Carboxyl groups in pre-treated regenerated cellulose fibres

The influence of peroxide bleaching and slack-mercerization on the amount of acidic groups in regenerated fibres (viscose, modal and lyocell) were studied. Conductometric titration was used to determine the total content of acidic carboxylic groups. Polyelectrolyte titration was used for surface and total charge determination, and to obtain information about the charge distribution and accessibilities of charged groups. Changes in fibre crystallinity to pre-treatment processes were characterized using iodine sorption (Schwertassek method) and correlated to treatments and the amount of carboxylic groups. For all three types of fibres the amount of accessible carboxyl groups was lowered by an increase in the degree of crystallinity. Bleaching with hydrogen peroxide causes some oxidative cellulose damage and, therefore, a larger amount of carboxyl groups (presumably formed at the end of cellulose chains). Slack-mercerization did not significantly change the total amount of acidic groups in the fibres, but their accessibility to cationic polyelectrolytes, in particular to polymers with high molecular weight was substantially lowered. Lidija Fras Zemljič, Zdenka Peršin, and Karin Stana Kleinschek are the members of the European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence (EPNOE).     

Study on heterogeneous equilibria in saturated solutions of sparingly soluble diprotic acids

Heterogeneous equilibria in saturated solutions of sparingly soluble diprotic acids: 1,2-, 1,3- and 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid, and octanedioic acid, respectively, at ionic strengthI=1 (NaCl) and the temperature of 25 °C, have been investigated. The corresponding equilibrium constants were determined by the application of three independent methods: the formation function method, the method of protons bound to the acid in the solution and the solubility method. The results obtained by these three different methods are in good agreement.

---

Untersuchung heterogener Gleichgewichte in gesättigten Lösungen schwerlöslicher diprotischer Säuren

Zusammenfassung Es wurden die heterogene Gleichgewichte in gesättigten Lösungen schwerlöslicher diprotischer Säuren (Benzol-1,2-, -1,3- und-1,4-dicarbonsäuren und Oktandisäure) bei einer IonenstärkeI=1 (NaCl) und der Temperatur von 25 °C untersucht. Die entsprechende Gleichgewichtskonstanten wurden mit drei unabhängigen Methoden bestimmt: mit der Methode der Bildungsfunktion, der Methode der an die Säure in Lösung gebundenen Protonen, bzw. mit der Methode der Löslichkeitsbestimmung. Die erhaltenen Ergebnisse stehen in guter Übereinstimmung.

     

On some iteration functions for the simultaneous computation of multiple complex polynomial zeros

Second order methods for simultaneous approximation of multiple complex zeros of a polynomial are presented. Convergence analysis of new iteration formulas and an efficient criterion for the choice of the appropriate value of a root are discussed. A numerical example is given which demonstrates the effectiveness of the presented methods.     

Mesomorphic Properties of New 5-Alkyl-2-Pyrimidinols Esters

Abstract

A synthesis of a number of 5-alkyl-2-pyrimidinol esters was conducted, their mesomorphic properties were examined. Two ring esters of said pyrimidinols are nonmesomorphic, while three ring esters are typical mesogens, forming nematic either nematic-smectic mesophases.     

A study on the interaction of cationized chitosan with cellulose surfaces

This investigation describes the interaction of trimethyl chitosans (TMCs) with surfaces of cellulose thin films. The irreversible deposition/adsorption of TMCs with different degrees of cationization was studied with regards to the salt concentration and pH. As substrates, cellulose thin films were prepared by spin coating from trimethylsilyl cellulose and subsequent regeneration to pure cellulose. The pH-dependent zeta potential of cellulose thin films and the charge of TMCs were determined by streaming potential and potentiometric charge titration methods. A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring was further used as a nanogram sensitive balance to detect the amount of deposited TMCs and the swelling of the bound layers. The morphology of the coatings was additionally characterized by atomic force microscopy and related to the adsorption results. A lower degree of cationization leads to higher amounts of deposited TMCs at all salt concentrations. Higher amounts of salt increase the deposition of TMCs. Protonation of primary amino groups results in the immobilization of less material at lower pH values. The results from this work can further be extended to the modification of regenerated cellulosic materials to obtain surfaces, with amino- and trimethylammonium moieties.     

Vibrational Studies of Palladium(II) Acetate Compounds Ii. Infrared Spectra of the Diethylamine Adduct of Palladium(II) Acetate

Recorded and discussed are the infrared spectra of the diethylamine adduct of palladium(II) acetate. An empirical assignment of the spectra is proposed. The palladium-oxygen bonds in the adduct are not much different in strength from those in hexa-μ-acetato-triangulo-tripalladium(II)-water (2/1). The diethylanine molecules are present as such, as evidenced by the appearance of a rather strong band attributed to the N-H stretching vibrations.     

An efficient higher order family of root finders

A one parameter family of iterative methods for the simultaneous approximation of simple complex zeros of a polynomial, based on a cubically convergent Hansen–Patrick's family, is studied. We show that the convergence of the basic family of the fourth order can be increased to five and six using Newton's and Halley's corrections, respectively. Since these corrections use the already calculated values, the computational efficiency of the accelerated methods is significantly increased. Further acceleration is achieved by applying the Gauss–Seidel approach (single-step mode). One of the most important problems in solving nonlinear equations, the construction of initial conditions which provide both the guaranteed and fast convergence, is considered for the proposed accelerated family. These conditions are computationally verifiable; they depend only on the polynomial coefficients, its degree and initial approximations, which is of practical importance. Some modifications of the considered family, providing the computation of multiple zeros of polynomials and simple zeros of a wide class of analytic functions, are also studied. Numerical examples demonstrate the convergence properties of the presented family of root-finding methods.     

Design,Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Desmuramyl Dipeptides Modified by Adamantyl-1,2,3-triazole

Muramyl dipeptide (MDP) is the smallest peptidoglycan fragment able to trigger the immune response. Structural modification of MDP can lead to the preparation of analogs with improved immunostimulant properties, including desmuramyl peptides (DMPs). The aim of this work was to prepare the desmuramyl peptide (L-Ala-D-Glu)-containing adamantyl-triazole moiety and its mannosylated derivative in order to study their immunomodulatory activities in vivo. The adjuvant activity of the prepared compounds was evaluated in a murine model using ovalbumin as an antigen, and compared to the reference adjuvant ManAdDMP. The results showed that the introduction of the lipophilic adamantyl-triazole moiety at the C-terminus of L-Ala-D-Glu contributes to the immunostimulant activity of DMP, and that mannosylation of DMP modified with adamantyl-triazole causes the amplification of its immunostimulant activity.     

Preparation,Structural Properties and Thermal Isomerization of Hex‐3‐ene‐1,5‐diyne Bridged [2.2]Paracyclophanes

The [2.2]paracyclophane moiety is used as a spacer to connect the ends of a hex‐3‐ene‐1,5‐diyne unit, a π‐system that on thermolysis usually cycloaromatizes to a benzene ring (Bergman cyclization). For the preparation of the pseudo‐geminally‐bridged system 9 , the diacetylene 3 was chain‐extended to the diol 16 , which after conversion to the pseudo‐geminal dibromide 17 was ring‐closed by treatment with LiHMDS/HMPA to the [2.2]paracyclophane enediyne 9 . Whereas the McMurry coupling of the pseudo‐ortho bisaldehyde 24 resulted in the formation of the hexadienyne‐bridged cyclophane 27 , the pseudo‐ortho‐bridged hydrocarbon 11 was obtained by preparing first the diol 28 from 24 , converting the latter into the dioxolane 29 , which in the last step furnished the olefin 11 by treatment with Tf₂O/EtN(iPr)₂. The authentic Bergman product 10 of the pseudo‐gem‐bridged hexenediyne 9 was synthesized by a conventional sequence starting from the ethynyl formyl substrate 18 . Since the pseudo‐ortho‐enediyne‐bridged hydrocarbon 11 is thermally labile, its benzannelated derivate 34 was prepared. No classical Bergman cyclization reactions could be observed for any of the [2.2]paracyclophane‐bridged hexenediynes prepared here. In the pseudo‐gem‐series the fulvenes 14 and 15 were the only products that could be identified under thermal conditions (McMurry coupling); the benzannelated substrate 34 gave the benzofulvene‐bridged cyclophane 36 on photolysis. Bergman cyclizations yielding fulvene derivatives are extremely rare. The mechanism of the cyclization of 9 and 34 is discussed, using compliance constants. The structure assignments of the hydrocarbons synthesized in this study are based on spectroscopic studies as well as X‐ray structural analyses for 9 , 10 , 11 , 27 , and 34 .