Hydrophilic polymer membranes containing carboxylic groups—I. Acrylic acid—methyl methacrylate—glycidyl methacrylate copolymers

Copolymers of acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate and glycidyl methacrylate have been synthesized and converted into cross-linked hydrophilic membranes by successive treatments with heat, alkali solution and acidic solution. The copolymerization was carried out in solution using tetrahydrofuran and p-dioxane as solvents. The polymer was obtained as a clear viscous solution at yields of approximately 95%. The polymerization was stopped before gelation took place. This gelation resulted from the reaction of epoxy and carboxylic groups of the polymeric chain. The polymerization time ranged from 3.5 to 7 hr depending on the content of the glycidyl methacrylate in the feed. The monomer mixture consisted of 25–45 mol% of acrylic acid, 40–70 mol% of methyl methacrylate and 2.5–15 mol% of glycīdyl methacrylate. With increasing content of acrylic acid, the membranes became soft and elastic; with decreasing content, they became brittle and hydrophobic. The swelling of the cured polymeric film increased with increase in the acrylic acid content of the monomer mixture and decreased with increasing glycidyl methacrylate content. Dialysis runs were conducted with sodium chloride, urea and a series of ethylene glycols with molecular weights up to 600. The permeability coefficients through the membranes for the ethylene glycols were similar to those through a commercial cellulose membrane (Cuprophane). The permeability proportional to $\text{(permeant molecular wt)}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>?</mtext><mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$. The membranes showed very low permeabilities to sodium chloride compared with those of commercial nonionic membranes. This appears to be due to the ionic exclusion mechanisms expected for ion exchange membranes.     

Determination of zinc in high purity bismuth by thermal neutron activation

A neutron activation analysis for the determination of zinc in bismuth was developed. After irradiating the samples for 44 days at 4·10¹¹n/cm²/sec, zinc was separated quantitatively by hexone extraction and precipitation as quinaldate. The sensitivity of the method was estimated as 0.05 p.p.m. No zinc could be detected in the high purity bismuth samples. An addition method of analysis showed that the precision was 1.2%.     

2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-perimidylphenols and their oxidation

1,8-Naphthylenediamine was reacted with 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-formyl-phenol to produce 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(1,3-dihydro-perimidyl) phenol (I). The latter was coverted into 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(1H-perimidyl)phenol (II) by oxidizing I with sodium pyrosulfate. When phenol II was oxidized by lead dioxide in toluene and THF, the EPR spectra revealed a 12-component multiplet with perimidyl splitting constants a¹ _N=a³ _N=a_H ^NH=0.2 mT; a_H ^6.7=0.6 mT.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 64–67, January, 1992.     

Synthesis of 1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11-octahydro-[1,4] diazepino[6,5,4-jk ]earbazole and related compounds

1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11-Octahydro[1,4]diazepino[6,5,4-jk]earbazole (VIa) was synthesized from 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzodiazepine (la) via the route shown in Scheme 1. Other compounds which were prepared similarly are 3-acetyl-6-chloro-1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11-octahydro[1,4]diazepino-[6,5,4-jk]carbazole(Vb) and 3-methyl-1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11-octahydro[1,4]diazepino[6,5,4-jk]carb-azole (VIII). Chemical transformations which were carried out with VI and 3-acetyl-1,2,3,4,8,9, 10,11-octahydro[1,4]diazepino[6,5,4-jk]carbazole (Va) are also described.     

Plasma chromatography of heroin and cocaine with mass-identified mobility spectra.

Plasma chromatography detects and identifies compounds in trace quantities at atmospheric pressure through characteristic positive and negative mobility spectra. To facilitate use of the technique to detect gas chromatographic effluents, a number of reference mobility spectra for different classes of compounds have been reported. Reference spectra for two more compounds, heroin and cocaine, are presented in this study. The primary ions found in these mobility spectra were determined to be M+, (M - H2)+, and (M - CH3CO2)+ for heroin and M+, (M - C6H5CO2)+ and (M - C6H5CO2 - CO2CH3)+ for cocaine using a directly interfaced plasma chromatograph-mass spectrometer. The identified ions agree closely with those predicted in the ion mobility spectra using mass-mobility correlation data coupled with chemical ionization mass spectrometry data. Also, an independent check demonstrating the reliability of reduced mobility values reported in earlier reference spectra was made.     

Molecular characteristics of the inhibition of human neutrophil elastase by nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) are known as clinically effective agents for treatment of inflammatory diseases. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase has been thought to be a major facet of the pharmacological mechanism of NSAIDs. However, it is difficult to ascribe the antiinflammatory effects of NSAIDs solely to the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis. Human neutrophil elastase (HNElastase; HNE, EC 3.4.21.37) has been known as a causative factor in inflammatory diseases. To investigate the specific relationship between HNElastase inhibition and specificity of molecular structure of several NSAIDs, HNElastase was purified by Ultrogel AcA54 gel filtration, CM-Sephadex ion exchange, and HPLC (with TSK 250 column) chromatography. HNElastase was inhibited by aspirin and salicylate in a competitive manner and by naproxen, ketoprofen, phenylbutazone, and oxyphenbutazone in a partial competative manner, but not by ibuprofen and tolmetin. HNElastase-phenylbutazone-complex showed strong Raman shifts at 200, 440, 1124, 1194, 1384, 1506, and 1768 cm(-1). The Raman bands 1194, 1384, and 1768 cm(-1) may represent evidences of the conformational change at -N=N-phi radical, pyrazol ring, and -C=O radical of the elastase-drug complex, respectively. Phenylbutazone might be bound to HNElastase by ionic and hydrophobic interaction, and masked the active site. Inhibition of HNElastase could be another mechanism of action of NSAIDs besides cyclooxygenase inhibition in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Different inhibition characteristics of HNE-lastase by NSAIDs such as aspirin, phenylbutazone-like drugs and ineffective drugs could be important points for drawing the criteria for appropriate drugs in clinical application.     

Mechanically interlocked molecules incorporating cucurbituril and their supramolecular assemblies

Mechanically interlocked molecules incorporating cucurbituril (CB[6]) as a molecular 'bead' and their supramolecular assemblies are described. An efficient synthesis of 1D, 2D and 3D polyrotaxanes with high structural regularity and molecular necklaces has been achieved by a combination of self-assembly and coordination chemistry. The functional aspects of these interlocked molecules and their supramolecular assemblies, including molecular machines and switches based on [2]rotaxanes, a 2D polyrotaxane with large cavities and channels, pseudorotaxane-terminated dendrimers, and interaction of pseudorotaxanes containing polyamines and CB[6] with DNA are also described.