Equilibrium distributions of stochastic networks without detailed balance

We present results for the determination of the equilibrium microstate probability distribution of a class of strongly interacting systems obeying stochastic dynamics but without the necessity of detailed balance. The specific case of Ising systems is highlighted, with applications to non-symmetric synaptic neural networks and more general recurrent Boolean networks.     

Spherical molecularly imprinted polymer particles: a promising tool for molecular recognition in capillary electrokinetic separations

Spherical molecularly imprinted polymer particles obtained via precipitation polymerization, were introduced as a pseudostationary phase in capillary electrophoresis (CE) to study molecular recognition. Analyses were performed via a partial filling technique using (+)-ephedrine-imprinted microspheres (100-200 nm) which were polymerized from methacrylic acid and 1,1,1-Tris(hydroxymethyl)propanetrimethacrylate using acetonitrile as the solvent. The influence of pH and the modifier content on the separation was investigated. A 0.1% w/v suspension in an aqueous 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5 with 40% acetonitrile) was hydrodynamically injected into the CE system (80% of the effective capillary length) and led to full baseline separation of racemic ephedrine within 10 min.     

An investigation of the aggregation and water-air interfacial behaviour of a cationic tentacle molecule

The aggregation and air-water interface properties of a three-legged tentacle molecule tris (11-pyridinium undec-1-yl)benzene-1, 3, 5-tricarboxylate tribromide have been investigated by measurement of the molar conductance, , and equilibrium surface tensin,, over a wide range of bulk concentration (8×10^–6 – 0.3 M). In contrast to the single chain analogue, dodecyl pyridinium bromide, DDPB, the tentacle species shows no evidence for a conventional micellar transition in solutions up to 100 fold more concentrated than the critical micelle concentration of DDPB, though aggregation of small numbers of molecules cannot be excluded. The conductance behaviour suggests the occurrence of ion-pair (or higher) equilibria, which are likely to complicate the interpretation of the data. Also, in contrast to a previous tentacle molecule described in the literature, the present species is significantly surface active, and in the high concentration limit reduces to <30 mNm^–1, significantly lower than the values obtained for simple ionic amphiphiles. In this region the tentacle species seems to stand like a tripod at the water-air interface with both its hydrocarbon legs and its aromatic body lifted clear of the water surface. At much lower concentrations two small plateau regions in are apparent ( 60 and 52 mNm^–1). Here, the tentacle molecule occupies a much larger surface area, and seems to adopt a crab-like crouch with its aromatic body and polar ester substituents lowered into the water surface.     

Bifurcated, modular syntheses of chiral annulet triazacyclononanes

Three chiral 2,6-disubstituted tri-N-methyl azamacrocycles have been prepared by modular methods. These macrocycles were accessed from three chiral 1,4,7-triazaheptanes intermediates that were prepared by two independent routes. The first of these routes involved the benzylamine opening of chiral tosyl aziridines followed by debenzylation but was problematic on solubility grounds. A second, more effective, route was developed which avoided debenzylation by using ammonia in the nucleophilic opening of chiral tosyl aziridines.     

Synthesis and application of a carbamazepine-imprinted polymer for solid-phase extraction from urine and wastewater

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) designed to enable the selective extraction of carbamazepine (CBZ) from effluent wastewater and urine samples has been synthesised using a non-covalent molecular imprinting approach. The MIP was evaluated chromatographically in the first instance and its affinity for CBZ also confirmed by solid-phase extraction (SPE). The optimal conditions for SPE consisted of conditioning of the cartridge using acidified water purified from a Milli-Q system, loading of the sample under basic aqueous conditions, clean-up using acetonitrile and elution with methanol. The attractive molecular recognition properties of the MIP gave rise to good CBZ recoveries (80%) when 100 mL of effluent water spiked with 1 μg L⁻¹ was percolated through the polymer. For urine samples, 2 mL samples spiked with 2.5 μg L⁻¹ CBZ were extracted with a recovery of 65%. For urine, the linear range was 0.05-24 mg L⁻¹, the limit of detection was 25 μg L⁻¹ and precision, expressed as relative standard deviation at 0.5 mg L⁻¹ (n = 3), was 3.1% and 12.6% for repeatability and reproducibility between days, respectively.     

Competition between glassiness and order in a multispin glass

A mean-field multispin interaction spin glass model is analyzed in the presence of a ferromagnetic coupling. The static and dynamical phase diagrams contain four phases (paramagnet, spin glass, ordinary ferromagnet, and glassy ferromagnet) and exhibit reentrant behavior. The glassy ferromagnet phase has anomalous dynamical properties. The results are consistent with a nonequilibrium thermodynamics that has been proposed for glasses.     

Modulated replica symmetry breaking schemes for antiferrimagnetic spin glasses

We define modulated replica symmetry breaking (RSB) schemes which combine tree- and wave-like structures. A modulated scheme and unmodulated RSB are evaluated at 1-step level for a semiconductor model with antiferromagnetic Korenblit-Shender interaction. By comparison of the free energies we find evidence that a T = 0 phase transition in the ferrimagnetic phase leads to a transition between the different RSB-schemes. An embedding factor of Parisi block matrices with sublattice-asymmetrical size is employed as a new variational parameter in the modulated scheme.Received: 11 December 2003, Published online: 15 March 2004PACS: 68.35.Rh Phase transitions and critical phenomena - 75.10.Nr Spin glass and other random models     

Preparation of polymer resin and inorganic oxide supported peroxy-acids and their use in the oxidation of tetrahydrothiophene

Peroxy-benzoic acid residues have been attached to polystyrene resins with nominal crosslink ratios of 5–40%, and also to various commercially available silicas and aluminas. Chemical modification of the resins becomes increasingly difficult as the crosslink ratio is increased, although resistance to oxidative degradation by hydrogen peroxide in methanesulphonic acid is simultaneously enhanced. Two different linkages were employed for the binding of peroxy-acid groups to the inorganic oxide supports, one involving a direct silicon aromatic bond and the other with an ethylene bridge interposed. In both cases, the introduction of peroxy-acid groups proceeded with ease and without any apparent degradation although the loadings achieved were somewhat lower than with the resins, as anticipated. All the supported peroxyacids functioned as oxidants for tetrahydrothiophene, the 5% crosslinked species being the most effective of the resin bound acids. One macroreticular resin displayed partial selectivity in oxidizing the thioether to its sulphoxide rather than sulphone. The best of the inorganic oxide supported oxidants approached closely to the reactivity shown by the 5% crosslinked resin; a mixed silica/alumina support showed the highest selectivity for sulphoxide formation in the case when its bound peroxy-acid was attached by a direct silicon aromatic bond.     

Electrophilic substitution of highly crosslinked polystyrene resins

A number of polystyrene resins with nominal crosslink ratios of 5–40% have been prepared, chlorobenzoylated and chloromethylated. The degrees of functionalization achieved are dependent on the crosslink ratios of the resins. Analysis of the results obtained from specific reaction conditions suggests that substitution occurs preferentially on unencumbered pendant aromatic groups rather than on those already carrying an ethyl or additional polymer chain substituent.