Syntheses and characterization of 16‐arm star and star diblock copolymer and AB8 9‐miktoarm star copolymer via NMRP and ROP from dendritic multifunctional macroinitiators

A dendritic macroinitiator having 16 TEMPO‐based alkoxyamines, Star‐16 , was prepared by the reaction of a dendritic macroinitiator having eight TEMPO‐based alkoxyamines, [G‐3]‐OH , with 4,4′‐bis(chlorocarbonyl)biphenyl. The nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization (NMRP) of styrene (St) from Star‐16 gave 16‐arm star polymers with PDI of 1.19–1.47, and NMPR of 4‐vinylpyridine from the 16‐arm star polymer gave 16‐arm star diblock copolymers with PDI of 1.30–1.43. The ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone from [G‐3]‐OH and the subsequent NMRP of St gave AB₈ 9‐miktoarm star copolymers with PDI of 1.30–1.38. The benzyl ether linkages of the 16‐arm star polymers and the AB₈ 9‐miktoarm star copolymers were cleaved by treating with Me₃SiI, and the resultant poly(St) arms were investigated by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The SEC results showed PDIs of 1.23–1.28 and 1.18–1.22 for the star polymers and miktoarm stars copolymers, respectively, showing that they have well‐controlled poly(St) arms. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1159–1169, 2007.     

Fast and Accurate Floating Point Summation with Application to Computational Geometry

We present several simple algorithms for accurately computing the sum of n floating point numbers using a wider accumulator. Let f and F be the number of significant bits in the summands and the accumulator, respectively. Then assuming gradual underflow, no overflow, and round-to-nearest arithmetic, up to ?2 ^F?f /(1?2^?f )?+1 numbers can be accurately added by just summing the terms in decreasing order of exponents, yielding a sum correct to within about 1.5 units in the last place. In particular, if the sum is zero, it is computed exactly. We apply this result to the floating point formats in the IEEE floating point standard, and investigate its performance. Our results show that in the absence of massive cancellation (the most common case) the cost of guaranteed accuracy is about 30–40% more than the straightforward summation. If massive cancellation does occur, the cost of computing the accurate sum is about a factor of ten. Finally, we apply our algorithm in computing a robust geometric predicate (used in computational geometry), where our accurate summation algorithm improves the existing algorithm by a factor of two on a nearly coplanar set of points.     

Synthesis and characterization of 6‐ and 12‐arm star polymers by nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization of St and MA from dendritic TIPNO‐based hexafunctional and dodecafunctional macroinitiators

Dendritic multifunctional macroinitiators having six and 12 TIPNO‐based alkoxyamines, TIPNO‐6 and TIPNO‐12 , were synthesized and used in the living radical polymerization of styrene (St), methyl acrylate (MA), N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm), and isoprene (IP). The polymerizations of St initiated with TIPNO‐6 gave 6‐arm star polymers with narrow polydispersities of 1.14–1.18. In the polymerizations of MA initiated with TIPNO‐6 and TIPNO‐12 , the influences of added TIPNO on the polydispersity indexes (PDIs) of the resulting star polymers were first investigated, and this led to the successful formation of poly(MA) star polymers with narrow polydispersities (1.10–1.18). Moreover, the polymerizations of DMAAm and IP from TIPNO‐6 in the presence or absence of TIPNO were briefly investigated. The benzyl ether bonds of the poly(St) and poly(MA) star polymers were cleaved by treating with Me₃SiI or Pd/C, and the resulting arm's parts were analyzed with SEC. The PDIs of the resulting arm parts were low (1.19–1.23), and the M_ns agreed with the M_n,theor, indicating that the poly(St) and poly(MA) star polymers had well‐controlled arms. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4364–4376, 2007     

Overproduction of riboflavin by anArthrobacter sp. mutant resistant to 5-fluorouracil

Effects of pH and dissolved oxygen concentration on batchwise riboflavin production by a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant mutant ofArthrobacter sp. were investigated. The reaction was carried out in a jar fermentor. The optimal pH of culture medium was around 7.3. Dissolved oxygen concentration was almost constant during fermentation at 600 rpm of agitation rate. Production of riboflavin reached a maximum of 160 mg/L after 70 h fermentation under the agitation rate of 600 rpm, aeration rate of 1.0 L/min, and pH 7.0.     

Mesoscopic structure and properties of liquid crystalline mesophase pitch and its transformation into carbon fiber

The history and present state of the art in the chemistry of mesophase pitch, which is an important precursor for carbon fiber and other high-performance industrial carbons, are reviewed relative to their structural properties. The structural concepts in both microscopic and macroscopic views are summarized in terms of the sp(2) carbon hexagonal plane as a basic unit common to graphitic materials, its planar stacking in clusters, and cluster assembly into microdomains and domains, the latter of which reflect the isochromatic unit of optical anisotropy. Such a series of structural units is described in a semiquantitative manner corresponding to the same units of graphitic materials, although the size and stacking height of the hexagonal planes (graphitic sheets) are very different. Mesophase pitch is a liquid crystal material whose basic structural concepts are maintained in the temperature range of 250 to 350 degrees C. The melt flow and thermal properties are related to its micro- and mesoscopic structure. The structure of mesophase-pitch-based carbon fiber of high tensile strength, modulus, and thermal conductivity has been formed through spinning, and has inherited the same structural concepts of mesophase pitch. Stabilization settles the structure in successive heat treatments up to 3000 degrees C. Carbonization and graphitization enable growth of the hexagonal planes and their stacking into units of graphite. Such growth is governed and controlled by the alignment of micro- and mesoscopic structures in the mesophase pitch, which define the derived carbon materials as nanostructural materials. Their properties are controlled by the nanoscopic units that are expected to behave as nanomaterials when appropriately isolated or handled.     

Liquid-Crystalline copolymers and polymer blends containing electron donor and acceptor groups: Effects of mesogenic structures on the smectic phase and the miscibility

Side-chain liquid-crystalline copolymers and polymer blends containing an electron-donating (carbazolylmethylene)aniline group and electron-accepting nitrophenyl groups with various central linking groups between aromatic groups in the mesogenic units, i.e., N?CH, CH?CH, N?N, and COO, were prepared to examine effects of the mesogenic structure on thermal behaviours. The most remarkable effects of the central linking group on the thermal properties and the miscibility were observed for the polymer blends. The 1:1 miscible polymer blends were prepared from the electron-donating polymer containing (carbazolylmethylene)aniline group (PM6C_z) and the electron-accepting polymers with similar central linking groups, i.e., N?CH, CH?CH, and N?N. For example, the 1: 1 polymer blend of PM6C_z and the electron-accepting polymer containing the nitrostilbene group induced a smectic phase from 73 to 207°C. This isotropic temperature was 46°C higher than the calculated value (161°C) based on the composition without the electron donor-acceptor interaction. On the other hand, the 1: 1 polymer blend of PM6C_z and the electron-accepting polymer containing the nitrophenylbenzoate group showed phase separation. Thus, the remarkable thermal stability and the miscibility of the polymer blends containing the electron donor and acceptor groups might be caused by planar structures between the mesogenic side groups which have similar central linking groups through the electron donor-acceptor interaction. A similar tendency was seen for copolymers and binary mixtures of both low-molecular-weight compounds containing the same mesogenic groups. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetics of γ-ray polymerization of formaldehyde in the presence of carbon dioxide

A kinetic study of the γ-ray polymerization of formaldehyde in toluene solution in the presence of carbon dioxide was carried out at temperatures of + 13 to ?17°C. Two modes of the polymerization, spontaneous and γ-ray polymerization, occur in this system. The γ-ray polymerization, experimentally separated from the spontaneous polymerization, was investigated. The rate of γ-ray polymerization increased slightly with the square root of carbon dioxide concentration. The rate of polymerization was also found to be proportional to the dose rate and the square of monomer concentration. The molecular weight of polymer formed was independent of the reaction condition. The apparent activation energy was estimated to be 10.3 kcal./mole. The kinetics of the γ-ray polymerization in the presence of carbon dioxide are explained quantitatively by a cationic mechanism, and the role of carbon dioxide is as an action of retardation for neutralization of the cationic initiating species, which was produced by γ-radiation, by means of a reverse reaction with an electron. Physical and mechanical properties of the polymer obtained by γ-ray polymerization were also investigated.     

N-tert-Butoxy-1-aminopyrenyl Radicals. Isolation,Electronic Structure,and Magnetic Characterization

N-tert-Butoxy-2,7-di-tert-butyl-1-pyrenylaminyl (4), N-tert-butoxy-2-tert-butyl-1-pyrenylaminyl (5), and N-tert-butoxy-7-tert-butyl-1-pyrenylaminyl (6) free radicals were generated by the reaction of the lithium amides of the corresponding 1-aminopyrenes with tert-butyl peroxybenzoate in THF at -78 degrees C. Although 6 could not be isolated due to the gradual decomposition in solution, 4 and 5 were quite persistent and could be isolated as monomeric radical crystals. The X-ray crystallographic analyses for the isolated free radicals were successfully carried out, indicating that the N and O atoms are almost coplanar with the pyrene ring. The ESR spectra of 4 and 5 were very complex due to the presence of many magnetically unequivalent protons. Therefore, the proton hyperfine coupling (hfc) constants were determined by (1)H ENDOR/TRIPLE resonance spectroscopy. To assign the hfc constants for the pyrene ring protons, a partially deuterated radical, 4-d(4), was prepared and the ENDOR and ESR spectra were measured. To discuss the spin density distribution for 4 and 5 ab initio molecular orbital calculations were performed by the DFT UBecke 3LYP method, using the STO 6-31G basis set. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were carried out for 4 and 5 with a SQUID magnetometer. For 4 a weak antiferromagnetic interaction was observed, and for 5 a very strong antiferromagnetic interaction was observed. The antiferromagnetic interactions were explained by their crystal structures.