Complexity of coordinative bonding in thallium(I) anthranilates and salicylates

An inventory of the structural chemistry of thallium(I) shows many unexpected, almost random coordination numbers and coordination geometries that appear erratic and inconsistent. This nonstandard behavior is often ascribed to the specific lone-pair characteristics originating from relativistic effects. To provide data on a set of closely related compounds from which simple general rules of coordinative bonding at Tl(+) can be established, three thallium(I) anthranilates and three thallium(I) salicylates have been prepared from Tl(2)CO(3) and the corresponding 2-amino- and 2-hydroxy-benzoic acids and crystallized from aqueous solutions. All six compounds, the simple anthranilate (1) and salicylate (4) and the 3- and 4-methyl-substituted homologues (2, 3 and 5, 6) show different structures with large variations in the coordination motif. The coordination by oxygen in a geometry which covers less than a coordination hemisphere is the only common feature, complemented (only in 1) by a nitrogen coordination and by eta(6)-coordination of one (in 1, 2, 3, 6) or two phenyl rings (in 4). Tl-Tl contacts for which "thallophilic" bonding between closed shell metal atoms could be invoked, are generally very long (close to 4.0 A) or even well beyond the limit of standard van der Waals contacts. Hydrogen bonding is only obvious for the internal contacts of the amino- or hydroxy-benzoate ligands and does not contribute significantly to the assembly of the supramolecular structure which is dominated by oxygen bridges between thallium atoms. With the exception of 5, the formula units Tl[O(2)C(2-R)(3-R')(4-R')C(6)H(2)] are generally aggregated into dimers of various configurations depending on the relative orientation of the edge-sharing four-membered rings, and these dimers are further linked into strings or columns establishing N-Tl or Tl-O contacts and arene coordination. The drastic changes induced in the structures upon only small variations such as methyl substitution in 3- or 4-position of the ligand suggest that thallium(I) coordination is generally restricted to one hemisphere of nearest neighbors, but is extremely flexible in this realm. The open hemisphere may be partially capped by arene coordination (which is weak at a distance of ca. 3.1 A to the centroid of the ring) or feature very weak thallophilic contacts.     

Anhydrous thallium hydrogen L-glutamate: polymer networks formed by sandwich layers of oxygen-coordinated thallium ions cores shielded by hydrogen L-glutamate counterions

Anhydrous thallium hydrogen L-glutamate [Tl(L-GluH)] crystallizes from water (space group P2(1)) with a layer structure in which the thallium ions are penta- and hexacoordinated exclusively by the oxygen atoms of the γ-carboxylate group of the hydrogen L-glutamate anions to form a two-dimensional coordination polymer. The thallium-oxygen layer is composed of Tl(2)O(2) and TlCO(2) quadrangles and is only 3 ? high. Only one hemisphere of the thallium ions participates in coordination, indicative of the presence of the 6s(2) lone pair of electrons. The thallium-oxygen assemblies are shielded by the hydrogen l-glutamate anions. Only the carbon atom of the α-carboxylate group deviates from the plane spanned by the thallium ions, the γ-carboxylate groups and the proton bearing carbon atoms, which are in trans conformation. Given the abundance of L-glutamic and L-aspartic acid in biological systems on the one hand and the high toxicity of thallium on the other hand, it is worth mentioning that the dominant structural motifs in the crystal structure of [Tl(L-GluH)] strongly resemble their corresponding analogues in the crystalline phase of [K(L-AspH)(H(2)O)(2)].     

Characterization of a Poly(2‐oxazoline) Library by High‐Throughput,Automated Contact‐Angle Measurements and Surface‐Energy Calculations

Summary: The feasibility of automated, high‐throughput contact‐angle measurements is demonstrated using a modified commercial contact‐angle measuring apparatus. Droplets are automatically dispensed, analyzed and aspirated. The system automatically measures more than 100 contact angles per hour using two test liquids, and calculates surface energies using the equation of state method. A library of poly(2‐oxazoline) homo‐ and block copolymers was investigated. Polymers with a 2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline block were found to have considerably lower surface energies.

Setup used here for characterization of the surface properties of a library of poly(2‐oxazoline) homo‐ and block copolymers.     

New Challenges in Combinatorial Polymer Research: 3rd DPI Workshop on Automated Synthesis and High‐Throughput Experimentation in Polymer and Materials Research at the Eindhoven University of Technology

Conference Reports: This section contains reports on topical conferences. Reports are usually written at the request of the editorial office, but unsolicited contributions are also welcome. Suggestions should be sent to the editorial office of the Macromolecular journals, preferably by E‐mail to macromol@wiley‐vch.de.     

Microwave Accelerated Polymerization of 2‐Phenyl‐2‐oxazoline: Microwave or Temperature Effects?

Summary: Investigations regarding the cationic ring‐opening polymerization of 2‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline under microwave irradiation and conventional heating are reported. This study was inspired by contradictory reports of the (non‐)existence of non‐thermal microwave effects that might accelerate the cationic ring‐opening of 2‐oxazolines. The polymerization of 2‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline was investigated under pressure in acetonitrile and under reflux (or at the boiling point of butyronitrile in a closed vessel) in butyronitrile utilizing a single‐mode microwave reactor and automated synthesis robots with conventional heating.

     

Contact bactericides and fungicides on the basis of amino‐functionalized poly(norbornene)s

This study is aimed at investigating the microbiocidal potential of amino‐functionalized poly(norbornenes) in the solid state. A series of norbornene‐type monomers that carry secondary or tertiary amine functions as well as hexyl and dodecyl groups were prepared. Ring‐opening metathesis polymerization was used to prepare homopolymers of the amine bearing monomers and random copolymers of amine‐ and alkyl‐substituted monomers of high average molar mass. The resulting polymers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements, and their contact biocidal potential was evaluated according to the Japanese Industry standard Z2801. Tested microorganisms comprised Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. Microbiocidal activity of selected polymer films against E. coli, S. aureus, and A. niger was found, whereas against C. albicans and P. aeruginosa microbiostatic behavior was observed. Moreover, the most potent copolymer revealed no cytotoxicity rendering a biocidal polymer with potential applications in mammalian‐, and in particular, human‐related fields. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010