Vinyl Polymerization. 386. Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Initiated by Imidazole in Aqueous Solution of Copper(II) Chloride

The radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was carried out with the system of imidazole (Im), copper(n) chloride, and water at 85°C. The effects of the amount of each component on the conversion of MMA were investigated. The polymerization proceeded through a radical mechanism. The overall activation energy was estimated to be 28.7 kJ/mole. The conversion of MMA showed a maximum at pH 8-9 of the aqueous solution. The formation of a complex of CuCl₂ with Im, water, and MMA was confirmed by electronic spectra. An initiation mechanism was proposed.     

Grafting of Polymers Having Pendant Peroxycarbonate Groups Onto Carbon Black and Postpolymerization of Vinyl Monomers

Abstract

Postpolymerization of vinyl monomers initiated by pendant peroxycarbonate groups of grafted polymer chains on carbon black (CB) was investigated. The grafting of polymers having pendant peroxycarbonate groups onto CB was achieved by the trapping of polymer radicals formed by the thermal decomposition of copolymers of t-butylperoxy-2-methacryloyloxyethyl-carbonate (HEPO) with vinyl monomers such as vinyl acetate (VAc), styrene (St) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). The copolymers having pendant peroxycarbonate groups were prepared by copolym-erization of HEPO with vinyl monomers using azo initiator under irradiation of UV light at room temperature. The amount of remaining pendant peroxycarbonate groups of the poly(VAc-co-HEPO)-grafted CB obtained from the reaction at 90°C was maximum and decreased above the temperature. Furthermore, the postpolymerization of vinyl monomers, such as St, MMA, and VAc was initiated in the presence of poly(VAc-co-HEPO)-grafted and poly(St-co-HEPO)-grafted CB and the corresponding polymers were postgrafted onto CB to give branched polymer-grafted CB. The percentage of poly(St)-postgrafting (proportion of post-grafted poly(St) to poly(MMA-co-HEPO)-grafted CB used) increased with increasing polymerization time, but became constant at 20% after 4 hours.     

Synthesis of Nano‐Sized TiO2 Colloidal Sol and Its Optical Properties

Nano‐sized TiO₂ sol was prepared through a wet synthesis process. The synthesis procedure involved hydrolysis of TiCl₄, acid treatment, and a SiO₂ surface‐modifying process. Before surface modification, the TiO₂ suspension was treated with acid to remove Na ions, soluble TiO_2, and other impurities. The acid treatment of a TiO₂ suspension at a higher temperature was proved to be useful for effective SiO₂ modification. The colloidal sol provided high transparency in visible light as well as excellent UV‐shielding properties. Surface modification of TiO₂ particles with SiO₂ greatly improved both the dispersing stability in neutral pH and the photostability of TiO₂ colloidal sol.     

Investigation of radon and thoron concentrations in a landmark skyscraper in Tokyo

The temporal variation of the radon concentration, and the radon and thoron concentrations every 3 months for a year were measured using two types of devices in a landmark skyscraper, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Daiichi Building. In the measurement of temporal variation of the radon concentration using a pulse type ionization chamber, the average radon concentration was 21 ± 13 Bq m^?3 (2–68 Bq m^?3). The measured indoor radon concentration had a strong relationship with the operation of the mechanical ventilation system and the activities of the office workers. The radon concentration also increased together with temperature. Other environmental parameters, such as air pressure and relative humidity, were not related to the radon concentration. In the long-term measurements using a passive radon and thoron discriminative monitor, no seasonal variation was observed. The annual average concentrations of radon and thoron were 16 ± 8 and 16 ± 7 Bq m^?3, respectively. There was also no relationship between the two concentrations. The annual average effective dose for office workers in this skyscraper was estimated to be 0.08 mSv y^?1 for 2000 working hours per year. When considering the indoor radon exposure received from their residential dwellings using the annual mean radon concentration indoors in Japan (15.5 Bq m^?3), the annual average effective dose was estimated to be 0.37 mSv y^?1. This value was 31 % of the worldwide average annual effective dose.     

Development of continuous process enabling nanofibrillation of pulp and melt compounding

Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), a mechanically fibrillated pulp mostly consisting of nanofibrils, is a very attractive material because of its high elastic modulus and strength. Although much research has been done on composites of MFC and polypropylene (PP), it has been difficult to produce such composites at an industrial level because of the difficulties in using MFC in such composites are not only connected to the polarity (that can be improved with compatibilizers), but also with the challenge to make a homogeneous blend of the components, and also the low temperature stability of cellulose that could cause problems during processing. We developed a new processing method which enables continuous microfibrillation of pulp and its melt compounding with PP. Never-dried kraft pulp and powdered PP were used as raw materials to obtain MFC by kneading via a twin-screw extruder. Scanning electron microscopy showed nano to submicron wide fibers entangled in the powdered PP. MFC did not aggregate during the melt compounding process, during which the water content was evaporated. Maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP) was used as a compatibilizer to reinforce interfacial adhesion between the polar hydroxyl groups of MFC and non-polar PP. We investigated the effect of MAPP content on the mechanical properties of the composite, which were drastically improved by MAPP addition. Needle-leaf unbleached kraft pulp (NUKP)-derived MFC composites had better mechanical properties than needle-leaf bleached kraft pulp (NBKP)-derived MFC composites. Injection molded NUKP-derived MFC composites had good mechanical and thermal properties. The tensile modulus of 50 wt% MFC composite was two times, and the tensile strength 1.5 times higher than that of neat PP. The heat distortion temperature of 50 wt% MFC content composite under 1.82 MPa flexural load was increased by 53 °C, from 69 to 122 °C. This newly developed continuous process using powder resin has the potential for application at an industrial level.     

Application of plug–plug technique to ACE experiments for discovery of peptides binding to a larger target protein: A model study of calmodulin‐binding fragments selected from a digested mixture of reduced BSA

To discover peptide ligands that bind to a target protein with a higher molecular mass, a concise screening methodology has been established, by applying a “plug–plug” technique to ACE experiments. Exploratory experiments using three mixed peptides, mastoparan‐X, β‐endorphin, and oxytocin, as candidates for calmodulin‐binding ligands, revealed that the technique not only reduces the consumption of the protein sample, but also increases the flexibility of the experimental conditions, by allowing the use of MS detection in the ACE experiments. With the plug–plug technique, the ACE–MS screening methodology successfully selected calmodulin‐binding peptides from a random library with diverse constituents, such as protease digests of BSA. Three peptides with K_d values between 8–147 μM for calmodulin were obtained from a Glu‐C endoprotease digest of reduced BSA, although the digest showed more than 70 peaks in its ACE–MS electropherogram. The method established here will be quite useful for the screening of peptide ligands, which have only low affinities due to their flexible chain structures but could potentially provide primary information for designing inhibitors against the target protein.     

Selective hydrogen peroxide oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides or sulfones with MWW-type titanosilicate zeolite catalyst under organic solvent-free conditions

Selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides and sulfones with hydrogen peroxide under organic solvent-free conditions was demonstrated by the MWW-type titanosilicate zeolite catalyst. Sulfides were oxidized smoothly to give sulfoxides with good selectivities at ambient temperature using 1.0–1.2 equiv of hydrogen peroxide with the MWW-type titanosilicate zeolite catalyst. Especially, the Ti-MWW with an interlayer-expanded structure (Ti-IEZ-MWW) catalyst showed high activity with good chemoselectivity for the oxidation of various sulfides. The catalyst is recyclable for at least five cycles, and the only byproduct is water. Sulfides were directly oxidized to give sulfones in high yields by 2.5 equiv of hydrogen peroxide with the MWW-type titanosilicate zeolite catalyst under organic solvent-free conditions.     

Synthesis and properties of novel crown ether-annelated 4′,5′-diaza-9′-(1,3-dithiole-2-ylidene)-fluorenes and their ruthenium(II) complexes

Two novel redox-active 1,3-dithiole (DT) ring-fused 4,5-diazafluorene ligands with crown ether moieties (L1 and L2) were synthesized and characterized. The crystal structure of L1 was studied. The electrochemical and spectroscopic properties of these new ligands, as well as the corresponding bis(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) complexes [4: Ru L1(bpy)₂ and 5: Ru L2(bpy)₂], were also been investigated.     

Dynamical study of femtosecond-laser-ablated liquid-aluminum nanoparticles using spatiotemporally resolved x-ray-absorption fine-structure spectroscopy

We study the temperature evolution of aluminum nanoparticles generated by femtosecond laser ablation with spatiotemporally resolved x-ray-absorption fine-structure spectroscopy. We successfully identify the nanoparticles based on the L-edge absorption fine structure of the ablation plume in combination with the dependence of the edge structure on the irradiation intensity and the expansion velocity of the plume. In particular, we show that the lattice temperature of the nanoparticles is estimated from the L-edge slope, and that its spatial dependence reflects the cooling of the nanoparticles during plume expansion. The results reveal that the emitted nanoparticles travel in a vacuum as a condensed liquid phase with a lattice temperature of about 2500 to 4200 K in the early stage of plume expansion.