Perturbation expansion theory corrected from basis set superposition error. I. Locally projected excited orbitals and single excitations

The locally projected self-consistent field molecular orbital method for molecular interaction (LP SCF MI) is reformulated for multifragment systems. For the perturbation expansion, two types of the local excited orbitals are defined; one is fully local in the basis set on a fragment, and the other has to be partially delocalized to the basis sets on the other fragments. The perturbation expansion calculations only within single excitations (LP SE MP2) are tested for water dimer, hydrogen fluoride dimer, and colinear symmetric ArM+ Ar (M = Na and K). The calculated binding energies of LP SE MP2 are all close to the corresponding counterpoise corrected SCF binding energy. By adding the single excitations, the deficiency in LP SCF MI is thus removed. The results suggest that the exclusion of the charge-transfer effects in LP SCF MI might indeed be the cause of the underestimation for the binding energy.     

Sintering behavior and apatite formation of diopside prepared by coprecipitation process

Sintering behavior and bioactivity of diopside, CaMgSi₂O₆, prepared by a coprecipitation process were examined for its biomedical applicability. As-prepared powder was synthesized by adding aqueous ammonia to an ethanol solution containing Ca(NO₃)₂·4H₂O, Mg(NO₃)₂·6H₂O, and Si(OC₂H₅)₄ and characterized by means of TG–DTA, XRD, and TG–MS. The dried powder was X-ray amorphous and crystallized into diopside at 845.5 °C. The glass network formation by SiO₄ tetrahedra was almost completed below 800 °C. The bioactivity of the diopside prepared by sintering the compressed powder at 1100 °C for 2 h was evaluated by immersion of the sintered body in a simulated body fluid (SBF) at 36.5 °C. Leaf-like apatite particles were found to be formed on the surface of the sintered body and grew with passage of soaking time. This apatite-forming behavior in the SBF is related to the dissolution of Ca(II) ions from the sintered body in the early stage of immersion. Thus, diopside prepared by the coprecipitation process using the metal alkoxide and the metal salts was found to have an apatite-forming ability.     

Electrochemical properties of pyrido[1′,2′:1,2]imidazo[4,5-b]pyrazine and pyrido[1′,2′:1,2]imidazo[4,5-b]quinoxaline derivatives

The peak potentials (Ep) of 3-substituted pyrido[1′,2′:1,2]imidazo[4,5-b]pyrazine and pyrido[1′,2′:1,2]-imidazo[4,5-b]quinoxaline derivatives are sufficiently correlated with Hammett substituent constant ～_m and with the PM3 calculated LUMO energy levels, and the linear relationship between electron potentials of 9-substituted pyridoimidazoquinoxalines and the LUMO energy levels is also found out.     

Structural Characterization and Enzymatic Degradation of α‐, β‐, and γ‐Crystalline Forms for Poly(β‐propiolactone)

A structural comparison of three different crystalline forms of poly(β‐propiolactone) (PPL) was carried out by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The α‐form in a hot‐drawn and annealed film represents a 2₁ helix conformation. The β‐form in a cold‐drawn and annealed film represents a planar zigzag conformation. The γ‐form in an oriented sedimented mat of solution‐grown chain‐folded lamellar crystals also implies a planar zigzag conformation. The solution‐cast film depicts similar outlines with the γ‐form in lamellar crystals in all the experimental measurements, suggesting that the molecular chain in the solution‐cast film has a planar zigzag conformation. While elongation at break decreased, tensile strength and Young's modulus increased with an increase in the crystallinity, independent of the crystalline forms. The influence of the enzymatic degradation of these crystal structures has been investigated by using an extracellular PHB depolymerase purified from Ralstonia pickettii T1. The rate of degradation was in the order of β‐form > α‐form > solution‐cast (γ‐form) film, and the different surface morphologies after partial enzymatic degradation were observed in scanning electron micrographs. It is suggested that the crystal structure is one of the important factors for determining the rate of degradation together with crystallinity.

Enzymatic degradation profiles of poly(β‐propiolactone) films.     

Single crystals of regio-selectively substituted cellulose hetero-esters

Lamellar single crystals of some regio-selectively substituted cellulose hetero-esters: cellulose propionate diacetate (CPDA, 2,3-di-O-acetyl-6-O-propionyl cellulose), cellulose acetate dipropionate (CADP, 6-O-acetyl-2,3-di-O-propionyl cellulose), cellulose butyrate diacetate (CBDA, 2,3-di-O-acetyl-6-O-butyryl cellulose) and cellulose acetate dibutyrate (CADB, 6-O-acetyl-2,3-di-O-butyryl cellulose), have been prepared at high temperature in a mixture of dibenzyl ether andn-tetradecane. The CPDA crystals were lozenge-shaped whereas those of CADP, CBDA and CADB had a ribbon morphology. CPDA crystals gave well-resolved electron diffractograms from which the reciprocal lattice parameters a^*=0.807 nm^–1,b ^*=0.400 nm^–1 and ^*=90° could be determined. Systematic absences occurred at every odd reflection along the two orthogonal axesa ^*andb ^*. Thus, the CPDA diffraction pattern is consistent with a p_gg symmetry. For CADP, the electron diffraction pattern is consistent with a p_mg two-dimensional space group withb the unique axis along the ribbon direction. The diagram yields the reciprocal lattice parameters a^* = 0.902 nm^–1,b ^*=0.651 nm^–1 and ^*=90°. The CBDA electron diffractogram yields the following cell parameters and two-dimensional space group:a ^*=0.482 nm^–1,b ^*=0.659 nm^–1 and ^*=90°, and a p_gg symmetry; and that of CADB:a ^*=0.834 nm^–1,b ^*=0.645 nm^–1 and ^*=90°, and a p_mg symmetry.     

Mechanical properties and enzymatic degradation of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] fibers stretched after isothermal crystallization near Tg

Poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (P(3HB)) fibers with high tensile strength were prepared by stretching the fibers after isothermal crystallization near the glass transition temperature. Two samples with different molecular weights (M_w = 0.7 × 10⁶ and 4.3 × 10⁶) were used to investigate the effect on tensile strength. Increasing the time for isothermal crystallization of P(3HB) fibers resulted in a decrease in the maximum draw ratio. But, the tensile strength of P(3HB) fibers increased remarkably when the isothermal crystallization time was prolonged to more than 24 h. The tensile strength of low-molecular-weight drawn fibers was higher than that of high-molecular-weight fibers. Therefore, it can be concluded that this procedure does not increase the tensile strength of the high-molecular-weight drawn fibers. This is because, in this drawing method, small crystal nuclei grow initially during the isothermal crystallization process. Then, the molecular chains between the small crystal nuclei that acted as the entanglement points are oriented by stretching. In the case of the high-molecular-weight fibers, because the molecular length between the entanglement points of the small crystal nuclei is too long, the molecular chains are not sufficiently oriented by the stretching process. However, in the case of the low-molecular-weight fibers, the molecular length is suitable for generating the extended chains. Based on the result of X-ray analysis of P(3HB) fibers stretched after isothermal crystallization, fibers have the oriented α-form crystal with 2₁ helix conformation and β-form with planar zigzag conformation. The enzymatic degradation of the stretched P(3HB) fibers was performed by using an extracellular PHB depolymerase purified from Ralstonia pickettii T1. The enzymatic erosion rate of β-form was faster than that of α-form in the P(3HB) fibers stretched after isothermal crystallization.     

The effect of the water vapor pressure on the kinetics of thermal dehydration of manganese(II) formate dihydrate

The effect of the water vapor pressure on the thermal dehydration of manganese(II) formate dihydrate was studied by means of isothermal gravimetry under various water vapor pressure, ranging from 4.6 to 24.4 torr. The kinetics of dehydration was described by a two-dimensional phase-boundary model,R ₂. The rate of dehydration decreased with increasing atmospheric water vapor pressure, but the Smith-Topley phenomenon was not observed for the present dehydration. The activation energy and the frequency factor for the dehydration were 110–170 kJ·mol⁻¹ and 10¹⁰–10¹⁶ cm·s⁻¹, respectively. These values increased with increasing water vapor pressure, and were much larger than those reported for the dehydration in vacuum.     

Crystal structure, thermal behavior and enzymatic degradation of poly(tetramethylene adipate) solution-grown chain-folded lamellar crystals

Solution-grown chain-folded lamellar single crystals of poly(tetramethylene adipate) (PTMA) were prepared from a dilute solution of 2-methyl-1-propanol by isothermal crystallization. PTMA crystals were hexagonal-shaped and polyethylene decoration of the crystals resulted in a "six cross-sector" surface morphology and showed that the average direction of chain folding is parallel to the crystal growth planes of [110] and [010]. Chain-folded lamellar crystals gave well-resolved electron diffraction diagrams corresponding to all the equatorial reflections of the X-ray fiber diagram obtained from stretched PTMA melt-quenched film (beta structure). The unit cell parameters of the beta structure of PTMA were determined as a = 0.503 nm, b = 0.732 nm and c (fiber axis) = 1.442 nm with an orthorhombic crystal system. The fiber repeat distance is appropriate for an all-trans backbone conformation for the straight stems. The setting angle, with respect to the a axis, is +/-46 degrees for the corner and center chains. Thermal behavior of lamellar crystals has been investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The lamellar thickness at the edges of the crystal increased after thermal treatment with taking the molecular chains into recrystallization parts; the holes then opened up at the thickening front of the crystal. The morphological changes of lamellar crystals after enzymatic degradation by Lipase type XIII from Pseudomonas sp. and water-soluble products were characterized by TEM, AFM, gel permeation chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. The degradation progressed mainly from the edges of the lamellar crystals without decreasing the molecular weights and the lamellar thicknesses. The central portion of single crystals was often degraded by enzymatic attacks. This result combined with thermal behavior indicates that the loosely chain-packing region exists inside the single crystal, and that molecular chains in this region have higher mobility against thermal and enzymatic treatments.     

Living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers with carboxylic acid/tin tetrahalide initiating systems. I. New initiating systems based on acetic acid and selection of Lewis acid and basic additive leading to living polymers with low polydispersity

Cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) with acetic acid (CH₃COOH)/tin tetrahalide (SnX₄: X = Cl, Br, I) initiating systems in toluene solvent at 0°C was investigated, and the reaction conditions for living polymerization of IBVE with the new initiating systems were established. Among these tin tetrahalides, SnBr₄ was found to be the most suitable Lewis acid to obtain living poly(IBVE) with a narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD). The polymerization with the CH₃COOH/SnBr₄ system, however, was accompanied with the formation of a small amount of another polymer fraction of very broad MWD, probably due to the occurrence of an uncontrolled initiation by SnBr₄ coupled with protonic impurity. Addition of 1,4-dioxane (1–1.25 vol %) or 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine (0.1–0.6mM) to the polymerization mixture completely eliminated the uncontrolled polymer to give only the living polymer with very narrow MWD (M _w/M _n ≤ 1.1; M _w, weight-average molecular weight; M _n, number-average molecular weight). The M _n of the polymers increased in direct proportion to monomer conversion, continued to increase upon sequential addition of a fresh monomer feed, and was in good agreement with the calculated values assuming that one CH₃COOH molecule formed one polymer chain. Along with these results, kinetic study and direct ¹H-NMR observation of the living polymerization indicated that CH₃COOH and SnBr₄ act as so-called “initiator” and “activator”, respectively, and the living polymerization proceeds via an activation of the acetate dormant species. The basic additives such as 1,4-dioxane and 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine would serve mainly as a “suppressor” of the uncontrolled initiation by SnBr₄. The polymers produced after quenching the living polymerization with methanol possessed the acetate dormant terminal and they induced living polymerization of IBVE in conjunction with SnBr₄ in the presence of 1,4-dioxane. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 3173–3185, 1998     

Does the proton-transfer reaction take place in the ground state of phenol?(H2O)4 clusters?

In recent experimental studies of infrared (IR) spectra of hydrated phenol clusters, the Mikami and Ebata group at Tohoku University attributed apparently two very different spectra to PhOH(H₂O)₄. The first spectrum has a wide transparent region between 3500 and 3700 cm^-1, which they named a window region. The second spectrum has several absorption bands in this window region. Our previous study revealed that the first spectrum was assigned to the isomers which have a single-ring structure of a hydrogen-bonding network of OH's of phenol and waters. The experimentalists suggested that the second spectrum might be identified to a proton-transferred phenol(SINGLEBOND)water cluster. In the present article, the geometrical structures of proton-transferred hydrated phenol clusters were determined with the ab initio molecular orbital method and their IR spectra were calculated. The proton-transferred phenol(SINGLEBOND)water cluster is at a stable local minimum, but the energy is much higher than that of the most stable nontransferred cluster. The calculated IR spectrum has a still wider window region and is far different from the experimental spectrum of the second type. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.