Thermal analysis of new glycopolymers derived from monosaccharides

A novel monomer carrying carbohydrate moiety was prepared by simple reaction of methacrylic acid with 3-O-(2′,3′-epoxy-propyl)-1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose. Another d-glucose oligomer was synthesized by the polycondensation of a dicarboxylic acid including the carbohydrate residue into the main polymeric chain, 3-O-benzyl-5,6-(bis-O-(acryloyloxy))-1,2-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose, with propane-1,3-diol using p-toluenesulfonic acid as catalyst. These products were copolymerized with styrene and 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, respectively, at different mass ratios, using benzoyl peroxide as initiator. Differential scanning calorimetry was performed in order to study the copolymerization process of the monomer and oligomer into the chosen co-monomers, respectively, and the activation energy of this process was evaluated using Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) method. The storage and loss modulus of the obtained glycopolymers were evaluated using dynamic mechanical analysis. The thermal stability of the obtained products was studied via thermogravimetry.     

Magnetic nanoparticles coated with polysaccharide polymers for potential biomedical applications

This study reports a two-steps route for obtaining magnetic nanoparticles–polysaccharide hybrid materials consisting of Fe₃O₄, NiFe₂O₄ and CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles synthesis by coprecipitation method in the presence of a soft template followed by coating of ferrite nanoparticles of 8–10-nm size range with polysaccharide type polymers—sodium alginate or chitosan. Magnetic oxide nanoparticles and the corresponding hybrid materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), FTIR spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and specific surface area measurements. The vibrating sample magnetometry confirms the superparamagnetic properties of the synthesized ferrites and hybrids. Using this route, the percent of magnetic nanoparticles retained in chitosan-based hybrid materials is nearly double in comparison with that of sodium alginate–based materials. The biological activity tests on Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeroginosa ATCC 27853, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Candida scotti microorganisms show the non-toxic properties of prepared hybrid materials.     

Absorbent,parabolic, elliptic and quasielliptic balayages in potential theory; relationships with the Green function

In the frame of standard H-cones of functions (the cone of all excessive functions with respect to a submarkovian resolvent of kernels with reference measure on a measurable space) on a Green set we show that the cofine closure of the complement of an absorbent set in coabsorbent. We obtain different characterizations concerning the parabolicity, ellipticity and quasiellipticity in terms of the Green function. We also show that these notions are the same in the direct and the dual theory.     

Understanding the pyrolysis of CCA-treated wood: Part II. Effect of phosphoric acid

The pyrolysis process of chromated copper arsenate-treated wood impregnated with phosphoric acid (2–6 wt.%) has been investigated using a Kugelrohr short-path distillation apparatus. The presence of phosphoric acid is shown to change the overall pyrolysis kinetics and yields of products resulting in a decrease in the amount of volatile products and an increase in the char formation. The yield of levoglucosan was found to decrease in the presence of relatively higher concentrations of phosphoric acid, while the yield of levoglucosenone increased. The pyrolysis of chromated copper arsenate-treated wood in the presence of phosphoric acid gave rise to 22% (on water-free tar basis) levoglucosenone. Such data demonstrates the potential for a new pathway toward the rational utilization of chromated copper arsenate-treated wood waste.     

On the normal bundle of submanifolds of

Let be a submanifold of dimension of the complex projective space . We prove results of the following type.i) If is irregular and , then the normal bundle is indecomposable. ii) If is irregular, and , then is not the direct sum of two vector bundles of rank . iii) If , and is decomposable, then the natural restriction map is an isomorphism (and, in particular, if is embedded Segre in , then is indecomposable). iv) Let and , and assume that is a direct sum of line bundles; if assume furthermore that is simply connected and is not divisible in . Then is a complete intersection. These results follow from Theorem 2.1 below together with Le Potier's vanishing theorem. The last statement also uses a criterion of Faltings for complete intersection. In the case when this fact was proved by M. Schneider in 1990 in a completely different way.

     

Polyphenols,radical scavenger activity,short-chain organic acids and heavy metals of several plants extracts from “Bucharest Delta”

Some plants collected (Mentha aquatica, Bidens tripartita and Ambrosia artemisiifolia) from an unusual habitat developed in recent years in Bucharest (the so-called “Bucharest Delta”) and the contents of polyphenolic compounds, short-chain organic acids and heavy metals, and radical scavenger activity, were determined. 12 polyphenolic compounds and 7 short-chain organic acids were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis; Mentha aq. extracts presented the highest levels of rosmarinic acid (1.58 mg g^?1) and ferulic acid (2.84 mg g^?1) and Bidens extracts presented the highest concentrations of chlorogenic acid (0.44 mg g^?1); the same extracts contain the most important levels of luteolin (0.52 mg g^?1) or other flavonoids. All the heavy metals detected in the plants studied were found in very low levels (the highest was Pb(II) in Mentha aquatica, (12.84 ± 0.48) µg kg^?1). The study sought to identify the active compounds and some contaminants in plants collected from the “Bucharest Delta” with the intention of eventual exploitation of the habitat and to enhance the knowledge of such human-modified ecosystems.     

Nanotubes of piezoelectric BNT–BT0.08 obtained from sol–gel precursor

The results of investigations of porous glasses (PG) and porous glasses–ammonium hydrogen sulfate ferroelectric nanocomposites (AHS–PG) are presented. On the basis of dielectric and calorimetric measurements it was shown that in the AHS–PG nanocomposites with average pore size of 44, 68, 95, and 320 nm the anomalies of dielectric permittivity and specific heat similar to those in bulk crystals AHS are observed. An influence of the mean value of pores sizes on the ferroelectric phase transition temperatures of AHS nanocrystals embedded into the porous matrices was determined. It was shown that in AHS–PG dispersion of the dielectric permittivity is observed in both para- and ferro-electric phases and above room temperature AHS–PG nanocomposites exhibit the ionic conductivity.     

A selective synthesis of enamines versus aziridines

The reaction of 10‐azidoacetyl‐10H‐phenothiazine with olefinic dipolarophiles depends on the reaction temperature. In refluxing toluene, a mixture of enamine and aziridine is formed in 3:1 ratio. The reaction mechanism appears to involve a Michael‐type addition of the nucleophilic N¹ azide atom to the olefinic double bond. In chloroform, a cycloaddition reaction takes place with the formation of a 4,5‐dihydro‐1,2,3‐triazole. The heating of dihydrotriazoles in toluene is accompanied by nitrogen elimination leading to a mixture of enamine and aziridine in 1:3 ratio. J. Heterocyclic Chem., 2011.     

A rational design of the multiwalled carbon nanotube–7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethan sensor for sensitive detection of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

A new, simple and effective amperometric acetylcholinesterase biosensor was developed using screen-printed carbon electrodes modified with carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)–7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). The design of the biosensor was based on the supramolecular arrangement resulted from the interaction of MWCNTs and TCNQ. This arrangement was confirmed by spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. Two different supramolecular arrangements were proposed based on different MWCNTs:TCNQ ratios. The synergistic effect of MWCNTs and TCNQ was, for the first time, exploited for detection of thiocholine at low potential with high sensitivity. The biosensor developed by immobilization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in sol–gel allowed the detection of two reference AChE inhibitors, paraoxon-methyl and chlorpyrifos with detection limits of 30 pM (7 ppt) and 0.4 nM (0.1 ppb), respectively. Efficient enzyme reactivation was obtained by using obidoxime.     

Experimental assessment of the phonon confinement in TiO2 anatase nanocrystallites by Raman spectroscopy

TiO₂ aerogels prepared by sol‐gel method and followed by supercritical drying have been annealed at temperatures ranging between 400 and 550 °C. The obtained TiO₂ anatase crystallites with the mean size between 6.4 and 13.9 nm, as obtained from transmission electron microscopy measurements, have been further investigated by Raman spectroscopy. It was found that the peak position and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the TiO₂ anatase Raman bands located around 144, 398, and 638 cm⁻¹ are influenced by crystallite dimension. These spectral changes can be assigned to the combined action of several nanosize effects such as phonon confinement, phonon coupling, strain, and stoichiometry defects. Surprisingly, the best discrimination of the FWHM change with the nanocrystallite mean size was achieved for the 638 cm⁻¹ band, whereas the best discrimination for the peak position was found for the 398 cm⁻¹ band. The critical size values obtained from the peak position and FWHM evaluation were between 12.7 and 13.1 nm. Taking into consideration that only the phonon confinement and inhomogeneous strain can induce an asymmetric broadening of the Raman signal, the bands asymmetry was evaluated, and the critical size values of the nanocrystallites were determined to be between 10 and 11 nm. For a symmetric size distribution of TiO₂ anatase crystallites with dimensions between 6.4 and 13.9 nm, the obtained result indicates that the phonon confinement contribution to the overall size effects is more than 75%. No evidence about the influence of the phonon coupling and vacancies on the Raman features was observed. The comparison of the data derived from the experimental analysis with those obtained by applying the theoretical phonon confinement model indicates the necessity of developing an improved phonon confinement model. The asymmetry approach can be applied for a great variety of nanostructures, as a measure of the confinement effect. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.