Silicon‐terminated telechelic oligomers by ADMET chemistry: Synthesis and copolymerization

Methoxydimethylsilane and chlorodimethylsilane‐terminated telechelic polyoctenomer oligomers (POCT) have been prepared by acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) chemistry using Grubbs' ruthenium Ru(Cl₂)(CHPh)(PCy₃)₂ [Ru] or Schrock's molybdenum Mo(CH CMe₂Ph)(N 2,6 C₆H₃ i Pr₂)(OCMe(CF₃)₂)₂ [Mo] catalysts. These macromolecules have been characterized by FTIR, ¹H‐, ¹³C‐, and ²⁹Si‐NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weight distributions of these polymers have been determined by GPC and vapor pressure osmometry (VPO). The number‐average molecular weight (M_n) values of the telechelomers are dictated by the initial ratio of the monomer to the chain limiter. The termini of these oligomers (M_n = 2000) can undergo a condensation reaction with hydroxy‐terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) macromonomer (M_n = 3300) [HO Si(CH₃)₂ O { Si(CH₃)₂O }_x  Si(CH₃)₃], producing an ABA‐type block copolymer, as follows: (CH₃)₃SiO [ Si(CH₃)₂O ]_x [ CHCH (CH₂)₆ ]_y [ OSi(CH₃)₂ ]_x OSi(CH₃)₃. The block copolymers were characterized by ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy, VPO, and GPC, as well as elemental analysis, and were determined by VPO to have a M_n of 8600. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 849–856, 1999     

Supramolecular hexagonal structure of a segmented liquid crystalline polyester with allyl group as lateral substituent

The molecular structure of the phase—stable at room temperature—for the polymer with formula [ p C₆H₄ COO p C₆H₃(R) p C₆H₃(R) OOC p C₆H₄ O (CH₂)₁₀O ]_x, with R =  CH₂ CHCH₂, is reported. The cell is hexagonal (a = b = 13.43 Å, c = 33.3 Å, γ = 120°), space group P6₃, six chains per unit cell (d_calcd = 1.23 g cm⁻³). The six chains are packed together to give a bundle with the center of mass set at the origin of the unit cell. The allyl groups are placed inside the bundle, thus explaining the unexpected reactivity of the double bonds to give crosslinking when fiber samples are annealed in the solid state. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1601–1607, 1999     

Gel formation in cationic polymerization of divinyl ethers. II. 2,2-Bis{4-[(2-vinyloxy)ethoxy]phenyl}propane

Cationic polymerization of 2,2-bis{4-[(2-vinyloxy)ethoxy]phenyl}propane [CH₂CH O CH₂CH₂O C₆H₄ C(CH₃)₂ C₆H₄ OCH₂CH₂ O CHCH₂; 2], a divinyl ether with oxyethylene units adjacent to the polymerizable vinyl ether groups and a bulky central spacer, was investigated in CH₂Cl₂ at 0°C with the diphenyl phosphate [(C₆H₅O)₂P(O)OH]/zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) initiating system. The polymerization proceeded quantitatively and gave soluble polymers up to 85% monomer conversion. In the same fashion as the polymerization of 1,4-bis[2-vinyloxy(ethoxy)]benzene (CH₂CH O CH₂CH₂O C₆H₄ OCH₂CH₂ O CHCH₂; 1) that we already studied, the content of the unreacted pendant vinyl ether groups of the produced soluble polymers decreased with monomer conversion, and almost all the pendant vinyl ether groups were consumed in the soluble products prior to gelation. Alternatively, endo-type double bonds were gradually formed in the polymer main chains by chain transfer reactions and other side reactions as the polymerization proceeded. The polymerization behavior of isobutyl vinyl ether (3), a monofunctional vinyl ether, under the same conditions, showed that the endo-type olefins in the polymer backbones are of no polymerization ability with the growing active species involved in the present polymerization systems. These results indicate that the intermolecular crosslinking reactions occurred primarily by the pendant vinyl ether groups, and the final stage of crosslinking process leading to gelation also may occur by the small amount of the residual pendant vinyl ether groups (supposedly less than 2%). The formation of the soluble polymers that almost lack the unreacted pendant vinyl ether groups is most likely due to the frequent occurrence of intramolecular crosslinking reactions. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1931–1941, 1999     

Preparation of poly(alkylenebenzimidazole) by ruthenium complex catalyzed polycondensation of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine with α,ω‐diols

The reactions of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine with 1,12‐dodecanediol in 1 : 1–1:3 molar ratios in the presence of RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ catalyst give poly(alkylenebenzimidazole), [ (CH₂)₁₁ O (CH₂)₁₁ Im / (CH₂)₁₀ Im ]_n (Im: 5,5′‐dibenzimidazole‐2,2′‐diyl) (I_a‐I_d) in 71–92% yields. The relative ratio between the [(CH₂)₁₁ O (CH₂)₁₁ Im ] unit (A) and the [‐ (CH₂)₁₀ Im ] unit (B) in the polymer chain varies depending on the ratio of the substrates used. The polymer I_a obtained from the 1 : 3 reaction contains these structural units in a 98 : 2 ratio. The polymers are soluble in polar solvents such as DMF (N,N‐dimethylformamide), DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), and NMP (N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone) and have molecular weights M_n (M_w) of 4,200–4,800 (4,800–6,500) by GPC (polystyrene standard). The polymerization of the diol and 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine in higher molar ratios leads to partial cross‐linking of the resulting polymers I_e and I_f via condensation of imidazole NH group with CH₂OH group. Similar reactions of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine with α,ω‐diols, HO(CH₂)_mOH (m = 4–10), in a 1 : 3 molar ratio give the polymers containing [ (CH₂)_m−1 O (CH₂) _m−1 Im ] and [ (CH₂) _m−2 Im ] units with partial cross‐linked structures. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1383–1392, 1999     

Living cationic polymerization route to poly(oligooxyethylene carbonate) vinyl ethers

The addition of dialkyl (R = Me or Et) carbonates to poly(oxyethylene)-based solid polymeric electrolytes resulted in enhanced ionic conductivities. Relatively high conductivities in lithium batteries with solutions of lithium salts in di(oligooxyethylene) carbonates such as R( OCH₂ CH₂ )_nOC(O) O ( CH₂CH₂O )_mR (R = Et, n = 1, 2, or 3, m = 0, 1, 2, or 3) and related carbonates were obtained. In this respect, related comb-shaped poly(oligooxyethylene carbonate) vinyl ethers of the type  CH₂CH(OR) were prepared [R = ( OCH₂ CH₂ )_nOC(O) O ( CH₂CH₂O )_mR′; (1) n = 2 or 3, m = 0, R′ = Et; (2) n = 2 or 3; m = 3, R′ = Me]. The direct preparation of derived target polymers of this class by polymerization of the corresponding vinyl ether-type monomers could not be achieved because of a rapid in situ decarboxylative decomposition of these monomers (as formed) during the final step of their synthesis. Instead, a prepolymer was prepared by a living cationic polymerization of CH₂CH (OCH₂CH₂ )_n O C(O) CH₃ (n = 2 or 3). The hydrolysis of its pendant ester groups, followed by the reaction of the hydrolyzed prepolymer with each of several alkyl chloroformates of the type Cl C(O) O( CH₂CH₂O )_mR′ (m = 0, 2, or 3, R′ = Me or Et) resulted in the corresponding target polymers. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2171–2183, 2002     

Ru and Sm catalyzed polyaddition of dialdehydes to give polyesters. Application of Tishchenko type reactions to polymer synthesis

RuH₂(PPh₃)₄ catalyzed Tishchenko type polyaddition of terephthal-aldehyde gives aromatic polyester ( 1 ), which contains three structural units, [OCH₂ C₆H₄ CH₂O] ( 1a ), [OCH₂ C₆H₄ CO] ( 1b ), and [CO C₆H₄ CO] ( 1c ). ¹H-NMR spectrum shows the presence of the three units in a 1 : 2 : 1 ratio. Isophthalaldehyde also undergoes similar polyaddition to give another aromatic polyester ( 2 ), while 1,12-dodecanedial gives an aliphatic polyester ( 3 ) containing the following structural units: [OCH₂ (CH₂)₁₀ CH₂O] ( 3a ), [OCH₂ (CH₂)₁₀ CO] ( 3b ), and [CO (CH₂)₁₀ CO] ( 3c ). The above polymers have M_n of 2.7 × 10³−5.4 × 10³ and M_w of 4.3 × 10³ − 9.7 × 10³, respectively. Mixtures of terephthalaldehyde and 1,12-dodecanedial produce copolymers, which contain the units 1a–1c and 3a–3c in a random sequence. In the copolymerization, terephthalaldehyde shows a strong tendency to give 1c units, whereas 1,12-dodecanedial predominantly affords 3a units. SmI₂ also catalyzes polyaddition of terephthalaldehyde to give the corresponding polyester with M_n of 1.7 × 10³ and M_w of 3.7 × 10³, respectively. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1265–1273, 1997     

Gel formation in cationic polymerization of divinyl ethers. I. 1,4-Bis(2-vinyloxyethoxy)benzene

Polymerization of 1,4-bis(2-vinyloxyethoxy)benzene (CH₂C O CH₂ CH₂ O C₆H₄ O CH₂CH₂ O CCH₂; 1 ) was investigated in CH₂Cl₂ at 0°C with the use of a variety of cationic initiators. SnCl₄, SnBr₄, AlEtCl₂, and BF₃OEt₂ (strong Lewis acids) and CF₃SO₃H (a strong protonic acid) yielded crosslinked insoluble polymers immediately after the polymerizations were initiated. The binary initiating systems such as HCl/ZnCl₂ and (C₆H₅O)₂P(O)OH/ZnCl₂ also produced insoluble poly( 1 )s. At the low initial concentration of ZnCl₂, however, the (C₆H₅O)₂P(O)OH/ZnCl₂ system gave the soluble polymers quantitatively, and gelation occurred only when the reaction mixture was stored for a long time after complete consumption of the monomer. The content of the unreacted pendant vinyl ether groups of the soluble polymers decreased with monomer conversion, and almost all the pendant vinyl ether groups were consumed in the soluble polymer obtained at 100% monomer conversion; this may be ascribed to frequent occurrence of intramolecular crosslinking. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 675–683, 1998     

Construction of Highly Active Metal-Containing Nanoparticles and FeCo-N4 Composite Sites for the Acidic Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Metal-containing nanoparticles (M-NPs) in metal/nitrogen-doped carbon (M-N-C) catalysts have been considered hostile to the acidic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The relation between M-NPs and the active sites of metal coordinated with nitrogen (MN_x) is hard to establish in acid medium owing to the poor stability of M-NPs. Herein, we develop a strategy to successfully construct a new FeCo-N-C catalyst containing highly active M-NPs and MN₄ composite sites (M/FeCo-SAs-N-C). Enhanced catalytic activity and stability of M/FeCo-SAs-N-C is shown experimentally. Calculations reveal that there is a strong interaction between M-NPs and FeN₄ sites, which can favor ORR by activating the O−O bond, thus facilitating a direct 4 e⁻ process. Those findings firstly shed light on the highly active M-NPs and FeN₄ composite sites for catalyzing acid oxygen reduction reaction, and the relevant reaction mechanism is suggested.     

A DFT Study on the Activity Origin of Fe−N−C Sites for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Iron-nitrogen-carbon materials have been known as the most promising non-noble metal catalyst for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), but the genuine active sites for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are still arguable. Herein, by the thorough density functional theory investigations, we unravel that the planar Fe₂N₆ site exhibits excellent ORR catalytic activity over both FeN₃ and FeN₄ sites, and the potential-determining step is determined to be the *OH hydrogenation step with an overpotential of 0.415 V. The ORR activity of Fe₂N₆ site originates from the low spin magnetic moment (1.11 μ_B), which leads to high antibonding states and low d-band center of the Fe center, further leads to weak binding strength of *OH species. The density of FeN₄ sites only has little influence on the ORR activity owing to the similar interaction between active site and intermediates in ORR. Our research sheds light on the activity origin of iron-nitrogen-carbon materials for ORR.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Amino Acid Modified Chitooligosaccharides

Amino acid modified chitooligosaccharides were synthesized by the new synthetic route. The chloroacetyl-chitooliogosaccharide intermediates were prepared under a mild condition via a reaction between chitooligosaccharide (COS) and chloroacetic anhydride. The intermediates were subsequently reacted with a variety of amino acids, e.g., glycine, aspartic acid, alanine, arginine, and serine, under a basic condition, yielding amino acid modified COS products. The degree of chloroacetylation was calculated based on new ¹H NMR absorption peaks at 3.80 and 3.94 ppm, corresponding to  NH CO CH₂ Cl and  O CO CH₂ Cl, respectively. The degrees of chloroacetylation determined were 0.40, 0.44, 0.62, and 0.93 when the mole ratios of chloroacetic anhydride to COS were 0.5, 1, 2, and 4, respectively. The chemical structures of the COS derivatives were also determined using ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The biological properties of the derivatives were evaluated. Cytotoxicity of the derivatives was assessed by a direct contact, using L929 cells. An MTT assay was a method of choice to evaluate the efficacy of the derivatives to enhance the proliferation of L929 cells.     

UV Laser‐Induced Gas‐Phase Copolymerization of Carbon Disulfide and Ethene

Summary: The laser irradiation at 193 nm of a gaseous mixture of carbon disulfide and ethene induces the copolymerization of both compounds and affords the chemical vapour deposition of a C/S/H polymer, the composition of which indicates the reaction between two to three CS₂ molecules and one C₂H₄ molecule. Polymer structure is interpreted on the basis of X‐ray photoelectron and FT‐IR spectra as consisting of >CS, >CC<,  CH₂ CH₂ , (CC)S_nC_{4 − n},  C (CS) S ,  S (CS) S , and C S S C configurations. The gas‐phase copolymerization of carbon disulfide and ethene represents the first example of such a reaction between carbon disulfide and a common monomer.

Scheme showing the expected reaction of excited CS₂ molecules with other CS₂ molecules to form dimers, which then react with another CS₂ molecule or add to ethene.     

Mechanistic insight into the rhodium(III)-catalyzed ortho-selective coupling of diverse arenes with 4-acyl-1-sulfonyltriazoles: A computational study

A mechanistic study of the Cp*Rh(III)-catalyzed annulative coupling of benzimidates with 4-acyl-1-sulfonyltriazoles by C H activation was performed using density functional M06 method. It was demonstrated that the active catalyst during the coupling process should be the cation [Cp*Rh(OAc)]⁺ rather than the neutral Cp*Rh(OAc)₂ and Zn(OAc)₂ as proposed previously by the experimenters. A novel energetically feasible reaction pathway has been revealed theoretically in details. The acetic acid-mediated cyclization process was confirmed to be the rate-limiting step with an overall barrier of 24.3 kcal/mol, excluding any importance of the C H cleavage mechanism as supported by the kinetic isotope effect experiments. The major factors responsible for the preferred regioselectivity of N-pyrimidinylinoles with 4-acetyl-1-sulfonyltriazoles were discussed.     

Über die Entstehung von α-Keto-carbonium-Ionen bei der säurekatalysierten Hydrolyse von Diazoketonen. (Vorläufige Mitteilung)

Secondary deactivated aliphatic diazo compounds (diazo-ketones R CO CN₂ R′; diazo-esters ROOC CN₂ R′; 1, 1, 1-trifluoro-2-diazopropane) are hydrolysed by the A S_E2 mechanism comprising rate determining protonation of the substrate, followed by decomposition. Product analysis shows that the decomposition of the secondary diazonium ions is monomolecular, without intervention of a nucleophile. The corresponding primary diazo compounds (R CO CHN₂, ROOC CHN₂ and CF₃ CHN₂) are hydrolysed by the A-2 mechanism comprising preequilibrium protonation; the primary diazonium ion reacts with a nucleophile in a bimolecular displacement step. The only exception observed is found in p-nitrophenyl-diazomethane, which follows A S_E2 mechanism. The observations are discussed in terms of the stability of the corresponding secondary resp. primary α-keto-carbonium ions.     

Study on thermal degradation mechanisms of comb polyacrylates containing long fluorocarbon side chains by TG/FTIR

Thermal degradation of two series of polyacrylates containing long fluorocarbon chains [abbr.: PF_nA {HCF₂(CF₂)_n−1  CH₂ O C(O) , n = 4, 6, 8, 10} and abbr.: PFF_nEA {CF₃(CF₂)_n−1  CH₂CH₂ O C(O) , n = 6, 8, 10}] was investigated by TG /FTIR. Thermal degradation behavior of polymers changed depending on the type of tie groups, which link the fluorocarbon chains to the main chain, and also on the length of fluorocarbon chains. It was clarified that the apparent activation energies (ΔE_a ) of PF_nA series obtained by Ozawa's method varied in the order of PF₄A > PF₆A > PF₈A > PF₁₀A, while those of PFF_nEA series having tie group of  CH₂ CH₂ O C(O) were almost constant. The results for PF_nA series (tie group:  CH₂ O C(O) ) are attributable to the shield effect of long fluorocarbon chains on the back‐biting reaction in the thermal degradation of comb polymers rather than the change of C C bond dissociation energy in the main chain. It was found that TG curves of PFF_nEA series were shifted to the lower temperature region than those of PF_nA. This result can be attributable to the scission of side groups followed by the evaporation of fluorocarbon compounds and carbon dioxide. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2794–2803, 2000     

Understanding Synergistic Catalysis on Cu-Se Dual Atom Sites via Operando X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy in Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The construction and understanding of synergy in well-defined dual-atom active sites is an available avenue to promote multistep tandem catalytic reactions. Herein, we construct a dual-hetero-atom catalyst that comprises adjacent Cu-N₄ and Se-C₃ active sites for efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy coupled with theoretical calculations provide in-depth insights into this dual-atom synergy mechanism for ORR under realistic device operation conditions. The heteroatom Se modulator can efficiently polarize the charge distribution around symmetrical Cu-N₄ moieties, and serve as synergistic site to facilitate the second oxygen reduction step simultaneously, in which the key OOH*-(Cu₁-N₄) transforms to O*-(Se₁-C₂) intermediate on the dual-atom sites. Therefore, this designed catalyst achieves satisfied alkaline ORR activity with a half-wave potential of 0.905 V vs. RHE and a maximum power density of 206.5 mW cm⁻² in Zn-air battery.     

Olefin polymerization and copolymerization with soluble transition‐metal complex catalysts

Olefin polymerizations catalyzed by Cp′TiCl₂(O‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) ( 1 – 5 ; Cp′ = cyclopentadienyl group), RuCl₂(ethylene)(pybox) { 7 ; pybox = 2,6‐bis[(4S)‐4‐isopropyl‐2‐oxazolin‐2‐yl]pyridine}, and FeCl₂(pybox) ( 8 ) were investigated in the presence of a cocatalyst. The Cp*TiCl₂(O‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) ( 5 )–methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalyst exhibited remarkable catalytic activity for both ethylene and 1‐hexene polymerizations, and the effect of the substituents on the cyclopentadienyl group was an important factor for the catalytic activity. A high level of 1‐hexene incorporation and a lower r_E · r_H value with 5 than with [Me₂Si(C₅Me₄)(N^tBu)]TiCl₂ ( 6 ) were obtained, despite the rather wide bond angle of Cp Ti O (120.5°) of 5 compared with the bond angle of Cp Ti N of 6 (107.6°). The 7 –MAO catalyst exhibited moderate catalytic activity for ethylene homopolymerization and ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization, and the resultant copolymer incorporated 1‐hexene. The 8 –MAO catalyst also exhibited activity for ethylene polymerization, and an attempted ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization gave linear polyethylene. The efficient polymerization of a norbornene macromonomer bearing a ring‐opened poly(norbornene) substituent was accomplished by ringopening metathesis polymerization with the well‐defined Mo(CHCMe₂Ph)(N‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃)[OCMe(CF₃)₂]₂ ( 10 ). The key step for the macromonomer synthesis was the exclusive end‐capping of the ring‐opened poly(norbornene) with p‐Me₃SiOC₆H₄CHO, and the use of 10 was effective for this polymerization proceeding with complete conversion. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4613–4626, 2000     

Theoretically probing the possible degradation mechanisms of an FeNC catalyst during the oxygen reduction reaction

For the FeNC catalyst widely used in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), its instability under fuel cell (FC) operating conditions has become the biggest obstacle during its practical application. The complexity of the degradation process of the FeNC catalyst in FCs poses a huge challenge when it comes to revealing the underlying degradation mechanism that directly leads to the decay in ORR activity. Herein, using density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) approaches and the FeN₄ moiety as an active site, we find that during catalyzing the ORR, Fe site oxidation in the form of *Fe(OH)₂, in which 2OH* species are adsorbed on Fe on the same side of the FeN₄ plane, results in the successive protonation of N and then permanent damage to the FeN₄ moiety, which causes the leaching of the Fe site in the form of Fe(OH)₂ species and a sharp irreversible decline in the ORR activity. However, other types of OH* adsorption on Fe in the form of HO*FeOH and *FeOH intermediates cannot cause the protonation of N or any breaking of Fe–N bonds in the FeN₄ moiety, only inducing the blocking of the Fe site. Meanwhile, based on the competitive relationship between catalyzing the ORR and Fe site oxidation, we propose a trade-off potential (U^RHE_TMOR) to describe the anti-oxidation abilities of the TM site in the TMN_X moiety during the ORR.

We summarize possible catalyst degradation mechanisms during the ORR. Protonation on an N atom of bare FeNC catalysts is difficult, leaching of the Fe site is also likely to happen, due to successive N protonation that destroys the FeN₄ moiety releasing Fe(OH)₂ species.     

New dithiazinanes and bis‐dithiazinanes‐bearing pendant ethylamines: Structure and reactivity

The structure and reactivity of a series of new ethylaminedithiazinanes and bis‐diethylaminedithiazinanes synthesized from formaldehyde, NaSH, and N,N‐dimethyl‐ethylene‐diamine ( 1 ), N‐methyl‐ethylene‐diamine ( 2 ), and N‐ethyl‐ethylene‐diamine ( 3 ) are reported. Compound 1 afforded 2‐([1,3,5]‐dithiazinan‐5‐yl)‐ethylene‐N,N‐dimethyl‐amine ( 4 ). The reaction of 4 with dry CH₂Cl₂ gave N‐{2‐([1,3,5]dithiazinan‐5‐yl)‐ethylene}‐N‐chloromethyl‐N,N‐dimethyl‐ammonium chloride ( 5 ) in high yield, whereas in wet CH₂Cl₂ and DMSO provided a mixture of 5 with N‐{2‐([1,3,5]‐dithiazinan‐5‐yl)‐ethylene}‐N,N‐dimethyl‐ammonium hydrochloride ( 6 ).bis‐{2‐([1,3,5]‐Dithiazinan‐5‐yl)‐ethylene‐N‐alkyl‐amino}‐methylene‐disulfides ( 7 ) and ( 8 ) formed by two dithiazinanes linked through the chain  (CH₂)₂ NRCH₂ S S CH₂ NR (CH₂)₂‐ ( 7 R = methyl, 8 R = ethyl) reacted with CH₂Cl₂ giving after neutralization of the hydrolysis products the ethylaminedithiazinanes with different pendant N‐groups [ (CH₂)₂NMeH₂⁺( 9 );  (CH₂)₂NEtH₂⁺ ( 10 );  (CH₂)₂NMeH ( 11 );  (CH₂)₂NEtH ( 12 );  (CH₂)₂NMeHBH₃ ( 13 )  (CH₂)₂NEtHBH₃ ( 14 ).  (CH₂)₂NMe₂BH₃ ( 15 ), and  (CH₂)₂NEtMeBH₃.( 16 )]. The x‐ray diffraction analyses of compounds 5 , 6 , 9 , and 10 are reported. Variable temperature NMR experiments afforded the Δ G^≠ of the ring interconversion of the six‐membered heterocycles 6 , 9 , and 10 . © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 22:59–71, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.20657     

Rates of OH radical reactions. XII. The reactions of OH with c?C3H6, c?C5H10, and c?C7H14. Correlation of hydroxyl rate constants with bond dissociation energies

Absolute rate constants for H-atom abstraction by OH radicals from cyclopropane, cyclopentane, and cycloheptane have been determined in the gas phase at 298 K. Hydroxyl radicals were generated by flash photolysis of H₂O vapor in the vacuum UV, and monitored by time-resolved resonance absorption at 308.2 nm [OH(A²Σ⁺→X²Π)]. The rate constants in units of cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ at the 95% confidence limits were as follows: k(c C₃H₆) = (3.74 ± 0.83) × 10¹⁰, k(c C₅H₁₀) = (3.12 ± 0.23) × 10¹², k(c C₇H₁₄) = (7.88 ± 1.38) × 10¹². A linear correlation was found to exist between the logarithm of the rate constant per C H bond and the corresponding bond dissociation energy for several classes of organic compounds with equivalent C H bonds. The correlation favors a value of D(c C₃H₅–H) = (101 ± 2) kcal mol⁻¹.     

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of the oxygen reduction reaction on a Pt(111) surface in the presence of hydrated hydronium (H3O)(+)(H2O)2: direct or series pathway?

Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on a Pt(111) surface at 350 K. By progressive loading of (H3O)(+)(H2O)(2,3) + e- into a simulation cell containing a Pt slab and O2 for the first reduction step, and either products or intermediate species for the subsequent reduction steps, the detailed mechanisms of the ORR are well illustrated via monitoring MD trajectories and analyzing Kohn-Sham electronic energies. A proton transfer is found to be involved in the first reduction step; depending on the initial proton-oxygen distance, on the degree of proton hydration, and on the surface charge, such transfer may take place either earlier or later than the O2 chemisorption, in all cases forming an adsorbed end-on complex H-O-O*. Decomposition of H-O-O* takes place with a rather small barrier, after a short lifetime of approximately 0.15 ps, yielding coadsorbed oxygen and hydroxyl (O + HO*). Formation of the one-end adsorbed hydrogen peroxide, HOO*H, is observed via the reduction of H-O-O*, which suggests that the ORR may also proceed via HOO*H, i.e., a series pathway. However, HOO*H readily dissociates homolytically into two coadsorbed hydroxyls (HO* + HO*) rather than forming a dual adsorbed HOOH. Along the direct pathway, the reduction of H-O* + O* yields two possible products, O* + H2O* and HO* + HO*. Of the three intermediates from the second electron-transfer step, HOO*H from the series pathway has the highest energy, followed by O* + H2O* and HO* + HO* from the direct pathway. It is therefore theoretically validated that the O2 reduction on a Pt surface may proceed via a parallel pathway, the direct and series occurring simultaneously, with the direct as the dominant step.