Non‐Thermoresponsive Decanano‐sized Domains in Thermoresponsive Hydrogel Microspheres Revealed by Temperature‐Controlled High‐Speed Atomic Force Microscopy

Despite the tremendous efforts devoted to the structural analysis of hydrogel microspheres (microgels), many details of their structures remain unclear. Reported in this study is that thermoresponsive poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAm)‐based microgels exhibit not only the widely accepted core–shell structures, but also inhomogeneous decanano‐sized non‐thermoresponsive spherical domains within their dense cores, which was revealed by temperature‐controlled high‐speed atomic force microscopy (TC‐HS‐AFM). Based on a series of experiments, it is concluded that the non‐thermoresponsive domains are characteristic for pNIPAm microgels synthesized by precipitation polymerization, and plausible structures for microgels prepared by other polymerization techniques are proposed.     

High pressure vapor–liquid equilibria for carbon dioxide + tetrahydrofuran mixtures

Vapor–liquid equilibria and saturated density for carbon dioxide + tetrahydrofuran mixtures at high pressures were measured by the analytical method at the temperatures 298.15 and 313.15 K. The experimental apparatus equipped with three Anton Paar DMA 512S vibrating tube density meters was previously developed for measuring vapor–liquid–liquid equilibrium at high pressures. The equilibrium composition and saturated density of each phase were determined by gas chromatograph and vibrating tube density meters, respectively. The bubble point pressure at the temperature 313.15 K was further measured by the synthetic method. The experimental data were correlated with Soave–Redlich–Kwong (SRK) equation of state and the pseudocubic equation of state.     

Influence of the glucosylated β-cyclodextrin inclusion on sulfur trioxide spin-adduct stabilizations and spin-trapping rate processes for DMPO-type spin traps

The effect of CD-inclusion on spin-trapping rates and spin-adduct decay rates for sulfur trioxide radical anion (SO₃ ^??) was investigated. SO₃ ^?? radical was produced with UV photolysis of sodium sulfite in basic aqueous solution, and spin-trapped with various spin traps, i.e., PBN (α-phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone), DMPO (5,5-dimethyl pyrroline-1-oxide), and three other phosphoryl DMPO-type spin traps. A modified β-CD, 6-O-α-d-glucosyl-β-cyclodextrin (G-β-CD) having better inclusion properties than β-CD, was employed. Upon adding excess G-β-CD, decay rates of SO₃ ^?? radical adducts significantly decreased in most spin traps. Half-lives of SO₃ ^?? radical adducts of phosphoryl spin traps were one to two orders of magnitude longer than that of PBN or DMPO, and the G-β-CD addition further extended the half-life time. The spin traps containing phosphoryl-group all showed higher SO₃ ^?? trapping rates than those of PBN and DMPO, but two phosphoryl spin traps achieved slower trapping rates by G-β-CD addition. In addition, the structures of CD-inclusion complexes of spin traps were established by means of 1D and 2D NMR measurements. Based on the results, the influences of inclusion on the spin-trapping rate processes and spin-adduct stabilizations were discussed. We conclude that substituents in DMPO-type spin traps may be modified to provide best spin-trapping capabilities in the presence or absence of CD.     

Thermodynamic properties of the Cu-Au system using a face-centered-cubic lattice model with a renormalized potential

A Monte Carlo simulation is carried out to study thermodynamic properties of Cu-Au alloys using a face-centered-cubic (fcc) lattice-gas model. To obtain quantitatively accurate results, a Finnis-Sinclair-type potential, which has been widely used for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, is employed. To overcome some shortcomings of lattice-gas models such as neglecting vibrational entropy, the potential is mapped onto the fcc lattice using the renormalization technique. The renormalized potential gives an improved Cu-Au phase diagram compared to the original MD potential applied directly on the lattice.     

The first bowl-shaped stable neutral radical with a corannulene system: synthesis and characterization of the electronic structure

[structure: see text] A bowl-shaped neutral radical with a corannulene system has been designed and synthesized for the first time as a stable solid in air. An unequivocal characterization of the electronic properties of the radical shows that an appreciable amount of spin delocalization extends onto the corannulene unit's curved surface.     

Synthesis and structure of 1-zirconacyclopent-3-yne complexes without substituents adjacent to the triple bond

Five-membered metallacyclic alkynes that have no substituents adjacent to the triple bond have been synthesized, isolated, and structurally characterized. Zirconocene dichlorides, Cp'2ZrCl2 (Cp' = C5H5, C5H4-t-Bu), reacted with 1,4-dichlorobut-2-yne in the presence of magnesium to give 1-zirconacyclopent-3-yne compounds (5 (a) Cp' = C5H5, (b) Cp' = C5H4-t-Bu) that have a -CH2CCCH2- moiety in good yields. They are stable enough to be isolated in a pure form, despite the absence of substituents. 5a reacted with an equimolar amount of Cp2Zr(but-1-ene)(PMe3) to produce a bimetallic complex in which the zirconacyclopentyne coordinates to the other zirconocene moiety as an alkyne.     

Simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in human plasma by capillary zone electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoretic method for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in plasma was developed. Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim extracted from human plasma with ethyl acetate were analyzed at 20 kV and 25 degrees C using 15 mm phosphate buffer (pH 6.2) as the electrolyte. The detection was by UV at 220 nm. The run time was 8.0 min and the limit of quantification was 10.00 microg/mL for sulfamethoxazole and 2.00 microg/mL for trimethoprim. The recovery was >99% for both compounds. This method enabled the detection of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in plasma of patients after oral ingestion of their combined formulation. The present simple and rapid method is applicable to drug monitoring in immunocompromised patients who are taking the combined formulation of these compounds for the treatment or prophylaxis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.     

Single-particle light scattering study of polyethyleneglycol-grafted poly(ureaurethane) microcapsule in ethanol

Microcapsules having polyethyleneglycol-grafted poly(ureaurethane) (PUU) membrane and di-2ethylhexyl phthalate core have been prepared, and the structure when they were suspended in dispersing ethanol have been studied by means of single-particle light scattering method. The PUU membrane was synthesized from monomers with aromatic functional groups (microcapsule MC110) and hexamethylene functional groups (microcapsule MC160). Because the outer and inner solvent passed through the membrane easily, the outside and inside of the membrane were the same at the equilibrium state. The thickness of the wall membrane was significantly smaller than that calculated from the overall weight ratio of the wall-forming material and the core solvents. It was attributed to low affinity of PUU membranes and ethanol.