Characterization of a complex dispersion of multilamellar vesicles

Spherulites ^® are multilamellar vesicles made up of surfactant bilayers. These vesicles would potentially be very useful for the encapsulation and protection of molecules; however, traditional formulations of these vesicles are poor at retaining small hydrophilic molecules (below 1000 g/mol). In this study, we present new systems of Spherulites called complex dispersions. These are prepared by dispersing Spherulites in an oil medium, and then emulsifying this oily dispersion of Spherulites within an aqueous solvent. These new systems provide an additional oil barrier between encapsulated molecules and an external aqueous phase. We have used polarized light optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and freeze–fracture electron microscopy to study a complex dispersion of Spherulites at all stages of its preparation. We first studied the sheared lamellar phase, followed by the dispersion of the multilamellar vesicles in the oily medium and finally the emulsification of the oily dispersion within the aqueous solvent. We compared our results on lamellar phases with previous results obtained with Spherulites directly dispersible in an aqueous medium. Since the formulation of our lamellar phase included a large percentage of oil as a component, we studied the localization of the oil in the lamellar structure. We also studied the influence of osmotic pressure on complex dispersions, because complex dispersions possess a double structure similar to that of water-in-oil-in-water emulsions and multiple emulsions are known to be sensitive to osmotic pressure. In conclusion, complex dispersions proved to be new potential carriers exhibiting some unique physical properties.     

Ab-initio interpretation of 〈r−3〉 electronic quantities in the hfs of Mg I 3s 3p 3 P and1 P

It has been known for a long time that, in a two-electron arc spectrum, the properties of the³ P and¹ P terms of the lowests p configuration cannot be interpreted correctly in a pure-configuration model. Following the experimental determination of the hyperfine constantA(3s 3p ¹ P ₁) in Mg I by Kluge and Otten, this paper presents the ab-initio interpretation of the 〈r ^?3〉_3p hyperfine electronic quantities in 3s 3p through the use of the multiconfigurational Hartree-Fock method. It appears that taking into account the effects of the monoelectronic excitations 3s→nd, 2p→np and 3p→np leads to ab-initio evaluations in very good agreement with experiment. The case of the 3p→np excitation, to which Brillouin's theorem should apply in principle, is discussed. Using the same method, a refined evaluation is proposed for the nuclear electric-quadrupole moment of Mg²⁵ (Q=0.200 ± 0.01 barn).     

New methods of determination of the molar weight distribution from rheological measurements

By assuming simplified hypotheses which result from the molecular analysis of Doi-Edwards, it is possible to propose rheological methods for characterizing molar weight distribution of entangled polymeric liquids. The generalized exponential distribution is especially concerned. Theoretical expressions of rheological parameters are derived, and their numerical values are calculated in special cases. A numerical method of discrimination and identification of these special distributions is proposed.     

Use of co-grinding as a solvent-free solid state method to synthesize dibenzophenazines

Many synthetic methods exist for dibenzoquinoxalines but only a few for dibenzophenazines and their aza derivatives and even less are ‘green’. Some dibenzophenazines and dibenzopyridoquinoxaline have been efficiently obtained with good to excellent yield by a very simple method which does not require use of solvent or catalyst. Solid phase synthesis using co-grinding presents thus many advantages in developing greener synthetic organic pathways.     

Determination of molar mass polydispersity index from dynamic rheological measurements

The polydispersity of the molar mass of a material influences the behaviour of its dynamic rheological propertiesG () andG (). This is exemplified by the deviation from unity of the indexI = [2 – (d logG/d log)]/[1 – (d logG/d log)] in the terminal zone, i.e. at low frequencies. For a normal logarithmic distribution of species, a quantitative correlation may be established between the rheological properties and the parameter that is characteristic of the polydispersity for these species. This correlation can, in certain cases, be drawn from measurements in just the terminal zone or it may require measurements both in the terminal zone and at the beginning of the plateau zone. In each case, the parameter of dispersion can be determined by simple graphical or numerical methods. Finally, an example of the application of these methods to entangled liquid polymers is presented.