Thermo-optical study of UV cured polyether urethane diacrylate films with dispersed octadecanol

Thermally reversible light scattering (TRLS) films are prepared from ultraviolet (UV) curing of polyether urethane diacrylate (PEUDA) with dispersed low molecular weight 1-octadecanol (OD). Depending on the temperature, the OD domains are crystalline or amorphous and this produce opaque or transparent films in a reversible way. Stable optically transparent and light scattering states are obtained after 100 successive heating–cooling cycles. Moreover, morphologies of the OD domains could be varied significantly with the cure temperature and this led to notable discrepancy in optical properties. By using an UV-mask and curing in two steps at different temperatures, complex patterns could be recorded in the film that were encoded at high temperatures (60 °C) and revealed at low temperatures (i.e., at room temperature), which makes the film a candidate for thermo-optical recording medium.     

Spectral correlations for β-chlorovinyl ketones

The IR and UV spectroscopic data of a series of alkyl substituted β-chlorovinyl ketones have been determined. Some of the IR and UV spectroscopic criteria, developed for the S-cis or S-trans conformation of ordinary α,β-unsaturated ketones, seem to be applicable for the β-chlorovinyl ketones: the S-cis conformer shows a low ratio (rⁱ) of the integrated intensities of the carbonyl and double bond stretching vibrations and a relatively low UV ε value; whereas high rⁱ and ε values are found for the S-trans conformer; non-planarity increases the rⁱ value and decreases the ε value.The prefered conformations as determined by the IR and UV spectral data have led to the presentation of benzene solvation models for a series of β-chlorovinyl ketones. These models made it possible to assign thecis ortrans structure to α,β-dialkyl-β-chlorovinyl ketones on the basis of the NMR aromatic solvent induced shifts of the β-alkyl group: high solvent shifts to a higher field (0·31–0·66 ppm) are found forcis-β-chlorovinyl ketones, whereas low solvent shifts (0·040·15) are found for thetrans-β-chlorovinyl ketones. Assignments based on the chemical shifts alone can lead to erroneous interpretations.     

Pre-column derivatization of rofecoxib for determination in serum by HPLC

An HPLC method for determination of rofecoxib in human serum is presented. The method is based on pre-column derivatization of analyte to a phenanthrene derivative of the drug. Rofecoxib and the internal standard were extracted from serum using liquid–liquid extraction. Upon exposure to UV light, the drug was found to undergo a photocyclization reaction, giving a species with high absorbance. Validation of the method has been studied in the concentration range 10–500 ng ml^–1.     

Migration of Ethylene Terephthalate Oligomers from Roasting Bags into Olive Oil

Summary A high-performance liquid-chromatographic method with UV detection (HPLC–UV) has been developed for quantification of ethylene terephthalate oligomers in olive oil, from which they were extracted with acetonitrile. Oligomers, from monomers (M₁) to pentamers (M₅), were jointly and/or individually identified by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (electron-impact mass spectrometry (EIMS) low- and high-resolution) and were quantified by HPLC–UV using an acetonitrile solution of the major oligomer (the trimer M₃) as standard. For M₃ recovery was 98.9%, the detection limit was 60 g L^–2, and method precision was 2.03% (RSD). Migration of oligomers M₁–M₅ into 50 mL olive oil sealed in each of two brands of 10 cm × 10 cm poly(ethylene terephthalate) roasting bag was evaluated under two sets of conditions that approached but remained below the limit at which the bag material became physically deformed – heating for 7 min at 850 W in a microwave oven, or for 60 min at 200 °C in a conventional oven. Total migration was approximately 2.7 mg dm^–2 under the former conditions and 3.5–4.1 mg dm^–2 under the latter.Presented at the International Symposium on Separation and Characteristics of Natural and Synthetic Macromolecules, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, February 5–7, 2003     

The influence of calcination on the size of nanocrystals, porous structure and acid–base properties of mesoporous anatase used as catalytic support

Mesoporous anatase was prepared following sol–gel and using urea as template. The influence of calcination temperature on the phase stability, nanocrystal/aggregate size, pore size distribution and specific surface area as well as on the acid–base behavior in aqueous solutions was studied using X-ray diffraction, laser-Raman and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies, scanning electron microscopy and laser scattering as well as N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms and potentiometric mass titrations.The crystal structure was kept constant upon calcination over the whole temperature range, 200–500 °C. In this range anatase is constituted from primary nanocrystals. These are assembled into larger, rather spherical, clusters of about 30–40 nm and then into aggregates of various sizes (0.2–0.3 μm and 2–100 μm) with a distribution centered at about 12 μm. Increase of the calcination temperature caused an increase in the size of the primary nanocrystals from 8.1 nm at 200 °C to 17.1 nm at 500 °C, whereas calcination does not influence the morphology at micro-scale. Moreover, increase of the calcination temperature from 200 °C to 500 °C brings about a shift in the mean pore diameter from 47 nm to 91 nm accompanied by a decrease in the specific surface area and pore volume. The above effects were related with the aforementioned increase in the size of the primary nanocrystals. The value of pzc and the values of surface charge determined at various pH do not practically depend on the calcination temperature. The absence of pore space confinement effects was explained in terms of the structure and size of the interface development between the anatase surface and the electrolytic solution.     

Rheological properties of reversible thermo-setting in situ gelling solutions with the methylcellulose–polyethylene glycol–citric acid ternary system (2): Effects of various water-soluble polymers and salts on the gelling temperature

The influences of various salts and water-soluble polymers on the phase transition temperature of thermo-setting gels prepared by combining methylcellulose (MC)–sodium citrate (SC)–polyethylene glycol (PEG) at appropriate ratios (the MC–SC–PEG system) were investigated. Concerning cations, comparison of the phase transition temperature between SC and tripotassium citrate (PC) showed a rapid increase in the viscosity of SC between 20 °C and 25 °C and an increase in the viscosity of PC between 30 °C and 35 °C. Concerning the valency of anions, comparisons among SC, disodium tartrate dihydrate (ST), disodium maleate hemihydrates (SM), and sodium sulfate (SS) showed a rapid increase in the viscosity of trivalent SC between 20 °C and 25 °C and changes in the viscosity of the three bivalent sodium salts (ST, SM, and SS) at ≥30 °C. Thus the phase transition temperature decreased with an increase in the valency of anions.Subsequently, the influences of various water-soluble polymers on the gelling temperature were compared. Using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) instead of PEG, the gelling temperature decreased with an increase in the PVP concentration even without the addition of SC. Unlike PVP, the addition of xanthan gum as a viscosity-increasing polysaccharide did not reduce the gelling temperature irrespective of its concentration.Temperature-associated changes in viscosity were observed at a fixed SC concentration with changes in the concentration of PVP or PEG. The gel phase transition temperature increased from 46 °C to 50 °C in gels not containing PVP or PEG. The viscosity did not differ between the addition of PVP or PEG at a low concentration and its absence. However, the viscosity clearly changed after the addition of each agent at a high concentration.     

Determination of the bond-angle distribution in vitreous B2O3 by B double rotation (DOR) NMR spectroscopy

The B–O–B bond angle distributions for both ring and non-ring boron sites in vitreous B₂O₃ have been determined by ¹¹B double rotation (DOR) NMR and multiple-quantum (MQ) DOR NMR. The [B₃O₆] boroxol rings are observed to have a mean internal B–O–B angle of 120.0±0.7° with a small standard deviation, σ_R=3.2±0.4°, indicating that the rings are near-perfect planar, hexagonal structures. The rings are linked predominantly by non-ring [BO₃] units, which share oxygens with the boroxol ring, with a mean B_ring–O–B_non-ring angle of 135.1±0.6° and σ_NR=6.7±0.4°. In addition, the fraction of boron atoms, f, which reside in the boroxol rings has been measured for this sample as f=0.73±0.01.     

Comparative effects of different cosurfactants on sterile prednisolone acetate ocular submicron emulsions stability and release

Pluronic F68 is a nonionic, thermogelling block copolymer showing a high dehydration resistance during autoclaving due to its high cloud point (>100 °C). Tween 80 (with cloud point of 72.5 °C), is a polyoxyethylene-based cosurfactant, susceptible to temperature because of a decrease in its solubility by temperature increase. This study was done to explore whether or not, when compared with Tween 80, Pluronic F68 could be used blindly as a suitable cosurfactant for the preparation of terminally sterilized ocular submicron emulsions containing a lipid soluble drug, prednisolone acetate (PA). Various oils of variable viscosities were also tried. The results proved that no prediction can be made based on previously known physico-chemical properties alone and that emulsion stability depends on the contribution of the various emulsion components including: oil, surfactant and cosurfactant, in addition to the drug properties.     

Separation of inorganic anions by reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography with direct UV detection

In this paper, a separation method of the inorganic anions including I^–, NO ₂ ^– , NO ₃ ^– , IO ₃ ^– and SCN^– on the reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography with direct UV detection has been developed, and the limits of detection of these inorganic anions were determined. The effects of the organic modifier volume fraction and concentration of the ion-pair reagent on the retention of inorganic anions were discussed.     

The determination of losses in the fire assay of gold : Part II. Losses in the complete assay and application of optimal procedures

Losses in the complete fire assay for gold were found to be less than 1% under ideal conditions. The use of polythene bags for mixing each sample was shown to improve both the accuracy and the precision of the assay. Fusion temperatures of 1900°–2300°F and times from 0.5–3.5 h showed only small variations in gold recovery. The optimal conditions were fusion for 1.5–2 h at 2100°F, with a button weight of 18 g, and cupellation at 1800°F. However, the overall assay proved remarkably insensitive to variation in conditions. The need to determine the silver retained in the parted gold beads is emphasized. Gold losses in the procedural stages were established with tracers; the loss to the crucible was most significant. The use of lead foil as a simulated button gives misleading results. For synthetic samples containing 24.5–490 μg of gold, average recoveries were 100% (s=0.6–1.8). Application to two gold ores is discussed.     

The O–H···O, O–H···N and C–H···O hydrogen bonds in 1,4-dimethylpiperazine mono-betaine monohydrate

1,4-Dimethylpiperazine mono-betaine (1-carboxymethyl-1,4-dimethylpiperazinium inner salt, MBPZ) crystallizes as monohydrate. The crystals are orthorhombic, space group Pccn. Two MBPZ molecules and two water molecules form a cyclic oligomer, (MBPZ·H₂O)₂. The O–H···O and O–H···N hydrogen bonds are of 2.769(1) and 2.902(1) Å, respectively. The dimers interact with the neighboring molecules through the C–H···O hydrogen bonds of 3.234(1) Å. The piperazine ring assumes a chair conformation with the N(4)–CH₃ and N⁺(1)–CH₂COO⁻ groups in the equatorial position and the N⁺(1)–CH₃ group in the axial one. The FTIR spectrum is compared with that calculated by the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory.     

Electrochemical vapor generation of selenium species after online photolysis and reduction by UV-irradiation under nano TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> photocatalysis and its application to selenium speciation by HPLC coupled with atomic fluorescence spectrometry

An online UV photolysis and UV/TiO₂ photocatalysis reduction device (UV–UV/TiO₂ PCRD) and an electrochemical vapor generation (ECVG) cell have been used for the first time as an interface between high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) for selenium speciation. The newly designed ECVG cell of approximately 115 L dead volume consists of a carbon fiber cathode and a platinum loop anode; the atomic hydrogen generated on the cathode was used to reduce selenium to vapor species for AFS determination. The noise was greatly reduced compared with that obtained by use of the UV–UV/TiO₂ PCRD–KBH₄–acid interface. The detection limits obtained for seleno-DL-cystine (SeCys), selenite (Se^IV), seleno-DL-methionine (SeMet), and selenate (Se^VI) were 2.1, 2.9, 4.3, and 3.5 ng mL^–1, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the speciation of selenium in water-soluble extracts of garlic shoots cultured with different selenium species. The results obtained suggested that UV–UV/TiO₂ PCRD–ECVG should be an effective interface between HPLC and AFS for the speciation of elements amenable to vapor generation, and is superior to methods involving KBH₄.     

Ion-chromatographic determination of iodide in sea water with UV detection

A highly sensitive and selective ion-chromatographic procedure with UV detection at 227 nm was developed for the determination of trace amounts of iodide. The procedure utilizes 0.1M NaOH as eluent, which enables the determination of 1–100 g I^–1 I^– with a precision of ca. 6%. 1000-fold amounts of other anions such as fluoride, chloride, phosphate, sulphate, bromide, nitrite and nitrate do not interfere. The method has been applied to determine iodide in sea water samples from the Indian coast.     

Experimental and calculated complex formation curves for mixed, dynamic and semi-dynamic, metal–ligand systems.: A differential pulse polarographic study of Cu–sarcosine–OH and Cd–MIDA–OH systems at a fixed ligand to metal ratio and varied pH

The Cu–sarcosine–OH and Cd–MIDA–OH systems have been studied by differential pulse polarography (DPP) at a fixed total ligand to total metal concentration ratio and varied pH at 298 K and μ=0.5 mol dm⁻³ in the background of NaNO₃. Both the metal–ligand systems show initially dynamic (labile), followed by semi-dynamic behaviour on the DPP time scale. It has been shown that the experimental and calculated DPP complex formation curves used previously only for labile metal–ligand systems can be employed for the modelling of all species formed in a solution and optimisation of their stability constants. The stability constants of ML and ML₂ complexes as log β were estimated for Cu^II and Cd^II as 7.75±0.02, 14.49±0.01 and 6.67 ±0.02, 12.00±0.02, respectively (all known hydroxide species of copper and cadmium, including polynuclear species, were incorporated into the metal–ligand–OH systems). The formation of the complex CuL₂(OH) is suggested also and its stability constant as log β has been estimated to be 16.2±0.2. Results reported here seem to be reasonable when compared with the literature data reported at 298 K and different ionic strengths.     

UV light induced photodegradation of liposome encapsulated fluoroquinolones: An MS study

Fluoroquinolone antibacterial agents are among the drugs most commonly causing phototoxic side effects. The phototoxicity may be originated in formation of reactive oxygen species upon ultraviolet exposure. Researches aiming the liposomal encapsulation of fluoroquinolones, expecting an increase in their therapeutic index, enhance the importance of studies on physicochemical properties and photostability of liposomal preparations. We studied the photodegradation of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and lomefloxacin by mass spectrometry upon various doses of UV irradiation. Lomefloxacin, the most phototoxic fluoroquinolone among them, was encapsulated into small unilamellar and multilamellar liposomes. Impact of vesicle structure and lipid composition – the presence of unsaturated fatty acid containing dioleoyl-phosphatidylcholine in dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine liposomes – on the lomefloxacin photolysis was investigated; the structure of the main photoproducts was identified by mass spectrometry. It was found that the presence and type of lipids influence the ways of photodegradation process.     

Molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction for rapid screening of metformin

A molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) method has been developed for the rapid screening of metformin. Newly synthesized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) particles were slurry-packed into a micro-column for selective solid phase extraction (SPE) of metformin. With CH₃CN flowing at 0.5 ml/min, a total binding capacity of 1600 ng metformin was determined for the 20 mg of MIP particles. A broad range of MISPE conditions was evaluated with respect to sample solvent, pH, and buffer compositions. A 95±2% binding could be achieved from one 20-μl injection of sample solution in acetonitrile plus phosphate buffer, up to 1200 ng of metformin. However, the micro-column interacted indiscriminately with phenformin, a structural analogue, to attain 49±2% binding. Separation of phenformin from metformin was ultimately achieved, using differential pulsed elution (DPE) with 1 M trifluoromethacrylic acid in acetonitrile. Final pulsed elution (FPE) using 3% trifluoroacetic acid in methanol was good for the quantitative elution of metformin. The MISPE–DPE–FPE method, with UV detection at 240 nm, afforded a detection limit of 0.8 μg/ml (or 16 ng) for metformin. Each MISPE–DPE–FPE analysis required less than 5 min to complete.     

Improvement in performance of a direct ethanol fuel cell: Effect of sulfuric acid and Ni-mesh

A direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) is developed with low catalyst loading at anode and cathode compared to that reported in the literature. Pt/Ru (40%:20% by wt.)/C and Pt-black were used as anode and cathode catalyst with loadings in the range of 0.5–1.2 mg/cm². The temperatures of anode and cathode were varied from 34 °C to 110 °C, and the pressure was maintained at 1 bar. Although low catalyst loading was used, the cell performance is enhanced by 40–50% with the use of low concentration of sulfuric acid in ethanol and Ni-mesh as current collector at the anode. The power density 15 mW/cm² at 32 mA/cm² of current density is obtained from the single cell with 0.5 mg/cm² loading of Pt–Ru/C at anode (90 °C) and Pt-black at cathode (110 °C). The performance of DEFC increases with the increase in ethanol and sulfuric acid concentrations, electrocatalyst loadings up to 1 mg cm⁻² at anode and cathode. However, the performance of DEFC decreases with further increase in electrocatalyst loading.     

The effects of temperature on ESR spectrum of gamma-irradiated ammonium tartrate

Unirradiated ammonium tartrate (AT) samples do not exhibit any ESR signal. However, irradiation produces an unresolved singlet at g=2.0034±0.0006 with two shoulders at g₁=2.0093±0.0006 and g₂=2.0048±0.0006. The dose–response curve was found to increase linearly with the applied radiation doses in the range of 0.1–2.0 kGy and the slope of this curve was increased as the modulation amplitude increased. The activation energy value E_a=69.0±1.2 kJ/mol was calculated from Arrhenius plot for the radical species responsible from ESR spectrum of irradiated AT.     

High solubility and optical transparency of novel polyimides containing 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl pendant groups and 4-tert-butyltoluene moiety

A series of novel polyimides (3a–d) were prepared from 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-4,4′-diaminodiphenyl-4”-tert-butyltoluene (1) with four aromatic dianhydrides via a one-step high-temperature polycondensation procedure. The obtained polyimides showed excellent solubility, with the dissolvability at a concentration of 10 wt% in most amide polar solvents and chlorinated solvents. Their films were nearly colorless and exhibited high optical transparency, with the UV cutoff wavelength in the range of 322–350 nm and the wavelength of 80% transparency in the range of 395–414 nm. They also showed low dielectric constant (2.72–2.91 at 1 MHz) and low water absorptions (0.37–0.62%). Moreover, these polyimides possessed high glass transition temperatures (T_g) (above 321 °C) and good thermal stability with 10% weight loss temperatures in the range of 526–547 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. In comparison with the analogous polyimides non-containing 3,3′,5,5′ -tetramethyl pendant groups, the resultant polyimides 3a–d showed better solubility, higher optical transparency and lower dielectric constant.     

New strategy to the synthesis of (N → B) phenyl[N-alkyliminodiacetate-O,O′,N]boranes: The crystal structure of (N → B) phenyl[N-benzyliminodiacetate-O,O′,N]borane, (N → B)phenyl[N-(4-methyl)benzyliminodiacetate-O,O′,N]borane and (N → B) phenyl[N-phenacyliminodiacetate-O,O′,N]borane

A new, mild and friendly method for the synthesis of (N → B) phenyl[N-alkyliminodiacetate-O,O′,N]boranes 2–7 is reported. All compounds were identified by ¹H, ¹¹B, ¹³C NMR and their high resolution mass spectra (HRMS) are reported. The structure of the compounds 2, 4 and 5 were established by single crystal X-ray. Compounds 2 and 4 crystallized with two independent molecules 2A, 2B and 4A, 4B, respectively in the asymmetric unit. These molecular structures established the bicyclic structure showing a N → B bond length of 1.666 (2) Å for 2A, 1.675 (2) Å for 2B, 1.675 (3) Å for 4A, 1.663 (3) Å for 4B and 1.679 (2) Å for 5, as well as different torsion angles of the junction, 28.70 (2)° (C11–B1–N6–C17) for 2A, 21.50 (2)° (C11a–B1a–N6a–C17a) for 2B, 25.76 (0.26)° (C11–B1–N6–C17) for 4A, 21.96 (0.28)° (C11a–B1a–N6a–C17a) for 4B and −29.22 (0.20)° (C5–N1–B1–C13) for 5.