Hydrolysis distribution method

In the slurry process, the hydrolysis is accompHshed using two stirred-tank reactors in series (266). Solutions of poly(vinyl acetate) and catalyst are continuously added to the first reactor, where 90% of the conversion occur, and then transferred to the second reactor to reach hiU conversion. Alkyl acetate and alcohols are continuously distilled off in order to drive the equiUbrium of the reaction. The resulting poly(vinyl alcohol) particles tend to be very fine, resulting in a dusty product. The process has been modified to yield a less dusty product through process changes (267,268) and the use of additives (269). Partially hydroly2ed products having a narrow hydrolysis distribution cannot be prepared by this method. 

The distribution method for studying hydrolysis can be applied to salts of a weak acid, provided a suitable solvent for the acid is available the hydrolysis constant is given by an equation identical with (38), except that m now represents the concentration of free acid in the non-aqueous liquid. The same principle can be applied to the investigation of salts of tw o-sided weakness provided a solvent can be found which dissolves cither the weak acid or the weak base, hut not both. 

Antikainen, P.J. and Dyrssen, D. (1960) Studies on the hydrolysis of metal ions. 26. Application of a liquid distribution method to the study of the hydrolysis of Ag. Acta Chem. Scand., 14, 86-94. 

Oils are mixtures of mixed esters with different fatty acids distributed among the ester molecules. Generally, identification of specific esters is not attempted instead the oils are characterized by analysis of the fatty acid composition (8,9). The principal methods have been gas—Hquid and high performance Hquid chromatographic separation of the methyl esters of the fatty acids obtained by transesterification of the oils. Mass spectrometry and nmr are used to identify the individual esters. It has been reported that the free fatty acids obtained by hydrolysis can be separated with equal accuracy by high performance Hquid chromatography (10). A review of the identification and deterrnination of the various mixed triglycerides is available (11). 

The alkyl chain distribution of the base alcohol in alcohol sulfates is easily determined by gas chromatography. However, alcohol sulfates and alcohol ether sulfates are not volatile and require a previous hydrolysis to yield the free alcohol. The extracted free alcohol can be injected directly [306] or converted to its trimethylsilyl derivative before injection [307]. Alternatively, the alcohol sulfate can be decomposed by hydroiodic acid to yield the alkyl iodides of the starting alcohols [308]. A preferred method forms the alkyl iodides after hydrolysis of the alcohol sulfate which are analyzed after further extraction of the free alcohol, thus avoiding the formation of hydrogen sulfide. This latter method is commonly used to determine the alkyl chain distribution of alcohol ether sulfates. 

Methods used to demonstrate the existence of membrane phospholipid asymmetry, such as chemical labelling and susceptibility to hydrolysis or modification by phospholipases and other enzymes, are rmsuitable for dynamic studies because the rates of chemical and biochemical reactions are of a different order compared to the transmembrane translocahon of the phospholipids. Indirect methods have therefore been developed to measure the translocation rate which are consequent on the loss of membrane phospholipid asymmetry. Thus time scales appropriate to rates of lipid scrambling under resting conditions or when the forces preserving the asymmetric phospholipid distribution are disturbed can be monitored. Generally the methods rely on detecting the appearance of phosphatidylserine on the surface of cells. Methods of demonstrating Upid translocation in mammalian cells has been the subject of a recent review (Bevers etal., 1999). 

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