Chain length effect of the counterion on the partial molal volume of alkanesulfonates

The partial molal volumes of two series of homologous surfactants, n-alkylammonium decanesulfonates and a, ?-alkanediammonium nonanesulfonates, were measured below and above their CMC in aqueous solution. Their counterions were n-alkylammonium and a, ?-alkanediammonium. The relationship between the partial molal volume and the chain length of the counterion below the CMC had an inflection point. The relationship between them, above the CMC, was almost linear. In the case of the alkylammonium salts, the values of the volume change of micellization were almost the same when the chain length of the counterions was shorter than the butyl, and increased with an increase in the chain length when it was longer than the propyl. In the case of the alkanediammonium salts, the volume change of micellization showed a small decrease with the chain length when it was shorter than octane, and was very large for the nonane ammonium salt. The large positive increase in the volume change with the increase in the chain length of the counterion can be explained by the hydrophobic interaction between the alkyl chain of the counterion and the hydrophobic core of the micelle.     

Radical additions to fluoro-olefins. photochemical mono-fluoroalkylation and sequential bis-fluoroalkylation of oxolane

Oxolane was fluoroalkylated by its photoadditions under atmospheric pressure. Monofluoro-alkylations were carried out with hexafluoropropene (1) and perfluorovinyl ethers C₃F₇O-[CF(CF₃)CF₂O]_n-CF = CF₂ (24, n = 0–2) by direct photoexcitation of the olefins to give high yields of addition products 9–12 (81–94%). The reactions were completely regioselecti ve at the oxolane molecule and almost completely regioselective (93–99%) at the double bond of fluoro-olefins; no bis-fluoroalkylated oxolanes were detected. The completely selective introduction of a second fluoroalkyl into position 5 of the oxolane molecule was accomplished by acetone-sensitised photoaddition of 2fluoroalkylated oxolanes 9,10 to fluoro-olefins 1 and 2. Byproducts from reactions of the dimethylketyl radical which is formed in the initiation step were isolated and have given some evidence about the reaction mechanism that is discussed.     

α-phosphoryl sulfoxides. X. A general synthesis of optically active α-chlorovinyl sulfoxides

A general and efficient synthesis of enantiomeric α-chlorovinyl p-tolyl sulfoxides 1 using (+)-(S)_C(S)_S-α-chloro-α-dimethoxyphosphorylmethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide as a key substrate for the Horner-Wittig reaction with carbonyl compounds is described. The ratio of geometrical isomers of 1 was determined and briefly investigated. The X-ray diffraction structures of (Z)-1-chloro-1-p-tolylsulfinyl-2-phenyl-ethene and (Z)-1-chloro-1-p-tolylsulfinyl-2-(2-thienyl)-ethene are reported.     

Theoretical studies on the smallest fullerene: from monomer to oligomers and solid States

Hybrid B3LYP and density-functional-based tight-binding (DFTB) computations on the solid-state structures and electronic properties of the C(20) fullerene monomer and oligomers are reported. C(20) cages with C(2), C(2h), C(i), D(3d), and D(2h) symmetries have similar energies and geometries. Release of the very high C(20) strain is, in theory, responsible for the ready oligomerization and the formation of different solid phases. Open [2+2] bonding is preferred both in the oligomers and in the infinite one-dimensional solids; the latter may exhibit metallic character. Two types of three-dimensional solids, the open [2+2] simple cubic and the body-centered cubic (bcc) forms, are proposed. The energy of the latter is lower due to the better oligomer bonding. The open [2+2] simple cubic solid should be a conductor, whereas the bcc solids are insulators. The most stable three-dimensional solid-state structure, an anisotropically compressed form of the bcc solid, has a HOMO-LUMO gap of approximately 2 eV and a larger binding energy than that of the proposed C(36) solid.     

Towards a microscopic theory of the modulus of elasticity in crystalline covalent materials and a survey of potential superhard materials

The present report is an account of the generalization of the dynamic elasticity theory earlier proposed by Bucknum et al. and applied to the cubic diamond and tetragonal glitter lattices. It describes a theory of elasticity in which the elasticity moduli are based upon the microscopic constants of the various structure-types. Such microscopic constants include the force constants of the chemical bonds in the unit of pattern of the material, its associated lattice parameters, and the elastic chemical bond deformation parameters of the material. In developing the outward features of the dynamic elasticity model, it is shown that an integral over the force density in the unit cell of a given material; where the force is modeled based upon the elastic deformation forces of the chemical bonds in the unit of pattern of the material, and the volume is written as a function of the deformations taking place inside the unit cell of the material; generates the terms for calculating its modulus of elasticity at pressure, in components, that are directed along the principal axes of the unit cell. Several potential solutions to the problem of superhardness are discussed and illustrated.     

Interactions between synthetic and indigenous naphthenic acids and divalent cations across oil–water interfaces: effects of addition of oil-soluble non-ionic surfactants

Interactions between naphthenic acids and divalent metal cations across model oil–alkaline water interfaces were investigated by correlating changes in dynamic interfacial tension (IFT), to plausible reaction mechanisms. The measurements were carried out by using a CAM 200 optical instrument, which is based on the pendant drop technique. The naphthenic acids used were synthesised model compounds as well as commercial acid mixtures from crude distillation and extracted acid fractions from a North Sea crude oil. The divalent cations involved Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Sr²⁺, and Ba²⁺, which are all common in co-produced formation water and naphthenate deposits. The results show that the dynamic IFT strongly depends on naphthenic acid structure, type of divalent cation, and the concentration of the compounds as well as the pH of the aqueous phase. Introducing divalent cations to systems involving saturated naphthenic acids caused mostly a permanent lowering of the IFT. The decline in IFT is due to electrostatic attraction forces across the interface between the cations in the aqueous phase and the carboxylic-groups at the o/w interface, which cause a higher interfacial density of naphthenic acid monomers. The permanent lowering in IFT is likely due to formation of positively charged monoacid complexes, which possess high interfacial activity. On the other hand, in the case of the aromatic model compounds, the cations affected the IFT differently. This is mainly discussed in light of degree of cation hydration and steric conditions. Various oil-soluble non-ionic surfactant mixtures were also introduced to systems involving a model naphthenic acid and Ca²⁺ in order to investigate how the interfacial competition affected the local interactions. Based on the behaviour of dynamic IFT, probable inhibition mechanisms are discussed.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

New dimension in nano-imaging: breaking through the diffraction limit with scanning near-field optical microscopy

In recent years scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) has developed into a powerful surface analytical technique for observing specimens with lateral resolution equal to or even better than 100 nm. A large number of applications, from material science to biology, have been reported. In this paper, two different kinds of near-field optical microscopy, aperture and scattering-type SNOM, are reviewed together with recent studies in surface analysis and biology. Here, near-field optical techniques are discussed in comparison with related methods, such as scanning probe and standard optical microscopy, with respect to their specific advantages and fields of application.     

Calmodulin binding to recombinant myosin-1c and myosin-1c IQ peptides

Background  

Bullfrog myosin-1c contains three previously recognized calmodulin-binding IQ domains (IQ1, IQ2, and IQ3) in its neck region; we identified a fourth IQ domain (IQ4), located immediately adjacent to IQ3. How calmodulin binds to these IQ domains is the subject of this report.