Interaction of crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone with a homologous series of methyl orange derivatives in aqueous and nonaqueous solutions: Thermodynamics of the binding equilibria

The extent of binding of methvI orange, ethyl orange, propyl orange, and butyl orange by crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone was measured in all aqueous Solution. The first binding constants and the thermodynamic parameters accompanying the binding were evaluated. These values were compared with those of water-soluble polyvinylpyrrolidone. The first binding constant, the absolute magnitude of ΔF°, and the value of ΔS° of the crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone are substantially larger than those of the water-soluble product for any particular dye. These behaviors can be accounted for in terms of increased hydrophobic domains in the former and enhanced hydrophobic contribution in the binding process. Also the binding of the dye by the crosslinked polymer in a nonaqueous solvent, ethylene glycol, was measured to assess the contribution of hydrophobic interaction to the dye-polymer complex formation in aqueous medium. It was found that the binding of butyl orange by the crosslinked polymer is suppressed in ethylene glycol and the contribution of entropy term to the free energy change in the aqueous environment is large compared with that in ethylene glycol. The significance of the hydrophobic of the hydrophobic interaction in the dye-polymer association process is described.     

Interaction of polyvinylpyrrolidone with methyl orange and its homologs in aqueous solution: Thermodynamics of the binding equilibria and their temperature dependences

The interaction of polyvinylpyrrolidone with methyl orange, ethyl orange, propyl orange, and butyl orange has been studied by an equilibrium dialysis method at 5, 15, 25, and 35°C. The first binding constants and the thermodynamic parameters in the course of the binding have been calculated. It was found that the free energy and the enthalpy changes are all negative and the entropy change is largely positive. The longer the alkyl chain of the dyes, the more positive is the enthalpy change (though it is always in the negative direction) and hence the larger is the entropy change. The favorable free energy of the binding of butyl orange observed for the formation of the dye–polymer complex seems to be a result of a favorable entropy change rather than any favorable enthalpy change. Temperature dependences of the thermodynamic functions were apparently observed. That is, ΔF and ΔH become larger in absolute magnitude as the temperature increases. The positive quantity of ΔS tends to decrease with increasing temperture. All these facts obtained can be interpreted satisfactorily by the hydrophobic interaction between hydrocarbon portions of the dyes and nonpolar parts of the macromolecule.     

Variation of lattice dimensions in epitaxial SnS films on MgO(001)

Epitaxial and polycrystalline SnS films were prepared on MgO(001) and glass substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction method. The orientations of epitaxial films were (010)[100]SnS||(001)[100]MgO or (010)[001]SnS||(001)[100]MgO. Lattice parameters of the polycrystalline film closely resembled those of bulk SnS at room temperature. However, the lattice parameters of epitaxial films varied widely and were very different from those of bulk SnS at room temperature. Considering the lattice dimensions and a/c ratio, the films roughly correspond to bulk SnS at elevated temperatures from 371 to 666 K. SEM images of the films showed needle- or circular-like SnS crystallites segregated from the epitaxial films. Respective energies of indirect band gaps of the films and refractive index of the polycrystalline film were estimated using results of optical transmission experiments.     

Simultaneous Measurement of Refractive Index and Thickness of Transparent Plates by Low Coherence Interferometry

We demonstrate a novel low coherence Michelson interferometer which can provide simultaneous measurement of the refractive index and thickness of transparent plates used as a measured object. Unlike the existing low coherence interferometers reported so far, either an object or a focusing lens aligned on the signal arm is scanned repeatedly by a precise translation stage in synchronization with movement of a reflection mirror on the reference arm. The so-called object or lens scanning method gives us two measured quantities a movement distance of the stage between two light focusing states on the front and rear planes of an object and the corresponding optical path difference. These two measured quantities, result in desirable values of the index and thickness of the object with a short calculation. The measurement accuracy of ≤0.1% is expected for a thickness of more than 1 mm. In the experiment using the object scanning method, the accuracy of 0.3% or less was successfully attained for nearly 1-mm thick plates of fused quartz, sapphire, LiTaO₃ and slide glass.     

Thermodynamics of binding methyl orange and its homologs by polyvinylpyrrolidone: The effect of hexamethylenetetramine

Hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) has been examined for its effect on the binding of methyl orange homologs, methyl orange, ethyl orange, propyl orange, and butyl orange by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). In the presence of HMT the entropy changes associated with the binding tend to become more positive and the absolute magnitude in the enthalpy changes becomes smaller compared with those in the absence of HMT. These tendencies are accounted for in terms of the water-structure-promoting effect of HMT, hence the enhancement of hydrophobic interactions in the binding. PVP undergoes changes in conformation on the addition of HMT and its conformation becomes more compact. This also increases the contribution of the hydrophobic interactions to the macromolecule-small molecule interaction. Some other effects exerted by the added HMT on the binding system are also described.     

Ultra-High Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Using a Halogen Lamp as the Light Source

The axial resolution of optical coherence tomography (OCT) is determined by the coherence length of the light source. We demonstrate for the first time high-resolution OCT of biological tissue using a halogen lamp as the light source for a low coherence interferometer. High-resolution OCT imaging with 3.5 μm resolution was performed successfully for onion and porcine skin, although the coherence light power for illumination of a sample is as small as 100 nW.     

Interaction of α-poly-L-lysine and ε-poly-L-lysine with methyl orange and its homologs in aqueous solution: Results from dialysis and spectroscopic measurements

The interaction of α-poly-L -lysine and ε-poly-L -lysine with methyl and ethyl orange was studied by equilibrium dialysis and spectroscopic methods. The results of the dialysis measurements indicated that the extent of binding by ε-polypeptide is substantially higher than that by α-polypeptide, despite the much greater molecular weight of the latter. This difference in binding affinity was interpreted in terms of the increased conformational adaptability of ε-polypeptide because of its highly flexible structure. Furthermore, ε-polypeptide exhibited strong cooperative binding. In addition, the effect of the successive addition of α- and ε-polypeptides on the absorption spectra of methyl and ethyl orange was investigated. The addition of α-polypeptide with a molecular weight of 400,000 produced a new absorption peak at a shorter wavelength, due to the stacked dye molecules on the polypeptide chain, whereas that of ε-polypeptide did not. From the results of spectroscopic measurements a possible mode of interaction between these two polypeptides and the small molecule is discussed.     

Electron and positron induced processes. POSMOL 2013

POSMOL 2013, the international meeting on electron and positron induced processes comprising the XVII International Workshop on Low-Energy Positron and Positronium Physics and the XVIII International Symposium on Electron-Molecule Collisions and Swarms, was held at Kanazawa Bunka Hall, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, from 19–21 July 2013. The XVII Workshop encompassed all aspects of positron, positronium and antiproton interactions with electrons, atoms, molecules and solid surfaces, and topics related to these, whereas the XVIII Symposium encompassed all aspects of electron interactions with molecules in both gaseous and condensed phases. Particular topics include studies of electron interactions with biomolecules, electron induced surface chemistry and the study of plasma processes. Recent research on the study of electron swarms was also highlighted.