Interpretation of contact angle measurements on two different fluoropolymers for the determination of solid surface tension

Contact angle measurements with a large number of liquids on the semi-fluorinated acryl polymer EGC-1700 films are reported. The surface tension was determined to be gammasv=13.84 mJ/m2 from contact angles of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (DMCPS). Inertness of these two liquids makes them ideal for determination of surface tension of low-energy fluoropolymers. On the other hand, contact angles of many other liquids deviated somewhat from a smooth contact angle pattern that represents the EGC-1700 surface tension. It is argued that noninertness of the molecules of these liquids gives rise to specific interactions with the polymer film, causing the deviations. Furthermore, contact angles of a series of n-alkanes (n-hexane to n-hexadecane) showed systematic deviations from this curve, similar to the trend observed for n-alkanes/Teflon AF 1600 systems studied earlier. Adsorption of vapor of short-chain liquids onto the polymer film caused their contact angles to fall above the gammasv=13.84 mJ/m2 curve, and a parallel alignment of molecules of the long-chain n-alkanes in the vicinity of the solid was the explanation for the deviation of their contact angles below it. It is found that vapor adsorption effect is more significant in the case of Teflon AF 1600, while the alignment of liquid molecules close to the surface is more pronounced for EGC-1700.     

Die Bestimmung von Derivaten der Kohlensäure über eine saure Verseifung

Zusammenfassung Durch Hydrolyse in siedender, hochkonzentrierter Phosphorsäure läßt sich anscheinend aus allen Kohlensäurederivaten quantitativ Kohlendioxid abspalten. Dieses wird nach Reinigung und Trocknung gravimetrisch bestimmt. Folgende Verbindungen wurden analysiert: lineare und cyklische Harnstoffe, Thioharnstoffe, Urethane, Carbamate, Kohlensäureester, Phenylisocyanat, Melamin, Guanidin, Cyanursäure und Dicyandiamid. Die Anwendung verschiedener Phosphorsäurekonzentrationen erlaubt auch selektive Bestimmungen.

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The determination of derivatives of carbonic acid via an acidic hydrolysis

Summary Hydrolysis in boiling highly concentrated phosphoric acid seemingly results in the quantitative splitting off of carbon dioxide from all derivatives of carbonic acid. The latter is determined gravimetrically after purification and drying. The following compounds were analyzed: linear and cyclic ureas, thioureas, urethanes, carbamates, esters of carbonic acid, phenylisocyanate, melamine, guanidine, cyanuric acid, dicyandiamide. The use of various concentrations of phosphoric acid permits selective determinations.

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Herrn Prof. Dr.B. Timm zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

Massenspektrometrische untersuchungen zur elementaranalyse organischer verbindungen—III: Verbrennungsvorgänge im leeren rohr

A measuring system is described which permits study of all stages of combustion processes as functions of carrier gas, temperature, residence time and tube filling. The organic sample is fed at constant speed into a stream of carrier gas. The mixture reaches the combustion chamber within a few milliseconds via a transfer capillary. With the help of a viscous inlet system, a sample of the resulting reaction products is taken and fed into a mass spectrometer. Reaction time and temperature can be adjusted within wide ranges or varied continuously. A plot of the extent of reaction of the various combustion products against temperature at a chosen reaction time yields an oxidation-thermogram which gives a clear picture of the combustion process. It is evident from thermograms of selected compounds that the samples decompose in the presence of oxygen at appreciably lower temperatures than in inert gas. The primary step of the decomposition is “oxidative pyrolysis” which often leads to other products than “inert pyrolysis”. The intermediate products found are partly structurally specific and, especially with nitrogen-containing samples, are numerous and long-lived (for example, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, cyanogen, hydrocyanic acid, cyanic acid and methyl cyanate). The notorious “difficult combustibility” is largely due to the fact that carbon monoxide, cyanic and hydrocyanic acids undergo complete combustion only at very high temperature. The combustion properties of the “empty tube” can be improved noticeably by a filling of quartz wool and markedly by partly filling with platinum wool.     

DSC study of the effect of irradiation upon the glass transition temperature (T g) of polyethylene

The glass transition of an irradiated, ultra-high molecular weight, linear polyethylene was investigated by means of the Perkin-Elmer DSC-2 differential scanning calorimeter. The experimental specific heat data were compared with those of the nonirradiated sample, obtained by DSC and adiabatic calorimetry.     

Diiodine complex of diferrocenyl(phenyl)phosphine sulfide: the structural and electrochemical behaviour of Fc2(Ph)PS · I2

The title compound, Fc₂(Ph)PS · I₂, has been prepared and characterised in both the solid state and solution. Single crystal X-ray crystallography reveals that the adduct adopts a molecular charge-transfer structure in the solid state. Mössbauer spectroscopy confirms the presence of low spin Fe²⁺ but also indicates the presence of ca. 24% of an Fe³⁺ species. The electrochemistry of Fc₂(Ph)PS · I₂, Fc₂(Ph)PS and Fc₂(Ph)P has been studied using a combination of cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The data for Fc₂(Ph)PS · I₂ show two redox processes, consistent with the sequential oxidation of the ferrocenyl groups to ferrocenium species.     

Stopped-flow Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of nitromethane oxidation by the diiron(IV) intermediate of methane monooxygenase

The hydroxylase component (MMOH) of soluble methane monooxygenase from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) was reduced to the diiron(II) form and then allowed to react with dioxygen to generate the diiron(IV) intermediate Q in the first phase of a double-mixing stopped-flow experiment. CD3NO2 was then introduced in the second phase of the experiment, which was carried out in D2O at 25 degrees C. The kinetics of the reaction of the substrate with Q were monitored by stopped-flow Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, observing the disappearance of the asymmetric NO2 bending vibration at 1548 cm-1. The data were fit to a single-exponential function, which yielded a kobs of 0.45 +/- 0.07 s-1. This result is in quantitative agreement with a kobs of 0.39 +/- 0.01 s-1 obtained by observing the disappearance of Q by double-mixing stopped-flow optical spectroscopy at its absorption maximum of 420 nm. These results provide for the first time direct monitoring of the hydroxylation of a methane-derived substrate in the MMOH reaction pathway and demonstrate that Q decay occurs concomitantly with substrate consumption.     

Conformationally Controlled Odor Perception in ‘Steroid-type’ Scent Molecules

A series of compounds possessing a ‘Steroid-type’ scent and related to 4-(4′-t-butylcyclohexyl)-4-methyl-2-pentanones ( 1 and 2 ) has been synthesized. The odor of these compounds has been found to be dependent on their conformation; only when the molecule can assume a steroid-like shape there is an interaction with the odor chemoreceptor.     

Phototoxic effects of Hypericum extract in cultures of human keratinocytes compared with those of psoralen

Extracts of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) are used in the treatment of depression. They contain the plant pigment hypericin and hypericin derivates. These compounds have light-dependent activities. In order to estimate the potential risk of phototoxic skin damage during antidepressive therapy, we investigated the phototoxic activity of hypericin extract using cultures of human keratinocytes and compared it with the effect of the well-known phototoxic agent psoralen. The absorbance spectrum of our Hypericum extract revealed maxima in the whole UV range and in parts of the visible range. We cultivated human keratinocytes in the presence of different Hypericum concentrations and irradiated the cells with 150 mJ/cm2 UVB, 1 J/cm2 UVA or 3 h with a white light of photon flux density 2.6 mumol m-2 s-1. The determination of the bromodeoxyuridine incorporation rate showed a concentration- and light-dependent decrease in DNA synthesis with high hypericin concentrations (> or = 50 micrograms/mL) combined with UVA or visible light radiation. In the case of UVB irradiation a clear phototoxic cell reaction was not detected. We found phototoxic effects even with 10 ng/mL psoralen using UVA with the same study design as in the case of the Hypericum extract. These results confirm the phototoxic activity of Hypericum extract on human keratinocytes. However, the blood levels that are to be expected during antidepressive therapy are presumably too low to induce phototoxic skin reactions.