Chiral discrimination of a helically organized crown ether array parallel to the helix axis of polyisocyanate

The asymmetric polymerization of 4′‐isocyanatobenzo‐18‐crown‐6 with the lithium amide of (S)‐(2‐methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine successfully proceeded to afford end‐functionalized poly(4′‐isocyanatobenzo‐18‐crown‐6) with (S)‐(2‐methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine (polymer 2 ). In the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum of 2 , a clear positive Cotton effect was observed in the range of 240–350 nm corresponding to the absorption of the polymer backbone, indicating that 2 partially formed a one‐handed helical structure, which was preserved by the chirality of (S)‐(2‐methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine bonding to the terminal end in 2 . In the titration experiments for the CD intensity of 2 in the presence of D ‐ and L ‐Phe·HClO₄ (where Phe is phenylalanine), a small but remarkable difference was observed in the amount of the chiral guest needed for saturation of the CD intensity and in the saturated CD intensity, indicating that the extremely stable, one‐handed helical part should exist in the main chain of 2 , which was not inverted even when the unfavorable chiral guest for the predominant helical sense, L ‐Phe·HClO₄, was added. In addition, helical polymer 2 exhibited a chiral discrimination ability toward racemic guests; that is, the guests were extracted from the aqueous phase into the organic phase with enantiomeric excess. The driving force of the chiral discrimination ability of 2 should certainly be attributed to the one‐handed helical structure in 2 . © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 325–334, 2006     

Chemically modified proton‐conducting membranes based on sulfonated polyimides: Improved water stability and fuel‐cell performance

A series of branched/crosslinked sulfonated polyimide (B/C‐SPI) membranes were prepared and evaluated as proton‐conducting ionomers based on the new concept of in situ crosslinking from sulfonated polyimide (SPI) oligomers and triamine monomers. Chemical branching and crosslinking in SPI oligomers with 1,3,5‐tris(4‐aminophenoxy)benzene as a crosslinker gave the polymer membranes very good water stability and mechanical properties under an accelerated aging treatment in water at 130 °C, despite their high ion‐exchange capacity (2.2–2.6 mequiv g^?1). The resulting polymer electrolytes displayed high proton conductivities of 0.2–0.3 S cm^?1 at 120 °C in water and reasonably high conductivities of 0.02–0.03 S cm^?1 at 50% relative humidity. In a single H₂/O₂ fuel‐cell system at 90 °C, they exhibited high fuel‐cell performances comparable to those of Nafion 112. The B/C‐SPI membranes also displayed good performances in a direct methanol fuel cell with methanol concentrations as high as 50 wt % that were superior to those of Nafion 112. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3751–3762, 2006     

The Electronic Structure of Azuleno[1,2,3-cd]phenalene and Azuleno[5,6,7-cd]phenalene,a Comparison

The photoelectron (PE.) spectra of azuleno[l, 2, 3-cd]phenalene ( 1 ) and azuleno- [5,6,7-cd]phenalene( 2 ) have been recorded. The first five bands of both compounds could be assigned to transitions corresponding to removal of electrons from 4a₂, 6b₁, 5b₁, 3a₂ and 4b_l orbitals. This assignment is based mainly on a comparison between the observed ionization potentials and orbital energies calculated in a HMO and a PPP model. The UV./VIS. polarized absorption spectrum of 1 in the region 10000–45000 cm^?1 has been measured by means of the stretched film technique. The measurements were performed in polyethylene sheets at 77°K. Several bands could be assigned to π* ← π transitions calculated by a PPP-CI method. A comparison between the electronic structures of 1 and 2 is made by means of a simple HMO diagram.     

Kinetics of γ-ray polymerization of formaldehyde in the presence of carbon dioxide

A kinetic study of the γ-ray polymerization of formaldehyde in toluene solution in the presence of carbon dioxide was carried out at temperatures of + 13 to ?17°C. Two modes of the polymerization, spontaneous and γ-ray polymerization, occur in this system. The γ-ray polymerization, experimentally separated from the spontaneous polymerization, was investigated. The rate of γ-ray polymerization increased slightly with the square root of carbon dioxide concentration. The rate of polymerization was also found to be proportional to the dose rate and the square of monomer concentration. The molecular weight of polymer formed was independent of the reaction condition. The apparent activation energy was estimated to be 10.3 kcal./mole. The kinetics of the γ-ray polymerization in the presence of carbon dioxide are explained quantitatively by a cationic mechanism, and the role of carbon dioxide is as an action of retardation for neutralization of the cationic initiating species, which was produced by γ-radiation, by means of a reverse reaction with an electron. Physical and mechanical properties of the polymer obtained by γ-ray polymerization were also investigated.     

Retronasal Aroma of Beef Pate Analyzed by a Chewing Simulator

In retronasal aroma, the targeted aroma compounds are released from food during chewing. The changes in the food structures during chewing strongly influence the release of the compounds, therefore affecting the perception of food. Here, the relationship between retronasal aroma and food deliciousness based on the physicochemical properties of aroma compounds was examined. We considered the consumption of solid foods and the effect of oral parameters in elderly people. Beef pate was used as a model food sample to study the effect of the release of aroma compounds under controlled in vitro mastication and salivation conditions using a chewing simulator. We identified the effects of coexisting ingredients such as beef fat on the time course behavior of the release of aroma compounds. In particular, the release of the middle types of aromas was significantly faster with stronger chewing force, and higher with a high fat content of the sample. In addition, a larger release intensity was observed when soy proteins were partially substituted for beef proteins. Using an appropriate model saliva, a change in the salting-out effect from the saliva composition was found to be a factor, which could explain the lowering of aroma sensation in an elderly person.     

Water content distribution in a polymer electrolyte membrane for advanced fuel cell system with liquid water supply

To better understand the operation of a new fuel cell design, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the water content distribution in a polymer electrolyte membrane under fuel cell operation with and without a supply of liquid water. The supply of liquid water to the membrane improved the cell performance by increasing the water content in the membrane and thus reducing the electrical resistance of the membrane. The study also showed that MRI is a promising method to investigate the distribution of water in the membrane of a fuel cell under operating conditions.