Mussoorrie rock phosphate-pyrite mixture as phosphate fertilizer

Mussoorrie rock phosphate (MRP), MRP + pyrite (25% by weight), diammonium phosphate (DAP), ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and nitrophosphate (NP) were compared in a field experiment as fertilizers for wheat. At 20 kg P ha^–1, MRP was only 6 per cent as effective as DAP. However, when it was mixed with pyrite, the efficiency of MRP increased to 64 per cent at 20 kg P ha^–1 compared with 97 per cent at 40 kg P ha^–1. The P requirement for a targeted yield for 4.5 t ha^–1 decreased from 39.4 kg P ha^–1 as MRP to 23.7 kg P ha^–1 as MRP + pyrite. Of the other P fertilizers studied, NP was as effective as DAP, whereas APP was 9 to 37 per cent more effective than DAP. However, the P requirement as DAP, NP and APP for a targeted yield of 4.5 t ha^–1 was similar (11 ± 0.5 kg P ha^–1).     

Miscibility behavior of blend of polyesteramides of linseed oil and dehydrated castor oil with poly(methacrylic acid)

Blending of two polymers in solution is a simple and cost‐effective technique to improve upon the physical and mechanical properties of the component polymers through synergism. To obtain maximum synergy in their properties, the component polymers should be miscible with each other on molecular scale. Polymer blends of complex physicomechanical properties are being actively investigated. Poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), a commercial polymer, yields transparent, hard, brittle, and water‐sensitive films. It has been blended with natural polymers like dextran, collagen, and gelatin to obtain films with improved physical and mechanical characteristics. Polyesteramides, which are easily synthesized from vegetable seeds oil, a sustainable resource, have found application in surface coatings. These oligomeric products do not make free standing films in the ambient condition. The polyesteramides from vegetable seeds oil can be used to obtain blend with PMMA of improved mechanical and water absorption properties. In this study, linseed oil polyesteramide (LOPEA) and dehydrated castor oil polyesteramide (DCPEA), the source oils with different unsaturation in their fatty acid chains, were blended with PMAA through mixing in solution in the ratio DCPEA/LOPEA: PMAA as 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 50/50, 40/60, 30/70, and 20/80. In the first instance, the miscibility of the two components was investigated in solution by viscosity and ultrasonic measurements and in solid phase through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moisture absorption by the blend was also studied. DCPEA and LOPEA show immiscibility with PMAA in solution phase while LOPEA with more unsaturation in the fatty acid chain of the oil was found more immiscible than DCPEA. DCPEA shows a narrow miscibility window in the solid phase while LOPEA was found immiscible with PMAA in the solid phase too. Uptake of moisture was found to be markedly reduced in the blends of DCPEA/LOPEA with PMAA. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1367–1374, 2007:     

Graft copolymerzation of poly(vinyl chloride) with styrene. I. Synthesis and characterization

Graft copolymerization of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) partially dehydrochlorinated by heating in nitrobenzene was investigated using styrene as monomer and anhydrous AlCl₃ as cationic initiator in the temperature range of 0–35°C. Effect of monomer, catalyst, and PVC concentration on % graft-on was also evaluated. Introduction of labile sites in PVC by partial dehydrochlorination in nitrobenzene resulted in an increase in % graft-on. Intrinsic viscosity of PVC–g–polystyrene in THF initially increased with an increase in % graft-on. At higher % graft-on a decrease in [η] was observed.     

Toughened electrospun nanofibers from crosslinked elastomer‐thermoplastic blends

A crosslink‐able elastomeric polyester urethane (PEU) was blended with a thermoplastic, polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and electrospun into nanofibers. The effects of the PEU/PAN ratio and the crosslinking reaction on the morphology and the tensile properties of the as‐spun fiber mats were investigated. With the same overall polymer concentration (9 wt %), the nanofiber containing higher composition of PEU shows a slight decrease in the average fiber diameter, but the tensile strength, the elongation at break and tensile modulus of the nanofiber mats are all improved. These tensile properties are further enhanced by slight crosslinking of the PEU component within the nanofibers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Heterogeneous photocatalytic reduction of Fe(VI) in UV-irradiated titania suspensions: effect of ammonia

Results of the heterogeneous photocatalytic reduction of Fe(VI) in UV-irradiated TiO₂ suspensions in the presence of ammonia are presented. The initial rate of Fe(VI) reduction, R, may be expressed as R = k _Fe(VI)[Fe(VI)]^1.25 where k _Fe(VI) = a[Ammonia]+b), a = 6.0 × 10³ μm ^0.25 s and b = 4.1 × 10⁶ μm ^−1.25s⁻¹. The rate constant, k _Fe(VI), increases with the ammonia concentration. The photocatalytic oxidation of ammonia is enhanced in the presence of Fe(VI). A mechanism involving Fe(V) as a reactive intermediate is presented which explains the faster photocatalytic oxidation of ammonia in the presence of Fe(VI).     

Absorption of oxygen by 2-ethylhexaldehyde

The kinetics of absorption of oxygen by 2-ethylhexaldehyde dissolved in 2-ethylhexanoic acid at concentrations up to 1.38 × 10^?3 mole/cm³ (20 wt.-%), in the presence of manganese acetate, was studied in a stirred cell and in bubble and packed bubble columns. Diffusion of oxygen was found to play a major role. The reaction was first order in oxygen and second order with respect to the aldehyde, and the overall third-order rate constant was found to be 2.98 × 10⁷ cm⁶ mole^?2 sec^?1 at 30°. The effect of cobaltous acetate on the specific rate of absorption of oxygen was also studied and manganese acetate was found to be the better catalyst.     

Interpolymer complex microparticles based on polymethacrylic acid‐chitosan for oral insulin delivery

In the present study, microparticles composed of polymethacrylic acid‐chitosan (PMAA‐CS) were prepared by a novel interionic gelation method. Free‐radical polymerization of methacrylic acid was carried out in the presence of CS, using a water‐soluble initiator, and application of these microparticles toward oral insulin delivery was evaluated. Microparticles obtained were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies. From SEM studies, it was observed that microparticles had an aggregated morphology with size ～20 μm, while FTIR confirmed the presence of ionic interaction between PMAA and CS chains. Protein loading was done by diffusion filling method, and from in vitro release study, it was observed that insulin‐loaded microparticles displayed a pH depended release profile at alkaline/acidic pH. Microparticles exhibited sustained release of insulin for 3–4 h at neutral pH, and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) proved that encapsulated protein maintained 100% biological activity at neutral pH. Preliminary study suggests that these microparticles can serve as good candidate for oral protein delivery. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 506–512, 2006     

Fertility Inhibitor Heterobimetallic Complexes of Platinum(II) and Palladium(II): Synthetic, Spectroscopic and Antimicrobial Aspects

Synthetic, spectroscopic and antimicrobial aspects of some fertility inhibitor heterobimetallic complexes have been carried out. These heterobimetallic chelates [M(C(5)H(5)N(3))(2)M(2)'(R)(4)]Cl(2) (M = Pd or Pt and M' = Si, Sn, Ti and Zr) have been successfully synthesinzed via the reaction of M(C(5)H(7)N(3))(2)Cl(2) with group four or fourteen dichlorides in 1:2 stoichiometric proportions. The products were characterized by elemental analyses, molecular weight determinations, magnetic susceptibility measurements, conductance, and IR multinuclear NMR and electronic spectral studies. A square planar geometry has been suggested for all the complexes with the help of spectral data. Conductivity data strongly suggest that chlorine atoms are ionic in nature due to which complexes behave as electrolytes. All the complexes have been evaluated for their antmicrobial effects on different species of pathogenic fungi and bacteria. The testicular sperm density, testicular sperm morphology, sperm motility, density of cauda epididymal spermatozoa and fertility in mating trails and biochemical parameters of reproductive organs have been examined and discussed.     

12-tungstophosphoric and 12-tungstosilicicacid supported onto hydrous zirconia for liquid phase tert-butylation of m-cresol

Supported 12-tungstophosphoricacid (12-TPA) and 12-tunstosilicicacid (12-TSA) were used as heterogeneous catalysts for liquid-phase tert-butylation of m-cresol, an industrial important reaction. Alkylation reactions have been carried out with supported 12-TPA by varying different parameters such as % loading of 12-tungstophosphoricacid onto support, mole ratio of alcohol to m-cresol, reaction temperature, amount of the catalyst, reaction time and calcination temperature to optimize the conditions. To see the effect of the acidity on the reaction, the same reaction was studied over supported 12-TSA. Both the catalysts give 100% selectivity for o-isomer with different % conversion. The difference in catalyst performance of both the catalyst was correlated with the value of total acidity as well as Bronsted acidity.