Synthesis and properties of crosslinked polyvinylformamide and polyvinylamine hydrogels in conjunction with silica particles

Polyvinylamine hydrogels with silica particles encapsulated (PVAm/silica) were produced by a two‐step synthesis. In the first step, polyvinylformamide/silica (PVFA/silica) hybrids were synthesized from vinylformamide (VFA) and 1,3‐divinylimidazolidin‐2‐one (1,3‐bisvinylethyleneurea, BVU), as the crosslinker, by radical copolymerization in silica/water suspensions using different compositions of VFA/BVU. The target product PVAm/silica was obtained by acidic hydrolysis of the PVFA/silica hydrogels in a second step. The chemical structures of both hydrogels, PVFA/silica and PVAm/silica, respectively, were revealed by solid‐state ¹³C(¹H) cross‐polarity/magic‐angle spinning NMR spectroscopy. Both hydrogels swelled significantly in water. The swelling capacity of the two systems was characterized by the correlation length ξ (or hydrodynamic blob size) of the network meshes with small‐angle neutron scattering experiments. ξ is significantly larger for PVAm/silica than for PVFA/silica, which corresponds to the observed higher swelling capacity of this polyelectrolyte material. Furthermore, the swelling behavior of the hybrid hydrogels was quantitatively described in terms of free swell capacity, centrifuge‐retention capacity, adsorption against pressure, and free swell rate as compared with values of the corresponding copolymer hydrogels. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3144–3152, 2002     

The pH dependence of phenolphthalein: A 13c NMR study

The pH dependence of the ¹³C NMR spectra of phenolphthalein has been measured and interpreted. The spectrum of the neutral compound 1 is compared with the spectra of the dianion 4, the trianion5 and the carbocation7. At the first time spectroscopic evidence for the carbinol 6 is given.     

PHYTOCHROME EVOLUTION: A PHYLOGENETIC TREE WITH THE FIRST COMPLETE SEQUENCE OF PHYTOCHROME FROM A CRYPTOGAMIC PLANT: (Selaginella martensii SPRING)

We have sequenced cDNA and genomic clones coding for phytochrome of the fern Selaginella. On the amino acid level, this phytochrome shares sequence homologies with phytochromes of higher plants which range between 62 (phytochrome B of Arabidopsis) and 55 (56)% [phytochrome C of Arabidopsis (Avena)]. Introns in the Selaginella gene are short and occupy positions known from phytochrome sequences of higher plants. A rooted phylogenetic tree based on mutation distances puts Selaginella phytochrome closest to the hypothetical ancestor. A similar tree arises if the tree is constructed with partial sequences (about 200 amino acids) around the chromophore attachment site. An extension of this tree by sequences of other cryptogamic plants (Mougeotia, Ceratodon, Psilotum) shows all these sequences including those of the phytochromes B and C of Arabidopsis on a branch, well separated from the branch formed by phytochromes known to accumulate in etiolated plants. The rooted phytochrome phylogenetic tree, however, is difficult to reconcile with the fossil record.     

Improving the catalytic activity of Candida antarctica lipase B by circular permutation

Lipases (EC 3.1.1.3) play an important role in asymmetric biocatalysis. Tailoring these enzymes to novel, unnatural substrates is one of the primary challenges of protein engineering. We have used circular permutation, the intramolecular relocation of a protein's N- and C-termini, to explore the effects of altered active site accessibility and protein backbone flexibility on the catalytic performance of lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB). Our combinatorial approach identified 63 unique functional protein permutants of CALB, and kinetic analysis of selected candidates indicated that a majority of enzyme variants either retained or surpassed wild-type CALB activity on a series of standard substrates. Beyond the potential benefits of these tailor-made lipases as new catalysts for unnatural substrates, our study validates circular permutation as a promising general method for lipase engineering.     

HPTLC analysis of organotin compounds in preservative solutions and preservative-treated wood

A high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method is described for the determination of tributyltin compounds (bis(tri-n-butyltin) oxide, TBTO, and tri-n-butyltin naphthenate, TBTN) and their degradation products (dibutyltin and monobutyltin compounds). The organotin compounds are extracted from wood with ethanol containing 0.5% (v/v) of hydrochloric acid and the separation of the defferent kinds of organotin compounds is achieved by thin-layer chromatography. The sample spots are measured using a scanning densitometer after decomposing the organotin compounds to inorganic tin by ultraviolet irradiation and visualization of the spots with pyrocatechol violet. Applications of the method to detection and quantification of organotin compounds in preservative solutions, in recently impregnated wood, and in wood samples from five-year-old window frames are described.     

Anomalous behavior of atomic hydrogen interacting with gold clusters

The change in the electronic structure of Au(n)- clusters induced by the exchange of an Au atom by hydrogen is studied using photoelectron spectroscopy. Au anion clusters react with one hydrogen atom but not with molecular hydrogen. The spectra of Au(n)- and Au(n-1)H- clusters show almost identical features for n > 2 suggesting that hydrogen behaves as a protonated species by contributing one electron to the valence pool of the Au(n)- cluster. This behavior is in sharp contrast to that of the commonly understood electronic structure of hydrogen in metals; namely, it attracts an electron from the conduction band of the metal and remains in an "anionic" form or forms covalent bonding. We discuss the influence of the unique electronic structure of H on the unusual catalytic behavior of Au clusters.     

Templated ceramic microstructures by using the breath-figure method

We describe the synthesis of two cyclobutadiene(cyclopentadienyl)cobalt-containing poly(p-phenylene ethynylene)s (PPEs) and their use as precursors for stable ceramic surface coatings. Organometallic PPEs were shaped into hexagonally ordered assemblies by using the breath-figure method. Such breath figures can be washed away with an appropriate solvent. Upon pyrolysis at 500 degrees C under either nitrogen or air, the bubble arrays persist as ceramics and are insoluble in organic solvents or water. The formed pyrolyzed bubble arrays were analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, as well as energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). The composition of the ceramic materials is discussed based on EDX and IR data.     

Characterization of cocoa butters and other vegetable fats by pyrolysis-mass spectrometry

Pyrolysis Mass Spectrometry (Py-MS) was used for the discrimination of cocoa butters from other vegetable fats. Mass spectra ranging from 50 amu to 250 amu were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and with neural nets. The application of neural nets leads to a good discrimination between the two classes. Detailed analysis of the nets revealed that only the first 60 masses were used within the net. The use of PCA requires a careful selection of the number of masses included in the calculation. Canonical variance analysis was applied to determine the significant masses. Optimal performance of PCA was observed only using the first 22 significant masses. Most of these masses were different from the ones used by the neural net. It seems that the mass spectra obtained by Py-MS contain sufficient information for the discrimination of pure cocoa butter from other vegetable fats, but none of the methods seems to be able to extract all information available. Neural net provides a very robust method for this task and no prior data selection was necessary. Received: 13 May 1996 / Revised: 7 August 1996 / Accepted: 7 August 1996     

Covalent attachment of a nickel nitrilotriacetic acid group to a germanium attenuated total reflectance element

The surface of a germanium internal reflectance element (IRE) was modified to bind 6X-histidine (his)-tagged biomolecules. The step-by-step surface modification was monitored via single-pass attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FT-IR). Initially an adlayer of 7-octenyltrimethoxysilane (7-OTMS) was formed on the Ge crystal through the surface hydroxyl groups, which were produced via ozonolysis of the Ge surface. The vinyl moiety of 7-OTMS was oxidized to a carboxylic acid, which was activated by 1,1'-carbonydiimidazole (CDI) to produce a labile imidazole. The labile imidazole that resulted from the CDI coupling was then displaced by the primary amine of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA). Nickel sulfate was added to the system, and it coordinated with the three carbonyl groups and the nitrogen on NTA, thus leaving the ability of Ni to coordinate with two adjacent histidine residues. Binding of his-tagged biotin to nickel nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) was observed by ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy. The surface modification method presented in this paper had minimal nonspecific binding, the Ni-NTA surface was reusable if stored properly, and complete removal of the organic surface was achievable.