Synthesis of Modified Poly(vinyl Alcohol)s and Their Degradation Using an Enzymatic Cascade

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a water-soluble synthetic vinyl polymer with remarkable physical properties including thermostability and viscosity. Its biodegradability, however, is low even though a large amount of PVA is released into the environment. Established physical-chemical degradation methods for PVA have several disadvantages such as high price, low efficiency, and secondary pollution. Biodegradation of PVA by microorganisms is slow and frequently involves pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)-dependent enzymes, making it expensive due to the costly cofactor and hence unattractive for industrial applications. In this study, we present a modified PVA film with improved properties as well as a PQQ-independent novel enzymatic cascade for the degradation of modified and unmodified PVA. The cascade consists of four steps catalyzed by three enzymes with in situ cofactor recycling technology making this cascade suitable for industrial applications.     

Reaction of O,O-dialkyl alkylphosphonates with thionyl chloride. A remarkable effect of the O-(2-dialkylamino)ethyl substituent

Reaction of dialkyl alkylphosphonates with SOCl₂ in the presence of DMF, reported by Maier, can serve as a convenient route to simple monoalkyl alkylphosphonochloridates. However, when a substrate contains a (2-dialkylamino)ethyl group as one of the ester functions, the course of the reaction is determined by the nature of the N-alkyl groups. With the NMe₂ group present, reaction with SOCl₂ occurs at nitrogen, and no exchange of groups at phosphorus takes place. The NEt₂ group, on the other hand, directs the reaction to phosphorus, and the Maier reaction of the exchange of one ester group OR for Cl proceeds in high yields. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Aggregation of particulate fillers: factors,determination, properties

The aggregation tendency of 11 different CaCO₃ fillers with widely differing particle sizes was studied in polypropylene (PP) composites. The fillers were characterized by different techniques in powder form and in suspension. Homogenization and sample preparation were carried out by extrusion and injection molding, or in an internal mixer and compression molding, respectively. Thin slices were prepared from the composites and the relative area of aggregates was determined by image analysis. Tensile and fracture properties were studied as a function of filler content. The results proved that the extent of aggregation increases with decreasing particle size and increasing filler content. Surprisingly, extruded and injection molded samples contained more aggregates than those prepared by homogenization in an internal mixer followed by compression molding. Good agreement was found between the powder properties of the fillers and their performance in the composites. Deviations from the general tendency indicate that some factors, which were not accounted for in the study, also influence aggregation and composite properties.