Polyesterification of aromatic dicarboxylic acids and bisphenols with tosyl chloride/dimethylformamide/pyridine promoted by the improvement of the difficult solubility of the activated diacids with lithium chloride

The solution polyesterification of dicarboxylic acids in pyridine, the activated intermediates of which were difficult to dissolve in tosyl chloride/dimethylformamide/pyridine, was investigated in the presence of lithium chloride. The solubility of the activated dicarboxylic acids was largely improved by the presence of the salt, and the polycondensation with bisphenols was greatly facilitated. The salt was more effectively added to a pyridine solution of dicarboxylic acids than to the activated dicarboxylic acids in pyridine. The favorable additive effect on the improved solubility was attributed to a lowered degree of association of the activated dicarboxylic acids, which led to distributions of the resulting oligomers from bisphenols at an earlier stage closer to the theoretical ones and yielded better polycondensation results. The reaction, which proceeded through favorable distributions of the co‐oligomers, produced copolymers of higher inherent viscosities and slightly block sequence distributions determined by NMR. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2725–2733, 2004     

Micropore-free surface-activated carbon for the analysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins-dibenzofurans and non-ortho-substituted polychlorinated biphenyls in environmental samples

2,3,7,8-Substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and non-ortho-substituted polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) account for almost all of the total toxic equivalents (TEQ) in environmental samples. Activated carbon columns are used to fractionate the samples for GC-MS analysis or bioassay. Micropore-free surface-activated carbon is highly selective for PCDD/Fs and non-ortho-PCBs and can improve the conventional activated carbon column clean-up. Along with sulfuric acid-coated diatomaceous earth columns, micropore-free surface-activated carbon provides a rapid, robust, and high-throughput sample preparation method for PCDD/Fs and non-ortho-PCBs analysis.     

Synthesis and characterization of monodispersed core-shell spherical colloids with movable cores

Gold nanoparticles have been conformally coated with amorphous silica (using a sol-gel method) and then an organic polymer (via surface-grafted, atom transfer radical polymerization) to form spherical colloids with a core-double-shell structure. The thickness of silica and polymer shells could be conveniently controlled in the range of tens to several hundred nanometers by changing the concentration of the reagent and/or the reaction time. Selective removal of the silica layer (through etching in aqueous HF) led to the formation of hollow polymer beads containing movable gold cores. This new form of core-shell particles provides a unique system for measuring the feature size and transport property associated with hollow particles. In one demonstration, we showed that the thickness of a closed polymer shell could be obtained by mapping the electrons backscattered from the core and shell. In another demonstration, the plasmon resonance band of the gold cores was used as an optical probe to follow the diffusion kinetics of chemical reagents across the polymer shells.     

The characteristic fragment ions and visualization of cationic starches on pulp fiber using ToF‐SIMS

Time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) was used to investigate the distribution of cationic starch on pulp fiber. To identify the characteristic fragment ions of the cationic starches, deuterium‐labeled cationic starches were prepared and analyzed using ToF‐SIMS. The starch 2‐hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride derivative generated characteristic fragments at m/z 58 and 59, which were identified as [H₂C?N(CH₃)₂]⁺ and [N(CH₃)₃]^+·, respectively. The fragmentation patterns were also suggested. From the imaging analysis, the adsorption of the cationic starch on fibers was uneven on individual fibers, as well as between fibers. This may have been on account of fiber morphology and structure. On examining scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, the quaternary ammonium starch derivative (QS) did not penetrate the fiber. No migration of cationic starch was observed under various drying conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A simple and simultaneous determination of acyclovir and ganciclovir in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the therapeutic levels of acyclovir and ganciclovir in human plasma. After precipitation of plasma proteins with 6% perchloric acid, acyclovir and ganciclovir were simultaneously determined by reversed-phase chromatography with spectophotometric detection at 254 nm. The peak heights for acyclovir and ganciclovir were linearly related to their concentrations ranging from 0.063 to 2.080 micro g/mL. The recovery was 100.48-102.84% for acyclovir and 99.26-103.07% for ganciclovir. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation values were in the range 0.186-8.703% for acyclovir and 0.137-6.424% for ganciclovir. The detection limits for both compounds were 0.01 micro g/mL determined as the signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The present method is applicable to therapeutic monitoring during antiviral medication.     

First example of chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes as catalysts for kinetic resolution

Chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes, which are derived from C2-symmetric 1,3-bis(1-arylethyl)imidazolium salts, catalyze enantioselective acylation of racemic secondary alcohols.     

Simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in human plasma by capillary zone electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoretic method for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in plasma was developed. Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim extracted from human plasma with ethyl acetate were analyzed at 20 kV and 25 degrees C using 15 mm phosphate buffer (pH 6.2) as the electrolyte. The detection was by UV at 220 nm. The run time was 8.0 min and the limit of quantification was 10.00 microg/mL for sulfamethoxazole and 2.00 microg/mL for trimethoprim. The recovery was >99% for both compounds. This method enabled the detection of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in plasma of patients after oral ingestion of their combined formulation. The present simple and rapid method is applicable to drug monitoring in immunocompromised patients who are taking the combined formulation of these compounds for the treatment or prophylaxis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.     

OBSERVATION OF THE PICOSECOND TIME-RESOLVED SPECTRUM OF SQUID BATHORHODOPSIN AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

Difference spectra between squid rhodopsin and its bathorhodopsin at room temperature were measured ca. 150 ps and ca. 500 ps after the excitation at 347.2 nm by a double-beam picosecond time-resolved spectrometer. The spectra measured showed a red shift of the isosbestic point between squid rhodopsin and its bathorhodopsin and a lower ΔA_max/ΔA_min value compared with those measured at low temperatures by conventional spectrophotometry.     

Ruthenium-catalyzed arylation of 2-alkenylpyridines with aryl bromides: alternative E,Z-selectivity to Mizoroki-Heck reaction

Regio- and stereoselective arylation of 2-alkenylpyridines with aryl bromides is catalyzed by specific Ru(II)-phosphine complexes affording beta-arylated (Z)-2-alkenylpyridines, in which the aryl moiety is introduced cis to the pyridyl group. This geometrical selectivity is in sharp contrast to the Mizoroki-Heck reaction. [reaction: see text]     

Ab initio potential energy surfaces of the ion-molecule reaction: C2H2 + O+

High level ab initio calculations using complete active space self-consistent field and multi reference single and double excitation configuration interaction methods with cc-pVDZ (correlation consistent polarized valence double zeta) and cc-pVTZ (triple zeta) basis sets have been performed to elucidate the reaction mechanism of the ion-molecule reaction, C2H2(1Sigmag+) + O+(4S), for which collision experiment has been performed by Chiu et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 109, 5300 (1998)]. The minor low-energy process leading to the weak spin-forbidden product C2H2+ (2Piu) + O(1D) has been studied previously and will not be discussed here. The major pathways to form charge-transfer (CT) products, C2H2+ (2Piu) + O(3P) (CT1) and C2H2+ (4A2) + O(3P) (CT2), and the covalently bound intermediates are investigated. The approach of the oxygen atom cation to acetylene goes over an energy barrier TS1 of 29 kcal/mol (relative to the reactant) and adiabatically leads the CT2 product or a weakly bound intermediate Int1 between CT2 products. This transition state TS1 is caused by the avoided crossing between the reactant and CT2 electronic states. As the C-O distance becomes shorter beyond the above intermediate, the C1 reaction pathway is energetically more favorable than the Cs pathway and goes over the second transition state TS2 of a relative energy of 39 kcal/mol. Although this TS connects diabatically to the covalent intermediate Int2, there are many states that interact adiabatically with this diabatic state and these lead to the other charge-transfer product CT1 via either of several nonadiabatic transitions. These findings are consistent with the experiment, in which charge transfer and chemical reaction products are detected above 35 and 39 kcal/mol collision energies, respectively.