Highly regioselective ring opening of epoxides with alcohols catalyzed by organotin phosphate condensates

Organotin phosphate condensates proved to catalyze the ring opening reaction of epoxides with alcohols in a highly regioselective manner.     

Determination of impurities in strontium titanate ceramics by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The determination of impurities in SrTiO₃ by ICPMS was investigated. The sample was decomposed with hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids in a PTFE pressure vessel. The internal standard method using Au was selected to eliminate an ion count suppression by the Sr and Ti matrix. Impurities at sub g/ml level in SrTiO₃ were determined. The detection limits were in the range of 0.008 to 0.01 g/g.     

Generation, characterization, and kinetics of triplet Di[1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8-octahydro-1,4:5,8-di(ethano)anthryl]carbene

The title carbene has been generated by photolysis of the corresponding diazo precursors and studied by spectroscopic means, i. e., electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and UV/vis spectroscopy in matrixes at low temperature and laser-flash photolysis in solution at room temperature, with the product analysis. The results are compared with triplet di(2,3,5,6-tetramethylphenyl)carbene, an open-chain counterpart, which revealed that bicycloalkyl groups are acting as a fairly good kinetic protector for the triplet carbene as opposed to the open-chain counterpart. The formation of all-hydrocarbon triplet carbenes having a half-life over a second under normal conditions was realized for the first time. Effects of para-substituents on the structure and reactivities of the carbene are also investigated and discussed in terms of polar and spin electronic effects.     

Effects of surface processing of lactose carrier particles on dry powder inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate

The effects of the surface processing of lactose carrier particles on the dry powder inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate were investigated. Lactose carrier particles were processed using a high-speed elliptical-rotor-type powder mixer (Theta-Composer). In the present study, drug/carrier powder mixtures were prepared, consisting of micronized salbutamol sulfate and coarse lactose carriers with various particle surface conditions prepared by surface processing. These powder mixtures were aerosolized by a Jethaler, and the in vitro inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate were evaluated with a twin impinger. Compared with those of the powder mixed with unprocessed lactose carriers, the in vitro inhalation properties of the powder mixture prepared using the surface processed lactose carriers were significantly different, showing that the in vitro inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate were improved. The in vitro inhalation properties increased with the rotor rotation rate. Using this surface processing system would thus be valuable for increasing the inhalation properties of dry powder inhalation with lactose carrier particles.     

Amperometric measurement of ds-DNA content using a peroxidase-modified electrode

An enzyme electrode with a chemically amplified response for methylene blue (MB) was constructed from a glassy carbon electrode and a layer containing immobilized horseradish peroxidase (HRP). MB is reduced on the electrode but regenerated through the HRP-catalyzed reaction in the presence of H(2)O(2). The electroreduction/regeneration cycle for MB resulted in an amplified electrode response. The enzyme electrode was applied to the highly sensitive measurement of ds-DNA. The current for MB decreased in association with its complexation with DNA, and the current response caused by DNA was also amplified through the recycling processes. The detection limit of ds-DNA (from salmon testes) was as low as 5 ng ml(-1).     

Monomer-isomerization polymerization. VI. Isomerizations of butene-2 with TiCl3 or Al(C2H5)3–TiCl3 catalyst

A study of the isomerization of butene-2 with TiCl₃ or Al(C₂H₅)₃–TiCl₃ catalyst in n-heptane has been investigated at 60–80°C to elucidate further the mechanism of monomer-isomerization polymerization. It was found that positional and geometrical isomerizations in the presence of these catalysts occurred concurrently with activation energies of 14–16 kcal/mole. The presence of Al(C₂H₅)₃ with TiCl₃ catalyst could accelerate the initial rates of these isomerizations and initiate the monomer-isomerization polymerization of butene-2. From the results obtained, it was concluded that the isomerization of butene-2 proceeds via an intermediate σ-complex between the transition metal hydride and butene isomers.     

Synthesis of polycarbonate from dimethyl carbonate and bisphenol-a through a non-phosgene process

A novel nonphosgene process for producing bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) was developed through a transesterification between bisphenol-A (BPA) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and a melt-polycondensation of the resulting bisphenol-A bismethylcarbonate (1). The transesterification was carried out by heating bisphenol A in dimethylcarbonate in the presence of Lewis acid catalysts, removing the by-producing methanol using molecular shieves 4A. Among various catalysts, a combination of (Bu₂SnCl)₂O and dimethylaminopyridine gave the best results to produce 1 in 22% yield for 48 h. Using a larger amount of the molecular sieves further improved the yield to 80% in 120 h. The resulting 1 was heated under reduced pressure in the presence of titanium catalysts to produce PC in good yields. The resulting PC had high weight average molecular weight (M_w) of 75,000. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2087–2093, 1999     

Suboptimal feedback control of linear periodic systems

A method is developed for the approximate design of an optimal state regulator for a linear periodically varying system with quadratic performance index. The periodic term is taken to be a perturbation to the system. By making use of a power-series expansion in a small parameter, associated with periodic terms, a set of matrix equations is derived for determining successively a feedback gain. Given periodic terms of a Fourier-series form, explicit solutions are obtained for those matrix equations. A sufficient condition for existence and periodicity of the solution is also shown. Further, the performance degradation resulting from a truncation of the power-series solution is investigated. The method may effectively be used in a computer-programmed computation.