Step‐by‐Step Synthesis of Monodisperse Methacrylamidoalkyl Oligolactates

Summary: This paper describes the facile step‐by‐step synthesis to graft lactic acid or lactoyl lactate onto primary as well as secondary alcohol derivatives of methacrylamides via esterification. Elongation of the chains is achieved by repeating the coupling reactions with either hydroxyl‐protected monolactate or hydroxyl‐protected dilactate, followed by mild deprotection using tetrabutylammonium fluoride. This versatile synthesis route generates, on a multi‐gram scale, monodisperse oligolactates of predetermined lengths with functional end groups. The products can be used, for example, as building blocks for biodegradable polymeric materials.

The synthesis of monodisperse oligo(lactic acids) with methacrylamide end groups and a predefined number of lactic acid units.     

Non-doped,blue-emitting,color-stable,organic light-emitting diode based on 2,2′:6′,2″-ternaphthalene

A novel non-doped blue-emitting material, 2,2′:6′,2″-ternaphthalene (NNN), which is based on three naphthalene units forming a rodlike molecule, has been synthesized and characterized. Organic light-emitting diodes based on NNN as emitter exhibit blue emission with Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage color coordinates of x = 0.18 and y = 0.11. In addition, the morphology and crystallographic structure of the NNN thin films has been investigated. NNN deposited on poly[3,4-(ethylenedioxy) thiophene]:poly (styrene sulfonate) on Indium Tin Oxide-covered glass forms crystalline structures of high crystallographic quality. The molecules are aligned almost perpendicular to the substrate surface and exhibit a tilt angle of 23 $^{\circ }$ .     

A rapid assay for on-site monitoring of infliximab trough levels: a feasibility study

Monitoring levels of biologicals against tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has been suggested to improve therapeutic outcomes in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). This pilot study describes a rapid lateral flow (LF)-based assay for on-site monitoring of serum trough levels of humanized monoclonal antibody infliximab (IFX). The applied chromatographic method utilizes sequential flows of diluted serum, wash buffer, and an immunoglobulin generic label on LF strips with a Test line comprised of TNF-α. The successive flows permitted enrichment of IFX at the Test line before the label was applied. The label, luminescent upconverting phosphor (UCP) particles coated with protein-A, emits a 550-nm visible light upon excitation with 980-nm infrared light. IFX concentrations were determined through measurement of UCP fluorescence at the Test line. The assay was optimized to detect IFX levels as low as 0.17 μg/mL in serum. For patients with IBD, this limit is appropriate to detect levels associated with loss of response (0.5 μg IFX/mL). The assay was evaluated with clinical samples from patients with Crohn’s disease and correlated well within the physiologically relevant range from 0.17 to 10 μg/mL with an IFX-specific ELISA. Performance of the assay was further successfully validated with samples from blood donors, IFX negative IBD patients, and rheumatoid arthritis patients that had developed anti-IFX antibodies. Because of its generic nature, the assay is suited for detecting most therapeutic anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibodies.

Transport,Electrochemical and Thermophysical Properties of Two N‐Donor‐Functionalised Ionic Liquids

Two N‐donor‐functionalised ionic liquids (ILs), 1‐ethyl‐1,4‐dimethylpiperazinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ( 1 ) and 1‐(2‐dimethylaminoethyl)‐dimethylethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ( 2 ), were synthesised and their electrochemical and transport properties measured. The data were compared with the benchmark system, N‐butyl‐N‐methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ( 3 ). Marked differences in thermal and electrochemical stability were observed between the two tertiary‐amine‐functionalised salts and the non‐functionalised benchmark. The former are up to 170 K and 2 V less stable than the structural counterpart lacking a tertiary amine function. The ion self‐diffusion coefficients (D_i) and molar conductivities (Λ) are higher for the IL with an open‐chain cation ( 2 ) than that with a cyclic cation ( 1 ), but less than that with a non‐functionalised, heterocyclic cation ( 3 ). The viscosities (η) show the opposite behaviour. The Walden [Λ∝(1/η)^t] and Stokes–Einstein [D_i/T)∝(1/η)^t] exponents, t, are very similar for the three salts, 0.93–0.98 (±0.05); that is, the self‐diffusion coefficients and conductivity are set by η. The D_i for 1 and 2 are the same, within experimental error, at the same viscosity, whereas Λ for 1 is approximately 13 % higher than that of 2 . The diffusion and molar conductivity data are consistent, with a slope of 0.98±0.05 for a plot of ln(ΛT) against ln(D₊+D_?). The Nernst–Einstein deviation parameters (Δ) are such that the mean of the two like‐ion VCCs is greater than that of the unlike ions. The values of Δ are 0.31, 0.36 and 0.42 for 3 , 1 and 2 , respectively, as is typical for ILs, but there is some subtlety in the ion interactions given 2 has the largest value. The distinct diffusion coefficients (DDC) follow the order ${D{{{\rm d}\hfill \atop - - \hfill}}}$ <${D{{{\rm d}\hfill \atop ++\hfill}}}$ <${D{{{\rm d}\hfill \atop +- \hfill}}}$ , as is common for [Tf₂N]^? salts. The ion motions are not correlated as in an electrolyte solution: instead, there is greater anti‐correlation between the velocities of a given anion and the overall ensemble of anions in comparison to those for the cationic analogue, the anti‐correlation for the velocities of which is in turn greater than that for a given ion and the ensemble of oppositely charged ions, an observation that is due to the requirement for the conservation of momentum in the system. The DDC also show fractional SE behaviour with t～0.95.     

Application of the optimized Baxter model to the hard-core attractive Yukawa system

We perform Monte Carlo simulations on the hard-core attractive Yukawa system to test the optimized Baxter model that was introduced by Prinsen and Odijk [J. Chem. Phys. 121, 6525 (2004)] to study a fluid phase of spherical particles interacting through a short-range pair potential. We compare the chemical potentials and pressures from the simulations with analytical predictions from the optimized Baxter model. We show that the model is accurate to within 10% over a range of volume fractions from 0.1 to 0.4, interaction strengths up to three times the thermal energy, and interaction ranges from 6% to 20% of the particle diameter, and performs even better in most cases. We furthermore establish the consistency of the model by showing that the thermodynamic properties of the Yukawa fluid computed via simulations may be understood on the basis of one similarity variable, the stickiness parameter defined within the optimized Baxter model. Finally, we show that the optimized Baxter model works significantly better than an often used, naive method determining the stickiness parameter by equating the respective second virial coefficients based on the attractive Yukawa and Baxter potentials.     

Selectivity and efficiency enhancement of supercritical fluid extraction by application of reactive additives. I. The analysis of calcium montanate using citric acid as a complexing agent

It has been demonstrated that calcium montanate (a mixture of aliphatic hydrocarbons, fatty acid esters of C₂₈–C₃₂ acids, the calcium salts of these fatty acids, and the acids themselves) can be selectively extracted with supercritical fluids. By use of carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide containing 10% methanol, and carbon dioxide containing 10% methanol and citric acid (as a further additive), the various compound classes could be isolated with high selectivity. The addition of citric acid results in the complexation of Ca²⁺ and the simultaneous formation of the free fatty acids, which are soluble in the extractant.     

Evolution of surface characteristics of two industrial 7xxx aluminium alloys exposed to humidity at moderate temperature

This study analyses the evolution of surface characteristics of two industrial high-strength 7xxx aluminium alloys with a focus on alloy composition and environmental parameters. Based on storage and transport conditions of as-machined products, the effect of humidity—as liquid and vapour phase—on the natural oxide layer has been studied. The evolution of the natural oxide layer has been analysed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The growth behaviour of the surface layer is dominated by environmental conditions, while microgalvanic activity depends mainly on the alloys' chemical composition and differs significantly for tested alloys. Scanning transmission electron microscopy images demonstrated that the long-term exposure at moderate temperatures affects the microstructure near the surface, which differs for the analysed alloy compositions. An anomalous precipitation of zinc-rich particles at the surface and along the precipitate-free zone is observed for the alloy with higher Zn/Mg ratio and lower Cu content.     

Speciation of Aluminium in Mixtures of the Ionic Liquids [C3mpip][NTf2] and [C4mpyr][NTf2] with AlCl3: An Electrochemical and NMR Spectroscopy Study

This paper reports on the electrodeposition of aluminium on several substrates from the air‐ and water‐stable ionic liquids 1‐propyl‐1‐methylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ([C₃mpip][NTf₂]) and 1‐butyl‐1‐methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ([C₄mpyr][NTf₂]), which contain anhydrous AlCl₃. At an AlCl₃ concentration of 0.75 molal, no evidence for aluminium electrodeposition was observed in either system at room temperature. However, aluminium electrodeposition becomes feasible upon heating the samples to 80 °C. Aluminium electrodeposition from bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide‐based ionic liquids that contain AlCl₃ has previously been shown to be very dependent upon the AlCl₃ concentration and has not been demonstrated at AlCl₃ concentrations below 1.13 molal. The dissolution of AlCl₃ in [C₃mpip][NTf₂] and [C₄mpyr][NTf₂] was studied by variable‐temperature ²⁷Al NMR spectroscopy to gain insights on the electroactive species responsible for aluminium electrodeposition. A similar change in the aluminium speciation with temperature was observed in both ionic liquids, thereby indicating that the chemistry was similar in both. The electrodeposition of aluminium was shown to coincide with the formation of an asymmetric four‐coordinate aluminium‐containing species with an ²⁷Al chemical shift of δ=94 and 92 ppm in the [C₃mpip][NTf₂]–AlCl₃ and [C₄mpyr][NTf₂]–AlCl₃ systems, respectively. It was concluded that the aluminium‐containing species that give rise to these resonances corresponds to the electroactive species and was assigned to [AlCl₃(NTf₂)]^?.