Morse index of a cyclic polygon

It is known that cyclic configurations of a planar polygonal linkage are critical points of the signed area function. In the paper we give an explicit formula of the Morse index for the signed area of a cyclic configuration. We show that it depends not only on the combinatorics of a cyclic configuration, but also on its metric properties.     

Stereoselective synthesis of the polar part of mycestericins E and G

5-O-(t-Butyldimethylsilyl)-3-deoxy-3-C-hydroxymethyl-1,2-O-isopropylidene-3-(methoxycarbonylamino)-α-d-xylofuranose IV has been proved to be an appropriate building block in the stereoselective synthesis of methyl (4S)-4-[(1′R)-1′-acetoxy-4′-oxobutyl]-3-benzyl-2-oxooxazolidine-4-carboxylate III representing the polar part of the naturally occurring mycestericins E and mycestericins G.     

Micellization-induced deprotonation of thermoresponsive surfactant CAE-85 — the telechelic carboxylic group derivative of Pluronic P85

Temperature-induced micellization of CAE-85, a carboxylic acid end-standing derivative of a triblock copolymer Pluronic P85, was studied by attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FTIR) and density functional theory (DFT) model calculations. It was found that in polymer micelles carboxyl end groups dissociated and it was a two stage process. The first stage of deprotonation appeared with the onset of micellization and it was in agreement with predictions of existing models and theories for ionization processes in micellar corona. In micelles well above the critical micellization temperature, the degree of CAE-85 deprotonation increased further to values significantly higher compared to unimer solution. It is proposed that such deprotonation correlates with the formation of hydrogen bonded carboxyl end groups enabled by sufficient density of chains in the corona of developing micelles. It was demonstrated that the proton dissociation constant, pK_m, specific to the micellar form existed and was different from the proton dissociation constant of solution of unimers, pK_a.     

Quantitative evaluation of LAL productivity of colloidal nanomaterials: Which laser pulse width is more productive,ergonomic, and economic?

Near-IR (wavelength ≈ 1 μm) laser ablation of bulk, chemically-inert gold in water was compared for different laser pulse width in broad the range of 300 fs-100 ns, comparing a number of key ablation characteristics: mass loss, single-shot crater volume and extinction coefficient of the generated colloidal solutions taken in the spectral ranges of interband transitions and localized plasmon resonance. Comparing to related air-based ablation results, at the given fluences laser ablation in the liquid resulted in the maximum ablation yield per unit energy and maximum NP yield per pulse and per unit energy for the picosecond lasers, occurring at subcritical peak pulse powers for laser self-focusing. The self-focusing effect was demonstrated to yield in incomplete, effectively weaker focusing in the water filaments of ultrashort laser pulses with supercritical peak powers, comparing to linear (geometrical) focusing at sub-critical peak powers. At the other, nanosecond-pulse extreme the high ablation yield per pulse, but low ablation yield per unit energy and low NP yield per pulse and per unit energy were related to strong ablation plasma screening, providing mass removal according to the well-established scaling relationships for plasma. Illustrative comparison of the ablation and nanoparticle generation efficiency versus the broad fs-ns laser pulse width range was enabled in terms of productivity, economicity, and ergonomicity, using the proposed universal quantitative criteria.     

Nano-structuring of PTFE surface by plasma treatment,etching, and sputtering with gold

Properties of pristine, plasma modified, and etched (by water and methanol) polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were studied. Gold nanolayers sputtered on this modified PTFE have been also investigated. Contact angle, measured by goniometry, was studied as a function of plasma exposure and post-exposure aging times. Degradation of polymer chains was examined by etching of plasma modified PTFE in water or methanol. The amount of ablated and etched layer was measured by gravimetry. In the next step the pristine, plasma modified, and etched PTFE was sputtered with gold. Changes in surface morphology were observed using atomic force microscopy. Chemical structure of modified polymers was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Surface chemistry of the samples was investigated by electrokinetic analysis. Sheet resistance of the gold layers was measured by two-point technique. The contact angle of the plasma modified PTFE decreases with increasing exposure time. The PTFE amount, ablated by the plasma treatment, increases with the plasma exposure time. XPS measurements proved that during the plasma treatment the PTFE macromolecular chains are degraded and oxidized and new –C–O–C–, –C=O, and –O–C=O groups are created in modified surface layer. Surface of the plasma modified PTFE is weakly soluble in methanol and intensively soluble in water. Zeta potential and XPS shown dramatic changes in PTFE surface chemistry after the plasma exposure, water etching, and gold deposition. When continuous gold layer is formed a rapid decrease of the sheet resistance of the gold layer is observed.     

Synthesis and fungicidal activity of methylsulfanylmethyl ether derivatives of levoglucosenone

Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds - A series of derivatives were synthesized on the basis of levoglucosenone that contained hydroxy groups at the С-4 atom or С-2 and С-4 atoms...