Infinite period and Hopf bifurcations for the pH-regulated oscillations in a semibatch reactor (H(2)O(2)-Cu(2+)-S(2)O(2-) (3)-NaOH system)

Dynamic behavior of the pH-regulated oscillations has been studied for the hydrogen peroxide oxidation of thiosulfate ions in the presence of trace amounts of copper(II) ions in a semibatch reactor. A solution of 0.08 M Na(2)S(2)O(3) and 0.112 M NaOH was flowed at 0.160 mL/min into 300 mL of solution containing the H(2)O(2) and Cu(2+) in a vessel. There exists a critical value of the H(2)O(2) or Cu(2+) concentrations below which the system does not oscillate. The oscillations appear due to an infinite period bifurcation at low initial concentrations of the H(2)O(2). The initial concentration of Cu(2+) may be considered as a bifurcation parameter in this case. Increase of the initial hydrogen peroxide concentration causes the pH-regulated oscillations through a nondegenerate supercritical Hopf bifurcation. The classification of bifurcations is based on the analysis of the behavior of oscillation amplitude and period at different initial concentrations of the H(2)O(2) and Cu(2+). Our results show a possibility to distinguish different scenarios for the appearance of transient oscillations in semibatch experiments. (c) 1996 American Institute of Physics.     

Factors affecting propagating fronts of addition polymerization: Velocity,front curvature,temperatue profile,conversion, and molecular weight distribution

Several properties of propagating fronts of addition polymerization were studied. A power function could be fit to the velocity dependence on initiator concentration, but not with the exponents predicted by current models or in agreement with other published work. Bubbles from the volatile by-products of initiator decomposition were found to affect the front velocity and curvature. The front velocity for triethylene glycol dimethacrylate polymerization was found to depend linearly on temperature over a moderate range. The conversion of methacrylic acid in fronts varied greatly with initiator type and concentration. Benzoyl peroxide produced much lower conversion than t-butyl peroxide, but fronts with tBPO propagated slower. A dual initiator system of BPO and tBPO produced rapidly propagating fronts with good conversion but the contribution of each initiator to the velocity was not additive. The possibility of chain branching was considered. The apparent molecular weight distributions were very broad, often trimodal, and found to depend on initiator type and concentration as well as the tube diameter. The temperature profiles were measured and found to be very sharp for BPO and broader for tBPO but both had front temperatures in excess of 200°C, indicating a high ceiling temperature. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Experimental and Computational Study of the Thermal Decomposition of 3‐Methyl‐3‐buten‐1‐ol in m‐Xylene Solution

An experimental study of the thermal decomposition of a β‐hydroxy alkene, 3‐methyl‐3‐buten‐1‐ol, in m‐xylene solution, has been carried out at five different temperatures in the range of 513.15–563.15 K. The temperature dependence of the rate constants for the decomposition of this compound in the corresponding Arrhenius equation is given by ln k (s^?1) = (25.65 ± 1.52) ? (17,944 ± 814) (kJ·mol^?1)·T^?1. A computational study has been carried out at the M05–2X/6–31+G(d,p) level of theory to calculate the rate constants and the activation parameters by the classical transition state theory. There is a good agreement between the experimental and calculated rate constants and activation Gibbs energies. The bonding characteristics of reactant, transition state, and products have been investigated by the natural bond orbital analysis, which provides the natural atomic charges and the Wiberg bond indices. Based on the results obtained, the mechanism proposed is a one‐step process proceeding through a six‐membered cyclic transition state, being a concerted and slightly asynchronous process. The results have been compared with those obtained previously by us (Struct Chem 2013, 24, 1811–1816) for the thermal decomposition of 3‐buten‐1‐ol, in m‐xylene solution. We can conclude that in the compound studied in this work, 3‐methyl‐3‐buten‐1‐ol, the effect of substitution at position 3 by a weakly activating CH₃ group is the stabilization of the transition state formed in the reaction and therefore a small increase in the rate of thermal decomposition.     

Structural and Kinetic Aspects of Blood Plasma Protein Adsorption on the Surface of Hydrophobic Polymers

Abstract

Due to the wide use of polymers in medicine, researchers are required to solve a very important problem–to understand the interaction between materials of nonphysiological origin and the surrounding biological liquids, and tissues, particularly blood.     

Polymeric nanocomposites containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes prepared via frontal polymerization

Frontal polymerization (FP) has been successfully applied, for the first time, to obtain polymeric nanocomposites containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) in an amine‐cured epoxy matrix. Variations of maximum temperature (T_max) and front velocity (V_f) have been studied. A comparison of these products with the corresponding materials, obtained by the classical batch polymerization technique, demonstrated that FP allows a higher degree of conversion than batch polymerization. The products have been characterized in terms of their thermal behavior with DSC analysis. SEM and X‐ray analyses revealed the morphology and the structures of the nanocomposites. The nanocomposites obtained by FP have the same characteristics of those synthesized, in much longer times, by batch polymerization. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4514–4521, 2007     

A simple method for extracting both active oily and water soluble extract (WSE) from Nigella sativa (L.) seeds using a single solvent system

The current study provides a way of extraction for both active NSO and WSE from Nigella sativa seeds using 98% methanol. About 1?kg of ground seeds was macerated by 1:2.5 w/v (g/mL) for 72?hours. After rotary evaporation and 7 days of continuous drying and chilling at 50 and 4?°C, NSO and WSE were obtained at the same instant. Solubility tests of 24 solvents and 11 thin layer chromatographic analyses while 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging assay of NSO (73.66) , WSE (33.32) and NSO?+?WSE (78.22) against ascorbic acid (IC50?=?4.28?mg/mL) was performed. WSE was found to be highly soluble in water and 5% NaOH exhibiting the same Rf value of 0.95 for EtOH:DMSO (9:1) against the honey. WSE has revealed more than twofold higher anti-oxidant activity than others. Formulation of WSE with Tualang honey may provide better targeted hydrophilic drug delivery systems.