Kinetic study of the crosslinking reaction of 1,2‐polybutadiene with dicumyl peroxide in the absence and presence of vinyl acetate

The crosslinking reaction of 1,2-polybutadiene (1,2-PB) with dicumyl peroxide (DCPO) in dioxane was kinetically studied by means of Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy (FTNIR). The crosslinking reaction was followed in situ by the monitoring of the disappearance of the pendant vinyl group of 1,2-PB with FTNIR. The initial disappearance rate (R₀) of the vinyl group was expressed by R₀ = k[DCPO]^0.8[vinyl group]^−0.2 (120 °C). The overall activation energy of the reaction was estimated to be 38.3 kcal/mol. The unusual rate equation was explained in terms of the polymerization of the pendant vinyl group as an allyl monomer involving degradative chain transfer to the monomer. The reaction mixture involved electron spin resonance (ESR)-observable polymer radicals, of which the concentration rapidly increased with time owing to a progress of crosslinking after an induction period of 200 min. The crosslinking reaction of 1,2-PB with DCPO was also examined in the presence of vinyl acetate (VAc), which was regarded as a copolymerization of the vinyl group with VAc. The vinyl group of 1,2-PB was found to show a reactivity much higher than 1-octene and 3-methyl-1-hexene as model compounds in the copolymerization with VAc. This unexpectedly high reactivity of the vinyl group suggested that an intramolecular polymerization process proceeds between the pendant vinyl groups located on the same polymer chain, possibly leading to the formation of block-like polymer. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4437–4447, 2004     

Collection of iron(III) from homogeneous aqueous solutions on membrane filters using Chromazurol B with Triton X-100.

A membrane filtration method was examined concerning the effective collection of iron(III) from a homogeneous aqueous solution with Chromazurol B (CAB), one of the triphenylmethane dyes, as a precipitating reagent in the presence of a non-ionic surfactant, polyethylene glycol mono[4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenyl]ether (Triton X-100). A formed blue Fe(III)-CAB complex was collected as a precipitate on a membrane filter by filtration under suction from a homogeneous aqueous solution in the pH range over about 2. The original solution was prepared at a concentration ratio of CAB to Fe(III) of to 10, and that of Triton X-100 to CAB of 10 to 100. It was then adjusted to a pH value of between 1.0 and 6.5. A linear relationship (r = 0.999) was obtained between the initial concentration and the found one of Fe(III) in the range of 2.0 x 10(-5) to 4.0 x 10(-4) mol dm(-3) at a fixed concentration ratio of CAB to Fe(III) of 3 and that of Triton X-100 to CAB of 20. This membrane filtration with CAB and Triton X-100 may be utilized for the separation of Fe(III) as a background species.     

Imprinting by hot embossing in polymer substrates using a template of silica glass surface-structured by the ablation of LIBWE method

Laser-induced backside wet etching (LIBWE) of silica glass plates was performed to fabricate an imprinting template for hot embossing in polymer substrates such as polystyrene and silicone resin. Well-defined inverse surface-micropatterns of gratings and grid arrays on the substrates were produced by the hot embossing using a surface-structured silica glass as the template. These results indicate that the LIBWE method allows us to generate robust glass molding tools that exhibit the inverse shapes of the intended microstructures. PACS 52.38.Mf; 68.47.Mn; 81.05.Kf; 81.05.Lg; 83.50.Uv     

Drug-carrying latices for prolonged release of drugs

Dichlorophene was used as a model drug. Drug-carrying latex particles were prepared by soap-free emulsion copolymerization of dichlorophene acrylate with some hydrophilic methacrylate comonomers. The comonomers used affected not only the structure and colloidal stability of particles, but also the drug-activity of particles. Preliminary study of the drug activity revealed that highly hydrophilic latex particles were very stable and too inactive to be engulfed by amoebae and kill them. On the contrary, less hydrophilic particles carrying a large amount of drug can be an effective device to release drugs at a moderate rate to fight against extracelluar targets such as parasites.     

Thermodynamic Insight into the Origin of a Calix[n]arene-[60]fullerene Interaction and its Application to a Porphyrin-[60]fullerene Energy Transfer System

The calixarene-fullerene interaction,which causes only a slight change in the absorptionspectra, has been substantiated by calorimetricmeasurements: the H° values arecomparable with those obtained from the associationconstants estimated by a spectroscopic method. Furthermore, we determined the association constantbetween homooxacalix[3]arene and [60]fullerenederivatives with a porphyrin moiety by fluorescencespectra.     

A novel synthesis of (+)-biotin from L-cysteine

(+)-Biotin (1) was synthesized in 25% overall yield over 11 steps from L-cysteine. The contiguous asymmetric centers at C-3a and C-6a were formed through a novel and highly stereoselective Lewis base-catalyzed cyanosilylation of alpha-amino aldehyde 3 to provide anti-O-TMS-cyanohydrin 4 with high stereoselectivity and in high yield (anti/syn = 92:8, 96%). Treatment of 4 with a di-Grignard reagent, 1,4-bis(bromomagnesio)butane, followed by carbon dioxide, efficiently installed the 4-carboxybutyl chain at C-4 to give keto acid 5. The final cyclization to bicyclic compound 7b, a precursor to 1, was realized by a palladium-catalyzed intramolecular allylic amination of cis-allylic carbonate 6b that was elaborated from 5.     

Interactions between temperature-sensitive hydrogel microspheres and granulocytes

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) has a low critical solution temperature (LCST) at 32°C in water and the hydrophilicity changes through the LCST. The microspheres whose surface was composed of PNIPAM exhibited phase transition behavior around 32°C. Therefore, the interactions between PNIPAM micropheres and granulocytes depended on the temperature. That is, the oxygen consumption and active oxygen production by cells in contact with PNIPAM-containing microspheres and adhesion of the microspheres to the cell surface were more enhanced above the LCST of PNIPAM than below it, whereas no significant temperature dependence of cell–microspheres interaction was observed in nonthermosensitive microsphere systems. It was suggested that the function of cells could be controlled with temperature using the temperature-sensitive microspheres.     

Bioactive constituents of chinese natural medicines. VI. Moutan cortex. (2): structures and radical scavenging effects of suffruticosides A, B, C, D, and E and galloyl-oxypaeoniflorin

Five paeonol glycosides, suffruticosides A, B, C, D, and E, and a monoterpene glucoside, galloyl-oxypaeoniflorin, were isolated from the glycosidic fraction of Chinese Moutan Cortex, the root cortex of Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews, together with paeonolide, apiopaeonoside, galloyl-paeoniflorin, oxypaeoniflorin, and paeoniflorin. The structures of five suffruticosides and galloyl-oxypaeoniflorin were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. Suffruticosides A, B, C, and D, galloyl-oxypaeoniflorin, and galloyl-paeoniflorin exhibited more potent radical scavenging effects than alpha-tocopherol.     

Synthesis and properties of 7,7-bis(heteroazulen-3-yl)-8,8-dicyano-1,4-quinodimethanes

The synthesis and properties of a novel type of 7,7-bis(heteroazulen-3-yl)-8,8-dicyano-1,4-quinodimethanes (9a-c) are studied. The synthetic method is based on a TFA-catalyzed electrophilic aromatic substitution on the heteroazulenes with 4-(dicyanomethyl)benzaldehyde to afford the corresponding methane derivatives, followed by oxidative hydrogen abstraction with DDQ. The polarization of 9a-c is evaluated by the inspection of their ¹³C NMR and IR spectra. Based on the investigation of the UV-Vis spectra of 9a-c and protonated cations 10a-c, conformational changes of the heteroazulene-moiety and (dicyanomethyl)phenyl group are suggested. In the CV measurements of 9a-c, two reversible reduction waves are observed, indicating the stabilizing ability of heteroazulenes toward the corresponding radical and anion species. Furthermore, 9a-c exhibit two irreversible oxidation waves, which suggest a conformational change in the radical cation during the redox process. The conformational change is rationalized on the basis of the MO calculations.     

Recovery and refining of au by gold-cyanide ion biosorption using animal fibrous proteins

Animal fibrous proteins (AFPs) such as egg-shell membrane (ESM), chicken feather (CF), wool, silk, or elastin are an intricate network of stable and water-insoluble fibers with high surface area and are abundant bioresources. Every AFP tested was found to accumulate gold-cyanide ion from aqueous solutions in high yield, depending on pH and some other parameters. Gold-cyanide ion is adsorbed by AFP at low pH range, with maximum binding observed at approx pH 2.0. Under the certain conditions, gold-cyanide ion was accumulated up to 8.6, 7.1, 9.8, 2.4, and 3.9% of dry weight on ESM, CF, wool, silk, and elastin, respectively. In the case of ESM, it was found that ESM removed gold-cyanide ion almost quantitatively and almost all the gold uptake by ESM was easily desorbed with 0.1M NaOH. ESM can be used repeatedly for the process of gold adsorption-desorption. The gold-biosorptive capacity of ESM that was chemically modified with glutaraldehyde was higher than that of control. In column procedure, ESM packed on column removed gold-cyanide ion from the dilute aqueous solution to extremely low concentrations (nondetectable concentration of below 1 ppb)