The effect of olefinic terminal chains on the mesomorphic properties of 4,4'-disubstituted diphenyldiacetylenes

New diphenyldiacetylenes of the type with A, B = H and/or F; m = 0, 1; n = 1-4; and X = C n H 2n + 1 , F, CF 3 or CN were synthesized and their mesomorphic properties determined by hot stage polarizing microscopy and DSC. When m = 0, all of these compounds showed only a nematic phase except when X = CF 3 when both nematic and smectic A phases were seen. Both clearing and melting temperatures were higher than those reported for substitution with the corresponding alkyl chains but the much larger increase in clearing temperatures produced considerably wider nematic phases. Eutectic mixtures of a few of these olefins yielded nematic materials also having much wider temperature ranges and higher clearing temperatures than the eutectic mixtures of the alkyl compounds, while retaining their high birefringence and low viscosities. Such materials are of interest for beam-steering devices.

Four of the diacetylenes with m = 1 ( A, B = H) were also prepared ( X = C 6 H 13 , F, n = 2, 3). When X was C 6 H 13 ( n = 2), the nematic range was smaller in the 2- than in the 1-olefin but wider than in the alkyl series. When X = F, either no nematic phase or a monotropic one was observed, whereas the 1-olefins gave a much wider nematic phase. Both transition temperatures were lower than those for the corresponding 1-olefin and alkyl analogues. The compound with X = C 6 H 13 and n = 2 had a melting temperature below room temperature.     

Higher order bad loci

Zero-schemes on smooth complex projective varieties, forcing all elements of ample and free linear systems to be reducible, are studied. Relationships among the minimal length of such zero-schemes, the positivity of the line bundle associated with the linear system, and the dimension of the variety are established. Bad linear spaces are also investigated.     

Backward bifurcations in simple vaccination models

We describe and analyze by elementary means some simple models for disease transmission with vaccination. In particular, we give conditions for the existence of multiple endemic equilibria and backward bifurcations. We extend the results to include models in which the parameters may depend on the level of infection.     

The CeCl3·7H2O-NaI system as promoter in the synthesis of functionalized trisubstituted alkenes via Knoevenagel condensation

The arylidene malonates with two different geminal carboxylate functions, a suitable class of substrates of several synthetic and pharmacological studies, are easily available through Knoevenagel condensation of ethyl tert-butyl malonate and different aromatic aldehydes. The results have increased the potentialities of CeCl₃·7H₂O-NaI system as a type of water-tolerant green Lewis acid promoter for carbon-carbon bond forming procedures.     

Analytical procedures for quantification of peptides in pharmaceutical research by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Peptide quantification by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) combines the high resolving power of reversed-phase (RP) chromatography with the excellent selectivity and sensitivity of mass spectrometric detection. On the basis of comprehensive practical experience in the analysis of small molecules, pharmaceutical research is developing technologies for analysis of a growing number of peptidic drug candidates. This article is a detailed review of procedures based on LC–MS techniques for quantitative determination of peptides. With the focus on pharmaceutical applications several technologies for sample preparation, various aspects of peptide chromatography, important characteristics of ESI–MS, selectivity of MS-detection modes, the large variability of internal standards, and modern instrumentation are discussed. The demand for reliable, robust, sensitive, and accurate methods is discussed using numerous examples from the literature, complemented by experiments and results from our laboratory.     

Benchmarking of ruthenium initiators for the ROMP of a norbornenedicarboxylic acid ester

The kinetic study of ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of a diester functionalised norbornene derivative, (±)-exo,endo-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester, with a series of ruthenium benzylidene complexes revealed the applicability of these initiators for well defined polymerization reactions. Values for the rate of initiation as well as the rate of propagation of the initiators were determined and correlated to the molecular weight and polydispersity of the isolated polymers. As the only initiator providing an entry to virtually monodisperse polymers the classical “first generation Grubbs-catalyst” was identified, while N-heterocyclic carbene based initiators polymerized with a rate of propagation much higher than the rate of initiation yielding polymers with a broader molecular weight distribution.