Preparation and properties of aromatic polyamides and copolyamides from phenylindanedicarboxylic acid and aromatic diamines

Aromatic polyamides (aramids) having inherent viscosities of 0.5–1.10 dL/g were prepared by the direct polycondensation of 1,1,3-trimethyl-3-(4-carboxyphenyl)indane-5-carboxylic acid with various aromatic diamines using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as the condensing agents. Copolyamides were also prepared by a similar procedure from a mixture of the phenylindane diacid, terephthalic acid, and p-phenylenediamine. Almost all of the aramids were soluble in a variety of solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, pyridine, and m-cresol, and afforded transparent and tough films by the solution casting. These aramids and copolyamides had glass transition temperatures in the range of 290–355°C, and started to lose weight at 340°C in air.     

Motor protein nano-biomachine powered by self-supplying ATP

A new nano-biomachine has been created from microtubules (MTs) and hetero-bifunctional polymer particles bearing pyruvate kinase, which is propelled on glass surfaces coated with kinesin by use of self-supplying ATP.     

A practical fluorous benzylidene acetal protecting group for a quick synthesis of disaccharides

A new fluorous benzylidene acetal protecting group was regioselectively introduced into carbohydrates, deprotected under acidic conditions, and reused. Oligosaccharides were synthesized via regioselective conversion of the fluorous acetal group to the benzyl group by traditional reaction conditions. The fluorous compounds were easily separated from non-fluorous by-products by fluorous solid phase extraction.     

Smiles-type free radical rearrangement of aromatic sulfonates and sulfonamides: syntheses of arylethanols and arylethylamines

Smiles-type free radical rearrangements of arenesulfonates and arenesulfonamides are exploited for synthetic purposes. 4-Substituted benzenesulfonates cause Smiles-type rearrangement only when substituted by an electron withdrawing group. Therefore, ipso-attack by an alkyl radical on arenesulfonates takes place in an electrophilic manner. Arenesulfonamides rearrange only when the amide nitrogen is substituted by an alkoxycarbonyl group, due to the electron withdrawing nature of this group. Sulfonates and the N-ethoxycarbonylsulfonamide derivatives of naphthalene, quinoline, and thiophene cause more rearrangement and show synthetic utility. Aromatic amino acid analogues were synthesized by Smiles-type rearrangement with moderate yields. The radical Smiles-type rearrangement of sulfonate and sulfonamide derivatives can be a useful synthetic route when we understand the electronic character of these reactions.     

3,4-dihydro-6,7-dimethoxy-4-methyl-3-oxo-qinoxaline-2-carbonyl azide as a highly sensitive fluorescence derivatization reagent for primary,secondary and tertiary alcohols in high-performance liquid chromatography

3,4-Dhydro-6,7-dimethoxy-4-methyl-3-oxo-quinoxaline-2-carbonyl azide is a highly senstive fluorescence derivatization reagent for primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols for high-performance liquid chromatography. Reaction conditions are optimized with benzyl alcohol, n-hexanol, cyclohexanol and 2-methyl-2-butanol. The reagent reacts with the alcohols in benzene to produce the corresponding fluorescent carbamic acid esters, which can be separated on a reversed-phase column YMC Pack C₈ with aqueous methanol as eluent. the detection limits for the alchols are 2–5 fmol per 10-μl njection. The reagent also reacts with hydroxysteroids with primary, secondary and/or tertiary alcoholic group(s) to form fluorescent derivatives. Hydroxycarboxylic acids and phenols do not give any chromatographic peaks.     

Characterization of fibril reinforced membranes for fuel cells

Characteristics of fibril reinforced membranes developed by Asahi Glass Company are reviewed. PTFE-fibrils <1 μm in diameter are dispersed in ion-exchange membranes uniformly. Mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, tear strength, creep property and compressive property were examined and compared with non-reinforced membranes. Fibril reinforced membranes, even by the addition of a small amount of PTFE-fibrils (2.7 wt.%), show excellent mechanical strength, especially in creep and tear strength. Cell performance is nearly equal to the one using a non-reinforced membrane and cell voltage stays about the same during the cell operation at 80 °C for 3000 h.     

Formation process of silver-polypyrrole coaxial nanocables synthesized by redox reaction between AgNO3 and pyrrole in the presence of poly(vinylpyrrolidone)

We have recently demonstrated a one-step process to fabricate silver-polypyrrole (PPy) coaxial nanocables (Chen, A.; Wang, H.; Li, X. Chem. Commun. 2005, 14, 1863). The formation process of silver-PPy coaxial nanocables is discussed in this article. It was found from the results of TEM and SEM images that large numbers of silver atoms were formed when AgNO3 was added to a pyrrole solution. Then silver atoms transform to silver-PPy nanosheets with regular morphology, which will connect together to be more stable. Silver-PPy nanocables will be able to grow at the expense of the silver-PPy nanosheets. Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) plays crucial roles in this process: as a capping agent to form silver nanowires, and as a dispersant of pyrrole monomers, which can influence the site at which pyrrole monomer exists. On the basis of experimental analysis, the possible mechanism was proposed. Because of the effect of PVP, silver ions and pyrrole monomers are apt to be adsorbed at the [111] and [100] facets of silver nanosheets, respectively. Obvious polymerization will take place on the boundary of the [111] and [100] facets. The PPy layer stays stable on the [100] facets. Meanwhile, newly formed silver atoms and silver nanosheets will further ripen and grow on the [111] facets. In a word, the morphology of final products and the formation process are determined by the reaction site between AgNO3 and the pyrrole monomer, which is influenced by PVP.     

Reversed-phase liquid chromatographic retention and membrane activity relationships of local anesthetics

The chromatographic retention and membrane activity relationships of local anesthetics were studied to address the possible mechanisms for structure specificity and inflammation-associated decrease of their effects. Five representative drugs (3 mM for each) were reacted with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine liposomes in 25 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 5.9-7.9, containing 100 mM NaCl and 0.1 mM EDTA) for 10 min at 37 degrees C and the membrane fluidity changes were analyzed by measuring fluorescence polarization with 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene. Their capacity factors were determined on octadecyl-, octyl- and phenyl-bonded silica columns with a mobile phase consisting of 25 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 5.9-7.9, containing 100 mM NaCl and 0.1 mM EDTA)-methanol (30:70, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min and at a column temperature of 37 degrees C and diode-array detection. Mepivacaine, prilocaine, lidocaine, ropivacaine and bupivacaine fluidized membranes in increasing order of intensity, which agreed with their clinical potency. The relative degree of membrane fluidization correlated with that of retention on an octadecyl stationary phase more significantly than the other phases. Both membrane-fluidizing effects and capacity factors decreased by lowering the reaction and mobile phase pH, being consistent with the hypothesis that anesthetic potency is reduced in inflammation because of tissue acidity. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography appears to be useful for estimating the structure-specific and pH-dependent membrane-fluidizing effects of local anesthetics.     

An analysis of the through-bond interaction using the localized molecular orbitals—IV: Long-range proton hyperfine coupling in exo- and endo-hydrogens in bicyclo[2.1.1]hex-5-yl radical

The INDO calculations were performed on bicyclo[2.1.1]hex-5-yl radical. From these calculations, it was confirmed that the hyperfine coupling constants depend largely on the geometry of the α hydrogen. The localized MO's were obtained from the canonical MO's calculated by using the INDO method. With the use of the localized MO's thus obtained, the variation in the hyperfine coupling constants at the 6exo- and 6endo-protons in this radical was explained in terms of the through-bond and/or the through-space interactions according to the procedure which we proposed previously. That is by the procedure we can selectively pick up a particular interaction between the specified localized MO's. The hyperfine coupling constant in this radical can be expressed by the summation of several interaction terms. The difference in the hyperfine spin coupling constants of the H_6exo and H_6endo in the radical now concerned has been attempted to explain using MO coefficients of the occupied orbitals.     

Cardiac glycosides: 3. synthesis of β-D-digitoxose analogues

Earlier studies have shown that the β-D-digitoxose (2,6-dideoxy-β-D-mannopyranose) directly attached to the cardiac glycoside steroid C3 has the greatest effect on biological activity. This report describes the synthesis of eight digitoxosides (2a-9a), with widely varying cyclic and acyclic C17β-side groups, and the corresponding C3',C4'-acetonides (2b-9b). NMR analysis of conformational strain introduced by the acetonide groups is supported by crystallographic analysis of the sugars' torsion angles.