Gas phase derivatization of endohedral metallofullerenes R@C-82 and R-2@C-80 (R = Nd, Ce)

Endohedral metallofullerenes Ce@C-82, Ce-2@C-80, Nd@C-82 and Nd-2@C-80 undergo gas phase ion/molecule reactions with the ion system from self-chemical ionization of vinyl acetate, and exohedral derivatives are thus generated, A new heterocycle is formed from metallofullerenes and a C2H3O+ cation, Endohedral metallofullerenes show much higher reactivities than empty fullerenes during the association and the charge and proton transfer processes, The strong electron-donating character of endohedral metallofullerenes is due to their unique super-atom-like electronic structures. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Formation of heterocyclic C-60 derivative by gas-phase ion/molecule reaction

Ion/molecule reactions of C-60 with vinyl acetate under chemical ionization conditions have been studied here. Compared with C2H3O+ from acetone, C2H3O+ from vinyl acetate undergoes the reactions more easily, a new heterocycle between C-60 and the studied ion is formed The generation of two sigma-bonds and little angle tensile force of pentatomic ring make it more stable.

Gas-phase ion-molecule reactions of C-60 and theoretical studies of [C60C2H3O](+) adduct cations

Gas-phase ion-molecule reactions of buckminsterfullerene (C-60) with the acetyl cation CH3-C-+=O (m/z 43) and formylmethyl cation (CH2)-C-+-CH=O (m/z 43, or oxiranyl cation), generated from the self-chemical ionization of acetone and vinyl acetate, respectively, were studied in the ion source of a mass spectrometer. Adduct cations [C60C2H3O](+) (m/z 763) and protonated C-60, [C60H](+) (m/z 721), were observed as the major products. AM1 semiempirical molecular orbital calculations on the possible structures, stabilities and charge locations of the isomers of the adducts [C60C2H3O](+) were carried out at the restricted Hartree-Fock level. The results indicated that the sigma-addition product [C-60-COCH3](+) is the most stable adduct for the reaction of C-60 with CH3-C-+=O rather than that resulting from the [2+2] cycloaddition. The [2+3] cycloadduct and the sigma-adduct [C60CH2CHO](+) might be the most possible coexisting products for the reactions of C-60 with (CH2)-C-+-CH=O or oxiranyl cation. Other [C60C2H3O](+) isomers are also discussed. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A new solid-state electrolyte: Rubbery 'polymer-in-salt' containing LiN(CF3SO2)(2)

A new class of rubbery 'polymer-in-salt' electrolytes for application in solid-state lithium batteries has been explored by differential scanning calorimetry and a.c. impedance analysis. Simple phase diagrams of LiN(CF3SO2)(2)+LiClO4 and LiC(CF3SO2)(3)+LiN(CF3SO2)(2) have been drawn, which are very important to determine polymer-in-salt electrolyte materials. The conductivities obtained by a.c. impedance measurement are smaller for the electrolyte that contains acetate LiOAc salt than for the electrolyte without this salt.

ENTANGLEMENT FLUCTUATION DURING PHASE-SEPARATION IN POLYMER BLENDS

For perhaps the first time, the dynamics of liquid-liquid phase separation was studied by time-resolved mechanical spectrometry in order to establish the relationship between blends' properties and the phase structures during spinodal decomposition (SD). The selected system was chlorinated polyethylene (CPE)/ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). It was found that in the early and intermediate stage of SD, the storage modulus (G') and the loss modulus (G'') increase with time after the initiation of the isothermal phase separation; in the later stage, G' and G'' decrease as phase separation proceeds. An entanglement fluctuation model was presented to manifest this phenomenon; it was found that the rheological behavior agrees well with the expections of the model in the early stage. For the later stage, the reduction of G' and G'' can be attributed to the increment of phase-domain size. (C) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

MISCIBILITY AND PHASE-BEHAVIOR IN BLENDS OF POLY(HYDROXYETHER OF BISPHENOL-A) WITH POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE-CO-PROPYLENE OXIDE)

The miscibility of poly(hydroxyether of bisphenol A) (phenoxy) with a series of poly(ethylene oxide-co-propylene oxide) (EPO) has been studied. It was found that the critical copolymer composition for achieving miscibility with phenoxy around 60-degrees-C is about 22 mol % ethylene oxide (EO). Some blends undergo phase separation at elevated temperatures, but there is no maximum in the miscibility window. The mean-field approach has been used to describe this homopolymer/copolymer system. From the miscibility maps and the melting-point depression of the crystallizable component in the blends, the binary interaction energy densities, B(ij), have been calculated for all three pairs. The miscibility of phenoxy with EPO is considered to be caused mainly by the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions between the hydroxyl groups of phenoxy and the ether oxygens of the EO units in the copolymers, while the intramolecular repulsion between EO and propylene oxide units in the copolymers contributes relatively little to the miscibility.

SURFACE-MODIFIED HYDROPHILIC MEMBRANES IN MEMBRANE DISTILLATION

The porosity and the hydrophobicity of membranes are two essential requirements for membrane distillation (MD) of aqueous solutions. So far, the hydrophobic porous membranes used in MD studies have been prepared from hydrophobic materials. In this work, hydrophilic cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate membranes were modified into hydrophobic membranes by radiation grafting polymerization and plasma polymerization, and used in MD studies successfully. The results indicated that modified membranes with good performance in MD can be obtained if the modifying conditions are controlled appropriately. Especially plasma polymerization, in which many particular kinds of monomer could be polymerized onto the surface of porous materials, has become an efficient method to prepare hydrophobic porous membrane with high performance from hydrophilic membranes. It will stimulate the development and practical application of MD.

POLYANILINE CHEMICALLY MODIFIED ELECTRODE FOR DETECTION OF ANIONS IN FLOW-INJECTION ANALYSIS AND ION CHROMATOGRAPHY

An electrochemical detector based on a polyaniline conducting polymer chemically modified electrode (PAn CME) was developed for use in flow-injection analysis and ion chromatography. Iodide, bromide, thiocyanate and thiosulphate are detected by using ion chromatography with a PAn CME electrochemical detector. The detection limits are 1, 5, 10 and 10 mgl-1, respectively. The CME response for electroinactive anions varies selectively with the mobile phase composition in flow-injection analysis. By this approach, perchlorate, sulphate, nitrate, iodide, acetate and oxalate can be detected conveniently and reproducibly over a linear concentration range of at least 3 orders of magnitude. The electrode is stable for over 2 weeks with no evidence of chemical or mechanical deterioration.

MORPHOLOGY AND DYNAMIC MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF AB CROSS-LINKED POLYMERS BASED ON POLYURETHANES

Polyoxypropylene glycol (PPG) (or castor oil) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI) were mixed, and the prepolymer polyurethane (PU) (I) was formed. Vinyl-terminated polyurethane (II) was prepared from (I), and hydroxyethyl acrylate, AB crosslinked polymers (ABCPs) were synthesized from (II) and vinyl monomers such as styrene, methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, etc. The dynamic mechanical properties and morphology of ABCPs were measured. The ABCPs based on PPG have double glass transition temperatures (T(g)) on the sigma-vs. temperature curves. They display a two-phase morphology with plastic components forming the continous phase and PU-rich domains forming the separated phase on the electron micrographs. Irregular shapes and a highly polydisperse distribution of PU-rich domain sizes were observed. The crosslink density of ABCPs has a notable effect on the morphology and properties. The average diameter of the PU-rich domains depends on the molecular weight of prepolymer PPG. The highly crosslinked structures will produce large numbers of very small domains. ABCPs based on castor oil show a single T(g) relaxation on the dynamic mechanical spectra. The compatibility between the two components is much better in ABCPs based on castor oil than in those based on PPG, because there is a high crosslink density in the former. Comparison of the dynamic mechanical spectra of ABCP and interpenetrating networks (IPN) based on castor oil with similar crosslink density and composition imply that the two components in ABCP are compatible whereas microphase separation occurs in IPN. An improvement in the compatibility is achieved by the crosslinking between the two networks.

FRACTAL BEHAVIOR OF SPINODAL DECOMPOSITION IN POLYMER BLENDS

Fractal behaviour of ramified domains in the late stage of spinodal phase separation in a binary polymer blend of poly(vinyl acetate) with poly(methyl methacrylate) was investigated by optical microscopic method. In the late stage of the spinodal decomposition, the fractal dimension D is about 1.64. It implies that some anomalous properties of irregular structure probably may be explained by fractal concepts.

XPS STUDY ON RARE-EARTH PHTHALOCYANINE COMPLEXES

The rare earth monophthalocyanine complexes, LnPcCl and LnPc(OAc)2 (Ln = Tb, Ho, Tm, Lu, Pc=Phthalocyanine, OAc = Acetate), were synthesized. The electronic structures of the complexes have been studied by means of XPS. The experimental results of binding energies for the complexes indicate that the bonds of the complexes have a certain covalent character depending on L-->Ln charge transfer. This L-->Ln charge transfer process of phythalocyanine complexes differs from that of crown ether complexes. Both coordination and substitution are included in the former case, but only coordination in the latter. Phthalocyanine ring is an electrophilic group and its electronegativity is large. So, the O1s binding energies of coordinating oxygen atoms of acetate in LnPc(OAc)2 are larger than those of Ln(OAc)3. The magnitude of valent charge delocalized from ligand onto metal atom is dependent on electronegativity, coordination number, valence state and so on. Because coordination number of Ln in LnPc(OAc)2 is larger than that in LnPcCl and electronegativity of Clin LnPcCl is larger than that of O in LnPc(OAc)2, the Ln4d5/2 binding energies of LnPc (OAc)2 are less than those of LnPcCl.

Antioxidative principals of Jussiaea repens: an edible medicinal plant

Jussiaea repens L. (JRL) is an edible medicinal plant and is also used as a vegetable by the local people in southwestern China. The crude extract and its four fractions derived from JRL were evaluated for the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging ability, hydroxyl radical-scavenging capacity and the potassium ferricyanide reduction property. The ethyl acetate-soluble fraction (EAF) and EAF6 (a subfraction derived from EAF) were the most valuable fraction and subfraction, respectively. Furthermore, bioactivity-guided chromatographic fractionation revealed that three pure compounds greatly contributed to the antioxidant activities. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the major antioxidant constituents in the extract were systematically conducted by NMR, mass spectral analyses and RP-HPLC. The result demonstrated that rosmarinic acid (2.00 mg g(-1) JRL dry weight) quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (9.88 mg g(-1) JRL dry weight), and kaempferol 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1.85 mg g(-1) JRL dry weight) were the major antioxidative constituents in JRL. These compounds are reported for the first time from this plant.

Halogenated Terpenes and a C-15-Acetogenin from the Marine Red Alga Laurencia saitoi

Seven parguerane diterpenes: 15-bromo-2,7,19-triacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-16-ol (1), 15-bromo-2,7,16,19-tetraacetoxyparguer-9(11)-ene (2), 15-bromo-2,19-diacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-7,16-diol (3), 15-bromo-2,16,19-triacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-7-ol (4), 15bromo-2,16-diacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-7-ol (5), 15-bromoparguer-9(11)-en-16-ol (6), 15-bromoparguer-7-en-16-ol (7), two polyether triterpenes: thyrsiferol (8) and thyrsiferyl 23-acetate (9), and one C15-acetogenin, neolaurallene (10), were isolated from a sample of marine red alga Laurencia saitoi collected off the coast of Yantai. Their structures were established by detailed NMR spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature data.

In vitro antioxidative activities of extract and semi-purified fractions of the marine red alga, Rhodomela confervoides (Rhodomelaceae)

The methanol-chloroform extract of the marine red alga, Rhodomela confervoides, was measured for antioxidant activity, using the alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging assay and the beta-carotene-linoleate bleaching assay systems, and compared with those of the positive Controls of butylated hydroxytoluene, gallic acid and ascorbic acid, The active extract was further purified by liquid-liquid partition to afford four fractions, of which the ethyl acetate-soluble (EA) fraction exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity in both assay systems. This fraction was further divided into seven subfractions, designated as EA1-EA7, by silica gel vacuum liquid chromatography. in most cases, EA1 and EM Were found to possess the strongest activity. The total phenolic contents and reducing powers of the extract, fractions, and subfractions were also determined. Significant associations between the antioxidant potency and the total phenolic content, as well as between the antioxidant potency and the reducing power, were found for the tested fractions and subfractions. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolation of fucoxanthin from the rhizoid of Laminaria japonica Aresch

Fucoxanthin was extracted from the intact rhizoid of Laminaria japonica Aresch with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and then recovered from the DMSO extract by partitioning into ethyl acetate and subsequent evaporation. Some isolation conditions such as solvent volume and extraction time were screened. The quantity and quality of the extracted fucoxanthin were determined by spectral analysis (absorption spectra and fluorescence emission spectra). The results indicated that: (1) the average total content of fucoxanthin was 122.1 mu g in 1 g of fresh L japonica rhizoid; (2) in comparison with the widely used organic solvent, acetone, DMSO was much more effective for the extraction of fucoxanthin; (3) both DMSO volume and extraction time influenced extraction efficiency such as the recovery rate and purity of fucoxanthin (1 g of fresh L. japonica rhizoid treated with 4 mL DMSO for 60 min, yielded > 88% of the total fucoxanthin with purity 0.63); (4) when (NH4)(2)SO4 concentration was in the range of 0.5- 1.0 mol/L, the pigments rapidly and entirely moved from DMSO into the ethyl acetate phase; (5) the ethyl acetate and DMSO were recycled using a rotary evaporator.