Preparation of polymer colloids by chemical reactions in aerosols. I. Poly(p-tertiarybutylstyrene)

A procedure was developed by which polymer colloids can be prepared by polymerizing aerosol droplets of monomers with an initiator in the vapor state. This work describes the formation of poly(p-tertiarybutylstyrene) particles by exposing the corresponding monomer droplets to trifluoromethanesulfonic acid. It was found that the monomer-to-initiator mass ratio is the critical factor in determining the uniformity and morphology of the particles. Under ideal conditions spheres of narrow size distribution are obtained. Otherwise porous particles or soft particles with whiskers may develop. The aerosol was prepared in a falling film generator, but other procedures for producing monomer droplets may be used.     

PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS OF AZIDOCOUMARINS

Abstract— Photochemical reactions of 6-azidocoumarin and 7-azido-4-methylcoumarin in the presence of secondary amines have been investigated for their potential applications in photoaffinity labeling. It was found that the singlet nitrene generated from 6-azidocoumarin isomerized to a dehydroazepine intermediate that reacted with an amine to yield two isomeric adducts. Photolysis of 7-azido-4-meth-ylcoumarin, in contrast, gave a triplet nitrene that abstracted hydrogen atoms from secondary amine molecules to form 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin as the major product. The difference in the intersystem crossing rate between the two compounds originates from the azido position relative to the carbonyl group. Because of its ability to form a covalent linkage with a nucleophile, 6-azidocoumarin is deemed to have a greater potential as a photoaffinity label than 7-azido-4-methylcoumarin.     

Cumulant functions in optical coherence theory

Cumulant functions are introduced to describe the statistical state of a radiation field. These functions are simply related to the optical coherence functions but have some interesting features. It is shown that if the cumulant functions of all orders greater than some numberN ₀ vanish then they also vanish for all orders greater than 2. Thermal field is the only field having this property. This property holds whether the field is described by a classical stochastic process or by a quantum density operator. Further the particular operator ordering used in defining these cumulant functions for the quantized field affects only the second order cumulant function. To describe the statistical state of a vector field such as partially polarized or unpolarized radiation, one would need to introduce cumulant tensors.     

Graft polymerization of styrene initiated by covalently bonded peroxide groups on silica

The graft polymerization of styrene initiated by immobilized peroxide groups was investigated. Three different types of modification reactions were used to introduce peroxide groups which are directly attached onto the surface of two different silica supports. Silanol groups were chlorinated using thionyl chloride or tetrachlorosilane. In another reaction pathway 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl chloride enabled the introduction of free acid chloride residues bonded onto the surface of silica. tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) was used to transform the chlorosilyl and the acid chloride groups into peroxide residues. In a further reaction step the covalently bonded peroxides initiated the polymerization of styrene to form grafted polystyrene directly attached onto the silica support. Solid-state 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric and scanning electron microscope measurements enabled a clear structure and property elucidation of the different bonded phases. The highest amount of grafted polystyrene was achieved employing the acid chloride synthesis pathway with silica-gel, whereas modification of spherical silica only led to minor amounts of grafted polymer. The results contribute to the evolving need to understand particle surface modifications and may have positive impact on development of new HPLC stationary phases for improved elutant resolution.     

Gas phase activation energy for unimolecular dissociation of biomolecular ions determined by focused RAdiation for gaseous multiphoton ENergy transfer (FRAGMENT)

We present a novel approach for the determination of activation energy for the unimolecular dissociation of a large (>50 atoms) ion, based on measurement of the unimolecular dissociation rate constant as a function of continuous-wave CO(2) laser intensity. Following a short ( approximately 1 s) induction period, CO(2) laser irradiation produces an essentially blackbody internal energy distribution, whose 'temperature' varies inversely with laser intensity. The only currently available method for measuring such activation energies is blackbody infrared radiative dissociation (BIRD). Compared with BIRD, FRAGMENT: (a) eliminates the need to heat the surrounding ion trap and vacuum chamber to each of several temperatures (each requiring hours for temperature equilibration); (b) offers a three-fold wider range of effective blackbody temperature; and (c) extends the range of applications to include initially cold ions (e.g., gas-phase H/D exchange). Our FRAGMENT-determined activation energy for dissociation of protonated bradykinin, 1.2 +/- 0.1 eV, agrees within experimental error to the value, 1.3 +/- 0.1 eV, previously reported by Williams et al. from BIRD experiments. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photochemistry and photobiology of cryptochrome blue-light photopigments: the search for a photocycle

Cryptochromes are flavoproteins that exhibit high sequence and structural similarity to the light-dependent DNA-repair enzyme, photolyase. Cryptochromes have lost the ability to repair DNA; instead, they use the energy from near-UV/blue light to regulate a variety of growth and adaptive processes in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. The photocycle of cryptochrome is not yet known, although it is hypothesized that it may share some similarity to that of photolyase, which utilizes light-driven electron transfer from the catalytic flavin chromophore. In this review, we present genetic evidence for the photoreceptive role of cryptochromes and discuss recent biochemical studies that have furthered our understanding of the cryptochrome photocycle. In particular, the role of the unique C-terminal domain in cryptochrome phototransduction is discussed.     

Extremely high-frequency piezoelectroacoustic transducer based on BN-tube/SiC-whiskers rope

Innovative idea of piezoelectric electroacoustic transducer in extremely high-frequency terahertz range on the basis of BN-tube/SiC-whiskers rope is suggested and substantiated. Unlike an acoustic spectrum of solid rectangular pins and films used so far in ultrasonic pulsers and receivers, in the acoustic spectrum of circular hollow nanotubes, the peculiar squash E_2g and the subsequent E_ng modes of starlike chain belonging to a gallery of whispering acoustic modes was shown by ab initio RHF/6-31G calculations to exist in the Raman spectra. Inherent important feature of these standing vibrations is their weak attenuation and high frequency, which, as depended on the nanotube diameter, fall in the range of about 1 GHz–1 THz. Hypersound was suggested to be excited by resonant microwaves using the piezoelectric properties of BN heteropolar nanotubes and then to transmit it into a sample by high modulus encapsulated SiC-whiskers. Such BN-tube/SiC-whiskers of 100–800 nm in diameter and with 20 aspect ratio were synthesized by carbothermal and CVD techniques. Cactus-like arrays of SiC nanowhiskers were synthesized by CVD technique. A sketch of the hypersound generator/detector, with the piezoelectroacoustical transducer on the basis of the BN-tube/SiC-whisker assembly serving as hypersonic antenna, was advanced.     

Preparation and properties of 2,3:55,6-bis[bicyclo(3.3.1)nonyl]pyridine

A preparation of the title compound is reported and its basicity erlative to other bisannelated pyridines is discussed.     

Preparation and characterization of polymer composite multilayers on SiO2

Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) have been consecutively adsorbed onto 1.5-microm charged silica (SiO2) particles. Time-dependent adsorption studies indicate that, due to the strong ionic charge of the dissociated polycation in water, adsorption is complete in less than 30 min. Indications of the maximum adsorption density, changes in surface charge, and stability of the layered particles are demonstrated through adsorption isotherms and electrophoretic mobility (EPM) measurements. Further stability of the PDADMAC layer is demonstrated through multiwashing with ultra pure deionized water. Preliminary desorption studies of the PSS layer also illustrate a stabilized two-layer system. Due to the nature of the electrostatic charges on the surface of the SiO2 core particles and both polyelectrolytes in aqueous media, the use of polyelectrolytes as layering elements serves as a model for the assembly of time-released drug delivery particle systems.