Studies on the synthesis and characterization of carboxymethylcellulose

Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was prepared in a completely heterogeneous procedure in an isopropanol/water slurry and the influence of the reaction conditions on the pattern of functionalization within the anhydroglucose repeating unit as well as due to the formation of the four main repeating units (i. e. unfunctionalized, mono-, di-, and tricarboxymethylated) was checked. The concentration of aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, which is used to activate the cellulose, was varied in the range from 8 to 30% at reaction times from 2 to 6 h at 55°C. The reaction with sodium monochloroacetate leads to the highest degree of substitution (DS_CMC) of 1.24 at a NaOH concentration of 15% and 5 h reaction time. Using a lye concentration of 30%, no influence of the reaction time between 2 h and 6 h was found. From ¹H NMR spectroscopical studies it was concluded that both the concentration of the alkali hydroxide solution and the reaction time influence the partial DS_CMC at positions O-2 and O-6, while position O-3 shows the lowest reactivity in any case, independent of the reaction conditions used. With increasing lye concentration, carboxymethylation occurs preferably at O-6. Information about the content of the differently functionalized repeating units can be obtained by chromatographic analysis after complete depolymerization of the polymer chains. Surprisingly, in any product synthesized a statistic content of the building units of the polymer was found even at low activation of cellulose.     

Effective Approaches for Estimating the Functionalization Pattern of Carboxymethyl Starch of Different Origin

Three types of differently prepared carboxymethyl starches were analyzed by HPLC and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy after chain degradation. In derivatives obtained in the conventional manner with values of the degree of substitution (DS) up to 0.85; glucose, mono- and di-O-carboxymethyl glucose were detected as building units. Comparison with statistic calculations revealed an even distribution of functional groups along the chain. ¹H-NMR studies confirmed a preferred substitution at the 2 position of the repeating unit. Comparable results were obtained for the carboxymethyl ether of amylose, amylopectin and β-cyclodextrin. The analysis of carboxymethylated starch samples prepared using a new synthesis concept via a reactive microstructure revealed a high DS achieved in a one-step synthesis as well as a non-statistic distribution of carboxymethyl groups along the chain. A significant amount of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-functionalization, caused by the branched structure of starch, was found. Moreover, carboxymethylation of 6-O-triphenylmethyl starch and subsequent detritylation yields a regioselectively functionalized polymer consisting not only of the expected mono- and di-O-carboxymethylated repeating units but also containing a significant amount of 2,3,4-tri-O-functionalized anhydro-glucose units.     

Die Haseltalbrücke bei Suhl – Ausführungsplanung,Fertigung und Montage

The Haseltalbridge near Suhl – final design, fabrication and erection. The article describes the execution of the new Haseltal bridge near Suhl/Germany through the phases of final design, fabrication and erection under consideration of the complex local requirements.     

Polymer dissolution. I. On the dissolution behavior of copolymers of methyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid

Copolymers of methyl methacrylate with methacrylic acid [P(MMA/MA)] are interesting resist materials for microlithography. At moderate baking temperatures, these copolymers undergo an intramolecular cyclization, yielding terpolymers containing anhydride moieties. This process has striking consequences for the dissolution behavior and results in higher ketone solubilities. The dissolution rates in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and in mixtures with ethyl glycol (EG) correlate in an Arrhenius-like manner with the reciprocal baking temperatures. Two distinct temperature ranges with different slopes between 130–180°C and 180–230°C are found. This is in good agreement with other findings, indicating a different mechanism of anhydride formation in these temperature regions. The activation energies for the dissolution of P(MMA/MA) in EG or EG/MEK mixtures are about 17 kcal/mol and those of the thermally treated material in MEK or MEK/EG or mixtures of MEK with methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) are in the range of 20–30 kcal/mol. For the investigation of the M_n dependence, γ-irradiated probes of the copolymer were used. We obtained the usual exponential M_n dependence with an exponent of 0.7–0.8 in MIBK and 0.3–0.4 in EG. Our findings are in agreement with a “relaxation-controlled” dissolution behavior, especially for the anhydride-containing terpolymer. No residual layers or pronounced inhibition periods indicative for gel-layer formation, however, could be found. We suggest a normal dissolution process with a very small gel layer. For the copolymer in an alcohol-containing solvent, a stress-driven dissolution behaviour is more likely. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

n‐Type Doping of Organic Thin Films Using Cationic Dyes

We present an approach to stable n‐type doping of organic matrices using organic dopants. In order to circumvent stability limitations inherent to strong organic donors, we produce the donor from a stable precursor compound in situ. As an example, the cationic dye pyronin B chloride is studied as a dopant in a 1,4,5,8‐naphthalene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTCDA) matrix. Conductivities of up to 1.9 × 10^–4 S cm^–1 are obtained for doped NTCDA, two orders of magnitude higher than the conductivity of NTCDA doped with bis(ethylenedithio)‐tetrathiafulvalene as investigated previously, and four orders of magnitude higher than nominally undoped NTCDA films. Field‐effect measurements are used to prove n‐type conduction and to study the doping effect further. The findings are interpreted using a model of transport in disordered solids using a recently published model. Combined FTIR, UV‐vis, and mass spectroscopy investigations suggest the formation of leuco pyronin B during sublimation of pyronin B chloride.     

Origin of hepatocellular carcinoma recurring after allotransplantation revealed by microsatellite analysis

A hepatocellular carcinoma was resected from a liver allotransplant after the patient's original organ had been removed because of a liver carcinoma. DNA analysis was performed to explore the origin of the carcinoma cells. DNA extracted from the carcinoma tissue, from the carcinoma free liver tissue, and from other cells of the recipient underwent polymerase chain reaction amplification for seven microsatellite systems and the X-Y amelogenin system. The allelic pattern from the carcinoma tissue was identical with that from the patient and differed from the DNA profile of the liver tissue. The result confirmed the assumption that the carcinoma tissue had originated from the patient and not from the donor.     

Failure of colostral immunoglobulin transfer in calves dying from infectious disease

Serum IgG1 concentrations of calves less than 3 weeks old and dying from infectious disease were significantly lower (P less than 0.01) than those of clinically normal calves. Fifty percent of the dead calves had serum IgG1 concentrations that were more than 2 standard deviations below the normal mean, and an additional 35% had IgG1 concentrations that were more than 1 standard deviation below the normal mean. Low IgG1 concentrations were attributed to failures in passive transfer of colostral immunoglobulin. The few calves dying of noninfectious causes generally had normal serum immunoglobulin concentrations. The results of this study emphasize the importance of adequate colostral intake and absorption to the neonatal calf. In view of the large numbers of calves that die from neonatal infection each year, it may be assumed that failure in passive transfer, as reflected by low serum immunoglobulin concentrations, is one of the most important factors influencing neonatal calf mortality.