Influence of superimposed steady shear flow on the dynamic properties of polyethylene melts

Experiments in which an oscillatory shear flow is superimposed on a steady state shear flow were performed on polyethylene melts by the use of a cone and plate type rheogoniometer. The phase difference between oscillatory shear stress and shear strain increases in all cases and for all frequencies with the increase of the superimposed shear rate. Between ω₀, the frequency at which the phase difference is π/2 and the steady shear rate \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \dot \gamma $\end{document}, as found by Booij for polymer solution, the relation ω₀ = 1/2 \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \dot \gamma$\end{document}. holds also for polyethylene melts. The significance of this relation is discussed briefly from the viewpoint that the entanglement density decreases with the increase of the imposed shear rate.     

Unveiling Latent Photoreactivity of Imines

Unlike carbonyl compounds, it has long been common understanding that excited imines show virtually no photoreactivity, and hence their properties and potential utility in chemical science remain largely unexplored. Now, a strategy is presented for eliciting latent photoreactivity of imines based on the introduction of a donor–acceptor (D‐A) structure to extend the lifetime of their photoexcited states. A series of spectroscopic analyses and density functional theory calculations reveal unique photophysical properties of the D‐A‐type imines. Furthermore, the reactivity of the D‐A‐type imines is demonstrated by using them as a photoredox catalyst for atom‐transfer radical addition. These findings illuminate a previously neglected chemical space in the field of photochemistry, which will be exploited by taking advantage of the inherent structural modularity of imines.     

Identification of arginine analogues as antagonists and agonists for the melanocortin-4 receptor

In the present study, conducted to explore potent and small molecular melanocortin-4 (MC4) receptor ligands, we found that tripeptide 3a, containing a D-Phe-Arg-2-Nal (Nal; naphthylalanine) sequence, exhibited a moderate affinity for the MC4 receptor. Structural optimization led to the identification of a compound with a high affinity for the MC4 receptor, namely, tripeptide 3e, which showed a 70-fold higher affinity for the MC4 receptor than the lead compound 3a. Moreover, in an effort to further reduce the peptidic characters of tripeptide 3e, we found that dipeptide 3g exhibited a relatively high affinity for the MC4 receptor. Furthermore, in these analogues, the substituted position (1' vs. 2') of the naphthyl ring of Nal residue at position 7 was found to be important for the differentiation of agonist and antagonist activity. The synthesis and structure-activity relationships of the arginine analogues as MC4 receptor ligands were described in this paper.