Acid-base properties of solid polyelectrolytes: Dissociation of cellulosic polyanions

The potentiometric titration behavior of nitrogen dioxide and periodate-chlorite oxycellulose has been studied both in the presence and absence of sodium chloride. The apparent pK values in general increase with increasing degree of dissociation, but the reverse is true for periodate-chlorite oxycellulose in the absence of added salt. This behavior is interpreted in terms of electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interaction of carboxyl groups. The Gibbs–Donnan theory of polyaid dissociation was applied to calculate the intrinsic dissociation constant pK′₀. Assuming a model having a uniform potential distributin throughout the fiber, good agreement with the expected value of 3.24 was found (compared to pK′₀ = 3.25 calculated for periodate-chlorite oxycellulose).     

Preparation of 2-aryl and 2-aryloxymethyl imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and related compounds

A series of substituted 2-aryl imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines has been prepared in which a variety of substituents are introduced on the 4′-position of the phenyl ring and on the 3, 5 , 6 or 7 position of the heterocyclic ring. Most examples have acetamido, bromo, cyano, or formyl substituents at the 4′-position. Analogous imidazo-[2,1-b]fhiazoles and imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines have also been prepared. Another series of compounds consisting of 4′-formylphenoxymethyl derivatives of imidazole, the three positional isomers of pyridine, thiazole, benzimidazole and ring-substituted imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines has been prepared. 2-(4′-Formylphenylethenyl) derivatives of imidazole and imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine were also prepared.     

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) scavenging reactions of o-vanillin: Pulse radiolysis and stopped flow studies

Reactions of peroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite with o-vanillin (2-hydroxy 3-methoxy benzaldehyde), a positional isomer of the well-known dietary compound vanillin, were studied to understand the mechanisms of its free radical scavenging action. Trichloromethylperoxyl radicals (CCl₃O ₂ ^· ) were used as model peroxyl radicals and their reactions with o-vanillin were studied using nanosecond pulse radiolysis technique with absorption detection. The reaction produced a transient with a bimolecular rate constant of approx. 10⁵ M⁻¹s⁻¹, having absorption in the 400–500 nm region with a maximum at 450 nm. This spectrum looked significantly different from that of phenoxyl radicals of o-vanillin produced by the one-electron oxidation by azide radicals. The spectra and decay kinetics suggest that peroxyl radical reacts with o-vanillin mainly by forming a radical adduct. Peroxynitrite reactions with o-vanillin at pH 6.8 were studied using a stopped-flow spectrophotometer. o-Vanillin reacts with peroxynitrite with a bimolecular rate constant of 3 × 10³ M⁻¹s⁻¹. The reaction produced an intermediate having absorption in the wavelength region of 300–500 nm with a absorption maximum at 420 nm, that subsequently decayed in 20 s with a first-order decay constant of 0.09 s⁻¹. The studies indicate that o-vanillin is a very efficient scavenger of peroxynitrite, but not a very good scavenger of peroxyl radical. The reactions take place through the aldehyde and the phenolic OH group and are significantly different from other phenolic compounds.     

Fibrous Silica Composites Fabricated Via Sol–Gel Processing Using Amino Acid Surfactant Templating

Fibrils covered by a silica shell have been fabricated by using fibrous aggregates of amino acid surfactant, N-dodecanoyl--alanine, as a template for silicate generated in situ by sol–gel processing in an aqueous solution at pH around 6 and ambient temperature. It was shown that these conditions were inappropriate for tetraethoxysilane to generate silica. The synthesis was performed only when a new water-soluble precursor, tetrakis (2-hydroxy ethyl) orthosilicate, was applied. It is suggested that silica nucleation on the surfactant fibrils takes place via the formation of hydrogen bonds with corresponding functional groups of the amino acid residues.     

Numerical observation of preferred directionality in ion ejection from stretched rectilinear ion traps

We report on numerical investigations of directionality of ion ejection in stretched rectilinear ion traps (RIT). Three 4-electrode trap geometries have been investigated. In all cases, one pair of electrodes has slits at their center and the other pair has no slits. The studied traps include the RIT-S, in which the mass analyzer electrodes are symmetrically positioned around the central axis; the RIT-X, in which the mass analyzer has a stretch in the direction of the electrodes which have slits (labeled as x-direction); and the RIT-Y, in which the mass analyzer has a stretch in the direction of the electrodes which have no slits (labeled as y-direction).Our analysis has been carried out on two-dimensional (2D) fields at the centre of an infinitely long mass analyzer. The boundary element method (BEM) has been used for field computations. The trajectory of ion motion has been generated using Runge Kutta fourth order integration.Three sets of simulations have been carried out on each of the RIT-S, the RIT-X and the RIT-Y to check for directionality of ion ejection. In the first, we numerically obtain the stability region on the potential (U_dc– V_rf) axes. In the second we generate an escape velocity plot with U_dc=0 for different values of V_rf. In the third, we simulate the mass selective boundary ejection experiment on a single ion.In the symmetric RIT-S, as expected, all three simulations show that there is an equal probability of ion reaching the trap boundary in either of the x- or y-directions. For the stretched traps, however, the results are dramatically different. For the RIT-X, all three simulations suggest that ion destabilization at the stability boundary occurs in the x-direction. Similarly, for the RIT-Y, ions preferentially get destabilized in the y-direction. That is, ions reaching the trap boundary overwhelmingly prefer the stretch direction.     

Nanovesicles based on self-assembly of conformationally constrained aromatic residue containing amphiphilic dipeptides

Peptide-based vesicular structures have been the focus of research in the past decade for their potential application as drug delivery agents. We here report the self-assembly of amphiphilic dipeptides containing conformation-constraining alpha,beta-dehydrophenylalanine into nanovesicles. The vesicles can encapsulate small drug molecules such as riboflavin and vitamin B(12), bioactive peptides, and small protein molecules. The nanovesicles are resistant to treatment of a nonspecific protease, proteinase K, and are stable at low concentrations of monovalent and divalent cations. The vesicles are effectively taken up by actively growing cells in culture and show no observable cytopathic effects. These peptide-based nanostructures can be considered as models for further development as delivery agents for different biomolecules.     

Attachment of different donor groups to a cryptand for modulation of two-photon absorption cross-section

Two-photon absorption (TPA) properties of a laterally nonsymmetric aza cryptand with attached side arms have been investigated. This series of Schiff base derivatives supports the mechanistic approach for enhancing the TPA process, which is usually dictated by molecular geometry, pi-bridging, delocalization length, and corresponding charge-transfer possibilities. The results described here suggest that on increasing the branching units, the TPA cross-section, sigma((2)), can be tuned to a larger value. The TPA activity is "switched on" when a metal atom enters the cavity and serves as a conduit of electronic delocalization. The sigma((2)) value increases as the donor strength increases. The maximum value is obtained on moving from the single-branched system to the nearly threefold symmetry. This serves as a useful synthetic strategy for designing novel octupolar molecules with high sigma((2)) values. Theoretical calculations at the B3LYP functional with the 6-31G* basis set under DFT formalism provide supporting evidence that the communication between the side arms through the metal d orbital and more ordered geometry of chromophores leads to a smaller HOMO-LUMO gap, which has a great influence upon the electronic properties of the molecules.     

Poly(3‐hexyl thiophene)‐b‐poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide): Synthesis and its composition dependent structural,solubility, thermoresponsive,electrochemical, and electronic properties

Conjugated block copolymers consisting of poly(3‐hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) and a thermoresponsive polymer poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) with varying composition have been synthesized by facile click reaction between alkyne terminated P3HT and azide terminated PNIPAM. The composition‐dependent solubility, thermoresponsive property in water, phase behavior, electrochemical, optical, and electronic properties of the block copolymers were systematically investigated. The block copolymers with higher volume fraction of PNIPAM form thermoresponsive spherical micelles with P3HT‐rich crystalline cores and PNIPAM coronas. Both X‐ray and atomic force microscopic studies indicated that the blocks copolymers showed well‐defined microphase separated nanostructures and the structure depended on the composition of the blocks. The electrochemical study of the block copolymers clearly demonstrated that the extent of charge transport through the block copolymer thin film was similar to P3HT homopolymer without any significant change in the band gap. The block copolymers showed improved or similar charge carrier mobility compared with the pure P3HT depending on the composition of the block copolymer. These P3HT‐b‐PNIPAM copolymers were interesting for fabrication of optoelectronic devices capable of thermal and moisture sensing as well as for studying the thermoresponsive colloidal structures of semiconductor amphiphilic systems. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1785–1794     

pH and temperature responsiveness in AgNPs stabilized by a new poly(vinylidene fluoride) random graft copolymer

Poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)‐graft‐random copolymers(PD) of diethyleneglycol methylether methacrylate(MeO₂MA) and dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate(DMAEMA) are synthesized by a combined atom transfer radical coupling and atom transfer radical polymerization technique at three different co‐monomer compositions. The molar ratio of MeO₂MA to DMAEMA in PD are measured to be 1:5.8, 1:1.3, and 1:0.5 for PD1, PD2, and PD3 graft copolymers. In PD2 the feed ratio and mole ratio are same indicating an azeotropic composition causing highest yield (89%) and highest molecular weight (9.29 × 10⁵). The grafted chains of PD are temperature and pH responsive and in basic pH they show a sudden increase in size above certain temperature for LCST‐type phase transition, however, this is not observed at pH 4 and 7. PD can generate AgNPs under UV irradiation and morphology of PD at 30 °C varies with pH from vesicle to nanosphere. The AgNPs lie on the surface of the vesicles or assemble with the PD chains forming nanosphere morphology. At different pH, PD samples exhibit plasmon peaks at different wavelengths attributed to various size, shapes and cluster formation. The UV–vis spectra of AgNPs stabilized by PD1 and PD2 samples exhibits similar LCST‐type phase transition as observed above, but that of PD3 does not show any such transition. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 960–970