A Novel Biphenyl Derivative from Cinnamomum insulari-montanum

Chemistry of Natural Compounds - A novel biphenyl derivative, insularione (3,3′,4,4′,6-pentahydroxy-3,4-dihydro-[1,1′-biphenyl]-2,5-dione) (1), was isolated from the stems of...     

Secondary Metabolites of Mahonia bealei

Chemistry of Natural Compounds -     

A Novel Cyclopropanoid from Cinnamomum osmophloeum

Chemistry of Natural Compounds - A novel cyclopropanoid, 4-(2-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)cyclopropoxy)-2,6-dimethoxyphenol (1) was isolated from the stems of Cinnamomum osmophloeum (Lauraceae). The...     

Complex thermal evaluation for 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) by non-isothermal and isothermal kinetic analysis methods

Azo compounds are widely used in dyes, pigments, blowing agents, and initiators. Unfortunately, these compounds contain the bivalent –N–N– composition which might be cleavaged readily even under high ambient temperature. The self-accelerating decomposition might cause a runaway reaction and lead to a fire or explosion when the cooling system fails or other upsets occur. To investigate the thermal stability parameters of 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) with thermal hazard and mechanism, differential scanning calorimetry and thermal activity monitor III were applied with non-isothermal method and isothermal method to obtain onset temperature (T ₀), maximum temperature (T _max), and heat of decomposition (ΔH _d). Thermal stability parameters play a pivotal role in thermal analysis, leading particularly to complex evaluation of the inherently safer design during preparation, processing, transport, or storage. The results provide sufficient thermokinetic parameters for process safety in terms of proactive loss prevention program.     

Molecular Engineering of Push–Pull Porphyrin Dyes for Highly Efficient Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells: The Role of Benzene Spacers

Porphyrins have drawn much attention as sensitizers owing to the large absorption coefficients of their Soret and Q bands in the visible region. In a donor and acceptor zinc porphyrin we applied a new strategy of introducing 2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole (BTD) as a π‐conjugated linker between the anchoring group and the porphyrin chromophore to broaden the absorption spectra to fill the valley between the Soret and Q bands. With this novel approach, we observed 12.75 % power‐conversion efficiency under simulated one‐sun illumination (AM1.5G, 100 mW cm^?2). In this study, we showed the importance of introducing the phenyl group as a spacer between the BTD and the zinc porphyrin in achieving high power‐conversion efficiencies. Time‐resolved fluorescence, transient‐photocurrent‐decay, and transient‐photovoltage‐decay measurements were employed to determine the electron‐injection dynamics and the lifetime of the photogenerated charge carriers.     

Well-posedness of the Hydrodynamic Model for Semiconductors

This paper concerns the well-posedness of the hydrodynamic model for semiconductor devices, a quasi-linear elliptic–parbolic–hyperbolic system. Boundary conditions for elliptic and parabolic equations are Dirichlet conditions while boundary conditions for the hyperbolic equations are assumed to be well-posed in L² sense. Maximally strictly dissipative boundary conditions for the hyperbolic equations satisfy the assumption of well-posedness in L² sense. The well-posedness of the model under the boundary conditions is demonstrated.     

Analyses of preservatives by capillary electrochromatography using methacrylate ester-based monolithic columns

Five common food preservatives were analyzed by capillary electrochromatography, utilizing a methacrylate ester-based monolithic capillary as separation column. In order to optimize the separation of these preservatives, the effects of the pore size of the polymeric stationary phase, the pH and composition of the mobile phase on separation were examined. For all analytes, it was found that an increase in pore size caused a reduction in retention time. However, separation performances were greatly improved in monolithic columns with smaller pore sizes. The pH of the mobile phase had little influence on separation resolution, but a dramatic effect on the amount of sample that was needed to be electrokinetically injected into the monolithic column. In addition, the retention behaviors of these analytes were strongly influenced by the level of acetonitrile in the mobile phase. An optimal separation of the five preservatives was obtained within 7.0 min with a pH 3.0 mobile phase composed of phosphate buffer and acetonitrile 35:65 v/v. Finally, preservatives in real commercial products, including cold syrup, lotion, wine, and soy sauces, were successfully determined by the methacrylate ester-based polymeric monolithic column under this optimized condition.     

Preparation and properties of amino-terminated anionic waterborne-polyurethane-silica hybrid materials through a sol-gel process in the absence of an external catalyst

A series of polymer-silica hybrid materials consisting of amino-terminated anionic waterborne-polyurethane (WPU) and inorganic silica particles have been prepared through a sol-gel process in the absence of an external catalyst. Typically, amino-terminated anionic WPU was first synthesized from polycaprolactone, dimethylol propionic acid, and 4,4′-methylenebis(cyclohexyl isocyanate) with specific molar ratios, followed by further reaction with triethylamine and triethylene tetramine to give as-prepared WPU. The WPU obtained was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. Subsequently, a series of hybrid materials with different silica contents were prepared by performing sol-gel reactions with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in an amino-terminated WPU matrix without the addition of an external catalyst. This was followed by examination by transmission electron microscopy and ²⁹Si solid-state NMR. The terminated primary amine groups attached to the as-prepared WPU chains functioned as an internal base catalyst for the sol-gel process of TEOS. The effect of composition on the thermal stability, mechanical strength, surface wettability, and optical clarity of the hybrid materials was evaluated by the thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, contact angle measurement, and UV-visible transmission spectroscopy, respectively.