Role of the electrostatic interactions on the basic or acidic hydrolysis kinetics of poly-( , -lactide) monolayers

The hydrolysis kinetics of insoluble poly-( , -lactide) monolayers spread on basic or acidic aqueous subphase were followed by measuring simultaneously the decrease in the surface area at constant surface pressure and the evolution of the surface potential. An approach to analyse the role of the electrostatic interactions during the hydrolysis at alkaline pH, interpreting the surface potential data was developed. The theoretical predictions based on the idea of a random fragmentation of polymer molecules leading to the interfacial accumulation of charged insoluble products and solubilisation of small fragments describes well the experimental results. The reversibility of the hydrolysis/esterification reaction at acidic pH is taken into account.     

Role of the molecular weight and the composition on the hydrolysis kinetics of monolayers of poly(α-hydroxy acid)s

The hydrolysis kinetics of spread insoluble monolayers of poly(α-hydroxy acid)s with various molecular weights and lactic acid–glycolic acid molar ratios was followed by measuring simultaneously the decrease in the surface area at constant surface pressure and the evolution of the surface potential. The interfacial hydrolysis at alkaline pH leads to the progressive fragmentation of the polymer molecules and the appearance of charged insoluble products (detected by measuring the surface potential) and small soluble fragments (detected by measuring the decrease in the surface area). The data obtained by both approaches were interpreted in the framework of the random scission model. The rates of hydrolysis are larger for polymers with smaller initial polymerization numbers and increase with the decrease in the molar ratio of lactic acid units. Received: 7 December 1998 Accepted in revised form: 8 March 1999     

Kinetics and mechanism of amitraz hydrolysis in aqueous media by HPLC and GC-MS

Degradation processes of amitraz in aqueous media have been studied by spectrophotometry, HPLC and GC-MS. Amitraz undergoes hydrolysis reactions at any pH, but towards the acidic pH range hydrolysis proceeds at a faster rate. Depending on the pH value, different products of the hydrolysis have been identified. The main degradation products are 2,4-dimethylaniline at very acidic pH values (pH<3), N-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-N'-methylformamidine and 2,4-dimethylphenylformamide at less acidic media (pH 3-6) and 2,4-dimethylphenylformamide at basic pH. The mechanisms of the different hydrolysis processes have been elucidated.     

Recent advances in immobilization of heteropolyacids

Freely water-soluble heteropolyacid could be made insoluble either by supporting on active carbon or by forming acidic cesium salts. In addition, 12-tungstophosphoric acid and its acidic cesium salt could be effectively immobilized in silica matrices by means of a sol-gel technique which involves the hydrolysis of ethyl orthosilicate to give insoluble, readily recoverable, and highly active solid acid catalysts for the hydrolysis of ethyl acetate.     

Interfacial properties of amiodarone: the stabilizing effect of phosphate anions

Amiodarone, a drug used in heart therapy, is poorly soluble in water at room temperature, but forms transparent phases much more concentrated than the critical micellar concentration (CMC), when crystals are heated (above 60 degrees C) in presence of water and cooled down to room temperature. These pseudosolutions were supposed to be made of a complex system of micelles. In order to better understand the effects of pH and ion species on the supramolecular organization of amiodarone, interfacial pressure measurements were performed at the air/water interface on a Langmuir trough. Monolayers spread from chloroformic solutions over non bufferered subphases were insoluble at basic pH (NaOH, pH 10) but soluble at acidic pH (HCl, pH 4). However, a higher ionic strength obtained by adding NaCl (0.15 N) or NaH(2)PO(4) (0.15 N) to the subphase stopped the amiodarone solubilization. On an acidic phosphate subphase (NaH(2)PO(4), pH 4.4, 0.15 N), abnormally high surface pressures (>1 mN/m) were measured for high molecular areas (80-200 ?(2)/molecule) suggesting a supramolecular organization of the surface film. Insoluble monolayers were also obtained when the amiodarone supramolecular pseudosolution was spread on neutral (NaH(2)PO(4), pH 6.25, 0.15 N) or acidic (NaH(2)PO(4), pH 4.4, 0.15 N) subphases. However, a great instability on basic subphase (phosphate buffer pH 8.8) indicated the breakage of the supramolecular structure during spreading. These results are discussed taking into account the amiodarone state of ionization and the electrostatic interactions with counterions. Combining the use of phosphate counterions and that of acidic pH opens new perspectives in the optimization of amiodarone intravenous formulations.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis by Humicola lanuginosa lipase of polycaprolactone monolayers

The enzymatic hydrolysis by Humicola lanuginosa lipase (HLL) of spread insoluble monolayers of polycaprolactone with various molecular weights was studied by measuring the decrease in surface area and in surface potential, in a barostat surface balance. The interfacial hydrolysis under the action of enzymes leads to the progressive fragmentation of the polymer molecules and to the appearance at the interface of charged insoluble and small soluble products. The solubilization of the small soluble fragments was detected by measuring the decrease in surface area during hydrolysis. An independent study showed that, in contrast to poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLAGA) oligomers, this solubilization is not instantaneous. Taking into account the solubilization rates, one can determine the kinetics of enzymatic hydrolysis. The specific catalytic activity of HLL was estimated in the framework of the random-scission model and compared to those obtained for the hydrolysis of monolayers built up of PLAGA or of simple di- and triglyceride molecules. Received: 25 July 2000 Revised: 28 November 2000 Accepted: 29 November 2000     

Practical Study into Enhancing IgG Immobilisation on Screen-Printed Electrodes for Environmental Applications

This work is focused on the influence of pH and applied potential for the immobilisation of rabbit IgG on a carbon screen-printed electrode. The orientation of IgG molecule at the surface is fundamental for activity and reproducibility of the immunosensor. As the electrode potential is increased a particular order may be brought to the immobilised antibodies, i.e. the antibodies adapt a more favourable arrangement on the surface to facilitate better binding. The response increased when changing the pH from basic to acidic medium and the reverse trend was observed for the limit of detection (LOD). When a potential was applied to the electrode, the response generally decreased and the LOD increased in the order acidic > basic > neutral pH. The LODs obtained from antibodies immobilised at acidic pH and + 100 mV were better than the LODs obtained at other conditions.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis by cutinase of PEG-co PLA copolymers spread monolayers

The mechanism of the hydrolysis by cutinase and the progressive fragmentation of lactic chains in diblock copolymers of PLA with various sizes attached to PEG were studied in a 2D monolayers model system. The hydrolysis kinetics was followed by measuring simultaneously the decrease of the surface area and evolution of the surface potential with time at barostatic conditions. The decrease of the surface area is due to the solubilization of the copolymers as well as of their hydrolytic products: detached PEG blocks and small soluble PLA fragments. The evolution of the surface potential detects the transient interfacial accumulation of charged insoluble PLA fragments. A kinetic model describing the enzymatic hydrolysis was developed and the values for the global hydrolytic kinetic constant were obtained without any fitting parameter. It was found that the global kinetic constant no practically depend on the length of the lactic and the presence of polyethylene–glycol chains.     

Stimuli-responsive supramolecular assemblies of linear-dendritic copolymers

With the goal of developing a pH-responsive micelle system, linear-dendritic block copolymers comprising poly(ethylene oxide) and either a polylysine or polyester dendron were prepared and hydrophobic groups were attached to the dendrimer periphery by highly acid-sensitive cyclic acetals. These copolymers were designed to form stable micelles in aqueous solution at neutral pH but to disintegrate into unimers at mildly acidic pH following loss of the hydrophobic groups upon acetal hydrolysis. Micelle formation was demonstrated by encapsulation of the fluorescent probe Nile Red, and the micelle sizes were determined by dynamic light scattering. The structure of the dendrimer block, its generation, and the synthetic method for linking the acetal groups to its periphery all had an influence on the critical micelle concentration and the micelle size. The rate of hydrolysis of the acetals at the micelle core was measured for each system at pH 7.4 and pH 5, and it was found that all systems were stable at neutral pH but underwent significant hydrolysis at pH 5 over several hours. The rate of hydrolysis at pH 5 was dependent on the structure of the copolymer, most notably the hydrophobicity of the core-forming block. To demonstrate the potential of these systems for controlled release, the release of Nile Red as a "model payload" was examined. At pH 7.4, the fluorescence of micelle-encapsulated Nile Red was relatively constant, indicating it was retained in the micelle, while at pH 5, the fluorescence decreased, consistent with its release into the aqueous environment. The rate of release was strongly correlated with the rate of acetal hydrolysis and was therefore controlled by the chemical structure of the copolymer. The mechanism of Nile Red release was investigated by monitoring the change in size of the micelles over time at acidic pH. Dynamic light scattering measurement showed a size decrease over time, eventually reaching the size of a unimer, thus providing evidence for the proposed micelle disintegration.     

Ultrasensitive Capillary Electrophoresis of Oligoguluronates with Laser-Induced Fluorescence Detection

An ultrasensitive method, capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection, has been established for analysis of oligoguluronates. The oligoguluronates were derivatized with 9-aminopyrene-1,4,6-trisulfonic acid (APTS) by reductive amination at 60°C for 3.5 h. The effect on the separation of buffer pH and buffer concentration were examined. The APTS-oligoguluronates were successfully separated within 20 min by use of acidic (pH 2.5) phosphate buffer as electrolyte and a potential of 20 kV. The method was used to monitor the oligoguluronates produced by acidic hydrolysis of homopolymeric blocks of guluronic acids.     

甲基丙烯酸3-三甲氧基硅丙酯/苯乙烯细乳液共聚合过程中的水解及缩合反应

研究了甲基丙烯酸3-三甲氧基硅丙酯(MPS)和苯乙烯(St)细乳液聚合过程中的水解及缩合反应.用气相色谱仪测定聚合过程中水解产物——甲醇的含量来研究MPS的水解度.MPS分子主要在细乳液液滴与水的界面以及乳胶粒与水的界面上发生水解反应.MPS和St比例、介质pH值、乳化剂用量、引发剂类型和用量都会影响MPS的水解程度.缩合产物用29Si固态核磁共振表征,中性条件下,缩合反应受到抑制,在高MPS/St比例的体系中也只生成少量缩合产物.酸性和碱性条件下,缩合产物量均增加,但碱性条件下,体系中仍有一定数量未缩合的硅氧烷存在,这与细乳液聚合独特的液滴成核机理及聚合过程中较少液滴间物质交换有关.     

Cathodic stripping voltammetry of copper-complexed reactive dyes at a hanging mercury drop electrode: Reactive violet 5

Reactive Violet 5 and its hydrolysis product, which is produced as a side product in the dyeing process, can be determined in an admixture at sub-ppb levels by cathodic stripping voltammetry because the potentials of their azo reduction peaks are separated sufficiently. For both dyes, at intermediate pH values the azo peak is preceded by a complexed -copper reduction peak at a less negative potential, which aids the identification of the dyes. The use of pH 6 EDTA buffer removes the complexed-copper peak, as does the use of an acidic buffer (pH < 3). This unusual use of EDTA as a pH buffer facilitates the determination of mixtures of the dye and its hydrolysis product.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis by Humicola lanuginosa lipase of poly(lactic acid)–poly(glycolic acid) monolayers

 The enzymatic hydrolysis by Humicola lanuginosa lipase (HLL) of spread insoluble monolayers of poly (α-hydroxy acid)s with various molecular weights and various lactic–glycolic molar ratios was studied using a barostat surface balance. The interfacial hydrolysis under enzyme action leads to the progressive fragmentation of the polymer molecules. The appearance at the interface of charged insoluble fragments was detected by measuring the surface potential, while the solubilization of the small soluble fragments was detected by measuring the decrease in the surface area. The data obtained were used to test the mode of fragmentation: either random or chain-end scission. The catalytic specific activity of HLL was estimated in the framework of the random scission model and compared with the activities obtained for the hydrolysis of simple molecules of di- and tri-glycerides organized as monolayers or emulsion. Received: 9 August 1999 Accepted: 4 January 2000     

Characterization and dissolution properties of ruthenium oxides

Ruthenium oxides (RuO(2)·1·10H(2)O and RuO(2)) have been synthesized by forced hydrolysis and oxidation of ruthenium chloride. The resulting materials were extensively characterized to determine the crystallinity, surface area, and ruthenium oxidation state. Surface charging experiments indicate a large quantity of reactive functional groups for both materials and a decrease in the acidity of the surface functional groups with crystallization of the hydrous oxide. Dissolution studies conducted in acidic and basic pH environments indicate Ru-oxides are insoluble in 0.1 M HCl and slightly soluble in 0.1 M NaOH. Oxalate and ascorbate (5 mM) promoted dissolution of RuO(2)·1·10H(2)O demonstrated an increase in dissolution rates with decreasing pH and increasing ligand surface coverage. XPS analysis of the RuO(2)·1·10H(2)O surface after ligand promoted dissolution revealed the reduction of Ru(IV) to Ru(III) indicating that both ascorbate and oxalate reductively dissolve RuO(2)·1·10H(2)O. Dissolution experiments with RuO(2) resulted in dissolution only for 5 mM oxalate at pH 3. Dissolution rates calculated for RuO(2)·1·10H(2)O and RuO(2) are compared with previously published dissolution rates for iron oxides, demonstrating an order of magnitude decrease in the oxalate and ascorbate promoted dissolution.     

Studies on the Photolytical Behaviour of Bromofenoxim in the Atmosphere

Abstract

Photodecomposition of the herbicide bromofenoxim was studied in aqueous solution, solid state and in aerosol form. In all cases, bromoxynil and 2,4-dinitrophenol are the degradation products. Photodecomposition rate in solution is strongly dependent on the pH with a minimum at pH 8-10 and increasing at lower and higher pH values. Hydrolysis at pH 12 in darkness also yields 2,4-dinitrophenol and bromoxynil as products, while hydrolysis in acidic medium has not been observed to occur in absence of light. Photodecomposition of solid bromofenoxim deposited on an inert surface is also studied and linked to the irradiation time. A system for generation of test aerosols is described. Dry and droplet aerosols are collected, extracted and analyzed after different times of irradiation in order to study the possible photolytical behaviour of bromofenoxim in the atmosphere.     

Kinetics of anodic formation and cathodic reduction of MnO2 in the sulfate electrolyte solutions

The anodic formation of manganese dioxide is studied voltammetrically in a wide range of potential scan rate (V = 0.001–8 V/s). Using the diagnostic criteria of cronovoltammetric method, based on the original experimental data, the mechanism of electrooxidation of manganese ions in the acidic medium with subsequent reaction of disproportionation of the product of irreversible electrode reaction and hydrolysis yielding manganese dioxide is proposed. The kinetics of cathodic reduction of electrolytic manganese dioxide in the 0.5 M Na₂SO₄ solution is studied under the steady-state and non-steady-state potentiodynamic polarization conditions. From the experimental data, it is found that, in the acidic medium (pH 1–3), the mechanism of the electrode process changes depending on the cathodic potential scan rate: at the scan rate V < 0.5 V/s, MnOOH forms via one-electron transition leading, in its turn, to the partial deactivation of electrode surface with subsequent disproportionation of manganite. At the relatively high potential scan rates, manganite has no time to form, and the two-stage reduction via one-electron transitions at each stage is well pronounced. The parameters of the electrode processes are calculated.     

Reflectance FTIR investigations of the reactions of silanes on silica surfaces

CIR sampling has been used to demonstrate that the antimicrobial silane SiQAC is stable hydrolysis in aqueous solution at near neutral pH values. However, rapid hydrolysis occurs in mildly acidic solutions, but not accompanied by condensation of the silanol groups. After hydrolysis, condensation to form siloxane bonds is rapid in basic solution. The degree of hydrolysis is increased in the presence of silica gel. The silane on silica gel is quite durable towards desorption when contacted with water.     

Hydrolytic reactions of diadenosine 5',5'-triphosphate

The hydrolysis of diadenosine 5',5'-triphosphate to AMP and ADP has been studied over a wide pH-range. Under acidic conditions the reaction shows a first-order dependence on the hydronium ion concentration. Below pH 3 the rate-increase begins to level off. From pH 6 to 9 the hydrolysis is slow and pH-independent. Base-catalysed hydrolysis is observed in NaOH-solutions. Under alkaline conditions an intramolecular nucleophilic attack on the phosphate producing 3',5'-cAMP is also observed, but it is slower than the intermolecular reaction. Depurination of the adenosine moieties competes with the hydrolysis both under acidic and alkaline conditions, but the mechanisms are different. The temperature-dependence of the hydrolysis of Ap(3)A and the depurination of adenosine moieties were studied under acidic conditions, and the activation parameters of the reactions were calculated. The results of the work reflect the fact that the negatively charged polyphosphate group is very resistant towards nucleophilic attack. An efficient catalysis is only observed under acidic conditions, where the phosphate group becomes protonated. General acids or bases did not catalyse the hydrolysis. Furthermore, hydroxide ion catalysed cleavage is only observed at high base concentrations and other negatively charged nucleophiles did not attack the phosphate groups of diadenosine polyphosphates.     

Synthesis of dense poly(acrylic acid) brushes and their interaction with amine-functional silsesquioxane nanoparticles

Poly(acrylic acid) polyelectrolyte brushes were synthesized by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) of tert-butyl acrylate on planar gold surfaces and subsequent hydrolysis. Three types of monolayers with different numbers of thiol binding sites per initiating unit were used. The binding strength to the gold surface turned out to be of crucial importance for the formation of uniform brush layers after acidic hydrolysis. The monolayers and polymer brushes were characterized by ellipsometry, infrared spectroscopy, water contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Their interaction with [(diglycidylamino)propyl]silsesquioxane nanoparticles at various pH values was studied by surface plasmon resonance.     

Hydrolysis of Cellobiose in Dilute Sulpuric Acid and Under Hydrothermal Conditions

The sulfuric acid hydrolysis rate of cellobiose between pH 2 and 3 is directly proportional to the acid concentration. In good agreement with other authors, an activation energy of 133 kJ/Mol was found under these acidic conditions. The relation of the reaction rate constants for the glucose formation and glucose degradation (k₁/k₂) shows, in contrast to the hydrolysis of cellulose, little dependence on the temperature. Hydroxymethylfurfural, and to a lesser extent furfural, are glucose degradation products, which are also consumed but at a lower reaction rate than glucose. At pH values between 3 and 4.7 (pure water) strong deviations of the hydrolysis rates were observed. The formation of organic acids decreases the pH but has no influence on the reaction rate. This fact indicates that hydrothermolysis follows a reaction mechanism different from that of acidic hydrolysis.