Determination of various inorganic anions and organic acids in the atmospheric particulate matter using capillary zone electrophoresis with indirect UV detection

Capillary zone electrophoresis with indirect UV detection was developed for the simultaneous analysis of inorganic anions and organic acids using a mixed solution of 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid and cetyltrimethylammonium hydroxide as the background electrolyte (BGE). The parameters which influence the separation, such as indirect UV detection wavelength, BGE conditions, applied voltage and extraction conditions were investigated. Thirteen inorganic anions and organic acids were detected within 20 min. The calibration curves of each analyte were linear with correlation coefficients greater than 0.991. The relative standard deviations (n = 10) of the peak areas ranged from 0.6% to 3.3%. The detection limits for these species ranged from 0.4 to 1.4 mg/L at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The recovery rate of each analyte was more than 80% under optimised extraction conditions, except for nitrite. The proposed method was applied towards the analysis of inorganic anions and organic acids in the atmospheric particulate matter using an Andersen sampler. The particle size of the particulate matter was determined, but not the size of the anions.     

Amphiphilic block and statistical copolymers with pendant glucose residues: Controlled synthesis by living cationic polymerization and the effect of copolymer architecture on their properties

Amphiphilic block and statistical copolymers of vinyl ethers (VEs) with pendant glucose residues were synthesized by the living cationic polymerization of isobutyl VE (IBVE) and a VE carrying 1,2:5,6‐di‐O‐isopropylidene‐D ‐glucose (IpGlcVE), followed by deprotection. The block copolymer was prepared by a two‐stage sequential block copolymerization, whereas the statistical copolymer was obtained by the copolymerization of a mixture of the two monomers. The monomer reactivity ratios estimated with the statistical copolymerization were r₁ (IBVE) = 1.65 and r₂ (IpGlcVE) = 1.15. The obtained statistical copolymers were nearly uniform with the comonomer composition along the main chain. Both the block and statistical copolymers had narrow molecular weight distributions (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight ∼ 1.1). Gel permeation chromatography, static light scattering, and spin–lattice relaxation time measurements in a selective solvent revealed that the block copolymer formed multimolecular micelles, possibly with a hydrophobic poly(IBVE) core and a glucose‐carrying poly(VE) shell, whereas the statistical copolymer with nearly the same molecular weight and segment composition was molecularly dispersed in solution. The surface properties of the solvent‐cast films of the block and statistical copolymer were also investigated with the contact‐angle measurement. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 459–467, 2001     

Synthesis and properties of poly(arylene ether)s bearing sulfonic acid groups on pendant phenyl rings

Two kinds of new aromatic poly(arylene ether)s containing sulfonic acid groups were synthesized. Polymer 1 composed of tetraphenylphenylene ether and perfluorobiphenylene units was sulfonated with chlorosulfonic acid. Sulfonation took place only at the para position of the pendant phenyl rings. The average degree of sulfonation per repeating unit (m) was controlled from 1 to 4. Sulfonated polymer 2 with m = 3 was soluble in methanol and dimethyl sulfoxide and swelled in water. Incorporating bis(3,5‐dimethylphenyl)sulfone moieties into the sulfonated polymer imparts less methanol affinity. Polymers 4 with 30–65 mol % tetrakis(sulfophenyl)phenylene ether units has high decomposition temperatures above 300 °C, hydrophilicity, and good hydrolytic stability. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3211–3217, 2001     

Mass balance method for purity assay of phthalic acid esters: development of primary reference materials as traceability sources in the Japan Calibration Service System

Purity assay of high-purity materials (HPMs) of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) was carried out by means of a mass balance method. In this method, chromatographic methods such as gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and/or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination with other methods such as Karl-Fischer (KF) titration and vacuum evaporation (VE) were applied. The sum of the impurities estimated by these methods allowed the estimation of the purity of the main component by difference. Seven PAEs with varying side chain structures and levels of impurities were analysed on a systematic way in which impurities were classified into several groups in terms of their abundance, availability of qualitative information and availability of authentic compounds, etc. The absolute quantity of each impurity was determined by GC-FID and/or HPLC based on the calibration made by the authentic compounds of impurities whenever available. The purities in mass fraction of these PAEs were certified at the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), and the PAEs were registered as primary reference materials playing an essential role in linking the metrological traceability of the Japan Calibration Service System (JCSS) to the International System of Units (SI).     

Lithium acetylides as alkynylating reagents for the enantioselective alkynylation of ketones catalyzed by lithium binaphtholate

Chiral lithium binaphtholate effectively catalyzed the enantioselective alkynylation of ketones using lithium acetylide as an alkynylating agent. This is the first example of the catalytic enantioselective addition of lithium acetylide to carbonyl compounds without the aid of other metal sources.     

A Novel Synthesis of 4‐Pyridazineacetic Acids via Ring Expansion of N‐Cyanomethylated 3‐Pyrazoline‐4‐acetic Acids

A novel synthetic route to 4‐pyridazineacetic acids 10 – 12 has been achieved by the ring‐expansion reaction of N‐cyanomethylated 3‐pyrazoline‐4‐acetic acids 7 – 9 . 1H‐Pyrazole‐4‐acetic acids 1 – 3 were reacted with iodoacetonitrile in the presence of triethylamine in refluxing acetonitrile to give the corresponding C‐cyanomethylated 1H‐pyrazole‐4‐acetic acids 4 – 6 as major products together with N‐cyanomethylated 3‐pyrazoline‐4‐acetic acids 7 and 8 as minor products. On the other hand, reactions of 1 and 3 with chloroacetonitrile in the presence of triethylamine in refluxing chloroform afforded the corresponding N‐cyanomethylated 3‐pyrazoline‐4‐acetic acids 7 and 9 as major products. Thermal treatment of 7 – 9 with sodium hydride in N,N‐dimethylformamide caused ring expansion to yield the corresponding 4‐pyridazineacetic acids 10 – 12 .     

Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells using room temperature molten salts and a low molecular weight gelator

A dye-sensitized solar cell fabricated using the room temperature molten salt, 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide, iodine and a low molecular weight gelator as a quasisolid-state electrolyte showed a 5.0% light-to-electricity conversion efficiency under AM 1.5 irradiation, and high-temperature stability.     

A review of Mg metal-promoted CF bond activation; a reliable synthetic approach to difluorinated organic compounds

The carbon-fluorine bond of a trifluoromethyl group attached to a π system can be activated by metallic magnesium in the system TMSCl-THF or DMF providing a variety of difluorinated compounds via a selective CF bond cleavage. Thus, trifluoromethyl ketones, α,β-unsaturated ketones, esters, imines, and aromatics can be transformed into the corresponding difluoroenol silyl ethers, enamines, and difluoro(trimethylsilyl)methyl aromatics in good to excellent yields, respectively. This protocol enabled us to synthesize β,β-difluoroamino acids, difluoroheterocycles, and functionalized difluoroacetates.