Role of dimethyl sulfoxide as a solvent for vinyl polymerization

Dimethyl sulfoxide has been used as a solvent in the polymerization of methyl methacrylate and styrene. The chain-transfer coefficients of the solvent and the values of δ [i.e., (2k_t)^1/2/k_p] in solvent-monomer mixtures of various compositions were determined. δ was observed to be dependent on the solvent concentration in the case of methyl methacrylate but remained constant in case of styrene. The lowering of the values of δ with increasing solvent concentration in case of methyl methacrylate has been attributed to an interaction between the solvent and poly(methyl methacrylate) radical resulting in lower termination rate.     

Heat-resistant polymers from melt-processable bisimido-bisphthalonitriles

Heat-resistant polymers which are processable into void-free components and suitable for composite applications have been synthesized by thermal/chemical polymerization of four newly developed bisimido-bisphthalonitriles containing silicon, ether, carbonyl, and hexafluoroisopropylidene groups. Thermal polymerization involving addition reactions was performed at 200–275°C for 2–10 h and then post-curing at 310°C for 10 h. Polymers VI, VII, VIII , and IX were obtained. The thermal polymerization was monitored using infrared spectroscopy. Thermal polymerization was also carried out in the presence of an aromatic diamine. A polyhexasocyclane ( V ) was synthesized by condensation polymerization of ether containing bisimido-bisphthalonitrile with 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether in solvent phenol. The synthesized polymers were evaluated for thermal stability using dynamic thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Polymers VII, VIII, IX , and X showed thermal decomposition temperature in the range of 475–500°C in nitrogen and air atmosphere. The char yield of the polymers was in the range of 60–69% in nitrogen at 800°C. This study indicated that synthesized thermosetting polymers from ether and keto containing bisimido-bisphthalo-nitrile are potential candidates for development of graphite composites. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Time-resolved spectroscopy of solid poly(1-vinyl naphthalene)following electron beam pulse radiolysis: pulse radiolytic studies on polymers

Transient emission studies following pulse radiolysis of solid poly(1-vinyl naphthalene) show existence of excited monomers and two excimers. Quenching experiments indicate that excimers are not formed directly by recombination of ions but probably by trapping of migrating monomeric excitation in performed traps whose density is approximately one in 10³.     

Microwave assisted green chemical synthesis of novel spiro[indole-pyrido thiazines]: a system reluctant to be formed under thermal conditions

Spiro [3H-indole-3,2′-[4H] pyrido [3,2-e]-1,3-thiazine]-2,4′ (1H) diones, a class of previously unknown compound which does not form under conventional conditions, can be prepared by treatment of ‘in situ’ generated 3-indolylimine derivatives with 2-mercaptonicotinic acid under microwave irradiation in absence of any solvent or solid support in 85-92% yields in 3-8 min. The facile one pot reaction is generalized for a variety of ketones and amines to give pure pyrido [3,2-e] thiazine derivatives, which do not require further purification processes.     

Synthesis and spectral characterization of some oxo-centered,trinuclear mixed-valence iron thiocarboxylates

Some mixed-valence Fe(II) Fe(III) complexes of thiocarboxylic acids and straight chain fatty acids with general formula [Fe(II)Fe(III)(2)O(SOCR)(6)(H(2)O)(3)] and [Fe(II)Fe(III)(2)O(SOCR)(3)(OOCR')(3)(CH(3)OH)(3)] (where, R=CH(3) or C(6)H(5) and R'=C(13)H(27), C(15)H(31) or C(17)H(35)) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, spectral (infrared, electronic and M?ssbauer) studies, molar conductance and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The infrared spectra suggested bridging nature of carboxylate and thiocarboxylate anions along with upsilon(asym)(Fe(3)O) vibrations in the complexes. M?ssbauer studies revealed two resolved quadrupole doublets at 120-315 K confirming the presence of Fe(II) and Fe(III) moieties in the complexes. This was supported by the observed electronic spectral bands in the complexes at room temperature. The spectrum showed a band at around 13,800 cm(-1) which indicated an intervalence-transfer. Magnetic susceptibility measurements showed weak antiferromagnetic coupling related to mixed-valence pairs with S(2)=2, em leader S(1)=S(3)=5/2 spin exchange model. Conductance data indicated, the complexes were non-electrolytes in nitrobenzene. A structure has been established on the basis of these studies.     

Characterization of oligosaccharide moieties of intact glycoproteins by microwave-assisted partial acid hydrolysis and mass spectrometry

A method, which utilizes microwave-assisted partial acid hydrolysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS), to elucidate oligosaccharide composition of intact glycoproteins is presented here. Glycoproteins, such as ribonuclease B, avidin, alpha1-acid glycoprotein, and fetuin, are used as model systems to demonstrate this technique. Partial cleavage of oligosaccharides from whole intact glycoproteins with trifluoroacetic acid was observed after a short exposure to microwaves. Due to the high-resolution mass spectra obtained by MALDI-TOFMS from glycoproteins with molecular weights less than 20 kDa, the compositions of oligosaccharides are readily derived for ribonuclease B and avidin. The data agree with the proposed oligosaccharide structures of ribonuclease B (five glycoforms) and avidin (eight glycoforms). Larger glycoproteins such as alpha1-acid glycoprotein (many glycoforms) and fetuin (many glycoforms) exhibited only broad peaks with no glycoform resolution. Nevertheless, this method can be used successfully for analysis of glycoproteins with molecular weights greater than 20 kDa to determine the presence or absence of glycosylation.     

Reversibly soluble macroaffinity ligand in aqueous two-phase separation of enzymes

Use of alginate as a free bioligand incorporated in an aqueous two-phase system of polyethylene glycol 6000-salt resulted in considerable purification of wheat germ alpha-amylase and sweet potato beta-amylase from their crude extracts. The elution of the enzyme from the free bioligand was facilitated by exploiting the fact that alginate can be reversibly precipitated in the presence of Ca2+. alpha-Amylase could be purified 42-fold with 92% activity recovery. beta-Amylase on the other hand could be purified 43-fold with 90% recovery. Both purified enzymes showed a single band on sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Nanoporous thermosetting polymers

Potential applications of nanoporous thermosetting polymers include polyelectrolytes in fuel cells, separation membranes, adsorption media, and sensors. Design of nanoporous polymers for such applications entails controlling permeability by tailoring pore size, structure, and interface chemistry. Nanoporous thermosetting polymers are often synthesized via free radical mechanisms using solvents that phase separate during polymerization. In this work, a novel technique for the synthesis of nanoporous thermosets is presented that is based on the reactive encapsulation of an inert solvent using step-growth cross-linking polymerization without micro/macroscopic phase separation. The criteria for selecting such a monomer-polymer-solvent system are discussed based on FTIR analysis, observed micro/macroscopic phase separation, and thermodynamics of swelling. Investigation of resulting network pore structures by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering following extraction and supercritical drying using carbon dioxide showed that nanoporous polymeric materials with pore sizes ranging from 1 to 50 nm can be synthesized by varying the solvent content. The differences in the porous morphology of these materials compared to more common free radically polymerized analogues that exhibit phase separation were evident from SEM imaging. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the chemical activity of the nanoporous materials obtained by our method could be tailored by grafting appropriate functional groups at the pore interface.     

A new glycoside, 3-O-demethylcolchicine-3-O-alpha-d-glucopyranoside, from Gloriosa superba seeds

A new colchicine glycoside, 3-O-demethylcolchicine-3-O-alpha-D-glucopyranoside, has been isolated from Gloriosa superba seeds. The assigned structure has been corroborated by spectroscopic data and enzymatic hydrolysis.     

Determination of the rare earths, yttrium and scandium in silicate rocks and four new geological reference materials by electrothermal atomization from graphite and tantalum surfaces

An improved graphite furnace atomic-absorption method has been developed for the determination of Sc, Y and the rare-earth elements in silicate rocks and related materials. The method, which involves the separation of the lanthanides by ion-exchange followed by their determination by electrothermal atomization, with use of an automatic sampling device, is more rapid than a previous method based on separation by co-precipitation with calcium oxalate and hydrous ferric oxide followed by normal injection of the solution into the furnace. Greater sensitivity (~ 10-40-fold) for La, Ce, Pr, Gd, Tb and Lu is also achieved by using a tantalum foil-lined graphite furnace instead of a pyrolytically-coated furnace. Results obtained for five international reference rock samples, NIM-G, SCo-1, MAG-1, SDC-1 and BHVO-1, are compared with those obtained previously by the oxalate-hydrous oxide co-precipitation method and with other published values. Results are given for four new Canadian iron-formation reference materials, FeR-1 to FeR-4.