Coupling capacity of solid-phase carboxyl groups

A simple colorimetric procedure for determining the coupling capacity of solid-supported carboxyl groups has been developed. The carboxyl groups of a solid support were coupled to cystamine at pH 4–4.5, using a water soluble carbodiimide 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl-aminopropyl)-carbodiime as the condensing reagent. The solid-phase coupled disulfides were then reduced to sulfhydryl groups by treating the solid phase with dithiothreitol. For every one carboxyl group coupled with cystamine, one solid-phase sulfhydryl is introduced. After removing all of the reducing reagents by extensive washing, the sulfhydryl content, which is equivalent to the carboxyl groups of the gel, was quantified by using 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid), the Ellman’s reagent.     

A fluorescence labeling approach to assess the deterioration state of aged papers

Deterioration of historical papers is caused by several processes, such as acid hydrolysis or autoxidation due to the presence of metal ions contained in inks or pigments. Both processes can be studied by fluorescence labeling of carbonyl and carboxyl groups in combination with GPC-MALLS. This technique allows to determine not only the extent of hydrolysis, but also the concentration of oxidized functionalities within very low sample amounts.The thermally induced aging of rag papers with lines of copper pigment has been investigated, simulating green or blue copper pigments in historic wall papers. The cellulose parts with pigment coverage and adjacent pigment-free regions were analyzed separately and compared to paper parts not affected by metal ions. The cellulose underneath and close to the applied pigment strokes was severely affected. Although there was no difference in the molecular weight distribution, distinct differences in the carbonyl and carboxyl content were observed. Copper ion migration is suggested to be one possible explanation for this observation as a strong correlation between distribution of copper ions and carbonyl groups was found. For the first time, a detailed examination of cellulose damage in spatial proximity to metal-containing pigment lines is thus presented.     

Graft polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by pendant azo groups introduced onto γ-poly(glutamic acid)

The grafting of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) onto biosynthesized γ-poly(glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) initiated by pendant azo groups introduced onto γ-PGA was performed. The introduction of pendant azo groups onto γ-PGA was achieved by the reaction of carboxyl groups of γ-PGA with azo initiators having hydroxyl or amino groups, such as 2,2-azobis[2-(hydroxymethyl)propionitrile] (AHP), 2,2′-azobis[2-methyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)propionamide] (AMHP), and 2,2′-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane] (AIP), using N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The amount of pendant AHP groups introduced onto γ-PGA was estimated to be 0.15 mmol/g. Untreated γ-PGA failed to initiate the polymerization of MMA. On the contrary, the polymerization of MMA was found to be initiated in the presence of γ-PGA having azo groups: the polymerization rate was proportional to the square root of the concentration of γ-PGA having pendant azo groups. During the polymerization PMMA was grafted onto γ-PGA; the percentage of grafting of PMMA onto γ-PGA obtained from the graft polymerization initiated by pendant AHP, AMHP, and AIP groups was evaluated to be 65.0, 53.1, and 29.0%, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetric analysis shows that the endotherm transition point of γ-PGA at 220°C disappears by the grafting of PMMA onto the polymer. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Surface characterization of unbleached kraft pulps by means of ESCA

The effect of digestion conditions (amount of effective alkali, digestion time) on the surface compositions of unbleached softwood (Pinus sylvestris) kraft pulp has been investigated by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). The quantities monitored were the angular dependence of the total O/C ratio, the relative amounts of carbons in different states of oxidation and the adsorption of Al and Ca ions to the carboxyl groups in the surface. Examination of the angular dependence of ESCA intensities shows that the concentration of alkyl carbon is high in a very thin surface layer and that it decreases linearly with decreasing kappa number. The concentration of alkyl carbon is decreased by extraction of the fibres with dichloromethane, but the amount remaining in the surface after extraction still decreases linearly with decreasing kappa number (i.e. it decreases with increasing digestion time). It is suggested that the observed enrichment of alkyl carbon in the outermost surface layers most probably is due to reprecipitation of lignin. In pulp that has not been extracted, there is also strong enrichment of extractives in the surface. This amount increases with increasing effective alkali but is relatively independent of digestion time. ESCA analysis of the Al and Ca bound to the carboxyl groups shows that the amount depends on digestion time; the results are consistent with the notion that the reprecipitated lignin contains carboxyl groups.     

Phenanthroline method for quantitative determination of surface carboxyl groups on carboxylated polystyrene particles with high sensitivity

This study developed a phenanthroline method for quantitative determination of surface carboxyl groups on carboxylated polystyrene (PS‐COOH) particles based on the coordination between the carboxyl groups and Fe²⁺. The ratio of the carboxyl groups, which is determined by conductometric titration method, to Fe²⁺ coordinated with the particles, which is determined by phenanthroline method, is 4.7, i.e. n_COOH = 4.7 × Δn_Fe²⁺. The Lambert–Beer law is obeyed in the range of 0–60 × 10^?9 mol/ml for the amount of surface carboxyl on the particles. The detection limit of the method is 2 nmol COOH/ml. The average standard deviation of the experiments is 4.4%. The relative deviation of the data obtained with this method is lower than 7% compared with that obtained with the conductometric titration method. The weight of the sample necessary for phenanthroline method is only about 0.1% of that necessary for conductometric titration method. It has been demonstrated that the phenanthroline method is suitable for quantitative determination of low amount of surface carboxyl groups on PS‐COOH particles due to its high sensitivity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of molecular weight on the production of multi-hollow polymer particles by the alkali/cooling method

 The effects of molecular weight, particle diameter and cooling condition on the formation of multi-hollow structure formed within submicron-sized styrene-methacrylic acid copolymer particles by the “alkali/cooling method” proposed by the authors were examined and the formation mechanism was proposed. The original particles were produced by emulsion copolymerization in the presence of n-octyl mercaptan as a chain transfer agent. Received: 29 March 1996 Accepted: 19 June 1996     

Synthesis of core-shell material rich in carboxyl groups and its application in the selective adsorption of cationic peptides

The ability to extract peptides and proteins from biological samples with excellent reusability, high adsorption capacity, and great selectivity is essential in scientific research and medical applications. Inspired by the advantages of core-shell materials, we fabricated a core-shell material using amino-functionalized silica as the core. Benzene-1,3,5-tricarbaldehyde and 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid were used as model organic ligands to construct a shell coating by alternately reacting the two monomers on the surface of silica microspheres. The resultant material featured an outstanding capability for the adsorption of cationic peptides, most likely owing to its porous structure, a large number of carboxylic functional groups, and low mass-transfer resistance. The maximum saturated adsorption capacity reached 833.3 mg/g and the adsorption process took only 20 min. Under optimized adsorption conditions, the core-shell material was used to selectively adsorb cationic peptides from the tryptic digestive solution of lysozyme and bovine serum albumin, Specifically, the analysis results showed seven cationic peptides in the eluate and twenty anionic peptides in the supernatant, which indicates the efficient trap of most cationic peptides in the digestive solution.     

取代基对PPC/聚苯醚羧酸酯共混体系相容性的影响

由二氧化碳活化并与环氧丙烷共聚而成的脂肪族聚碳酸酯(PPC)是一类有发展前途的新型高分子弹性体。研究它与其它高聚物的混容性及混容机制对于开拓这一新材料的应用领域具有十分重要的意义。本文合成了一系列不同取代度和不同链长酯基的聚苯醚羧酸酯[E(x)-C^yPPO]^[3],探索了PPC与各聚苯醚狡酸醋的混容性,讨论了聚苯醚梭酸酷的取代度及侧基链长对PPC/E(x)-C^yPPO共混体系混容性的影响。     

Influence of Reaction Pressure on Semibatch Esterification Process of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Synthesis

Summary: Influence of esterification pressure on oligomeric properties was studied by using a semibatch reactor. Esterification model for semibatch process was further improved by considering EG reflux in the column. It was observed that increasing the reaction pressure decreases EG/water ratio in the column while increasing the EG/TPA feed ratio increases EG/water ratio in the column. By controlling the EG reflux in a semibatch reactor, it is possible to generate oligomers with similar oligomeric properties observed at different stages of continuous process.     

Comparison of Aqueous and Non-Aqueous Treatments of Cellulose to Reduce Copper-Catalyzed Oxidation Processes

Summary. The present paper examines oxidative degradation of cellulose catalyzed by presence of Cu¹⁺and Cu²⁺ ions in the context of historic paper conservation treatments. Aqueous treatments of degraded papers further spread transition metal ions, such as copper, across the fibre matrix, and therefore augment the detrimental effect of these ions. In the paper industry, the inhibiting effects of magnesium ions on metal-catalyzed degradation of cellulose contaminated with metal impurities have been observed. Also, magnesium compounds dissolved in alcoholic or aqueous solutions are generally used in paper conservation as deacidification agents. Paper samples with artificially produced copper corrosion served as mock-ups for examination and comparison of different treatments which focused on the inhibiting effect of magnesium and antioxidants. Analytical examination of molecular weight distribution, carbonyl content, carboxyl content, and surface pH was performed. Results show an inhibiting effect of magnesium on copper-catalyzed cellulose degradation, although less pronounced than expected.