Low molecular weight organogels based on long-chain carbamates

Thermoreversible organogels were prepared from carbamates with alkyl side chains of different lengths. Gelation was possible only up to an alkyl side chain length of 12 carbons, beyond which crystallization occurs, due to the dominant van der Waals interaction between the alkyl chains. This is in contrast to other alkane-based organogels, in which gelating efficiency increased with the length of the alkane chain (see Abdallah, D. J.; Weiss, R. G. Adv. Mater. 2000, 12, 1237). The critical concentration for gelation decreases drastically with an increase in the side chain length. Xerogels of these show birefringent fibers with uniform cross section and unlimited growth in one direction. The extent of this unlimited growth is affected by the length of the alkyl side chain in the carbamate, which finally ceases the gel formation ability of the carbamate. Cryogenic scanning electron microscopy images of the gels are similar to those of xerogels. From X-ray diffraction of the fibers, we propose that the growth direction is along the plane of hydrogen bonds between the carbamate molecules. The thickness of the fibers depends on the length of the alkyl side chain. Morphological differences are seen between gels prepared by slow cooling and quenching of the solution. Thus, the morphology of the fibrous xerogels of the carbamates can be tailored for specific applications, by the choice of the alkyl side chain length and the rate of cooling the solution.     

Joule-Thomson inversion curve prediction by using equation of state

In this paper five equations of state are tested for checking their ability to predict the Joule-Thomson inversion curve.These five equations of state are:Mohsennia-Modarres-Mansoori(MMM),Ji-Lemp(JL),modified Soave-Redlich-Kwang(SRK)equation of state by Graboski(MSRK1),modified SRK equation of state by Peneloux and Rauzy(MSRK2),and modified Peng-Robinson (PR)equation of state by Rauzy(PRmr).The investigated equations of state give good prediction of the low-temperature branch of the inversion curve,except for MMM equation of state.The high-temperature branch and the peak of the inversion curve have been observed,in general,to be sensitive to the applied equation of state.The values of the maximum inversion temperature and maximum inversion pressure are calculated for each component used in this work.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of a new heterobimetallic coordination complex of barium and cobalt for use as a precursor for chemical vapor deposition

Ba(dmae)2 (dmaeH=N,N-dimethylaminoethanol, C4H11NO) reacts with Co(acac)2 (acac=2,4-pentanedionate) to produce the trinuclear coordination complex [Ba2Co(acac)4(dmae)3(dmaeH)] in an 85% yield. Spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments indicate that the complex possesses a structure in which two barium atoms and a cobalt atom are bridged by acac and dmae groups. The barium centers are eight and nine coordinate with BaO7N and BaO7N2 coordination spheres while the cobalt is a more regular CoO5N octahedron. This 2:1 heterobimetallic molecular complex was investigated as precursor for the deposition of thin film by AACVD. The film was characterized by SEM and XRD. TGA shows that the complex starts thermal decomposition upon heating in nitrogen atmosphere at 105 degrees C to produce barium cobalt oxide material of a Ba2CoO3 composition with an orthorhombic structure. The synthetic approach detailed here represents a unique route to the formation of a heterobimetallic barium cobalt coordination complex.     

A novel hyperbranched polyester acrylate used for microfabrications

A novel hyperbranched polyester acrylate (HPEA) was synthesized based upon ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid as a “core” molecule, 5‐hydroxyisophthalic acid as an AB₂ monomer, and 2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate as an endcapping reagent. The obtained oligomer has an unsaturation concentration of 4.10 mmol_C?C g^?1 measured by nuclear magnetic resonance and a wide molecular weight distribution of 1.64 measured by gel permeation chromatography. The two‐photon absorption (TPA) photopolymerization of HPEA under the exposure of a Ti : sapphire femtosecond laser with a wavelength of 800 nm was investigated through laser exposure dose‐dependant spatial resolutions of its resins. The TPA photopolymerization thresholds at the range 1.6–4.3 × 10⁷ mJ cm^?2, and exposure dose windows at the range 3.4–4.3 for three formulations were determined. A spatial resolution of 0.85 μm was obtained through the TPA photopolymerization of the formulation containing 1 wt% photoinitiator and 0.3 wt% photoinhibitor. A diffraction grating and real three‐dimensional coupled gear wheel created by TPA photopolymerization were described to demonstrate the unique capability of HPEA in microfabrications. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of a Water-in-Oil Microemulsion as Mobile Phase in Complexation TLC of Amino Acids on Silica Layers Impregnated with Metal Cations

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - A water-in-oil microemulsion has been used for the first time as a mobile phase in thin-layer chromatography of amino acids. A new...     

Immobilized enzyme electrode for the determination of salicylate in blood serum

This determination of salicylate in blood serum is based on application of an immobilized enzyme electrode. Salicylate hydroxylase (E.C.1.14.13.1) is chemically immobilized onto a pig intestine mounted on an oxygen electrode. The signals are monitored amperometrically and the resulting output voltage is read using a simple adapter. The experimental parameters and possible interferences are discussed. Samples containing 1.0 × 10^?5?1.87 × 10^?3 M (1.6–300 μg ml^?1) salicylate were assayed with relative standard deviations between 1.3% and 6% and recoveries between 98.7 and 103%. Results obtained by the proposed method and by the established clinical method for randomly spiked pooled serum samples correlated well (r = 0.99).     

Amino acid recognition of pyridine bis(oxazoline)-copper(II) complex in aqueous solvent

Enantioselective recognition of amino acids has been studied with C₂-symmetric chiral pyridine bis(oxazoline)-copper(II) complexes at physiological pH condition. UV-visible titration revealed strong binding of submillimolar dissociation constant between pyridine bis(oxazoline)-copper(II) complex and amino acids in aqueous solution. Moderate selectivity of up to 2:1 between d- and l-amino acids was achieved. The enantiomers were baseline resolved by capillary electrophoresis, using the bis(l-lysine)-copper(II) complex as a chiral selector.     

Natural radioactivity of Zambian coal and coal ash

²²⁶Ra and²³²Th specific activities in coal from Maamba Collieries in Zambia have been measured at 46±8 and 56±9 Bq kg^–1, respectively. These values are nearly two and a half times larger than the world average for coal and are close to those for lignite or brown coal. Determination of specific activities in coal waste at Maamba and coal ash at the fertilizer factory in Kafue showed enhancement factors of 2.6 and 2.0, respectively. These values are well within the world range of enhancement factors in coal ash.