Tying together the ultrastructural modifications of wood fibre induced by pulping processes with the mechanical properties of paper

The composition and ultrastructural arrangement of cell wall polymers in wood fibres have determining influence on the properties of wood derived materials. It is therefore important to improve our understanding of the relationship between fibres organisation, the modifications induced by pulping treatments, and the resulting paper sheet mechanical properties. The different treatments to which fibres are subjected during the manufacturing of pulps and papers induce morphological and micro-structural alterations due to the removal of wall constituents and of microfibrillar elements. The impact of pulping processes on fibres was investigated at the ultrastructural scale of transmission electron microscopy. Particular attention was given to the effects of beating in refiners at various intensities on the ultrastructure of fibres. The most characteristic effects consisted of delaminations, microfibril disorganisation, and even fractures, of varying importance depending on the intensity of the mechanical refining. The consequences of internal alterations and surface modifications of the fibres were examined in relation to the paper sheet mechanical properties. Correlations between the type of alteration observed in the fibres and its possible impact on a given paper mechanical property are suggested. With similar approaches, the effects of drying and recycling were studied.     

Stereoselectivity of (−)-(1<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>,2<Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis>)-2-methylamino-1-phenylpropan-1-ol preparation

Stereoselectivity of reductive amination of (R)-1-hydroxy-1-phenylpropan-2-one by methylamine was studied. From the four isomers possible, only two are produced by this reaction. These are marked as (−)-(1R,2S)-ephedrine (desired product) and (+)-(1S,2R)-ephedrine. The reaction stereoselectivity depends both on the type of the catalyst and reaction conditions. The most suitable type is the supported platinum. However, this catalyst rapidly deactivates. With a decreasing activity of Pt catalyst, the stereoselectivity decreases. It is also decreased during the production of the second liquid phase (water) in the reaction mixture.     

The effect of amino acid deletions and substitutions in the longest loop of GFP

Background  

The effect of single and multiple amino acid substitutions in the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from Aequorea victoria has been extensively explored, yielding several proteins of diverse spectral properties. However, the role of amino acid deletions in this protein -as with most proteins- is still unknown, due to the technical difficulties involved in generating combinatorial in-phase amino acid deletions on a target region.     

发光反应型有机铵分子与CdSe纳米晶的组装

用巯基乙酸做稳定剂制备了水溶性CdSe纳米颗粒, 用十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(HTAB)、发光性(4-甲氧基均二苯乙烯基)二甲基乙基溴化铵 (MODAB)及末端含有双键的(4-甲基丙烯酰氧基均二苯乙烯基)二甲基乙基溴化铵(MSDAB)对该CdSe纳米颗粒进行了混合组装.通过改变三种有机分子的比例可以调控所得组装体的溶解性、聚合性及其发光性质.实验结果表明,当HTAB:MODAB:MSDAB=1:5.98～5.90:0.02～0.10(摩尔比)时,所得组装体具有较好的聚合性、溶解性和荧光性质.     

Electrostatic layer-by-layer assembled carbon nanotube multilayer film and its electrocatalytic activity for O2 reduction

Multilayer films of shortened multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are homogeneously and stably assembled on glassy carbon electrodes with the layer-by-layer (LBL) method, based on electrostatic interaction of positively charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and negatively charged and shortened MWNTs. The film assembly and electrochemical property as well as the electrocatalytic activity toward O2 reduction of the MWNT multilayer film are studied. Scanning electron microscopy, the quartz crystal microbalance technique, ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry are used for characterization of film assembly. Experimental results revealed that film growth is uniform, almost with the same coverage of the MWNTs in each layer, and that the assembled MWNTs are mainly in the form of small bundles or single tubes on the electrodes. Electrochemical studies indicate that the LBL assembled MWNT films possess a remarkable electrocatalytic activity toward O2 reduction in alkaline media. This property, combined with the well-dispersed, porous and conductive features of the MWNT film illustrated with the LBL method, suggests the potential application of the MWNT film for constructing an efficient alkaline air electrode for energy conversions.     

Insertion Reactions of Carbon Disulfide into Mg‐C and Mg‐N Bonds: Syntheses and Structural Determinations of Mg(S2CY)2(THF)n(Y=NEt2, NiPr2, iPr,Ph) and BrMg(S2CZ)(THF)3(Z=Ph,iPr)

The insertion reaction of CS₂ with Mg(NR₂)₂ (R= Et, ⁱPr), MgR′₂ (R′= Et, Ph) and R″MgBr (R″= ⁱPr, Ph) respectively lead solid products, Mg(S₂CNR₂)₂(THF)_n ( 1 : R= Et, n=2; 2 : R= ⁱPr, n=1), Mg(S₂C′R)₂(THF)₂ ( 3 : ′R= Et, 4 : ′R= Ph), BrMg(S₂C″R) (THF)₃ ( 5 : ″R= ⁱPr, 6 : ″R= Ph) in which the inserted carbon disulfides act as terminal chelating ligands. These compounds were characterized with ¹H, ¹³C NMR, IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, elemental analyses, and X‐ray crystallography.     

Water Activities, Osmotic and Activity Coefficients and Some Correlation of Aqueous Mixtures of Alkaline-Earth and Ammonium Nitrates, NH4NO3-Y(NO3)2-H2O with Y ≡ Ba2+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ at T = 25 °C

The thermodynamic properties of the mixed aqueous electrolyte of ammonium and alkaline earth metal nitrates have been studied using the hygrometric method at 25?°C. The water activities of these {yNH₄NO₃+(1?y)Y(NO₃)₂}(aq) systems with Y ≡ Ba²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ were measured at total molalities ranging from 0.10 mol?kg^?1 to saturation for different NH₄NO₃ ionic-strength fractions of y=0.20, 0.50 and 0.80. These data allow the calculation of osmotic coefficients. From these measurements, the ionic mixing parameters are determined and used to calculate the solute activity coefficients in the mixtures at different ionic-strength fractions. The results of these ternary solution measurements are compared with those for binary solutions of the alkaline earth nitrates of magnesium, calcium and barium with ammonium nitrates. The behavior of the aqueous electrolyte solutions containing mixtures of barium or calcium or magnesium with ammonium nitrates are correlated and show that ionic interactions are more important for the system containing Mg²⁺ than for Ca²⁺ or Ba²⁺. The trends are mainly due to the effects of the ionic size, polarizability and the hydration of the ions in these solutions.     

Organometallic gold(I)-pentafluorophenyl-P,O, As,S, TPA,dppm, dppe,dppa-coordinating-phosphines: synthesis and detailed spectroscopic characterisation

[Au(C₆F₅)(tht)], which on reaction with P, O, S-coordinating phosphines in CH₂Cl₂ medium leads to [Au(C₆F₅)(X)] [X = PPh₃ H, (1a), oMe, (1b), pMe, (1c), mMe, (1d), AsPh₃ (2), OPPh₃ (3), SPPh₃ (4), dppm, dppe, dppa = diphenylphosphino-methane,-ethane,-ammine(5, 6, 7), TPA = 135-tetraaza-7-phosphino adamentane(8), Py4H (9a), 4Bu (9b), 4Ac (9c), tht = tetrahydrothiophen, C₆F₅ is the pentafluorophenyl ring]. The maximum molecular peak of the corresponding molecule is observed in the ESI mass spectrum. I.r. spectra of the complexes show –C = C– and C₆F₅ stretching near at 1610 and 1510, 955, 800 cm⁻¹. The ¹H-n.m.r. spectra as well as ³¹P- (¹H)n.m.r. suggest solution stereochemistry, proton movement, phosphorus proton interaction. ¹³C-n.m.r. spectrum reflect the carbon skeleton in the molecule. In the ¹H–¹H COSY spectrum of the present complexes and contour peaks in the ¹H–¹³C-HMQC spectrum, assign the solution structure and stereoretentive conformation in each step.     

Spectroscopic studies of bridged binuclear complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II)

Binuclear cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes of general composition [M₂L^1-2(μ-Cl)Cl₂] · nH₂O with the Schiff-base ligands (where L¹H and L²H are the potential pentadentate ligands derived by condensing 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol with 4-amino-3-antipyrine and 2-hydroxy-3-hydrazinoquinoxiline, respectively) have been synthesized and characterized. Analytical and spectral studies support the above formulation. ¹H-NMR and IR spectra of the complexes suggest they have an endogenous phenoxide bridge, with chloride as the exogenous bridge atom. The electronic spectra of all the complexes are well characterized by broad d–d and a high intensity charge-transfer transitions. The complexes are chloro-bridged as evidenced by two intense far-IR bands centered around 270–280 cm⁻¹. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show that complexes are antiferromagnetic in nature. The compounds show significant growth inhibitory activity against fungi Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans and moderate activity against bacteria Bacillus cirroflagellosus and Pseudomonas auresenosa.     

2-Amino-4-bromobutanoic Acid

(2S)- and (2R)-2-Amino-4-bromobutanoic acid were prepared starting from N-Boc-glutamic acid α tert-butyl ester. The double tert-butyl protection was necessary to prevent a partial racemisation during Barton’s radical decarboxylation used to transform the γ-carboxylic group into a bromide. This bromide reacted with different nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur nucleophiles to give nonnatural amino acids characterised by basic or heterocyclic side chains. The title compound was also used to prepare a conformationally constrained peptidomimetic.