The first N,N′-ditosyl-substituted cyclic boron cation, stabilized by neighboring-group participation by two sulfonyl groups, and the alternative, stabilized by polar solvents

When 2-bromo-1,3-ditosyl-1,3,2-diazaborolidine was treated with AgSbF₆, a novel cyclic boron cation was formed in CD₂Cl₂, the ¹¹B NMR chemical shift of which appeared at 8.7 ppm. Ab initio calculations were consistent with the cationic boron center being stabilized by neighboring-group participation of the two sulfonyl functions. The reaction in CD₃NO₂ resulted in an alternate formation of a cyclic boron cation species (16.2 ppm), stabilized by coordination to the basic solvents.     

Synthesis of poly-L-naphthylalanine and its secondary structure

Polypeptides derived from L -naphthylalanine and γ-benzyl L -glutamate were prepared. Conformational properties in solution were investigated by circular dichroism (CD) and infrared spectra on the soluble copolymers, and the copolymers were assumed to take the right-handed α-helical conformation. By the addition of trifluoroacetic acid, a transition of side-chain arrangement is induced simultaneously with the conformational transition of the peptide backbone for the copolymer with the highest content of L -naphthylalanine residues. Fluorescence spectra of the copolymers show no excimer emission, which is evidence for the rigid orientation of the side-chain naphthyl groups. The infrared spectrum and x-ray diagram of poly-L -naphthylalanine do not rule out the helical conformation in the solid state.     

Effects of water on the structure and bonding of resorcinol in the interlayer of montmorillonite nanocomposite: a periodic first principle study

Resorcinol forms a novel nanocomposite in the interlayer of montmorillonite. This resorcinol oligomer is stable inside the clay matrixes even above the boiling point of the monomer. A periodic ab initio calculation was performed with hydrated and nonhydrated montmorillonite before and after intercalation of resorcinol. For the most feasible dimer and tetramer shaped oligomer of resorcinol, the intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding feasibility has been tested using the DFT-BLYP approach and the DNP basis set in the gas phase and in the presence of aqueous solvent. After locating the active site through Fukui functions within the helm of the hard-soft acid-base principle, the relative nucleophilicity of the active cation sites in their hydrated state has been calculated. A novel quantitative scale in terms of the relative nucleophilicity and electrophilicity of the interacting resorcinol oligomers before and after solvation is proposed. Besides that, a comparison with a hydration situation and also the strength of the hydrogen bridges have been evaluated using mainly the dimer and cyclic tetramer type oligomers of resorcinol. Using periodic ab initio calculations, the formation mechanism was traced by the following two ways: (1) resorcinol molecules combine without any interaction with water or (2) resorcinol oligomerizes through water. Both the mechanism is compared and the effect of water on the process is elucidated. The results show that resorcinol molecules combine after hydration only and hence they are stable at higher temperature. The fittings of the oligomers were also tested as well by periodic calculation to compare the stability of the oligomers inside the newly formed clay nanocomposite.     

Study on wholly aromatic polyamides containing methyl-substituted phenylene linkage

In order to study the influence of chemical modification on properties of polyamides, wholly aromatic polyamides have been synthesized from p-phenylenediamine, its 2,5-dimethyl and 2-methyl derivatives, m-phenylenediamine, its 2-methyl and 4-methyl derivatives, and terephthaloyl and isophthaloyl dichlorides by solution polycondensation at low temperature. The thermal stability and solubility of the methyl-substituted polyamides were compared with those of unsubstituted ones. The introduction of methyl groups in a polymeric chain led to a decrease in their thermal stability to different degrees depending on the positions of methyl groups, accompanied by an increase in their solubility. The unsymmetrical introduction of methyl groups in benzene rings had a greater effect on the increase in solubility of polyamide than did symmetrical methyl groups.     

Effects of amine nature and nonleaving group substituents on rate and mechanism in aminolyses of 2,4-dinitrophenyl X-substituted benzoates

Second-order rate constants have been measured for the reactions of 2,4-dinitrophenyl X-substituted benzoates (1a-f) with a series of primary amines in 80 mol % H(2)O/20 mol % DMSO at 25.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C. The Br?nsted-type plot for the reactions of 1d with primary amines is biphasic with slopes beta(1) = 0.36 at the high pK(a) region and beta(2) = 0.78 at the low pK(a) region and the curvature center at pK(a) degrees = 9.2, indicating that the reaction proceeds through an addition intermediate with a change in the rate-determining step as the basicity of amines increases. The corresponding Br?nsted-type plot for the reactions with secondary amines is also biphasic with beta(1) = 0.34, beta(2) = 0.74, and pK(a) degrees = 9.1, indicating that the effect of amine nature on the reaction mechanism and pK(a) degrees is insignificant. However, primary amines have been found to be less reactive than isobasic secondary amines. The microscopic rate constants associated with the aminolysis have revealed that the smaller k(1) for the reactions with primary amines is fully responsible for their lower reactivity. The electron-donating substituent in the nonleaving group exhibits a negative deviation from the Hammett plots for the reactions of 1a-f with primary and secondary amines, while the corresponding Yukawa-Tsuno plots are linear. The negative deviation has been ascribed to stabilization of the ground state of the substrate through resonance interaction between the electron-donating substituent and the carbonyl functionality.     

Control of refractive index of sol-gel tungsten oxide films

Tungsten oxide films were prepared by a complexing agent-assisted sol-gel process. All the films were at 500°C were crystalline and transparent. The refractive index n and extinction coefficient k of the films were calculated from the transmittance and reflectance spectra in the visible and infrared regions. The values of n were lowered to depend on the organic ligands used in the preparation of the sols. The use of such ligands may be a mean to control the refractive index of coatings.     

A novel synthesis, including asymmetric synthesis, of α-quaternary α-amino acid methyl esters from ketones via sulfinyloxiranes

Sulfinyloxiranes were synthesized from ketones and chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide in two steps in almost quantitative yields. The sulfinyloxiranes were treated with NaN₃ in the presence of NH₄Cl to afford α-azido aldehydes, which were oxidized with iodine in the presence of KOH in methanol to give α-azido methyl esters in good overall yields. Catalytic hydrogenation of the α-azido esters afforded α-quaternary α-amino acid methyl esters in quantitative yields. Starting from β-tetralone and optically pure (R)-chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide, an asymmetric synthesis of optically pure (R)-(+)-methyl 2-aminotetraline-2-carboxylate was realized in good overall yields.     

Effect of alcohols on the gamma-radiation-induced polymerization of ethylene

Gamma-radiation-induced polymerization of ethylene in alcohols such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, and n-pentyl alcohols was carried out under a pressure of 400 kg./cm.²at 30°C. at a dose rate of 1.4 × 10⁵ rad/hr. in a batch reactor of 100 ml. capacity. The yield and molecular weight of polymer formed in the alcohols (except tert-butyl alcohol) were much lower than those of the bulk polymerization under the same conditions, whereas the addition of tert-butyl alcohol increased the yield and reduced the molecular weight. From the infrared spectra of the polymers and those of the bromination products it was concluded that only primary OH exists in the polymer formed in methyl alcohol and that both primary and secondary OH are in the polymer formed in other primary alcohols. Both secondary and tertiary OH were observed in the polymer when the secondary alcohols were used, and only tertiary OH in the case of tert-butyl alcohol. These polymers were found to contain small amounts of vinylidene unsaturation and methyl group. On the basis of these results the roles of the alcohols in the polymerization are discussed.