An efficient procedure for the oxidation of fluorinated carbinols

The oxidation of di and trifluorocarbinols has been accomplished in high yields using the Dess-Martin periodane oxidant.     

Can periodane accommodate neon?

Periodane is a molecule in which each of the atoms from the second period other than neon occur exactly once. The isomers of a neon analogue of periodane are studied computationally using density functional theory and Møller–Plesset perturbation theory. We were unable to find stable structures in which neon was tightly bound; all the minima are found to be weakly bound NCB(F)OLi  Ne complexes. However, the novel NCB(F)OLi and NCBF molecules were found during the search.     

RNA secondary structure 2D graphical representation without degeneracy

A two‐dimensional graphical representation (2DGRR) of RNA secondary structures using a two Cartesian coordinates system has been derived for mathematical denotation of RNA structure. The 2DGRR resolves structure degeneracy and avoids loss of information and the limitation that different structures correspond to the same curve. The RNA pseudo‐knots also can be represented as 2D graphical representations. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006     

Formation of honeycomb‐structured,porous films via breath figures with different polymer architectures

Honeycomb‐structured, porous films with pore sizes ranging from 200 nm to 7 μm were prepared with breath figures. The regularity of the hexagonal array and the pore size was influenced by the polymer architecture and the casting conditions. A nanoscaled suborder next to the microarray was obtained with amphiphilic block copolymers. These films were shown to be suitable as surfaces for cell growth. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2363–2375, 2006     

Processing‐induced properties in glassy polymers: Application of structural relaxation to yield stress development

A method is presented to predict the yield stress distribution throughout an injection‐molded product of an amorphous polymer as it results from processing conditions. The method employs the concept of structural relaxation combined with a fictive temperature, following the Tool–Narayanaswamy–Moynihan formalism. The thermal history, as it is experienced by the material during processing, is obtained by means of numerical simulation of the injection molding process. The resulting predictions of yield stress distributions are shown to be in excellent agreement with experimental findings, both for different mold temperatures and for different part thicknesses. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1212–1225, 2006     

Synthesis of poly(n‐butyl acrylate) containing multiblocks with a narrow molecular weight distribution using cyclic trithiocarbonates

The polymerization of n‐butyl acrylate in the presence of two cyclic trithiocarbonates (CTTCs) and the synthesis of multiblock poly(n‐butyl acrylate) have been investigated. The CTTCs not only can be stepwise incorporated into the polymer chain via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) but also can be polymerized into polytrithiocarbonate, which functions as a macro‐RAFT agent in turn. Through two kinds of mechanisms, multiblock poly(n‐butyl acrylate) containing narrow‐polydispersity blocks can be prepared. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6600–6606, 2006     

Chemiluminescent detection of DNA hybridization using gold nanoparticles as labels

A chemiluminescent (CL) detection method has been developed for DNA hybridization. The assay relies on a sandwich-type DNA hybridization in which gold nanoparticles modified with alkylthiol-capped oligonucleotide strands are used as probes to monitor the presence of the specific target DNA. The , which is the dissolving product of the gold nanoparticles anchored on the DNA hybrids, serves as an analyte in the H₂O₂–luminol– CL reaction for the indirect measurement of the target DNA. The combination of the remarkable sensitivity of the CL analysis with the large number of released from each DNA hybrid allows a detection limit at levels as low as 0.1 pM of the target DNA. Moreover, with a further silver amplification step, the detection limit will be pushed down to the femtomolar domain.      

Zwitterionic phosphorylcholine-protected water-soluble Ag nanoparticles

The water-soluble Ag nanoparticles capped with novel zwitterionic thioalkylated phosphorylcholine were synthesized. The Ag nanoparticles showed remarkable stability in saline media with salt concentrations as high as 2.0 mol/L and plasma using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. Similarly, compared with tiopronin and citrate-protected Ag nanoparticles, the zwitterionic phosphorylcholine Ag nanoparticles did not precipitate out of solution when charged polyelectrolytes or biopolymers were added. The zwitterionic phosphorylcholine might be a better ligand for stabilizing metal nanoparticles. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20774082 and 50703036), National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2006AA03Z329 and 2006AA032444) and Science and Technology Projects of Zhejiang Province (Grant No. 2007C24G2010020)     

Strain hardening of polymer glasses: Effect of entanglement density,temperature, and rate

The strain hardening behavior of model polymer glasses is studied with simulations over a wide range of entanglement densities, temperatures, strain rates, and chain lengths. Entangled polymers deform affinely at scales larger than the entanglement length as assumed in entropic network models of strain hardening. The dependence of strain hardening on strain and entanglement density is also consistent with these models, but the temperature dependence has the opposite trend. The dependence on temperature, rate, and interaction strength can instead be understood as reflecting changes in the flow stress. Microscopic analysis of local rearrangements and the primitive paths between entanglements is used to test models of strain hardening. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3487–3500, 2006     

Long‐range effects of chirality in aromatic poly(isocyanide)s

The preparation of optically active atropoisomeric polymers which present chiral backbones, thanks to induction during their synthesis from stereogenic centers, located far away from the skeleton is possible, thanks principally to semirigid conformations of the promesogenic spacers between them. The result is that chiral “information” can be passed as far as 21 Å from the asymmetric center to the carbon atom that forms the polymeric chain in poly(isocyanide)s. The sense of chiral induction in these conformationally rigid polymers parallels the helical sense of the cholesteric phases, as well as to the helical senses of chiral smectic C phases, induced by the monomers in nematic and smectic C phases, respectively. All these phenomena obey the odd–even rules proposed for chiral sense changes in these liquid crystalline phases. Noncovalent interactions play an important part in the induction process, in which steric arguments can be used to justify the inductions observed. The methodology can be used to prepare macromolecules, which display switching behavior upon thermal or electrochemical stimulus. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3161–3174, 2006     

Effect of poly(vinyl alcohol) fine particles as a novel biodegradable nucleating agent on the crystallization of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate)

The effect of poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) fine particles as the nucleating agent on the crystallization behavior of bacterial poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate)(PHB) was studied using differential scanning calorimetry measurements and polarized light microscope observation. The results were compared with the effect of PVA conventionally blended with PHB. The PVA fine particles were found to be able to greatly enhance the crystallization of PHB, while the conventionally blended PVA extremely retarded the crystallization of PHB. The nucleating effect of PVA fine particles is almost comparable to that of the talc powder. Considering the biodegradability and biocompatibility of PVA, the usage of PVA particle as a nucleating agent provides marked benefits over the currently employed nonbiodegradable nucleating agents, such as talc and boron nitride. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44:1813–1820, 2006     

Self‐immolative dendrimers as novel drug delivery platforms

Self‐immolative dendrimers were recently developed and introduced as a potential platform for a single‐triggered multi‐prodrug. These unique structural dendrimers can release all of their tail units through domino‐like chain fragmentation, which is initiated by a single cleavage at the dendrimer core. The incorporation of drug molecules as the tail units and an enzyme substrate as the trigger generates a multi‐prodrug unit that is activated with a single enzymatic cleavage. We have demonstrated several examples of self‐immolative dendritic prodrug systems and have shown significant advantages with respect to the appropriate monomeric prodrug. We anticipate that single‐triggered, dendritic prodrugs will be exploited to further improve selective chemotherapeutic approaches in cancer therapy. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1569–1578, 2006     

Core–shell‐type multiarm star polyethylenimine‐block‐poly(ε‐caprolactone): Synthesis and guest encapsulation potential

Novel multiarm star copolymers with poly(?‐caprolactone) (PCL) as the arms and hyperbranched polyethylenimine (HPEI) as the core have been successfully prepared by the tin(II) 2‐ethylhexanoate catalyzed ring‐opening polymerization of ?‐caprolactone (CL) with HPEI used directly as a macroinitiator. Not only primary but also secondary amine groups of HPEI participate in initiating the ring‐opening polymerization of CL with almost 100% initiation efficiency. The average degree of polymerization of the PCL arms can be controlled by the feed ratio of the monomers to the initiating sites. Because of the polarity difference of the PCL arms and HPEI core, the obtained multiarm star polymers display an inverted micellar structure with potential extraction and encapsulation of water‐soluble guests. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4165–4173, 2006     

Coarse graining in block copolymer films

We present few ordering mechanisms in block copolymer melts in the coarse-graining approach. For chemically homogeneous or modulated confining surfaces, the surface ordering is investigated above and below the order–disorder temperature. In some cases, the copolymer deformation near the surface is similar to the copolymer morphology in bulk grain boundaries. Block copolymers in contact with rough surfaces are considered as well, and the transition from lamellae parallel to perpendicular to the surface is investigated as a function of surface roughness. Finally, we describe how external electric fields can be used to align block copolymer mesophases in a desired direction, or to induce an order–order phase transition, and dwell on the role of mobile dissociated ions on the transition. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2725–2739, 2006     

Microwave irradiation assisted facile synthesis of new imidazole,pyrazine, and benzodiazocine derivatives using diaminomaleonitrile

Utilizing domestic microwave oven reactions of diaminomaleonitrile with various selected reagents, novel heterocycles such as dicyanopyrazine, 4,5‐dicyanoimidazole as well as dicyanobenzodiazocine derivatives were prepared. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 17:365–368, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20212     

Vibrational–rotational energies of all H2 isotopomers using Monte Carlo methods

Using variational Monte Carlo techniques, we have computed several of the lowest rotational–vibrational energies of all the hydrogen molecule isotopomers (H₂, HD, HT, D₂, DT, and T₂). These calculations do not require the excited states to be explicitly orthogonalized. We have examined both the usual Gaussian wave function form as well as a rapidly convergent Padé form. The high‐quality potential energy surfaces used in these calculations are taken from our earlier work and include the Born–Oppenheimer energy, the diagonal correction to the Born–Oppenheimer approximation, and the lowest‐order relativistic corrections at 24 internuclear points. Our energies are in good agreement with those determined by other methods. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006     

Preparation and properties of molecular‐weight‐controlled polyimides derived from 1,4‐bis(4′‐amino‐2′‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)benzene and 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride

A series of molecular‐weight‐controlled fluorinated aromatic polyimides were synthesized through the polycondensation of a fluorinated aromatic diamine, 1,4‐bis(4′‐amino‐2′‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)benzene, with 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride in the presence of phthalic anhydride as the molecular‐weight‐controlling and end‐capping agent. Experimental results demonstrated that the resulting polyimides could melt at temperatures of 250–300 °C to give high flowing molten fluids, which were suitable for melt molding to give strong and flexible polyimide sheets. Moreover, the aromatic polyimides also showed good solubility both in polar aprotic solvents and in common solvents. Polyimide solutions with solid concentrations higher than 25 wt % could be prepared with relatively low viscosity and were stable in storage at the ambient temperature. High‐quality polyimide films could be prepared via the casting of the polyimide solutions onto glass plates, followed by baking at a relatively low temperature. The molten behaviors and organosolubility of the molecular‐weight‐controlled aromatic polyimides depended significantly on the polymer molecular weights. Both the melt‐molded polyimide sheets and the solution‐cast polymer films exhibited outstanding combined mechanical and thermal properties. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1997–2006, 2006     

Colorimetric detection of immunoglobulin G by use of functionalized gold nanoparticles on polyethylenimine film

A method based on use of functionalized gold nanoparticles on polyethylenimine film has been developed for colorimetric detection of immunoglobulin G (IgG). The immunogold nanoparticles were immobilized on quartz slides by recognition between antibody and antigen, with the antigen chemically adsorbed on the polyethylenimine film. By measurement of the UV–visible spectra of the immobilized immunogold, detection of h-IgG was achieved. The detection limit for h-IgG by use of this method can be as low as 0.01 μg mL⁻¹. This method is quite promising for numerous applications in immunoassay. Figure     

Synthesis of novel benzoxazines containing glycidyl groups: A study of the crosslinking behavior

Benzoxazines derived from aniline and 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid and from phenol and 4‐aminobenzoic acid were prepared with two different synthetic approaches. When the carboxylic group reacted with epichlorohydrin, glycidylic derivatives M‐1 and M‐2 , respectively, were obtained. The ring opening of benzoxazine and epoxy took place simultaneously with no catalyst for both monomers. Likewise, both ring‐opening polymerizations took place when boron trifluoride monoethylamine (BF₃·MEA) or 4‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)pyridine was used as a catalyst for M‐1 . However, for M‐2 , when BF₃·MEA was used as a catalyst, the epoxy and benzoxazine ring openings could be distinguished, and a polyether intermediate containing benzoxazine side chains could be obtained. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1529–1540, 2006     

H,C, N and S stable isotopes and mineral profiles to objectively guarantee the authenticity of grated hard cheeses

In compliance with the European law (EC No. 510/2006), geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs must be protected against mislabelling. This is particularly important for PDO hard cheeses, as Parmigiano Reggiano, that can cost up to the double of the no-PDO competitors.