Synthesis and characterization of poly(lactic acid) and glucosamine-formaldehyde/dodecylbenzenesulfonate composite films

The composite films of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) doped with glucosamine(Gluc)-formaldehyde(FA) polymer/sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) complexes at 1–5 wt% were synthesized to demonstrate striking improvement of their structural and mechanical properties. The polymer complexes were obtained by the hydrothermal polymerization of Gluc and FA at a molar ratio of 1:2 in the presence of SDBS. The atomic ratios of S in to N in (=S/N) in the polymer complexes limitedly range from 0.52 to 0.69, indicating that the complexation develops through the nonstoichiometric reaction between groups of (Gluc-FA) polymer and ones of SDBS and 31–48% of the groups remain unbound. The PLA composite film doped with 1 wt% (Gluc-FA)/SDBS showed the elongation-at-break of as large as 194% compared with 37% for PLA film, together with an appreciable increase of the crystallites size (D ₂₀₀) of PLA from 21.8 to 33.3 nm.     

Densities and Volumetric Properties of Binary Mixtures of Formamide with 1-Butanol, 2-Butanol, 1,3-Butanediol and 1,4-Butanediol at Temperatures between 293.15 and 318.15 K

The densities of binary mixtures of formamide (FA) with 1-butanol, 2-butanol, 1,3-butanediol, and 1,4-butanediol, including those of the pure liquids, over the entire composition range were measured at temperatures (293.15, 298.15, 303.15, 308.15, 313.15 and 318.15) K and atmospheric pressure. From the experimental data, the excess molar volume, V _m ^E, partial molar volumes, and , at infinite dilution, and excess partial molar volumes, and , at infinite dilution were calculated. The variation of these parameters with composition and temperature of the mixtures are discussed in terms of molecular interactions in these mixtures. The partial molar expansivities, and , at infinite dilution and excess partial molar expansivities, and , at infinite dilution were also calculated. The V _m ^E values were found to be positive for all the mixtures at each temperature studied, except for FA + 1-butanol which exhibits a sigmoid trend wherein V _m ^E values change sign from positive to negative as the concentration of FA in the mixture is increased. The V _m ^E values for these mixtures follow the order: 1-butanol < 2-butanol < 1,3-butanediol < 1,4-butanediol. It is observed that the V _m ^E values depend upon the number and position of hydroxyl groups in these alkanol molecules.     

On the derivative of the associated Legendre function of the first kind of integer degree with respect to its order (with applications to the construction of the associated Legendre function of the second kind of integer degree and order)

The derivative of the associated Legendre function of the first kind of integer degree with respect to its order, , is studied. After deriving and investigating general formulas for μ arbitrary complex, a detailed discussion of , where m is a non-negative integer, is carried out. The results are applied to obtain several explicit expressions for the associated Legendre function of the second kind of integer degree and order, . In particular, we arrive at formulas which generalize to the case of (0 ≤ m ≤ n) the well-known Christoffel’s representation of the Legendre function of the second kind, Q _n (z). The derivatives and , all with m > n, are also evaluated.     

Electrochemical study of the thermodynamics and kinetics of hydrophilic ion transfers across water | <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-octanol interface

Thermodynamics and kinetics of hydrophilic ion transfers across water|n-octanol (W|OCT) interface have been electrochemically studied by means of novel three-phase and thin-film electrodes. Three-phase electrodes used for thermodynamics measurements comprise edge plane pyrolytic graphite, the surface of which was partly modified with an ultrathin film of OCT, containing hydrophobic lutetium bis(tetra-tert-butylphthalocyaninato) (Lu[tBu₄Pc]₂) as a redox probe. The transfers of anions and cations from W to OCT were electrochemically driven by reversible redox transformations of Lu[tBu₄Pc]₂ to chemically stable lipophilic monovalent cation and anion , respectively. Upon reduction of Lu[tBu₄Pc]₂, the transfers of alkali metal cations from W to OCT have been studied for the first time, enabling estimation of their Gibbs transfer energies. For kinetic measurements, a thin-film electrode configuration has been used, consisting of the same electrode covered completely with a thin layer of OCT that contained the redox probe and a suitable electrolyte. Combining the fast and sensitive square-wave voltammetry with thin-film electrodes, the kinetics of , , and Cl⁻ transfers have been estimated. Dedicated to Professor Dr. Yakov I. Tur’yan on the occasion of his 85th birthday.     

Kinetics and Equilibria for Complex Formation between Palladium(II) and Chloroacetate

Kinetics and equilibria for the formation of a 1:1 complex between palladium(II) and chloroacetate were studied by spectrophotometric measurements in 1.00 mol HClO₄ at 298.2 K. The equilibrium constant, K, of the reaction

Estimation of partial linear error-in-variables models for ρ<Superscript>−</Superscript>-mixing dependence data

Consider the partly linear regression model Y = xβ + g(t) + e where the explanatory x is erroneously measured, and both t and the response Y are measured exactly, the random error e is ρ⁻-mixing. Let be a surrogate variable observed instead of the true x in the primary survey data. Assume that in addition to the primary data set containing N observations of , which is ρ⁻-mixing data sets, an independent validation data containing n observations of is available. The exact observations on x may be obtained by some expensive or diffcult procedures for only a small subset of subjects enrolled in the study. In this paper, inspired by Berberan-Santos et al. [J. Math. Chem. 37 (2005)101], a semiparametric method with the primary data is employed to obtain the estimators of β and g(·) based on the least squares criterion with the help of validata. The proposed estimators are proved to be strongly consistent.      

Direct and exchange contributions to inner and outer radii in many-electron atoms

Within the Hartree-Fock framework, the spinless two-electron density function Γ (r ₁, r ₂) consists of direct Γ_di (r ₁, r ₂) and exchange Γ_ex (r ₁, r ₂) parts. Accordingly, the inner and outer radii in many-electron systems are rigorously separated into the direct and exchange contributions, i.e., and . It is generally shown that and , where is the usual average radius of an electron. Numerical examinations of the direct and exchange contributions for the 102 atoms from He to Lr in their ground states find that the electron exchange works to decrease and increase . However, the exchange parts are very small and the direct parts essentially govern the inner and outer radii.     

On the largest eigenvalues of trees with perfect matchings

Let λ₁ (G) and Δ (G), respectively, denote the largest eigenvalue and the maximum degree of a graph G. Let be the set of trees with perfect matchings on 2m vertices, and . Among the trees in , we characterize the tree which alone minimizes the largest eigenvalue, as well as the tree which alone maximizes the largest eigenvalue when . Furthermore, it is proved that, for two trees T ₁ and T ₂ in (m≥ 4), if and Δ (T ₁) > Δ (T ₂), then λ₁ (T ₁) > λ₁ (T ₂).     

Binuclear cobalt(II/II) and cobalt(II/III) chelates with O<Subscript>2</Subscript>N<Subscript>2</Subscript> ligands: synthesis,structure and magnetic studies

Abstract  The title complexes and have been synthesized in excellent yields by reacting Co(OAc)₂·4H₂O with H₂L¹ and H₂L², respectively, in acetonitrile solution. Here, [L¹]²⁻ and [L²]²⁻ are the deprotonated forms of N,N-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N′,N′-dimethylethylenediamine and N,N-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)-2-picolylamine, respectively. The crystal structures of and were determined by x-ray crystallography. In , each cobalt atom has distorted trigonal bipyramid geometry, while in , each cobalt atom has distorted octahedral geometry. Variable temperature magnetic moment measurements show weak antiferromagnetic interaction in . The magnetic characterization for is in agreement with the presence of Co(II) and Co(III) centers. Graphical Abstract  The title complexes and have been synthesized in excellent yields by reacting Co(OAc)₂·4H₂O with dianionic N₂O₂ coordinating ligands. In complex 1, each cobalt atom has distorted trigonal bipyramid geometry, while in complex 2, each cobalt atom has distorted octahedral geometry. Variable temperature magnetic moment measurements show weak antiferromagnetic interaction in complex 1. The magnetic characterization for complex 2 is in agreement with the presence of Co(II) and Co(III) centers. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Pd(PBu 3 t ) Adducts of Os3(CO)12. Synthesis and Structures of Pd2Os3(CO)12(PBu 3 t )2 and Pd3Os3(CO)12 (PBu 3 t )3

Two new compounds Pd₂Os₃(CO)₁₂ , 13 and Pd₃Os₃(CO)₁₂ , 14 have been obtained from the reaction of with Os₃(CO)₁₂ at room temperature. The products were formed by the addition of two and three groups to the Os–Os bonds of Os₃(CO)₁₂. Compounds 13 and 14 interconvert between themselves by intermolecular exchange of the groups in solution. Compounds 13 and 14 have been characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses.Dedicated to Professor Brian F. G. Johnson on the occasion of his retirement – 2005.     

Improvement of the electrochemical properties of “as-grown” boron-doped polycrystalline diamond electrodes deposited on tungsten wires using ethanol

The electrochemical properties of boron-doped diamond (BDD) polycrystalline films grown on tungsten wire substrates using ethanol as a precursor are described. The results obtained show that the use of ethanol improves the electrochemistry properties of “as-grown” BDD, as it minimizes the graphitic phase upon the surface of BDD, during the growth process. The BDD electrodes were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The boron-doping levels of the films were estimated to be ∼10²⁰ B/cm³. The electrochemical behavior was evaluated using the and redox couples and dopamine. Apparent heterogeneous electro-transfer rate constants were determined for these redox systems using the CV and EIS techniques. values in the range of 0.01–0.1 cm s⁻¹ were observed for the and redox couples, while in the special case of dopamine, a lower value of 10⁻⁵ cm s⁻¹ was found. The obtained results showed that the use of CH₃CH₂OH (ethanol) as a carbon source constitutes a promising alternative for manufacturing BDD electrodes for electroanalytical applications.     

On minimal energies of trees of a prescribed diameter

The energy of a graph is defined as the sum of the absolute values of all the eigenvalues of the graph. Let denote the set of trees on n vertices and diameter d, . Yan and Ye [Appl. Math. Lett. 18 (2005) 1046–1052] have recently determined the unique tree in with minimal energy. In this article, the trees in with second-minimal energy are characterizedAMS Subject Classification: 05C50, 05C35     

Effect of Ammonium Salts on the Volumetric and Viscometric Behavior of D(+)-Glucose,D(−)-Fructose and Sucrose in Aqueous Solutions at 25°C

Apparent molar volumes, V _φ, and viscosity, η, of D(+)-glucose, D(−)-fructose and sucrose in water and in 0.02, 0.05, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mol·kg⁻¹ aqueous solutions of ammonium bromide, tetraethylammonium bromide and tetra-n-butylammonium bromide have been determined at 25 °C from density and efflux time measurements by using a vibrating-tube digital densimeter and a capillary viscometer, respectively. Partial molar volumes, , at infinite dilution that were extrapolated from the V _φ data were used to obtain the corresponding transfer volumes, , for saccharides from water to different aqueous solutions of co-solutes. The Jones-Dole equation viscosity B-coefficients were obtained from the viscosity data. Positive values of were obtained for the saccharides in the presence of ammonium bromide, whereas both positive and negative values were obtained in the presence of tetraethylammonium and tetra-n-butylammonium bromides. The negative values at very low concentrations have small magnitudes. Volumetric interaction coefficients have been calculated by using the McMillan-Mayer theory and Gibbs energies of activation of viscous flow have been calculated by using Feakin’s transition-state theory equation. The parameters obtained from the volumetric and viscometric studies were used to understand various mixing effects due to the interactions between saccharides and ammonium salts in aqueous solutions.     

Mathematical relations between codon bias indexes and their applications

Codon Adaptation Index (CAI), Effective Number of Codons as well as its modifications , can be used to measure gene codon bias. In this article, we prove is more efficient and unbiased than and by revisiting correlations of them with CAI in the level of individual amino acid’s codon bias. Correlations are studied by mathematical expressions rather than statistic methods, because the latter unavoidably depend on the data set used. Additionally, the immediate cause of correlations of with CAI (as well as those of RSCU with CAI) are also described in mathematical language. Perhaps, mathematics provides us a new way to study correlations between biological indexes.     

Unified treatment of complete orthonormal sets for exponential type vector orbitals of particles with spin 1 in coordinate, momentum and four-dimensional spaces

The new formulas are obtained for complete orthonormal sets of exponential type vector orbitals of a particle with spin 1 in coordinate, momentum and four-dimensional spaces using the properties of spherical vectors and complete orthonormal scalar basis sets of -exponential type orbitals ( -ETO), -momentum space orbitals ( -MSO) and -hyperspherical harmonics ( -HSH) introduced by the author for particles with spin s = 0, where These vector orbitals are complete without the inclusion of the continuum and, therefore, their group of transformation is the four-dimensional rotation group of O(4). For overlap integrals over vector Slater orbitals with the same screening constant the analytical relations in coordinate space are also derived. It should be noted that the new idea presented in this study is the combination of spherical vectors with complete orthonormal scalar sets for radial parts of -orbitals.     

Solvent effects on the dielectric dispersion of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-poly(ethylene glycol) blends

The complex relative dielectric function , loss tangent , complex electric modulus and alternating current electrical conductivity dispersion behaviour of liquid poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PVP–PEG) blends in water, ethyl alcohol and 1,4–dioxane solvent over the entire volume mixture concentration range has been investigated in the frequency range of 20 Hz to 1 MHz at 25 °C. The PVP–PEG blends show the dielectric dispersion corresponding to the micro-Brownian motion of the PVP chain in the upper frequency region, whereas in the lower frequency region, dielectric dispersion is due to ionic conduction and electrode polarization phenomena. Results show that the conductivity values of these blends in water and dioxane can be monitored with the change in the solvent concentration, whereas it has a small variation with ethyl alcohol concentration. The comparative dielectric dispersion shape study confirms that the chain dynamics of polymers blend is influenced by heterogeneous interactions and solvent polar strength.     

Unicycle Graphs with Maximum Generalized Topological Indices

Let G be an unicycle graph and d _v the degree of the vertex v. In this paper, we investigate the following topological indices for an unicycle graph , , where m ≥ 2 is an integer. All unicycle graphs with the largest values of the three topological indices are characterized. This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(10471037)and the Education Committee of Hunan Province(02C210)(04B047).     

The effect of concentration in electrochemical oxidation of thiocyanate on platinum electrode

Electrochemical oxidation of thiocyanate (SCN⁻) on platinum electrode in the sulfuric acid medium was studied using cyclic voltammetry, in situ UV-visible absorption measurement, rotating ring-disc electrode voltammetry, and electrical impedance spectroscopy. Two oxidation processes are involved in the electrochemical oxidation of SCN⁻ in sulfuric acid medium. The adsorbed SCN⁻ undergoes oxidation at potential values higher than 0.900 V versus saturated calomel electrode (SCE). Trithiocyanate, , is formed as a relatively stable product during the first oxidation process. The potential range of formation increases with increase in concentration of SCN⁻, and it is exclusively produced in the potential range of 0.550 to 1.40 V versus SCE with 1.0 M NH₄SCN solution. The second oxidation process does not produce any stable product, and the products of second oxidation passivate the electrode surface.     

Mixed-Valence 24-Vanadophosphate Decorated with Six RuII(dmso)3 Groups: [{RuII3(dmso)9PVV11VIVRuIIIO37(OH)3}2]8?

The mixed-valence 24-vanadophosphate (1) has been synthesized and characterized in the solid state by IR, magnetism, EPR, XPS, and elemental analysis. Single-crystal X-ray analysis was carried out on (Na-1), which crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group , with a = 17.168(3) ?, b = 18.1971(14) ?, c = 20.1422(13) ?, α = 114.753(3)°, β = 99.390(4)°, γ = 95.124(4)°, and Z = 2. Polyanion 1 has an unusual, open structure composed of 2 Ru^IIIO₆ octahedra, 2 V^IVO₆ octahedra, 14 V^VO₅ square-pyramids, 8 V^VO₄ tetrahedra, and 2 PO₄ tetrahedra which are all directly linked via edges and corners. The outer surface of 1 is decorated with six Ru^II(dmso)₃ groups. XPS studies on Na-1 confirm the presence of 2 Ru^III and 6 Ru^II as well as 22 V^V and 2 V^IV centers. Magnetic susceptibility data on Na-1 show that the V^IV–Ru^III pairs are coupled antiferromagnetically, with J ₁ = −13 K and J ₂ ∼ −3 K. We did not detect any peak in our EPR measurements on Na-1, thus supporting the conclusion that Na-1 is diamagnetic in its ground state. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. In Memoriam Prof. F. A. Cotton     

The First Structurally Characterized Mn(III) Substituted Sandwich-type Polyoxotungstates

The new polyoxotungstates H₂O (1), · 28H₂O (2) and H₂O (3) were synthesized in aqueous solution and characterized by IR and Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence and single-crystal X-ray analysis. The anions in 1 and 2 are the first structurally characterized sandwich-type polyoxoanions which contain trivalent manganese atoms. The manganese atoms are coordinated by four oxygen atoms of two Keggin fragments and one water molecule, forming a square pyramid. The manganese(II) containing anions in 3 are linked via Mn–O–W-bonds, forming a two-dimensional network.Dedicated to Prof. M.T. Pope on the occasion of his retirement.