The role of castor oil in epoxy and polyamide systems for coating and adhesive application

Summary  Over the past few years, the challenges of globalisation, consolidation and economical point of view have meant that manufacturers of epoxy formulations have to constantly improve their capability to meet the needs of customers. An active area for advancement is that of epoxy and polyamide resin with castor oil. Generally, people working in the coating industries are familiar with castor oil, but this paper provides information on the new use of castor oil in epoxy and polyamide resin. This novel product (castor oil-modified epoxy resin/castor oil-modified polyamide) provides a previously unattainable combination and improved flexibility and toughness to a variety of ambient cure applications. This communication will review the performance of these castor oil-modified epoxy and polyamide resin surface coatings and adhesives. Based on the results of this study, these systems offer some advantages without much affecting the traditional properties of epoxy and polyamide resin in a variety of applications.     

Endogenous Polyamines and Ethylene Biosynthesis in Relation to Germination of Osmoprimed Brassica napus Seeds under Salt Stress

Currently, seed priming is reported as an efficient and low-cost approach to increase crop yield, which could not only promote seed germination and improve plant growth state but also increase abiotic stress tolerance. Salinity represents one of the most significant abiotic stresses that alters multiple processes in plants. The accumulation of polyamines (PAs) in response to salt stress is one of the most remarkable plant metabolic responses. This paper examined the effect of osmopriming on endogenous polyamine metabolism at the germination and early seedling development of Brassica napus in relation to salinity tolerance. Free, conjugated and bound polyamines were analyzed, and changes in their accumulation were discussed with literature data. The most remarkable differences between the corresponding osmoprimed and unprimed seeds were visible in the free (spermine) and conjugated (putrescine, spermidine) fractions. The arginine decarboxylase pathway seems to be responsible for the accumulation of PAs in primed seeds. The obvious impact of seed priming on tyramine accumulation was also demonstrated. Moreover, the level of ethylene increased considerably in seedlings issued from primed seeds exposed to salt stress. It can be concluded that the polyamines are involved in creating the beneficial effect of osmopriming on germination and early growth of Brassica napus seedlings under saline conditions through moderate changes in their biosynthesis and accumulation.     

N,N′,N″-三(异丙基)-1,4,7-三氮杂环壬烷的合成改进

在无水碳酸钾存在下,以1,4,7-三氮杂环壬烷和2-溴丙烷为原料合成了标题化合物,与文献方法相比,产物处理简单,产率高达99%。     

Enhancing crop yield with the use of N‐based fertilizers co‐applied with plant hormones or growth regulators

Crop yield, vegetative or reproductive, depends on access to an adequate supply of essential mineral nutrients. At the same time, a crop plant's growth and development, and thus yield, also depend on in situ production of plant hormones. Thus optimizing mineral nutrition and providing supplemental hormones are two mechanisms for gaining appreciable yield increases. Optimizing the mineral nutrient supply is a common and accepted agricultural practice, but the co‐application of nitrogen‐based fertilizers with plant hormones or plant growth regulators is relatively uncommon. Our review discusses possible uses of plant hormones (gibberellins, auxins, cytokinins, abscisic acid and ethylene) and specific growth regulators (glycine betaine and polyamines) to enhance and optimize crop yield when co‐applied with nitrogen‐based fertilizers. We conclude that use of growth‐active gibberellins, together with a nitrogen‐based fertilizer, can result in appreciable and significant additive increases in shoot dry biomass of crops, including forage crops growing under low‐temperature conditions. There may also be a potential for use of an auxin or cytokinin, together with a nitrogen‐based fertilizer, for obtaining additive increases in dry shoot biomass and/or reproductive yield. Further research, though, is needed to determine the potential of co‐application of nitrogen‐based fertilizers with abscisic acid, ethylene and other growth regulators. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Claramines: A New Class Of Broad‐Spectrum Antimicrobial Agents With Bimodal Activity

The emergence of multidrug‐resistant bacteria and pathogens has created an urgent need for the development of new antibiotics. Herein we report our investigations into the broad‐spectrum activity of an easily prepared water‐soluble polyaminosterol compound, namely claramine A1, against both drug‐sensitive and drug‐resistant Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacterial strains. We also report its peculiar mechanism of action, which differs from that of all the other well‐known classes of antibiotics, toward Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria. Given their low cytotoxicity, this class of compounds based on claramine A1 could constitute an effective response to combat the emergence of multidrug‐resistant bacteria and nosocomial diseases.     

Tools to maintain postharvest fruit and vegetable quality through the inhibition of ethylene action: a review

Ethylene is a plant hormone controlling a wide range of physiological processes in plants. During postharvest storage of fruit and vegetables ethylene can induce negative effects including senescence, over-ripening, accelerated quality loss, increased fruit pathogen susceptibility, and physiological disorders, among others. Apart from the endogenous ethylene production by plant tissues, external sources of ethylene (e.g. engine exhausts, pollutants, plant, and fungi metabolism) occur along the food chain, in packages, storage chambers, during transportation, and in domestic refrigerators. Thus, it is a great goal in postharvest to avoid ethylene action. This review focuses on tools which may be used to inhibit ethylene biosynthesis/action or to remove ethylene surrounding commodities in order to avoid its detrimental effects on fruit and vegetable quality. As inhibitors of ethylene biosynthesis and action, good results have been found with polyamines and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) in terms of maintenance of fruit and vegetable quality and extension of postharvest shelf-life. As ethylene scavengers, the best results can be achieved by adsorbers combined with catalysts, either chemical or biological (biofilters).     

Effects of Postharvest Putrescine Treatment on Extending Shelf Life and Reducing Mechanical Damage in Apricot

ABSTRACT: Apricots ( Prunus armeniaca L. cv Mauricio) harvested at commercial ripening stage were treated with putrescine (1 mM), then mechanically damaged with a 25 N force and stored at 10 °C for 6 d. Putrescine treatment increased fruit firmness and reduced the bruising zones caused by the mechanical damage. Putrescine-treated fruits (both damaged and nondamaged) showed different physiological behavior than controls. Color change, weight loss, ethylene emission, and respiration rate were reduced in putrescine-treated fruits. The most remarkable effect of the mechanical damage was the significant increase in spermidine concentrations found after the compression in control apricots, which could be considered as a physiological marker of mechanical damage.     

Application of a hydrolyzable cationic agent,poly(acryloxyethyl trimethylammonium chloride), in salt‐free reactive dyeing for good dyeing properties

Poly(acryloxyethyl trimethylammonium chloride) (PAOTAC), in which cationic groups were connected with the polymer skeleton through ester bonds, was applied in the salt‐free reactive dyeing of cotton with the aim of achieving good dyeing properties. Exhaust and exhaust–pad–steam dyeing procedures were used with the cotton cationized with PAOTAC in the absence of salt; for comparison, both dyeing procedures were also applied with the untreated cotton in the presence of salt. The dyeing results show that only the exhaust–pad–steam dyeing procedure was suitable for dyeing cationic cotton to achieve a high dye fixation. Color yields, colorimetric properties, fastness properties, dyeing levelness, and penetration behaviors with different dyeing methods were evaluated. Compared with the dyeings with untreated cotton in conventional exhaust dyeing, dyeings with cationic cotton in the exhaust–pad–steam procedure showed equivalent or even better fastness with generally higher color yields and good dye penetration. Possible reasons for the improved salt‐free dyeing properties were proposed, and the hydrolysis of ester bonds within PAOTAC under the dyeing conditions was proven by IR spectroscopy. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Inverted emulsion polymerization route to polyaniline‐3D nanofiber network using sulfonated‐p‐cresol as novel dopant

Sulfonated‐p‐cresol (SPC) was used as novel dopant for the first time in the synthesis of polyaniline in 3D nanofiber networks (PANI‐3D). Polyaniline in 3D nanofiber network was prepared using organic solvent soluble benzoyl peroxide as oxidizing agent in presence of SPC and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) surfactant via inverted emulsion polymerization pathway. The influence of synthesis conditions such as the concentration of the reactants, stirring/static condition, and temperature etc., on the properties and formation of polyaniline nanofiber network were investigated. Polyaniline in 3D nanofiber network with 40–160 nm (diameter), high yield (134 wt % with respect to aniline used), and reasonably good conductivity (0.1 S/cm) was obtained in 24 h time. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011