Kinetics of the radical scavenging activity of beta-carotene-related compounds

To clarify the non-enzymatic radical-scavenging activity of beta-carotene-related compounds and other polyenes, we used differential scanning calorimetry to study the kinetics of radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) by 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) or benzoyl peroxide (BPO) in the absence or presence of polyenes under nearly anaerobic conditions at 70 degrees C, and analyzed the results with an SAR approach. The polyenes studied were all-trans retinol, retinol palmitate, calciferol, beta-carotene and lycopene. Polyenes produced a small induction period. The stoichiometric factor (n) (i.e. the number of radicals trapped by each inhibitor molecule) of polyenes was close to 0. Tetraterpenes (beta-carotene, lycopene) suppressed significantly more of the initial rate of polymerization (R(inh)) than did diterpenes (retinol, retinol palmitate). The inhibition rate constants (k(inh)) for the reaction of beta-carotene with AIBN- or BPO-derived radicals were determined to be 1.2-1.6x10(5) l/mol s, similar to published values. A linear relationship between (k(inh)) and the kinetic chain length (KCL) for polyenes was observed; as (k(inh)) increased, KCL decreased. KCL also decreased significantly as the number of conjugated double bonds in the polyenes increased. Polyenes, particularly beta-carotene and lycopene, acted as interceptors of growing poly-MMA radicals.     

Time-resolved infrared spectroscopic study of the orientation behavior of liquid crystalline molecules in the presence of an electric field

Time-resolved Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy is used to follow the changes induced by electric field in molecular orientation of a 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) liquid crystal. At an electric field strength greater than 600 V cm^?1, the long axis of a 5CB molecule orientates to the direction of the electric field. The orientation function, however, saturates at a field strength greater than 1000 V cm^?1. The relaxation time of the rise amd decay processes was in the range of 0.04–0.24 s and a decreased with increasing field strength. The orientation/relaxation process is discussed on the basis of the motion of liquid crystal domains.     

Sulfur-containing polymers. X. Aromatic poly(sulfenyl thiocarbonates)

Aromatic poly(sulfenyl thiocarbonates) have been synthesized by the interfacial polycondensation of bis(dithiocarbonyl chlorides) with bisphenols. Bisphenols having the hydroxyl groups on separate rings gave polymers in high yields. The inherent viscosities of the polymers ranged from 0.22 to 0.51. In general, they were soluble in chloroform, sym-tetrachloroethane, hexamethylphosphoramide, m-cresol, and dimethylformamide and formed transparent tough films on evaporation of chloroform solutions. Almost all of the polymers were amorphous and gave melt-spun fibers. The polymer films decomposed upon ultraviolet irradiation with liberation of carbonyl sulfide.     

Poly(diacetylene)-nanofibers can be fabricated through photo-irradiation using natural polysaccharide schizophyllan as a one-dimensional mold

Schizophyllan interacts with various 1,4-diphenylbutadiyne derivatives to induce their chirally-twisted packing. A series of referential experiments using other polysaccharides (amylose, pullulan, dextran, etc.) and a carbohydrate-appended detergent (dodecyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside) indicates that these 1,4-diphenylbutadiyne derivatives are accommodated within a tubular cavity constructed by a helical superstructure of schizophyllan. In these 1,4-diphenylbutadiyne derivatives, 1,4-bis(p-propionamidophenyl)butadiyne can be easily polymerized through UV-irradiation, in which schizophyllan acts as a one-dimensional mold to produce the corresponding poly(diacetylene)s with fibrous morphologies. Detailed investigations on this unique approach to prepare the nanofibers revealed that it includes two individual processes, that is, 1) UV-mediated polymerization of encapsulated 1,4-bis(p-propionamidophenyl)butadiyne to produce immature nanofibers and 2) their reorganization through hydrophobic interfiber interactions into ordered nanofibers. The other 1,4-diphenylbutadiyne derivatives could not be polymerized through UV-irradiation, indicating that the p-propionamido-functionalities play substantial roles for a suitable packing of the monomer for the polymerization. The other 1,4-diphenylbutadiyne derivatives, however, can be also polymerized through gamma-ray irradiation in the presence of schizophyllan to give the corresponding poly(diacetylene)-nanofibers, emphasizing the wide applicability of the schizophyllan-based strategy for polymerization of various 1,4-diphenylbutadiyne derivatives.     

Novel synthesis of N-alkyl-3,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine-2,5-diones: Condensation of α-oxoketene O,N-acetals and maleic anhydride

A novel method for the synthesis of N-alkyl-3-acyl-4-alkoxycarbonylmethylpyrrolidine-2,5-diones (3) was accomplished. α-Oxoketene O,N-acetals (1) reacted with maleic anhydride (2) at 80–110 °C for 5 h without solvent to give 3 in moderate to good yield (36–74%). Single X-ray crystallographic analysis showed that the two substituents on C-3 and C-4 were trans.     

Lewis Base Catalyzed Aldol Reaction of Trimethylsilyl Enolates with Aldehydes

A new Lewis base catalyzed aldol reaction of trimethylsilyl enolates with aldehydes is established in DMF or pyridine solvent by using a Lewis base such as lithium diphenylamide (Tables 4 and 5) or lithium 2‐pyrrolidone (Tables 6–8). The effect of solvent suggests that this reaction proceeds via the pentacoordinated hypervalent silicate generated by the coordination of the above Lewis base to a trimethylsilyl enolate. Successive coordination of the solvent to the thus‐formed pentacoordinated silicate leads to an active enolate intermediate having hexacoordinated silicate, which, in turn, attacks carbonyl compounds to form the desired aldols (Scheme 5).     

Preparation of Amberlite XAD resins coated with dithiosemicarbazone compounds and preconcentration of some metal ions

The Amberlite XAD resins coated with dithiosemicarbazones were prepared and their collection behavior of metal ions from aqueous solution was investigated. Among the resins used, the reagent-loaded Amberlite XAD-7 was found to be superior for the collection of metal ions to other reagent-loaded resins used. The quantitative collection of mercury(II), palladium(II) and copper(II) was obtained from acidic medium, while cadmium(II) and lead(II) was obtained from neutral medium by the Amberlite XAD-7 resin coated with dimethylglyoxal bis(4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazone) (DMBS). These metal ions collected on the resin were easily eluted with a small volume of N,N-dimethylformamide as their DMBS chelates. This collection-elution method was applied to the determination of their metal ions by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with a spectrophotometric detection.     

A novel synthetic method for optically active terpenes by the ring-opening reaction of (R)-(+)-β-methyl-β-propiolactone

Optically active terpene such as (R)-(+)-citronellol, (R)-(+)-pulegone or (S)-ar-turmerone is prepared in high enantiomeric excess from an intermediate, (R)-(+)-citronellic acid or (S)-(+)-3-p-tolylbutyric acid, which is easily prepared by the Sn2 type of ring opening reaction of (R)-(+)-β-methyl-β-propiolactone with homoprenylmagnesium bromide in the presence of a copper(I) salt or di-p-tolylcuprate.     

Measurement of temperature and velocity fields in a heater unit by liquid crystal thermometry and particle image velocimetry

Temperature and velocity fields in a heating unit for automobiles are measured through a model experiment in water tunnel using flow visualizations and image analysis to investigate the mixing mechanism of the flow that has passed through the heater and not passed through it inside the unit. The temperature fields are measured by the liquid crystal visualization technique combined with the field calibration using full color spline fitting technique, and the velocity fields are evaluated by a particle imaging technique with a cross-correlation algorithm. These results indicate an enhanced flow mixing at larger mix-door angles, which results in a shorter mixing distance of temperature and velocity downstream of the mix door. The enhanced flow mixing is caused by the high velocity fluctuations created by the flow separation over the mix door.     

Preparation of non-contact ordered array of polystyrene colloidal particles by using a metallic thin film of fused hemispheres

A thin metallic bilayer consists of fused hollow hemispheres of 930 nm in diameter is fabricated by sputter deposition of Ti and Fe at 50 and 5 nm of thickness, respectively, onto an array of spherical polystyrene colloidal particles. The fused metal hemispheres are utilized to assemble polystyrene colloidal particles of smaller diameters (800 nm) into non-contact two-dimensional periodic array by trapping them in the metallic wells.