Functionalization of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) through atom transfer radical polymerization for the preparation of poly(tert‐butyl acrylate)/CNF materials: Spectroscopic,thermal, morphological,and physical characterizations

Vapor‐grown carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were oxidized and functionalized for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of tert‐butyl acrylate (t‐BA) from the surface of the CNFs. The materials were characterized by solubility tests, Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy. The FTIR and electron microscopy results suggest that ATRP process was successfully used to graft poly(tert‐butyl acrylate) (poly(t‐BA)) chains from the surface of the fibers. Raman results strongly indicate the partial degradation of the graphitic layer of CNFs because of the chemical treatments. TGA results suggest that the presence of poly(t‐BA) leads to a decrease of the initial degradation temperature of the fibers. XRD and electron microscopy results indicate that the microstructure of fibers was not destroyed because of the oxidation and functionalization processes. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3326–3335, 2008     

Development of an LC–DAD Method for Analysis of Dexketoprofen, Tramadol, and Haloperidol. Study of the Stability of Mixtures Used for Patient-Controlled Analgesia

A novel LC method was applied to enhance the peak resolution of two ecdysteroids: 20-hydroxyecdysone and its 3-epimer. An isocratic solvent system of methanol–water (6:4, v/v) was used on a C18 column, and 100 μL of water was injected during the development in such a manner that the eluted solvent peak appeared exactly between the two overlapping peaks. This resulted in the increased retardation of the later-eluted peak, and in a good separation of the two compounds within 4.5 min.     

Potentiometric microdetermination of cadmium in organic compounds after oxygen flask combustion

The sample is burnt in an oxygen flask and the combustion products are absorbed in lM HNO₃. After removal of interfering gases by boiling, the solution is transferred to the titration cell and neutralized with NaOH in the presence of methyl red; Cd(II) is finally titrated potentiometrically in a buffered 50% ethanolic medium with 0.01M sodium diethyldithiocarbamate in 50% ethanol. A silver/sulphide ion-selective electrode and a double junction reference electrode containing a 10% KNO₃ solution in 26% ethanol in the outer compartment are used in combination with a Titroprocessor to detect the end point. The results obtained are very accurate and reproducible: the maximum error does not exceed 0.09%, the recovery of cadmium is in the range 99.67 to 99.95% and the rel. standard deviation is 0.05%. The potentiometric titration with diethyldithiocarbamate, which is useful to determine small Cd(II) amounts down to 30g (2g ml^–1), as well as the oxygen flask combustion of organic cadmium compounds are discussed.     

Estimates for normal forms of differential equations near an equilibrium point

We consider the problem of finding a normal form for differential equations in the neighbourhood of an equilibrium point, and produce general explicit estimates for both the normal form at a finite order and the remainder, using the method of Lie transforms. With such technique, the classical Poincaré-Dulac theorems are recovered, and the problem of the stability of a reversible system of coupled harmonic oscillators up to exponentially large times is discussed.

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Riassunto Si considera il problema di porre in forma normale un sistema di equazioni differenziali nell'intomo di un punto di equilibrio, e si danno in generale stime esplicite sia per la forma normale troncata ad un ordine finito che per i resti. Si fa uso dell'algoritmo della trasformata di Lie. Con questo metodo si riottengono i teoremi classici di Poincaré-Dulac, e si discute il problema della stabilità per tempi esponenzialmente lunghi di un sistema reversibile di oscillatori armonici accoppiati.

     

Relaxation of a two-level system coupled to a Bose gas with Einstein spectrum

This note contains the exact diagonalisation of the Hamiltonian describing a two-level system coupled to a Bose gas with an Einstein spectrum (Sections II–IV). In Sections VI and VII we calculate the decay in time of different initial situations of the system.     

Dynamic mechanical relaxations of polyterephthalates based on trimethylene glycols

The dynamic mechanical relaxations of poly(trimethylene glycol terephthalate) (PTMT), poly(ditrimethylene glycol terephthalate) (PDTMT) and two copolymers obtained from them have been studied between ? 150 and 200°C with a dynamic viscoelastometer. The four polymers show three relaxations that are designated α, β, and γ in order of decreasing temperature. The α relaxation is considered to be the glass transition of the polymers. The β relaxation is wider and weaker than the α, as normally occurs in the polyester series. The γ relaxation takes place at temperatures below ? 100°C and is usually overlapped by the β relaxation. The influence of thermal and mechanical histories on the nature, location, and intensity of the three relaxations is studied and discussed.     

Determination of ethyl formate in magnesium chloride used as Ziegler-Natta catalyst support by Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance spectrometry

FT-IR Spectroscopy with total attenuated reflectance (ATR) was used for the quantitative determination of ethyl formate coordinated in inorganic matrices such as magnesium chloride. The spectra were recorded directly on solutions obtained by dissolving the inorganic Ziegler-Natta supports in water. The method proposed is sensitive and rapid and appears to be very reliable when compared with other methods, such as solvent extraction followed by gaschromatographic or thermogravimetric analysis.