Kinetic Study on Models of the Tetrabutqxyzirconium-Catalyzed Reaction Between α, ω -Dicarboxypolyamide-11 and α, ω -Dihydroxypolyoxyethylene

The kinetics of the tetrabutoxyzirconium-catalyzed esterifications between 11-dodecylamideundecanoic acid and 1-dodecanol, 2-tridecanol, a-dodecyl-ω-hydroxypolyoxyethylene are studied and compared to that of α, ω-dicarboxypolyamide-l 1 and α, ω-dihydroxypolyoxyethylene. The reaction with 2-tridecanol is characterized by an autoacceleration phenomenon. In the other cases the reaction rate is not greatly affected by catalyst concentration. An explanation involving the formation of catalyst condensates at the very beginning of the reaction is put forward.     

13C-NMR Study of the Compounds Resulting from the Reaction of 5-Methylene-2-norbornene with Trifluoroacetic Acid

Isomerization of the adduct resulting from the protonation of 5-methylene-2-norbornene by trifluoroacetic acid was studied by ^UC-NMR spectroscopy. Relative rate constants were determined under various experimental conditions. The influence of temperature, solvent, and relative reactant concentrations was examined.     

Improving the detection limit in capillary isotachophoresis using asymmetric neutralisation reaction boundary

An online method involving transient electrokinetic dosing and ITP with neutralization reaction boundary (NRB) and/or carrier ampholyte-free isoelectric focusing (CAF IEF) was developed for the preconcentration, preseparation, and analytical determination of glyphosate in aqueous samples containing low concentrations of the analyte of interest. Various parameters were investigated in the framework of an optimization study with the aim of achieving the maximum concentration limit of detection (cLOD) decrease in minimum time. The proposed method used CAF IEF and/or ITP with NRB. The sample was dosed to the column on the stationary reaction boundary (CAF IEF) and/or moving reaction boundary (ITP with NRB), whereat a sharp pH step exists. Here, charge reversal was due to the ampholytes, and/or acid accumulation occurred because of charge loss. Similarly, the accumulated sample was mobilized with TE and analyzed using classical ITP in the second analytical column. Glyphosate (GLY), the analyte of interest, was chosen as a model substance for ITP with NRB and preconcentration as well as focusing preconcentration and CAF IEF using the asymmetric purpose-built NRB. On one side of the asymmetric boundary was the zone of acidic pH; while the opposite side comprised a neutral/basic non-conductive zone of the ampholyte—in this case, GLY. Such an arrangement enables the use of a lower pH on the acidic side, which allows the focusing of strongly acidic ampholytes and the accumulation of weak acids. The electrolyte composition and the dosing time were optimized, and a 14-fold accumulation was achieved in 25 min compared to that by classical ITP and a 180-fold accumulation was achieved through CAF IEF and preconcentration with a glyphosate sample. Both methods are simple and can be conducted using all commercial ITP systems.     

Catalysis by [Ga4L6]12− Metallocage on the Nazarov Cyclization: The Basicity of Complexed Alcohol is Key

The Nazarov cyclization is investigated in solution and within K₁₂[Ga₄L₆] supramolecular organometallic cage by means of computational methods. The reaction needs acidic condition in solution but works at neutral pH in the presence of the metallocage. The reaction steps for the process are analogous in both media: (a) protonation of the alcohol group, (b) water loss and (c) cyclization. The relative Gibbs energies of all the steps are affected by changing the environment from solvent to the metallocage. The first step in the mechanism, the alcohol protonation, turns out to be the most critical one for the acceleration of the reaction inside the metallocage. In order to calculate the relative stability of protonated alcohol inside the cavity, we propose a computational scheme for the calculation of basicity for species inside cavities and can be of general use. These results are in excellent agreement with the experiments, identifying key steps of catalysis and providing an in-depth understanding of the impact of the metallocage on all the reaction steps.     

Flexible N,N,N-chelates as supports for iron and cobalt chloride complexes; synthesis, structures, DFT calculations and ethylene oligomerisation studies

The aryl-substituted N-picolylethylenediamine and diethylenetriamine ligands, (ArNHCH(2)CH(2))[(2-C(5)H(4)N)CH(2)]NH and (ArNHCH(2)CH(2))(2)NH (Ar = 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3), 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2)), have been prepared by employing palladium-catalysed N-C(aryl) coupling reactions of the corresponding primary amines with aryl bromide. Treatment of MCl(2) with (ArNHCH(2)CH(2))[(2-C(5)H(4)N)CH(2)]NH affords [[(ArNHCH(2)CH(2))((2-C(5)H(4)N)CH(2))NH]CoCl(2)](Ar = 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3) 1a; 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2)) 1b and [[(ArNHCH(2)CH(2))((2-C(5)H(4)N)CH(2))NH]FeCl(2)](n)(n= 1, Ar = 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3) 2a; n= 2, 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2) 2b) in high yield. The X-ray structures of 1a and 1b are isostructural and reveal the metal centres to adopt distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometries with the N,N,N-chelates adopting fac-structures. A facial coordination mode of the ligand is also observed in bimetallic 2b, however, in 2a the N,N,N-chelate adopts a mer-configuration with the metal centre adopting a geometry best described as square pyramidal. Solution studies indicate that mer-fac isomerisation is a facile process for these systems at room temperature. Quantum mechanical calculations (DFT) have been performed on 1a and 2a, in which the ligands employed are identical, and show the fac- to be marginally more stable than the mer-configuration for cobalt (1a) while for iron (2a) the converse is evident. Reaction of (ArNHCH(2)CH(2))(2)NH with CoCl(2) gave the five-coordinate complexes [[(ArNHCH(2)CH(2))(2)NH]CoCl(2)](Ar = 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3) 3a, 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2) 3b), in which the ligand adopts a mer-configuration; no reaction occurred with FeCl(2). All complexes 1-3 act as modest ethylene oligomerisation catalysts on activation with excess methylaluminoxane (MAO); the iron systems giving linear alpha-olefins while the cobalt systems give mixtures of linear and branched products.     

Epoxy–amine reticulates observed by infrared spectrometry. III. Modifications of the structure and hydration abilities after irradiation in a humid atmosphere

This article is the third part of a series devoted to the study of the responsibilities of both humidity and irradiation in the aging process of amine‐cured epoxy resins. The basic technique used in this study was infrared spectrometry. In previous articles, we described the hydration of two kinds of epoxy resins widely used in the nuclear industry. In the first article, we reported results concerning the hydration of unirradiated resins; in the second article, these resins were first submitted to ionizing radiation in a dry atmosphere. In this article, we describe the effects of irradiation in a humid atmosphere and compare these effects to what was observed after irradiation in a dry atmosphere, as described in the previous articles. These effects were subtle: the humidity of the ambient atmosphere apparently protected the resins from oxidative degradation because, after irradiation in a humid atmosphere, a smaller number of carboxylic groups were formed. However, the water uptake increased after irradiation in a humid atmosphere. Thus, the humidity of the ambient atmosphere at the same time favored the rupture of chains, which released steric hindrances and allowed a greater number of H₂O molecules to reach hydrophilic sites in the resin. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 1129–1136, 2001     

The omnipresence of Lagrange

Lagrangian relaxation is usually considered in the combinatorial optimization community as a mere technique, sometimes useful to compute bounds. It is actually a very general method, inevitable as soon as one bounds optimal values, relaxes constraints, convexifies sets, generates columns, etc. In this paper we review this method, from both points of view of theory (to dualize a given problem) and algorithms (to solve the dual by nonsmooth optimization). This is an updated version of the paper that appeared in 4OR, 1(1), 7–25 (2003).     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(butadiene-b-sulphone) by block-copolycondensation—II. Synthesis from α,ω-dicarboxylic oligobutadienes and α,ω-diepoxy oligosulphones

The synthesis of poly(butadiene-b-sulphone) by two methods was described in part I (Eur. Polym. J. 20, 305 [1]). The results obtained by reaction of α,ω-dicarboxylic oligobutadiene with α,ω-diepoxy oligosulphones are reported here. The kinetics of the reaction are studied on models: reaction orders, rate constants, activation parameters are determined. Their values fit Madec's kinetic pattern [2] and are close to those obtained by Crépeau [6] for the grafting of hydroxybenzoic acid onto a copolymer bearing epoxy side-groups. Contribution of the side-reaction [2] is quantified. Block-copolycondensation of the reactive oligomers are carried out both in solution and in the melt. Contribution of the side-reaction is higher in the melt than in solution, but in both cases block-copolymers are obtained and characterized by GPC.     

Competition between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in high-Tc cuprates

Using variational cluster perturbation theory we study the competition between d-wave superconductivity (dSC) and antiferromagnetism (AF) in the t-t(')-t(')-U Hubbard model. Large scale computer calculations reproduce the overall ground-state phase diagram of the high-temperature superconductors as well as the one-particle excitation spectra for both hole and electron doping. We identify clear signatures of the Mott gap as well as of AF and of dSC that should be observable in photoemission experiments.