Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Electric or magnetic imagery – e.g. – xerography,... – Post imaging process – finishing – or perfecting composition...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-26
2004-08-17
Acquah, Samuel A. (Department: 1711)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Electric or magnetic imagery, e.g., xerography,...
Post imaging process, finishing, or perfecting composition...
C528S361000, C528S377000, C528S380000, C527S300000, C525S437000, C435S041000, C435S117000, C435S130000, C435S135000, C435S136000, C435S146000, C435S874000, C435S877000, C430S096000, C430S097000, C430S108200, C430S109500, C430S110100, C430S127000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06777153
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel polyhydroxyalkanoate (hereinafter simply “PHA”), and also relates to a process for producing the PHA, comprising the step of producing a PHA by the use of a microorganism having the ability to produce the PHA and accumulate it in the bacterial body.
This invention further relates to a charge control agent, a toner binder and a toner for developing electrostatic latent images, used in recording processes which utilize electrophotography, electrostatic recording, magnetic recording or the like, an image-forming method making use of the toner, and an image-forming apparatus therefor. More particularly, it relates to a charge control agent, a toner binder and a toner for developing electrostatic latent images, used in electrophotographic, electrostatic-recording and electrostatic-printing apparatus such as copying machines, printers and facsimile machines, an image-forming method making use of the toner, and an image-forming apparatus therefor. Still more particularly, it relates to a negatively charging charge control agent having higher safety to human bodies and environment, a toner binder and a toner for developing electrostatic latent images, making use of such a charge control agent, an image-forming method making use of the toner, and an image-forming apparatus therefor.
2. Related Background Art
It has hitherto been reported that many microorganisms produce poly-3-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) or other PHA and accumulate it in the bacterial body (“Handbook of Biodegradable Plastics”, Biodegradable-Plastic Institute, K.K. N-T-S, pp.178-197, 1995). Like conventional plastics, these polymers can be utilized for the production of various products by melt processing or the like. Also, since they are biodegradable, they have an advantage of being completely broken down by microorganisms in the natural world, and by no means remain in natural environment to cause pollution as many conventional synthetic polymeric compounds do. They also have superior adaptability to living bodies and are expected to be applicable as medical flexible members.
It is known that such PHAs produced by microorganisms may have various composition and structure depending on the type of microorganisms used for its production, the composition of culture medium, the conditions for culturing and so forth. Researches on how to control such composition and structure have hitherto chiefly been made from the viewpoint of the improvement in physical properties of PHAs.
(1) In the first place, as biosyntheses of PHAs by the polymerization of a monomer unit having a relatively simple structure, including 3-hydroxybutyric acid (hereinafter simply “3HB”), the following cases are available.
(a) Those which contain 3HB and 3-hydroxyvaleric acid (hereinafter “3HV”):
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,393,167, 4,876,331 and 5,200,332.
(b) those which contain 3HB and 3-hydroxyhexanoic acid (hereinafter “3HHx”):
U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,860 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-265065.
(c) those which contain 3HB and 4-hydroxybutyric acid (hereinafter “4HB”):
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-191893.
(d) those which contain 3-hydroxyalkanoates having 6 to 12 carbon atoms:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,698.
(e) Biosynthesis utilizing a simple fatty acid as a carbon source. Products are substantially the same as those of (d); Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 58(2), 746, 1992.
These are all PHAs each comprised of a monomer unit having an alkyl group in the side chain, i.e., “usual PHA”, all synthesized by &bgr;-oxidation of hydrocarbons or synthesis of fatty acids from saccharides by the microorganisms.
(2) When, however, broader application of such PHAs produced by microorganisms, e.g., application as functional polymers is taken into account, a PHA in which a substituent other than the alkyl group has been introduced in the side chain, i.e., “unusual PHA” is expected to be very useful. As examples of such a substituent, it may include those containing aromatic rings (such as a phenyl group and a phenoxy group), unsaturated hydrocarbons, an ester group, an ally group, a cyano group, halogenated hydrocarbons and epoxides. Of these, researches are energetically made especially on PHAs having aromatic rings.
(a) Those which contain a phenyl group or a partially substituted phenyl group:
Macromol. Chem. Phys., 191, 1957-1965 (1990) and Macromolecules, 24, 5256-5260 (1991) report that
Pseudomonas oleovorans
produces a PHA containing 3-hydroxy-5-phenylvaleric acid as a unit, using 5-phenylvaleric acid as a substrate.
Macromolecules, 29, 1762-1766 (1996) reports that
Pseudomonas oleovorans
produces a PHA containing 3-hydroxy-5-(4′-tolyl)valeric acid as a unit, using 5-(4′-toyl)valeric acid as a substrate.
Macromolecules, 32, 2889-2895 (1999) reports that
Pseudomonas oleovorans
produces a PHA containing 3-hydroxy-5-(2′,4′-dinitrophenyl)valeric acid and 3-hydroxy-5-(4′-nitrophenyl)valeric acid as units, using 5-(2′,4′-dinitrophenyl)valeric acid as a substrate.
(b) Those which contain a phenoxyl group or a partially substituted phenoxyl group:
Macromol. Chem. Phys., 195, 1665-1672 (1994) reports that
Pseudomonas oleovorans
produces a PHA copolymer of 3-hydroxy-5-phenoxyvaleric acid with 3-hydroxy-9-phenoxynonanoic acid, using 11-phenoxyundecanoic acid as a substrate.
Japanese Patent No. 2,989,175 discloses invention which is concerned with a homopolymer comprised of a 3-hydroxy-5-(monofluorophenoxy)pentanoate (3H5(MFP)P) unit or a 3-hydroxy-5-(difluorophenoxy)pentanoate (3H5(DFP)P) unit, and a copolymer containing at least the (3H5(MFP)P) unit or the (3H5(DFP)P) unit;
Pseudomonas putida
capable of synthesizing such a polymer; and a process of producing the above polymer by the use of the genus Pseudomonas. It is reported that as its effect a polymer the side-chain terminal of which has a phenoxyl group substituted with 1 or 2 fluorine atom(s) can be synthesized by utilizing a long-chain fatty acid having a substituent and that stereo-regularity (syndiotacticity) and water repellency can be imparted having a high melting point and retaining good processability.
In addition to such fluorine-group-substituted products, cyano-group- or nitro-group-substituted products are also on researches.
Can. J. Microbiol., 41, 32-43 (1995) and Polymer International, 39, 205-213 (1996) report that a PHA containing 3-hydroxy-p-cyanophenoxyhexanoic acid or 3-hydroxy-p-nitrophenoxyhexanoic acid as a monomer unit is produced using octanoic acid and p-cyanophenoxyhexanoic acid or p-nitrophenoxyhexanoic acid as a substrate by the use of
Pseudomonas oleovorans
strain ATCC 29347 and
Pseudomonas putida
strain KT 2442.
These reports are useful in order to obtain polymers which all have an aromatic ring in the side chain of PHA, different from the commonly available PHAs having an alkyl group in the side chain, and have physical properties arising therefrom.
(3) As a new category, without limitation merely to changes in physical properties, researches are also made intending to produce a PHA having a suitable functional group in the side chain.
For example, Macromolecules, 31, 1480-1486 (1996) and Journal of Polymer Science: Part A: Polymer Chemistry, 36, 2381-2387 (1998) report that a PHA containing at the side-chain terminal a unit having a vinyl group is synthesized and thereafter the product synthesized is epoxidized with an oxidizing agent and this has enabled synthesis of a PHA containing a highly reactive epoxy group at the side-chain terminal.
Besides the vinyl group, as an example of synthesizing a PHA containing a unit having a thioether (—S—; a sulfanyl linkage), expected to provide a high reactivity, Macromolecules, 32, 8315-8318 (1999) reports that
Pseudomonas putida
strain 27N01 produces a PHA copolymer of 3-hydroxy-5-thiophenoxyvaleric acid (3-hydroxy-5-(phenylsulfanyl)valeric acid) with 3-hydroxy-7-thiophenoxyheptanoic acid (3-hydroxy-7-(phenylsulfanyl)heptanoic acid), using 11-thiophenoxyundecanoic acid (11-(phenylsulfanyl)
Honma Tsutomu
Imamura Takeshi
Kenmoku Takashi
Sugawa Etsuko
Yano Tetsuya
Acquah Samuel A.
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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