New facts concerning the reaction of K, K(15-crown-5)2 with phenyl glycidyl ether: unexpected formation of potassium cyclopropoxide

A new mechanism of the reaction of K⁻, K⁺(15-crown-5)₂ with phenyl glycidyl ether is presented. The linear ether bond is attacked only to a small extent, if at all. As the main reaction path the oxirane bond in the β-position is cleaved, followed by the γ-elimination of potassium phenoxide and the formation of potassium cyclopropoxide. Crown ether ring opening also occurs in reactions with organometallic intermediates.     

Living polymerization with reversible chain transfer and reversible deactivation: The case of cyclic esters

Polymerization of cyclic esters at the properly chosen conditions can be treated as living polymerization, in agreement with the tentative definition of the Nomenclature Commission of IUPAC (Macromolecular Division) requiring that no irreversible transfer or irreversible termination take place. For these processes the most kinetic or structural (end group) studies do not reveal any deviation. However, since in these polymerizations reversible transfer to backbones of macromolecules and/or reversible deactivation take place, the molar mass distribution can be Poissonian only at certain conditions. These processes have been studied quantitatively and the corresponding rate constants were determined. Thus, the importance of these processes could be established by comparing the rate constants of transfer and/or deactivation with rate constants of propagation. In this way, polymerizations of cyclic esters were used to illustrate the meaning and scope of the definition of “living polymerization”, a process from which irreversible transfer and deactivation are absent and in which living polymers are formed, i. e. composed of macromolecules that do not irreversibly loose their ability to grow.     

Helix‐coil and beta sheet‐coil transitions in a simplified,yet realistic protein model

A reduced model of polypeptide chains and protein stochastic dynamics is employed in Monte Carlo studies of the coil‐globule transition. The model assumes a high‐resolution lattice representation of protein conformational space. The interaction scheme is derived from a statistical analysis of structural regularities seen in known three‐dimensional protein structures. It is shown that model polypeptides containing residues that have strong propensities towards locally expanded conformations collapse to β‐like globular conformations, while polypeptides containing residues with helical propensities form globules of closely packed helices. A more cooperative transition is observed for β‐type systems. It is also demonstrated that hydrogen bonding is an important factor for protein cooperativity, although, for systems with suppressed hydrogen bond interactions, a higher cooperativity of β‐type proteins is also observed.     

Effect of deuterium substitution on the surface interactions in binary polymer mixtures

We have examined the effect of deuterium labeling on surface interactions in mixtures of random olefinic copolymers [C₄H₈]_1−x[C₂H₃(C₂H₅)]_x. Based on surface segregation data we have determined a surface energy difference χ_s between pure blend constituents. In each binary mixture components have different fractions x₁, x₂ of the group C₂H₃(C₂H₅), and one component is labeled by deuterium (dx) while the other is hydrogenous (hx). The mixtures are grouped in four pairs of structurally identical blends with swapped labeled constituent (dx₁/hx₂, hx₁/dx₂). For each pair the surface energy parameter χ_s increases when the component with higher fraction x is deuterated, i.e., χ_s(dx₁/hx₂) > χ_s(hx₁/dx₂) for x₁ > x₂. A similar pattern has been found previously for the bulk interaction parameter χ. This is explained by the solubility parameter formalism aided by the lattice theory relating the surface excess to missing-neighbor effect. χ_s has also an additional contribution, insensitive to deuterium swapping effect, and related to entropically driven surface enrichment in a more stiff blend component with a lower fraction x. Both enthalpic and entropic contributions to χ_s seem to depend on the extent of chemical mismatch between blend components. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 2691–2702, 1998     

Atomic force microscopy and enzymatic degradation of oyster shell protein and poly(aspartate)

Oyster shell protein (OSP), an aspartate-enriched regulator of crystallization, was readily observed in its natural condition by atomic force microscopy (AFM) of fragments of oyster shell. The fragments of shell consisted of layers of calcite mineral, termed folia, to which arrays of protein molecules are attached. Modification and removal of the OSP following treatment with several proteolytic enzymes such as subtilisin, carboxypeptidase B, and endoproteinase Glu-C were also observed by AFM. Similarly, poly (aspartate), a polypeptide analog of the OSP, was visualized by AFM on both calcite and mica. Images of poly(aspartate) before and after treatment with lipase demonstrated the potential utility of AFM in degradation studies. The mechanism of hydrolysis is not clear in that lipase normally is considered to be an esterase and not a peptidase.     

Onsite hybridization between Ce 4f and 5d states as the indicator of the transition from Kondo insulator to metallic state in CeRhSb

We discuss and determine the conditions under which a Kondo-insulator phase is stable. We show for CeRhSb that the dependence of the onsite hybridization energy Vdf between the Ce 5d and Ce 4f states on the number of valence electrons or the unit cell volume is decisive for the hybridization Kondo gap formation. We also propose the method for determining the energy Vdf from the ab initio calculations. This approach supplies an accurate Kondo-insulator-metal transition in agreement with the recent experimental data.     

Diammonium hexakis(thiocyanato‐κN)rhenate(IV) dimethyl sulfone tetrasolvate

The title compound, (NH₄)₂[Re(NCS)₆]·4C₂H₆O₂S, was obtained by solvothermal synthesis as part of a project on rhenium thiocyanate catalysts and starting materials for further aggregation to molecular magnets. The compound is the ammonium salt of octahedral hexakis(thiocyanato‐κN)rhenate(IV) anions, which lie on centres of inversion. The dimethyl sulfone solvent molecules are involved in R₄²(8) and D N—H...O hydrogen‐bonded motifs. N—H...S and S...S short contacts are also present. Hydrogen‐bonded ammonium–dimethyl sulfone layers alternate with layers formed by the complex anion (with S...S short contacts) parallel to (100).     

A novel application of range-gated underwater laser imaging system (ULIS) in near-target turbid medium

Range-gated imaging system improves signal-to-backscattering noise ratio (SBR) by rejecting backscattered light from the target irradiance. This is achieved by synchronizing the arrival of pulsed target irradiance with the gating of an intensified camera. Witherspoon and Holloway (Ocean Optics X 1302 (1990) 414–420) indicated that the image quality of range-gated imaging system might be further improved by a delay in the camera gating towards the tail of reflected image temporal profile (RITP). This phenomena has, however, not been further elaborated. This paper extends on Witherspoon's observation. The MCRITP (Monte Carlo for RITP) algorithm is validated with theoretical and experimental results for medium attenuation coefficients of 0.26–5.90/m. By temporal convolution of the simulated results with outgoing Gaussian light pulse, Tail RITP region shows more reduction in the unwanted backscatter effects than the target intensity. This can be observed as an improvement in image contrast and a modified fidelity index (MF).