Polysalt complexes of poly(crown ethers) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose

Insoluble polysalt complexes are formed on mixing aqueous solutions of poly(vinylbenzo-18-crown-6) (P18C6) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in the presence of certain salts. Potassium salts are especially effective, converting the neutral P18C6 into a polycation which then interacts with sodium CMC. Nearly quantitative precipitation can be achieved at low KCl concentration (ca. 0.005M) for a crown/carboxylate ratio of approximately 5, while for 0.1–0.2M KCl the precipitation is close to completion at a crown/CMC ratio of about 2. The precipitates solubilize again on addition of water or concentrated KCl. Precipitation also occurs with CsCl but not with NaCl. Potentiometric measurements were carried out to determine the complex formation constant of the three alkali ions to P18C6. Their values can be used to rationalize the observed phenomena. Charge equivalence appears to play an important role in the formation of the polysalt complexes.     

Allylation of erythromycin derivatives: introduction of allyl substituents into highly hindered alcohols

Functionalized erythromycin 9-oxime derivatives are 6-O-allylated under mild conditions using substituted allyl tert-butyl carbonates under palladium(0) catalysis. This allylation works well where traditional ether-forming protocols function poorly. Allyl tert-butyl carbonates provide higher yields in this reaction than lesser substituted carbonates such as ethyl or isopropyl. Aryl-substituted allyl carbonates or carbamates may be employed as well and, when used, produce trans-olefinic products.     

Effects of poly(2-vinylpyridine) as a template for the radical polymerization of methacrylic acid—II: Influence of initiator concentration

The polymerization of methacrylic acid along an atactic poly(2-vinylpyridine) template was studied by varying the initiator concentration, [I]₀. The concentrations of monomer and template were 0.4 M, the temperature 30°. Reaction rates were determined calorimetrically. The experimental results could be well described by a template polymerization model based on a modified mechanism omitting the requirement of a critical chain length of the oligomer radical prior to its association with the template. This view is in line with the existence of preferential adsorption of monomer by the template. In addition, the different ways of termination were also considered. By applying this kinetic model, the various radical concentrations and rate coefficients could be estimated. The termination rate coefficients for template associated polymer radicals appeared to be about 1000 times smaller than termination rate coefficient for non-associated radicals. Moreover, it was found that the initial polymerization rate has 0.26 order with respect to initiator, signifying a predominance of termination between template associated radicals over that between template associated and non-associated radicals (cross termination).     

Effect of chain length on the glyme-separated ion-pair formation in bolaform salts of α,ω-(9-fluorenyl)polymethylenes

Formation constants of tetraglyme (glyme 5) separated ion pairs of bolaform electrolytes of the type Na⁺,^–Fl(CH₂) _n Fl^–, Na⁺ (Fl^– denoting a fluorenyl carbanion) were measured spectrophotometrically in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and tetrahydropyran (THP) at 25°C as a function of the chain lengthn, withn=2, 3, 4, or 6. The ratiosK ₁/K ₂ of the first and second glyme ion-pair separation steps were found to be equal to the statistical factor 4 in all cases except in THP for the compoundn=2, where the ratio is 15. Values ofK ₁ as well as K ₂ increase considerably with chain length, the former by a factor 19 asn increases from 2 to 6. The ion-pair separation with glyme 5 is easier in THP than in THF. The results are discussed in terms of differences in external cation solvation and the possible involvement of cyclized structures or curled conformations as a result of interactions between the terminal ion pairs.     

Fluorescence of auramine O and its binding to poly(vinylbenzo-18-crown-6) and to polyvinylbenzoglyme in water

Binding of the cationic dye auramine O (AuO) to the polysoap-type polymers poly(vinylbenzo-18-crown-6) (P18C6) and polyvinylbenzoglyme (PVBG) in water were studied by fluorimetry and dialysis. The quantum yield of P18C6-bound AuO was found to be 0.028, the value being 0.018 for AuO bound to PVBG. The intrinsic binding constants were found to be 2.2 × 10⁴M^?1 (P18C6) and 1.2 × 10⁴M^?1 (PVBG), the respective first binding constants being 317 and 63M^?1. Addition of crown-ether-complexable cations such as K⁺, Tl⁺, or Cs⁺ converts the neutral poly(crown ether) into a polycation, causing repulsion of the cationic dye and a strong decrease in the AuO fluorescence. AuO fluorescence was also studied in the absence of polymer in ether solvents, giving θ values of 0.011 and 0.018 in THF and dioxane. Traces of water rapidly form a nonfluorescent species. Solutions of AuO in water without polymer present exhibit very strong fluorescence on addition of BPh₄ anions owing to formation of AuO⁺, BPh₄^? ion pairs and higher aggregates.     

A three-component Mannich-type reaction for selective tyrosine bioconjugation

A new selective bioconjugation reaction is described for the modification of tyrosine residues on protein substrates. The reaction uses imines formed in situ from aldehydes and electron-rich anilines to modify phenolic side chains through a Mannich-type electrophilic aromatic substitution pathway. The reaction takes place under mild pH and temperature conditions and can modify protein substrates at concentrations as low as 20 muM. Using an efficient fluorescence-based assay, we demonstrated the reaction using a number of aldehydes and protein targets. Importantly, proteins lacking surface-accessible tyrosines remained unmodified. It was also demonstrated that enzymatic activity is preserved under the mild reaction conditions. This strategy represents one of the first carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions for protein modification and provides an important complement to more commonly used lysine- and cysteine-based methods.     

Development of a microfluidic‐based assay on a novel nitrocellulose platform

A novel microfluidic paper‐based analytical device (μPAD) utilizing a nitrocellulose (NC) membrane to detect IgG antibodies through a colorimetric analysis is described. The μPAD was constructed using layered polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and pressure‐sensitive adhesives (PSA). The biotin labeled Goat Anti‐Mouse IgG antibody was spotted and dried on the NC channel prior to subjecting it to a series of wash solutions (Tris‐tween), increasing concentrations of alkaline phosphatase conjugated to streptavidin (Strep‐ALP), and para‐nitrophenyl phosphate (p‐NPP) realizing a vibrant yellow color. The reaction proceeds for 10 min before applying the p‐NPP stop solution. The device was then dried, scanned, and analyzed yielding a linear range of inverse yellow color intensities versus Strep‐ALP concentrations. The development of this simple μPAD should further facilitate the use of NC in colorimetric assays to detect and quantitate antibodies.     

Lower bounds for computing geometric spanners and approximate shortest paths

We consider the problems of constructing geometric spanners, possibly containing Steiner points, for a set of n input points in d-dimensional space , and constructing spanners and approximate shortest paths among a collection of polygonal obstacles on the plane. The complexities of these problems are shown to be Ω(n log n) in the algebraic computation tree model. Since O(n log n)-time algorithms are known for solving these problems, our lower bounds are tight up to a constant factor.     

On some geometric optimization problems in layered manufacturing

Efficient geometric algorithms are given for optimization problems arising in layered manufacturing, where a 3D object is built by slicing its CAD model into layers and manufacturing the layers successively. The problems considered include minimizing the stair-step error on the surfaces of the manufactured object under various formulations, minimizing the volume of the so-called support structures used, and minimizing the contact area between the supports and the manufactured object—all of which are factors that affect the speed and accuracy of the process. The stair-step minimization algorithm is valid for any polyhedron, while the support minimization algorithms are applicable only to convex polyhedra. The techniques used to obtain these results include construction and searching of certain arrangements on the sphere, 3D convex hulls, halfplane range searching, and constrained optimization.     

Crosslinked poly(ethylene oxide) for drug release systems

Three types of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)- based hydrogels have been synthesized and studied for drug release applications: γ-irradiated high molecular weight PEO, biodegradable polyether-polyester networks with malic acid as crosslinker of poly(ethylene glycol)s and amphiphilic PEO-based polyureas crosslinked with multifunctional isocyanates. Varying the length of the PEO chain and the type of the crosslinker, hydrogels with different swelling properties, loading capacities and release characteristics were obtained. A large number of pharmaceuticals (acebutolol. HCl, diclofenac. Na, procaine. HCl, phenobarbital.a, propranolol, etc.) were tested for a sustained release in different media (pH=1.2, 6.5, 7.4). Most of them # gave reasonable retarded release profiles for 8 hours when incorporated before the γ-irradiation crosslinking of PEO. While amphiphilic hydrogels were found to be suitable for hydrophobic solutes, the biodegradable PEO-based polyester ones affected predominantly the release of water-soluble drugs. No pH effect was found for the γ-irradiated PEO as a carrier in contrast to the strong pH dependence for the degradable polyester networks.