Mannitol, organic structure

Cobalt-on-alumina catalysts with increased dispersion and catalytic activity are prepared by addition of mannitol to the cobalt nitrate solution prior to impregnation. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and in situ visible microscopy of the impregnation solution show that the organic compound reacts with cobalt nitrate, forming a foam. The foam forms because significant amounts of gas are released through a viscous liquid. The structure of the foam is retained in the final calcined product. It is this effect that is responsible for the increased dispersion. 

FIGURE 1.1 Structures of organic compounds referred to in the text (a) sucrose (also known as saccharose), (b) dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), (c) dimethylformamide (DMF), (d) sorbitol, (e) mannitol, (f) nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), (g) citric acid, (h) N,N,N, N -fran,s-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-tetraacetic acid (CyTA), (i) saccharic acid, (j) glutamic acid. 

Another approach is to compare polymorphic forms of the same compound. This allows the comparison of molecules with the same constitution and configuration in different crystal fields. Do these different potential environments lead to different conformations There are few comparative crystal structural studies of organic polymorphs. For d-mannitol the molecules had the same conformation in all three polymorphic forms studied with differences in torsion angles for the two that were studied in detail of only a few degrees (see Table I). 

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