Prediction of the Properties of a Binary Surfactant Mixture of Arlacel‐165 and Myrj‐59 in Aqueous System

Foamability and foam stability, emulsifying power, surface tension, and interfacial tension were investigated for different ratios of binary surfactant system of Arlacel‐165 (glyceryl stearate (and) PEG‐100 stearate) and Myrj‐59 (polyoxyethylene 100 stearate). Among all the ratios tested for their foaming power and foamabilty, the ratios 8:2, 5:5, 4:6, 2:8, and 1:9 of Arlacel‐165 and Myrj‐59 showed the best results. At these ratios, the foaming power and foamability was found to be 100%. The surfactants having foam stability more than 50% can be considered as metastable and those less than 50% are considered as low‐stability foams. In case of surface tension and interfacial tension property measurements, 8:2 and 9:1 showed the best results. At 8:2 and 9:1 of Arlacel‐165 and Myrj‐59, the surface tension was found to be 37.7 dynes/cm and 1.33 dynes/cm respectively at 30°C ambient temperature. Also, 7:3 of this binary mixture was found to exhibit the best emulsifying power among all the ratios tested. At 30°C, the emulsifying property of the binary mixture was 6 hours.     

Spectroscopic Study on the Interaction between Bovine Serum Albumin and Tween‐20

The interaction between nonionic surfactant Tween-20 and bovine serum albumin (BSA) is studied in Tris‐HCl buffer solution by spectroscopic methods. The intrinsic fluorescence of BSA is quenched by the addition of Tween‐20. The UV‐visible absorption spectra and the synchronous fluorescence spectra show that the addition of Tween‐20 changes the polarity of the environment around tryptophan (trp) residues of BSA. The fraction of trp residues on the surface of BSA with and without Tween- 20 is calculated via I^? quenching experiments.     

Synthesis,Structures, and Properties of Novel N‐Aryl‐phenanthren‐o‐iminoquinones

The interaction of 9,10‐phenanthrenquinone with primary amines has been studied. Use of sterically hindered anilines gave the phenanthren‐o‐iminoquinones in good yields. These compounds are structural analogues of o‐benzoquinones. Using single‐electron reduction, o‐iminoquinones may synthesize metal's free‐radical complexes.     

Microemulsion of Tween‐80/n‐Butylalcohol/H2O System and Its Entrapment Efficiency of ATRA

Microemulsion of Tween‐80/n‐butylalcohol/H₂O system was prepared, and the microemulsion region as well as the influence of temperature and concentration of NaCl on the region were determined with ternary diagrams. The O/W, W/O, and B.C. regions were divided by the conductance method. The particle diameters of microemulsions with different NaCl concentrations or microemulsion‐enveloping all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA) were measured with dynamic light scattering in O/W region. The release rate of ATRA was studied with dialysis a bag‐ultraviolet spectrophotometers and the anticancer activity of ATRA in microemulsion was investigated with cancer cells H446. Results showed that O/W microemulsion forms when water content is over 64% in the mixture. The influences of temperature and salinity on microemulsion region were very slight, and even the particle diameter decreased very little with increasing salt and ATRA concentrations. The microemulsion‐enveloping ATRA possessed eminent sustaining release efficiencys and the efficiency was further confirmed with the growth inhibitory effect test on human cancer cells H446.     

Complexation of nevirapine with β-cyclodextrins in the presence and absence of Tween 80: characterization,thermodynamic parameters,and permeability flux

The work is undertaken to evaluate the effect of Tween 80 on the complexing ability of β-cyclodextrins to encapsulate the poorly soluble antiretroviral agent, nevirapine. The phase solubility diagram indicates 1:1 stoichiometry and is supported by electronspray ionization mass spectrometry. The complexes were characterized by DSC, FT-IR, and XRD in the solid state. The ternary systems were autoclaved before being lyophilized for the best results. Proton NMR suggests that the methyl pyridine ring of the drug is involved in inclusion and enters from the wider side of the cavity which was confirmed by COESY NMR. Solution calorimetry, a direct method to determine the thermodynamic parameters, was used to determine the complexation constant (K) and other thermodynamic properties. The process is associated with negative ∆H and positive ∆S indicating a stable inclusion complex. The value of K follows the order β-CD < HP-β-CD < M-β-CD. The molar enthalpy of solution in autoclaved solid formulation is less endothermic as compared to additive molar enthalpy of solution obtained by summation of enthalpy of solution of individual components suggesting synergistic interaction between the drug and its constituents. A threefold increase of the in vitro permeability flux was observed for binary systems which was elevated to fourfold for autoclaved ternary complexes.     

Polyimide‐Polydimethylsiloxane Copolymers. Evaluation of the Thermal and Electrical Properties

Poly(dimethylsiloxane‐amic‐acid)s have been prepared starting from a fluorinated dianhydride, namely 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride, and a mixture of an aromatic diamine and bis(aminopropyl)‐oligodimethylsiloxane of controlled molecular weight, in different ratios. A solution imidization procedure was used to convert them quantitatively to the corresponding polyimides. The polymers, easily soluble both in polar (N‐methylpyrrolidone) and less polar (chloroform) solvents, were prepared for film‐forming by casting from solution. The thermal behavior in dependence on composition was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The kinetic processing of thermogravimetric data was carried out using the Flynn‐Wall‐Ozawa and Kissinger methods. Electrical insulating properties of some polymer films were evaluated on the basis of dielectric constant and dielectric loss tangent and their variation with frequency.     

Effect of Emulsification Method on the Properties of Lecithin‐ and PGPR‐Stabilized Water‐in‐Oil‐Emulsions

Water‐in‐oil (w/o) emulsions were prepared with phosphatidylcholine‐depleted lecithin or polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) as emulsifying agents. The effect of different laboratory emulsification devices and the effect of sodium chloride on particle size distribution, coalescence stability, and water droplet sedimentation were investigated. The properties of lecithin‐stabilized w/o emulsions were found to depend more strongly on the emulsifying method than those prepared with PGPR. The rotor‐stator system was not suitable for preparing stable w/o emulsions with lecithin. Whereas the addition of salt was essential to achieve coalescence‐stable emulsions prepared with PGPR, the presence of NaCl favored the coalescence of water droplets and phase separation in emulsions containing lecithin.     

Electronic Properties and Morphology of Beam‐Oligomerized 3‐Hexylthiophene

Abstract

A novel means of lithographically forming fluorescent oligothiophene patterns is demonstrated. MgKα x‐ray and low energy electron irradiation of 3‐hexylthiophene (3HT) monomer condensed on a cold metal surface result in the formation of photoluminescent films as thick as several microns. The excitation maxima for the x‐ray‐ and electron‐formed samples are 350 and 405 nm, respectively, with corresponding emission maxima of 430 and 525 nm, indicating that the films are oligomeric rather than polymeric. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectra (UPS) of 3HT monomer and beam‐formed films have been compared with theoretically simulated density‐of‐states spectra of 3HT, thiophene, bithiophene, terthiophene, and quaterthiophene. The radiation‐induced changes in the 3HT UPS valence spectra are explained by delocalization of electrons along the oligomer backbone. Comparison of the experimental UPS and simulated spectra suggests that the average conjugation length of the beam‐formed films is less than six. This is consistent with the photoluminescence results. Fluorescence and atomic force microscopies of electron‐formed samples show the presence of oligomerized 3HT islands residing on a less fluorescent organic background. Electrical conductivity of the beam‐formed samples is low, on the order of 10^?9 cm^?1 ohm^?1, consistent with the formation of islands of conjugated material surrounded by a less electronically delocalized, insulating background. Lack of solubility of the beam‐formed films suggests that partial crosslinking and decomposition may also occur during the oligomerization process.     

The Influences of Polymers and Temperature on the Foam Properties of 3‐Dodecylalkoxyl‐2‐hydroxylpropyl Trimethylammonium Chloride

The foam performances of 3‐dodecoxy‐2‐hydroxypropyl trimethylammonium chloride (C₁₂TAC) have been determined in the existence of different relative amount of polymer. The experimental results show that the foaming ability of the mixture systems of the C₁₂TAC/PEG and C₁₂TAC/PVP is stronger than that of the surfactant solutions in the absence of polymer, and with the increase of relative amount of polymer both foaming efficiency and foam stability of the surfactant solutions are evidently enhanced. For the aqueous solution of the surfactant, effect of temperature on foaming properties has also been examined. The results show that both the foaming ability and stability of the foams of the surfactant solutions are highest (or strongest) at 30°C.     

Synthesis,Characterization, Curing and Shape Memory Properties of Epoxy‐Polyether System

Epoxy resins were cured by an amine telechelic poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO). The telechelic amine was synthesized from hydroxy telechelic PTMO and was characterized. The kinetics of curing of epoxy monomer by the polyether amine was studied in detail by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rheology to optimize the cure conditions. The cured epoxy system exhibited shape memory properties where PTMO served as the switching segment. Molar ratios of the epoxy monomer and the amine were varied to get polymers with different compositions. The developed polymers were analyzed by DSC, X‐ray diffraction, and Dynamic Mechanical Thermal (DMTA) analyses. Shape memory property was evaluated by bending tests. As the concentration of epoxy resin increased, the transition temperature (T_trans) increased. The tensile strength and % elongation also increased with epoxy resin‐content. The extent of shape recovery increased with PTMO‐content with a minor penalty in recovery time. The polymer with the maximum PTMO‐content exhibited 99% shape recovery with a recovering time of 12 s.     

Synthesis,Electrical, Electronic and Charge Transport Properties of Poly(aniline‐co‐p‐toluidine)

Copolymers of aniline with p‐toluidine were synthesized for different molar ratios of the respective monomers in acid medium. The electrical conductivity, charge transport and spectral characteristics upon incorporation of p‐toluidine units into the polyaniline backbone were investigated. The electrical conductivity of the copolymers showed frequency dependence which became more prominent with an increase in the number of p‐toluidine units in the polyaniline backbone. A direct relationship between the frequency dependence and electron localization was observed in the copolymers. Electronic spectra showed blue shifts in the π→π*and benzenoid→quinoid transitions revealing a decrease in the extent of conjugation in the copolymers. The protonated forms of the copolymers were soluble in DMSO giving polaron band around 400 nm. The decrease in electrical conductivity was attributed to the greater electron localizations as revealed from the broader ESR signals. Temperature dependence of electrical conductivity showed that charge transport was mainly through variable range hopping though a mixed conduction behavior was observed at higher temperature range.     

Analysis of the hyperfine structures and

From the theories of the nuclear hyperfine structure (HFS) and Λ doubling of diatomic molecules, several brief algebraic equations for interpretation of HFS and Λ doubling of transitions of diatomic molecule have been developed. A few important parameters of HFS and Λ doubling of¹⁵N¹⁶O have been efficiently and accurately obtained from the analysis of the high resolution spectra of¹⁵N¹⁶O (X²∏) observed in our experiments with these equations. This method can provide an effective approach to obtain important hyperfine parameters of novel radicals from their high resolution laser magnetic resonance spectra. Liu Yu-yan, Guo Yuan-qing, Assignments of FIR-LMR spectra of CF X²∏(υ= 1) and MIR-LMR spectra of NO X²∏ (υ =1←0), Spectroscopy and Spectral Analysis (in press).     

Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Carbon‐Coated Nanoparticles

Abstract

In the present work, microstructure and superparamagnetic properties of two types of carbon‐coated magnetic Ni and Fe nanoparticles [Ni(C) and Fe(C)] are reviewed. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron diffraction (SAED), and x‐ray diffraction (XRD) analyses have been used to reveal the distinct structural morphologies of Ni and Fe nanoparticles. Moreover, novel carbon‐coated Ni nanoparticle assemblies offer us great opportunities for studying the mechanism of superparamagnetism in particle assemblies. Magnetization measurements [M(T) and M(H) curves] for assemblies of Ni nanoparticles indicate that modified superparamagnetic properties at T > T _B, have been found in the assemblies of Ni(C) particles. The blocking temperature, T _B, is determined to be near 115K under a certain applied field. Above T _B, the magnetization M(H, T) can be described by the classical Langevin function L using the relation, M/M _s (T = 0) = coth (μH/kT) ? kT/μH. It is suggested that these assemblies of carbon‐coated Ni nanoparticles have typical single‐domain, field‐dependent superparamagnetic relaxation properties. Finally, Mössbauer spectra and hyperfine magnetic fields at room temperature for the assemblies of Fe(C) nanoparticles confirm their distinct nanophases that were detected by structural analysis. Modified superparamagnetic relaxation is observed in the assemblies of Fe(C) nanoparticles, which is attributed to the nanocrystalline nature of the carbon‐coated nanoparticles.     

Synthesis and Properties of Surfactants derived from N‐Acetyl‐D‐Glucosamine

The synthesis of 2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐6‐O‐octanoyl‐D‐glucono‐1,5‐lactone 9 and 2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐6‐O‐octanoyl‐α‐D‐glucopyranose 7 from 2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐α‐D‐glucopyranose is reported. For both targets, the key intermediate was allyl 2‐acetamido‐3,4‐di‐O‐benzyl‐2‐deoxy‐6‐O‐octanoyl‐α‐D‐glucopyranoside 5. Surface tension measurements (critical micellar concentration of 22.3 mM and 5 mM for 9 and 7, respectively) showed up the surface activity of both compounds, while enzyme inhibition assays indicated that 9 could inhibit bovine β‐N‐acetylglucosaminidase (K_i=6.5 µM) but not Serratia marcescens chitobiase nor hen egg‐white lysozyme. Moreover, 7 was shown to induce chitinase production of S. marcescens and to be readily metabolized by these bacteria.      

Investigation on Adsorption Dynamics of Protein/Tween‐20 Mixture at the Surface of Solution by Surface Pressure Measurement

The dynamic surface tension (γ_t) and apparent diffusion coefficient (D) of nonionic surfactant Tween‐20 in the presence and absence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been investigated via the measurements of surface pressure (π) at different time (t). The curves of γ_t～t are obtained from π～t isotherms. Results show that the γ_t～t relationships of Tween‐20 solution with or without BSA accord with the Ward‐Tordai equation in the region of initial adsorption. D value obtained from the γ_t～t^1/2 curves shows that the diffusion of Tween‐20 slows down with the increase of the concentration of Tween‐20 (c _Tween‐20). And D value of Tween‐20 in the presence of BSA is almost the same as that of the system without BSA when c _Tween‐20 is constant, suggesting that the interaction between Tween‐20 and BSA is weak.     

Comparative Spectrophotometric,Spectrofluorometric, and High‐performance Liquid Chromatographic Study for the Quantitative Determination of the Binary Mixture Felodipine and Ramipril in Pharmaceutical Formulations

Abstract

Two‐component mixtures of felodipine (FLD) and ramipril (RMP) were assayed by derivative UV spectrophotometry, spectrofluorometry, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The spectrophotometric methods included a zero‐crossing first‐ and second‐order derivative procedure and a derivative compensation technique for the determination of binary mixtures with overlapping spectra. The spectrofluorometric method was based on first‐ and second‐order derivatives of the emission spectra (zero‐crossing point). Results from these methods were compared with those obtained by an exclusively developed isocratic reversed phase HPLC method. A reversed‐phase Adsorbosil DS analytical column, with methanol‐acetonitrile‐water (50∶30∶20, v/v) mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min, was used with a UV detector. The temperature was set at 25±0.2°C. Results obtained by the spectrophotometric and spectrofluorometric methods were comparable to those obtained by the HPLC method, as far as analysis of variance (ANOVA) test results were concerned. It is concluded that the developed methods are equally accurate, sensitive, and precise; with direct and simple application to pharmaceutical formulations of felodipine and ramipril combination, without interference from common pharmaceutical adjuvants.     

Synthesis and Properties of Poly(AAm‐KMA‐MA) Hydrogels

In this investigation, poly(acrylamide‐co‐potassium methacrylate‐co‐maleic acid) hydrogels, poly(AAm‐KMA‐MA) were synthesized by redox copolymerization in aqueous solution. The effect of reaction parameters, such as concentration of maleic acid, crosslinking agent, initiator and activator, on the swelling behavior was investigated in detail. The swelling/diffusion characteristics were also evaluated for 1,4‐butanediol diacrylate (BDDA) and 1,2‐ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) crosslinked hydrogels having different amounts of maleic acid. The results indicate that the water diffusion of hydrogels was of a non‐Fickian type. The hydrogels were characterized by IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Their surface characteristics were observed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, their swelling phenomena in different pH and salt solutions and simulated biological fluids was also studied.     

Adsorption and Micellization Properties of Novel Heterodouble‐Chained N‐Acyltaurate Surfactants

A set of heterodouble‐chained N‐acyltaurate surfactants (abbreviated as m+nP‐T, where m and n were carbon numbers of alkyl chain; P was phenyl; T was taurate) were synthesized. The novel amphiphiles contained sodium taurine as hydrophilic moiety and two different hydrocarbon chains as hydrophobic moiety. One was a long alkyl chain, and the other had an aromatic residue. Their surface properties were determined by Wilhelmy‐plate method, and micellization properties were investigated by fluorescence spectra of extrinsic probe and intrinsic probe. It was found that these surfactants showed some aberrant properties. It was difficult to obtain the equilibrium surface tension and critical micelle concentration (cmc) for the surfactants with two long chains. Pyrene was solubilized in micelle at concentration above cmc, and the fluorescent intensity ratio of the first vibronic peak (373 nm) to the third vibronic peak (383 nm) of pyrene decreased gradually. The aggregation number N, characterized by quenching the phenoxyl residue with methyl viologen (MV²⁺) as the extrinsic quencher, gradually increased with increasing surfactant concentration. These indicated that more and more molecules packed in a micelle with increasing concentration.     

Preparation and Surface Properties of Fluorine‐Containing Diblock Copolymers PLMA‐Block‐PFAEA

A series of fluorine‐containing diblock copolymers based on lauryl methacrylate and 1H,1H,2H,2H‐perfluoroalkyl acrylate have been prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The preparation process of PLMA‐Br macroinitiators was controlled within a reasonable time corresponding to the ln [M₀]/[M_t]～time plot of the reaction. FTIR, ¹H‐NMR, GPC and fluorine‐element analysis (FEA) were used to characterize the synthesized block copolymers. The solid surface activity of these polymers was demonstrated by contact angle measurement. The polymer films prepared by block copolymers with more than three fluorinated units showed low dispersion force contributions to the surface energy indicating the presence of the fluorinated block at the surface. The surface activity in solutions was measured by drop‐weight method. Ii is interesting to find, when the fluorine weight percentage is controlled constant, that PLMA‐b‐PFAEA with larger molecular size is more prominent in exploiting the fluorinated structure to reduce the surface tension of solutions. The block copolymer's ability in reducing surface tension of solutions also depends on the type of solvent.