A systematic approach for synthesizing a low-temperature distillation system

In this paper, by combining a stochastic optimization method with a refrigeration shaft work targeting method,an approach for the synthesis of a heat integrated complex distillation system in a low-temperature process is presented. The synthesis problem is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming(MINLP) problem,which is solved by simulated annealing algorithm under a random procedure to explore the optimal operating parameters and the distillation sequence structure. The shaft work targeting method is used to evaluate the minimum energy cost of the corresponding separation system during the optimization without any need for a detailed design for the heat exchanger network(HEN) and the refrigeration system(RS). The method presented in the paper can dramatically reduce the scale and complexity of the problem. A case study of ethylene cold-end separation is used to illustrate the application of the approach. Compared with the original industrial scheme, the result is encouraging.

Design and synthesis of novel coumarin analogs and their nematicidal activity against five phytonematodes

The presence of hydroxyl groups at the C4 and C7 positions in coumarin backbone has been proposed as a potential modification site for providing excellent bioactivity according to previous studies. A series of novel coumarin derivatives were rationally designed and synthesized by use of a complex catalytic system for a targeted modification at the above sites. These derivatives were assayed for nematicidal activity. As predicted, the derivatization enhanced the activity of the coumarins against five nematodes.Compounds 7b, 9a, 10 c and 11 c showed significant strong nematicidal broad spectrum activity against all tested nematodes. Compound 10 c was the most effective with the lowest LC50 values against Meloidogyne incognita（5.1 mmol/L）, Ditylenchus destructor（3.7 mmol/L）, Bursaphelenchus mucronatus（6.4 mmol/L）, Bursaphelenchus B. xylophilus（2.5 mmol/L） and Aphelenchoides besseyi（3.1 mmol/L）,respectively. A brief investigation on the structure–activity relationships（SAR） revealed that the targeted modification by a C7 hydroxyl was optimum compared with that of a C4 hydroxyl and that the coupling chain length was crucial for the nematicidal activity.