Influence of shell strength on shape transformation of micron-sized,monodisperse, hollow polymer particles

Micron-sized, monodisperse, non-spherical polymer particles with "rugby ball" and "red blood corpuscle"-like shapes were produced by seeded polymerization of the dispersion of (divinylbenzene/vinylbiphenyl/xylene)-swollen polystyrene particles prepared by utilizing the dynamic swelling method which the authors proposed in 1991. Their non-spherical shapes were based on buckling of the shell of the resultant hollow particles. In this article, the reversible shape transformation of the hollow composite polymer particle between spherical and such non-spherical shapes was studied in detail by controlling the shell strength. A part of the shell was buckled by external pressure which was caused by evaporation of xylene from the hollow when the shell had the tensile modulus below the critical value calculated from the pressure-buckling relationship of a spherical shell proposed by Uemura. The plasticization of the shell by a good solvent was one of key factors for the shape transformation.     

X-ray investigation of the role of the mixed emulsifier in the structure formation in o/w creams

The aim of this research work was to clarify the role of the mixed emulsifier in the structure formation and water binding mode in the case of o/w creams prepared with different surfactants. The swelling behavior of mixed emulsifiers was examined by means of direct investigation methods such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction. The detailed structure image of the creams was created with the help of the latter. The influence of the structure of the hydrophilic gel phase, and the structural changes during storage were studied with rheological methods. On the basis of the results, it can be stated that the investigated creams had different structures from those mentioned in the literature: surfactant did not create a mixed bilayer with the structure to furnish fatty amphiphile; instead, micelles were formed. These results correlated well with the results of the rheological tests.     

FT-IR and Raman spectroscopic study of hydrated rubidium (cesium) borates and alkali double borates

FT-IR and Raman spectra of five hydrated alkali borates and five hydrated alkali double borates have been recorded at room temperature in the range 400 to 4000 cm⁻¹, and analyzed. Fundamental vibrational modes have been identified and assignments tentatively made in comparison with the work of Janda and Heller, and Li Jun. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Preparation of solutions of amidomagnesium chlorides in poly(ethylene oxide) and their characterization by conductivity measurements

Polymer electrolyte systems were prepared for the first time by dissolution of amidomagnesium chlorides in poly(ethylene oxide), (PEO). For the preparation, solutions of (hexamethyldisilylamido)magnesium chloride, (dimethylpyrrolyl)magnesium chloride, (diisopropylamido)magnesium chloride, piperidinomagnesium chloride and morpholinomagnesium chloride were chosen. The composition of these polymer electrolyte systems corresponds to the general formula R₂NMgCl·P(EO)_n·THF. Most work has been done with the system (hexamethyldisilylamido)magnesium chloride in PEO, (Me₃Si)₂NMgCl·P(EO)_n·THF, with n= 3, 4, 5, or 7. The electrolytes have a soft rubber-like consistency. At 30 °C, electrical conductivities of 10⁻⁶–10⁻⁵ S/cm were found. The conductivities were measured in the temperature range 20–60 °C. Within this temperature range a linear dependence of the logarithms of the conductivity on the inverse temperature was found and activation energies for the conducting process of 30–60 kJ/mol were calculated. Using those polymer electrolytes with a high content of the amidomagnesium compound, a reversible magnesium deposition takes place by cathodic reduction at potentials below −1.9 V vs. a Ag/AgCl reference electrode. These polymer electrolytes were found to be stable against oxidation up to about −0.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Electronic Publication     

Effect of the amine group on relative bond strengths in cubane and azacubanes

We have carried out an ab initio self-consistent-field molecular orbital study of the structures and relative bond strengths of some monoamine derivatives of cubane, azacubane, and 1,3-diazacubane. Our focus has been on the effect of the NH₂ group on the strengths of the endocyclic strained bonds in these molecules, and, in particular, on the conformation dependence of this effect. Our results show a consistent bond-weakening observed in one [and only one] C-C or C-N bond adjacent to the site of NH₂ substitution. We find that the particular bond that is weakened is in all cases essentially coplanar with the C-NH₂ bond and the position of the most negative electrostatic potential of the amine nitrogen. This direction-specific bond-weakening is viewed as an example of the anomeric effect.     

The prism algorithm for two-electron integrals

A new approach to the evaluation of two-electron repulsion integrals over contracted Gaussian basis functions is developed. The new scheme encompasses 20 distinct, but interrelated, paths from simple shell-quartet parameters to the target integrals, and, for any given integral class, the path requiring the fewest floating-point operations (FLOPS ) is that used. Both theoretical (FLOP counting) and practical (CPU timing) measures indicate that the method represents a substantial improvement over the HGP algorithm.     

Mixed micellization of an anionic gemini surfactant (GA) with conventional polyethoxylated nonionic surfactants in brine solution at pH 5 and 298 K

The micellization behavior of an anionic gemini surfactant, GA with nonionic surfactants C₁₂E₈ and C₁₂E₅ in presence of 0.1 M NaCl at 298 K temperature, has been studied tensiometrically in pure and mixed states, and the related physicochemical parameters (cmc, γ _cmc, pC ₂₀, Γ _max, and A _min) have been evaluated. Tensiometric profile (γ vs log [surfactant]), for conventional surfactants, generally consists of a single point of intersection; a gradually decreasing line (normally linear, or with slight curvature) ultimately saturates in γ at a particular [surfactant], corresponding to complete monolayer saturation. The gemini, in this report, led to two unequivocal breaks in the tensiometric isotherm. An attempt to the interpretation of the two breaks from molecular point of view is provided, depending solely on the chemical structure of the surfactant. The gemini, even in mixed state with the conventional nonionic surfactants C₁₂E₅ and C₁₂E₈, manifested the dual breaks; of course, the dominance of the feature decreases with increasing mole fraction of the nonionics in the mixture. Theories of Clint, Rosen, Rubingh, Motomura, Georgiev, Maeda, and Nagarajan have been used to determine the interaction between surfactants at the interface and micellar state of aggregation, the composition of the aggregates, the theoretical cmc in pure and mixed states, and the structural parameters according to Tanford and Israelachvili. Several thermodynamic parameters have also been predicted from those theories.     

Surface Modification of Fine Particles with a SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Film by Using a Polyhedral-Barrel Sputtering System

Fine particles were modified with a thin film of SnO₂ by using a barrel sputtering system that is a dry process. The conditions for the preparation of SnO₂ were studied by reactive sputtering onto a glass plate substrate. The optimal conditions for the preparation of tetragonal SnO₂ were identified as 60% partial oxygen pressure and 1.0 Pa total gas pressure with the substrate at room temperature. Under the optimized conditions, the surfaces of Al flake particles were modified with a thin film of SnO₂. XRD and SEM/EDS analysis of the prepared samples showed that the Al particle surfaces were uniformly modified by a thin film of SnO₂ in all cases. The film thicknesses were 80, 130, and 180 nm at RF outputs of 195, 350, and 490 W. These measured thicknesses coincided with the values estimated from the interference colors of the samples.     

Enantio- and Diastereoselective Aldol-Reaction of 2,6-Dimethylphenyl Propionate Using Titanium-Carbohydrate Complexes

Chloro(cyclopentadienyl)bis(1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-D -glucofuranos-3-O-yl)titanium ( 1 ) is used for the transmetallation of Li-enolates obtained from propionyl derivatives. While such Ti-enolates of ketones and hydrazones appear to be unreactive, the (E)enolate 13 of 2,6-dimethylphenyl propionate ( 11 ) adds to the re-side of aldehydes, affording various syn-aldols 14 with high dia- and enantioselectivity (92–97% ds, 91–97% ee, cf. Scheme 2 and Table 1). Racemic syn-aldols (±)- 14 are obtained analogously from the achiral bis(2-propyloxy)-Ti-enolate 15 (Scheme 2 and Table 2). In contrast to the unstable Li-enolate 10 , the Ti-enolates 13 and 15 isomerize at ?30°, presumably to the thermodynamically more stable (Z)-enolates (Scheme 4), While the diastereoselectivity of the achiral enolate 15 is lost upon this equilibration, the chiral (Z)-enolate 27 quite unexpectedly affords anti-aldols 12 of high optical purity (94–98% ec) and, in most cases, with acceptable-to-good diastereoselectivity (82–90% ds). Notable exceptions are branched unsaturated and aromatic aldehydes which form a greater proportion of synepimers of moderate optical purity (Scheme 5 and Table 3). Consistent with these findings, re-facial-and ami -selective aldol-addition is also exhibited by the (Z)-configurated Ti-enolate 22 of N-propionyl-oxazolidi-none 19 (Scheme 3).