Reduction of diesters of 1,2-diols. Regioselective C-O bond cleavage of the anionic forms

The electrochemical reduction of benzoate diesters of glycols has been studied in acetonitrile and N,N-dimethylformamide as solvents. The reductions occur in two closely spaced one-electron steps, and it was found that the dianion diradicals decompose by one of two routes, depending on the substituents on the ethylene moiety: cleavage of two benzoates to produce alkene or formation of benzil by way of a postulated cyclic intermediate to produce also the dianion of the diol. These correspond to cleavage of the R-OC(O)Ar bonds and the RO-C(O)Ar bonds, respectively. When the radical formed by the former cleavage is a primary or secondary radical, the reaction is too slow to compete with the latter reaction that produces benzil. However, when that radical is either tertiary or benzylic, the former cleavage reaction is fast and no benzil is detected. The dianions of p-cyano- and p-nitrobenzoate esters are rather stable on the voltammetric time scale. However, the addition of lithium ions results in detectable formation of 4,4'-dicyanobenzil from four different p-cyanobenzoate diesters.     

Photoelectrochemistry of indium hexacyanoferrate–titania composite films

The voltammetric and electrochromic behavior of two types of indium(III) hexacyanoferrate(II/III) (InHCF) films, potentiodynamically grown either on polycrystalline Au or on tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) support electrodes, are described. A new spectral feature was seen at ca. 475 nm for the InHCF films grown on Au under extended potential window (EPW) conditions, in addition to the dominant 420 nm feature described by previous authors. The 420 nm band is the sole electrochromic feature in films grown under restricted potential window (RPW) conditions. The InHCF films were also grown in the presence of TiO₂ particles in the deposition bath. The resultant InHCF–TiO₂ composite films showed distinctly different photoelectrochemical responses for the EPW and the RPW counterparts. X-ray phoelectron spectroscopy data showed a higher TiO₂ particle uptake for the EPW films relative to their RPW counterparts, under otherwise identical growth conditions. A second film configuration built up by InHCF derivatization of a pre-formed In–TiO₂ film, yielded decidedly inferior photoresponses. Mechanistic reasons for this are presented as is evidence for the dominance of two distinct forms of InHCF under the EPW growth conditions.     

Ionic Diffusion in Polymers

Scleroglucan aqueous solutions and gels were selected to study the dependence of diffusion behavior of alkali and alkaline-earth metal ions on matrix structural characteristics. Stokes and free diffusion experimental methods for obtaining diffusion coefficients were contrasted. Three different behaviors, corresponding to three well-defined concentration regimes of the polymeric system were found.     

Synthesis and characterization of some nitrogen heterocycles from d-galactose derivatives

The tetrazoles 5-(6′-acetamido-6′-deoxy-1′,2′:3′,4′-di-O-isopropylidene-D-glycero-α-D-galactohexopyranos-6′-yl)tetrazole ( 1 ) and 5-(6′-acetamido-6′-deoxy-1′,2′:3′,4′–di-O-isopropylidene-L-glycero-α-D-galacto-hexopyranos-6′-yl)-tetrazole ( 2 ) were synthesized by the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of the epimeric α-acetamidonitriles 5 and 6 , respectively, with sodium azide. Reaction of tetrazole 1 with acetic anhydride in the presence of pyridine afforded the N-acetyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative 3 and the N-acetylacetamido-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative 7 . The N-acetylacetamido-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative ( 8 ) was isolated when the tetrazole 2 was allowed to react under the same conditions. The physical and spectroscopic data of the five new compounds 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 are presented.