Polymerization of N-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)-maleimide

A novel fluorine-containing polymer, poly[N-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)maleimide], was prepared by the anionic polymerization of N-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)maleimide (PFPMI). Anionic polymerization with alkali metal tert-butoxides gave poly(PFPMI) in 14–32% yield. Phenyllithium and sec-butyllithium also afforded poly(PFPMI). No polymer was obtained with a radical initiator such as 2,2′-azoisobutyronitrile. The polymerization took place only via the vinylene group of PFPMI and no appreciable side-reaction occurred. The obtained poly(PFPMI) shows unimodal molecular weight distribution and begins to decompose at 325°C.     

Preparation and properties of macromolecular complexes consisting of chitosan derivatives,iron(III) hydroxide sulfate,and poly(potassium vinyl sulfate)

Glycol chitosan (GC) and methyl glycol chitosan (MGC) were separately reacted with poly(potassium vinyl sulfate) (PVSK) in the presence of iron(III) hydroxide sulfate (IHS) to form water-insoluble macromolecular complexes (MC's). The chemical compositions and properties of MC's obtained were compared with each other. The solubility of MC in the MGC-IHS-PVSK system was lower than that in the GC-IHS-PVSK system, and it was suggested that MGC contributes to the properties of MC.     

Structure of the T1-state wave function of linear polyenes

Configuration interaction singles (CIS) calculations of the planar T₁ state of hexatriene, octatetraene, decapentaene, and dodecahexaene showed that the (HOMO−i)→(LUMO+i) type single excitations contribute significantly. This is attributed to the similarity of the HOMO, LUMO, and HOMO−i, LUMO+i overlap densities which stem from nodal properties of the π molecular orbitals. CASSCF calculations for hexatriene and octatetraene also showed remarkable contributions of the (HOMO−i)→(LUMO+i) type singly excited configurations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 67: 101–106, 1998     

MC/AM1-SCI study of the effect of hydration shells on the nitrogen hyperfine coupling constant of the (CH3)2NO radical in aqueous solution

A combination of Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and semi-empirical AM1 molecular orbital (MO) singly-excited configuration interaction (SCI) calculation was applied to dimethyl nitroxide (DMNO) in aqueous solution and the solvent effect on the hyperfine coupling constant (HFCC) of nitrogen in DMNO was analyzed. During the MC simulation, 100 solution structures were picked up. For each solution structure, the DMNO–(H₂O)_n (n=1–40) clusters were cut out and the AM1-SCI calculation was applied to the cluster as a supermolecule. The HFCC of nitrogen was obtained by averaging the 100 solution structures. The H₂O molecules included in the supermolecule were determined by two different types of selection and the contribution of H₂O molecules to the HFCC was well elucidated in relation to the hydration shell structure.     

Temperature- and pH-responsive aminopropyl-silica ion-exchange columns grafted with copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide

We have designed copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide, environmentally-responsive polymers, which respond to temperature and other external stimuli. In this study, we designed and synthesized copolymers that introduced ion-exchange groups. These copolymers responded to the temperature and the pH, and the copolymer-grafted aminopropyl silica beads were used as HPLC packing materials. This stationary phase altered the properties from hydrophilic to hydrophobic and from charge to non-charge by temperature and pH changes. We studied the separations of organic acids and phenylthiohydantoin-amino acids using environmentally-responsive chromatography, and confirmed the effects of the ion-exchange groups. The elution behaviors of these samples were controlled by the temperature changes without organic solvents in the mobile phase. It was confirmed that the interactions between the solute and stationary phase could be freely controlled by the temperature and the pH. Environmentally-responsive chromatography is expected to be applicable to the separation of pharmaceuticals and biomolecules, such as peptides, proteins and nucleic acids.     

Chemical characterization of density separated submicrometer coal fly ash

A new geometrical particle size separation method in the range of submicrometer has been developed for coal fly ash. Coal fly ash particles prefractionated less than 5m in geometrical diameter were fractionated with a coupling of supersonical dispersion in methyl alcohol and filtration through antistatic Nucleopore filter into >1.0, 1.0–0.8, 0.8–0.6m.Submicrometer (1.0–0.6m) and micrometer coal fly ash (25–20m) were separated into six density fractions and their compositions measured by SEM-EDX were compared. For the both size fractions, for the low density fractions (<2.8 g/cm³) consisted mainly of aluminosilicates and the fractions of 2.8–3.2 g/cm³ consisted of oxides of aluminum, silicon and calcium, and in the fraction above 3.2 g/cm³ iron was rich. In submicrometer fly ash, phosphor and sulfur concentrated to the particles rich in calcium. In the heaviest fraction, the particles containing over 30 wt% titanium as oxide observed among the particles rich in iron. These fractions were revealed not as a single component, but as mixtures of several components.     

Electron-phonon interactions and Jahn-Teller effects in the monocation of corannulene

Electron-phonon interactions in the monocation of corannulene are studied by using the hybrid Hartree-Fock (HF)/density-functional-theory (DFT) method in the Gaussian 98 program package. The C-C stretching mode of 1498 cm(-1) most strongly couples to the e1 highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO) in corannulene. The total electron-phonon coupling constant for the monocation (l(HOMO)) of corannulene is estimated to be 0.165 eV. The l(HOMO) value for corannulene is much larger than those for coronene and acenes with similar numbers of carbon atoms. The delocalized electronic structures and the intermediate characteristics between the strong sigma-orbital interactions and weak pi-orbital interactions originating from a bowl-shaped C(5v) geometry are the main reason that the l(HOMO) value for corannulene is much larger than those for planar D(6h) symmetric pi-conjugated coronene and D(2h) symmetric pi-conjugated acenes with similar numbers of carbon atoms. The electron transfer in the positively charged corannulene is also discussed. Intramolecular electron mobility (sigma(intra,monocation)) in the positively charged corannulene is estimated to be smaller than those for the positively charged pi-conjugated acenes and coronene. The reorganization energy for the positively charged corannulene (0.060 eV) is estimated to be larger than those for the positively charged acenes and coronene. The strong orbital interactions between two neighboring carbon atoms in the HOMO of corannulene with the bowl-shaped structure are the main reasons for the calculated results. Thus, the larger overlap integral between two neighboring molecules is needed for the positively charged corannulene to become a better conductor than those for positively charged coronene and acenes. The smaller density of states at the Fermi level n(0) values are enough for the conditions of the attractive electron-electron interactions to be realized in the monocation of corannulene than in the monocations of coronene and acenes with similar numbers of carbon atoms. The multimode problem is also treated in order to investigate how consideration of the multimode problem is closely related to the characteristics of the electron-phonon interactions.     

Aqueous chromatographic system for separation of biomolecules using thermoresponsive polymer modified stationary phase

We have investigated a new method for HPLC using packing materials modified with a functional polymer, such as thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm). PNIPAAm-modified silica exhibits temperature-controlled hydrophilic-hydrophobic surface property changes in aqueous systems. Temperature-responsive chromatography is performed with an aqueous mobile phase without using an organic solvent. We designed ternary copolymers of NIPAAm introduced 2-(dimethyl-amino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) as a cationic monomer and butyl methacrylate (BMA) as a hydrophobic monomer. A cationic thermoresponsive hydrogel grafted surface would produce an alterable stationary phase with both thermally regulated hydrophobicity and charge density for separation of bioactive compounds. In this study, we achieved successful separation of lysozyme without the loss of bioactivity by temperature-responsive chromatography. The electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions could be modulated simultaneously with the temperature in an aqueous mobile phase, thus the separation system would have potential applications in the separation of biomolecules.     

Direct observation of polymer-stabilized blue phase I structure with confocal laser scanning microscope

The three-dimensional structure of polymer-stabilized blue phase with the order of optical wavelength was nondestructively investigated by a confocal laser scanning microscope. The periodical patterns corresponding to the bcc lattice were observed not only on the surface but also in the internal region. The visualization mechanism was expected to be back scattering caused by liquid crystal order.     

Studies on the constituents of Syringa species. XII. New glycosides from the leaves of Syringa reticulata (BLUME) HARA

Three new glycosides, 6'-O-alpha-D-galactopyranosylsyringopicroside (1), secologanoside 7-methyl ester (2) and (+)-lariciresinol 4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), were isolated from the leaves of Syringa reticulata. Their structures were established on the basis of chemical and spectral data. Compound 1 is the first naturally occurring iridoid di-glycoside having melibiose. Comparison of the spectral data of 2 and that previously recognized as secologanoside 7-methyl ester led to the conclusion that the recognized structure should be revised to the sodium salt of secoxyloganin (2').