Stereoselective polymerization of rac-lactide using a monoethylaluminum Schiff base complex

A monoethylaluminum Schiff base complex (2) with formula LA1Et (L = N,N'-(2,2-dimethylpropylene)bis(3,5-di-tei-t-butylsalicylideneimine) was synthesized and employed for the stercoselective ring-opening polymerization of rac-lactide (rac-LA). The complex 2 was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance, crystal structure, and elemental analysis. It contains a five-coordinate aluminum atom with distorted trigonal bipyramidal geornetry in the solid state. In the presence of 2-propanol, 2 showed high stereoselectivity for the polymerization of rac-LA. The polymerization yielded crystalline poly(rac-LA) with a high melting temperature (193-201 degreesC). NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, and wide-angle X-ray diffraction indicated that the poly(rac-LA) was highly isotactic, and a stereocomplex was formed between poly-L- and poly-D-lactide block sequences. By the analysis of electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry and H-1 NMR, the polymer was demonstrated to be endcapped in both terminals with an isopropyl ester and a hydroxy group, respectively. The polymerization was of first order in rac-LA concentration. The relationship between the rac-LA conversion and molecular weights of the polymer was linear so that the polymerization could be well controlled.

Syntheses, structure and ethylene polymerization behavior of beta-diiminato titanium complexes

A series of new titanium complexes bearing beta-diiminato ligands [(Ph)NC(R-1)CHC(R-2)N(Ph)](2)TiCl2 (4a: R-1 = R-2 = CH3; 4b: R-1 = R-2 = CF3; 4c: R-1 = Ph, R-2 = CH3; 4d: R-1 = Ph, R-2 = CF3) has been synthesized and characterized. X-ray crystal structures reveal that complexes 4a and 4c adopt distorted octahedral geometry around the titanium center. With modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) as a cocatalyst, complexes 4a-d are active catalysts for ethylene polymerization, and produce high molecular weight polyethylenes. Catalyst activities and the molecular weights of polymers are considerably influenced by the steric and electronic effects of substituents on the catalyst backbone under the same polymerization condition. With the strong electron-withdrawing groups (CF3) at R-1 or/and R-2 position, complexes 4b and 4d show higher activities than complexes 4a and 4c, respectively.

Nonisothermal crystallization behavior of the poly(ethylene glycol) block in poly(L-lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol) diblock copolymers: Effect of the poly(L-lactide) block length

The confined crystallization behavior, melting behavior, and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of the poly(ethylene glycol) block (PEG) in poly(L-lactide)poly(ethylene glycol) (PLLA-PEG) diblock copolymers were investigated with wideangle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The analysis showed that the nonisothermal crystallization behavior changed from fitting the Ozawa equation and the Avrami equation modified by Jeziorny to deviating from them with the molecular weight of the poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) block increasing. This resulted from the gradual strengthening of the confined effect, which was imposed by the crystallization of the PLLA block. The nucleation mechanism of the PEG block of PLLA15000-PEG5000 at a larger degree of supercooling was different from that of PLLA2500-PEG5000, PLLA5000-PEG5000, and PEG5000 (the numbers after PEG and PLLA denote the molecular weights of the PEG and PLLA blocks, respectively). They were homogeneous nucleation and heterogeneous nucleation, respectively.

Characterization of the microstructure of biaxially oriented polypropylene using preparative temperature-rising elution fractionation

Two commercial biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) resins, resin A and resin B, having different processing properties, were fractionated by preparative temperature-rising elution fractionation (TREF). The TREF fractions were further characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), gel permeation chromatography coupled with light scattering (GPC-LS), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). GPC-LS did not find visible long-chain branching in either resin A or B. The results from TREF and DSC indicate that the fractional melting parameter f(T) may be used to predict the profile of the TREF cumulative weight distribution curve. GPC results show that the molecular weights of the fractions tend to increase with elution temperature. WAXD and DSC data show that the crystallinity of fractions does not increase monotonically with increase of elution temperature. There appears to be a maximum in the plot of crystallinity versus elution temperature. The high-speed BOPP resin A has a lower isotacticity but a homogeneous isotacticity distribution and a higher molecular weight but a broader molecular weight distribution than resin B.

Vinylic polymerization of norbornene by neutral nickel(II)-based catalysts

Neutral Ni(II) salicylaldiminato complexes activated with modified methylaluminoxane as catalysts were used for the vinylic polymerization of norbornene. Catalyst activities of up to 7.08 x 10(4) kg(pol)/(mol(Ni) (.) h) and viscosity-average molecular weights of polymer up to 1.5 x 10(6) g/mol were observed at optimum conditions. Polynorbornenes are amorphous, soluble in organic solvents, highly stable, and show glass-transition temperatures around 390 degreesC. Catalyst activity, polymer yield, and polymer molecular weight can be controlled over a wide range by the variation of the reaction parameters such as the Al/Ni ratio, monomer/catalyst ratio, monomer concentration, polymerization reaction temperature, and time.

Statistical thermodynamics of polydisperse polymer systems in the framework of lattice fluid model: Effect of molecular weight and its distribution on the spinodal in polymer solution

With the aid of thermodynamics of Gibbs, the expression of the spinodal was derived for the polydisperse polymer-solvent system in the framework of Sanchez-Lacombe Lattice Fluid Theory (SLLFT). For convenience, we considered that a model polydisperse polymer contains three sub-components. According to our calculation, the spinodal depends on both weight-average ((M) over bar (w)) and number-average ((M) over bar (n)) molecular weights of the polydisperse polymer, but the z-average molecular weight ((M) over bar (z)) dependence on the spinodal is invisible. The dependence of free volume on composition, temperature, molecular weight, and its distribution results in the effect of (M) over bar (n) on the spinodal. Moreover, it has been found that the effect of changing (M) over bar (w) on the spinodal is much bigger than that of changing (M) over bar (n) and the extrema of the spinodal increases with the rise of the weight-average molecular weight of the polymer in the solutions with upper critical solution temperature (UCST). However, the effect of polydispersity on the spinodal can be neglected for the polymer with a considerably high weight-average molecular weight. A more simple expression of the spinodal for the polydisperse polymer solution in the framework of SLLFT was also derived under the assumption of upsilon(*)=upsilon(1)(*)=upsilon(2)(*) and (1/r(1)(0))-(1/r(2i)(0))-->(1/r(1)(0)).

Preparation and mass spectrometric study of egg yolk antibody (IgY) against rabies virus

Rabies virus was used as the antigen to immunize laying chickens. Anti-rabies virus immunoglobulin Y(IgY) was isolated from yolks of the eggs laid by these chickens using a two-step salt precipitation and one-step gel filtration protocol. The purified IgY was reduced with dithiothreitol, and heavy chains (HC) and light chains (LC) were obtained. In addition, the purified IgY was digested with pepsin and the fragment with specific antigen binding properties (Fab) was produced. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS), the average molecular weights of IgY, HC, LC, and Fab were determined as 167 250, 65 105, 18 660, and 45,359 Da, respectively. IgY has two structural differences compared with mammalian IgGs. First, the molecular weight of the heavy chain of IgY is larger than that of its mammalian counterpart, while the molecular weight of the light chain of IgY is smaller. Second, upon pepsin digestion, anti-rabies virus IgY is degraded into Feb, in contrast to mammalian IgG, which has been reported to be degraded into F(ab')(2) under the same conditions. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Application of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in determining arginine esterase from snake venom

Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The homogeneities and molecular weights of three arginine esterases from snake venom, which possessing therapeutic use in myocardial infarction, were determined and compared, MALDI-TOF-MS is possessed of high accuracy, high sensitivity and rapidity. MALDI-TOF-MS and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) can provide complementary and confirmatory results information. MALDI-TOF-MS can be directly used as an important method for the purification of snake venom complexes successfully.

Preliminary investigations on polymerization catalysts composed of lanthanocene and methylaluminoxane

The polymerization of butadiene(Bd), isoprene(Ip) and styrene(St) has been examined using the six catalyst systems composed of lanthanocene, (C5H9Cp)(2)NdCl(I), (C5H9Cp)(2)SmCl(II), (MeCp)(2)SmOAr'(III), (Ind)(2)NdCl(IV), Me2Si(Ind)(2)NdCl(V) and (Flu)(2)NdCl(VI), and methylaluminoxane(MAO) respectively. All of them can be used to form the polyisoprene with molecular weights of 1 to 10 thousand and cis-1,4-unit contents of 41 to 47%. (I), (II) and (III) of them can be also used to form the polybutadiene with molecular weights of 10 to 20 thousand and cis-1,4-unit contents of 62 to 78%. In addition, the catalysts from (II) to (V) are still active for St polymerization and (II) of them gives a syndio -rich random polystyrene. It is noteworthy that (II) and (III) are active for homopolymerization of Bd, Ip and St in the same polymerization condition.

A novel rare earth coordination catalyst for polymerization of biodegradable aliphatic lactones and lactides

A novel rare earth coordination system composed of lanthanide trifluoroacetates Ln(CF3COO)(3) (Ln = Y, Yb, Nd, Tm, Ho, La, Pr) and triisobutylaluminium Al(i-Bu)(3) was used as catalyst for the polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone (CL), D,L-lactide (DLLA) and their copolymerization. The influence of temperature, time and catalyst concentration on polymerization yields and molecular weights of the polyesters have been studied. It was shown that the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters catalysed by Ln(CF3COO)(3)/Al(i-Bu)(3) has some living character and the molecular weight of the polyester could be controlled by adjusting the molar ratio of monomer to catalyst. The DLLA/CL copolymer was synthesized by sequential addition of monomers and the structure of the copolyester was characterized by GPC, NMR and DSC. (C) 1998 SCI.

Synthesis and characterization of soluble polyimides from 1,1-bis(4-aminophenyl)cyclohexane derivatives

A series of novel aromatic diamines (1-3) containing kinked cyclohexylidene moieties was synthesized by a reaction of excess aniline and corresponding methyl-substituted cyclohexanone derivatives. The structures of (1-3) were identifield by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, and FT-IR. The polymers were synthesized from the obtained diamines and various aromatic dianhydrides by the conventional polycondensation reaction followed by chemical imidization as well as high-temperature one-step polymerization. The inherent viscosities and weight-average molecular weights of the resulting polyimides were in the ranges of 0.55-1.58 dL/g and (7.4-15.2) x 10(4) g/mol, respectively. The prepared polyimides showed excellent thermal stabilities and good solubility. All polymers were readily soluble in common organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, tetrachloroethane, etc., and the glass transition temperatures were observed at 290-372 degrees C.

Studies on water-swellable elastomer .1. Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic polymer

A new amphiphilic polymer i.e., polyethylene glycol (PEG) grafted crystalline neoprene, which was used as compatibilizer to improve the compatibility of elastomer and water-absorbent resin, has been investigated. The synthesis was based on the reaction between chlorine in neoprene and sodium salts of PEG. PEGs with molecular weights of 600 and 2000 were used. The grafting percent and the PEG content were calculated through elemental analysis of chlorine in the resulted copolymers. The maximum grafting percent of copolymers was ca. 24.80%. The molecular parameters such as number-average molecular weight and the average number of grafting chains on one CR backbone were also calculated and discussed. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

MISCIBILITY STUDIES OF POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE)-POLY(VINYL ACETATE) BLENDS BY VISCOMETRY METHODS

The intrinsic viscosities of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(vinyl acetate) blends (PEO-PVA) have been measured in chloroform as a function of molecular weights of blend components and compositions. The interaction parameters Delta b obtained from the modified Krigbaum and Wall theory and the differences between the intrinsic viscosities of polymer mixtures and the weight-average intrinsic viscosities of the two blend components were both used to characterize the extent of miscibility of the blend mixtures. (C) 1995 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

PHASE-BEHAVIOR IN MIXTURES OF A HOMOPOLYMER AND A BLOCK-COPOLYMER .1. FTIR AND DSC STUDIES

Miscibility in blends of three styrene-butadiene-styrene and one styrene-isoprene-styrene triblock copolymers containing 28%, 30%, 48%, and 14% by weight of polystyrene, respectively, with poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) were investigated by FTIR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found from the optical clarity and the glass transition temperature behavior that the blends show miscibility for each kind of triblock copolymers below a certain concentration of PVME. The concentration range to show miscibility becomes wider as the polystyrene content and molecular weight of PS segment in the triblock copolymers increase. From the FTIR results, the relative peak intensity of the 1100 cm-1 region due to COCH3 band of PVME and peak position of 698 cm-1 region due to phenyl ring are sensitive to the miscibility of SBS(SIS)/PVME blends. The results show that the miscibility in SBS(SIS)/PVME blends is greatly affected by the composition of the copolymers and the polystyrene content in the triblock copolymers. Molecular weights of polystyrene segments have also affected the miscibility of the blends. (C) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The complete amino acid sequence of growth hormone and partial amino acid sequence of prolactin and somatolactin from sea perch (Lateolabrax japonicus)

Growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL) and somatolactin (SL) were purified simultaneously under alkaline condition (pH 9.0) from pituitary glands of sea perch (Lateolabrax japonicas) by a two-step procedure involving gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (rpHPLC). At each step of purification, fractions were monitored by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and by immunoblotting with chum salmon GH. PRL and SL antisera. The yields of sea perch GH, PRL and SL were 4.2, 1.0 and 0.28 mg/g wet tissue, respectively. The molecular weights of 19,200 and 20,370 Da were estimated by SDS-PAGE for sea perch GH and PRL, respectively. Two forms of sea perch SL were found: one (28,400 Da) is probably glycosylated, while the other one (23,200 Da) is believed to be deglycosylated. GH bioactivity was examined by an in vivo assay. Intraperitoneal injection of sea perch GH at a dose of 0.01 and 0.1 mug/g body weight at 7-day intervals resulted in a significant increase in body weight and length of juvenile rainbow trout. The complete sea-perch GH amino acid sequence of 187 residues was determined by sequencing fragments cleaved by chemicals and enzymes. Alignment of sea-perch GH with those of other fish GHs revealed that sea-perch GH is most similar to advanced marine fish, such as tuna, gilthead sea bream, yellowfin porgy, red sea bream, bonito and yellow tail with 98.4, 96.2%, 95.7%, 95.2%, 94.1% and 91% sequence identity, respectively. Sea-perch GH has low identity to Atlantic cod (76.5%), hardtail (73.3%), flounder (68.4%), chum salmon (66.3%), carp (54%) and blue shark (38%). Partial amino-acid sequences of 127 of sea-perch PRL and the N-terminal of 16 amino-acid sequence of sea-perch SL have been determined. The data show that sea-perch PRL has a slightly higher sequence identity with tilapia PRL( 73.2%) than with chum salmon PRL(70%) in this 127 amino-acid sequence. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.