Determination of glutamate pyruvate transaminase and pyruvate with an amperometric pyruvate oxidase sensor

Pyruvate oxidase (E.C. 1.2.3.3.) is immobilized by adsorption on a porous acetylcellulose membrane, and combined with an oxygen electrode to provide a sensor for pyruvate (0.1–0.8 mM). The response time is 2 min. Glutamate pyruvate transaminase (0.5–180 × 10^-3 I.U. ml^-1) is determined by its effect on pyruvate production by the alanine—α-ketoglutarate reaction. The sensor is stable for more than 10 days and 100 assays.     

Entrapment of glucose oxidase in non-porous poly(vinyl chloride)

We have used solvent casting techniques to immobilise glucose oxidase (GOD) within unplasticised and plasticised poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) matrices. The plasticisers studied were the cationic surfactant, tricaprylmethylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336s), the anionic surfactant bis(2-ethylhexyl) hydrogenphosphate (BEP) and the lipid, isopropylmyristate (IPM). The activity of the enzyme-membrane was tested by amperometric electrode. Changes in enzyme-membrane electrode response are rationalised on the basis of membrane permselective properties. The Aliquat and IPM modified PVC membranes gave amplified signals due to better retention and subsequent concentration of the H₂O₂ signal species. Effectively, less was being lost to the bulk solution. In the case of the BEP-modified membrane, while there was a linear step change in response up to 50 mM, at higher concentrations, responses did not reach steady-state; they were characterised by an upward drift in response of 0.050 nA/min. This characteristic is thought to be due to a build up of gluconic acid resulting in a pH reduction in the membrane microenvironment and hydrogen bonding between neighbouring BEP molecules. Under these conditions, we have previously shown that the membrane permeability to hydrophilic species is attenuated and it is tentatively suggested that the upward drift due to the build up of H₂O₂ on the electrode side with less permeating through the acidified membrane into bulk solution.The results were compared against using variously plasticised PVC (but no enzyme entrapped) as an outer membrane of a classical dual-membrane glucose enzyme electrode construct. In the latter case, the enzyme was chemically crosslinked between the membranes using glutaraldehyde.     

Ion-selectivity of plasticizers in poly(vinyl chloride) membrane electrodes

Electrode membranes were presented which contained only PVC and a plasticizer. The plasticizers studied were tris(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate, 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether and bis(1-butylpentyl)adipate. The response and selectivity of these ligand-free PVC electrodes towards alkali and alkaline earth cations are reported.     

Retardation of discoloration of poly(vinyl chloride) and decolorization of discolored poly(vinyl chloride) with diimide

Retardation of discoloration of poly(vinyl chloride) with diimide was studied in dimethylformamide at 130°C. with the use of p-toluenesulfonylhydrazide (PSH) as a source of diimide. A process was proposed that involved prolonging the induction periods of discoloration by inhibiting the development of conjugated polyene structure. The optimum proportion of PSH was one fourth of the poly(vinyl chloride), the best results. Furthermore, poly(vinyl chloride) discolored by thermal degradation in o-dichlorobenzene or gamma-ray irradiation under vacuum was decolorized in solution at 130°C. by addition of PSH. The decolorized poly(vinyl chloride) thus obtained was thermally stable compared with that obtained by oxidative methods.     

Determination of tacticity in poly(vinyl chloride) by infrared spectroscopy

From the temperature dependence of infrared spectra of poly(vinyl chloride) samples prepared by different methods, the intensity of the band at 690 cm.¹ (proportional to the number of isotactic diads in the sample), as well as that of the tacticity-independent C? H stretching band, was found to be independent of the crystallinity of the sample. These lines were therefore applied for the tacticity determination in poly(vinyl chloride), measured in the form of KBr pellets. The numerical tacticity value was obtained from the known values of absorbance coefficients of SCH and SHH type C? Cl stretching bands in solution, and from the shape of the spectrum.     

Determination of tin in poly(vinyl chloride) by atomic-absorption spectroscopy

A simple procedure is described for the determination of tin in PVC by atomic-absorption spectroscopy with an air-hydrogen flame, after wet digestion of the sample with sulphuric acid and hydrogen peroxide.     

Miscibility of poly(vinyl chloride) with styrene/acrylonitrile copolymers

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is shown to be miscible with styrene/acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN) having AN compositions from 11.5 to 26%. Blend samples were prepared using several methods, including solution casting, melt mixing, and precipitation of solutions by a nonsolvent. It is shown that the blend phase behavior is affected by preparation method due to the solvent effect, or Δ_χ effect, and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior. The intramolecular repulsion between styrene and acrylonitrile units in SAN is shown to be the cause of miscibility using heats of mixing obtained from low-molecular-weight analog compounds. An FTIR analysis supplements the above results.     

Reaction of n-butyllithium with poly(vinyl chloride)

The reactions of poly(vinyl chloride) and butyllithium in tetrahydrofuran were investigated. A deep purple color developed at first with addition of butyllithium to the THF–PVC solution, and a spontaneous color change of the misture occurred successively to blue, green, and finally pale vellow. In these reaction stages, the PVC might be butylated, dehydrochlorinated, and partially lithiated by BuLi. These facts were substantiated by the results of successive reactions with various substances such as Michler's ketone, carbon dioxide, and styrene.     

Blends of a chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) with a polyurethane

Blends of a 67% chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) with a low-molecular-weight polyurethane are partially miscible over the 0–80% urethane compositional range. A single, composition-dependent glass transition temperature is observed from both DSC and dynamic mechanical measurements. The blends exhibit a cocontinuous morphology with domain sizes varying from 0.15 to 1.5 μm. These results point out that the relation between miscibility characteristics and domain size is a complex one, not only dependent upon the degree of miscibility, but also on the nature of the blend components and the test method used. Thus the domain size for a certain degree of miscibility is not a universal constant as was previously believed. The melt rheology of the blends as a function of composition is strongly “positive deviating” from the log additivity rule and fits a simplified version of the McAllister model. The strongly “positive deviating” rheological behavior of the blends is most likely a result of the cocontinuous morphology which makes the system behave as a highly entangled network.     

Pyrolysis of poly(vinyl chloride)

A pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometric technique has been developed to study the thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chlorides) polymerized at different temperatures. Hydrogen chloride and benzene evolution during successive stages of pyrolysis have been quantitatively determined and correlated to the tacticity and molecular weight of the polymer. It was found that lowering the temperature of polymerization and molecular weight depresses benzene evolution and increases char weight but does not affect the HCl yield. It is suggested that the syndiotactic trans microstructure favored at low temperature of polymerization yields polyenes which cannot cyclize to form benzene. As the molecular weight decreases, the increase in number of vinyl chain ends facilitates pyrolytic crosslinking and char formation.     

Photo-oxidation of poly(vinyl chloride)

The photo-oxidation of PVC has been studied over the temperature range 30–150°C. Initiation with ultraviolet (2537A) radiation has been correlated with the presence of minute amounts of ozone. The contribution of atomic oxygen and singlet oxygen (¹Δ_g) molecules to the initiation mechanism is discussed. The β-chloroketones probably formed in the photo-oxidation of PVC, decomposed according to a Norrish type I reaction without loss of chlorine atoms. The gaseous products of the photo-oxidation of PVC at 30°C were carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and methane. Hydrogen chloride was obtained only when PVC was heated at high temperatures. When PVC was photo-oxidized and then heated at high temperature, benzene was obtained in addition to hydrogen chloride. The gaseous products from the photo-oxidations of model compounds, such as 4-chloro-2-butanone and 2,4-dichloropentane, were also compared with those from PVC. Hydrogen chloride was detected only after photo-oxidation at temperatures of 25°C or higher. Therefore, it was concluded that hydrogen chloride is mainly a product of thermal decomposition. Since unsaturation was not observed in photo-oxidized PVC films, the cause of discoloration is unclear. When PVC was modified by stabilizers or additives, the oxidative degradation was further complicated by side reactions with the additives.     

Photodegradation of polycaprolactone/poly(vinyl chloride) blend

The photodegradation of a 1:1 w/w blend of polycaprolactone and poly(vinyl chloride) has been studied by following carbon dioxide emission during UV exposure. Similar measurements were performed for polycaprolactone and poly(vinyl chloride) homopolymers which were prepared and irradiated in the same way. It was found that the blend gave lower CO₂ emission than either of the two homopolymers, indicating that the interaction of the two components in the blend provided a beneficial reduction of photodegradation. It is therefore deduced that the detailed morphological characteristics of the blend have a controlling influence over the photo-oxidation.     

Reaction of sulfur with poly(vinyl chloride)

The reaction of elemental sulfur with poly(vinyl chloride) is studied in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene and without any solvent under various conditions. Black polymers containing 3.77–57.64% chemically bonded sulfur and, according to IR spectroscopy, including >C=C< and >C=S groups in macromolecules are obtained. It is shown that the diffraction curves of poly(vinyl chloride) and of the reaction product containing 7.82% almost coincide but that the thermal stability of the latter is considerably higher than that of the initial polymer. The prospects of the practical use of the products of the reaction of poly(vinyl chloride) with elemental sulfur are demonstrated.     

Photo-oxidation of poly(vinyl chloride)

Hydrogen chloride is evolved at an increasing rate in the light-induced oxidation of poly(vinyl chloride) films. These accelerated kinetics were shown to result from an increased absorption of light by the polyenes formed, since the quantum yield of dehydrochlorination (Φ_HCl = 0·015) is independent of the extent of the reaction in the dose range investigated. Determination of the quantum yields of the different processes involved indicate that, for each scission of the polymer backbone, 11 molecules of hydrogen chloride are evolved while three carbonyl groups, two hydroperoxides and 0·4 intermolecular crosslinks appear on the polymer chain. A mechanism that involves β-scissions of the tertiary alkoxy radicals, resulting from non-terminating interactions of α-chloro-peroxy radicals, is suggested to explain the observed increase of the polymer degradation in the presence of oxygen.     

Radiolysis of poly(vinyl chloride)

Allyl free-radical intermediates are detected by ultraviolet absorption at 255 mu in poly(vinyl chloride) irradiated at ?196°C and stored at 25°C. In vacuum at 25°C, allyl radicals are converted into polyenyl free radicals and polyenes. From the nature of allyl radical decay in vacuum, radical chain transfer between polyenyl radicals and poly(vinyl chloride) is inferred. Allyl and polyenyl free radicals are scavenged by oxygen on post-irradiation storage in air.     

A chlorate ion-selective electrode based on a poly(vinyl chloride)-matrix membrane

An electrode has been prepared, consisting of a PVC membrane containing Corning 477316 nitrate liquid ion-exchanger in the chlorate form, which responds to chlorate ions. It has a faster response (1-2 sec) and lower limit of detection (3 x 10(-5)M) than the nitrate electrode for chlorate determination. Selectivity coefficients for the electrode towards several other ions have been measured.     

Photosensitized dehydrochlorination of poly(vinyl chloride). III. Reaction of thermally degraded poly(vinyl chloride) with hydrogen chloride

Films prepared from thermally degraded poly(vinyl chloride) were photolyzed in the presence of hydrogen chloride. When the light was filtered through a Pyrex disk, the absorbance in the region between 270 nm and about 415 nm decreased and reached a minimum value but the absorbance increased at wavelengths shorter than 270 nm and longer than 415 nm. Maximum bleaching occurred at a wavelength which depended on that of the irradiating light. When the Pyrex filter was omitted, an additional slower photodehydrochlorination reaction was superimposed on the photobleaching reaction. Photolysis of hexane or ethanol solutions of 1,8-diphenyloctatetra-1,3,5,7-ene and hydrogen chloride showed a similar reaction involving bleaching of the absorption of the polyene structure. The problems of using absorbance as an indication of the extent of the photodegradation of poly(vinyl chloride) are discussed.     

Potentiometric sensor for hydrogen ion based on N,N'-dialkylbenzylethylenediamine neutral carrier in a poly(vinyl chloride) membrane with polyaniline solid contact

Hydrogen ion selective solid contact electrodes based on N,N'-dialkylbenzylethylenediamine (alkyl=butyl, hexyl, octy, decyl) are prepared. Solid contact electrodes and coated wire electrodes have been fabricated from polymer cocktail solutions based on N,N'-dialkylbenzylethylenediamine (alkyl=butyl, hexyl, octy, decyl). We showed that the response range and slopes are influenced by the alkyl chain length. Response ranges and Nernstian slops for solid contact electrodes were slightly better than for coated wire electrodes. Solid contact electrodes were shown linear selective to hydrogen ion in the pH ranges pH 4.5-13.0, 4.2-13.1, 3.4-13.0 and 3.0-13.2. and their Nernstian slopes were 49.7, 50.8, 51.5 and 53.7 mV pH(-1) at 20+/-0.2 degrees C, respectively. Stability is also improved especially when compared with coated wire electrodes. The 90% response time was <2 s and their electrical resistance varied in the range 2.37-2.76 MOmega. Especially solid contact electrodes with N,N'-didecylbenzylethylenediamine have shown the best selectivity and reproducibility of e.m.f..