Synthesis of (±)-dimethyl curvularin based on the palladium-catalyzed carbonylation of 3,5-dimethoxybenzyl chloride using a butadiene telomer as a building block

Palladium-catalyzed carbonylation of 3,5-dimethoxybenzyl chloride (13) with benzyl 7-hydroxyoctanoate (12) afforded benzyl 7-(3,5-dimethoxyphenylacetoxy)octanoate (6) in 70% yield, which is the precursor of Curvularin (4). The ester (12) was easily prepared from the butadiene telomer obtained by the palladium-catalyzed reaction of butadiene with acetic acid.     

STN-gels in fast passive matrix displays

Liquid crystalline physical gels have been prepared in a super twisted nematic configuration. These gels show a remarkable increase in switching speed from the in field to out of field relaxation. We explore whether these gels might be used in fast passive matrix displays.     

Cooperative chain relaxation in miscible polymer blends

Orientation relaxation of dissimilar chains in the molten miscible blends, poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) and poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene), were investigated by measuring (1) the change of infrared dichroic ratio with time after the uniaxial stretching of film specimens, (2) the shear stress relaxation spectrum, and (3) birefringence relaxation in shear. The dissimilar polymers showed an identical time variation of the normalized Hermans orientation function. The blend showed a relaxation spectrum with a single characteristic relaxation time τ_c, depending on the blend composition. The birefringence relaxed monotonically, remaining positive. These results suggest that the dissimilar polymers do not relax independently but cooperatively. This behavior may be induced by a constraint due to the specific interactions between the dissimilar polymers, e.g., weak hydrogen bonding. For the cooperative chain relaxation, a third power relationship was found; τ_c/τ_e vprop; (M/M_e),³ where τ_e and M_e are the relaxation time and molecular weight of entanglement strand, respectively, and M is the number average molecular weight in the blend.     

A spectroscopic study of the D(0u+) ion-pair state of Br2 by the optical-optical double-resonance technique

An optical-optical double-resonance technique has been applied to study the D(0_u⁺) ion-pair state of Br₂ in a one-photon resonant three-photon absorption. The OODR transition proceeds through the high vibrational level of the B³Π(0_u⁺) state, which compromises a large Franck-Condon shift required for the excitation of Br₂ from the X¹Σ_g⁺ state to the D(0_u⁺) state. Dunham parameters of the D(0_u⁺) state, based on a global least-squares fit of 407 transitions (v′ = 0–16, J′ = 17–115), are Y₀₀ = 49928.443(41), Y₁₀ = 134.467(19), Y₂₀ = ?8.71(27) × 10^?2, Y₃₀ = ?3.36(10) × 10^?3, Y₀₁ = 4.2382(15) × 10^?2, Y₁₁ = ?1.061(36) × 10^?4, Y₂₁ = ?2.00(27) × 10^?6, and Y₀₂ = ?1.93(11) × 10^?8 for ⁷⁹Br₂ (all in cm^?1, and 3σ in parentheses). The single rovibronic fluorescence spectrum of the D(0_u⁺) state shows a transition terminating on the X¹Σ_g⁺ ground state, and establishes the absolute v′ numbering on the basis of the Franck-Condon factor calculations. The v′ = 2 and 3 levels of the D(0_u⁺) state are strongly perturbed due to the heterogeneous interaction with the 1_u state correlating with the same ionic products of the D(0_u⁺) state at the dissociation limit, $\text{Br}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{(}{}^1\text{S) +}\text{Br}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{(}{}^3\text{P}{}_2\text{)}$.