Molecular Composition, Solid State Structure and Properties of Industrial Waxes and Peptide Inclusion Materials

This thesis is an investigation of molecular materials of hydrocarbon solids, industrial waxes and peptide inclusion compounds. It attempts to understand and describe the interactions between molecules in order to interpret or predict the behaviour of those complex materials. The molecular structure and distribution of the industrial waxes were studied using spectroscopy (NMR and IR). The solid state structures of the title materials were studied using X-ray diffraction (single crystal, powder and variable temperature powder), and their properties investigated using thermal analysis (TGA and DSC) and sorption experiments. In Chapter Two, the T/X phase diagrams of three binary systems of hydrocarbons were determined to understand the conditions of solid solution formation. Chapter Three describes the development of specific procedures for industrial companies to determine their products’ composition and bulk properties. The screening search for new inclusion compounds of leucyl-isoleucine is described in Chapter Four. The reversible sorption of guest molecules in microporous trileucine is described in Chapter Five. This work encompasses the effect of composition on the solid state structure, and the properties and applications of industrial waxes and peptide inclusion materials.