Mechanism of Disulfide–Disulfide Interchange in Polysulfide Polymer Melt Blend by Electron Ionization Mass Spectrometry. II

Abstract

The degree of randomization, q, of structural units in melt blends of the polysulfide homopolymers A(PS1) and B(PS2), wherein the disulfide equivalents D _A/D _B = 1, were studied by electron ionization mass spectrometry. Over the temperature range of 207–219°C, the relaxation process, due to the dominant disulfide–disulfide interchange reactions, is postulated to follow an associative reaction mechanism. These intermolecular disulfide–disulfide interactions promote a transient enhancement of the sulfur rank in the activated complex resulting in formation of the randomized co‐polymer AB. The mass spectrometric experimental design enabled measurement of concentrations of reactants A(PS1) and B(PS2), as well as the randomized copolymer AB, by monitoring the abundance of dimer units a₂, b₂, and ab, respectively as a function of time. The degree of randomization, q, was observed in the absence of catalysts or solvents, notwithstanding the solvent/solute and solute/solvent characteristics of the polymer melt blend. The mechanism of this randomization process, was rationalized on the basis of the properties of sulfur, aided by the observation of macrocyclic monomeric and dimeric units during the retro‐polymerization reactions under the EI/MS conditions employed. The model polysulfide polymers A(PS1) and B(P52), used in this study were synthesized from bis(2‐chloroethyl)ether and bis(2‐chloro ethoxy)methane, respectively.     

A Disulfide Switch Providing Absolute Handedness Control in Double Helices via Conversion from the Antiparallel to Parallel Helical Pattern

A strategy to reversibly switch the parallel/antiparallel helical conformation of aromatic double helices through the formation/breakage of a disulfide bond is presented. Single-crystal X-ray structures, NMR, and circular dichroism spectroscopy demonstrate that the double helices with terminal thiol groups favor an antiparallel helical arrangement both in the solid state and in solution, while the P/M bias of helicity induced by chiral segments from another extremity of the sequence is weak in this structural motif. The antiparallel helices can be rearranged to parallel helices through the disulfide connection of the sequences. This change enhances the bias of helical handedness and results in absolute chirality control of the double helices. The handedness-mediated process can be governed by the oxidation-reduction cycle, thereby switching the structural arrangement and the enhancement of chiral bias. In addition, we find that the sequences can dimerize into an intermolecular double helix with the disulfide connection. And the helical handedness is also fully controlled due to the head-to-head structural motif.     

Dual Sulfide–Disulfide Crosslinked Networks with Rapid and Room Temperature Self‐Healability

Polymer‐based crosslinked networks with intrinsic self‐repairing ability have emerged due to their built‐in ability to repair physical damages. Here, novel dual sulfide–disulfide crosslinked networks (s‐ssPxNs) are reported exhibiting rapid and room temperature self‐healability within seconds to minutes, with no extra healing agents and no change under any environmental conditions. The method to synthesize these self‐healable networks utilizes a combination of well‐known crosslinking chemistry: photoinduced thiol‐ene click‐type radical addition, generating lightly sulfide‐crosslinked polysulfide‐based networks with excess thiols, and their oxidation, creating dynamic disulfide crosslinkages to yield the dual s‐ssPxNs. The resulting s‐ssPxN networks show rapid self‐healing within 30 s to 30 min at room temperature, as well as self‐healing elasticity with reversible viscoelastic properties. These results, combined with tunable self‐healing kinetics, demonstrate the versatility of the method as a new means to synthesize smart multifunctional polymeric materials.

     

Excited‐State Dynamics of CS2 Studied by Photoelectron Imaging with a Time Resolution of 22 fs

The ultrafast dynamics of CS₂ in the ¹B₂(¹Σ_u⁺) state was studied by photoelectron imaging with a time resolution of 22 fs. The photoelectron signal intensity exhibited clear vibrational quantum beats due to wave packet motion. The signal intensity decayed with a lifetime of about 400 fs. This decay was preceded by a lag of around 30 fs, which was considered to correspond to the time for a vibrational wave packet to propagate from the Franck–Condon region to the region where predissociation occurred. The photoelectron angular distribution remained constant when the pump–probe delay time was varied. Consequently, variation of the electronic character caused by the vibrational wave packet motion was not identified within the accuracy of our measurements.     

Nickel(II)-Mediated Reversible Thiolate/Disulfide Conversion as a Mimic for a Key Step of the Catalytic Cycle of Methyl-Coenzyme M Reductase

According to the well-accepted mechanism, methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) involves Ni-mediated thiolate-to-disulfide conversion that sustains its catalytic cycle of methane formation in the energy saving pathways of methanotrophic microbes. Model complexes that illustrate Ni-ion mediated reversible thiolate/disulfide transformation are unknown. In this paper we report the synthesis, crystal structure, spectroscopic properties and redox interconversions of a set of Ni^II complexes comprising a tridentate N₂S donor thiol and its analogous N₄S₂ donor disulfide ligands. These complexes demonstrate reversible Ni^II-thiolate/Ni^II-disulfide (both bound and unbound disulfide-S to Ni^II) transformations via thiyl and disulfide monoradical anions that resemble a primary step of MCR's catalytic cycle.     

Activation and Retention: A Magnetic Resonance Probe for the Detection of Acute Thrombosis

Blood‐clot formation that results in the complete occlusion of a blood vessel (thrombosis) often leads to serious life‐threatening events, such as strokes and heart attacks. As the composition of a thrombus changes as it matures, new imaging methods that are capable of distinguishing new clots from old clots may yield important diagnostic and prognostic information. To address this need, an activatable magnetic resonance (MR) probe that is responsive to a key biochemical process associated with recently formed clots has been developed.     

Tuning Lanthanide Reactivity Towards Small Molecules with Electron‐Rich Siloxide Ligands

The synthesis, structure, and reactivity of stable homoleptic heterometallic LnL₄K₂ complexes of divalent lanthanide ions with electron‐rich tris(tert‐butoxy)siloxide ligands are reported. The [Ln(OSi(OtBu)₃)₄K₂] complexes (Ln=Eu, Yb) are stable at room temperature, but they promote the reduction of azobenzene to yield the KPhNNPh radical anion as well as the reductive cleavage of CS₂ to yield CS₃^2? as the major product. The Eu^III complex of the radical anion PhNNPh is structurally characterized. Moreover, [Yb(OSi(OtBu)₃)₄K₂] can reduce CO₂ at room temperature. Release of the reduction products in D₂O shows the quantitative formation of both oxalate and carbonate in a 1:2.2 ratio. The bulky siloxide ligands enforce the labile binding of the reduction products providing the opportunity to establish a closed synthetic cycle for the Yb^II‐mediated CO₂ reduction. These studies show that the presence of four electron‐rich siloxide ligands renders their Eu^II and Yb^II complexes highly reactive.     

Racemic and Quasi‐Racemic X‐ray Structures of Cyclic Disulfide‐Rich Peptide Drug Scaffolds

Cyclic disulfide‐rich peptides have exceptional stability and are promising frameworks for drug design. We were interested in obtaining X‐ray structures of these peptides to assist in drug design applications, but disulfide‐rich peptides can be notoriously difficult to crystallize. To overcome this limitation, we chemically synthesized the L ‐ and D ‐forms of three prototypic cyclic disulfide‐rich peptides: SFTI‐1 (14‐mer with one disulfide bond), cVc1.1 (22‐mer with two disulfide bonds), and kB1 (29‐mer with three disulfide bonds) for racemic crystallization studies. Facile crystal formation occurred from a racemic mixture of each peptide, giving structures solved at resolutions from 1.25 Å to 1.9 Å. Additionally, we obtained the quasi‐racemic structures of two mutants of kB1, [G6A]kB1, and [V25A]kB1, which were solved at a resolution of 1.25 Å and 2.3 Å, respectively. The racemic crystallography approach appears to have broad utility in the structural biology of cyclic peptides.     

室温合成二硫化二正丁基黄原酸酯及其表征

以正丁醇、氢氧化钠和二硫化碳为原料,水作溶剂合成正丁基黄原酸钠,再与一氯化硫反应,室温条件下合成对称的二硫化二正丁基黄原酸酯,并探讨了反应条件对合成正丁基黄原酸钠和二硫化二正丁基黄原酸酯产率的影响。通过红外(FT-IR)、核磁(1H NMR)、质谱(MS)及元素分析等技术手段确定了产物的结构。优化的合成条件为:n(正丁基黄原酸钠)∶n(S2Cl2)=2∶1.1,温度为室温,溶剂为THF,反应时间为2 min,产率可达83.2%,反应条件温和,反应迅速、收率高。