Poly(butyl methacrylate-g-methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)) and poly(methyl methacrylate-g-methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)) graft copolymers: preparation and aqueous solution properties

A series of water-soluble, amphiphilic graft copolymers has been prepared by free-radical copolymerization of methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) macromonomers, with either methyl methacrylate or butyl methacrylate as the comonomers, in water/ethanol solvent mixtures. Lower molecular weight copolymers were obtained by increasing the concentration of the initiator, azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), used in the polymerization reaction. However, the route used also led to the formation of significant quantities of tetramethylsuccinodinitrile, a toxic byproduct resulting from the cage reaction of AIBN. Static fluorescence measurements using pyrene as a probe, along with 1H NMR experiments, showed that the graft copolymers form aggregates in water at very low concentrations (approximately 0.01 g l(-1)) with the pendant hydrophilic graft chains forming a stabilizing shell around the hydrophobic backbone. An increase in the hydrophile-lipophile balance of the graft copolymers was found to lead to smaller aggregates with lower aggregation numbers and highly swollen hydrophilic shells, as revealed by small angle neutron scattering (SANS).     

Isotopic scrambling in Di-13C-labeled 2-butyl cation: evidence for a protonated cyclopropane intermediate

The (13)C NMR spectrum of 2-butyl-1,2-(13)C(2) cation (1) is unchanged on heating the sample to -78 degrees C, indicating no isomerization to another isotopomer. In contrast, the spectrum of 2-butyl-2,3-(13)C(2) cation (2) shows rapid formation of all of the other isotopomers except 1. These results are consistent with a protonated cyclopropane intermediate in the rearrangement process. In this mechanism, either C(1) and C(2) or C(3) and C(4) interchange. Only the bond between C(2) and C(3) breaks.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of hyoscine (scopolamine) in urine using solid phase extraction.

A sensitive method for the determination of hyoscine (scopolamine) in urine is described. After concentration and "clean-up" on C18 and CN solid phase extraction columns, hyoscine was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography with coulometric detection (oxidation at +0.9 V). The limit of detection was 5 ng per sample and the precision for 5 mL samples containing 2 ng/mL was 12.3%. The method was applied to urine samples collected from 12 volunteers wearing Scopoderm TTS patches. The mean excretion rate of unmetabolized hyoscine was 0.45 micrograms/h and 87% of the total hyoscine was present as conjugates. Apohyoscine (aposcopolamine) was identified as a urinary metabolite. The significance of this with regard to hyoscine assays is discussed.     

Pyridinium p-toluenesulfonylmethylide as a formyl anion equivalent

Pyridinium $\text{p}$-toluenesulfonylmethylide serves as a formyl anion equivalent and, in the presence of an alcohol, undergoes 1,4-addition to $\text{N}$-substituted maleimides to give alkoxy- (or aryloxy)-methylene-succinimides. The protected aldehyde group can be liberated readily.     

A theoretical study of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors

Summary INDO molecular orbital calculations are reported for 35 selected angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. QSARs are developed between pI₅₀ data and molecular electronic indices. The QSARs obtained reflect the importance of both charge-charge interactions between inhibitor and receptor and of specific interactions between groups on the inhibitor with points around the molecule which are postulated to correspond to binding sites at the receptor.     

Solventless synthesis of monodisperse Cu2S nanorods, nanodisks, and nanoplatelets

Cu(2)S nanocrystals with disklike morphologies were synthesized by the solventless thermolysis of a copper alkylthiolate molecular precursor. The nanodisks ranged from circular to hexagonal prisms from 3 to 150 nm in diameter and 3 to 12 nm in thickness depending on the growth conditions. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed the high chalcocite (hexagonal) crystal structure oriented with the c-axis ([001] direction) orthogonal to the favored growth direction. This disk morphology is thermodynamically favored as it allows the extension of the higher energy [100] and [110] surfaces with respect to the [001] planes. The hexagonal prism morphology also appears to relate to increased C-S bond cleavage of adsorbed dodecanethiol along the more energetic [100] facets relative to [001] facets. Monodisperse Cu(2)S nanodisks self-assemble into ribbons of stacked platelets. This solventless approach provides a new technique to synthesize anisotropic metal chalcogenide nanostructures with shapes that depend on both the face-sensitive thermodynamic surface energy and the surface reactivity.     

Measurements of hyperon semileptonic decays at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron

The charged hyperon beam at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) has been used to collect data on semileptonic decays ofΣ ^?,Ξ ^? andΛ. A magnetic channel selects 100 GeV/c negatively charged particles produced in the forward direction by interaction of the 200 GeV/c SPS proton beam on a BeO target. TheΣ ^? andΞ ^? hyperons are concurrently identified in a DISC ?erenkov counter, and their decay products are analysed by a magnetic spectrometer. Electron-hadron discrimination is achieved by the combined use of lead-glass and lead/scintillator counters, transition radiation detectors, and a ?erenkov counter. In this article we report results on the \(\Sigma ^ - \to \Lambda e^ - \bar v\) decay mode. Measurements of the Λ polarization and of the centre-of-mass distributions (baryon kinetic energy, electron-neutrino correlation, and Dalitz plot distributions) yield the vector to axialvector form factor ratiof ₁/g ₁=+0.034±0.080, in agreement with the value expected from the conserved vector current hypothesis (f ₁/g ₁=0). TheΣ ^?→Λe ^? v→ branching ratio measurement gives a value of (5.41±0.30)×10^?5. The effects of radiative corrections are not included in these results. They are discussed in the text. Results on the otherΞ ^?,Σ ^?, andΛ semileptonic decays are reported in separate articles.     

Kinetics and mechanisms of the reactions of OH with some oxygenated compounds of importance in tropospheric chemistry

The kinetics of the reactions have been studied in a discharge flow system under pseudo-first-order conditions. The OH concentration was monitored by laser induced fluorescence and helium was used as the carrier gas. Values of k₁ = (8.1 ± 1.7) × 10^?13, k₂ = (1.31 ± 0.26) × 10^?11, k₃ = (2.6 ± 0.5) × 10^?11, and k₄ = (2.5 ± 0.4) × 10^?11 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, at 298 K and 1 torr total pressure, were obtained. To validate the newly constructed system the rate constant for the reaction was determined in a similar manner. The value of k₅ = (6.7 ± 0.9) × 10^?12 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 at 298 K and 1 torr total pressure is in very good agreement with other literature values. The mechanisms for the atmospheric degradation of these compounds have been constructed to allow their incorporation in a photochemical trajectory computer model, to assess their impact on photochemical ozone creation in the troposphere. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Stochastic search for the conformations of bicyclic hydrocarbons

The stochastic search method was used to seek all of the conformations for 32 bicyclic hydrocarbons. Since the size of the random kick used is sufficient to invert the configurations of carbon atoms, the out, out, in, out, and in, in conformations were all found in a single stochastic run for each hydrocarbon. The lowest energy conformer obtained in each category is reported. A modification of the program to prevent inversion of configuration was developed. It was found, in some cases, that in, in and out, out isomers for some bicyclic hydrocarbons were interconverted by this modified program, presumably through the “homeomorphic isomerization” process described by Park and Simmons. A statistical formula for estimating the approximate chances of finding (or missing) any conformer as a function of the number of random kicks given is derived and presented.     

A symmetric numerical range for matrices

Summary For each normv on ⁿ, we define a numerical rangeZ _v, which is symmetric in the sense thatZ _v=Z_vD, wherev ^D is the dual norm.We prove that, fora ⁿⁿ,Z _v(a) contains the classical field of valuesV(a). In the special case thatv is thel ₁-norm,Z _v(a) is contained in a setG(a) of Gershgorin type defined by C. R. Johnson.Whena is in the complex linear span of both the Hermitians and thev-Hermitians, thenZ _v(a),V(a) and the convex hull of the usualv-numerical rangeV _v(a) all coincide. We prove some results concerning points ofV(a) which are extreme points ofZ _v(a).Part of this research was done while the authors were at the Mathematische Institut, Technische Universität, München, West Germany. The first author presented these results at the Seminar on Matrix Theory (Positivity and Norms) held in Munich in December, 1974. The second author also acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation under grant GP 37978X.