Syntheses of vinyl polymers containing a large π-electron cloud in the side chain

Several novel vinyl polymers containing five fused benzene rings in side chains were synthesized either by polymerization of the appropriate vinyl monomers or by chemical modification of the appropriate polymer. Thus, 3-(α-acryloyloxy)ethylperylene was prepared from perylene by Friedel-Crafts acylation with acetyl chloride and subsequent hydrogenation, followed by the reaction of the resulting alcohol with acryloyl chloride. 3-Acrylamido- or methacrylaminoperylene was prepared by the nitration of perylene, reduction of the resulting 3-nitroperylene, and the reaction with acryloyl or methacryloyl chloride. p-Vinylbenzal-3-acetylperylene was prepared by the condensation and dehydration reaction between p-vinylbenzaldehyde and 3-acetylperylene under alkaline medium, and, in the same manner, p-vinylbenzal-3-aminoperylene was prepared from p-vinyl benzaldehyde and 3-aminoperylene. All these monomers were polymerized with α,α′-azobisisobutyronitrile as catalyst in solution to afford the corresponding vinyl polymers. A vinyl polymer containing perylene-3-acetyl side chain was also prepared by the acetalization of poly(vinyl alcohol) with 3-formylperylene.     

Monolithic silica columns for high-efficiency chromatographic separations

A deconvolution methodology for overlapped chromatographic signals is proposed. Several single-wavelength chromatograms of binary mixtures, obtained in different runs at diverse concentration ratios of the individual components, were simultaneously processed (multi-batch approach), after being arranged as two-way data. The chromatograms were modelled as linear combinations of forced peak profiles according to a polynomially modified Gaussian equation. The fitting was performed with a previously reported hybrid genetic algorithm with local search, leaving all model parameters free. The approach yielded more accurate solutions than those found when each experimental chromatogram was fitted independently to the peak model (single-batch approach). The improvement was especially significant for those chromatograms where the peaks were severely affected by the tails of the preceding compounds. Peak shifts among chromatograms, which are a usual source of non-bilinearity, were modelled in a continuous domain instead of in a discrete way, which avoided some drawbacks associated with latent variable methods. An experimental design involving simulated chromatograms was applied to check the method performance. Five main factors affecting the deconvolution were examined: concentration pattern, chromatographic resolution, number of batches and replicates, and noise level, which were evaluated using first- and second-order figures of merit. The method was also tested on three real samples containing compounds showing different overlap. Four multi-batch deconvolution methods were considered differing in the nature of the processed information and kind of peak matching among chromatograms. In all cases, the multi-batch deconvolution yielded better performance than the single-batch approach.     

Simple 2D-HPLC using a monolithic silica column for peptide separation

Separation of peptides by fast and simple two-dimensional (2D)-HPLC was studied using a monolithic silica column as a second-dimension (2nd-D) column. Every fraction from the first column, 5 cm long (2.1 mm ID) packed with polymer-based cation exchange beads, was subjected to separation in the 2nd-D using an octadecylsilylated (C18) monolithic sillica column (4.6 mm ID, 2.5 cm). A capillary-type monolithic silica C18column (0.1 mm ID, 10 cm) was also employed as a 2nd-D column with split flow/injection. Effluentof the first dimension (1st-D) was directly loaded into an injector loop of 2nd-D HPLC. UV and MS detection were successfully carried out at high linear velocity of mobile phase at 2nd-D using flow splitting for the 4.6 mm ID 2nd-D column, or with directconnection of the capillary column to the MS interface. Two-minute fractionation inthe 1st-D, 118-second loading, and 2-second injection by the 2nd-D injector, allowed one minute for gradient separation in the 2nd-D, resulting in a maximum peak capacity of about 700 within 40 min. The use of a capillary column in solvent consumption and better MS detectability compared to a larger-sized column. This kind of fast and simple 2D-HPLC utilizing monolithic silica columns will be useful for the separation of complex mixtures in a short time.     

Membrane formation mechanism and permeation properties of a novel porous polyimide membrane

The transport properties of a novel porous fluorinated polyimide membrane fabricated by a wet phase inversion process were studied with a stirred dead‐end filtration cell. The porous membrane‐forming solvents were tetrahydrofuran (THF), acetone, N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N‐methylpyrrolidone (NMP), N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The phase separation phenomena in a ternary system of polyimide/solvent/water were investigated from cloud point curves by a titration method and binary interaction parameters. Solvent–water demixing in the system has been found to play very important roles in determining the structure and surface morphology of the polyimide membrane. The porous fluorinated polyimide membranes showed pore sizes from 4 to 500 nm and permeation properties from ultrafiltration to a microfiltration range. In this study, we particularly focused on fouling of the polyimide membranes, because fouling decreases the flux and increases the resistance. Interestingly, the porous polyimide membrane showed excellent water flux recovery after water cleaning compared with that of the polyethersulfone (PSf) membrane, which suggest that for a 6FDA‐6FAP membrane, the protein–membrane and protein–protein interaction was not so strong compared with those in a PSf membrane. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel Reaction Route Including Enzymic Reaction For A Synthesis Of A Branched Polysaccharide

Abstract

Stereoselective synthesis of α-D-glucosyl-branching polysaccharide by chemical and enzymic reactions was investigated. Ring-opening polymerization of 1,6-anhydro-3-O-benzoyl-2,4-di-O-benzyl-β-D-glucopyranose (1) with PF₅ as catalyst at low temperature gave a highly stereoregular polymer, which was converted to 2,4-diO-benzyl-(1→6)-α-D-glucopyranan by debenzoylation with sodium methoxide. The polymer was glucosylated according to the glycosyl imidate method. Deprotection of the branched polysaccharide was carried out with sodium in liquid ammonia at -78 °C to give a (1→6)-α-D-glucopyranan having α-D-glucopyranosyl and β-D-glucopyranosyl branches. Only the β-D-glucopyranosyl branch of the polymer was completely removed by enzymatic hydrolysis by the use of cellulase to provide stereoregular (1→6)-α-D-glucopyranan having an α-D-glucopyranosyl branch at the C-3 position. Polymers were characterized by optical rotation, NMR spectroscopy, GPC, and X-ray diffractometry.     

Stereocontrolled synthesis of the C79-C96 fragment of symbiodinolide

The stereoselective synthesis of the C79-C96 fragment of symbiodinolide is described in which the spiroacetalization and Kotsuki coupling are the key steps.     

Load characteristics of mechanical pectoral fin

This paper describes the use of a three-motor driven mechanical pectoral fin as a new device for maneuvering and stabilizing an underwater vehicle. The mechanical pectoral fin consists of three servomotors generating feathering, rowing, and flapping motions. The load properties are analyzed experimentally. The mechanical pectoral fin can generate a control load in three dimensions. The effect of flexibility of the fin on the load is also investigated experimentally. This research article was submitted for the special issue on Animal locomotion: The hydrodynamics of swimming (Vol. 43, No. 5).     

Discovery of N-(3-{4-[(3-fluorobenzyl)oxy]phenoxy}propyl)-2-pyridin-4-ylacetamide as a potent and selective reverse NCX inhibitor

In the setting of heart failure and myocardial ischemia-reperfusion, the sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) can lead to calcium overload, which is responsible for contractile dysfunction and arrhythmia. NCX is an attractive target for treatment in heart failure and myocardial ischemia-reperfusion. We have designed and synthesized a series of benzyloxyphenyl derivatives based on compound 3. These derivatives have been evaluated for their inhibitory activity against both the reverse and forward modes of NCX. We have discovered a novel potent and selective reverse NCX inhibitor (12) with an IC50 value of 0.085 microM against reverse NCX.     

Synthesis of mesomorphic aryl esters bearing a pyridine ring

Aryl carboxylic esters bearing disubstituted pyridine rings were synthesized starting with various pyridine mono- or dicarboxylic acids by means of reactions, principally, with phenolic compounds. Some of the pyridine monocarboxylates thus synthesized exhibited clear nematic phases at relatively low temperatures, whereas most of the 2,5-pyridine dicarboxylates bearing two benzene rings provided nematic phases, the ranges of which were some times wider and/or lower than those of the corresponding aryl esters bearing benzene rings alone.     

Syntheses of vinyl polymers with pendant porphyrin dimers and their catalytic effects on photoreductions

Vinyl copolymers with pendant porphyrin dimers were synthesized first by the dimerizations of chlorophyll-α and protoporphyrin IX via the ethylenebisamide linkage, then by copolymerization of the vinylbenzyl esters of the resulting dimers with N-vinylpyrrolidone or the esterification reaction of the dimers with chloromethylstyrene copolymers. Dimer-pendant copolymers with vinyl pyrrolidone catalyzed photoredox systems in aqueous solutions more efficiently than the corresponding monomer analogs, presumably because of the interactions exerted between the two combined porphyrin rings, which are manifested in the hypochromic effect in absorption spectra. The effect of the central Mg atom in the protoporphyrin IX ring was also considerable.