Solvent‐assisted anionic ring opening polymerization of glycidol: Toward medium and high molecular weight hyperbranched polyglycerols

Hyperbranched polyglycerols (HPGs) are globular structures with a large number of functionalizable hydroxyl groups and have excellent in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility profiles comparable to polyethylene glycol. This work introduces a facile method for the synthesis of medium molecular weights (M_ws) (50–300 kDa) HPGs, which has been difficult to synthesize with low polydispersity, with the assistance of solvents by ring opening polymerization. The influence of different solvents (1,4‐dioxane, tetrahydropyran (THP), ethylene glycol diethyl ether (EGDE) and decane), solvent to glycidol ratio, concentration of glycidol and the time of polymerization on M_w and polydispersity of HPGs has been studied. The M_w and polydispersity of HPGs are significantly affected by the nature of the polymerization phase (homogeneous or heterogeneous) and chemical structure of the solvent. The differences in the solvation of the potassium cations and change in the nucleophilicity of the alkoxide anion in various solvents may be responsible for the changes in M_w and PDI of the HPG. The M_w of the HPG decreases in the order 1,4‐dioxane > THP > EGDE >decane. The microstructure, solution and thermal properties of the HPG do not depend on the nature of solvent. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2614–2621     

Binary and Ternary Complexes Between Lauryl Hexaoxyethylene, Benzoate and Cyclodextrin. Part II. β-CD

The characterization of binary and ternary complexes of benzoate, lauryl hexaoxyethylene (C₁₂E₆) and -CD is presented. The complexation equilibrium was characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, titration microcalorimetry, capillary electrophoresis, and 2D ROESY ¹H-NMR. Results suggested that -CD forms one complex with C₁₂E₆in the stoichiometric ratio of -CD : C₁₂E₆1.5 : 1, with a stability constant 1.3 × 10⁵ M^-1.5. The 2-D ROESY ¹H-NMR spectrum indicated that C₁₂E₆is included inside the -CD cavity. The primary binding site of C₁₂E₆ is on the lauryl subunit of this molecule. Analogous to a previously reported study of -CD, the combination of -CD and C₁₂E₆precipitated from the solution. Addition of benzoate seemed to dissolve the precipitate and nearly doubled the apparent stability constant of the complex. Results from the various techniques supported formation of ternary complexes between -CD, C₁₂E₆, and benzoate.     

Photoelectrochemistry on Ru(II)-2,2'-bipyridine-phosphonate-derivatized TiO2 with the I3-/I- and quinone/hydroquinone relays. Design of photoelectrochemical synthesis cells

Photocurrent measurements have been made on nanocrystalline TiO2 surfaces derivatized by adsorption of a catalyst precursor, [Ru(tpy)(bpy(PO3H2)2)(OH2)]2+, or chromophore, [Ru(bpy)2 (bpy(PO3H2)2)]2+ (tpy is 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine, bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine, and bpy(PO3H2)2 is 2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-diphosphonic acid), and on surfaces containing both complexes. This is an extension of earlier work on an adsorbed assembly containing both catalyst and chromophore. The experiments were carried out with the I3-/I- or quinone/hydroquinone (Q/H2Q) relays in propylene carbonate, propylene carbonate-water mixtures, and acetonitrile-water mixtures. Electrochemical measurements show that oxidation of surface-bound Ru(III)-OH2(3+) to Ru(IV)=O(2+) is catalyzed by the bpy complex. Addition of aqueous 0.1 M HClO4 greatly decreases photocurrent efficiencies for adsorbed [Ru(tpy)(bpy(PO3H2)2)(OH2)]2+ with the I3-/I- relay, but efficiencies are enhanced for the Q/H2Q relay in both propylene carbonate-HClO4 and acetonitrile-HClO4 mixtures. The dependence of the incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) on added H2Q in 95% propylene carbonate and 5% 0.1 M HClO4 is complex and can be interpreted as changing from rate-limiting diffusion to the film at low H2Q to rate-limiting diffusion within the film at high H2Q. There is no evidence for photoelectrochemical cooperativity on mixed surfaces containing both complexes with the IPCE response reflecting the relative surface compositions of the two complexes. These results provide insight into the possible design of photoelectrochemical synthesis cells for the oxidation of organic substrates.     

Oxidation of methionine residues in aqueous solutions: free methionine and methionine in granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

The free energy barriers and a mechanism of the oxidation of the amino acid methionine in water and in granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) are analyzed via combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods, constrained molecular dynamics, and committor probability calculations. The computed free energy barrier of free methionine amino acid is very close to the measured value (14.7 +/- 1.2 versus 15.5 +/- 0.02 kcal/mol). The reaction coordinate was found to be the difference between the O-O bond of H2O2 and the S-O bond, where the S is the sulfur atom of the methionine residue. It was confirmed by computing the committor probability distribution and the distribution of constrained forces that this coordinate is not coupled to the activation of other degrees of freedom. The computed free energies of the oxidation of methionine residues in G-CSF indicate that the protein environment has insignificant effects on the reaction barriers of oxidation. This result further validates our proposal that the access of solvent to methionine sites, as measured by the two-shell water coordination number, governs the kinetics of the oxidation reaction of methionine groups in a protein molecule. We also found that the number of hydrogen bonds between the distal oxygen of H2O2 and the water molecules near the methionine increases along the reaction coordinate as oxidation progresses, indicating that the charge separation developed during the oxidation by H2O2 is stabilized by specific interactions with water molecules, such as hydrogen bonding.     

Second Dissociation Constants of 4-[N-morpholino]butanesulfonic Acid and N-[2-hydroxyethyl]piperazine-N′-4-butanesulfonic Acid from 5 to 55°C

The values of the second dissociation constant, pK ₂, for the dissociation of the NH⁺ charge center of the zwitterionic buffer compounds 4-(N-morpholino)butanesulfonic acid (MOBS), and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-N-4-butanesulfonic acid (HEPBS) have been determined from 5 to 55°C, including, 37°C at intervals of 5°C. The electromotive-force (emf) measurements have been made utilizing hydrogen electrodes and silver–silver chloride electrodes. The value of pK ₂ for MOBS was found to be 7.702 ± 0.0005, and 8.284 ± 0.0004 for HEPBS, at 25°C, respectively. The related thermodynamic quantities, G ^o, H ^o, S ^o, and C _p ^o for the dissociation processes of MOBS and HEPBS have been derived from the temperature coefficients of pK ₂. Both the MOBS and HEPBS buffer materials are useful as primary pH standards for the control of pH 7.3 to 8.6 in the region close to that of physiological fluids.     

Catastrophic phase inversion in region II of an ionomeric polymer-water system

Previous work has identified distinct regions, on a phase inversion map, for dispersions of polyurethane ionomer (PUI) and water. In this study, events that occur, before, during, and after catastrophic phase inversion (provoked by adding water to polyurethane ionomer (PUI) in the RII regions of the phase inversion map) have been studied in order to characterise the inversion mechanism. Before phase inversion, initial water addition leads to the hydration of ionic groups and eventually water drops start to form in the hydrophobic portions of the polymer matrix. At the phase inversion point, the PUI-water interface restructures and the ionomer disintegrates into a dispersion of spherical particles enclosed by a continuous aqueous phase. It is suggested that pseudo-drop structures are formed simultaneously during the production of the small polymer-in-water drops. After phase inversion, water addition dilutes the emulsion and destroys the apparent ionic-centre-rich environment surrounding any isolated ionic groups on a particle surface. The larger water-in-polymer drops are likely to have participated in the phase inversion and the smaller water drops form the primary water drops in the multiple emulsions. The resultant emulsions are stable over a period of a few months but very few multiple drops remain after 1(1/4) years.     

Ca(2.5)Sr(0.5)GaMn2O8: diamagnetic Ga in control of the structural and electronic properties of a bilayered manganate

The temperature dependence of the crystal structure and electronic properties of brownmillerite-like Ca(2.5)Sr(0.5)GaMn(2)O(8) has been studied by neutron powder diffraction and muSR spectroscopy. The results show that short-range 2D magnetic order begins to develop within the perovskite-like bilayers of MnO(6) octahedra approximately 50 K above the 3D Néel temperature of approximately 150 K. The bilayers show a structural response to the onset of magnetism throughout this temperature range whereas the GaO(4) layers that separate the bilayers only respond below the 3D ordering temperature. XANES spectroscopy shows that the sample contains Mn(3+) and Mn(4+) cations in a 1:1 ratio, and the behavior in the region of the Néel transition is interpreted as a local charge ordering. Electron diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy have been used to show that the local microstructure is more complex than the average structure revealed by neutron diffraction, and that microdomains exist in which the GaO(4) tetrahedra show different orientations. It is argued that the bonding requirements of diamagnetic gallium control the electronic behavior within the perovskite-like bilayers.     

Thermodynamic Parameters for the Association of Fluorinated Benzenesulfonamides with Bovine Carbonic Anhydrase II

This paper describes a calorimetric study of the association of a series of seven fluorinated benzenesulfonamide ligands (C₆H_nF_5?nSO₂NH₂) with bovine carbonic anhydrase II (BCA). Quantitative structure–activity relationships between the free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of binding and pK_a and log P of the ligands allowed the evaluation of the thermodynamic parameters in terms of the two independent effects of fluorination on the ligand: its electrostatic potential and its hydrophobicity. The parameters were partitioned to the three different structural interactions between the ligand and BCA: the Zn^II cofactor–sulfonamide bond (≈65 % of the free energy of binding), the hydrogen bonds between the ligand and BCA (≈10 %), and the contacts between the phenyl ring of the ligand and BCA (≈25 %). Calorimetry revealed that all of the ligands studied bind in a 1:1 stoichiometry with BCA; this result was confirmed by ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography (for complexes with human carbonic anhydrase II).     

Butyl acrylate batch emulsion polymerization in the presence of sodium lauryl sulphate and potassium persulphate

The batch emulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate in the presence of sodium lauryl sulphate as emulsifier and potassium persulphate as initiator was investigated. The effects of emulsifier concentration, initiator concentration, and monomer/water ratio on the kinetic features were studied. The kinetic data showed that at the conditions studied, the number of particles is proportional to [KPS]^0.39 and [SLS]^0.54. The number of particles did not practically vary with monomer concentration at the high range of monomer and emulsifier concentrations. At low emulsifier concentration, particle coagulation occurred in the course of reaction, which increased with monomer concentration. Particle nucleation was found to occur during Interval III of the batch process if undissociated micelles exist. It was also confirmed that the zero-one kinetics system can better fit the experimental results, compared to the pseudobulk kinetics. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3957–3972, 1999