High-resolution proton magnetic resonance and infrared spectra of poly(vinyl formal) and its model compounds

High-resolution proton magnetic resonance and infrared spectra of poly(vinyl formal) were studied in comparison with those of the model formals obtained from stereoisomers of pentane-2,4-diol and heptane-2,4,6-triol in order to learn spectral changes due to differences of the steric structures of the polymer. In the NMR spectrum of transformal obtained from dl diol or dl,dl (syndiotactic) triol, all proton signals were well interpreted by assuming a rapid chair-chair inversion of the formal ring. On the other hand, no such inversion was observed spectroscopically in cis-formal obtained from the meso diol or meso,meso (isotactic) triol, and the cis-formal ring was supposed to take a diequatorial form preferentially. Consequently, dioxymethylene protons gave a single peak (equivalent) in trans-formal and an AB quartet (nonequivalent) in cis-formal. In the spectra of poly(vinyl formal), the dioxymethylene signal was an overlap of the singlet and quartet in dimethylsulfoxide solution. Observations of the spectra of various poly(vinyl formals) obtained from poly(vinyl alcohols) of different tacticities and study of temperature dependence of the signal have shown that the singlet and quartet are attributed to trans- and cis- formals, respectively, in the polymer spectrum also. In the infrared spectra of poly(vinyl formals), the 800 and 785 cm^-1 bands were found to be related to cis- and trans-formal rings respectively. A linear relationship was confirmed between D₇₈₅/D₈₀₀ and trans/cis ratios determined from the peak intensities of the dioxymethylene proton signals.     

The structure of enopeptins A and B, novel depsipeptide antibiotics

The structures of enopeptins A and B, novel depsipeptide antibiotics with 1,3,5,7,9-decapentaene-1,10-dicarboxylic acid and 2-amino-3-hydroxycyclopent-2-enone in a side chain, were determined by chemical and spectroscopic means.     

Crystal structures and topochemical polymerizations of 7,7,8,8-tetrakis(alkoxycarbonyl)quinodimethanes

Highly conjugated monomers, 7,7,8,8-tetrakis(alkoxycarbonyl)quinodimethanes (methoxy (1a), ethoxy (1b), isopropoxy (1c), benzyloxy (1d), chloroethoxy (1e), and bromoethoxy (1f)), were synthesized. Recrystallizations of 1a, 1c, 1e, and 1f yielded two crystal forms (prisms (1a-A) and needles (1a-B), needles (1c-A) and plates (1c-B), prisms (1e-A) and plates (1e-B), and prisms (1f-A) and needles (1f-B)), which have different molecular packing modes by X-ray crystal structure analysis, indicating that the crystals are polymorphic. In the photopolymerizations of these monomer crystals in the solid state, 1a-A, 1e-A, and 1f-A polymerized topochemically to give crystalline polymers. For their thermal polymerizations in the solid state, in addition to 1a-A, 1e-A, and 1f-A, 1e-B and 1f-B polymerized, but polymers formed from the 1e-B and 1f-B were amorphous. The packing of quinodimethane molecules in the crystals was defined by four kinds of parameters, stacking distance (d(s)), the distance between the reacting exomethylene carbon atoms (d(cc)), the angles formed between the stacking axis and longer axis of the monomer molecule (theta(1)), and the shorter axis of the monomer molecule (theta(2)), and then the polymerization reactivity of these quinodimethanes in the solid state was discussed on the basis of these parameters.     

Controlled-rate thermal analysis

Controlled-rate thermal analysis (CRTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to investigate the adsorbed water layers and the surface properties of different commercial activated carbons. A simple method is proposed to obtain information on the properties of the adsorbed water film and the surface heterogeneity of the materials studied. This method utilizes TG mass loss and the first derivative of the DTG mass loss curves with respect to temperature and time, obtained during programmed liquid thermodesorption. The obtained TG mass loss curves, which reflect the energetic heterogeneity, consisted of steps and inflections which were associated with the mechanism of wetting of the solid surfaces. The heights of these steps and inflections depend on the adsorption capacity, the adsorption potential and the nature and number of the active centers of the carbon samples studied. The values of the total porosity and the surface phase capacity obtained by this method are in good agreement with those estimated on the basis of independent methods. The behaviour of water/carbon samples was studied by means of DSC at subambient and elevated temperatures. The experimental results provided novel data on the structural heterogeneity, the thermal stability of the water/carbon interface and its phase and structural transitions.Support from the Research Council of Kent State University (Ohio, USA) is acknowledged. The author is pleased to thank Drs M. Jaroniec, R. K. Gilpin, J. Choma and R. Dobrowolski for fruitful discussions and the active carbon samples.     

Vacancy ion-exclusion chromatography of aromatic carboxylic acids on a weakly acidic cation-exchange resin

Determination of aromatic carboxylic acids by conventional ion-exclusion chromatography is relatively difficult and methods generally rely on hydrophobic interaction between the solute and the resin. To overcome the difficulties in determining aromatic carboxylic acids a new approach is presented, termed vacancy ion-exclusion chromatography, which is based on use of the sample as mobile phase and an injection of aqueous 10% methanol onto a weakly acidic cation-exchange column (TSKgel OApak-A). Highly sensitive conductivity detection occurred with sharp and well-shaped peaks, leading to very efficient separations. The effects of sulfuric acid concentration added to the mobile phase, flow-rate, and column temperature on the retention volume of tested aromatic carboxylic acids was investigated. Retention times were found to be affected by the concentration of the analytes in the mobile phase and to some extent also by the addition of an organic modifier such as methanol to the injected water sample. Separation of sulfuric acid (SA), naphthalenetetracarboxylic acid (NTCA), phthalic acid (PA) and benzoic acid (BA) was satisfactory using this new approach. Detection limits were 0.66, 0.67, 0.42 and 0.86 microM and detector responses were linear in the range 1-100, 1-80, 2.5-100 and 10-40 microM, for SA, NTCA, PA and BA, respectively. Precision for retention times was 0.36% and for peak areas was 1.5%.     

Tensammetric determination of microgram amounts of vanadium by catalytic oxidation of o-aminophenol

A tensammetric method is proposed for the determination of microgram amounts of vanadium, based on catalysis of the oxidation of o-aminophenol with sodium chlorate in acidic solution (pH 2.0). The oxidation product gives a very sensitive tensammetric wave; under optimum conditions, the wave-height is proportional to the concentration of va vanadium. From 0.2 to 3.0 mug of vanadium can be determined in a final volume of 50 ml. Mo(VI), W(VI), Mn(VII), Ce(IV) and large amounts of Al(III) and Fe(III) cause positive errors, and Hg(II) and thiosulphate negative errors. Interference from Fe(III), Al(III) and Cu(II) can be eliminated by solvent with oxine at about pH 8.0.     

Polymerization of methyl methacrylate by the binary system of the copper–amine complex type resin and carbon tetrachloride

The polymerization of vinyl monomers initiated by binary initiator systems composed of a copper–amine complex type resin and organic halides has been studied. These binary systems initiated the polymerization of various vinyl monomers. A kinetic study of the polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by the copper–amine complex resin–CCl₄ system was carried out, and it was found that the polymerization proceeds by way of a radical mechanism. This fact was also supported by the copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with styrene. The overall activation energy of the polymerization of methyl methacrylate was estimated as 8.4 kcal/mole. The activity of the initiator systems was greatly dependent upon the dissociation energy of carbon–halogen bonds in the organic halides. A possible initiation mechanism with the binary systems is proposed and discussed.     

Synthesis of carbazole,acridine, phenazine, 4H‐benzo[def]carbazole and their derivatives by thermal cyclization reaction of aromatic amines

A variety of nitrogen‐containing heterocycles were synthesized by passing vapors of aromatic amines over calcium oxide at 450–650 °C under nitrogen carrier gas. Reaction of 2‐aminobiphenyl 3a at 560 °C gave carbazole 4 in 80% yield. Reaction of 2, 2′‐diaminobiphenyl 3b afforded a mixture of carbazole 4 and 4‐aminocarbozole 6b. In the case of 2‐amino‐2′‐nitrobiphenyl 3c, benzo[c]cinnoline 7 was obtained along with carbazole 4. Reaction of 2‐amino‐2′‐methoxybiphenyl 3d gave four products of carbazole 4,4‐hydroxycarbazole 6e, phenanthridine 8 and dibenzofuran 9. Reaction of 2‐aminodiphenylmethane 5a afforded acridine 10. In the case of 2‐aminobenzophenone 5b, acridone 11 was obtained as a major product. Reaction of 2‐aminobenzhydrol 5c gave acridine 10. When 2‐aminodiphenylamine 5d was reacted, phenazine 12 was obtained in good yield. In contrast, reaction of 2‐aminodiphenyl ether 5e produced only 2‐hydroxydiphenylamine 13. Reaction of 4‐aminophenanthrene 14 produced 4H‐benzo[def]carbazole 15 in 61% yield.     

X-ray scattering by water molecules studied by using synchrotron radiation

The energy spectra of free water molecules were measured at scattering angles 2θ ranging from 10.5° to 75.7°, using an angle-dispersive-type diffractometer and synchrotron radiation as an X-ray source. A silicon (111) monochrometer was used to obtain incident X-rays with the wavelengths of (1.543/n) Å (n = 1,3,4,5). Observed inelastic scattering peaks are clearly separated from eleastic ones at s values [s = (4π/λ) sin Å] larger than 8 Å^?1. The increase of the separation with an increasing s value was consistent with the classical theory of the Compton shift. The total (elastic plus inelastic) intensities were obtained over a range of s = 0.74–5.0 Å^?1. Experimental difference intensities Δσ_ee and Δσ_ne were obtained separately by combining the X-ray and high-energy electron scattering data. The experimental results are in reasonable agreement with the theoretical intensities calculated from SCF and CI molecular wave functions with a basis set of double-zeta plus polarization functions. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.