Effect of divalent cations on the volume of a maleic acid copolymer gel examined by incorporating lysozyme

An ionic gel of poly(maleic acid-alt-methyl vinyl ether) cross-linked by 1,6-hexanediol was prepared with molar ratio of 1/0.5 at 50 °C. The gels with different molar ratios at different temperatures were also prepared for comparison. Their swelling-shrinkage profiles were examined by measuring the ratio of initial to final weights at various pHs and CaCl₂ concentrations in buffer solution. The gel squeezed remarkably in the presence of Ca²⁺ for pH>6.3, corresponding to the solution properties of maleic acid copolymer. No appreciable change was observed below pH 6.3. To estimate free space in the gel in more detail, lysozyme was incorporated into the free space, and its release rate was measured under several CaCl₂ concentrations. The time course of the release was either simple or complicated, depending on pH and CaCl₂ concentration. The control mechanism of the release of lysozyme from the gel network may be widely applicable to the drug delivery system.     

The effects of high concentrations of aqueous tetramethylammonium chloride and other salts on the dissociation of phenylphosphonic acid and on the enolization of acetone

The dissociation constants of benzoic acid and phenylphosphonic acid have been determined in aqueous solutions containing tetramethylammonium chloride at concentrations up to 15 and 13 molal, respectively. The second dissociation constant of phenylphosphonic acid has also been determined in concentrated solutions of alkali halides. Whereas the organic electrolyte increases the observed pK values of the acids, the inorganic electrolyte idecrease them. The rate of enolization of acetone, catalyzed by phenylphosphonate dianion is increased by the presence of tetramethylammonium chloride, but is decreased by the presence of inorganic salts, in accordance with the changes in the apparent acidity constants of phenylphosphonate monoanion that the two different kinds of electrolyte bring about. The slope of the Brónsted plot for the inorganic salts is 0.76; that for the organic electrolyte is 0.46. Non-quaternary ammonium salts also increase the rate of the phenylphosphonate dianion catalyzed enolization of acetone, but this appears to be due to a considerable extent to the formation of reactive iminium ion intermediates.     

Surface thermodynamics of Efavirenz and a blend of Efavirenz with cellulose acetate propionate by inverse gas chromatography

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of an excipient on the surface energetics of Efavirenz (EFV) drug. The net retention volumes, V_N, for n‐alkanes and polar solutes on the two columns, namely, EFV drug and a blend of EFV with cellulose acetate propionate have been measured by inverse gas chromatography. The dispersive surface free energy, , Lewis acid parameter, K_a, and Lewis base parameter, K_b, have been determined using V_N values. The values are decreased linearly with increase of temperature for pure EFV as well as for the blend. Furthermore, the values of EFV are higher than in the blend, for example, values at T = 318.15 K for EFV, and for the blend are 28.09 ± 6.02 mJ/m² and 28.30 ± 2.31 mJ/m², respectively. The specific component of surface free energy has been obtained by the Schultz method as well as by the Dong et al. method. The values have been used to calculate Lewis acid‐base parameters for the EFV as well as the blend. The K_a values for the EFV and the blend are almost similar, where as the K_b values are higher in EFV than in the blend. Similar trend in K_a and K_b has been observed in both methods studied. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

1H NMR spectroscopic identification of protonable sites in cryptolepines with C‐11 substituents containing two amino functionalities

Knowledge of protonable sites and acid dissociation constants of cryptolepine derivatives having C‐11 substituents containing two amino functionalities is of great importance to the understanding of the mechanism of their antimalarial action, which may contribute to their further development as drug candidates. In this work, we applied ¹H NMR titration to investigate the acid–base characteristics of these polyprotic compounds in the pH range 3–13. We identified three acid–base equilibria with most acid dissociation constants (pK_a*) being greater than 10.5, which prevented us from using the potentiometric method. Overall, ¹H NMR titration was sensitive and suitable for the determination of pK_a values for these drug leads. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.