Alternating copolymerization of dienes with α-olefins

Alternating copolymerization of butadiene with several α-olefins and of isoprene with propylene were investigated by using a mixture of VO(Acac)₂, Et₃Al, and Et₂AlCl as catalyst. The alternating copolymerization ability of the olefins decreases in the order, propylene > 1-butene > 4-methyl-1-pentene > 3-methyl-1-butene. The study on the sequence of the copolymer of isoprene with propylene by ozonolysis reveals that the polymer chain is reasonably expressed by the sequence \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \rlap{--} [{\rm CH}_{\rm 2} \hbox{--} {\rm CH} \hbox{=\hskip-1pt=} {\rm C(CH}_{\rm 3}) \hbox{--} {\rm CH}_{\rm 2} \hbox{--} {\rm CH(CH}_{\rm 3}) \hbox{--} {\rm CH}_{\rm 2} \rlap{--}]_n $\end{document}. NMR and infrared spectra indicate that the chain is terminated with propylene unit, forming a structure of ?C(CH₃)? CH₂? C(CH₃)?CH₂ involving a vinylene group.     

Preferential Uniplanar Orientation of Cellulose Microfibrils Reinvestigated by the FTIR Technique

A simple detection method to observe the uniplanar orientation behavior of native cellulose microfibrils to the cell wall surface by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in the transmission mode is reported. Four bands at 1372, 1355, 1337, and 1317 cm⁻¹ (the latter two have been mentioned previously by Liang and Marchessault (1960, J. Polym. Sci. 43: 85–100)) were found to be sensitive to such orientation: the two middle bands at 1355 and 1337 cm⁻¹ increase remarkably when the 0.60–61 nm lattice planes lie parallel to the cell wall surfaces. The reverse was true when the 0.53–54 nm lattice planes oriented preferentially. Polarization of the two bands at 1372 and 1355 cm⁻¹ was parallel, while that of the other two bands at lower wavenumbers, i.e., at 1337 and 1317 cm⁻¹, was perpendicular to the molecular axis of cellulose. These bands were assigned to OH-related motion, probably to in-plane OH bending, as reported by Maréchal and Chanzy (2000, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 523: 183–196).     

Bitterness evaluation of medicines for pediatric use by a taste sensor

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bitterness of 18 different antibiotic and antiviral drug formulations, widely used to treat infectious diseases in children and infants, in human gustatory sensation tests and using an artificial taste sensor. Seven of the formulations were found to have a bitterness intensity exceeding 1.0 in gustatory sensation tests (evaluated against quinine as a standard) and were therefore assumed to have an unpleasant taste to children. The bitterness intensity scores of the medicines were examined using suspensions in water or an acidic sports drink. In the case of three macrolide antibiotic formulations containing erythromycin (ERYTHROCIN dry syrup), clarithromycin (CLARITH dry syrup for pediatric), and azithromycin (ZITHROMAC fine granules for pediatric use), the bitterness intensities of suspensions in acidic sports drinks were dramatically enhanced compared with the corresponding scores of suspensions in water. This enhancement could be predicted using the taste sensor. On the other hand, a reduction of bitterness intensity was observed for an acidic sports drink suspension of an amantadine product (SYMMETREL fine granules) compared with an aqueous suspension. This reduction in bitterness could also be predicted using the taste sensor output value. Thus, the taste sensor could predict whether or not suspension in an acidic sports drink would enhance or reduce the bitterness intensity of pediatric drug formulations, compared with suspensions in water.     

Kinetic mechanism of methanol decomposition on Ni(111) surface: a theoretical study

The decomposition of methanol on the Ni(111) surface has been studied with the pseudopotential method of density functional theory-generalized gradient approximation (DFT-GGA) and with the repeated slab models. The adsorption energies of possible species and the activation energy barriers of the possible elementary reactions involved are obtained in the present work. The major reaction path on Ni surfaces involves the O-H bond breaking in CH(3)OH and the further decomposition of the resulting methoxy species to CO and H via stepwise hydrogen abstractions from CH(3)O. The abstraction of hydrogen from methoxy itself is the rate-limiting step. We also confirm that the C-O and C-H bond-breaking paths, which lead to the formation of surface methyl and hydroxyl and hydroxymethyl and atom hydrogen, respectively, have higher energy barriers. Therefore, the final products are the adsorbed CO and H atom.     

The system BaOGeO2 at high pressures and temperatures,with special reference to high-pressure transformations in BaGeO3, BaGe2O5, and Ba2Ge5O12

Phase relations in the system BaOGeO₂ were investigated in the pressure range 20–70 kbar in the temperature range 750–1200°C. Several new phases were identified in this system: an atmospheric phase of BaGe₂O₅ (monoclinic BaGe₂O₅ I), two high-pressure phases of BaGe₂O₅ (monoclinic BaGe₂O₅ II and tetragonal BaGe₂O₅ III), and a high-pressure phase of Ba₂Ge₅O₁₂. The phase boundary curve between BaGe₂O₅ II and BaGe₂O₅ III was preliminarily determined as P(kbar) = 7.7 + 0.047T (°C). The high-pressure phases of BaGeO₃, which were previously reported by Y. Shimizu, Y. Syono, and S. Akimoto (High Temp.-High Pressures2, 113 (1970)) in the pressure range 15–95 kbar, were interpreted to be not single-phase materials but complicated mixtures of more than two phases in the system BaOGeO₂. X-Ray powder diffraction data for the new compounds synthesized in this study are given.     

Cholesteric induction power of β-galactose derivatives

Galactose derivatives were explored as chiral dopants, effective for inducing chiral nematic liquid crystal (LC) phases. Galactose bearing O-isopropylidene substituents at the C3 and C4 and butoxybiphenyl substituents at the C2 and C6 positions exhibits a high helical twisting power (HTP) value of ?74.4 μm^?1. Such a high HTP value for the galactose derivative is attributed to (1) linkage of the C3 and C4 carbons with the O-isopropylidene substituent, which places the C2 and C6 substitutes in a skew arrangement at a large angle and (2) enhancement of the affinity with the host nematic LCs by incorporating aromatic substituents at the C2 and C6 positions that are similar to those in the host.     

Kinetic Studies of Heterogeneous Reaction of HO2 Radical by Dicarboxylic Acid Particles

The HO₂ uptake coefficients (γ) for organic submicron aerosol particles were measured using an aerosol flow tube coupled with a chemical conversion/laser‐induced fluorescence technique under ambient conditions (760 Torr and 296 ± 2 K) and different values of relative humidity (RH) (28% and 68%). Determined uptake coefficients for succinic, glutaric, adipic, and pimelic acid aerosol particles at 28% RH were 0.07 ± 0.02, 0.07 ± 0.03, 0.02 ± 0.01, and 0.06 ± 0.03, respectively, whereas the γ values for those particles at 68% RH were 0.18 ± 0.07, 0.15 ± 0.04, 0.06 ± 0.01, and 0.13 ± 0.04, respectively. An increase in γ with increasing RH was observed for all the dicarboxylic acids, suggesting a contribution by water amount in the particle, aqueous phase chemistry, and uptake of HO₂–H₂O. The anomalously low γ values for adipic acid are likely related to its high crystallization RH and thus provide a new clue that the water amount and/or RH have a significant influence on HO₂ uptake.