Thermal Analysis of Ionizing Radiation Effects on Recycled Polyamide-6

The aim of this work is to study the ionizing radiation effects on thermal properties of there cycled polyamide-6. This polymer was irradiated with an electron beam of 1.5 MeV with different doses. The thermal properties of the samples were determined by TG, DSC and DMA measurements. It was observed that the irradiated samples of recycled polyamide-6undergo a crosslinking process. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Aminomethylation of organic halides promoted by zinc in protic medium

Organic halides undergo smooth aminomethylation by secondary amines and aqueous formaldehyde promoted by metallic zinc under copper(I) catalysis. Good to excellent yields are obtained with primary, secondary, and tertiary iodides, allylic, propargylic, and benzylic bromides and with α-bromoesters. In most cases, DMSO is the best solvent, but dioxane is preferable for some more reactive halides. Additional experiments with radical quenchers and promoters and the use of ‘radical clocks’ indicate a stepwise reaction mechanism initiated by the attack of an alkyl radical to iminium ion.     

Experimental and modeling study of the oxidation of toluene

This paper describes an experimental and modeling study of the oxidation of toluene. The low‐temperature oxidation was studied in a continuous flow stirred tank reactor with carbon‐containing products analyzed by gas chromatography under the following experimental conditions: temperature from 873 to 923 K, 1 bar, fuel equivalence ratios from 0.45 to 0.91, concentrations of toluene from 1.4 to 1.7%, and residence times ranging from 2 to 13 s corresponding to toluene conversion from 5 to 85%. The ignition delays of toluene–oxygen–argon mixtures with fuel equivalence ratios from 0.5 to 3 were measured behind reflected shock waves for temperatures from 1305 to 1795 K and at a pressure of 8.7 ± 0.7 bar. A detailed kinetic mechanism has been proposed to reproduce our experimental results, as well as some literature data obtained in other shock tubes and in a plug flow reactor. The main reaction paths have been determined by sensitivity and flux analyses. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 37: 25–49, 2005     

Evaluation of sample processing and sub-sampling performance

A methodology for the estimation of sample processing and sub-sampling performance based on the comparison of the global method experimental dispersion of results with the uncertainty estimated from developed models for the subsequent analytical steps is presented. This approach is a valuable alternative to the evaluation of adequate experimental information using a classical ANOVA, since the significance of the sample processing and sub-sampling is evaluated with a higher number of degrees of freedom for the same number of experimental assays, due to the high number of degrees of freedom associated with the uncertainty estimated for the subsequent analytical steps from the combination of the involved sources of uncertainty.Considering the construction of a model to describe the performance of the analytical steps following sample processing and sub-sampling over a broad concentration range, the experimental assays involved at the evaluation of the sample processing and sub-sampling can be performed at any concentration meeting the previously validated range and several months after the development of that model once its adequacy has been proven over time.This approach, which also allows the construction of a detailed performance model for the global analytical method over a broad concentration range, was applied to the determination of pesticide residues in apples by gas-chromatography with electron capture detector.Considering that no information was available regarding the samples heterogeneity, sub-sampling performance was evaluated considering a sample representing the worst expectable homogeneity. This was accomplished by spiking just one out of the 10 halves of apples processed in each sample.The developed model for the performance of the analytical method was successfully and easily applied to routine analysis through an automated link between the information generated by the chromatograph software with a file containing the model.     

Azeotropic behaviour of (benzene + cyclohexane + chlorobenzene) ternary mixture using chlorobenzene as entrainer at 101.3 kPa

In this paper, the azeotropic behaviour of the (benzene + cyclohexane + chlorobenzene) ternary mixture was experimentally investigated with the aim of enhancing the knowledge for the feasible use of chlorobenzene as an entrainer for the azeotropic distillation of the binary azeotrope. Such a study has not been reported in the literature to the best of the authors’ knowledge. (Vapour + liquid) equilibria data for (benzene + cyclohexane + chlorobenzene) at 101.3 kPa were obtained with a Othmer-type ebulliometer. Data were tested and considered thermodynamically consistent. The experimental results showed that this ternary mixture is completely miscible and exhibits an unique binary homogeneous azeotrope, an unstable node at the conditions studied, and the propitious topological characteristics (residual curve map and relative volatility) to be separated. Satisfactory results were obtained for the correlation of equilibrium compositions with the UNIQUAC activity coefficients model and also for prediction with the UNIFAC method. In both cases, low root mean square deviations of the vapour mole fraction and temperature were calculated. The capability of chlorobenzene as a modified distillation agent at atmospheric condition is discussed in terms of the thermodynamic topological analysis. A conceptual distillation scheme with reversed volatility is proposed to separate the azeotropic mixture. In order to reduce the operational cost requirements of the sequence of columns proposed, the range for optimal reflux and the ratio for feed flow conditions were studied.     

Small angle X-ray scattering study of chiral side chain liquid crystalline polymers in 5CB and 8CB solvents

Small angle X-ray scattering was used to examine the new chiral side chain liquid crystalline polyacrylates (P_4M and P_11M) and their mixtures (2 wt %) in the low molar mass nematogenics 4'-n-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) and 4'-octyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (8CB). Complementary data were obtained by polarizing optical microscopy. In agreement with previous studies, the mesophases of the bulk polymers show a dependence on the aliphatic spacers linking the mesogenic units to the polymer backbone. Chiral nematic and smectic A₁ phases were observed for the polyacrylates with four (P_4M) and eleven (P_11M) methylene units as spacers, respectively. In solution with 5CB and 8CB, P_4M exhibits an injected smectic phase, whereas P_11M maintains the smectic arrangement already observed in the bulk, with swollen smectic layers. In all the mixtures, layer stability was found to depend on the liquid crystal used as solvent, as well as on the temperature. At temperatures corresponding to the nematic 5CB and 8CB, the coexistence of two mesophases was observed in the mixtures. Moreover, with the liquid crystal solvents in the isotropic phase, microstructures suspended in the solvent matrix containing the liquid crystalline polymer in the smectic arrangement were detected.     

Porphyrins in Diels-Alder reactions. Improvements on the synthesis of barrelene-fused chlorins using microwave irradiation

The microwave irradiation technique was applied to the Diels-Alder reaction of tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin with pentacene and naphthacene. Both reactions proceed within minutes to afford the corresponding monoadducts in 83% and 23% yield, respectively. When compared with the yields obtained under classical heating (22% and no reaction, respectively), this represents an impressive improvement of these reactions. Bisadducts (bacteriochlorins and isobacteriochlorins) are also obtained in the reaction with pentacene; these compounds are not formed under classical heating.     

Polylactide compositions. II. Correlation between morphology and main properties of PLA/calcium sulfate composites

Starting from calcium sulfate (gypsum) as fermentation by‐product of lactic acid production process, high performance composites have been produced by melt‐blending polylactide (PLA, L/D isomer ratio of 96:4) and β‐anhydrite II (AII) filler, that is, calcium sulfate hemihydrate previously dehydrated at 500 °C. Characterized by attractive mechanical and thermal properties due to good filler dispersion throughout the polyester matrix, these composites are interesting for potential use as biodegradable rigid packaging. Physical characterization of selected composites filled with 20 and 40 wt % AII has been performed and compared to processed unfilled PLA with similar amorphous structure. State of dispersion of the filler particles and interphase characteristic features have been investigated using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Addition of AII did not decrease PLA thermal stability as revealed by thermogravimetry analyses (TGA) and allowed reaching a slight increase of PLA crystallizability during melt crystallization and upon heating from the glassy, amorphous state (DSC). It was found by thermomechanical measurements (DMTA) that the AII filler increased pronouncedly storage modulus (E′) of the composites in comparison with PLA in a broad temperature range. The X‐ray investigations showed stable/unchanged crystallographic structure of AII during processing with molten PLA and in the composite system. The notable thermal and mechanical properties of PLA–AII composites are accounted for by the good filler dispersion throughout the polyester matrix confirmed by morphological studies, system stability, and favorable interactions between components. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2770–2780, 2007     

Integrated cavity output spectroscopy measurements of NO levels in breath with a pulsed room-temperature QCL

A cavity-enhanced spectrometer is developed for detection of exhaled nitric oxide in human breath. A thermoelectrically cooled, pulsed, quantum cascade laser, coupled to a high-finesse cavity, is used for trace-gas measurements. The trace-gas analyzer operates at 5.2 microns and utilizes integrated cavity output spectroscopy. Effective optical path lengths of 1.5 km are achieved in a 50-cm-length cell with a sample volume of 60 mL. The instrument is also capable of simultaneously measuringCO2 concentration in exhaled breath. Measurements were performed on human breath samples as well as simulated breath samples. Here we report a detection limit of ≤ 1 ppbv in 4 s for NO in human breath samples.