Redox Acceleration

Oxidation of the starting alkyl complex can also dramatically accelerate migratory insertion of CO. Oxidation accelerates ligand substitution for CO in 18-electron complexes by formation of a 17-eIectron species, but it is unclear why oxidation increases the rate of CO insertion. This acceleration is illustrated by the reaction in Equation 9.36. The forward rate constant of this equilibrium increases by at least 10 upon oxidation of the metal from iron(II) to iron(III). As a result is increased by about 10 . 

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Water-soluble peroxide salts, such as ammonium or sodium persulfate, are the usual initiators. The initiating species is the sulfate radical anion generated from either the thermal or redox cleavage of the persulfate anion. The thermal dissociation of the persulfate anion, which is a first-order process at constant temperature (106), can be greatly accelerated by the addition of certain reducing agents or small amounts of polyvalent metal salts, or both (87). By using redox initiator systems, rapid polymerizations are possible at much lower temperatures (25—60°C) than are practical with a thermally initiated system (75—90°C). 

The action of redox metal promoters with MEKP appears to be highly specific. Cobalt salts appear to be a unique component of commercial redox systems, although vanadium appears to provide similar activity with MEKP. Cobalt activity can be supplemented by potassium and 2inc naphthenates in systems requiring low cured resin color lithium and lead naphthenates also act in a similar role. Quaternary ammonium salts (14) and tertiary amines accelerate the reaction rate of redox catalyst systems. The tertiary amines form beneficial complexes with the cobalt promoters, faciUtating the transition to the lower oxidation state. Copper naphthenate exerts a unique influence over cure rate in redox systems and is used widely to delay cure and reduce exotherm development during the cross-linking reaction. 

Tertiary amines are also effective as accelerators in cobalt redox systems to advance the cure rate (Eig. 6). Hardness development measured by Shore D or Barcol D634-1 penetrometer can be used to demonstrate this benefit, which is useful in increasing mold turnover at ambient temperatures. 

Mechanism of Anthraquinone Acceleration. The mechanism for the dual function of AQ has been the subject of much research (29). Anthraquinone is an effective pulping accelerator in very small quantities and functions as a catalyst in the process. It is generally accepted that AQ functions in a complex redox sequence. 

M aqueous solutions of iodopentaminecobalt(lll) decompose with first-order kinetics at 45 °C with = 6.0x 10" sec 10" M solutions decompose faster after an initial induction period at the normal rate. Product analysis shows the fast decomposition to be a mixture of a redox process leading to iodine and substitution leading to aquopentaminecobalt(iri) and iodide. Addition of sodium iodide (to 10 M) accelerates the decomposition and... 

In systems of this type, the electrochemical reactions can be realized or greatly accelerated when small amounts of the components of another redox system are added to the solution. These components function as the auxiliary oxidizing or reducing intermediates of the primary reactants (i.e., as electron or hydrogen-atom transfer agents). When consumed they are regenerated at the electrode. 

Because of the excess holes with an energy lower than the Fermi level that are present at the n-type semiconductor surface in contact with the solution, electron ttansitions from the solution to the semiconductor electrode are facilitated ( egress of holes from the electrode to the reacting species ), and anodic photocurrents arise. Such currents do not arise merely from an acceleration of reactions which, at the particular potential, will also occur in the dark. According to Eq. (29.6), the electrochemical potential, corresponds to a more positive value of electrode potential (E ) than that which actually exists (E). Hence, anodic reactions can occur at the electrode even with redox systems having an equilibrium potential more positive than E (between E and E ) (i.e., reactions that are prohibited in the dark). 

Studies of ferredoxin [152] and a photosynthetic reaction center [151] have analyzed further the protein s dielectric response to electron transfer, and the protein s role in reducing the reorganization free energy so as to accelerate electron transfer [152], Different force fields were compared, including a polarizable and a non-polarizable force field [151]. One very recent study considered the effect of point mutations on the redox potential of the protein azurin [56]. Structural relaxation along the simulated reaction pathway was analyzed in detail. Similar to the Cyt c study above, several slow relaxation channels were found, which limited the ability to obtain very precise free energy estimates. Only semiquantitative values were... 

Liu G, Zhou J, Wang J (2009) Acceleration of azo dye decolorization by using quinone reductase activity of azoreductase and quinone redox mediator. Bioresour Technol 100 2791-2795... 

Since long retention times are often applied in the anaerobic phase of the SBR, it can be concluded that reduction of many azo dyes is a relatively a slow process. Reactor studies indicate that, however, by using redox mediators, which are compounds that accelerate electron transfer from a primary electron donor (co-substrate) to a terminal electron acceptor (azo dye), azo dye reduction can be increased [39,40]. By this way, higher decolorization rates can be achieved in SBRs operated with a low hydraulic retention time [41,42]. Flavin enzyme cofactors, such as flavin adenide dinucleotide, flavin adenide mononucleotide, and riboflavin, as well as several quinone compounds, such as anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate, anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate, and lawsone, have been found as redox mediators [43—46]. 

Though accelerating effect of redox mediators is proved, differences in electrochemical factors between mediator and azo dye is a limiting factor for this application. It was reported that redox mediator applied for biological azo dye reduction must have redox potential between the half reactions of the azo dye and the primary electron donor [37], The standard redox potentials for different azo dyes are screened generally between -430 and -180 mV [47],... 

During the last two decades, more studies have been conducted to explore the catalytic effects of different redox mediators on the bio-transformation processes. Redox mediators, also referred to as electron shuttles, have been shown to play an important role not only as final electron acceptor for many recalcitrant organic compounds, but also facilitating electron transfer from an electron donor to an electron acceptor, for example, azo dyes [8, 11, 12], Redox mediators accelerate reactions by lowering the activation energy of the total reaction, and are organic molecules that can reversibly be oxidized and reduced, thereby conferring the capacity to serve as an electron carrier in multiple redox reactions. 

Anaerobic bio-reduction of azo dye is a nonspecific and presumably extracellular process and comprises of three different mechanisms by researchers (Fig. 1), including the direct enzymatic reduction, indirect/mediated reduction, and chemical reduction. A direct enzymatic reaction or a mediated/indirect reaction is catalyzed by biologically regenerated enzyme cofactors or other electron carriers. Moreover, azo dye chemical reduction can result from purely chemical reactions with biogenic bulk reductants like sulfide. These azo dye reduction mechanisms have been shown to be greatly accelerated by the addition of many redox-mediating compounds, such as anthraquinone-sulfonate (AQS) and anthraquinone-disulfonate (AQDS) [13-15],... 

The acceleration mechanism of redox mediators are presumed by van der Zee [15]. Redox mediators as reductase or coenzymes catalyze reactions by lowering the activation energy of the total reaction. Redox mediators, for example, artificial redox mediators such as AQDS, can accelerate both direct enzymatic reduction and mediated/indirect biological azo dye reduction (Fig. 3). In the case of direct enzymatic azo dye reduction, the accelerating effect of redox mediator will be due to redox mediator enzymatic reduction in addition to enzymatic reduction of the azo dye. Possibly, both reactions will be catalyzed by the same nonspecific periplasmic enzymes. In the case of azo dye reduction by reduced enzyme cofactors, the accelerating effect of redox mediator will either be due to an electron shuttle between the reduced enzyme cofactor and redox mediator or be due to redox mediator enzymatic reduction in addition to enzymatic reduction of the coenzymes. In the latter case, the addition of redox mediator simply increases the pool of electron carriers. 

During the accelerating process, regeneration of redox mediator can be linked to the anaerobic oxidation of organic substrates by microorganisms. 

The effects of redox mediators are different as reported in the present literatures. On the one hand, the accelerating effects of dissolved or undissolved redox mediators have been studied in details in the bio-decolorization processes in the above review. 

On the other hand, the inhibitory effects are also discussed in several reports [51, 52], However, there are few literatures about the exact and well catalytic mechanisms of dissolved or undissolved redox mediators, which are the bottlenecks of the accelerating/inhibitory effects, the fast development, and the more application of dissolved or undissolved redox mediators. Therefore, the catalytic mechanisms of dissolved or undissolved redox mediators are the focus for the anaerobic bio-transformation of priority pollutants in the future. At the same time, the more effective undissolved redox mediators is also another noticed field during the new anaerobic bio-technology of wastewater treatment. 

Guo J (2006) Biodegradation of hyper-salinity dye wastewaters and the accelerating effect of redox mediators. Ph.D. thesis, Dalian Technology University, Dalian... 

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