Ultrasound irradiation as an effective tool in synthesis of the slag-based catalysts for carboxymethylation

Waste minimization strategy was applied in the current work for synthesis of the catalysts from industrial solid waste, namely desulfurization slag. The starting slag material comprising CaCO₃, Ca(OH)₂, SiO₂, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, and TiO₂ was processed by various treating agents systematically varying the synthesis parameters. A novel efficient technique – ultrasound irradiation, was applied as an additional synthesis step for intensification of the slag dissolution and crystallization of the new phases. Physico-chemical properties of the starting materials and synthesized catalysts were evaluated by several analytical techniques. Treatment of the industrial slag possessing initially poor crystal morphology and a low surface area (6 m²/g) resulted in formation of highly-crystalline catalysts with well-developed structural properties. Surface area was increased up to 49 m²/g. High basicity of the neat slag as well as materials synthesized on its basis makes possible application of these materials in the reactions requiring basic active sites. Catalytic performance of the synthesized catalysts was elucidated in the synthesis of carbonate esters by carboxymethylation of cinnamyl alcohol with dimethyl carbonate carried out at 150 °C in a batch mode. Ultrasonication of the slag had a positive effect on the catalytic activity. Synthesized catalysts while exhibiting similar selectivity to the desired product (ca. 84%), demonstrated a trend of activity increase for materials prepared using ultrasonication pretreatment. The choice of the treating agent also played an important role in the catalytic performance. The highest selectivity to the desired cinnamyl methyl carbonate (88%) together with the highest activity (TOF₃₅ = 3.89*10⁻⁷ (mol/g*s)) was achieved over the material synthesized using 0.6 M NaOH solution as the treating agent with the ultrasound pre-treatment at 80 W for 4 h.     

溶剂种类及组成对纤维素羧甲基化反应的影响

溶剂种类及组成对纤维素羧甲基化反应的影响张镜吾，程发，李东立，李桂风，张晓红（天津大学化学系，天津，３０００７２）关键词纤维素，混合溶剂，碱处理，羧甲基化．Ｘ－衍射校甲基纤维素（ＣＭＣ）是重要的纤维素衍生物，应用领域十分广泛．纤维素核甲基化反应主要取...     

Degradation of covalently cross-linked carboxymethyl chitosan and its potential application for peripheral nerve regeneration

Chitosan has been widely used in a variety of biomedical applications including peripheral nerve repair because of its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. However, chitosan itself has a very slow degradation rate, and its molecules degrade in an uncontrollable manner. We hypothesized that the cross-linking of carboxymethyl chitosan (CM-chitosan), which is soluble in water, would result in a higher degradation rate in lysozyme solutions, while retaining its excellent mechanical properties and nerve cell affinity. In this study, we characterized the constructed matrix formed using a combination of carboxymethylation of chitosan chains and thereafter 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) cross-linking. Specifically, after EDC cross-linking, the hydrophilicity and elastic modulus of the CM-chitosan films decreased. These changes are beneficial in the application of chitosan derivatives for nerve repair. The porous conduits degraded to 30% in weight during eight weeks of incubation in lysozyme solution (pH 7.4, 37 °C). In addition, the cross-linked CM-chitosan films enhanced the spread of Neuro-2a cells and provided a good proliferation substratum for Neuro-2a cells, as compared to chitosan films. Therefore, cross-linking with EDC is a promising way to modify chitosan derivatives for peripheral nerve regeneration.     

Cellulose derivatives from cellulosic material isolated from Agave lechuguilla and fourcroydes

Fibers isolated from Agave lechuguilla(lechuguilla) and fourcroydes (henequen) contain about 80%cellulose, 5% hemicellulose and 15% lignin. They are a renewable resource,interesting as feedstock for new products obtained by chemicalfunctionalization. In the present paper the reactivity of such fibrousmaterialsunder typical conditions for modification of cellulose was studied. Treatmentwith n-octanol/aqueous NaOH of the fibers leads to an activated expandedgel-like material with enhanced accessibility. Carboxymethylation, sulfation,acetylation and tritylation reactions as well as subsequent carboxymethylationof the trityl derivative and selective oxidation of the primary hydroxylfunction of carboxymethylated products with TEMPO/NaBr/NaClO were successfullycarried out under conditions typical for cellulose reactions. The products werecharacterized by means of ¹³C-NMR and ¹H-NMR spectroscopyandHPLC after complete depolymerization, by GPC, and by the determination ofsolubility.     

甲壳素／壳聚糖的化学修饰

详述了甲壳素／壳聚糖的主要化学反应所得衍生物的一些性质和应用。     

Thermo-responsive microfibrillar graft copolymer based on carboxymethylagarose and N-isopropylacrylamide

Carboxymethylation of agarose with ClCH₂COOH in 2-propanol, formamide or dimethyl sulfoxide were evaluated in order to obtain water soluble derivatives. Higher yield (86%) and degree of substitution of carboxymethylation in primary alcoholic groups (0.70) were obtained using dimethyl sulfoxide. Carboxymethylagarose-g-PNIPAAm copolymers were synthesized by free radical graft copolymerization using Ce⁴⁺ and S₂O₈²⁻/TEMED as initiators via conventional or microwave-assisted methods. Carboxymethyl derivatives and graft copolymers were characterized by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopies, elemental analysis, TGA and DSC and morphology analysis by SEM and AFM. High nitrogen content (9.7%) was found with Ce⁴⁺ by conventional method and the obtained analysis allowed to confirm the NIPAAm grafting on the carboxymethylagarose chain. Thermoresponsive materials have a low critical solution temperature between 32 and 34 °C. Thermal stability increased ca. 60% with PNIPAAm grafting. Surface analysis of copolymers reveals a microfibrillar type morphology with diameter of 4–6 μm. Synthesized glycoconjugates could find applications in bioactive compounds transport in biological systems.     

Inorganic Molten Salts as Solvents for Cellulose

Inorganic molten salts can be used as efficient solvents for cellulose in a wide range of degrees of polymerization. Furthermore, molten salts can be applied as reaction medium for the derivatization of cellulose. For both dissolution and derivatization of cellulose, knowledge of the solution state as well as information about chemical interactions with the solvent system is essential. Using the melts of LiClO₄·3H₂O, NaSCN/KSCN/LiSCN·2H₂O and LiCl/ZnCl₂/H₂O as cellulose solvents, factors which determine the dissolving ability will be discussed. Besides the specific structure of the molten salt hydrate, the cation and the water content of the melt are the most important factors for the dissolving capability of a molten salt hydrate system. FT-Raman spectroscopy, ⁷Li and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy were applied to describe solvent–cellulose interactions and the state of cellulose dissolved in the molten salts. Using Raman and solid state NMR spectroscopy it was proved that cellulose is amorphous in the frozen solvent system. The application of inorganic molten salts as a medium for cellulose functionalization is demonstrated for cellulose carboxymethylation and acetylation.     

羧甲基木薯淀粉的取代方式研究

采用高效液相色谱(HPLC)和核磁共振波谱(^1HNMR)分析了混水/有机介质中合成羧甲基木薯淀粉的取代方式。发现HPLC是一种测定不同条件下合成的羧甲基木薯淀粉取代度(DS)的可靠方法。在测量的范围内,未取代、一取代、二取代和三取代无水葡萄糖单元的摩尔分数分布和Spurlin模型非常吻合。用高分辨率500MHz^1HNMR分析了木薯淀粉羧甲基过程的取代度和反应顺序。依据淀粉和羧甲基淀粉(CMS)的结构确定了各个峰位置。比较所得数据发现：依据HPLC计算的DSHPLC小于从500MHz^1HNMR计算所得的DSNMR。无水葡萄糖单元中C2、C3和C6的羧甲基化反应顺序为C6＞C2＞C3。     

Carboxymethylpsyllium (CMPsy)/poly(acrylamide)(poly(AAm)) hydrogels for oral delivery of anti-diabetic drug Gliclazide

In this work, controlled release of anti-diabetic drug Gliclazide (Glz) from the carboxymethylpsyllium (CMPsy)/poly(acrylamide) (poly (AAm)) semi-interpenetrating networks (Semi-IPN) has been studied under physiological conditions. The semi-IPN was characterized by TGA, XRD and FTIR analysis. The release of drug Glz was observed to increase with concentration of drug entrapped in the hydrogels but varied inversely with the degree of crosslinking of the semi-IPN. The release data were analyzed using various kinetic models. Finally, the in-vivo investigation of efficacy of Gliclazide–loaded semi-IPN was carried out on Albino wistar rats. The formulation demonstrated fair effectiveness in reducing the glucose level, even at an oral administration frequency of once every alternate day.     

PREPARATION AND STRUCTURE OFFIVE DERIVATIVES OFβ-(1→3)-D-GLUCAN ISOLATED FROM PORIA COCOS SCLEROTIUM*

A new solvent of cellulose (1.5 mol/L NaOH/0.5 mol/L urea aqueous solution) was used as one of the homogeneous reaction media of polysaccharides for methylation, hydroxyethylation and hydroxypropylation. A water insoluble β-(1→3)-D-glucan, sample PCS3-Ⅱ, isolated from fresh sclerotium of Poria cocos was sulfated in dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO), carboxymethylated in NaOH, isopropanol solution, as well as methylated, hydroxyethylated and hydroxypropylated in the new solvent system, respectively, to obtain five water-soluble derivatives coded as S-PCS3-Ⅱ, C-PCS3-Ⅱ, M-PCS3-Ⅱ, HE-PCS3-Ⅱand HP-PCS3-Ⅱ. Their chemical structure and distribution of substitution were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), elementary analysis (EA), ^1H-NMR, ^13C-NMR, 2D-COSY, 2D-TOCSY and 2D-^1H-detected ^1H ^13C HMQC spectra. The results reveal that the relative reactivity of hydroxyl groups of the β(1→3)-D-glucan is in the order C-6 ＞ C-4 ＞ C-2 on the whole. The substitution of the samples S-PCS3-Ⅱ, C-PCS3-Ⅱ and M-PCS3-Ⅱ occurred mainly at C-6 position and secondly at C-4 and C-2 positions, and that of HE-PCS3-Ⅱ occurred at C-6 and C-4 positions and of HP-PCS3-Ⅱ almost completely occurred at C-6 position. The degrees of substitution (DS) obtained from ^13C-NMR range from 0.23 to 1.27. The water solubility of the derivatives is in the order S-PCS3-Ⅱ ＞ C-PCS3-Ⅱ ＞ M-PCS3-Ⅱ ＞ HE-PCS3-Ⅱ ＞ HP-PCS3-Ⅱ. This work provides a novel and nonpolluting process for the methylation, hydroxyethylation and hydroxypropylation of β-(1→3)-D-glucan.