The effect of side substituents on rotation hindrance in polyheteroarylenes

Hindered rotation was considered in calculations of the conformational parameters of a series of polyheteroarylenes with bulky side substituents by the Monte-Carlo method. Within the range of experimental errors, the results of calculations for several polyarylates coincide with the values of conformational rigidity, determined from hydrodynamic experimental data. The proposed procedure was used to estimate the rigidities of a number of polymers with bulky side substuents for which experimental determination is difficult. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1287–1296, July, 1998.     

On-line determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with thermionic-selective detection

This paper describes the extraction of 49 organophosphorus pesti-cides (OPPs) from water samples using solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Three fibers, including a 15-μm XAD-coated fiber, a 85-μm polyacrylate-coated fiber, and a 30-μm polydimethylsilox-ane-coated fiber (PDMS), were evaluated here. The effects of stirring and the addition of NaCl to the sample were examined for the polyacrylate-coated fiber. The precision of the technique was examined for all three fibers and the extraction kinetics were investigated using the XAD- and polyacrylate-coated fibers. With some exceptions, the XAD- and polyacrylate-coated fibers performed better than the PDMS-coated fiber. The superiority of the XAD-nd polyacrylate-coated fiber. The superiority of the XAD- and polyacrylate-coated fibers over the PDMS-coated fibers can be attribuibuted to the aromatic functionalities of the XAD and the polar functionalities in the polyacrylate. The relatively high percent RSDs indicate that the SPME technique needs to be further refined before it can be used for anything other than screening. A more effective form of agitation than mechanical stirring may be neccessary to reduce variability and achieve a faster equilibrium between the sample and the SPME fiber.     

Synthesis and characterization of new poly[phenylquinoxaline(ether)imides]

A series of new aromatic poly[phenylquinoxaline(ether)imides] were synthesized by solution polycondensation of aromatic diamines containing preformed phenylquinoxaline groups with dianhydrides having ether linkages and isopropylidene or hexafluoroisopropylidene units. All polymers are readily soluble in polar organic solvents (N-methylpyrrolidinone, DMF, dimethylacetamide) and in less polar liquids such as chloroform. Very thin coatings were deposited onto silicon wafers. According to atomic force microscopy, they had a smooth, pinhole-free surface. The polymers showed high thermal stability with decomposition temperatures above 470 °C and glass transition temperatures in the range of 210–238 °C, being thus characterized by a large gap between the glass transition and decomposition temperatures.Based on the report presented at the International Conference Modern Trends in Organoelement and Polymer Chemistry dedicated to the 50th year anniversary of the A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, May 30–June 4, 2004).Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1952–1957, September, 2004.     

Analysis of compounds of environmental concern: II. Diphenyl ethers

Nineteen halogenated and/or nitrated diphenyl ethers (currently listed in EPA Method 8111) have been separated on a DB-5/ DB-1701 column pair connected to an inlet splitter and separate electron capture detectors. Retention times are included for 10 additional compounds evaluated for their suitability as internal standards or surrogate compounds for incorporation into Method 8111. Method reproducibility and linearity are discussed, and results are presented for extracts of two real samples spiked with the 19 diphenyl ethers and analyzed using the dual-column dual-detector arrangement.     

Transport properties of polyimides containing phenylquinoxaline moieties

The gas permeabilities of a number of new structurally related polyimides containing phenylquinoxaline moieties were studied for the first time. The test polymers had different dianhydride units, whereas their diamine components differed in the presence of flexible ether bonds-O-in the main chain, a structure that is reflected in the effective packing of chains and, as a result, in transport parameters. The permeability, diffusion, and solubility coefficients for the gases H₂, He, O₂, N₂, CO, CO₂, and CH₄, as well as the ideal separation factors for gas pairs, were determined. The transport characteristics of polymers were compared within the given polymer series and with published data for other polymer series.     

Effect of conformational parameters on physical properties of polymers containing pendant phenoxyphthalonitrile substituents

Heteroaromatic polymers are considered to be high performance organic materials due to their unique and highly attractive properties, including outstanding thermal and mechanical resistance, that arise from their aromatic structure and strong interactions between macromolecular chains. Modification or designing new molecular architectures with tailored physico-chemical characteristics allows expanding the applications of these materials in various advanced technologies. Herein, a series of polymers containing bulky phenoxyphthalonitrile pendant units was synthesized and their physical properties were studied and correlated with their conformational parameters, as well as free and van der Waals volumes. For comparison, the related polymers without lateral moieties were also investigated to highlight the effect of bulky substituent on the polymer rigidity. Thus, it is shown that conformational rigidity determines the packing of macromolecules in solid state, and, therefore, the free volume, glass transition, and decomposition temperatures. The values found experimentally for T _g correlate well with those obtained using the conformational rigidity parameters. The dependence of T _g of these polymers on Kuhn segment is described by linear equations, with very good factors of convergence. The correlations established by Monte Carlo method allow obtaining the T _g values for related polymers where the experimental measurement of this parameter is difficult.     

Polybenzimidazole-Ester-Imides

Thermostable heterocyclic polymers containing benzimidazole and imide rings, as well as flexible ester groups, have been synthesized by solution polycondensation of diaminobenzimidazoles with dianhydrides incorporating preformed ester linkages. The thermal stability and the electrical insulating properties of these products are discussed and compared with related heterocyclic polymers.     

On-line determination of organochlorine pesticides in water by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with electron capture detection

This paper describes the extraction of 20 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from water samples using solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Three fused-silica fibers coated or bonded with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) of different film thicknesses (20-, 30-, and 100-μm) were evaluated. The extraction time, the effects of stirring and addition of NaCl to the aqueous sample, the linear range and the precision of this technique, and the effect of carryover were examined for 20 analytes and are presented here. A comparison with results using conventional liquid-liquid extraction demonstrate that the SPME technique is well suited as a fast screening technique for OCPs in water samples.     

The Effect of Bio-Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles on Germination,Early Seedling Development,and Metabolome of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Changes in the metabolome of germinating seeds and seedlings caused by metal nanoparticles are poorly understood. In the present study, the effects of bio-synthesized silver nanoparticles ((Bio)Ag NPs) on grains germination, early seedlings development, and metabolic profiles of roots, coleoptile, and endosperm of wheat were analyzed. Grains germinated well in (Bio)Ag NPs suspensions at the concentration in the range 10–40 mg/L. However, the growth of coleoptile was inhibited by 25%, regardless of (Bio)Ag NPs concentration tested, whereas the growth of roots gradually slowed down along with the increasing concentration of (Bio)Ag NPs. The deleterious effect of Ag NPs on roots was manifested by their shortening, thickening, browning of roots tips, epidermal cell death, progression from apical meristem up to root hairs zone, and the inhibition of root hair development. (Bio)Ag NPs stimulated ROS production in roots and affected the metabolic profiles of all tissues. Roots accumulated sucrose, maltose, 1-kestose, phosphoric acid, and some amino acids (i.e., proline, aspartate/asparagine, hydroxyproline, and branched-chain amino acids). In coleoptile and endosperm, contrary to roots, the concentration of most metabolites decreased. Moreover, coleoptile accumulated galactose. Changes in the concentration of polar metabolites in seedlings revealed the affection of primary metabolism, disturbances in the mobilization of storage materials, and a translocation of sugars and amino acids from the endosperm to growing seedlings.