Surface modification of low density polyethylene (LDPE) film by low pressure O2 plasma treatment

In this work, low pressure glow discharge O₂ plasma has been used to increase wettability in a LDPE film in order to improve adhesion properties and make it useful for technical applications. Surface energy values have been estimated using contact angle measurements for different exposure times and different test liquids. In addition, plasma-treated samples have been subjected to an aging process to determine the durability of the plasma treatment. Characterization of the surface changes due to the plasma treatment has been carried out by means of Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to determine the presence of polar species such as carbonyl, carboxyl and hydroxyl groups. In addition to this, atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis has been used to evaluate changes in surface morphology and roughness. Furthermore, and considering the semicrystalline nature of the LDPE film, a calorimetric study using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been carried out to determine changes in crystallinity and degradation temperatures induced by the plasma treatment. The results show that low pressure O₂ plasma improves wettability in LDPE films and no significant changes can be observed at longer exposure times. Nevertheless, we can observe that short exposure times to low pressure O₂ plasma promote the formation of some polar species on the exposed surface and longer exposure times cause slight abrasion on LDPE films as observed by the little increase in surface roughness.     

Diels-Alder reaction volumes in the solid state and solution

The densities of anthracene, tetracyanoethylene, maleic anhydride, N-phenylmaleineimide, trans, trans-1,4-diphenylbuta-1,3-diene, and their Diels-Alder adducts were measured in the solid state and in solution at 25 °C. The reaction volumes in the solid state were calculated from the difference in molar volumes. They turned out to be low, close to each other (–4 to –11 cm³ mol^–1), and slightly different from the reaction volumes (–8±1 cm³ mol^–1) calculated from the van der Waals radii. The reaction volumes in solutions (–15 to –32 cm³ mol^–1) were found from the difference in partial molar volumes of the reactants in dioxane, acetonitrile, and 1,2-dichloroethane, The experimental Diels-Alder reaction volumes in solution are determined not only by the formation of new bonds in an adduct: a considerably higher contribution (to 75%) is made by a change in the volume of intermolecular empty spaces in solution on going from reactants to adducts.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2386–2390, November, 2004.     

Determination of total phosphorus and nitrogen in turbid waters by oxidation with alkaline potassium peroxodisulfate and low pressure microwave digestion, autoclave heating or the use of closed vessels in a hot water bath: comparison with Kjeldahl digestion

The evaluation of the use of alkaline peroxodisulfate digestion with low pressure microwave, autoclave or hot water bath heating for the determination of total phosphorus and nitrogen in turbid lake and river waters is described. The efficiency of these digestion procedures were compared to a Kjeldahl digestion procedure with sulphuric acid-potassium sulfate and copper sulfate. The final solution before digestion was 0.045 M in potassium peroxodisulfate and 0.04 M in sodium hydroxide. Procedures were evaluated by the analysis of suspensions of two reference materials, National Institute of Environmental Science, Japan, no. 3 Chlorella and no. 2 pond sediment and natural turbid waters. Best recoveries of phosphorus and nitrogen by microwave heating were obtained when solutions were digested at 95 °C for 40 min. Quantitative recoveries of phosphorus from Chlorella suspensions up to 1000 mg/l were obtained by all three heating procedures, but incomplete recoveries of nitrogen occurred above 20 mg N/l in the digested sample. Good recoveries of phosphorus and nitrogen from suspended sediment suspensions were obtained only from solutions containing <150 mg/l of suspended sediments. Recoveries of phosphorus from phosphorus compounds containing COP and CP bonds added to distilled water were quantitative (94-113%) except for polyphosphates (microwave, 34±8; autoclave, 114±6; water bath, 96±4) and aluminium phosphate (8-23%). Recoveries of nitrogen compounds containing CN bonds added to distilled water were quantitative (94-96%). The analysis of a range of natural turbid water samples by alkaline peroxodisulfate and microwave, autoclave and water bath heating gave similar total phosphorus and nitrogen results. All procedures using alkaline peroxodisulfate underestimate phosphorus concentrations at high suspended sediment concentrations (>150 mg/l) and are only suitable for the analysis of very turbid samples when the turbidity is due to organic matter (algal cells, plant detritus). Underestimation of nitrogen occurs when samples contain more than 20 mg N/l.     

Monolayer films of PS-b-PEO diblock copolymers at the air/water- and an oil/water-interface

 Amphiphilic diblock copolymers consisting of a hydrophobic polystyrene block (PS) and a hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) block (PEO) with block sizes of 1000 or 3000 g/mol for both blocks were studied at the air/water and toluene/water interface. Measurements of the film pressure π of spread monolayers at the water surface reveal two limiting regimes of the π−a _m isotherms, in which the mean molecular area a _m is determined either by the size of the hydrophilic or the hydrophobic blocks of the PS-PEO molecules. The interfacial activity of the block copolymers at the toluene/water interface was studied by measuring the interfacial tension σ over a wide range of concentrations. Pronounced differences in the temperature dependence of the interfacial tension were observed, depending mostly on the block length of the hydrophilic PEO block. From the temperature dependence of σ it is inferred that for the block copolymers with the PEO block size of 3000 g/mol the phase inversion temperature (PIT) is well above 60 °C while for those with a PEO block size of 1000 g/mol the PIT is below or near 25 °C in the toluene/water system. Received: 5 February 1998 Accepted: 16 February 1998     

Spreading of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine on the surface of sodium deoxycholate aqueous solution

The surface pressure vs. mokcular surface area relations for dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) insoluble monolayer and sodium deoxycholate (SDC) adsorbed monolayer,L and D1, respectively, were obtained from the analyses of surface tensions measured by the Wilhelmy glass plate. Also, D1 was obtained by a drop-weight method. Next, the surface pressure time course,(t), of the SDC aq. was measured by the Wilhelmy plate before and after DPPC was spread on the liquid surface. At DPPC spreading,(t) jumped to a maximum,, and decreased along an exponential curve. The values of with various surface amounts of DPPC and bulk concentrations of SDC were analyzed using a dual surface-region model. The model enabled the estimation of. For better fitting, modified relations were constructed in place of D1. The exponential decrease of(t) was also observed on the SDC adsorbed monolayer which was rapidly compressed by a moving barrier. The(t) relaxation rate constants of the SDC monolayers which were compressed by DPPC spreading and the moving barrier agreed with each other, suggesting a desorption of SDC from the surface.     

Vapor pressure measurement for water,methanol, ethanol,and their binary mixtures in the presence of an ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate

Vapor pressure data were measured for water, methanol and ethanol as well as their binary mixtures with an ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate ([EMIM][DMP]) at varying temperature and IL-content ranging from mass fraction of 0.10–0.70 by a quasi-static method. The vapor pressure data for the IL-containing binary systems were correlated using NRTL equation with average absolute relative deviation (ARD) within 0.0076, and the binary NRTL parameters was used for predicting the vapor pressure of the IL-containing ternary systems with reasonable accuracy. In addition, the infinite activity coefficients of solvents in [EMIM][DMP] and isobaric vapor–liquid equilibrium for IL-containing ternary systems at 101.325 kPa and mass fraction of IL being 0.5 were predicted with the regressed NRTL parameters. The results indicate that ionic liquid [EMIM][DMP] can depress the volatility of the solvents of water, methanol and ethanol but to a varying degree, leading to the variation of relative volatility of a solvent and even removal of azeotrope for water–ethanol mixture.     

Evaluation of molecular structure in Langmuir monolayers of zinc stearate and zinc 12-hydroxystearate by IR external reflection spectroscopy

 In situ polarized Fourier transform IR external reflection spectra of Langmuir monolayers of zinc stearate and zinc 12-hydroxystearate on a water surface were recorded for various surface areas, and their molecular structures were estimated. In the zinc stearate monolayer, the wavenumbers and the absorbances of the antisymmetric and symmetric methylene stretching bands did not change during monolayer compression, which means that orientational and conformational changes of the hydrocarbon chain did not occur. However, wavenumber changes of the antisymmetric and symmetric carboxylate stretching bands were observed during surface compression. The change in the binding nature of the zinc cation to the carboxylate group was speculated. Moreover, it was elucidated that the structure of the hydrocarbon chain in the zinc 12-hydroxystearate monolayer was different from that in the zinc stearate monolayer. Received: 21 March 2001 Accepted: 6 July 2001     

The Pharmaceutical Use of Captisol®: Some Surprising Observations

The purpose of this paper is to share some recent observations on the pharmaceuticaluses and properties of Captisol^® or SBE_7M--CD in controlled porosity osmotic pump tablets (CP-OPT) and the underlying mechanism/sthat lead to apparent zero-order drug release pattern. It would have been simple toattribute the apparent zero-order release mechanism/s of poorly water-soluble drugsfrom CP-OPTs and pellets utilizing Captisol^®as both a solubilizing andosmotic agent, to purely osmotic and diffusional components. However, the mechanismmay be more related to a counterbalancing of physical properties as the concentration of Captisol^®changes within the matrix. Specifically, the initial concentration of Captisol^®within a core is 0.3–0.4M. When this drops to lower values an osmotic pressure drop occurs across the membrane. Therefore, drug release should not follow apparent zero-order kinetics if all the drug is solubilized. However, as the viscosity within the tablet also drops, the apparent diffusion coefficient of both Captisol^® and drug increases. Therefore, it appears that there is an initial resistance (hydraulic pressure) to fluid flow from the tablet through the rate-limiting microporous membrane. This resistance decreases so that even as osmotic pressure and concentration differences drop with time, counterbalancing faster release occurs. Osmotic driving force appears to be the most important initial driving force but a diffusional component becomes more significant with time.     

Ce0.8Y0.2O1.9-Ca3(PO4)2-K3PO4复合电解质在中温区的质子导电性及在常压合成氨中的应用

A precursor of Ce_0.8Y_0.2O_1.9(YDC) solid electrolyte was synthesized by the gol-gel method. YDC and phosphates powders were prepared by mixing the YDC and phosphates according to different weight ratios. The mixtures of the YDC and binary phosphates were ground and sintered at 1 400 ℃. The proton conductivity in solid electrolyte of the sintered samples was examined using electrochemical methods at 400～800 ℃. Ammonia was synthesized from nitrogen and hydrogen at atmospheric pressure in the solid state proton conducting cell reactor. The optimal condition for the ammonia production was determined. The result indicated that composite electrolyte of 80wt% YDC: 20wt% binary phosphates as proton conductor could obtain the highest ionic conductivity and ammonia production rate among the four samples, the rate of evolution of ammonia was up to 9.5 × 10^-9 mol·s^-1·cm^-2.     

源内裂解液相色谱-质谱鉴别人参皂甙砒和拟人参皂甙F11

研究了利用源内碰撞诱导解离（in-source collision—induced dissociation）的高效液相色谱-大气压化学电离质谱（HPLC—APCI／MS）获取人参和西洋参的化学标志物——人参皂甙Rf和拟人参皂甙F11的特征结构信息及鉴别人参和西洋参的方法。在乙腈-水梯度洗脱反相液相色谱及源内碰撞诱导解离条件下，能获得人参皂甙Rf和拟人参皂甙F11的母核离子及去糖基离子的源内碰撞诱导解离谱，从其差别能清楚区分这对同分异构体。本方法对人参皂甙Rf和拟人参皂甙F11的检出限能达到10^-7g柱上样量，简单、快速，单次质谱实验就能鉴别人参和西洋参。