Synthesis and spinning of a thermotropic liquid crystal copolyester containing a semirigid cycloaliphatic spacer

A thermotropic, liquid crystalline copolyester, based on 2-chlorohydroquinone, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol and terephthaloyl chloride, has been synthesized and melt spun. The cyclohexanedimethylene moiety acts as a semirigid spacer, introducing flexibility while preserving the thermotropic nature of the polymer. Melt-spun fibers were observed to have a high degree of molecular alignment owing to the nematic nature of the melt. Both polymer and fiber properties have been characterized. Characterization techniques used to this end include elemental analysis, hot-stage polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dilute solution viscometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1473–1480, 1998     

The identification of some water-soluble arsenic species in the marine brown algae Fucus distichus

The extraction and clean-up procedures developed to isolate the water-soluble arsenic species present in the marine macroalga Fucus distichus, from British Columbia, Canada, are described. The arsenic species were extracted into methanol and then subjected to gel-permeation and ion-exchange chromatography. Fractions high in arsenic were identified by using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS), and further investigated by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (HPLC–ICP MS). By using different HPLC columns and mobile-phase conditions, the four major arsenic-containing compounds present in the macroalga were positively identified as arsenosugars; one minor compound remained unidentified. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isolation and Characterisation of (5R, 6S,5′R,8′R)- and (5R,6S,5′R,8′S)-Luteochrome from Brazilian Sweet Potatoes (Ipomoea batatas LAM.)

Luteochrome isolated from the tubers of a white-fleshed variety of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas LAM .) has been shown by HPLC, ¹H-NMR and CD spectra to consist of a mixture of (5R,6S,5′R,8′R)- and (5R,6S,5′R,8′S)- 5,6:5′,8′-diepoxy-5,6,5′,8′-tetrahydro-β,β-carotene ( 1 and 2 , resp.). Therefore, its precursor is (5R,6S,5′R,6′S)-5,6:5′,6′-diepoxy-5,6,5′,6′-tetrahydro-β,β-carotene ( 4 ). This is the first identification of luteochrome as a naturally occurring carotenoid and, at the same time, gives the first clue to the as yet unknown chirality of the widespread β,β-carotene diepoxide. These facts demonstrate that the enzymic epoxidation of the β-end group occurs from the α-side, irrespective of the presence of OH groups on the ring.     

Characterization of a melt processable liquid crystal copolyester

Poly[oxy(2-methyl-1,4-phenylene)oxyterephthaloyl-co-oxymethylene-1,4-cyclohexylene-methyleneoxyterephthaloyl] was synthesized using a solution-based process. This copolyester has cyclohexylene dimethylene as a semi-rigid spacer along the polymer main chain to interrupt the inherent rigidity of the system while preserving the mesogenicity of the macromolecules. Polymer characterization includes elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, hot-stage polarized light microscopy, wide-angle x-ray diffraction, dilute solution viscometry, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. This copolyester shows nematic liquid crystalline behavior in polarized light above about 240°C. The intrinsic and inherent viscosities are 0.88 and 0.68 dL/g respectively. The observed melting temperature of this copolyester is about 265°C, but melting begins as low as 215°C, making the polymer readily melt-processable. The degradation temperature is about 340°C under a nitrogen atmosphere. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cationic latex formation by ionic modification

Stable cationic latices were prepared by charge inversion of anionic styrene-acrylic copolymer latices upon binding Al3+ and Fe3+ ions. This is achieved by stabilizing the latices with a high-HLB (hydrophile-lypophile balance) nonionic surfactant that imparts strong steric stability to the latex, even in the presence of high concentrations of multivalent counterions while these are bound to the latex anionic sites. The cationic latices thus prepared have good stability properties, and the same procedure should be applicable to essentially any latex-carrying anionic sites. Analytical ESI-TEM images show that particle-bound iron is concentrated at the particle borders, but it is also found in the particle bulk.     

Electrochemical Behavior of Thalidomide at a Glassy Carbon Electrode

Thalidomide is an oral drug marketed in the 1950s as a sedative and an anti‐emetic during pregnancy that was removed from the market when its teratogenic side effects appeared in new born children due to inadequate tests to assess the drug's safety. Recent studies evaluating the use of thalidomide in cancer and HIV diseases have sparked renewed interest. The electrochemical behavior of thalidomide on a glassy carbon electrode has been investigated using cyclic, differential and square‐wave voltammetry in aqueous media at different pHs. The oxidation mechanism of thalidomide is an irreversible, adsorption‐controlled process, pH dependent up to values close to the pK_a and occurs in two consecutive charge transfer reactions. A mechanism of oxidation of thalidomide involving one electron and one proton to produce a cation radical, which reacts with water and yields a final hydroxylated product is proposed. The reduction of thalidomide is also a pH dependent, irreversible process and occurs in a single step, with the same number of electrons and protons transferred. The reduction mechanism involves the protonation of the nitrogen that bridges the two cyclic groups, and the product of the protonation reaction causes irreversible dissociation. Both thalidomide and the non electroactive oxidation and reduction products are strongly adsorbed on the glassy carbon electrode surface.