Cellulose is a linear polysaccharide, serving as reinforcement in plant cell walls.Understanding its structure and properties is of importance in the developmentof nanostructured cellulose materials. The aim of this thesis is to address thisquestion by applying the computer simulation technique Molecular Dynamics(MD) onto an atomistic model of a native crystal form of cellulose.A molecular model of crystalline cellulose Iβ was developed and simulatedwith the GROMACS simulation software package.Temperature dependence of the crystal bulk model was investigated. A gradualtransition was observed between 350 K and 500 K in concordance with experimentalresults. The high temperature structure differed from the originalstructure in terms of crystal cell parameters, hydrogen bonding network andelastic modulus.Spin-lattice relaxation times, T1, from solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonancespectroscopy were compared with values calculated from the dynamics ofthe C4-H4 vector in MD simulations. Calculated T1 compared well with experimentallyobtained, suggesting well reproduced dynamics. Moreover, a differencein T1 of about a factor 2 was found for C4 atoms at surfaces parallel to differentcrystallographic planes. This supports a proposed explanation regarding anobserved doublet for C4 atoms in the NMR spectrum.Interaction energies between crystalline cellulose and water and 6− hydroxyhexanal(CL) were determined from simulations. Water was found to interactstronger with cellulose than CL. Moreover, the effect of grafting CL onto surfacecellulose chains was examined. For both water and CL interfaces, grafting ledto increased interaction. Electrostatic interactions were dominating in all cases,however grafting increased the importance of van der Waals interactions.The experimental approach to investigate polymer desorption by pulling itfrom a surface by the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was enlightenedwith a modelling study. A single cellulose octamer was pulled from a cellulosecrystal into water and cyclohexane. Resulting pull-off energies proved a clearsolvent effect, 300 − 400 [kJ/mole] in cyclohexane and 100 − 200 [kJ/mole] inwater.In general, MD was shown to be useful when applied in combination withfeasible experimental techniques such as NMR and AFM to increase the fundamentalunderstanding of cellulose structure and properties. / Cellulosa förstärker cellväggen i växter i form av nanostrukturerade och mycketstarka fibriller. För utvecklingen av nya cellulosamaterial från dessa fibriller ären förståelse för cellulosans struktur och egenskaper viktig. Syftet med dennaavhandling är att med hjälp av en atomistisk modell och molekyldynamiskadatorsimuleringar (MD) öka kunskapen om cellulosa på atomär nivå.En atomistisk modell av kristallin cellulosa Iβ utvecklades och simuleradesmed simuleringsprogrampaketet GROMACS.Temperaturberoendet hos kristallin cellulosa i bulk undersöktes. Mellan350 K och 500 K skedde en gradvis kristallin strukturomvandling. Vid högre temperaturhade cellulosan annorlunda kristall-enhetscellsparametrar, vätebindingsmönsteroch elastisk modul jämfört med orginalstrukturen.Systemet cellulosa-vatten har stor praktisk betydelse. Spinn-gitter-relaxationstiderT1 beräknades därför från dynamiken hos C4-H4-vektorn i MD-simuleringaroch jämfördes med värden uppmätta med fastfas-NMR. De beräknadevärdena stämde väl överens med de experimentella och dynamiken vid ytan kanantas vara välreproducerad i modellen. Dessutom kunde en skillnad i T1 meden faktor 2 för C4-atomer på ytkedjor vid olika kristallografiska plan påvisas.Simuleringsresultaten stödjer därmed en tidigare föreslagen förklaring till endubblett för C4-atomer i cellulosans NMR-spektrum.Växelverkansenergier mellan cellulosa och polymeren PCL är intressant förnanokompositmaterial. Därför bestämdes växelverkansenergier mellan kristallincellulosa och vatten och cellulosa och 6-hydroxyhexanal (CL). Växelverkan mellancellulosa med vatten visade sig vara större än mellan cellulosa och CL.Ympning av CL-molekyler på cellulosaytan ledde till ökad växelverkan för såvälgränsytor mot vatten som mot CL. Elektrostatisk växelverkan dominerade vidsamtliga gränsytor, även om CL-ympning orsakade ökad andel av van der Waalskrafter.Polymerdesorption kan undersökas med hjälp av atomkraftmikroskopi (AFM).Ett simulerat experiment med MD utfördes därför genom att en cellulosaoktamerdrogs från en cellulosayta in i vatten eller cyklohexan. Det krävdes avsevärtmindre energi att dra loss oktameren i cyklohexan (300−400 kJ/mol) jämförtmed vatten (100 − 200 kJ/mol). Resultaten analyserades i termer av specifikväxelverkan mellan cellulosaoktameren och identifierbara kemiska grupper påcellulosaytan.MD har stor potential att öka förståelsen för cellulosa på molekylär nivå.MD-simuleringar kan inspirera experimentella mätningar genom upptäckter avnya fenomen. MD kan dessutom tillföra nya aspekter vid analys av experimentellaresultat. Det har i avhandlingen demonstrerats för metoder som NMR,AFM, mekanisk provning och mätning av termisk utvidgning / QC 20100621

This licentiate thesis is based on the development of catalytic reactions for the synthesis and application of organometallic reagents. By use of palladium pincer-complex catalysts, we have developed an efficient procedure for the synthesis of allylboronates starting from allylic alcohols. These reactions were further extended by including various one-pot multi-component reactions, using the in situ generated allylboronates. Furthermore, novel unsymmetrical palladium pincer-complexes were synthesized and studied in auto-tandem catalysis.

Detta arbete syftar till att studera hur man i gymnsaiekursernas kemiundervisning får eleverna motiverade och intresserade för kemi. Dels huruvida kemilärarnas strategier skiljer sig åt beroende på om de i sin lärarexamen har kemi som huvudämne eller ej. Dels om det finns något samband mellan de strategier lärarna väljer att använda och hur lång erfarenhet de har av att undervisa i kemi. För att svara mot syftet gjorde jag en litteraturstudie som sedan legat till grund för utformandet av en enkät. Enkäten användes i den undersökning jag genomfört bland gymnasielärare som undervisar i kemi. Studiens resultat visar att lärarna använder flertalet av de strategier som enligt aktuell forskning bidrar till att väcka och bibehålla elevernas intresse för naturvetenskap och kemi. De använder sig dock av dessa strategier i olika grad och lägger olika stor vikt vid deras betydelse för intresseväckande och motiverande undervisning. Det handlar dels om individuella olikheter, men också olikheter relaterade till hur lång yrkeserfarenhet läraren har. I viss mån kan dessa olikheter även relateras till huruvida läraren har kemi som huvudämne ellev ej. Olikheter relaterade till huvudämne är dock inte desamma över lärargrupper med olika lång yrkeserfarenhet.

Two types of novel framework materials, including six organically templated silicogermanates and five hybrid fluorotitanates, have been synthesized, and their structures have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Their structures and the interactions between the organic and inorganic species are discussed in some detail. The frameworks of the six silicogermanates, SU-9, SU-10, SU-11, SU-12, SU-14 and SU-21, are built up from either tetrahedra exclusively, or from mixed polyhedra. SU-9, SU-10 and SU-11 consist only of tetrahedra, and SU-12, SU-14 and SU-21 are built up from mixed polyhedra. In all silicogermanates, Si and Ge share the tetrahedrally coordinated positions, and only Ge occupies the 5- and 6-coordinated positions. The frameworks of SU-9, SU-10 and SU-11 belong to zeolite frameworks. SU-9 and SU-10 are built up from the same periodic building units (PBUs) that are formed by 4/4-4 units, and they adopt the known zeolite framework types AST and ASV, respectively. SU-11 is built up from 5-1 units and adopts the known zeolite framework type MFI. This is the first time that the frameworks of AST, ASV and MFI have been prepared in silicogermanate form. The 3-D frameworks of SU-12 and SU-14 contain (Ge,Si)7 composite building units that form one-dimensional 24-ring channels along the c axis. Their structures contain intersecting channels. SU-12 contains 8-, 10- 12- and 24-ring channels; while SU-14 has 9-, 10-, 12- and 24-ring channels. SU-21 is a two-dimensional framework structure containing 10-ring channels. It is the first silicogermanate with the template covalently bonded to Ge. All silicogermanates were synthesized by using organic amines as templates. The templates play a very important role in directing the structure of the inorganic framework. The obtained five hybrid fluorotitanates are SUF-1, SUF-2, SUF-3, SUF-4 and SUF-5. Their hybrid frameworks are built up from fluorotitanate anions, N-containing cations and crystal water/oxonium cations. Zero-dimensional fluorotitanate clusters are normally obtained when cyclic organic amines such as 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane (DABCO) and piperazine are used. Increasing the pH value of the starting solutions led to more condensed fluorotitanate anions, from isolated octahedra to pairs and eventually chains of octahedra. The formation of the hybrid frameworks of fluorotitanates is strongly dependent on hydrogen bonds between the fluorotitanate anions, N-containing organic cations and water molecules/oxonium ions.

The ability of amino acids to form nucleophilic enamines with aldehydes and ketones has been used in the development of asymmetric α-oxidation reactions with electrophilic oxidizing agents. Singlet molecular oxygen has for the first time been asymmetrically incorporated into aldehydes and ketones, and the products were isolated as their corresponding diols in good yields and ee’s. Organocatalytic α-oxidations of cyclic ketones with iodosobenzene and N-sulfonyloxaziridine were also possible and furnished after reduction the product diols in generally low yields and in low to good ee’s. Amino acids have also been shown to catalyze the formation of carbohydrates by sequential aldol reactions. For example, proline and hydroxy proline mediate a highly selective trimerisation of α-benzyloxyacetaldehyde into allose, which was obtained in >99 % ee. Non linear effect studies of this reaction revealed the largest permanent nonlinear effect observed in a proline-catalyzed reaction to date. Moreover, polyketides were also assembled in a similar fashion by an amino acid-catalyzed one-pot reaction, and was successful for the trimerisation of propionaldehyde, however the sequential cross aldol reactions suffered from lower selectivities. This problem was overcome by the development of a two-step synthesis that enabled the formation of a range of polyketides with excellent selectivities from a variety of aldehydes. The method furnishes the polyketides via the shortest route reported and in comparable product yields to most multi-step synthesis. All polyketides were isolated as single diastereomers with >99 % ee. Based on the observed amino acid-catalysis, amino acids are thought to have taken part in the prebiotic formation of tetroses and hexoses.

The major part of this thesis describes the synthesis of enantiopure alcohols and diols by combining ruthenium-catalyzed redox reactions that lead to racemization or epimerization and lipase-catalyzed asymmetric trans-formations in one-pot. A mechanistic study of the unexpected facile formation of meso-diacetate products found in enzyme-catalyzed acetylations of alkanediols with Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) was first performed. By deuterium labeling it was found that the formation of meso-diacetates proceeds via different mechanisms for 2,4-pentanediol and 2,5-hexanediol. Whereas the first reacts via an intramolecular acyl migration, the latter proceeds via a direct, anomalous S-acylation of the alcohol. The acyl migration occurring in the 2,4-pentanediol monoacetate was taken advantage of in asymmetric transformations of substituted 1,3-diols by combining it with a ruthenium-catalyzed epimerization and an enzymatic transesterification using CALB. The in situ coupling of these three processes results in de-epimerization and deracemization of acyclic, unsymmetrical 1,3-diols and constitutes a novel dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation (DYKAT) concept. Racemization of secondary alcohols effected by a new ruthenium complex was combined in one-pot with an enzyme-catalyzed transesterification, leading to a chemoenzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) operating at room temperature. Aromatic, aliphatic, heterocyclic and functionalized alcohols were subjected to the procedure. A mechanism for racemization by this ruthenium complex has been proposed and experimental indications for hydrogen transfer within the coordination sphere of ruthenium were found. The same ruthenium catalyst was used for epimerization in DYKAT of 1,2-diols, and a very similar complex was employed in isomerization of allylic alcohols to saturated ketones. The former method is a substrate extension of the above principle applied for DYKAT of 1,3-diols. The combination of a lipase and an organocatalyst was demonstrated by linking a lipase-catalyzed transesterification to a proline-mediated aldol reaction for the production of enantiopure (S)-β-hydroxy ketones and acetylated (R)-aldols.

This thesis presents the development of new palladium-catalyzed transformations involving synthesis and application of allylborane reagents. In these reactions various palladium sources, including pincer complexes and commonly used catalysts were applied. A new transformation for allylation of aldehyde and imine substrates was devised using allyl acetates, diboronate reagents and catalytic amounts of Pd2(dba)3. By employment of commercially available chiral diboronates enantioenriched homoallyl alcohols could be obtained. We have also developed a palladium-catalyzed method for synthesis of functionalized allylboronic acids from vinyl cyclopropane, vinyl aziridine, allyl acetate and allyl alcohol substrates using diboronic acid as reagent. In this process a highly selective selenium based pincer-complex was used as catalyst. The resulting allylboronic acid products were converted to potassium trifluoro(allyl)borates or allylboronates. The functionalized allylboronic acids generated in the above procedure were employed as reagents in two synthetic transformations. One of these transformations involves a palladium(0)-catalyzed coupling reaction between allylboronic acids and aryl iodides. The reaction was regioselective for the branched allylic product, typically difficult to prepare in the absence of directing groups. We also developed another transformation for allylation of aldehydes with allyl alcohols via allylboronic acid intermediate. This procedure can be performed as a simple one-pot sequence affording homoallyl alcohols with excellent stereo- and regioselectivity.

Crystallography today is by many seen as merely a tool for determining the structure of a material on the atomic level. It is expected that whatever comes out of the tool is the indisputable truth, a fact. This thesis is based on five publications illustrating that this is very far from the real world of materials research. The experiences drawn from the structural work in the papers are put together to illustrate when to be alert, and how to proceed with a structural investigation using non-standard crystallography. The focus is on interpreting the signs of additional order being present in a structure. The signs may be weak, such as extreme thermal vibration, or unit cell deformation. Or the signs can be strong, with superstructure reflections indicating the presence of either commensurate or incommensurate superstructures.

The company Kiviks Musteri AB produces a pear base wine that forms stable foam, which is problematic from a production perspective. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the factors underlying foam stability in the pear base wine and to find means for its reduction. This was done by foam testing wines and varying several variables, such as the fining agents normally used in the wine production (bentonite, gelatin, siliceous earth and activated carbon), enzyme treatment, and by changing the fermenting yeast species. Results: The wine started to form stable foam during fermentation, and foam stability could be reduced by using more bentonite and carbon during the fining process. The other fining agents appeared to have only limited impact on foaming characteristics. No pectin was present according to the pectin test, but protein bands were evident from SDS PAGE analysis, though absent in samples treated with increased doses of bentonite. In conclusion, pectin is not a major foaming agent in the wine, the yeast is most likely the producer of the foaming agents, carbon and bentonite have a reducing effect on foam stability, bentonite also reduces protein content. Proteins are likely to be involved in the foam stabilization but are not the sole contributors to stable foam.

The main focus of this thesis is on hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and the preparation of stationary phases for HILIC. The mechanism of HILIC is also discussed; a large part of the discussion has been adapted from a review written by me and professor Irgum for the Journal of Separation Science (ref 34). By reevaluating the literature we have revealed that the notion of HILIC as simply partitioning chromatography needed modification. However, our interest in the HILIC mechanism was mainly inspired by the need to understand how to construct the optimal HILIC stationary phase. The ultimate stationary phase for HILIC is still not found. My theory is that a non-charged stationary phase capable of retaining a full hydration layer even at extreme acetonitrile (> 85%) concentrations should give a HILIC stationary phase with a more pure partitioning retention behavior similar to that of a swollen C18 reversed phase. The preparation of a sorbitol methacrylate grafted silica stationary phase is one of our attempts at producing such a stationary phase. The preparation of such a grafted silica has been performed, but with huge difficulty and this work is still far from producing a column of commercial quality and reprodicibility. This thesis also discusses a new method for the initiation of atom transfer radical polymerization from chlorinated silica. This new grafting scheme theoretically results in a silica particle grafted with equally long polymer chains, anchored to the silica carrier by a hydrolytically stable silicon-carbon bond. The hydrolytic stability is especially important for HILIC stationary phases due to the high water concentration at the surface.