Emulsion Polymerization of Vinyl Acetate at Low Temperatures

Polymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc) was carried out with potassium persulfate (KS) and ammonium sulfite as redox initiator in the presence of acetonitrile for the purpose of preparation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) of desired degree of polymerization (DP). The PVA obtained by this method at 0°C showed higher DP and lower solubility in water. It was observed that acetonitrile was a useful chain transfer agent in this polymerization system. It was also observed that ZnCl₂ accelerated the polymerization of VAc and the over-all activation energy of polymerization was 9.73 Kcal/mol. However, the stereoregularity of PVA obtained by the saponification of PVAc in this system was not improved by the presence of ZnCl₂.     

Electrochemical fluorination of acetamide and formamide in a molten KH2F3

The electrofluorination of acetamide (CH₃CONH₂) and formamide (HCONH₂) on the anode was studied in a molten KH₂F₃ at 120°C. Amorphous carbon was used as the anode and Pt rod as the reference electrode. Anodic products were analyzed by both gas chromatography and infrared spectroscopy.In the both CH₃CONH₂ and HCONH₂, the anode effect did not occur in the current density range of 3-11mA²cm² and anode gas was then composed of N₂(+O₂), NF₃, CF₄, C₂F₆, N₂O, CO₂(+COF₂) and so on. The addition of 1.0w% LIF to the electrolyte was available for prevention from the anode effect.From these results, it is suggested that CH₃CONH₂ and HCONH₂ would react chemically with fluorine radical produced by the discharge of fluoride ion and that the change of the C_mF_n [(CF)_n?I] film on the anode to (CF)_n [(CF)_n?II] film was prevented specially in the case of HCONH₂. The mechanism of electrofluorination of CH₃CONH₂ in the melt is as folIows; CH₃CONH₂

CH₃COF,·NH₂

N₂,NF₃,CF₄,C₂F₆,CHF₃,COF₂(CO₂),N₂O.     

Uranium determination by133Xe in mineral separates from igneous rocks comparative study with fission track and thermal release characters of133Xe

Samples of an andesite (Asama-yama, Japan) and a basalt (Kilauea, Hawaii) were finely fractioned by density and the U distributions among the separates were determined by homogenized fission track method. Groundmass was found to be enriched with U; one half of the andesite U and almost all of the basalt U are accounted for by the groundmass U. Cerium and other REE are correlated with U. In the andesite separates Na is accompanied by these elements, but Fe and Co are rather anticorrelated. Uranium concentrations in the bulk samples and some of the separates were then compared with those determined by¹³³Xe extracted by heating at 1600°C. Fissiogenic¹³³Xe seems to become labile in groundmass, especially of the andesite, during reactor irradiations for 5 h or more. Stepwise heating experiments suggested that¹³³Xe in U-rich groundmass tends to escape at low temperatures and the remaining¹³³Xe is mostly retained in highly refractory sites in phenocryst rather poor in U.     

Separation of Semiconducting Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Using a Long‐Alkyl‐Chain Benzenediazonium Compound

We designed and synthesized 4‐dodecyloxybenzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate ( 1 ), which preferentially reacts with metallic single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by kinetic control. We first determined the suitable experimental conditions for the preferential reaction of 1 with individually dissolved SWNTs by monitoring the decrease in absorbance for the metallic SWNT in the range of 400–650 nm in the absorption spectrum of the SWNTs. The reacted SWNTs were thoroughly rinsed with THF to obtain THF‐insoluble SWNTs. The Raman spectrum of the THF‐insoluble SWNTs showed a strong peak near 180 cm^?1, which corresponds to a semiconducting breathing band. The metallic breathing bands (≈220 cm^?1) and Breit–Wingner–Fano (BWF) modes (1520 cm^?1) corresponding to the metallic SWNTs were much weaker than those of the pristine SWNTs. We also confirmed that metallic peaks in the range of 400–650 nm in the absorption spectrum of THF‐insoluble SWNTs that were individually dissolved in an aqueous micelle of sodium cholate were almost nondetectable. All the results indicate that the THF‐insoluble SWNTs are semiconducting.     

Electron-transfer state of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion with a much longer lifetime and higher energy than that of the natural photosynthetic reaction center

We have successfully achieved the electron-transfer (ET) state of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion, produced by a single step photoinduced electron transfer, which has a much longer lifetime (e.g., 2 h at 203 K) and higher energy (2.37 eV) than that of the natural system without loss of energy due to multistep electron-transfer processes.     

Conversion of Methane to Hydrogen via Pulsed Corona Discharge

Experiments are performed to develop a pulsed corona discharge system for the conversion ofmethane to hydrogen at atmospheric pressure (≌760 Torr) without using a catalyst. The corona dischargewas energized by 10-12 μs wide voltage pulses (≤7 kV) at a repetition rate of about 1.0-1.5 kHz. Theresidual gases were characterized by mass spectrometry. The conversion of methane is as high as 50.8% producing the 70% yield of hydrogen. The influences of argon on the discharge of methane were studied.This result could be useful for the mass production of hydrogen in both academic and industrial point ofview.     

Structure and reactivity of a novel parallel thiosulfito (SSO2-S:S') rhodium dinuclear complex

The parallel thiosulfite ligand (SSO2) in a rhodium complex, which is formed by oxygenation of a bridging disulfide, is converted to a bridging hydrocarbyl thiolate ligand and sulfur dioxide gas by the reaction with hydrocarbyl halides.     

Magnetic properties of FexV3−xS4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 2)

The magnetic susceptibility data of Fe_xV_3?xS₄ (0 ≤ x ≤ 2) are reported in the temperature range between 4.2 and 1300 K. The behavior of the susceptibility at high temperatures changes significantly at the composition boundary x = 1.0. The magnitude of the effective magnetic moment remains unchanged at 3.2 μ_B in the composition range x < 1.0. It decreases with increasing iron content in the range > 1.0, and rapidly decreases for x close to 2.0. The c lattice parameter varies in a manner analogous to the change in magnetic moment. These phenomena suggest that metallic bonding forms between metal layers and that it becomes stronger with increasing in x. The susceptibility measurements at low temperatures show that Fe_xV_3?xS₄ is basically antiferromagnetic, although some of the Fe_xV_3?xS₄ compounds become weakly ferromagnetic after cooling in a magnetic field. The origin of the weak ferromagnetism is briefly discussed.     

Novel self-organization of polymer particles on hydrophobic solid surfaces through hydrophobic interaction

A novel technique of particle monolayer fabrication based on hydrophobic interactions in aqueous systems is described in this paper. When alkylated glass plates modified with various silane coupling agents were immersed in aqueous dispersions of submicron-sized polystyrene particles of cationic or anionic surface charges, cationic particle monolayers containing active ester groups were effectively formed at the plate surfaces, whereas no anionic particles were self-organized on the plate surfaces. The coverage of the plates with cationic particles and the morphology of the monolayers varied with the hydrophobicities of the particles and plates as well as with the ionic strength of the medium and temperature. For less hydrophobic methylated glass surfaces modified with methyltriethoxysilane, cationic particles were self-organized at relatively regular intervals, whereas they were self-organized in the form of aggregates for the more hydrophobic octadecylated glass plates treated with n-octadecyltriethoxysilane. Closely packed monolayers were fabricated by adjusting ionic strength and temperature. Fluorescence labelling of cationic particle monolayers was successfully accomplished by the reaction of remaining active ester groups on the monolayers with a fluorescence probe containing amino groups. Cationic particle monolayers were physically stabilized by heating above the glass transition temperature (T _g) of the particles.     

Optically active antifungal azoles. XIII. Synthesis of stereoisomers and metabolites of 1-[(1R,2R)-2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-2-hydroxy-1-methyl-3-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propyl]-3-[4-(1H-1-tetrazolyl)phenyl]-2-imidazolidinone (TAK-456)

1-[(1R,2R)-2-(2,4-Difluorophenyl)-2-hydroxy-1-methyl-3-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propyl]-3-[4-(1H-1-tetrazolyl)phenyl]-2-imidazolidinone [(1R,2R)-1: TAK-456] is a new antifungal agent selected as a candidate for clinical trials. The three stereoisomers [(1S,2R)-, (1S,2S)- and (1R,2S)-1] of this compound were prepared as authentic samples to determine the enantiomeric and diastereomeric purity of TAK-456 as well as to compare their in vitro antifungal activity. Pharmacokinetic studies of TAK-456 using rats identified the existence of metabolites in the liver homogenate. The structures of the major metabolites were assigned as 4-hydroxy-2-imidazolidinone (3) and/or 5-hydroxy-2-imidazolidinone (4), based on HPLC and LC/MS/MS analyses. These hydroxylated compounds, 3 and 4, were prepared by reduction of the corresponding imidazolidinediones, 11 and 12, and confirmed to be identical to the metabolites by HPLC. In vitro antifungal activities of the three stereoisomers and the synthesized metabolites were considerably weaker than TAK-456.