Surface friction of hydrogels with well-defined polyelectrolyte brushes

Hydrogels of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) with well-defined polyelectrolyte brushes of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PNaSS) of various molecular weights were synthesized, keeping the distance between the polymer brushes constant at ca. 20 nm. The effect of polyelectrolyte brush length on the sliding friction against a glass plate, an electrorepulsive solid substrate, was investigated in water in a velocity range of 7.5 x 10(-5) to 7.5 x 10(-2) m/s. It is found that the presence of polymer brush can dramatically reduce the friction when the polymer brushes are short. With an increase in the length of the polymer brush, this drag reduction effect only works at a low sliding velocity, and the gel with long polymer brushes even shows a higher friction than that of a normal network gel at a high sliding velocity. The strong polymer length and sliding velocity dependence indicate a dynamic mechanism of the polymer brush effect.     

A stannylene strategy for regioselective acylation and phosphorylation of 1,2-cyclohexylidene-myo-inositol. Its convenient resolution and phosphatidylinositol synthesis

The bis(dibutylstannylene) derivative of 1,2-cyclohexylidene-myo-inositol reacted with (S)-O-acetylmandeloyl chloride and diphosphate tetraesters to give 3,6-dimandelate and 3-phosphate, respectively. Using the stannylene methodology for the optical resolution and regioselective phosphorylation of the ketal, a concise synthesis of phosphatidylinositol with the natural configuration was accomplished.     

Enantioselective ester synthesis in the presence of optically active polymers

Enantiomer-differentiating ester syntheses from acid salts, chlorides, and an anhydride were studied in the presence of optically active polyamines. Enantiomer selection occurred in reactions of a racemic salt with an achiral alkyl bromide and vice versa, which is good evidence of the importance of activation of the carboxylate group by complexation of the counterion and activation of alkyl bromide by the formation of a quaternary salt with polyamine under solid–liquid, phase-transfer reaction conditions. Only small optical activity was observed in the products of acid anhydride or chloride with alcohol.     

Ultraviolet derivatization of steroidal saponin in garlic and commercial garlic products as p-nitrobenzoate for liquid chromatographic determination

A method is described for determination of the steroidal saponin, eruboside B, originating in garlic and garlic products as the p-nitrobenzoyl chloride (PNBC) derivative by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (with ultraviolet detection at 260 nm. Proto-eruboside B was extracted from garlic (Allium sativum L.); subjected to solid-phase extraction (SPE) with a C18 cartridge, Florisil column chromatography, and silica gel column chromatography; and then enzymatically converted to eruboside B, which was applied as an external standard. Steroidal saponins in garlic and commercial garlic products were extracted with methanol and purified by SPE cartridges, followed by enzymatic treatment. A frostanol saponin such as proto-eruboside B is enzymatically transformed to a spirostanol saponin, eruboside B. After the derivatization with PNBC, the saponin derivative was chromatographed on a C8 column with a gradient elution of (A) 80% aqueous acetonitrile and (B) 100% acetonitrile. The detection limit of the developed method was 1 microg/g for the samples. The method was applied to the analysis of garlic and garlic health food products available in Japan.     

Application of infrared data analysis based on symbolic logic in automated structure elucidation by chemics

A computer program, IRASSL, is described for processing infrared (IR) data. The program, based on symbolic logic, is used to formulate complex relationships between substructures and their characteristic wavenumber regions. The program yields sets of substructures inferred from a correlation table prepared from accumulated IR data. The procedure is applied as an ancillary to the automated structure elucidation system CHEMICS. The introduction of the substructural information provided by IRASSL into CHEMICS as restrictions in the elucidation process produces a significant decrease in the number of candidate structures. Some examples of the application are given.     

Synthesis, characterization, and photochemical properties of azobenzene-conjugated Ru(II) and Rh(III) bis(terpyridine) complexes

We synthesized azobenzene-conjugated bis(terpyridine) Ru(II) and Rh(III) mononuclear and dinuclear complexes and investigated their photochemical properties on excitation of the azo pi-pi band upon 366 nm light irradiation. The Ru mononuclear complex underwent trans-to-cis photoisomerization to reach the photostationary state with only 20% of the cis form, while the Ru dinuclear complex did not isomerize at all photochemically. On the other hand, the mononuclear and dinuclear Rh complexes showed almost complete trans-to-cis photoisomerization behavior. Cis forms of the Rh complexes thermally returned to the trans form at a much slower rate than those of organic azobenzenes, but they did not isomerize photochemically. The reduction potential of the cis forms was 80 mV more negative than that of the trans forms. The photoisomerization quantum yields of the Rh complexes were strongly dependent on the polarity, viscosity, and donor site of the solvents as well as the size of the counterions. We investigated the photoisomerization process of these complexes using femtosecond absorption spectroscopy. For the Rh complexes, we observed S(n) <-- S(2) and S(n) <-- S(1) absorption bands similar to those of organic azobenzenes. For the Ru complexes, we observed very fast bleaching of the MLCT band of the Ru complex, which indicated that the energy transfer pathway to the MLCT was the primary cause of the depressed photoisomerization. The electronic structures, which were estimated from ZINDO molecular orbital calculation, supported the different photochemical reaction behavior between the Ru and Rh complexes.     

Preconcentration of palladium(II) from water with thionalide loaded on silica gel

2-Mercapto-N-2-naphthylacetamide (thionalide) on silica gel is used for rapid preconcentration of μg l^?1 levels of palladium(II) from aqueous solution, followed by atomic absorption spectrometric measurement. In batch experiments, palladium was quantitatively retained on the gel from solutions 5 M in acid to pH 8; equilibrium was achieved within 10 s. The chelating capacity of the gel was 7.5 μmol Pd g^?1 at pH < 4. The effect of flow rate on retention was studied. Palladium retained on the column was completely eluted with 20 ml of 0.2 M thiourea in 0.1 M hydrochloric acid. The palladium concentration in sea water is shown to be < 0.3 μg l^?1.     

Isolation,chemical characterization and structure of ansamitocin,a new antitumor ansamycin antibiotic

In this paper we report the isolation, chemical characterization and structural elucidation of Ansamitocin, a new antitumor antibiotic obtained from Nocardia No. C-15003 (N-1). Ansamitocin P-3, P-3' and P-4 with molecular formulae C₃₂H₄₃ClN₂O₉, C₃₂H₄₃ClN₂O₉ and C₃₃H₄₅ClN₂O₉, respectively, were identified as novel antibiotics. Their UV spectra resemble that of maytansine obtained from a plant source. Analysis of the PMR spectrum and spin-decoup studies of P-3 demonstrated that its skeletal structure was the same as that of maytansine. Reductive cleavage of each antibiotic gave maytansinol (P-0). Alkali hydrolysis of P-3, P-3' and P-4 gave isobutyric, butyric and isovaleric acids, respectively. P-3, P-3' and P-4 were concluded to be the isobutyrate, butyrate and isovalerate ester of maytansinol at C-3, respectively. An antitumor plant product, maytanacine, and its semisynthetic derivative, maytansinol propionate, were also produced by the same strain.