Poly(ester amide)/clay nanocomposites prepared by in situ polymerization of the sodium salt of N‐chloroacetyl‐6‐aminohexanoic acid

Preparation of nanocomposites of organo‐modified montmorillonites and the biodegradable poly(ester amide) derived from glycolic acid and 6‐aminohexanoic acid has been evaluated by the in situ polymerization technique. The reaction was based on the thermal polycondensation of sodium chloroacetylaminohexanoate, which has the formation of the sodium chloride salt as the driving force of the process. Polymerized samples were studied by means of X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The most dispersed structure was obtained by addition of C25A organoclay. Evaluation of thermal stability and crystallization behavior of these samples showed significant differences between the neat polymer and its nanocomposite with C25A. Isothermal and nonisothermal calorimetric analyses of the polymerization reaction revealed that the kinetics was highly influenced by the presence of the silicate particles. Crystallization of the polymer was observed to occur when the process was isothermally conducted at temperatures lower than 145 °C. In this case, dynamic FTIR spectra and WAXD profiles obtained with synchrotron radiation were essential to study the polymerization kinetics. Clay particles seemed to reduce chain mobility and the Arrhenius preexponential factor. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3616–3629, 2009     

Asymmetric synthesis of (R)- and (S)-4-methyloctanoic acids. A new route to chiral fatty acids with remote stereocenters

The enantioselective synthesis of both enantiomers of 4-methyloctanoic acid, one major aggregation pheromone component of the rhinoceros beetles of the genus Oryctes and an important aroma compound, is described. The key step of the synthesis is based on a stereospecific alkylation with an alcohol-protected alkyl iodide using a pseudoephedrine derivative as a chiral auxiliary followed by subsequent removal of the auxiliary. Both enantiomers are obtained in excellent yields and enantioselectivities (93–94% ee). The strategy outlined allows preparation of a wide variety of enantiopure methyl-branched saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.     

Crystallization kinetics of PGBG4: A sequential poly(ester amide) derived from glycine, 1,4‐butanediol,and adipic acid

Isothermal crystallization kinetics of a new sequential poly(ester amide) derived from glycine, 1,4‐butanediol, and adipic acid was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. The Avrami analysis was performed to obtain the kinetic parameters of primary and secondary crystallization. The experimental data indicate a heterogeneous nucleation with spherical growth geometry for the primary crystallization, whereas a linear growth within formed spherulites is characteristic of the last crystallization stages. The Lauritzen–Hoffman analysis was also undertaken to determine the different crystallization regimes, having estimated the corresponding nucleation constants. Temperature dependence of the normalized crystallization‐rate constants was tested with different theoretical equations. These allow an estimation of a temperature close to 90 °C for the maximum crystallization rate. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 903–912, 2003     

Determination of mandelic acid enantiomers in urine by derivatization in supercritical carbon dioxide prior to their determination by gas chromatography

The use of a supercritical carbon dioxide reaction medium for the determination of the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of mandelic acid (MA) is proposed. The process involves a previous derivatization step under supercritical conditions by which the carboxyl group is esterified with methanol, then followed by acylation of the hydroxyl group in methyl MA with pentafluoropropionic anhydride in the absence of a catalyst. These derivatization steps cause no enantiomeric inversion. The derivatized enantiomers are extracted and quantified by gas chromatography. A BETA DEX 225 capillary column allows the separation of (R)-MA and (S)-MA as pentafluoropropionyl methyl esters with good resolution and precision. The overall method was used to determine both enantiomers in urine samples.     

Enhanced melt strength and stretching of linear low-density polyethylene extruded under strong slip conditions

The influence of extrusion under strong slip conditions on the extensional properties of linear low-density polyethylene was studied in this work. The material was extruded at two different temperatures under strong slip and no slip conditions, and was subsequently subjected to uniaxial elongational flow by means of a Rheotens device. Strong slip was evident through the elimination of sharkskin distortions and the stick-slip instability, as well as by the electrification of the extrudates. The extrudate swell was smaller in the presence of slip when comparing with no slip conditions at constant apparent shear rate, but it was found to be a unique function of the shear stress if comparison was performed at constant stress. The draw ratio and melt strength of the filaments obtained under slip conditions were larger compared to those without slip. In addition, draw resonance was postponed to higher draw ratios during the extrusion with strong slip at constant apparent shear rate. It is suggested that slip of the polymer at the die wall decreases the shear stress in the bulk, and therefore, restricts the disentanglement and orientation of macromolecules during flow, which subsequently produces the increase in draw ratio and melt strength during stretching.     

The Application of GC–MS and Chemometrics to Categorize the Feeding Regime of Iberian Pigs in Spain

GC–MS and chemometric analysis of subcutaneous fat has been studied to classify three different feeding regimes of Iberian pigs. Nineteen fatty acids present in 57 fat samples were identified and quantified. Principal component analysis was employed for the preliminary study of the data structure. Discriminant analysis was used to classify samples into the three categories on the basis of the fatty acid profiles. Using a leave-one-out cross-validation procedure, only one fat sample from a pig fed with commercial feed, which simulated the fatty acid profile from free range animals, was incorrectly classified as having been fed on acorns and pasture. Using external validation, all of the samples were correctly classified. The most decisive fatty acids for distinguishing between groups, when using discriminant analysis were C16:1, C18:1, C17:0 and C18:0 for the first discriminant function, and C18:3, C14:0, C15:0, C22:0, C16:1 and C22:1 for the second discriminant function, ordered from the highest to the lowest coefficient. Some of the fatty acids important in distinguishing between groups are not the ones used by Spanish legislation to classify pigs in the different feeding categories. The results in this paper demonstrate the potential of statistical data treatment in the classification of animal feeding regimes.     

Decanedioic Acid (C10H18O4)/Dodecanedioic Acid (C12H22O4) System: Polymorphism of the Components and Experimental Phase Diagram

The experimental temperature/composition phase diagram of the binary system decanedioic acid (C₁₀H₁₈O₄)/dodecanedioic acid (C₁₂H₂₂O₄) was established by combining X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential‐scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermo‐optical microscopy (TOM). Both compounds crystallize in the same ordered form, C (P2₁/c), which is the phase that melts in both cases. The C form melts in C₁₂H₂₂O₄ earlier than in C₁₀H₁₈O₄, in contrast to other unbranched‐chain compounds (alkanes, alkanols, and alkanoic acids) in which the melting temperatures increase as the C‐atom number rises. Contrary to what might be expected, total solid‐state miscibility is not observed. The C₁₀H₁₈O₄/C₁₂H₂₂O₄ binary system shows a complex phase diagram. At low temperatures, a new monoclinic form, C_i (P2₁/c), stabilizes as a result of the disorder of composition in the mixed samples; two [C+C_i] domains appear. Upon heating, four solid–solid and seven solid–liquid domains appear related by eutectic and peritectic invariants. All the crystallographic forms observed are isostructural.     

Photocatalysis within hyperbranched polyethers with a benzophenone core

Quenching and product studies have been performed to demonstrate the suitability of hyperbranched polyethers with a tetrafunctionalized benzophenone core as photocatalysts. The triplet photosensitized transformation of an unsaturated diazo compound has been used as the model reaction. The polymer with highest molecular weight led to a similar product distribution even after several catalytic cycles, which evidences its excellent photostability under prolonged irradiation time. We attribute this to the stabilizing effect of the hyperbranched polymer shell.