Autoxidation kinetics of atactic polypropylene in bulk

The kinetics of the reaction between atactic polypropylene (APP) and oxygen in bulk at temperatures ranging from 170 to 210°C and oxygen partial pressures from 160 to 760 torr have been studied by thermal differential analysis. The reaction takes place in two successive steps, both giving hydroperoxide groups as product. Partial reaction orders with respect to APP and oxygen for the first step, which corresponds to the uncatalyzed attack of a C? H tertiary bond to give a hydroperoxide, are one and two, respectively. In the second step, interpreted as another attack on a tertiary C? H by oxygen, catalyzed by a neighboring hydroperoxide group, reaction orders are one and one-half for APP and oxygen, respectively. Activation parameters have been determined and a reaction sequence is proposed. Hydroperoxidated APP subsequently decomposes via a zero-order process giving methylketone groups as its main product. An interpretation of this process is also given.     

Solubility of benzil in binary alkane + dibutyl ether solvent mixtures. Comparison of predictive expressions derived from the nearly ideal binary solvent model

Experimental solubilities are reported for benzil dissolved in six binary mixtures containing dibutyl ether with hexane, heptane, octane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane at 25°C. Results of these measurements are compared to the predictions of equations developed previously for solubility in systems of nonspecific interactions. The most successful equation in terms of goodness of fit involved a volume fraction average of the excess Gibbs energies relative to the Flory-Huggins model, and predicted the experimental solubilities in the six systems studied to within an overall average absolute deviation of 3.4% and with a maximum deviation of 6.0%.     

Neuronal metabolomics by ion mobility mass spectrometry: cocaine effects on glucose and selected biogenic amine metabolites in the frontal cortex, striatum, and thalamus of the rat

We report results of studies of global and targeted neuronal metabolomes by ambient pressure ion mobility mass spectrometry. The rat frontal cortex, striatum, and thalamus were sampled from control nontreated rats and those treated with acute cocaine or pargyline. Quantitative evaluations were made by standard additions or isotopic dilution. The mass detection limit was ～100 pmol varying with the analyte. Targeted metabolites of dopamine, serotonin, and glucose followed the rank order of distribution expected between the anatomical areas. Data was evaluated by principal component analysis on 764 common metabolites (identified by m/z and reduced mobility). Differences between anatomical areas and treatment groups were observed for 53 % of these metabolites using principal component analysis. Global and targeted metabolic differences were observed between the three anatomical areas with contralateral differences between some areas. Following drug treatments, global and targeted metabolomes were found to shift relative to controls and still maintained anatomical differences. Pargyline reduced 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid below detection limits, and 5-HIAA varied between anatomical regions. Notable findings were: (1) global metabolomes were different between anatomical areas and were altered by acute cocaine providing a broad but targeted window of discovery for metabolic changes produced by drugs of abuse; (2) quantitative analysis was demonstrated using isotope dilution and standard addition; (3) cocaine changed glucose and biogenic amine metabolism in the anatomical areas tested; and (4) the largest effect of cocaine was on the glycolysis metabolome in the thalamus confirming inferences from previous positron emission tomography studies using 2-deoxyglucose.

(Z)‐5‐[4‐(Dimethylamino)benzylidene]‐2‐(piperidin‐1‐yl)‐1,3‐thiazolidin‐4(5H)‐one

The molecules of the title compound, C₁₇H₂₁N₃OS, are characterized by a wide C—C—C angle at the methine C atom linking the aryl and thiazolidine rings, associated with a short repulsive intramolecular S...H contact between atoms in these two rings. A single piperidine–arene C—H...π hydrogen bond links pairs of molecules into centrosymmetric dimers.     

Thermochemistry of 2,2′-dipyridil N-oxide and 2,2′-dipyridil N,N′-dioxide. The dissociation enthalpies of the N−O bonds

In this paper, the first, second and mean (N?O) bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) were derived from the standard (p° = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation, in the gaseous phase, ${\mathrm{\Delta }}_{\text{f}}{H}_{\text{m}}^{°}(\text{g})$, at T = 298.15 K, of 2,2′-dipyridil N-oxide and 2,2′-dipyridil N,N′-dioxide. These values were calculated from experimental thermodynamic parameters, namely from the standard (p° = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation, in the crystalline phase, ${\mathrm{\Delta }}_{\text{f}}{H}_{\text{m}}^{°}(\text{cr})$, at T = 298.15 K, obtained from the standard molar enthalpies of combustion, ${\mathrm{\Delta }}_{\text{c}}{H}_{\text{m}}^{°}$, measured by static bomb combustion calorimetry, and from the standard molar enthalpies of sublimation, at T = 298.15 K, determined from Knudsen mass-loss effusion method.     

Coarse‐Grained Simulations of Model Polymer Nanofibres

We describe the development of a coarse‐grained (CG) force field for nylon‐6 (polycaprolactam) and its application to the simulation of the structure and macromolecular dynamics within cylindrical fibres formed by this polymer, having diameters in the 14–28 nm range. Our CG model is based on the MARTINI force field for the non‐bonded interactions and on Boltzmann‐inverted gas‐phase atomistic simulations for intramolecular stretching and bending energies. The simulations are carried out on infinite, isolated nanofibres at temperatures of 300, 400 and 500 K, with different starting configurations. Starting from ordered chain‐extended configurations, we simulate the melting of the polymer in the nanofibres and, after cooling back to room temperature, its re‐crystallization in a chain‐folded lamellar configuration. This agrees with experimental observations on electrospun nylon‐6 nanofibres and demonstrated the suitability of the approach for the simulation of these systems. The effect of nanoscale confinement on the structure and dynamics of the polymer chains is extensively discussed.

     

Synthesis and optical and transport properties of a phenyl‐substituted polythiophene

The synthesis and characterization of a novel polythiophene substituted with a 2′‐pentyloxy‐5′‐(1″′‐oxooctyl) phenyl group (PPOPT) is reported. The bulk transport properties of thin films of PPOPT are investigated by admittance spectroscopy. The dramatic effect of the phenyl side chain on the mobility of positive carriers in films of PPOPT is described. The photophysics of PPOPT in both solution and thin film is also investigated and correlated to substituent‐driven intrachain and interchain arrangements. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

One-pot triple functionalization of carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are very promising as carriers for the delivery of bioactive molecules. The multifunctionalization of CNTs is necessary to impart multimodalities for the development of future CNT-based multipotent therapeutic constructs. In this context, we report the first example of covalent trifunctionalization of different types of CNTs. Our strategy is a simple and efficient methodology based on the simultaneous functionalization of the nanotube surface with three different active groups. The reaction is performed in one step by arylation with diazonium salts generated in situ. The CNTs are functionalized with benzylamine moieties blocked with three different protecting groups that can be selectively removed under specific conditions. The trifunctionalized CNTs were characterized by TEM, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman and UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy, while the amine loading was determined by using the Kaiser test. The sequential removal of the protecting groups of the amine functions allows the grafting of the molecules of interest on the nanotube surface to be controlled.