Carboxylic Acids from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllanthus urinaria</Emphasis>

Five compounds, terephthalic acid mono-[2-(4-carboxy-phenoxycarbonyl)-vinyl] ester (1), (E)-3-(5′-hydroperoxy-2,2′-dihydroxy[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)-2-propenoic acid (2), 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid (3), succinic acid (or butanedioic acid) (4), and 2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxybenzoic acid (5), were isolated from Phyllanthus urinaria. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by means of spectral techniques including IR, MS, and 1D/2D NMR. 1 and 2 are new compounds.__________Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 14–17, January–February, 2005.     

Sol–gel preparation and properties of hydroxypropylcellulose–titania hybrid thin films

Hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC)–titania hybrid thin films were prepared by sol–gel method where titanium tetraisopropoxide Ti(OC₃H₇ ⁱ )₄ was hydrolyzed under acidic conditions in the presence of HPC, followed by dip-coating and drying at 120 °C for 24 h. The viscosity average molecular weight of HPC was 55,000–70,000 or 110,000–150,000, and the TiO₂/(HPC + TiO₂) mass ratio ranged from 0 to 1, which was calculated on the assumption that all Ti(OC₃H₇ ⁱ )₄ is converted into TiO₂. The films were 0.35–1.0 μm thick, transparent in visible region and opaque in ultraviolet (UV) region, where the optical absorption coefficient in UV region increased with increasing titania content. The refractive index increased with increasing titania content, ranging from 1.6 to 1.8 for the hybrid thin films. The pencil hardness increased from 6B to 5H, the durability in hot water significantly increased and the contact angle of water on films increased from 35° to 89° with increasing titania content. Crack-free films could be deposited on organic polymer substrates irrespective of titania or HPC contents, where cracking did not occur at higher HPC contents even when the substrate was bent.     

库仑滴定法测定有机硅样品中的氮含量

本文利用库仑滴定法研究了高分子和低分子硅氮化合物及含氮有机硅样品中氮含量的测定,并研究和讨论了影响测定结果准确性的因素。     

Influence of the cathodic polarization on the stability of Ti surface in concentrated KOH solutions

The stability of spontaneous thin layers and thin layers formed upon cathodical polarization of Ti in KOH solutions have been studied by potentiostatic and ellipsometric methods. At open circuit potential (OCP) the strongly adherent films, whose thickness depends on the concentration of the KOH solution, were formed. During the cathodic polarization the transformation of these films to weakly adsorbed precipitated layers on the electrode surface was observed. Comparing the theoretically computed curves with the experimental Ψ vs Δ loci measured ellipsometrically, the complex indices of refraction and the thickness of the generated films, from 3.6 to 60 nm in 1 M KOH and from 36 to 105 nm in 5 M KOH (adherent to the electrode surface), were determined. At OCP the rate of film growth increases with increasing the concentration of KOH solution. Cathodic polarizations change the chemical composition and retard the rate of film growth. Based on the ellipsometric and electrochemical data the chemical compositions of the formed films consisted of TiO₂, Ti₂O₃, TiO₂·H₂O, Ti(OH)₃ and TiOOH·nH₂O.     

Fuzzy Symmetries for Linear Molecules and their Molecular Orbitals

In this paper, the fuzzy symmetry of some prototypical linear molecules has been analyzed. The results show that some molecular orbitals (MOs) are less symmetrical but some others are more symmetrical than the molecular skeleton, which the MOs correspond to. The membership functions of space inversion for MOs are closely related to the chemical characteristics of the MOs. Sometimes, although the symmetry of a molecular skeleton is not obvious, however that of some MO is quite obvious. The membership functions of the fuzzy inversion symmetry depend on the choice of the position of the center of inversion. As compared to those of diatomic molecules and linear tri-atomic molecules, the linear polyatomic molecules in which a distinctive fuzzy symmetry of space translation may exist, and thus a significant effect on their properties can be expected.     

Synthesis and characterization of microencapsulated dicyclopentadiene with melamine–formaldehyde resins

Microcapsules containing healing agents have been used to develop the self-healing polymeric composites. These microcapsules must possess special properties such as appropriate strength and stability in surrounding medium. A new series of microcapsules containing dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) with melamine–formaldehyde (MF) resin as shell material were synthesized by in situ polymerization technology. These microcapsules may satisfy the requirements for self-healing polymeric composites. The chemical structure of microcapsule was identified by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. The morphology of microcapsule was observed by using optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope. Size distribution and mean diameter of microcapsules were determined with OM. The thermal properties of microcapsules were investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Additionally, the self-healing efficiency was evaluated. The results indicate that the poly(melamine–formaldehyde) (PMF) microcapsules containing DCPD have been synthesized successfully, and their mean diameters fall in the range of 65.2∼202.0 μm when the adjusting agitation rate varies from 150 to 500 rpm. Increasing the surfactant concentration can decrease the diameters of microcapsules. The prepared microcapsules are thermally stable up to 69 °C. The PMF microcapsules containing DCPD can be applied to polymeric composites to fabricate the self-healing composites.     

Synthesis,crystal structure,electrochemical properties and large optical limiting effect of a novel 3-(E)-ferrocenyl-vinyl-<Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">N</Emphasis>-hexyl carbazole

The novel compound, 3-(E)-ferrocenyl-vinyl-N-hexylcarbazole (FVHC) was first synthesized and fully characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H-NMR, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet (UV) absorption, cyclic voltammograms (CV) and optical limiting (OL) measurements. The result of single crystal X-ray diffraction for the compound reveals that the ferrocenyl and carbazole groups are approximately coplanar, and bridged by double-bond with E configuration, showing that there is a well-delocalized π-electron system in the molecule. The electrochemical investigation indicated that the electron in the FVHC may partially be delocalized over the π-conjugated system and CT process in functionalized carbazole systems. Besides, the compound exhibited strong UV absorption and large optical limiting effect, indicating promising potential applications as useful OL materials.     

High-yield solvothermal formation of magnetic CoPt alloy nanowires

One-dimensional (1D) magnetic nanomaterials have attracted much attention recently because of their applications in magnetic recording and spintronics. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge to prepare free-standing magnetic nanowires in high yield. This Communication reports the successful high-yield synthesis of an interesting 1D ferromagnetic CoPt alloy by direct decomposition of platinum acetylacetonate and cobalt carbonyl compound in ethylenediamine solvent through a solvothermal reaction. The CoPt alloy nanowires obtained have a tunable diameter of 10-50 nm and a length along the longitudinal axis of up to several microns, depending on crystallization temperature and reaction time. A unique formation mechanism involving coarsening and ripening under solvothermal conditions was discovered. This research opens new opportunities in synthesizing nanomaterials through low-temperature solvothermal processes.     

Carbon nanotube array-based biosensor

Aligned multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNT) grown on platinum substrate are used for the development of an amperometric biosensor. The opening and functionalization by oxidation of the nanotube array allows for the efficient immobilization of the model enzyme, glucose oxidase. The carboxylated open-ends of nanotubes are used for the immobilization of the enzymes, while the platinum substrate provides the direct transduction platform for signal monitoring. It is also shown that carbon nanotubes can play a dual role, both as immobilization matrices and as mediators, allowing for the development of a third generation of biosensor systems, with good overall analytical characteristics.     

Binary mixtures based on polycaprolactone and cellulose derivatives

Pyrolytic process has a promising potential for the environmentally friendly upgrading of lignocellulosic and plastic waste. Thermogravimetry and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) were used to get information about the reactive decomposition of PCL in binary mixtures with microcrystalline cellulose (MC) or sisal fibres (SF). Preliminary thermogravimetric investigation showed that biomass is thermally degraded at lower temperatures than PCL and this process has a predominant influence on the thermal behaviour of the mixtures. Discrepancies between the experimental and predicted TG/DTG profiles were considered as a measurement of the extent of interactions occurring on co-pyrolysis. It was found that reactivity of PCL was slightly increased in PCL-SF binary mixtures. Evolution of acidic products from cellulose and hemicelluloses decomposition may promote PCL degradation in binary mixtures with SF. It seems that the co-pyrolysis process could have potential for the environmentally friendly transformation of biocomposites.