants organiques. Le travail de thèse est constitué en trois parties. Dans la première partie, l'élimination de l'eau des colorants synthétiques et pesticides choisis comme polluants modèles a été effectuée en utilisant une cathode en feutre de carbone. Les cinétiques d'oxydation des colorants synthétiques (Acide Orange 7 et Bleu Basique 3) et des pesticides (picloram, prophame, azinphos-méthyl et clopyralid) ont été déterminées. La cinétique de minéralisation des solutions aqueuses des polluants organiques en question a été suivie par des analyses de carbone organique totale (COT) et demande chimique en oxygène (DCO). Une minéralisation quasi-totale a été obtenue dans tous les cas. L'identification et la quantification des sous-produits d'oxydation des colorants synthétiques et pesticides ont été effectuées par les techniques d'analyse suivantes : Chromatographie liquide à haute performance (CLHP), chromatographie en phasegazeuse-spectrométrie de masse (GC/MS), chromatographie liquide à haute performances-péctrométrie de masse (HPLC/MS) et chromatographie ionique. Ces analyses systématique ont mis en évidence que les polluants organiques initiaux ont sont convertis en trois formes d'intermédiaires réactionnels ; intermédiaires organiques, acides carboxyliques à courte chaîne et ions inorganiques. Basé sur l'identification ces des intermédiaires réactionnels, une schéma de minéralisation plausible a été proposé pour chaque colorant et pesticide étudié. Dans la deuxième partie de l'étude, la capacité de production de peroxyde d'hydrogène (H2O2) de la cathode en éponge de carbone comme matériau original de cathode pour la technique électro-Fenton a été étudiée pour la première fois. Les résultats obtenus ont indiqué que le l'éponge de carbone possède une capacité de la production d'H2O2 trois fois plus élevée par rapport à la cathode classique (feutre de carbone). La troisième et dernière partie de cette thèse a été consacrée à l'étude de l'efficacité et l'utilisation en électro-Fenton d'une anode de nouvelle génération, le diamant dopé au bore (BDD pour "Boron Doped Diamond"). Tout d'abord, l'efficacité d'oxydation et la capacité de minéralisation de l'anode BDD ont été examinées sur l'herbicide propham dans les conditions d'oxydation anodique. Ensuite, la combinaison de cathode en feutre de carbone et l'anode BDD dans la technique électro-Fenton a été examinée. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que cette combinaison conduit aux résultats significativement meilleurs que le système classique feutre de carbone - Pt. L'utilisation de l'anode BDD dans l'électro-Fenton améliore considérablement la cinétique d'oxydation et l'efficacité de minéralisation des polluants organiques et en particulier des acides carboxyliques tels que les acides oxalique et oxamique qui résistent à la minéralisation dans le cas de l'anode Pt / In this thesis, a detailed investigation has been carried out on the use of electro-Fenton technique for the oxidation of the some persistent organic pollutants for the sake of water remediation. This technique produces •OH radicals electrocatalytically and uses them to oxidize the organic pollutants. The overall study can be divided into three parts. In the first part, the removal of selected synthetic dyes and pesticides from water was investigated by using carbon felt (CF) cathode. The oxidation kinetics of the synthetic dyes (Acid Orange 7 and Basic Blue 3) and pesticides (picloram, propham, azinphos-methyl and clopyralid) were determined. Mineralization kinetics of the related organic pollutants in aqueous medium was followed by total organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand analysis. The overall mineralization was obtained in all cases. Identification and quantification of the oxidation by-products of the given synthetic dyes and pesticides were performed by high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and ion chromatography. These systematic analysis showed that the initial organic pollutants were converted into three intermediate forms; organic intermediates, short-chain aliphatic carboxylic acids and inorganic ions. Based on the intermediates identified, a plausible mineralization pathway was proposed for each dye and pesticide.In the second part of the study, the H2O2 production ability of carbon sponge (CS) as a novel cathode material for the electro-Fenton technique was investigated for the first time in the literature. The obtained results indicated that CS has a H2O2 production ability three times higher than the classical cathode CF.In the third and last part, the efficiency of boron doped diamond (BDD) as an anode in the electro-Fenton technique was investigated. Firstly, the oxidation and mineralization ability of BDD was tested for herbicide propham in anodic oxidation conditions. Then, the combination of CS and BDD electrode in the electro-Fenton technique was examined. The obtained results indicated that this combination allowed the most efficient results throughout the thesis. Moreover, the use of BDD anode in the electro-Fenton technique had considerable effect on the oxidation and mineralization of organics and especially carboxylic acids such as oxalic and oxamic acids which were highly resistant to mineralization in the case of Pt anode

L'installation de décharges sanitaires représente la seule méthode de stockage des déchets ménagers solides dans plusieurs pays. Les lixiviats générés à partir de ces décharges présentent une grande toxicité aigüe et chronique. Lorsqu'ils ne sont pas traités, ces lixiviats peuvent pénétrer dans la nappe phréatique ou contaminer les eaux de surface et donc contribuer à la pollution des eaux. Divers procédés biologiques ont été appliqués au traitement des lixiviats de décharge. Cependant, ces procédés sont relativement inefficaces pour le traitement des lixiviats à cause de la présence de composés bioréfractaires. Les procédés d'oxydation avancée représentent une excellente alternative pour le traitement des eaux polluées par les polluants toxiques et/ou persistants (biorfractaires). Dans ce travail, quelques procédés d'oxydation avancée (procédé Glidarc, électro-Fenton, oxydation anodique et photo-Fenton) ont été appliqués au traitement de deux molécules modèles appartenant chacune à une famille de polluants présents dans la matrice du lixiviat tunisien de la décharge contrôlée de Jebel Chakir (identifiée dans ce travail), à savoir, l'anhydride phtalique et le 8-hydroxyquinoléine sulfate. Pour ces deux molécules, une étude de la dégradation et la minéralisation a été réalisée en optimisant les paramètres expérimentaux. L'étude cinétique montre que la dégradation oxydative des deux polluants étudiés suit une cinétique de réaction du pseudo-premier ordre, avec des temps de dégradation assez courts. Par exemple, avec une anode de Pt, l'oxydation complète de l'anhydride phtalique a été achevée en moins de 15 min sous un courant appliqué de 2,88 mA cm-2. L'identification des intermédiaires aromatiques et carboxyliques à courte chaine carbonée a permis de proposer un mécanisme de dégradation de l'anhydride phtalique par les radicaux hydroxyles. Les valeurs des constantes de vitesse des réactions entre les •OH, et les deux polluants et leurs intermédiaires ont été déterminés par la technique de cinétique de compétition à l'aide d'un composé de référence ; l'acide 4-hydroxybenzoϊque. Le suivi de la toxicité lors du traitement de la solution de 8-HQS par la méthode Microtox®, (une méthode basée sur la mesure de la luminescence des bactéries marines Vibriofischeri) a montré la formation des intermédiaires plus toxiques que les molécules mères. Une comparaison des procédés d'oxydation avancée appliqués a été réalisée pour chacun des polluants. Enfin, différents procédés d'oxydation avancée (procédé Glidarc, électro-Fenton, oxydation anodique et photo-Fenton) ont été appliqués à la dépollution du lixiviat tunisien de Jebel Chakir. Une étude comparative a été réalisée afin d'évaluer le coût des procédés. L'ensemble des résultats obtenus confirme l'efficacité du procédé électro-Fenton pour la dépollution des lixiviats / Pas de résumé en anglais

Dissolution of the UO2 matrix is one of the potential routes for radionuclide release in a future deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel. This doctoral thesis focuses on interfacial reactions of relevance in radiation-induced dissolution of UO2 and is divided in two parts: In the first part, we sought to explore the effects of solid phase composition: The impact of surface stoichiometry on the reactivity of UO2 towards aqueous radiolytic oxidants was studied. H2O2 reacts substantially faster with stoichiometric UO2 than with hyperstoichiometric UO2. In addition, the release of uranium from stoichiometric UO2 is lower than from hyperstoichiometric UO2. The behavior of stoichiometric powder changes with exposure to H2O2, approaching the behavior of hyperstoichiometric UO2 with the number of consecutive H2O2 additions. The impact of Gd-doping on the oxidative dissolution of UO2 in an aqueous system was investigated. A significant decrease in uranium dissolution and higher stability towards H2O2 for (U,Gd)O2 pellets compared to standard UO2 was found. In the second part, we sought to look at the effect of external factors: The surface reactivity of H2 and O2 was studied to understand the overall oxide surface reactivity of aqueous molecular radiolysis products. The results showed that hydrogen-abstracting radicals and H2O2 are formed in these systems. Identical experiments performed in aqueous systems containing UO2 powder showed that the simultaneous presence of H2 and O2 enhances the oxidative dissolution of UO2 compared to a system not containing H2. The effect of groundwater components such as bentonite and sulfide on the oxidative dissolution of UO2 was also explored. The presence of bentonite and sulfide in water could either delay or prevent in part the release of uranium to the environment. The Pd catalyzed H2 effect is more powerful than the sulfide effect. The poisoning of Pd catalyst is not observed under the conditions studied. / <p>QC 20170421</p>

Conformationally constrained bicyclic amino acids are invaluable in the synthesis of natural products and peptidomimetics. Aeruginosins contain novel bicyclic amino acid, 2--‐carboxy--‐6--‐hydroxyl octahydrindole (Choi) as the core structure. Aeruginosins are tetra peptide serine protease inhibitors isolated from marine sponges and cyanobacterial water blooms. Rigid bicyclic amino acid(Choi)is an essential core structure, which strongly influences biological activity of aeruginosin family members. Aeruginosins showed promising inhibitory activity against thrombin, trypsin, and factor VIIa. Thrombin and factor VIIa play a major role in blood clotting cascade; excessive coagulation leads to thrombosis and other cardiovascular diseases. Several research groups have reported a number of synthetic aeruginosin analogs. In this thesis, some of the synthetic methodologies of bicyclic amino acid core of aeruginosins are presented. Importance of bicyclic amino acids in peptidomimetic synthesis and drug designing is presented. Mainly, syntheses of ring oxygenated Choi analogs starting from glucose and mannose are presented.

Afin d’améliorer les traitements par radiothérapie, des radiosensibilisateurs tels que les nanoparticules d’or (NPo) sont étudiés. Mais leur translation en clinique nécessite une bonne compréhension des phénomènes en jeu. Si l’effet radiosensibilisateur a bien été confirmé sur des cibles biologiques (ADN, cellules et in vivo) et si les radicaux hydroxyle ont souvent été proposés comme intermédiaires, aucune preuve claire n’a encore été apportée. Ce travail avait pour premier objectif d’élaborer un protocole de « référence » afin de quantifier les radicaux hydroxyle et les électrons produits par les NPo en interaction avec un rayonnement ionisant. Cette étude a mis en évidence des productions massives de ces deux espèces pour des NPo non-fonctionnalisées. De plus, l'étude de différents paramètres, tels que la quantité de dioxygène en solution ou le rayonnement incident, nous a conduits à proposer un nouveau mécanisme permettant de rendre compte de nos résultats. Néanmoins, l'application biologique des NPo ne peut être envisagée que si ces nano-objets sont fonctionnalisés afin de les rendre furtifs et de les adresser spécifiquement à la tumeur. Après synthèse et caractérisation poussée de différents types de NPo fonctionnalisées, nous avons comparé la production de radicaux hydroxyle avec la dégradation d’une cible biologique, l'ADN, et mis en évidence l'impact significatif de la fonctionnalisation sur l'effet radiosensibilisateur. Ainsi, cette étude apporte des informations essentielles en vue de l’optimisation de la conception des NPo les plus efficaces pour la radiosensibilisation, une première étape vers leur application radiothérapeutique. / To improve radiotherapy efficiency, radiosensitizers such as gold nanoparticles (GNP) are developed. But to translate them to clinics, a good knowledge of the processes at stage is needed. GNP radiosensitizing effect was well-confirmed on biological targets (DNA, cells and in vivo) and hydroxyl radicals are often proposed to be key intermediates, but no clear evidence has been given yet. In this work, we first developed a ‘reference’ protocol to quantify hydroxyl radicals and electrons produced by GNP in their interaction with ionizing radiation. These investigations reveal a massive production of both species for non-functionalized GNP. Moreover the study of various parameters such as the concentration of dissolved dioxygen or the energy of the incident radiation leads us to propose a new mechanism on the origin of the radiosensitizing effect. Nevertheless, biological applications of GNP can only be considered if the nano-objects are functionalized to make them furtive, address them or deliver medicines to the tumor. After synthesis and characterization of different functionalized GNP, we compared hydroxyl radicals production with the damages induced on DNA and highlighted a significant impact of functionalization on the radiosensitizing effect. Finally, this work gives valuable information for the design of the most efficient GNP for radiotherapy which is a first step towards their medical application.

Neste trabalho, foram efetuados estudos sobre o comportamento eletroforético dos íons hidrônio (H3O+) e hidroxila (OH-) utilizando eletroforese capilar em zona em meio não-tamponado e detecção condutométrica sem contato. Alterações na composição do eletrólito de corrida devido à eletrólise foram evitadas empregando um sistema de eletrólise separada. A determinação de ácidos com pKas menores ou iguais ao pH do eletrólito de corrida foi possível. A possibilidade da análise em bases fortes também foi demonstrada. Eletrólitos de corrida com pH entre 4,5 e 7,0 (para o H3O+) e entre 7,0 e 9,0 (para o OH-) mostraram-se favoráveis para a análise. Ambas as espécies apresentaram interação com os grupos silanóis do capilar. Dificuldades na análise do íon OH- decorreram também de: reação da sílica com o analito e com o eletrólito de corrida e absorção de CO2 atmosférico. A mobilidade do íon H3O+ medida foi 8% abaixo da obtida por outras técnicas. A curva para determinação de OH- em base forte, com solução de trifluoracetato de lítio 10 mmol L-1 (pH 8,5) como eletrólito de corrida, mostrou boa linearidade na faixa de 0,5 a 7,0 mmol L-1. As curvas de quantificação de H3O+ titulável em amostras de ácidos fortes, fracos e suas misturas, com solução de LiCl (pH 5,5) como eletrólito de corrida, apresentaram ampla faixa de resposta linear, com boa linearidade, ao redor de 0,05 a 10 mmol L-1. / In this work, studies about the electrophoretic behavior of hydronium (H3O+) and hydroxyl (OH-) ions using capillary zone electrophoresis in unbuffered medium and contactless conductity detection were developed. Variations in running electrolyte composition due to electrolysis were avoided using an electrolysis separated system. The analysis of acids with the same or lower pKa than the running electrolyte pH was possible. The possibility of strong bases analysis was demonstrated as well. Good results were achieved using running electrolytes with pH between 4.5 and 7.0, for H3O+ analysis, and between 7.0 and 9.0, for OH- analysis. Both species interacted with the silanol groups of silica capillary. Other problems in the determination of OH- were: reaction of silica with the analyte as well as with the running electrolyte and absorption of atmospheric CO2. The H3O+ mobility calculated was 8% lower than values obtained in the literature. Analytical curve of OH- ion in strong base, using 10 mmol L-1 litium trifluoracetate (pH 8.5) as running electrolyte, resulted in good linearity in a range of 0.5 to 7.0 mmol L-1. Analytical curves of titrable hydronium ion in samples of strong and weak acids, as well in their mixture, using 10 mmol L-1 LiCl (pH 5.5) as running electrolyte, resulted in wide linear range (0.05 mmol L-1 to 10 mmol L-1).

The DMPO type spin trap 5,5-Dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) and the exceptionally similar spin trap 2-ethoxycarbonyl-2-methyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrole-l-oxide (EMPO) are widely studied in computational and theoretical works. This particular study examines the addition reactions that both these molecules undergo with the carcinogenic hydroxyl radical. This work used a relatively new approximation method, called the correlation consistent composite approach or ccCA, for carrying out quantum mechanical calculations to give the free energies of the products and reactants of the reactions. The free energies are to be used to extrapolate the rate constants of the reactions from the Arrhenius equation. Though both the spin traps studied have been widely examined and assessed in both theoretical and experimental work, accurately calculated rate constants have not been previously obtained using computational methods. The results obtained here will help to assess the efficiency and the accuracy of the ccCA method, as well as lead to the design of better, more novel spin traps.

It is known that histones and other DNA-binding polycations protect DNA from radiation damage mediated by hydroxyl radicals. Until recently, this protection of DNA has mainly been attributed to compaction and aggregation. It was hypothesized that chemical repair of DNA sugar radicals by donation of hydrogen atom from polycations also significantly contributes to DNA protection. To test this hypothesis, the relative yields of low-molecular weight characteristic products of oxidation of DNA sugar were compared in X-irradiated samples of naked DNA and DNA complexes with a number of polycations by using an HPLC-based method of DNA damage product quantification. The variation in the percent contribution of the C1„ sugar damage product ongoing from free DNA to DNA-polycations complexes is in agreement with the hypothesis that chemical repair of DNA sugar radicals by donation of hydrogen atom from polycations contributes to the overall DNA protection against hydroxyl radical-mediated damage.