Rapid and sensitive determination of the conversion of UV-cured acrylic ester resins by pyrolysis-gas chromatography in the presence of an organic alkali.

The double-bond conversion of UV-cured resins prepared from pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) was determined by pyrolysis-gas chromatography in the presence of an organic alkali, tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). The pyrogram of the uncured prepolymer compound, consisting of PETA and a photoinitiator, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, contained specific products reflecting the original acrylate structure, such as methyl acrylate (MA) and methyl ethers of pentaerithritol. Meanwhile, in pyrograms of the UV-cured PETA, the yields of MA considerably decreased. The double-bond conversions of the cured resins, irradiated with various UV dosages, were calculated based on the relative yields of MA among specific products in the pyrograms. The conversions determined by this approach were analyzed by comparing them with those estimated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.     

Simple and rapid determination of trace amounts of gold(III), palladium(II), and platinum(IV) in industrial waste solutions after recovery of noble metals by combined use of GFAAS and anion-exchange separation.

A simple and rapid method for the analysis of trace amounts of gold(III), palladium(II), and platinum(IV) by the combined use of graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and anion-exchange separation was proposed, and successfully applied to the rapid determination of metals in industrial waste solutions obtained from the final process of noble-metal recovery factories, because noble metals can be selectively and quantitatively separated to a high degree by using a small column containing only a 0.7 g-portion of a common anion-exchange resin and a dilute thiourea solution.     

Spectrophotometric determination of traces of hydrogen peroxide with the Ti(IV)-xylenol orange and the Ti(IV)-chromazurol S reagents

The formation of mixed ligand complexes in Ti(IV)-xylenol orange (XO)-H₂O₂ and Ti(IV)-chromazurol S (CAS)-H₂O₂ systems was studied by spectrophotometry. The former system gave constant absorbance (λ_max = 562 nm) under the condition of [XO]/[Ti(IV)] = 1 in the pH 2–4 region. In the latter system, a distinct maximum at 557 nm was observed when [CAS]/[Ti(IV)] = 4 in the pH range of 4.5–5.2. In both cases, the absorbance at λ_max was stable for a long time and proportional to the concentration of hydrogen peroxide. From those facts, the usefulness of the mixtures of Ti(IV)-XO and Ti(IV)-CAS as the colorimetric reagents for the determination of hydrogen peroxide can be expected. The conditions for the use of the Ti(IV)-XO and the Ti(IV)-CAS reagents were examined in detail, and both reagents were found to be available for trace analysis of hydrogen peroxide with high sensitivity.     

Effects of solvent in photo-induced graft copolymerization of vinyl monomers on cellulose

The effects of swelling of the sample and polymerization solvents were studied for photo-induced graft copolymerization of vinyl monomers on cellulose. The graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was activated by swelling of the sample or organic solvent-water solutions within a certain range of their concentrations. Though each organic solvent gave a maximum in per cent grafting and the number of grafts at about 25 vol-% concentration, the initiation reaction scarcely took place at 100% concentration; thus, the solvent itself is considered to have a negative effect. The solvents used in the experiments were all hydrophilic, such as methanol, acetone, and dioxane. The average molecular weight of the grafted PMMA differed in each solvent, indicating a different characteristic effect of solvent on the growing grafted polymer radicals. The presence of ferric ion as a sensitizer stimulated further the contributions of the sample swelling and the organic solvents to the copolymerization reaction. A similar effect was observed for styrene as for MMA, but not for acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.     

Photo-induced graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate on cellulose

Graft copolymerization initiated by ultraviolet light irradiation at 40°C in a hard glass vessel under nitrogen was examined. The graft copolymerization was observed to occur easily after some induction period without any use of photosensitizer, though it was found the per cent grafting and the grafting efficiency were markedly affected by the quantities of cellulose and monomer. In the system without cellulose, homopolymerization of methyl methacrylate hardly took place, but the use of cellulose caused the formation of homopolymer too, and a grafting efficiency in the range of 60–80% generally resulted. Ferric chloride or sodium anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonate (AQ) acted on the polymerization reaction as photosensitizers to reduce its induction period. Though ferric chloride acted to develop both the per cent grafting and the number of grafts, not the same effects were observed with AQ. Oxalic acid, which was employed with the object of eliminating very small amount of metals contained in cellulose, was found to act favorably in the formation of grafts, much like ferric chloride.     

Photo-induced cellulose radicals capable of initiating graft copolymerization

The decay behavior of cellulose radicals produced by photo-irradiation at room temperature and the characteristics of photo-irradiated cellulose samples to initiate graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) were investigated. ESR spectra of such untreated, swollen, oximated, and ferric ion-sensitized samples irradiated at room temperature were constructed mainly of a single absorption line with a line width of 20 to 22 gauss and a g value of 2.003, and it is surely conceivable that the radicals showing a singlet spectrum should agree with those of alkoxy end produced at either the C₁ or C₄ position of the glucose unit by the scission of glucosidic bonds. The decay of radicals was accelerated by contact of various solvents with the samples, the activity decreasing in the order, water ≈ methanol ? acetone > dioxane. On the other hand, the decay of radicals by vinyl monomers became smaller in the order, methacrylic acid > MMA ≈ styrene. Graft copolymerization of MMA by a photo-irradiated sample was effectively initiated with the use of a certain amount of water or methanol, but not with acetone and dioxane. As no initiation can occur with the unirradiated sample, it is concluded that the initiation of graft copolymerization on the photo-irradiated sample is attributable to cellulose radicals showing a singlet spectrum which are formed in photo-irradiation at room temperature.     

N,N-Diethyl-3-toluamide Formulation Based on Ethanol Containing 0.1% 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin Attenuates the Drug’s Skin Penetration and Prolongs the Repellent Effect without Stickiness

N,N-diethyl-3-toluamide (DEET) is one of the most widely used insect repellents in the world. It was reported that a solution containing 6–30% cyclodextrin (CD) as a solvent instead of ethanol (EtOH) provided an enhancement of the repellent action time duration of the DEET formulation, although the high-dose CD caused stickiness. In order to overcome this shortcoming, we attempted to prepare a 10% DEET formulation using EtOH containing low-dose CDs (β-CD, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-CD (HPβCD), methyl-β-CD, and sulfobutylether-β-CD) as solvents (DEET/EtOH/CD formulations). We determined the CD concentration to be 0.1% in the DEET/EtOH/CD formulations, since the stickiness of 0.1% CDs was not felt (approximately 8 × 10⁻³ N). The DEET residue on the skin superficial layers was prolonged, and the drug penetration into the skin tissue was decreased by the addition of 0.1% CD. In particular, the retention time and attenuated penetration of DEET on the rat skin treated with the DEET/EtOH/HPβCD formulation was significantly higher in comparison with that of the DEET/EtOH formulation without CD. Moreover, the repellent effect of DEET was more sustained by the addition of 0.1% HPβCD in the study using Aedes albopictus. In conclusion, we found that the DEET/EtOH/HPβCD formulations reduced the skin penetration of DEET and prolonged the repellent action without stickiness.