Thermal behaviour of polyacrylamidoxime-copper chelates

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of several factors (anion type in the copper salt, pH and concentration of the salt solution) on the structure and thermo-oxidative degradation of the polyacrylamidoxime-copper chelates, by using elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and dynamic thermogravimetry. The chelates containing copper ions as sulphate exhibit a better initial thermal stability than the polyacrylamidoxime fibre presumably due to the crosslinking generated by the intermolecular complexation of the ions; the removal of the sulphate anions takes place concomitantly with the second step of polymeric chain decomposition. The initial thermal decomposition of the chelates formed by copper ions as nitrate begins at lower temperatures as compared to the polyacrylamidoxime fibre, probably by the nitrate anion release, which partly overlaps the initial decomposition of the copper ion-crosslinked polymeric chains. Copper ions as either sulphate or nitrate catalyse the reactions involved in the main step of polyacrylamidoxime fibre decomposition; the higher the copper amount, the stronger the catalytic effect.     

Periodic unfolding and Robin problems in perforated domains

The periodic unfolding method was introduced in 2002 by D. Cioranescu et al. for the study of classical periodic homogenization. In this Note, we extend this method to perforated domains introducing also a boundary unfolding operator. As an application, we study the homogenization of some elliptic problems with Robin condition on the boundary of the holes. To cite this article: D. Cioranescu et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 342 (2006).     

Different spectrophotometric methods for antioxidant activity assay of four Romanian herbs

The present study investigates the antioxidant activities of some Romanian plants, using different spectrophotometric methods (FRAP I, FRAP II, and CUPRAC). The plants investigated are hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), rosehip (Rosa canina), and chokeberries (Aronia melanocarpa). Hawthorn is used to treat a wide variety of inflammatory conditions, but the primary use is generally restricted for treating hypertension, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, and arrhythmia. Investigations have proved the safe and reliable use of plant and plant extracts for treatment of cardiovascular disorders.     

Mesomorphic behaviour and TSDC measurements of ortho-metallated palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes with S,O-donor co-ligands

A series of ortho-metallated Pd and Pt complexes containing an imine ligand carrying three alkoxy chains and N-benzoylthiourea derivatives as co-ligands were prepared and their liquid crystalline properties investigated. Their structures were assigned based on elemental analysis, IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, whereas thermal properties were investigated by differential scanning calotimetry and polarising optical microscopy. All the compounds exhibit monotropic transitions involving nematic and smectic A phases, with the mesomorphic behaviour strongly related to the type of N-benzoylthiourea as well as the metal centre used. The thermally stimulated depolarisation current technique was employed to determine the conduction mechanism, phase transition temperature and the activation energies for one of the ortho-metallated Pd complexes.     

Synthesis of core‐shell structured carboxylated microparticles with a straightforward procedure and their evaluation as a polymer support

Poly(trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate) microspheres with a narrow size distribution were obtained by precipitation polymerization. They were subsequently modified by surface grafting with acrylic acid in a polar ethanol–water reaction medium, without stabilizer, yielding core‐shell particles with diameters in the micrometer range. The resulting polymeric material was characterized by SEM and potentiometric titration, FTIR spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. It was shown that the particle characteristics (size, size distribution, and functionality) obtained by this straightforward procedure can be controlled by modifying the synthesis parameters (monomer concentration, agitation rate, and temperature). The high functionality, the chemical and physico‐mechanical stability, as well as the possibility to control the performances of the resulting polymeric materials by synthesis allow its applications in various areas. Envisaging separation and catalysis domains, Cu(II), Cd(II), and Cr(III) uptake capacity from aqueous solutions was investigated under noncompetitive conditions as a function of synthesized particle functionality, time, and pH range. It was also found that the addition of the carboxylated microparticles to polyethylene stabilized with α‐tocopherol improved the thermo‐oxidative behaviour of the polymeric material. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5889–5898, 2005     

Separation of nitrophenols. Equilibriums in bi- and tri-phasic systems

The paper presents experimental data obtained in the study of liquid–liquid partition equilibriums in biphasic system in order to optimize the process of transport through bulk liquid membranes (triphasic partition systems). The partition equilibriums of some nitrophenols using chloroform as extraction solvent and membranary solvent, respectively, were studied. The influence of the pH on the partition equilibriums was investigated. The repartition constants and the pK_a values of the studied nitrophenols were calculated. Nitrophenols were transferred in triphasic system from a feed phase with pH 2, through a chloroform liquid membrane, into a receiving phase with pH 12, with efficiencies over 90%.     

Electrical resistivity study of some lead-borate glasses

We present the results of electrical resistivity measurements performed on 20Fe₂O₃80[3B₂O₃(1?x)PbOxA_uO_v] glasses, with AuOv=K₂O, Ca, As₂O₃ and GeO₂. For a given temperature the electrical conductivity is linearly dependent on the fraction of ferrous ions. The experimental data are well described by using a model involving small polarons.     

Organic analysis with a new Ag(+)-selective membrane electrode

A new Ag(+)-selective membrane electrode obtained by impregnating a graphite rod (attached to the end of a Teflon tube) with the silver(I) chelate of 1-(2',3',5'-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-4-thioxo-5-methylthio-6-azauracil dissolved in chloroform gives a stable and reproducible response to silver in the 10(-1)-10(-5)M range with a slope of 60 mV/decade. A new method for determination of some beta-chlorovinyl ketones is based on use of the electrode in potentiometric titration of the chloride displaced by tertiary amines from beta-chlorovinyl ketones in forming the corresponding quaternary ammonium salts.     

Functional polymers based on acrylamide crosslinked copolymers

Crosslinked copolymers of acrylamide were obtained by the aqueous suspension polymerization method. Divinylbenzene and N,N-methylene-bis-acrylamide were used as crosslinking agents. Ethylacrylate was used as a third comonomer. The real acrylamide content in the crosslinked copolymers was calculated taking into account the found nitrogen content after the removal of the soluble fractions. The water uptake in dependence on the copolymer structure gave information on the hydrophilicity of these copolymers. Hofmann degradation of the amide groups led to copolymers containing vinylamine functional groups, which were characterized by IR spectroscopy and by anion exchange capacity. Carboxylic groups were generated by the alkaline hydrolysis of the ester groups.