Separation of nitrophenols. Equilibriums in bi- and tri-phasic systems

The paper presents experimental data obtained in the study of liquid–liquid partition equilibriums in biphasic system in order to optimize the process of transport through bulk liquid membranes (triphasic partition systems). The partition equilibriums of some nitrophenols using chloroform as extraction solvent and membranary solvent, respectively, were studied. The influence of the pH on the partition equilibriums was investigated. The repartition constants and the pK_a values of the studied nitrophenols were calculated. Nitrophenols were transferred in triphasic system from a feed phase with pH 2, through a chloroform liquid membrane, into a receiving phase with pH 12, with efficiencies over 90%.     

Quinic acids from Aster caucasicus and from transgenic callus expressing a beta-amyrin synthase

Several different classes of secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, triterpenoid saponins and quinic acid derivatives, are found in Aster spp. (Fam. Asteraceae). Several Aster compounds revealed biological as well as pharmacological activities. In this work, a phytochemical investigation of A. caucasicus evidenced the presence of quinic acid derivatives, as well as the absence of triterpene saponins. To combine in one species the production of different phytochemicals, including triterpenes, an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of A. caucasicus was set up to introduce A. sedifolius beta-amyrin synthase (AsOXA1)-encoding gene under the control of the constitutive promoter CaMV35S. The quali-quantitative analysis of transgenic calli with ectopic expression of AsOXA1 showed, in one sample, a negligible amount of triterpene saponins combined with higher amount of quinic acid derivatives as compared with the wild type callus.     

Activity coefficients at infinite dilution for surfactants

A new alternative is presented for activity coefficients at infinite dilution determination via surface tension data of low vapour pressure substances. It was found that experimental data for surfactants follows Volmer's surface equation of state behaviour over the diluted region until the critical micelle concentration. The key operations are: the choice of the same standard conditions for the bulk and the surface phases, the combination of Gibbs and Volmer equations and the use of the symmetric activity coefficients convention. An exact relation between the activity coefficient at infinite dilution and the reciprocal of the critical micelle mole fraction was found which allowed us the verification of the model.     

Micellar effects on a ligand substitution reaction: Kinetics of the formation of [Fe(CN)5(μ‐pz)Ru(NH3)5]−, from [Fe(CN)5H2O]3− and [Ru(NH3)5pz]2+, in the presence of anionic micelles

The kinetics of substitution of H₂O by Ru(NH₃)₅pz²⁺ (pz = pyrazine) in Fe(CN)₅H₂O^3? have been studied in micellar aqueous solutions of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS). Experimental results are discussed by using an approach based on the transition‐state theory. This approach is better than others based on the pseudophase model, which can also be used, because it is able to give a clear meaning to the parameters of the model. Trends in the observed reactivity are explained by a change in the degree of association of one of the reactants to the micelles (Ru(NH₃)₅pz²⁺ in the present work). This association is governed by an equilibrium constant that depends on the electrostatic potential at the surface of the micelles. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 627–633, 2004     

Capillary and slit-die flow of two liquid-crystalline polymers. The effect of pressure on viscosity

Viscosity measurements on two commercial thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) (a copolyester and a polyesteramide) were performed using both capillary and slit die methods. The results are in agreement with those presented in the literature for the same LCPs, when the measurements are carried out with a L/D = 30 die; these results are affected more by Bagley corrections for the polyesteramide than for the copolyester. For both LCPs, viscosities measured in the slit die are lower than those obtained by capillary rheometry. Nevertheless, the difference is much bigger in the case of the polyesteramide, for which a reduction by a factor of 3 is observed. This is not due to the preshear or thermal history, since the same piston-barrel system and thermal treatment were applied in both types of measurements. Depending on the polymer sample and temperature, concave and convex curvatures were observed in the pressure profiles during the slit flow. From these curvatures, the pressure coefficient α of viscosity was evaluated. However, in the case of the polyesteramide the convex curvature leads to a negative coefficient (the viscosity decreases with pressure, instead of increasing). This result may be explained by envisaging a change in the structure of the melt along the slit length. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Minkowski Additive Operators Under Volume Constraints

We investigate Minkowski additive, continuous, and translation invariant operators \(\Phi :\mathcal {K}^n\rightarrow \mathcal {K}^n\) defined on the family of convex bodies such that the volume of the image \(\Phi (K)\) is bounded from above and below by multiples of the volume of the convex body K, uniformly in K. We obtain a representation result for an infinite subcone contained in the cone formed by this type of operators. Under the additional assumption of monotonicity or \({{\mathrm{SO}}}(n)\)-equivariance, we obtain new characterization results for the difference body operator.     

Guest-host colloid crystals: experimental study and simulations

Disorder in colloid crystals was induced by doping them with a different number of large or small guest particles, which had a different deviation in size from the host colloids. The change in optical properties of the guest-host colloid crystals was assessed by using optical transmission spectroscopy while the variation in crystal structure was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The disruption in the crystalline lattices depended on the relative deviation in sizes of the guest and host particles and the concentration of the guest colloids. In parallel with experiments, the packing of spheres in guest-host crystals was modeled with a simulated annealing algorithm. A good correlation was found between the changes in crystal structure observed by SEM imaging and the simulated sphere packing. The experimental and simulated changes in the transmission spectra of guest-host colloid crystals were in good agreement.     

Molecular Properties and Aggregation of Porphyrin-modified Polysiloxane in Solutions

Molecular properties and aggregation behavior of a polysiloxane with grafted side chain groups consisting of asymmetrical hydroxy-functionalized porphyrin were studied in dilute solutions. In order to understand the mechanism of aggregation of the polymeric porphyrin derivatives, several analyses of chloroform solutions were performed permitting comparison of the data obtained by means of different techniques. Molar mass and hydrodynamic size of the macromolecules were obtained using the methods of analytical ultracentrifugation, isothermal translational diffusion, and viscometry. Long distance interactions between macromolecules in dilute solutions were detected with static light scattering. With increasing the concentration of the solutions, the electronic and fluorescence spectra bands assigned to generation of H and J aggregates became apparent. The organization of aggregates, which seemed to be favored by chloroform, was visualized by atomic force microscopy images that displayed sponge-like morphology, small triangular particles, characteristic of H aggregates, and nano or micro-structured ring geometries obtained by the side-by-side J-process, coexisting together.