George F. Fanta

Ion exchange reactions of quaternary ammonium halides with wheat straw. Preparation of oil-absorbents

Abstract Products useful for removing emulsified oil from water were prepared by first heating wheat straw with sodium hydroxide solution and then subjecting the resulting product to an ion exchange reaction with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Comparison of sodium hydroxide solutions of varying concentrations showed that sufficient NaOH is needed to disrupt straw particles and produce a high surface area product; however, NaOH concentration must not be so high as to remove large amounts of hemicellulose, since the uronic acid substituents of hemicellulose are responsible for much of the ion exchange capacity of straw. Infrared spectroscopy of a typical straw-CTAB adduct indicated a C16 quaternary ammonium cation content of 3·9% by weight (13·7 meq per 100 g of adduct).

Starch-g-Poly(Methyl Acrylate)╌Effects of Graft Level and Molecular Weight on Tensile Strength

Starch, a hydrophilic polymeric material produced by plants as a food reserve, is produced in amounts in excess of that required for nutritionally balanced diets. In the United States about 4 billion pounds are used annually in industrial markets where a water-soluble polymer is needed, as in paper sizes and pastes. Interest has been shown in chemical modification of starch to make it hydrophobic to increase its potential as a replacement or extender for certain polymeric materials derived from nonrenewable resources.

Analysis of polysaccharide-poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) composites by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy

Abstract A method, based on absorbances in FTIR spectra of the CO singlebond stretch band of the polysaccharide and the CH stretch band of poly(ethylene- co -acrylic acid) (EAA) at 2851 cm −1 , was developed for the determination of EAA in composites with either dextran or starch. Spectral subtraction of the polysaccharide component was necessary for quantitative determination of EAA. The accuracy of this analytical procedure is affected by the fact that absorbances of these two bands are not equally dependent on particle size of the sample in the KBr pellet; the absorbance ratio, as calculated from FTIR spectra therefore varies with sample preparation conditions. To ensure the necessary particle size uniformity during the preparation of KBr pellets, a method based on relative intensities of two bands in the CO region of the spectrum was developed as an indicator of particle size in the pellet. This method was also used for monitoring sample size in the polysaccharide standard used for spectral subtraction, since particle size uniformity between sample and polysaccharide standard was also necessary for accurate determination of EAA.

Graft Copolymers of Starch and Poly(2-Hydroxy-3-Methacryloyloxy-Propyltrimethylammonium Chloride). Dependence of Graft Copolymer Structure on Method of Initiation

Starch is one of the cheapest and most readily available of all natural polymers. Although the more common derivatives of starch and their properties have been extensively studied, grafting high polymers to starch is an area of research that has received much less attention.