Molecule, design extraction solvents

Separation processes (both liquid-liquid and gas-liquid) are a key element in many industrial processes. For this application, solvent molecules are built from UNIFAC submolecular groups, and the relevant properties of the new molecules such as distribution coefficients and selectivities are estimated. Strategies for the design of solvents for separation processes were initially formulated and later extended to better model the processes of solvent synthesis, solvent evaluation, and solvent screening. A method for solvent design for liquid-liquid extraction has been developed. 

The design and development of supercritical extraction processes depend on the ability to model and predict the solubilities of solid solutes in supercritical solvents. The prediction is usually difficult due to the large differences in sizes and molecular interactions between the solvent and solute molecules. 

Reverse micelles are self-organized aggregates of amphiphilic molecules that provide a hydrophilic nano-scale droplet in apolar solvents. This polar core accommodates some hydrophilic biomolecules stabilized by a surfactant shell layer. Furthermore, reverse micellar solutions can extract proteins from aqueous bulk solutions through a water-oil interface. Such a liquid-liquid extraction technique is easy to scale up without a loss in resolution capability, complex equipment design, economic limitations and the impossibility of a continuous mode of operation. Therefore, reverse micellar protein extraction has great potential in facilitating large-scale protein recovery processes from fermentation broths for effective protein production. 

The rapid development of carborane chemistry is mainly due to their practical applications. For instance, the potential utility of carborane polymers as gaskets, O-rings, and electrical connector inserts has been reported. Their functionality for solvent extraction of radionuchdes as well as the potential medicinal value of the isoelectronic and isostructural boron analogues of biologically important molecules has been the subject of many review articles. For example, a number of boron compounds have been found to possess anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic activity in animal model studies. Boron compounds have also been implicated in studies designed to probe the importance of the so-called anionic subsite of acetylcholine esterase and Ach receptors. But, by far the most interesting practical apphcations of carboranes are in areas of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and supramolecular assembly. 

The design of single-component polymer transport materials continues to interest researchers in this field. The use of such materials will completely eliminate solvent extraction, diffusional instability, and crystallization of the small molecules. One obvious route that has not been successful to date is the design of yet another aromatic-amine-containing carbon-backbone polymer. An alternative may be to explore the large class of glassy silicon-backbone polymers, such as polysilylenes (14) and polyphosphazenes (iS). 

---