Some aspects of graft polymerization of vinyl monomers onto cellulose with the use of tetravalent cerium. V

The presence of occluded air lowers the ceric consumption between the beginning and end of the reaction time, decreases the grafting parameters, and increases the copper number. Grafting reactions carried out in presence of organic solvents show parameters that are lower than those obtained when the reactions are carried out in water. Solvents with high chain-transfer constants cause a marked decrease in the yield relative to the solvents of low chain-transfer constants. Conversion percentages are similarly influenced. However, the donor alcohols enhance polymer formation with the acceptor monomers; this is attributed to the ability of ceric salt solution to oxidize alcohol and hence initiate polymerization reaction. Scavenging of the free radicals by certain alcohols and competition between alcohol and cellulose for the ceric consumption are responsible for the low grafting yields achieved. The order of reactivity of monomers may change when solvents are used; it follows the relative differences in the chaintransfer constant of solvent with the different monomers. Pseudografting and complex formation, when they occur, interfere with the results achieved.     

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography purification of methyl esters of C(16)-C(28) polyunsaturated fatty acids in microalgae, including octacosaoctaenoic acid [28:8(n-3)

A preparative reversed-phase (RP; C(18)) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with gradient elution using acetonitrile (MeCN)-chloroform (CHCl(3)) (or dichloromethane (DCM)) and evaporative light-scattering detection (ELSD) with automatic multiple injection and fraction collection was used to purify milligram quantities of microalgal polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), separated as methyl esters (ME). PUFA-ME purified included methyl esters of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6(n-3)), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5(n-3)) and the unusual very long-chain (C(28)) highly unsaturated fatty acid (VLC-HUFA), octacosaoctaenoic acid [28:8(n-3)(4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25)] from the marine dinoflagellate Scrippsiella sp. CS-295/c. Other PUFA purified from various microalgae using this RP-HPLC method to greater than 95% purity included 16:3(n-4), 16:4(n-3), 16:4(n-1) and 18:5(n-3). The number of injections required was variable and depended on the abundance of the desired PUFA-ME, and resolution from closely eluting PUFA-ME, which determined the maximum loading. The purity of these fatty acids was determined by electron impact (EI) GC-MS and the chain length and location of double bonds was determined by EI GC-MS of 4,4-dimethyl oxazoline (DMOX) derivatives formed using a low temperature method. Advantages over silver-ion HPLC for purifying PUFA-ME is that separation occurs according to chain length as well as degree of unsaturation enabling separation of PUFA-ME with the same degree of unsaturation but different chain length (i.e. between 18:5(n-3) and 20:5(n-3)). In addition, PUFA-ME are not strongly adsorbed, but elute earlier than their more saturated corresponding FAME of the same chain length. This method is robust, simple, and requires only a short re-equilibration time. It is a useful tool for preparing milligram quantities of pure PUFA-ME for bioactive screening (as free fatty acids), although many multiple injections may be required for minor PUFA-ME. It also enabled dose-response and structure-activity studies to be carried out. It can be used for the enrichment of low levels of VLC-HUFA-ME to facilitate elucidation of their chemical structure and so is a useful adjunct to EI GC-MS of DMOX derivatives and other techniques such as NMR, which requires milligram quantities of purified compounds.     

Crystallization kinetics of PHB/PVAc blends using time resolved dielectric spectroscopy

Crystallization kinetics of poly(hydroxy butyrate), PHB, and its blends with poly(vinyl acetate), PVAc, have been thoroughly investigated using broadband dielectric technique over a wide range of frequencies (10⁻²-10⁵ Hz) as functions of crystallization temperature and blend composition. The dielectric strength of the amorphous segments, Δε, which is directly proportional to the volume fraction of the mobile amorphous phase in the blend decreases exponentially with increasing the crystallization time. However, on the other hand, the dielectric strength of the rigid amorphous segments, Δε_α′, which is related to the percentage of crystallinity in the blend increases dramatically with increasing crystallization time. A great variation in the dynamical constraints of relaxation segments with increasing crystallization time has been observed as a result of different environments, which would lead to a variation in the consistency of the cooperative regions. The value of the dielectric constant, ε′, decreases dramatically with increasing crystallization time, after that it reaches an equilibrium value at the end of the crystallization process. This dramatic decrease in the value of ε′ as a result of crystallization at a given crystallization temperature, was taken as an accurate evaluation for the amount of the amorphous phase that has undergone crystallization considering the theoretical approach of Avrami. The Avrami exponent, n, was found to be crystallization temperature, T_c, independent (n ∼ 3) indicating a three-dimensional crystal growth for pure PHB. The crystallization rate constant, k, increases greatly with increasing T_c due to the high crystallization rate. In the blend the value of n was found to be concentration dependent (n ∼ 1.8-3.2). The different values of n indicate that the shapes of the growing crystals are affected by blend concentration. For n ∼ 1.8, the crystals can either grow sporadically as rods or instantaneously as disks, while for n ∼ 3 a three-dimensional crystal growth takes place.     

Dielectric relaxation of rod-like labels in polyisoprene

Rod-like molecules with a strong dipole in the long axis were mixed with synthetic polyisoprene (IR305) in low concentrations (0.1–5 wt%) and measured dielectrically in the frequency range 10^–2–10⁶ Hz and the temperature range –60°–0°C (glass relaxation range). The measurements showed an additional symmetrical relaxation process slower than the glass process by a factor ranging from 10 to 100 times, depending on the length and structure of the label. The label relaxation process was characterized by a narrow distribution of relaxation times and its strong coupling with the segmental motion. For the labels with only a longitudinal dipole moment, no relevant part of the label relaxation was observed in the relaxation frequencies of the glass process; this may be attributed to the parallelism and compactness of the polyisoprene chains. In contrast, the labels with an additional vertical dipole component showed an additional relaxation process superimposed on the glass relaxation with also almost the same distribution of relaxation times. The slow label relaxation could be attributed to a diffusion or rotational diffusion relaxation process through a multistep relaxation mechanism determined by the segmental motion of the matrix.     

Reactions of 6-Amino-5-Cyano-3-Methyl-1,4-Diphenyl-1H 4H-Pyrano[2,3-C]Pyrazole and its Methanimidate

Reaction of 6-amino-5-cyano-3-methyl-1,4-diphenyl- 1H,4H-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole 1 with triethyl orthoformate in acetic anhydride gave its methanimidate 2, which reacts with primary aliphatic and aromatic amines to give 4,6-dihydro-3-methyl-1,4-diphenyl-6- (alkyl)pyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine-5(lH)- imine 3 and the starting compound 1 , respectively. Treatment of 1 with o-aminophenol gave 5-(2-benzoxalyl)- 1,4-dihydro-3-methyl-1,4-diphenylpyrano[2,3-c]pyrazol- 6-amine 9.     

Investigation of the configuration of alkyl phenyl ketone phenylhydrazones from ab initio 1H NMR chemical shifts

Using ab initio GIAO calculations the experimental 1H NMR spectra of the E and Z isomers of alkyl phenyl ketone phenylhydrazones R1-C(Ph) = N-NH-Ph (R1 = Me, Et, iPr, and tBu) have been re-interpreted and deviations from Karabatsos' rule or from the assignment of Bellamy and Hunter have been discussed in the light of the optimized geometrical structures.     

Method of determination of dielectric relaxation characteristics of plasticized polystyrenes on the basis of calorimetric glass temperature

The dielectric loss measurements of different polystyrenes (fractions and blends) with different molecular weights (M _n 2000–125000 g/mol) were carried out in the frequency range 10^–2–10⁶ Hz and the temperature range of the glass process (60°–135°C, depending on the molecular weight). The measurements of the pure fractions showed that the half-width of the glass relaxation process of the different polystyrenes can be correlated by a straight line, if they are plotted versus the relaxation frequency maxima of the glass process, regardless of the difference in both their molecular weight and glass transition temperature. Moreover, the fine structure of the shape of the glass process of polystyrenes with different molecular weights was found to be the same when the glass process appears at the same relaxation frequency range. The addition of oligostyrenes or low molecular <10% wt additives to the high molecular weight polystyrene did not influence the shape of the glass process. The calorimetric glass transition temperature of polystyrene was found to be only dependent on the number average molecular weight as well as on the number of end groups, but not on the molecular weight distribution. The obtained experimental results were correlated to develop a method for the estimation of the dielectric relaxation characteristics (relaxation frequency as well as the shape parameters) of the glass process of plasticized polystyrenes based on the calorimetric glass transition temperature. A method for the analysis of the dielectric relaxation curves of mixtures of label and polymer is suggested.     

Transient heat and mass transfer and long-term stability of a salt-gradient solar pond

In this work, the problem of transient heat and mass transfer and long-term stability of a SGSP has been numerically investigated using a 2D-transient-variable properties model and a finite-control-volume numerical method. The pond, which was assumed initially stabilized with linear temperature and salinity profiles, has been subject to real weather conditions. The numerical model has been satisfactorily validated against measured temperature data. Numerical results have clearly shown that the solar heating effect appears considerably more pronounced during the hot seasons (spring and summer) than during the cold ones (winter and autumn). The existence of two critical zones, one beneath the water surface and the other one located near the pond bottom, has clearly been established at a very early time of operation. It has been found that such critical zones have progressively become more vulnerable in time. Also, the solar heating effect, the heat losses through the free surface as well as the water transparency have an important influence on the pond stability characteristics and its temporal evolution. The presence of a heat extraction with its cooling effect tends to stabilize the pond. Such a beneficial effect, which is mainly observed in the bottom region of the pond, has been found to be more pronounced during the summer than during the winter time. Results have also shown that the pond with good transparency water would likely be more susceptible to develop instabilities than the one with poorer transparency water. Such an effect appears to be more important inside the lower critical zone.