Table of contents

The review surveys the main lines of research in thermooptical spectroscopy related directly or indirectly to analytical chemistry. The advantages and drawbacks of thermooptical spectroscopy methods are considered. Particular attention is given to the coupling of thermooptical spectroscopy to chromatography, flow analysis techniques, capillary electrophoresis, etc. Prospects for the development of analytical thermooptical spectroscopy are discussed.

The recently published data on the dependence of the configuration of the reaction product on the structure of a catalytic metal complex (or an intermediate determining the asymmetric induction) in asymmetric catalytic reactions of hydrogen-transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone, hydroformylation of styrene, allylic alkylation of 1,3-diphenylprop-2-enyl acetate and alkylation of benzaldehyde with dialkylzinc are systematised. The applicabilities of octant and quadrant projections of the complexes are compared in order to establish the relationships between their structures and the enantioselectivities of the reactions. The known mechanisms of asymmetric induction in these reactions are discussed with regard to the C₁ or C₂ symmetry of the catalytic complex. The reasons for a decrease in the enantioselectivities of hydrogen-transfer hydrogenation, hydroformylation and alkylation by dialkylzinc [in the absence of Ti(OPrⁱ)₄] when performed with complexes with chiral C₂-symmetric ligands (as compared with complexes with asymmetric ligands) are considered.

Results of the experimental and theoretical investigations into hydrogen sorption by various carbon nanostructures, including fullerenes, single-walled and multi-walled nanotubes, nanofibres, nanographite and nanographite-based composites are surveyed. Results of a thermodynamic analysis of the most significant experimental data are presented. The emphasis is placed on the studies reporting the extremum sorption parameters. The thermodynamic and kinetic (diffusion) parameters and equations describing the sorption processes are refined. The prospects of the applications of new carbon nanomaterials for hydrogen storage in the automotive industry are discussed.