Characterization of metal binding properties of rhamnogalacturonan II from plant cell walls by size-exclusion HPLC/ICP-MS.

The binding properties of metal ions to a pectic polysaccharide, rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II), from plant cell walls were analyzed by size-exclusion HPLC/ICP-MS. The dimeric RG-II borate complex (dRG-II-B) from sugar beet and red wine contained 0.8 - 1.1 mol/mol of B, 0.8 - 1.1 mol/mol of Ca, 0.1 - 0.3 mol/mol of Sr, and 0.03 - 0.07 mol/mol of Ba. The treatment of dRG-II-B with Sr2+, Ba2+, Pb2+ or La3+ exchanged the originally present Ca, Sr and Ba. In contrast, monomeric RG-II (mRG-II), which contained approximately 0.1 mol/mol of Ca, formed complexes with La3+, Eu3+, and Lu3+ added to the solution, but did not do so with Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+ and Pb2+. The HPLC/ICP-MS and HPLC/RI (refractive index detector) analysis of the partially hydrolyzed mRG-II that was treated with La3+ indicated that the side chains and backbone of mRG-II together form a lanthanoid binding site.     

Sub-critical crack growth rate of soda-lime-silicate glass and less brittle glass as a function of fictive temperature

Sub-critical crack growth rates of soda-lime-silicate glass and less brittle glass with different fictive temperatures were compared using the DCDC method under both dry and humid atmospheres in order to investigate the origin of the unique mechanical features of the less brittle glass developed by Ito and his collaborators. In both dry and humid atmospheres, the crack velocity of the soda-lime-silicate glass was slower than that of the less brittle glass. For both glasses, the glass sample with higher fictive temperature showed a slower crack growth rate under both dry and humid atmospheres. These observations can be explained by the tendency for the plastic flow at the crack tip; the soda-lime-silicate glass is expected to show easier plastic flow under tension than the less brittle glass, and also the samples with higher fictive temperatures are expected to show easier plastic flow, leading to greater fracture toughness, K_IC, and slower crack growth rate.     

Mesomorphic properties of orthopalladated complexes of laterally substituted azobenzene derivatives, 2-alkoxycarbonyl-4-(4-ethoxyphenylazo)phenyl 4-methoxybenzoates

Homologous series of 2-alkoxycarbonyl-4-(4-ethoxyphenylazo)phenyl 4-methoxybenzoates (L) and their orthopalladated μ-chloro dimers (Pd₂Cl₂L₂) have been synthesized and their thermotropic phase transition behaviour has been characterized. The ligands, L, are three-ring nematogens with their central rings substituted in the 2-position by n-alkyl chains of varied length. The thermal stability of the nematic phases decreases rapidly with increasing side chain length and then levels off as the series is ascended. In every case the mesomorphic phase appears only over a small temperature range (less than 20° C). The orthopalladated species also proved to be nematogenic. Melting and clearing points rise on the average by 87° C and 126° C, respectively, and thus the temperature ranges of the nematic phases are enlarged considerably upon metallation. In relation to the observed stabilization of the nematic phases, particularly of higher homologues, a lath-like molecular structure, in which the side chains of the ligands fill up the clefts of the core part, has been deduced for a Pd2Cl2L2 homologue from its solution ¹H-NMR spectrum.     

Synthesis and orientation study of a magnetically aligned liquid‐crystalline chitin/poly(acrylic acid) composite

A high magnetic field of 5 T was used to fabricate a magnetically aligned, optically anisotropic, liquid‐crystalline chitin/poly(acrylic acid) composite. The aligned mesophase was fixed by photoinitiated free‐radical polymerization. From an examination of polarized optical micrographs and an X‐ray diffraction study, a high degree of orientation of 0.70 was observed for the composite with a higher liquid‐crystalline chitin concentration (10.70 wt %); the orientation was reduced with a decreased chitin concentration at a given acrylic acid concentration. The X‐ray data for the developed composite showed a uniplanar orientation for the chitin crystallites, with its molecular long axes perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 711–714, 2003