Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties Of Racemic (±)2-(α-Methylbenzylamino)-5-Nitropyridine Single Crystals

Linear and nonlinear optical properties of racemic (±)2-(α-methylbenzylamino)-5-nitropyridine ((±)MBANP) single crystals have been comprehensively investigated and compared with those of the enantiomorph (–)2-(α-methylbenzylamino)-5-nitropyridine ((–)MBANP) crystals. (±)MBANP crystal exhibits very high chemical and physical stability, but relatively small nonlinear optical coefficients (d₃₁ = 6.8 pm/V, d₃₂ = 4.7 pm/V, d₃₃ = 0.84 pm/V). A comparison between the nonlinear optical coefficients of (±)MBANP and (–)MBANP demonstrates the validity of the oriented-gas model in molecular crystals that neglects all the contributions from intermolecular interaction.     

Thermolysis of reactive oligo(p-phenylene sulfide) containing disulfide bond

Oligo(phenylene sulfide) (OPS) containing one disulfide bond at the end of the chain, which was obtained by the oxidative polymerization of diphenyl disulfide, had a relatively low Td_10%(temperature for 10% weight loss) of 412 °C because of degradation of the disulfide bond. But this thermal cleavage of the disulfide bond promoted the curing reaction through thiophenoxy radical formation. OPS was allowed to react with diiodobenzene at 220 °C. The thermal stability of OPS was improved through the consumption of the disulfide bond and the coupling of the chain.     

Dynamical property of YFeMnO4

In order to interpret abrupt changes of distributions of orientations andmagnitudes of hyperfine fields in Mössbauer measurements of⁵⁷Fe in YFeMnO₄, a model is proposed. The origin is assumed to be not static but dynamic. Fluctuating fields are caused by spins in a fully frustrated spin system, namely, a Heisenberg spin system on a triangular lattice in a two-dimensional antiferromagnet. Extending the stochastic theory for the fluctuation between two states to that among many states with a Gaussian distribution, we fit the spectra with three parameters, hyperfine fieldH _hf, correlation time _c, andwidth of fluctuating field , within a limited condition of =_c=1. Obtained results represent the characteristic features of Mössbauer spectra well, in spite of a simplified model.     

Chromium- and tungsten-triggered valence isomerism of cis-1-acyl-2-ethynylcyclopropanes via [3,3]sigmatropy of (2-acylcyclopropyl)vinylidene-metal intermediates.

The reaction of cis vicinal acetylethynylcyclopropanes 1 with a catalytic amount of M(CO)5(THF) (M = Cr or W) in the presence of Et3N at room temperature gave ortho-substituted phenols 7 in good yields as valence isomerized products. In the absence of Et3N the reactions did not work at all. The reaction of a cyclopropane having an ester or an amide instead of an acetyl moiety with M(CO)5(THF) did not take place, whereas an ethynylvinylcyclopropane gave a mixture of 1- and 2-substituted 1,3,5-cycloheptatrienes. These valence isomerization reactions are assumed to proceed via the formation of vinylidene-metal intermediates 2 from terminal alkynyl moieties followed by [3,3]sigmatropy of 2 to give seven-membered carbene complexes 3.     

Pre-fibrillation of pulps to manufacture cellulose nanofiber-reinforced high-density polyethylene using the dry pulp direct kneading method

The dry pulp direct kneading method is an industrially viable, low-energy process for manufacturing cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-reinforced polymer composites, where the chemically modified pulps are nanofibrillated and uniformly dispersed in the polymer matrix during melt compounding. In the present study, cellulose fibers of various sizes ranging from surface-fibrillated pulps (20 μm in width) to fine CNFs (20 nm in width) were prepared from softwood bleached kraft pulps using a refiner and a high-pressure homogenizer. These cellulose fibers were modified with alkenyl succinic anhydride and dried. The dried fibers were used as a feed material for melt compounding in the dry pulp direct kneading method to fabricate CNF-reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE). When surface-fibrillated pulps were employed as a feed material, the pulps were nanofibrillated and dispersed uniformly in the HDPE matrix during melt compounding. The resulting composites had much better properties—i.e., much higher tensile modulus and strength values, and much lower coefficient of thermal expansion values—than the composites produced using pulps without pre-fibrillation. However, when CNFs were used as a feed material, they were shortened and agglomerated during melt compounding, and the properties of the composites consequently deteriorated. The study concludes that surface-fibrillated pulp, which can be produced cost-effectively using a refiner on an industrial scale, is more suitable as a feed material than CNFs for melt compounding in the dry pulp direct kneading method. This finding enables the elimination of a preliminary step in the preparation of CNFs from pulps, which is a time-consuming and energy-intensive process.

Graphical abstract

     

New class of carbohydrate-based nonionic surfactants: diblock co-oligomers of tri-<Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-methylated and unmodified cello-oligosaccharides

Mixtures of diblock co-oligomers of tri-O-methylated and unmodified cello-oligosaccharides have been found to be amphiphilic, as reported before. In order to clarify their accurate amphiphilic property, diblock co-oligomers of tri-O-methylated and unmodified cello-oligosaccharides with monodispersity, methyl β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-2,3,6–tri-O-methyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-2,3,6–tri-O-methyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-d-glucopyranoside (1, pentamer), methyl β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)- β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-d-glucopyranoside (2, hexamer), and methyl β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)- 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-d-glucopyranoside (3, trimer) were synthesized independently. These compounds had higher surface activities compared to the mixture of diblock co-oligomers of tri-O-methylated and unmodified cello-oligosaccharides and commercially available methylcellulose (MC) SM-4. This paper describes the methods of synthesis of these compounds, and the influence of amphiphilic character on their surface activity. A new class of carbohydrate-based nonionic surfactant without long alkyl chain was discovered.     

Preparations of regioselectively methylated cellulose acetates and their 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic analyses

Seven possible regioselectively methylated cellulose acetates (RS‐MCAs)—2,3,6‐tri‐O‐methyl cellulose acetate, 3,6‐di‐O‐methyl cellulose acetate, 2,6‐di‐O‐methyl cellulose acetate, 2,3‐di‐O‐methyl cellulose acetate, 6‐O‐methyl cellulose acetate, 3‐O‐methyl cellulose acetate, and 2‐O‐methyl cellulose acetate—were prepared for the first time from chemically synthesized cellulose derivatives obtained by cationic ring‐opening polymerization and then were analyzed by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The chemical shifts of ring protons and carbons were influenced by substituent groups (methyl or acetyl) and clearly reflected the pattern of substituent distribution in anhydroglucose units. These data may conveniently be used for the determination of the substituent distribution of methyl cellulose. The synthesized RS‐MCAs also may be used for the elucidation of the structure–property relationship. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 4167–4179, 2002     

Construction of an asymmetric quaternary carbon via an asymmetric aza-Claisen rearrangement and its application in the total synthesis of (+)-α-cuparenone

Excess lithium hexamethyldisilazide (LHMDS) with LiCl prompted the asymmetric aza-Claisen rearrangement of carboxamide and retarded the decomposition of its amide enolate. The addition of these two reagents was a key step that led to the total synthesis of (+)-α-cuparenone with a stereogenic quaternary center.