Thermophysical study of 2-acetylthiophene: experimental and modelled results

Several thermophysical properties have been studied for 2-acetylthiophene: (i) vapour pressure was determined at temperatures within 336.16–445.02 K; (ii) density, speed of sound, static permittivity, refractive index, surface tension, and kinematic viscosity were measured at p = 0.1 MPa and at temperatures from 278.15 K (or 283.15 K for the refractive index) to 338.15 K; (iii) volumetric properties were also determined at temperatures in the (283.15–338.15) K range and at pressures up to 65.0 MPa. From these experimental values, different derivative properties have been calculated such as enthalpy of vaporization, isobaric expansibility, isothermal and isentropic compressibility, dipole moment, entropy and enthalpy of surface formation, and dynamic viscosity. All experimental properties were correlated and the results were explained through the intermolecular interactions. Moreover PC-SAFT EoS was used to model the thermodynamic behaviour of the compound. Finally, this EoS combined with the Density Gradient Theory allowed obtaining the influence parameter for the surface tension of 2-acetylthiophene

Volumetric and acoustic behaviour of myo-inositol in aqueous Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent solutions

A study of the interactions in aqueous systems containing a sweetener, myo-inositol, and a NAtural Deep Eutectic Solvent, reline or glyceline, is presented. Both NADESs include the same acceptor group, choline chloride, and different donor groups, urea and glycerol. For this purpose, the density and speed of sound were measured for dilute mixtures, and several related properties were calculated: the standard partial molar volume, the standard partial molar isentropic compression, the standard transfer properties, Hepler's constant, and the compressibility hydration number. The results were evaluated as a function of the temperature and composition, and they show the dominance of the ionic-hydrophilic and hydrophilic-hydrophilic interactions. Moreover, the glyceline disturbs the aqueous mixtures more than the reline

pVT behaviour of hydrophilic and hydrophobic eutectic solvents

Among the basic principles of green chemistry is the search for less harmful alternative solvents than conventional solvents. Knowing the thermophysical properties of fluids under different pressure and temperature conditions is essential to propose them. Herein, we present data on the densities at several pressures (from 0.1 to 65 MPa) and temperatures (from 283.15 to 338.15 K) of two deep eutectic solvents with hydrophilic characteristics (choline chloride + ethylene glycol or glycerol) and two eutectic solvents with hydrophobic characteristics (camphor + thymol or menthol). We used the Tait equation of state to correlate and calculate derived properties. Moreover, we modelled the mixtures with the PC-SAFT equation of state. The results showed that the hydrophilic solvents were more compact than the hydrophobic ones. The former exhibited an abnormal thermal behaviour of the isobaric thermal expansibility. The deviations in the correlation of densities with the thermodynamic model were between 0.5 and 3%. They were lower for the mixtures with weaker interactions

A Bayesian cost-effectiveness analysis of a telemedicine-based strategy for the management of sleep apnoea: a multicentre randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Compliance with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is essential in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), but adequate control is not always possible. This is clinically important because CPAP can reverse the morbidity and mortality associated with OSA. Telemedicine, with support provided via a web platform and video conferences, could represent a cost-effective alternative to standard care management. AIM: To assess the telemedicine impact on treatment compliance, cost-effectiveness and improvement in quality of life (QoL) when compared with traditional face-to-face follow-up. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial was performed to compare a telemedicine-based CPAP follow-up strategy with standard face-to-face management. Consecutive OSA patients requiring CPAP treatment, with sufficient internet skills and who agreed to participate, were enrolled. They were followed-up at 1, 3 and 6 months and answered surveys about sleep, CPAP side effects and lifestyle. We compared CPAP compliance, cost-effectiveness and QoL between the beginning and the end of the study. A Bayesian cost-effectiveness analysis with non-informative priors was performed. RESULTS: We randomised 139 patients. At 6 months, we found similar levels of CPAP compliance, and improved daytime sleepiness, QoL, side effects and degree of satisfaction in both groups. Despite requiring more visits, the telemedicine group was more cost-effective: costs were lower and differences in effectiveness were not relevant. CONCLUSIONS: A telemedicine-based strategy for the follow-up of CPAP treatment in patients with OSA was as effective as standard hospital-based care in terms of CPAP compliance and symptom improvement, with comparable side effects and satisfaction rates. The telemedicine-based strategy had lower total costs due to savings on transport and less lost productivity (indirect costs)

NMR study of choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvents

Nowadays, the eutectic liquids (DESs) are considered an adequate alternative to the traditional solvents. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in the study of the structure, properties and applications of these mixtures. In this paper, several NMR spectroscopic techniques have been used in order to evaluate the molecular structure of three ternary DESs, composed of choline chloride, urea or glycerol or ethylene glycol, and water. The use of routine and non-routine NMR techniques, such as H, C, correlation experiments, NOESY, ROESY, and diffusion experiments gave us some important evidences pointing to a supramolecular structure of the DES, which may be the origin of their particular behaviour. The mixture containing ethylene glycol shows the feeblest structure. In these ternary solvents, the water is found within the structure that is still retained when DESs are diluted at 10% wt.This research was supported by Gobierno de Aragón (Grant E31_17R), Fondo de Desarrollo Regional “Construyendo Europa desde Aragón”. The authors would like to thank the financial assistance