Influence of surfactant and lipid chain length on the solubilisation of phosphatidylcholine vesicles by micelles comprised of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monoesters

Photon correlation spectroscopy and freeze-fracture electron microscopy have been used to determine the ability of a range of micelle-forming, polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monoesters (Tweens) to solubilise vesicles prepared from phosphatidylcholines of different acyl chain lengths and degrees of saturation with a view to rationalising (in terms of their membrane toxicity) which of the micelle-forming surfactants to use as drug delivery vehicles. The phosphatidylcholines used were dimyristoyl-, dipalmitoyl-, distearoyl- and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC, DPPC, DSPC and DOPC, respectively) while the nonionic polyoxyethylene sorbitan monoesters studied were polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), a 9:1 weight ratio mixture of polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monopalmitate and monostearate (Tween 40), a 1:1 weight ratio mixture of polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monopalmitate and monostearate (Tween 60), and polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80). The ability of the Tween micelles to solubilise phospholipid vesicles was found to depend both upon the length of the surfactant acyl chain and the length of the acyl chains of the phospholipid comprising the vesicle. Vesicles composed of long saturated diacyl chain phospholipids, namely DSPC and DPPC, were the most resistant to solubilisation, while those prepared from the shorter acyl chained DMPC were more readily solubilised. In terms of their solubilisation behaviour, vesicles made from phospholipids containing long, unsaturated acyl chains, namely DOPC behaved more akin to those vesicles prepared from DMPC. None of the Tween surfactants were effective at solubilising vesicles prepared from DPPC or DSPC. In contrast, there were clear differences in the ability of the various surfactants to solubilise vesicles prepared from DMPC and DOPC, in that micelles formed from Tween 20 were the most effective solubilising agent while those formed by Tween 60 were the least effective. As a consequence of these observations it was considered that Tween 60 was the surfactant least likely to cause membrane damage in vivo and, therefore, is the most suitable surfactant for use as a micellar drug delivery vehicle.     

Fingering phenomena during spreading of surfactant solutions

Fingering instabilities are observed at the contact line of drops of surfactant solutions spreading spontaneously on solid surfaces coated by a film of solvent. The occurrences of instabilities, and the characteristics of the instability pattern, are controlled by the surfactant concentration and the thickness of the film adsorbed or deposited on the substrate. This work provides experimental data as a basis for forthcoming theoretical analyses.     

Cavitation mechanism in cyanobacterial growth inhibition by ultrasonic irradiation

To prevent cyanobacterial bloom in eutrophic water by ultrasonic method, ultrasonic irradiations with different parameters were tested to inhibit Spirulina platensis from growth. The experimental result based on cyanobacterial growth, chlorophyll a and photosynthetic activity showed that, the ultrasonic irradiation inhibited cyanobacterial proliferation effectively, furthermore the inhibition effectiveness increased in the order: 200 kHz>1.7 MHz>20 kHz and became saturated with the increased power. The inhibition mechanism can be mainly attributed to the mechanical damage to the cell structures caused by ultrasonic cavitation, which was confirmed by light microscopy and differential interference microscopy. The optimal frequency of 200 kHz in cavition and sonochemistry was also most effective in cyanobacterial growth inhibition. The higher frequency of 1.7 MHz is weaker than 20 kHz in cavitation, but has more effective inhibition because it is nearer to the resonance frequency of gas vesicle. The inhibition saturation with ultrasonic power was due to the ultrasonic attenuation induced by the acoustic shielding of bubbles enclosing the radiate surface of transducer.     

NMR investigation of concentrated alumina and silica slurries

The longitudinal relaxation times (T₁) of water in concentrated silica and alumina slurries were measured as a function of solids content. It was shown that the results could be fit very well with a two-phase fast-exchange model between free and surface-bound water. As expected, values of T₁ for bound water were in the order of 20–2000 times lower than that for free water, indicating a higher effective viscosity of the surface-bound water. The strength of the interaction depended on the particular surface, and all of the aluminas examined interacted more strongly with water than the two silicas studied, which themselves differed considerably. The chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) removal rate of tantalum by silica slurries was shown to be directly correlated with the interaction parameters, derived from the NMR relation times rather than with total surface hydroxyl group concentration.     

The exponential power law: partial wetting kinetics and dynamic contact angles

An equation for the kinetics of partial drop spreading is proposed. This equation was empirically derived from experimental data for the spreading kinetics of partially wetting liquids in terms of the wet area versus time. The equation has the form of an exponential power law (EPL), and transforms into the well-known power law for complete wetting, when the equilibrium contact angle approaches zero. The EPL fits very well available experimental data. To lend additional support to the validity of this generalized equation, it will be demonstrated that when it is transformed to present the dynamic contact angle (DCA), it fits very well DCA experimental data for other wetting processes, such as capillary flow and tape coating.     

Preparation and characterization of finely dispersed drugs. 5. Ethyl 3,5-di(acetylamino)-2,4,6-triiodobenzoate

Controlled precipitation of the diagnostic imaging agent ethyl 3,5-di(acetylamino)-2,4,6-triiodobenzoate has been used to produce fine particles of various sizes, morphologies, and degrees of crystallinity, which depended on experimental conditions. In addition, two distinct polymorphic forms of the drug have been fully characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies, and evidence for a third polymorph was also observed. Some of the so prepared dry particles were coated with a thin layer of silica.     

A nucleophilic substitution reaction in microemulsions based on either an alcohol ethoxylate or a sugar surfactant

A nucleophilic substitution reaction between 4-tert-butylbenzyl bromide and a series of iodide salts has been performed in oil-in-water microemulsions based on either a fatty alcohol ethoxylate or a sugar surfactant. The reaction kinetics was compared with the kinetics of the same reaction performed in a microhomogeneous reaction medium, d-MeOH. Previous results showing a particularly high reactivity in the microemulsion based on the fatty alcohol ethoxylate was confirmed. It was shown that in both microemulsions the reaction rate was almost independent of the choice of counterion to iodide. This indicates that complexation of the cation with the surfactant headgroup, which, in particular, could have taken place with surfactants containing oligooxyethylene chains (a “crown ether effect”), seems not to be of importance.

¹²⁷I NMR studies, as well as quadrupole splitting experiments performed by ²H NMR, indicate that there is a certain accumulation of iodide at the oil–water interface of the microemulsions. It is difficult to draw any quantitative conclusions in this respect, however.

The results obtained in this study, combined with results from previous investigations of the same reaction, indicate that the unexpectedly high reactivity obtained in the microemulsion based on a surfactant containing an oligooxyethylene headgroup is most probably due to the nucleophile being poorly solvated when present in the headgroup layer of such a microemulsion. Poorly solvated anions are known to be highly reactive nucleophiles.     

RuH2和RuN2电子组态与光谱性质的从头计算

用量子化学从头算方法在B3LYP/6 311G 的水平上 ,研究了RuH2 和RuN2 可能的电子组态和光谱性质 .结果表明 ,RuH2 的3 B2 和5Σ-态对应于静电作用的物理吸附态 .RuN2 的一重态和三重态的计算结果跟钌单晶面上的实验值相接近 .而RuN2 在C∞v对称性时 ,五重态5Σ-的计算频率比实验值稍低 .在C2v对称性时 ,五重态的计算频率值则更低 ,3 B2 和5A1态不能稳定存在     

氟代吡啶阳离子的理论研究

利用量子化学密度泛函理论B3LYP方法及 6 31G(d ,p)、6 311G(d ,p)、6 31+G(d ,p)和 6 311+G(d ,p)基组对五氟代吡啶、2 ,6 二氟代吡啶和 2 氟代吡啶分子的阳离子进行了计算研究 .B3LYP构型优化和频率分析计算结果表明这三种氟代吡啶阳离子的结构分别具有C2v、C2v和Cs 对称性 ,电子基态分别为2 A2 、2 A2 和2 A″ .对离子和分子的计算构型做了比较 .利用B3LYP方法和不同的基组对这三种阳离子及其分子进行了自然布居分析计算 .用B3LYP方法对这三种阳离子 (自由基 )中的超精细结构进行了计算 ,对五氟代吡啶、2 ,6 二氟代吡啶和2 氟代吡啶分子的垂直电离势和绝热电离势进行了计算 ,与实验值符合得很好     

二氟甲烷分子3a1和2b2轨道的电子动量谱

借助电子动量谱学结合量子化学理论和其他方法可以给出轨道电子在整个空间的分布信息,由此给出电子运动的完备描述[1,2 ] .清华大学电子动量谱学实验室近几年已成功地对甲烷[3] 、异丁烷[4 ] 、环戊烷[5] 、二乙酰等[6 ] 分子的轨道电子动量分布进行了测量.我们利用第二代电子动量谱仪首次对CH2 F2 分子3a1和2b2 轨道的电子动量谱进行测量,并与理论计算结果作了比较.同时还计算了坐标空间和动量空间中电子在x - y平面的密度分布.电子动量谱学最基本的过程是(e ,2e)反应,即电子与靶粒子碰撞而发生的电离过程.而对于(e ,2e)反应,含有大量信…