Dissolution of MWCNTs by using polyoxadiazoles,and highly effective reinforcement of their composite films

Nonmodified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/sulfonated polyoxadiazole (sPOD) nanocomposites are successfully prepared by a facile solution route. The pristine MWCNTs are dispersed in a sPOD solution, and the mixtures are fabricated into thin films by solution casting. The homogeneous dispersion of nanotubes in the composites is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The mechanical properties, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity are investigated. Tensile strength, elongation at break, and tensile energy to break are shown to increase by more than 28, 45, and 73%, respectively, by incorporating up to 1.0 wt % pristine MWCNTs. The experimental values for sPOD/MWCNTs composite stiffness are compared with Halpin‐Tsai and modified Halpin‐Tsai predictions. The storage modulus is found to increase up to 10% at low CNT loading. The composite films, which have an outstanding thermal stability, show an increase of up to 57 °C in the initial degradation temperature. The addition of 1.0 wt % MWCNTs increases the electrical conductivity of the sPOD matrix by two orders of magnitude. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Copper(0) in the Ullmann heterocycle-aryl ether synthesis of 4-phenoxypyridine using multimode microwave heating

The action of nanoparticulate copper catalysts with a mean particle size of 10 nm in the Ullmann ether synthesis is reported using multimode microwave heating and employing stable chloropyridine salts and unactivated phenol, with stabilized copper nanoparticles outperforming other copper catalysts in terms of stability and reusability.     

Finer geometric rigidity of limit sets of conformal IFS

We consider infinite conformal iterated function systems in the phase space with . Let be the limit set of such a system. Under a mild technical assumption, which is always satisfied if the system is finite, we prove that either the Hausdorff dimension of exceeds the topological dimension of the closure of or else the closure of is a proper compact subset of either a geometric sphere or an affine subspace of dimension . A similar dichotomy holds for conformal expanding repellers.

     

Extra-pair sires as identified by means of standardized across-gel comparisons of multilocus DNA fingerprints

Molecular analyses of genetic parentage in wild bird populations demonstrate that extra-pair paternity (EPP) is common, even in socially monogamous species. After having identified extra-pair offspring (EPO), an important step is to uncover the identity of extra-pair sires (EPS). Studies relying on multilocus DNA fingerprinting face the problem that simple between-gel comparisons of fingerprint banding patterns are imprecise in assigning parentage across gels. To tackle this problem, we developed a method to identify EPS by means of standardized across-gel comparisons of multilocus DNA fingerprints and applied it in a socially monogamous bird species with high levels of EPP, the coal tit (Parus ater). Scanned DNA fingerprint gels and standard image-editing software allowed to screen and reliably identify EPS. Overall, EPP was successfully assigned to 32 different EPS for 143 out of 210 (68.1%) EPO detected. This corresponds well to extra-pair parentage assignment rates revealed by microsatellite-based studies in congeneric species. Our approach proves especially useful whenever multilocus DNA fingerprints for parentage exclusion exist while microsatellite markers are not available.     

Studies on 2'-alpha-C-carboxyalkyl nucleosides and their application to a stereocontrolled nucleobase exchange process

The ability of 2'-alpha-C-carboxyalkyl nucleosides to undergo an unusual two-step stereocontrolled nucleobase exchange process has been investigated. Upon silylation a protected 2'-deoxy-2'-alpha-C-(carboxymethyl)uridine derivative can undergo intramolecular displacement of the uracil base, by the 2'-carboxylic acid group, to form a pentofuranosyl gamma-lactone. Under identical conditions the homologous 2'-deoxy-2'-alpha-C-(carboxyethyl)uridine derivative does not yield the corresponding delta-lactone, but undergoes elimination of uracil to give the corresponding glycal. The pentofuranosyl gamma-lactone is a good substrate for nucleoside synthesis by the Vorbrüggen procedures and undergoes completely stereoselective ring opening with either pyrimidine or purine silylated nucleobases to give novel 2'-C-carboxymethyl beta-nucleosides in moderate to high yield.     

Surface protonation data of kaolinite-reevaluation based on dissolution experiments

The aim of the present study is to compare available surface titration curves of kaolinite, to explain the differences between them, and to constrain their interpretation based on predictions of surface protonation that emerged from dissolution experiments. Comparison of six surface titration curves obtained at 25 degrees C reveals significant discrepancies, both in the shape of the curves and in the pH of the point of zero net proton charge (pH(PZNPC)). Based on an analysis of the different sites available for adsorption on kaolinite surfaces we conclude that different kaolinite samples are expected to have similar pH(PZNPC). Therefore, the major reason for the differences in the observed surface protonation is related to the different ways in which the pH(PZNPC) was determined. To compare the titration curves, some of the curves were recalculated so that the proton surface concentrations of all the titration curves would be zero around pH 5. As a result, we obtained a good agreement between the titration curves. A prediction of the molar fraction of protonated sites was retrieved from modeling of kaolinite dissolution reaction and was compared to the protonation data obtained from surface titration. The model successfully predicts the surface protonation data of most of the surface titrations.     

(S,S)-2,3-Dihydroxy-2,3-dihydrobenzoic acid: microbial access with engineered cells of Escherichia coli and application as starting material in natural-product synthesis

Cyclohexadiene-trans-5,6-diols such as (S,S)-2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydrobenzoic acid (2,3-trans-CHD) have been shown to be of importance as chiral starting materials for the syntheses of bioactive substances, especially for the syntheses of carbasugars. By using methods of metabolic-pathway engineering, the Escherichia coli genes entB and entC, which encode isochorismatase and isochorismate synthase, were cloned and over-expressed in E. coli strains with a deficiency of entA, which encodes 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate synthase. A 30-fold increase in the corresponding EntB/EntC enzyme activities affects the accumulation of 2,3-trans-CHD in the cultivation medium. Although the strains did not contain deletions in chorismate-utilising pathways towards aromatic amino acids, neither chorismate nor any other metabolic intermediates were found as by-products. Fermentation of these strains in a 30 L pH-controlled stirred tank reactor showed that 2,3-trans-CHD could be obtained in concentrations of up to 4.6 g L(-1). This demonstrates that post-chorismate metabolites are accessible on a preparative scale by using techniques of metabolic-pathway engineering. Isolation and separation from fermentation salts could be performed economically in one step through anion-exchange chromatography or, alternatively, by reactive extraction. Starting from 2,3-trans-CHD as an example, we established short syntheses towards new carbasugar derivatives.