Thermally cleavable surfactants based on furan-maleimide Diels-Alder adducts

Two new surfactant molecules are reported that contain thermally labile Diels-Alder adducts connecting the hydrophilic and hydrophobic sections of each molecule. The two surfactants possess identical hydrophobic dodecyl tail segments but have phenol and carboxylic acid hydrophilic headgroups, respectively. Deprotonation with potassium hydroxide affords the formation of water-soluble surfactants. Room temperature aqueous solutions of both surfactants exhibit classical surface-active agent behavior similar to common analagous alkylaryl surfactant molecules. Critical micelle concentrations have been determined for each surfactant through dynamic surface tension and dye solubilization techniques. Small-angle neutron scattering measurements of the aqueous surfactant solutions indicate the presence of spherical micelles with radii of 16.5 angstroms for the carboxylate and 18.8 angstroms for the phenolate. When these surfactants are exposed to elevated temperatures (>50 degrees C), the retro Diels-Alder reaction occurs, yielding hydrophilic and hydrophobic fragments. Aqueous solutions of each surfactant subsequently exhibit a loss of all surface-active behavior and the micellar aggregates are no longer detectable.     

A novel method for the determination of stereochemistry in six-membered chairlike rings using residual dipolar couplings

A novel method for the determination of the relative stereochemistry of six-membered chairlike ring molecules by residual dipolar couplings is presented. C-H residual dipolar couplings were used to investigate the relative stereochemistry of 4,6-O-ethylidene-d-glucopyranose. For this and similar systems it is not necessary to acquire redundant dipolar couplings and to calculate the orientation order tensor. The presented methodology is a paradigmatic leap for the determination of the relative stereochemistry or remote stereochemistry in this kind of fused ring system. Residual dipolar coupling data were collected by 1D and 2D direct-measurement heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC) spectroscopy. It was demonstrated that direct measurement of HMQC was quick and accurate for small molecules at natural abundance.     

Volatile compounds from the integument of White Leghorn Chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus L.): candidate attractants of ornithophilic mosquito species

Candidate kairomones of ornithophilic mosquito species are reported from GC/MS analysis of compounds from the skin on the back, the feet, and feathers from the back of White Leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Hexane and ether extracts of chicken feathers differ significantly in attractiveness of Culex spp. mosquitoes. The active (hexane) extracts contained an abundance of alcohols, ketones, and diones. The inactive (ether) extracts contained aldehydes, which also were in the hexane extracts. Analysis of hexane extracts from chicken feet, skin, and feathers demonstrated the qualitative similarity in the compounds collected with subtle differences observed in the quantitative amounts of these compounds. Aldehydes and carboxylic acids were detected in a concentrated ether extract of feathers in quantitatively similar ratios within each compound class for the corresponding series of C(6)-C(9 )aldehydes and acids.     

One-pot eco-friendly oxidative synthesis of imine carboxymethyl dialdehyde cellulosic fibers

Cellulose - The quest to efficiently produce renewable and sustainable functional cellulosic products has prompted the development of an environmentally sensitive and cost-effective method to...     

Unambiguous assignment of trifluoromethylpyrazole regioisomers by 19F-15N correlation spectroscopy

Analysis of the 19F chemical shifts of trifluoromethylpyrazole regioisomers has shown that while chemical shift is in general a reliable predictor of regiochemistry in this series, there is a narrow chemical shift range in which the two isomers overlap and the regiochemistry cannot be assigned with certainty. We have examined the usage of 19F--15N correlation spectroscopy as a method to provide a second unambiguous confirmation of regiochemistry of 3- and 5-trifluoromethylpyrazole regioisomers. In the case of 3-trifluoromethyl analogs, one expects a three-bond coupling to the pyridine type nitrogen (N-2). In the case of the 5-trifluoromethyl pyrazole the situation is exactly reversed, with the fluorines of the trifluoromethyl moiety being 3-bonds from the pyrrole type nitrogen (N-1). We have observed that 3-trifluromethyl analogs follow the expected pattern of readily observable 3-bond coupling. However, 19F--15N couplings in 5-trifluromethyl analogs do not follow the normal pattern of 3-bond coupling. Using this information we have been able to develop unambiguous methods to distinguish the isomers.     

Colloidal deposition on remotely controlled charged micropatterned surfaces in a parallel-plate flow chamber

This article describes a method to influence colloid deposition by varying the zeta potential at microelectrodes with remotely applied electric potentials. Deposition experiments were conducted in a parallel-plate flow chamber for bulk substrates of glass, indium tin oxide (ITO), and ITO-coated glass microelectrodes in 10 and 60 mM potassium chloride solutions. Colloid deposition was found to be a function of solution chemistry and the small locally delivered electric surface potentials. Electric fields and physical surface heterogeneity can be ruled out as cause of the observed deposition. Results are reported using experimentally determined Sherwood numbers and compared to the predictions of a previously developed patch model. Minor deviations between predicted and experimental Sherwood numbers imply that physical and chemical interactions occur. Specifically, we propose that colloidal particles respond to local variations in surface potential through electrostatic interactions, altering particle streamlines flowing along the surface and ultimately the extent of deposition.     

Extremely strong tubular stacking of aromatic oligoamide macrocycles

As the third-generation rigid macrocycles evolved from progenitor 1, cyclic aromatic oligoamides 3, with a backbone of reduced constraint, exhibit extremely strong stacking with an astoundingly high affinity (estimated lower limit of K _dimer > 10¹³ M^–1 in CHCl₃), which leads to dispersed tubular stacks that undergo further assembly in solution. Computational study reveals a very large binding energy (–49.77 kcal mol^–1) and indicates highly cooperative local dipole interactions that account for the observed strength and directionality for the stacking of 3. In the solid-state, X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirms that the aggregation of 3 results in well-aligned tubular stacks. The persistent tubular assemblies of 3, with their non-deformable sub-nm pore, are expected to possess many interesting functions. One such function, transmembrane ion transport, is observed for 3.     

Local displacements and load transfer in shape memory alloy composites

Although there has been a significant amount of research dedicated to characterizing and modeling the response of shape memory alloys (SMAs) alone, little experimental work has been done to understand the behavior of SMAs embedded in a host material. The interaction between SMA wires and a host polymer matrix was investigated by correlating local displacements and stress fields induced by the embedded wires with SMA/polymer adhesion. Most SMA composite applications require transfer of strain from the wire to the matrix. In these applications, maximum interfacial adhesion between the SMA wire and the polymer matrix is most desirable. The adhesion was varied by considering four different surface treatments: untreated, acid etched, hand sanded and sandblasted. The average interfacial bond strength of the SMA wires embedded in an epoxy matrix was measured by standard pull out tests. Sandblasting significantly increased the bond strength, whereas hand sanding and acid cleaning actually reduced interface strength. In situ displacements of embedded, surface-treated SMA wires were measured using heterodyne interferometry, whereas the resulting stresses induced in the polymer matrix were investigated using photoelasticity. Increased wire adhesion resulted in lower axial wire displacement and higher interfacial stresses due to the restraining effect of the matrix on the actuated wire. A simplified theoretical analysis was carried out to estimate the shear stress induced in the matrix due to wire actuation. The maximum shear stress predicted for the case of a perfect interfacial bond was about 7 percent larger than the value measured experimentally for the sand-blasted wire.