Characterisation of the chromatographic properties of a silica-polypyrrole composite stationary phase by inverse liquid chromatography

Silica-polypyrrole particles have been used as a composite stationary phase for liquid chromatography. Determination of capacity factors (k') of a wide number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecular probes allows the characterisation of the chromatographic properties of the silica-polypyrrole stationary phase. Capacity factors in the range of 0.10 up to 6.1 were determined, thus demonstrating the high affinity of the PAH probes towards the stationary phase. The selectivity of the composite stationary phase was also evaluated as a function of the planarity of the molecular probes injected. Capacity factors determined for PAHs (two-dimensional molecular probes) are higher than those measured for phenyl-substituted PAHs (phenyl-PAHs, three-dimensional molecular probes). Determination of capacity factors, dependence on the composition of the mobile phase demonstrates the reverse alpha-phase properties of the composite stationary phase. The acid-base properties of the composite silica-polypyrrole stationary phase were investigated using benzene derivative molecular probes (i.e., toluene, phenol, benzoic acid and aniline). Capacity factors in the range of 0.45 to 1.0 were determined. This study clearly demonstrates that this composite stationary phase exhibits selective interactions towards PAHs and phenyl-substituted PAHs and strong acid-base properties depending on the structure, the geometry and the acid-base properties of the molecular probes eluted.     

The determination of molecular parameters from dielectric measurements on nematic liquid crystals

The physical properties of liquid crystal phases (mesophases) depend in a very sensitive manner on the structure of the constituent liquid crystal-forming molecules (mesogens). Thus a small change in molecular structure can result in a dramatic change in the corresponding liquid crystal properties. The dielectric responses of materials reflect the electric properties of molecules, and so analysis of dielectric measurements on liquid crystals in terms of molecular properties should lead to the development of structure/property relationships for such mesophases. This paper explores the problems of determining molecular parameters from dielectric measurements on nematic liquid crystals. Specifically, the difficulties in defining the internal electric field and knowing the value of the order parameter are addressed. Experimental results on a range of liquid crystals show that short range correlations are important in determining both the dielectric and optical response of nematic liquid crystals. It is concluded therefore that more sophisticated molecular theories, which take account of molecular shape and volume, need to be developed before reliable structure/property relationships can be established for liquid crystals.     

Distinctive dielectric properties of nematic liquid crystal dimers

ABSTRACT

We provide an overview of the effect of the molecular structure on the dielectric properties of dimers exhibiting nematic and twist-bend nematic phases with special focus on how the conformational distribution changes are reflected by the dielectric behaviour. Nematic dimers show distinctive dielectric properties which differ from those of archetypical nematic liquid crystals, as for example, unusual temperature dependence of the static permittivity or dielectric spectra characterised by two low-frequency relaxation processes with correlated strengths. The interpretation of such characteristic behaviour requires that account is taken of the effect of molecular flexibility on the energetically favoured molecular shapes. The anisotropic nematic interactions greatly influence the conformational distribution. Dielectric behaviour can be used to track those conformational changes due to dependence of the averaged molecular dipole moment on the averaged molecular shape. Results for a number of dimers are compared and analysed on the basis of the influence of details of the molecular structure, using a recently developed theory for the dielectric properties of dimers.     

Molecular wires based on thienylethynylene: synthesis, photophysical properties, and excited-state lifetime

A series of pi-conjugated molecular wires based on thienylethynylene units have been developed to understand the effect of the molecular structures on their photophysical properties. The investigation of their photophysical properties indicates that the formation of aggregates at the ground state is effectively suppressed by the incorporation of truxene units. The excited-state lifetimes are observed to be biexponential for these molecular wires.     

Thermal conduction in molecular chains: non-Markovian effects

We study the effect of non-Markovian reservoirs on the heat conduction properties of short to intermediate size molecular chains. Using classical molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the distance dependence of the heat current is determined not only by the molecular properties, rather it is also critically influenced by the spectral properties of the heat baths, for both harmonic and anharmonic molecular chains. For highly correlated reservoirs the current of an anharmonic chain may exceed the flux of the corresponding harmonic system. Our numerical results are accompanied by a simple single-mode heat conduction model that can capture the intricate distance dependence obtained numerically.     

Molecular Modelling of Thermodynamic and Related Properties of Mixtures

The results of recent developments on modelling of supramolecular ordering and physicochemical properties of molecular mixtures have been reviewed. The main attention is paid to the unified approach based on a generalized quasichemical model for a set of thermodynamic, dielectric and optical properties of mixtures, self-organized by specific bonding. Interrelations between thermodynamic, as well as dielectric, and optical properties of liquid mixtures, reflecting different molecular parameters, and the characteristics of quasichemical processes are presented. Applications for thermodynamic functions of mixing, permittivity, coefficients Rayleigh light scattering in molecular mixtures are considered. Data on thermodynamics of aggregation in mixtures have been obtained. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of molecular structure on polyethylene melt rheology. I. Low-shear behavior

The melt rheological properties of both linear and branched polyethylene were investigated by use of narrow molecular weight distribution fractions and experimentally polymerized samples. Studies carried out in steady shear and in oscillatory shear yielded information concerning both the melt viscosity and the melt elasticity as a function of molecular structure, where the latter was characterized by various solution property techniques. The 3.4–3.5 power dependence of the low shear limiting viscosity on molecular weight was confirmed for linear polyethylene. The effect of long-chain branching on rheological properties was defined both at constant molecular weight and at constant molecular weight distribution and coupled with variation of molecular weight.     

A noncontinuum model of van der Waals interactions for describing the physicochemical properties of pure molecular liquids

A noncontinuum model based on the use of such molecular characteristics as molecular refraction, dipole moment, and molar volume is suggested for quantitatively describing the physicochemical properties (surface tension, enthalpy of vaporization, boiling temperature, viscosity, etc.) of pure molecular liquids. The ratio between the coefficients of correlation equations relating electrostatic and dispersion contributions to all the properties analyzed was found to be invariant.     

Viscoelastic properties of dendrimers in the melt from nonequlibrium molecular dynamics

The viscoelastic properties of dendrimers of generation 1-4 are studied using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics. Flow properties of dendrimer melts under shear are compared to systems composed of linear chain polymers of the same molecular weight, and the influence of molecular architecture is discussed. Rheological material properties, such as the shear viscosity and normal stress coefficients, are calculated and compared for both systems. We also calculate and compare the microscopic properties of both linear chain and dendrimer molecules, such as their molecular alignment, order parameters and rotational velocities. We find that the highly symmetric shape of dendrimers and their highly constrained geometry allows for substantial differences in their material properties compared to traditional linear polymers of equivalent molecular weight.     

A theoretical study of solvent effects on molecular electronic properties

INDO parameterized molecular orbital calculations, including the solvaton model, are employed in a study of medium effects on solute eigenfunctions and eigenvalues. Some resulting molecular electronic properties are compared with available experimental data for some model compounds. In general, reasonable agreement between the two sets of results is obtained for those molecular properties such as conformational equilibria, rotational energy barriers, hydrogen bonding and tautomeric equilibria which are germane to drug-receptor interaction studies.     

Changes in molecular properties with changes in molecular geometry: A partitioning into electronic and nuclear components

Most one-electron properties vary with changes in molecular conformation. Although the nuclear component remains constant for some of the one-electron property changes and thus the overall change depends only on the electronic change this result is not general. Often the change in the nuclear component dominates the overall change in a molecular property. An analysis of the changes in a number of one-electron properties with changes in molecular geometry in terms of the changes in the nuclear and the electronic components is presented. The inversion of ammonia and the torsion of ethane were chosen as important examples of conformational changes and the changes in molecular one-electron properties studied.     

含氮分子筛的研究进展

含氮分子筛作为一种新型的含骨架杂原子分子筛, 具有择形碱催化作用和酸碱双功能催化作用, 近年来引起了人们广泛的研究兴趣. 本文总结了微孔和介孔含氮分子筛在制备、表征和催化性能等方面的研究现状, 重点评述了氮化机理和理论计算在含氮分子筛研究中的应用, 并展望了含氮分子筛今后的研究方向.     

Pattern recognition strategies for molecular surfaces. I. Pattern generation using fuzzy set theory

A new method for the characterization of molecules based on the model approach of molecular surfaces is presented. We use the topographical properties of the surface as well as the electrostatic potential, the local lipophilicity/hydrophilicity, and the hydrogen bond density on the surface for characterization. The definition and the calculation method for these properties are reviewed shortly. The surface is segmented into overlapping patches with similar molecular properties. These patches can be used to represent the characteristic local features of the molecule in a way that is beyond the atomistic resolution but can nevertheless be applied for the analysis of partial similarities of different molecules as well as for the identification of molecular complementarity in a very general sense. The patch representation can be used for different applications, which will be demonstrated in subsequent articles.     

Molecular and supramolecular control of the work function of an inorganic electrode with self-assembled monolayer of umbrella-shaped fullerene derivatives

The surface properties of inorganic substrates can be altered by coating with organic molecules, which may result in the improvement of the properties suitable for electronic or biological applications. This article reports a systematic experimental study on the influence of the molecular and supramolecular properties of umbrella-shaped penta(organo)[60]fullerene derivatives, and on the work function and the water contact angle of indium-tin oxide (ITO) and gold surfaces. We could relate these macroscopic characteristics to single-molecular level properties, such as ionization potential and molecular dipole. The results led us to conclude that the formation of a SAM of a polar compound generates an electronic field through intermolecular interaction of the molecular charges, and this field makes the overall dipole of the SAM much smaller than the one expected from the simple sum of the dipoles of all molecules in the SAM. This effect, which was called depolarization and previously discussed theoretically, is now quantitatively probed by experiments. The important physical properties in surface science such as work function, ionization potential, and water contact angles have been mutually correlated at the level of molecular structures and molecular orientations on the substrate surface. We also found that the SAMs on ITO and gold operate under the same principle except that the "push-back" effect operates specifically for gold. The study also illustrates the ability of the photoelectron yield spectroscopy technique to rapidly measure the work function of a SAM-covered substrate and the ionization potential value of a molecule on the surface.     

共聚酯PEIT-PEG结晶性能的研究

通过偏光显微镜、广角X衍射与FTIR三种测试手段对共聚酯PEIT-PEG的结晶性能进行了系统的研究，重点分析了间苯二甲酸(IPA)、聚乙二醇(PEG)分子量和含量对共聚酯结晶性的影响。研究表明，PEIT与PEG之间发生了共聚反应，IPA的引入使PET结晶性能下降，晶粒尺寸减少，结晶度降低。引入PEG后，当PEG分子量和含量较低时，共聚酯结晶性能提高；当PEG含量较高时，在PEG分子量不变的情况下，随着PEG含量的增加，结晶性能下降；若PEG重量含量相同，PEG分子量越高，结晶性能越好。     

Studies on degradation of PET in mechanical recycling

PET Poly(ethylene terephthalate) was processed repeatedly in a twin extruder. Effect of reprocessing on molecular structure of PET was evaluated in terms of reduction in molecular weight and mechanical properties. This study shows that weight-average molecular weight M_w drops more notably compared with mechanical properties. Mechanical blending of virgin polymer with recycled PET was studied. The results of mechanical testings indicate that there is only slight loss in mechanical properties. The results suggest that mechanical recycling is a suitable method for recycling of PET for economic and environmental purposes.     

Some dimension problems in molecular databases

Molecular databases obtained either by combinatorial chemistry tools or by more traditional methods are usually organized according to a set of molecular properties. A database may be regarded as a multidimensional collection of points within a space spanned by the various molecular properties of interest, the property space. Some properties are likely to be more important than others, those considered important form the essential dimensions of the molecular database. How many properties are essential, this depends on the molecular problem addressed, however, the search in property space is usually limited to a few dimensions. Two types of search strategies are related either to search by property or search by lead compound. The first case corresponds to a lattice model, where the search is based on sets of adjacent blocks, usually hypercubes in property space, whereas lead-based searches in databases can be regarded as search around a center in property space. A natural model for lead-based searches involves a hyperspherical model. In this contribution a theoretical optimum dimension is determined that enhances the effectiveness of lead-based searches in property space of molecular databases.