Orientation of cellulose nanowhiskers in polyvinyl alcohol

The goal of this study was to align cellulose nanowhiskers in a polymer using a strong magnetic field and thereby obtain a unidirectional reinforced nanocomposite. Cellulose whiskers (2 wt. %) were incorporated in a polyvinyl alcohol matrix using solution casting with water as the solvent. The suspension was cast and the water was evaporated while a homogeneous magnetic field of 7 T was applied. Different microscopy investigations of prepared nanocomposites indicated that the cellulose whiskers were oriented perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis further strengthened the idea of alignment because the results showed that the dynamic modulus of the nanocomposite was around 2 GPa higher at room temperature in the aligned direction compared to the transverse direction. PACS 81.05.Lg; 81.05.Qk; 82.35.Np     

Expedient deuterolabeling of polyphenols in ionic liquids-DCl/D2O under microwave irradiation

Postsynthetic regioselective aromatic ring H/D exchanges in polyphenolic compounds are rapidly performed in high yields and isotopic purities in ionic liquid-DCl/D2O under microwave irradiation. Other C-H bonds, including benzylic and lactone alpha-carbonyl sites, are not affected.     

Rheological properties of nanocellulose suspensions: effects of fibril/particle dimensions and surface characteristics

The rheological properties of aqueous suspensions based on three different nanocelluloses were compared. One system was obtained via acid hydrolysis (thus yielding crystalline nanocellulose, CNC) and the other two from mechanical shearing, but from different origins and subjected to different pretreatments. Of the latter two, one was considered to be a rather typical cellulose nanofibril (CNF) suspension whereas the other was a kind of intermediate between CNF and CNC. All three nanocellulose elements differed in dimensions as evident from transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. With regard to the length of the fibrils/particles, the three nanocelluloses formed three distinct groups with lengths between 200 and slightly more than 800 nm. The three cellulosic elements were also subjected to a TEMPO-mediated oxidation yielding a similar carboxylate content in the three systems. Furthermore, the TEMPO-oxidized elements were grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The amount of grafted PEG was about 35 wt%. The shear viscosity, the storage modulus and the loss modulus of suspensions of the unmodified, the TEMPO-oxidized and the grafted nanocelluloses were determined at room temperature and the solids content of the suspensions was varied between 0.7 and 2.0 wt%. It was concluded that the rheological properties varied significantly between the suspensions depending on the dimensions of the cellulosic elements and their surface characteristics. In this context, the length (or the aspect ratio) of the particles played a very important role.     

Comparison of Experimental Strategies to Study l-Type Amino Acid Transporter 1 (LAT1) Utilization by Ligands

l-Type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), expressed abundantly in the brain and placenta and overexpressed in several cancer cell types, has gained a lot of interest in drug research and development, as it can be utilized for brain-targeted drug delivery, as well as inhibiting the essential amino acid supply to cancer cells. The structure of LAT1 is today very well-known and the interactions of ligands at the binding site of LAT1 can be modeled and explained. However, less is known of LAT1′s life cycle within the cells. Moreover, the functionality of LAT1 can be measured by several different methods, which may vary between the laboratories and make the comparison of the results challenging. In the present study, the usefulness of indirect cis-inhibition methods and direct cellular uptake methods and their variations to interpret the interactions of LAT1-ligands were evaluated. Moreover, this study also highlights the importance of understanding the intracellular kinetics of LAT1-ligands, and how they can affect the regular function of LAT1 in critical tissues, such as the brain. Hence, it is discussed herein how the selected methodology influences the outcome and created knowledge of LAT1-utilizing compounds.     

Optimization of the isolation of nanocrystals from microcrystalline cellulose by acid hydrolysis

The objective of this work was to find a rapid, high-yield process to obtain an aqueous stable colloid suspension of cellulose nanocrystals/whiskers. Large quantities are required since these whiskers are designed to be extruded into polymers in the production of nano-biocomposites. Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), derived from Norway spruce (Picea abies), was used as the starting material. The processing parameters have been optimized by using response surface methodology. The factors that varied during the process were the concentration of MCC and sulfuric acid, the hydrolysis time and temperature, and the ultrasonic treatment time. Responses measured were the median size of the cellulose particles/whiskers and yield. The surface charge as calculated from conductometric titration, microscopic examinations (optical and transmission electron microscopy), and observation of birefringence were also investigated in order to determine the outcome (efficiency) of the process. With a sulfuric acid concentration of 63.5% (w/w), it was possible to obtain cellulose nanocrystals/whiskers with a length between 200 and 400 nm and a width less than 10 nm in approximately 2 h with a yield of 30% (of initial weight).     

Electron ionization (EI) mass spectra of exo-endo double-bond isomers of polycyano "push-pull" pentadienes derived from cycloalkylidene malonic acid derivatives

The title compounds, which exist in solutions as mixtures of exo/endo double bond isomers due to the "push-pull" effect of the electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents, were studied by mass-spectrometric methods. Their fragmentation routes under electron impact were established and confirmed by metastable ion analysis and accurate mass measurements. The results demonstrated that the relative amounts of exo/endo isomeric molecular ions are in close agreement with the isomeric ratios observed in solutions by the NMR, although the mass spectra of the tetracyano derivatives indicated a small fraction of molecular ions existing in the endo form, which could not be detected in solution by the NMR methods.     

Stability of crown-ether complexes with alkali-metal ions in ionic liquid-water mixed solvents

Stability constants of sodium and cesium ion complexes with 18-crown-6 (18C6) and dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) in N-butyl-4-methyl-pyridinium tetrafluoroborate [BMP][BF₄] aqueous solutions were measured using the ²³Na and ¹³³Cs NMR technique at 23 °C. To the best of our knowledge, the estimated values of stability constants reported in this study are the first such values given for ionic liquid solutions. The cationic exchange between the free and complexed species is rapid, and only formation of the 1:1 complexes [M(18C6)]⁺ and [M(DB18C6)]⁺ (M = Na⁺, Cs⁺) were observed. The complex formation constants demonstrated a strong dependence on the [BMP][BF₄] concentration. For [M(18C6)]⁺, in solutions with a 0.33–0.70 mole fraction of water in [BMP][BF₄], lg K values are found to be more than one unit higher than the lg K values measured in pure aqueous solutions, although no information concerning the influence of [BMP][BF₄] on the complex formation selectivity could be observed. DB18C6 complexes revealed significantly lower stability under the same conditions. An extrapolation to zero water content gave the lg K = 2.42 for [Cs(18C6)]⁺ in [BMP][BF₄]. It was discovered that when added to water, [BMP][BF₄] increases the solubility of crown ethers and decreases the solubility of alkali metal nitrates. Complex formation with crown ethers enhances the solubility of alkali metal salts in [BMP][BF₄].     

Stereochemistry and rearrangement reactions of hydroxylignanolactones

Various conflicting data on the rearrangement and absolute stereochemistry of hydroxylignano-9,7'-lactones are resolved using 18O labeled compounds, also confirmed by an X-ray analysis of a pure lignano-9,7'-lactone enantiomer, obtained for the first time. Under NaH/DMF rearrangement conditions a silyl protected hydroxylignano-9,9'-lactone underwent an unexpected silyl migration.     

High-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry for characterization of enzymatic degradation of 2,2'-bis(2-oxazoline)-linked poly-epsilon-caprolactone

This paper describes a straightforward and rapid on-line characterization using high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS(n)) of the enzymatic degradation products of 2,2'-bis(2-oxazoline)-linked poly-epsilon-caprolactone (PCL-O). These new PCL-O polymers are expected to be used in a variety of pharmaceutical and biomedical applications since they are degraded enzymatically by surface erosion. PCL-O was polymerized in a three-step reaction and characterized by (1)H-NMR and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). Solvent cast polymer films were exposed to enzymatic degradation in phosphate buffer (pH 7.5, 1% pancreatin). The enzymatic degradation of the polymer produced a wide variety of water-soluble oligomers which were separated and identified by HPLC/ESI-MS(n). Optimization of the gradient HPLC method resulted in effective separation of the oligomers. Furthermore, specific structures of the oligomers were clearly identified by tandem mass spectrometry. According to these results, ester bonds seem to be most sensitive to enzymatic degradation and, correspondingly, pancreatic lipase seems to be mainly responsible for the enzymatic erosion of the PCL-O films. This novel mass spectrometric method provides important knowledge about the enzymatic degradation process and structure of the polymer which is difficult to ascertain by other conventional methods.