Physicochemical studies on hydrophobic PEO‐PPO‐PEO triblock copolymer micelles in SDS micellar environment

The shape, size, aggregation, hydration, and correlation times of water insoluble PEO‐PPO‐PEO triblock copolymer micelles with sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) micelles were investigated using transport studies and dynamic light scattering technique. From the conductance of micellar solutions of the polymer in 25 mM SDS and 5 mM NaCl, the hydration of polymer micelles were determined using the principle of obstruction of electrolyte migration by the polymer. The asymmetry of the micellar particles of polymer and polymer‐SDS mixed micellar systems in 5 mM NaCl and their average axial ratios were calculated using intrinsic viscosity and hydration data obeying Simha–Einstein equation. Hydration number and micellar sizes were variable with temperature. The shape of the polymer micelles has been ellipsoidal rather than spherical. The micellar volume, hydrodynamic radius, radius of gyration, diffusional coefficients as well as translational, rotational and effective correlation times have been calculated from the absolute values of the axes. The partial molal volume of polymer micelles has also been determined and its comparison with the molar volume of pure polymer suggested a volume contraction due to immobilization of the water phase by the hydrophilic head groups of the polymer. The thermodynamic activation parameters for viscous flow favor a more ordered water structure around polymer micelles at higher temperatures. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2410–2420, 2007     

Macromolecular crystallography research at Trombay

Neutron diffraction studies of hydrogen positions in small molecules of biological interest at Trombay have provided valuable information that has been used in protein and enzyme structure model-building and in developing hydrogen bond potential functions. The new R-5 reactor is expected to provide higher neutron fluxes and also make possible smallangle neutron scattering studies of large biomolecules and bio-aggregates. In the last few years infrastructure facilities have also been established for macromolecular x-ray crystallography research. Meanwhile, the refinement of carbonic hydrases’ and lysozyme structures have been carried out and interesting results obtained on protein dynamics and structure-function relationships. Some interesting presynaptic toxin phospholipases have also been taken up for study.     

苯硫酚等离子体聚会及其结构与性能

应用外部电容耦合式等离子体聚合装置．研究了苯硫酚等离子体聚合规律，找到了最佳聚合条件，通过热失重、红外光谱、X－射线衍射、电子衍射、GC－MS和接触角测定等研究了聚合物结构与性能。电导率测定表明等离子体聚苯硫酚具有半导体性质。     

KOtBu‐Catalyzed Michael Addition Reactions Under Mild and Solvent‐Free Conditions

Designed transition metal complexes predominantly catalyze Michael addition reactions. Inorganic and organic base‐catalyzed Michael addition reactions have been reported. However, known base‐catalyzed reactions suffer from the requirement of solvents, additives, high pressure and also side‐reactions. Herein, we demonstrate a mild and environmentally friendly strategy of readily available KO^tBu‐catalyzed Michael addition reactions. This simple inorganic base efficiently catalyzes the Michael addition of underexplored acrylonitriles, esters and amides with (oxa‐, aza‐, and thia‐) heteroatom nucleophiles. This catalytic process proceeds under solvent‐free conditions and at room temperature. Notably, this protocol offers an easy operational procedure, broad substrate scope with excellent selectivity, reaction scalability and excellent TON (>9900). Preliminary mechanistic studies revealed that the reaction follows an ionic mechanism. Formal synthesis of promazine is demonstrated using this catalytic protocol.     

The Multifunctional Role of Herbal Products in the Management of Diabetes and Obesity: A Comprehensive Review

Obesity and diabetes are the most demanding health problems today, and their prevalence, as well as comorbidities, is on the rise all over the world. As time goes on, both are becoming big issues that have a big impact on people’s lives. Diabetes is a metabolic and endocrine illness set apart by hyperglycemia and glucose narrow-mindedness because of insulin opposition. Heftiness is a typical, complex, and developing overall wellbeing worry that has for quite some time been connected to significant medical issues in individuals, all things considered. Because of the wide variety and low adverse effects, herbal products are an important hotspot for drug development. Synthetic compounds are not structurally diverse and lack drug-likeness properties. Thus, it is basic to keep on exploring herbal products as possible wellsprings of novel drugs. We conducted this review of the literature by searching Scopus, Science Direct, Elsevier, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. From 1990 until October 2021, research reports, review articles, and original research articles in English are presented. It provides top to bottom data and an examination of plant-inferred compounds that might be utilized against heftiness or potentially hostile to diabetes treatments. Our expanded comprehension of the systems of activity of phytogenic compounds, as an extra examination, could prompt the advancement of remedial methodologies for metabolic diseases. In clinical trials, a huge number of these food kinds or restorative plants, as well as their bioactive compounds, have been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of obesity.     

Structure determination of Ls-threonine by neutron diffraction

The structure of the aminoacid, L_s-threonine [NH ₃ ⁺ CH(CHOHCH₃)COO^?], space groupP2₁2₁2₁,a=13.630(5),b=7.753(1),c=5.162(2) Å,z=4, has been determined from neutron diffraction data using direct methods. The intensities of 1148 neutron Bragg reflections were measured from a single crystal. The structural parameters were refined by the method of least squares using anisotropic temperature factors. The finalR(F ²) is 0.068. The structure was also refined from the x-ray data of Shoemakeret al (1950J. Am. Chem. Soc. 72 2328); there is good agreement between the two sets of heavy atom parameters. The parameters of hydrogen atoms are of course more precisely determined in our neutron study. The molecular conformation and the hydrogen bonding scheme are discussed. Weighted average values of bond distances and angles from 14 aminoacid structures with ionized carboxylic groups studied by neutron diffraction at Brookheven and Trombay are also presented.     

High pressure phase transitions in organic solids II: X-ray diffraction study ofp-dichlorobenzene at high pressures

X-ray diffraction experiments onp-dichlorobenzene at high pressures show a transition at ～ 0.3 GPa, to a new phase, the diffraction pattern of which cannot be indexed on the anticipated low temperature monoclinic crystal structure. We have instead found an orthorhombic cell, very closely related to the low temperature monoclinic cell, for this new phase. This structure, which also occurs inp-diiodobenzene at ambient conditions, has cell constantsa =14.02,b = 6.06,c = 7.41Å andZ = 4. The space group is Pbca. This new phase has a non-β herring-bone structure, in contrast with the initialα phase which has aβ-structure with ribbon-like arrangement of molecules, with Cl-Cl contacts of ～ 4A between adjacent molecules. This implies that with pressure the halogen-halogen interaction in this compound plays a less dominant role in crystal engineering.     

Two-dimensional surface properties of PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer film at the air/water interface in the absence and presence of Tyr-Phe dipeptide, Val-Tyr-Val tripeptide, SDS and stearic acid

Two-dimensional surface properties of PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer film (Mol.Wt. 2800) in the absence and presence of Tyr-Phe dipeptide, Val-Tyr-Val tripeptide, sodium dodecylsulfate and stearic acid have been investigated for the first time at the air/water interface using Langmuir film balance technique. It is observed that the above polymer forms fairly stable film at the air/water interface. There are no significant changes observed in the surface pressure-area (π-A) isotherms of polymer in the presence of SDS. However, more expanded film was formed in presence of SDS since the solubility of the polymer is more in SDS and the polymer network is disturbed in presence of SDS, which results in the increase in surface area of the polymer films. In the presence of dipeptide and tripeptide, the surface area of the polymer film decreased with a slight increase in the surface pressure indicating the binding of these peptides to polymer, which enhances the stability of the polymer film. Thermodynamic studies on the change in surface area (ΔA) and excess free energy of mixing (ΔG(mix)(E)) associated with the formation of the mixed film suggest the occurrence of a thermodynamically unstable mixed film. The presence of SDS slightly decreases the formation of mixed film of stearic acid with triblock copolymer and peptides due to the solubilization of these compounds in SDS. However, the hydrophobicity of the polymer films increases in the presence of stearic acid, leading to the increase in surface pressure. The positive deviation of ΔA and the positive ΔG(mix)(E) values show the non-ideality and incompatibility of thermodynamically unstable mixed films. The thermodynamic results suggest that the stability and compatibility of the polymer, peptides and their mixed films with stearic acid in the presence of SDS are decreased, which is in good agreement with the results obtained for other polymeric systems.     

Methotrexate intercalated ZnAl-layered double hydroxide

The anticancerous drug methotrexate (MTX) has been intercalated into an ZnAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH) using an anion exchange technique to produce LDH-MTX hybrids having particle sizes in the range of 100-300 nm. X-ray diffraction studies revealed increases in the basal spacings of ZnAl-LDH-MTX hybrid on MTX intercalation. This was corroborated by the transmission electron micrographs, which showed an increase in average interlayer spacing from 8.9 Å in pristine LDH to 21.3 Å in LDH-MTX hybrid. Thermogravimetric analyses showed an increase in the decomposition temperature for the MTX molecule in the LDH-MTX hybrid indicating enhanced thermal stability of the drug molecule in the LDH nanovehicle. The cumulative release profile of MTX from ZnAl-LDH-MTX hybrids in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) at pH 7.4 was successfully sustained for 48 h following Rigter-Peppas model release kinetics via diffusion.