Degradation of epoxy polymers: Part 1—Products of thermal degradation of bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether

The principal characteristics and products of thermal degradation of a commercial epoxy resin prepared by reaction of 2,2-bis(4′-hydroxy phenyl)propane (bisphenol-A) with 1-chloro-2,3-epoxy propane (epichlorhydrin) have been studied. The principal volatile products, acrolein, acetone and allyl alcohol, are formed at 280°C and, although cross-linking is detectable at 220°C, it only becomes significant at 320°C when the residual resin is brittle and insoluble. Decomposition of the cross-linked resin occurs above 340°C when phenolic compounds appear together with more complex products with higher molecular weights whose structures have been speculated upon from examination of their mass spectral characteristics.     

Determination of Ultratrace Levels of Mercury in Three SRMs by Combustion RNAA

A radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) combustion method coupled with a neutron exposure normalization technique was used to determine low g/kg mercury levels in three National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). Two coals (sub-bituminous and bituminous) and a diet material were analyzed. The results obtained provided recommended values of approximately 5 g/kg for SRM 1548a Typical Diet, 24 g/kg for SRM 1635 Trace Elements in Coal (sub-bituminous), and 100 g/kg for SRM 1632b Trace Elements in Coal (bituminous).     

Primary amido substituted diborane4 compounds and imidodiborate4 anions

Treatment of the diborane(4) compound B(2)(NMe(2))(4) with aniline or 2,6-dimethylaniline results in the primary amido compounds B(2)(NHR)(4)(R = Ph, 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3)); subsequent treatment with n-BuLi in toluene in each case affords the first examples of anionic imidodiborates namely Li(4)(thf)(6)B(2)(NPh)(4) and Li(4)(thf)(4)B(2)(N-2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3))(4); all complexes have been characterised crystallographically.     

Stereochemistry and bonding in N-substituted-2-phenyl-3-cyanoaziridines

A series of ten N-alkyl(aralkyl)-2-phenyl-3-cyanoaziridines has been synthesized to continue investigations of the molecular stereochemistry and bonding of functionalized aziridines. Substantial spectroscopic evidence is presented which indicates the presence of stereoselective hyperconjugation between the phenyl and nitrile groups and the aziridine ring. The ¹H and ¹³C nmr chemical shifts are rationalized in terms of the interactions of the substituents on the aziridine ring, and how these interactions vary with the steric bulk of the nitrogen substituents. Various stereoselective coupling constants (¹H-¹H and ¹³C-¹H) are also reported.     

Structural Consequences of S → Se Substitution in some Symmetrical [M(S2CNR2)3] Complexes

The consequences of replacement of the symmetrically chelate ligands in [M(E₂CNR₂)₃] (E = S, Se) complexes of potential 32 symmetry by analogous mixed S,Se unsymmetrical chelates are explored for both small (M = Co) and large (M = In) metal atoms, and R = primary (Et) and secondary (ⁱPr) alkyl substituents by way of low‐temperature single crystal X‐ray studies of [(Co(SSeCNEt₂)₃] ([Co(Se₂CNEt₂)₃] also determined as datum), and [In(SSeCNR₂)₃], R = Et, ⁱPr. The structure of [(ⁱPr₂N·CS·Se)₂] is also recorded.     

Thin-layer chromatography combined with diode laser desorption/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

The desorption of an analyte by a continuous wave diode laser from a porous surface of a thin-layer plate covered with a graphite suspension is presented. The thermally desorbed analyte molecules are ionized in the gas phase by a corona discharge at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, both essential processes--the desorption and the ionization of analyte molecules, which are often performed in one step--are separated. The target preparation is easy and fast since no additional extraction process is required. The mass spectrometric background signal was mostly limited to the low mass range showing no interference with typical compounds of interest. In this study, the calmative and antihypertensive drug reserpine was chosen as model analyte, which is often used for specification of mass spectrometers. No fragmentation was observed because of efficient collisional cooling under atmospheric pressure. The influence of diode laser power and the composition of the graphite suspension were investigated, and a primary optimization was performed.     

Activation energy of single-stranded DNA moving through cross-linked polyacrylamide gels at 300 V/cm effect of temperature on sequencing rate in high-electric-field capillary gel electrophoresis

In DNA sequencing, single-stranded DNA fragments are separated by gel electrophoresis. This separation is based on a sieving mechanism where DNA fragments are retarded as they pass through pores in the gel. In this paper, we present the mobility of DNA sequencing fragments as a function of temperature; mobility is determined in 4% T LongRanger gels at an electric field of 300 V/cm. The temperature dependence is compared with the predictions of the biased reptation model. The model predicts that the fragment length for the onset of biased reptation with stretching increases with the square of temperature; the data show that the onset of biased reptation with stretching decreases with temperature. Biased reptation fails to model accurately the temperature dependence of mobility. We analyzed the data and extracted the activation energy for passage of sequencing fragments through the gel. For fragments containing less than ca. 200 bases, the activation energy increases linearly with the number of bases at a rate of 25 J/mol per base; for longer fragments, the activation energy increases at a rate of 6.5 J/mol per base. This transition in the activation energy presumably reflects a change in conformation of the DNA fragments; small fragments exist in a random coil configuration and larger fragments migrate in an elongated configuration.     

Hypothetical C(60) Metal-Cluster Fullerides and General Aspects of Tetrahedral Cluster Bonding

It is geometrically feasible to insert metal-metal-bonded M(4) tetrahedra and M(6) octahedra into the tetrahedral and octahedral holes, respectively, of the fcc C(60) lattice. The electronic structure of the hypothetical tetrahedral variants C(60)(M(4))(2), M = Rh, Co, is analyzed with approximate molecular orbital methods and band structure calculations. These compounds feature M-M and M-C(60) bonding and a variable degree of electron transfer to or from C(60). The C(60)(M(4))(2) phases should be metallic, but we have no way of predicting if they will be superconducting. A number of discrete molecular tetrahedral cluster compounds which serve as models for the solid state materials are analyzed. There is a clear indication that tetranuclear and even mononuclear Rh, Ir, and Co arene complexes should be relatively unstable.