Ring‐opening grafting polymerization of cyclic monomers onto human hair

Natural human hair was successfully modified by the graft polymerization of trimethylene carbonate, β‐propiolactone, ε‐caprolactone, glycidol, ε‐caprolactam, and 5,5‐dimethyl‐1,3‐dioxane‐2‐thione. In contrast, we could not modify natural human hair by the graft polymerization of oxetane under similar conditions. The model reaction suggested that the main initiating species in these polymerizations were the amino, thiol, and hydroxyl groups in hair, which could induce ring‐opening polymerization. Among the tested monomers, β‐propiolactone was most effective for hair modification with its graft polymer, whose concentration was as high as 0.5 g/g of hair though polymerization under mild conditions. The effects of the hair pretreatment and polymerization temperature on the weight ratio of the grafted polymers were also investigated. Hair modified by grafted polymers was characterized with scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared measurements. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 736–744, 2007     

Anionic grafting polymerization of propylene sulfide onto human hair in water

Natural human hair was modified by the graft polymerization of propylene sulfide in an aqueous medium. The amount of the polymer grafted onto the reduced hair was 0.15–0.19 g on 1.0 g of hair. The grafted polymer was isolated by the hydrolysis of the hair in the polymer‐grafted hair under basic conditions and was confirmed to be poly(propylene sulfide) by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and Fourier transform infrared spectra. The number‐average molecular weights of the isolated polymers from the grafted products were 10,000–12,000. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3778–3786, 2006     

Selective and simultaneous determination of phosphate and silicate ions in leaching process waters for ceramics glaze raw materials of narutal origin by ion-exclusion chromatography coupled with UV-detection after postcolumn derivatization.

The selective and simultaneous ion-exclusion chromatography (IEC) with UV-detection on a weakly acidic cation-exchange resin column in the H+ -form (TSKgel Super IC-A/C) was developed and applied for the simultaneous determination of phosphate and silicate ions as the water quality parameters required for optimizing the water-leaching process for ceramics glaze raw materials of natural origin including feldspar, woods-ash, and straw-ash. Phosphate and silicate ions in these water-leaching process water samples were separated selectively from the coexisting anions such as sulfate, chloride, nitrate and carbonate ions, based on the ion-exclusion separation mechanism. They were detected selectively and simultaneously by a postcolumn derivatization with molybdenum-yellow using the UV-detector. Under the optimized separation and detection conditions (eluent, 0-1 mM sulfuric acid; reactant, 10 mM sodium molybdate-25 mM sulfuric acid; detector, UV at 370 nm; temperature, 45 degrees C), the linearity of calibration was in the range 0.1 - 10 ppm for both phosphate and silicate ions, and the detection limits at S/N = 3 were 2.58 ppb for silicate ions and 4.75 ppb for phosphate ions. The effectiveness of this method was demonstrated in practical applications to the water-leaching process for some ceramics glaze raw materials.     

Synthesis of (±)-lineatin,the unique tricyclic pheromone of Trypodendron lineatum (olivier)

(+-)-3,3,7-Trimethyl-2,9-dioxatricyclo[4.2.1.0^{4, 7}]noname

and (+-)-3,3,7-trimethyl-2,9-dioxatricyclo[3.3.1.0^{4, 7}] nonane

were synthesized. The latter was shown to be (+-)-lineatin, an ambrosia beetle pheromone.     

Solid-phase synthesis of liquid crystalline isoxazole library

Combinatorial library of isoxazoles was prepared by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition on solid support. p-Cyano derivatives showed nematic and/or smectic A phases. A bilayer smectic phase for 2h is proposed by the combination of molecular mechanics calculation and X-ray diffraction experiment.     

New quaternary carbon and nitrogen stabilized polyborides: REB15.5CN (RE: Sc, Y, Ho, Er, Tm, Lu), crystal structure and compound formation

A new family of quaternary carbon and nitrogen containing Rare Earth (RE: Sc, Y, Ho, Er, Tm and Lu) borides: REB_15.5CN, has been synthesized and structurally characterized by powder X-ray diffraction data. They are all isotypic with Sc_1−xB_15.5CN whose structure was solved based on single-crystal X-ray data and HRTEM investigations. The structure refinement converged at a R(F²) value of 0.044 for 364 reflections. The new structure type of Sc_1−xB_15.5CN is composed of a three-dimensional network based on interconnected slabs of boron (B₁₂)^ico icosahedra and (B₆)^oct octahedra. A linear [CBC] chain and nitrogen tightly bridges icosahedra. Sc partially occupies voids in the sheets of boron octahedra. It crystallizes with the trigonal space group P³m1, with Z=2. Lattice parameters (nm) are as follows: for RE: Sc, a,b=0.5568(4), c=1.0756(2); Y, a,b=0.55919(6), c=1.0873(2); Ho, a,b=0.55883(7), c=1.0878(6); Er, a,b=0.55889(5), c=1.0880(6); Tm, a,b=0.5580(1), c=1.0850(6); Lu, a,b=0.55771(9), c=1.0839(4). Magnetic characterization of ErB₁₇C_1.3N_0.6 has been performed.     

Synthesis and biological activity of both (E)- and (Z)-isomers of optically pure (S)-14-methyl-8-hexadecenal (trogodermal), the antipodes of the pheromone of the khapra beetle

Both (E)- and (Z)-isomers of (S)-14-methyl-8-hexadecenal (trogodermal) were synthesized from 100% optically pure (R)-(+)-citronellic acid. These antipodes of the khapra beetle pheromone were 1/500 to 1/1000 times as active as the natural (R)-pheromone. Determination of the optical purities of citronellic acid and related compounds was achieved by hplc method. Warning was made not to forget the measurement of density in expressing the optical rotation of a neat liquid as [α]_D (neat).     

Reversed-phase liquid chromatographic retention and membrane activity relationships of local anesthetics

The chromatographic retention and membrane activity relationships of local anesthetics were studied to address the possible mechanisms for structure specificity and inflammation-associated decrease of their effects. Five representative drugs (3 mM for each) were reacted with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine liposomes in 25 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 5.9-7.9, containing 100 mM NaCl and 0.1 mM EDTA) for 10 min at 37 degrees C and the membrane fluidity changes were analyzed by measuring fluorescence polarization with 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene. Their capacity factors were determined on octadecyl-, octyl- and phenyl-bonded silica columns with a mobile phase consisting of 25 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 5.9-7.9, containing 100 mM NaCl and 0.1 mM EDTA)-methanol (30:70, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min and at a column temperature of 37 degrees C and diode-array detection. Mepivacaine, prilocaine, lidocaine, ropivacaine and bupivacaine fluidized membranes in increasing order of intensity, which agreed with their clinical potency. The relative degree of membrane fluidization correlated with that of retention on an octadecyl stationary phase more significantly than the other phases. Both membrane-fluidizing effects and capacity factors decreased by lowering the reaction and mobile phase pH, being consistent with the hypothesis that anesthetic potency is reduced in inflammation because of tissue acidity. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography appears to be useful for estimating the structure-specific and pH-dependent membrane-fluidizing effects of local anesthetics.