Sterically stabilized emulsion polymerization of styrene: Pseudo‐semicontinuous approach

The sterically stabilized emulsion polymerization of styrene initiated by a water‐soluble initiator at different temperatures has been investigated. The rate of polymerization (R_p) versus conversion curve shows the two non‐stationary‐rate intervals typical for the polymerization proceeding under non‐stationary‐state conditions. The shape of the R_p versus conversion curve results from two opposite effects—the increased number of particles and the decreased monomer concentration at reaction loci as the polymerization advances. At elevated temperatures the monomer emulsion equilibrates to a two‐phase or three‐phase system. The upper phase is transparent (monomer), and the lower one is blue colored, typical for microemulsion. After stirring such a multiphase system and initiation of polymerization, the initial coarse polymer emulsion was formed. The average size of monomer/polymer particles strongly decreased up to about 40% conversion and then leveled off. The initial large particles are assumed to be highly monomer‐swollen particles formed by the heteroagglomeration of unstable polymer particles and monomer droplets. The size of the “highly monomer” swollen particles continuously decreases with conversion, and they merge with the growing particles at about 40–50% conversion. The monomer droplets and/or large highly monomer‐swollen polymer particles also serve as a reservoir of monomer and emulsifier. The continuous release of nonionic (hydrophobic) emulsifier from the monomer phase increases the colloidal stability of primary particles and the number of polymer particles, that is, the particle nucleation is shifted to the higher conversion region. Variations of the square and cube of the mean droplet radius with aging time indicate that neither the coalescence nor the Ostwald ripening is the main driving force for the droplet instability. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 804–820, 2003     

Kinetic evidence of a common mechanism in the oxidations of diethyl sulfide by dichromates and halochromates of heterocyclic bases

The oxidations of diethyl sulfide by potassium dichromate, pyridinium dichromate, quinolinium dichromate, imidazolium dichromate, nicotinium dichromate, isonicotinium dichromate, pyridinium fluorochromate, quinolinium fluorochromate, imidazolium fluorochromate, pyridinium chlorochromate, quinolinium chlorochromate, and pyridinium bromochromate follow identical kinetic orders—first‐order each with respect to the chromium(VI) reagents, sulfide and hydrogen ion, and moderately inhibited by manganese(II) ion. The energy of activation varies linearly with the logarithm of frequency factor and so does the enthalpy of activation with the entropy of activation. Also, the activation free energies do not differ significantly. The dichromates and halochromates of heterocyclic bases oxidize diethyl sulfide via a common mechanism. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 35: 1–8, 2003     

Condensation of Isatoic Anhydride with Hetarylguanidines

Condensation of isatoic anhydride with 4-methylquinazolin-2-yl-, 2-benzoxazolyl-, 2-benzothiazolyl-, and 4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-ylguanidines leads to the corresponding 2-hetarylamino-4-hydroxyquinazolines as a result of cyclization of intermediate anthranilic acid hetarylguanidides. These intermediates can be isolated as individual compounds.     

Self-broadening of space-time spectra of few-cycle pulses in dielectric media

The nonparaxial dynamics of spectra of pulses comprising a few cycles of a light field is analyzed in transparent nonlinear media with dispersion. It is shown that the inhomogeneous self-broadening of the time spectrum of a pulse proceeds more effectively into the blue region at all spatial frequencies. A decrease in the energy in the central part of the time spectrum is realized mainly at high spatial frequencies.     

Dog and tricks: some mathematics for students of graphics

This paper describes how parametric cubic splines and cubicBezier curves may be used in designing a two dimensional shape.A simple aerofoil shape is designed using both methods. Themathematics is described and the shape drawn using Excel. Theeffect of varying parameters is shown in both methods.     

Transport Properties of Selective Membranes Reversible to Nitrogen-Containing Organic Base Cations: Permeability and Ion Flow

Main transport properties were studied for selective membranes with low dielectric constants based on liquid ion exchangers involving nitrogen-containing organic base cations. Permeabilities and ion flows through a membrane were calculated for major and interfering ions. Dependences of the transport properties of membranes on the concentrations of the ion exchanger and near-membrane solution and their potentiometric characteristics are presented. It was demonstrated that the transport properties of liquid membranes are determined by two main factors: the transfer of counterions through the phase boundary by the extraction–exchange mechanism and the leaching of the ion exchanger from the membrane.     

Coprecipitation of Naphthol Azosulfonates with Organic Coprecipitants and Its Use in Flow-Injection Analysis

The coprecipitation of azo compounds based on 4-nitrophenyl- and 4-sulfophenyldiazonium naphthol sulfonates as their diphenylguanidinium ion-pair complexes with analogous compounds of naphthalene-2-sulfonic acid and 4-phenylsulfodiazonium is investigated. The optimization of the coprecipitation is considered based on the notions of the driving force of the cocrystallization of impurities. The optical characteristics of colored ion-pair complexes are measured. It is found that the water solubility is decreased most substantially for azosulfonates with hydrophobic nitro groups and with no more than two sulfo groups in different aromatic nuclei, which can lead to a decrease in the detection limit due to preconcentration by coprecipitation, which stimulates the thermodynamic flux of concentrate elution. Coprecipitation is combined with flow-injection analysis in the on-line mode, and new procedures are developed for determining naphthol sulfonates and related azo compounds with the detection limit equal to 0.003–0.006 mg/50 mL.