On the Fundamental Polymer Chemistry of Inverse Vulcanization for Statistical and Segmented Copolymers from Elemental Sulfur

In this concept review, the fundamental and polymerization chemistry of inverse vulcanization for the preparation of statistical and segmented sulfur copolymers, which have been actively developed and advanced in various applications over the past decade is discussed. This concept review delves into a discussion of step-growth polymerization constructs to describe the inverse vulcanization process and discuss prepolymer approaches for the synthesis of segmented sulfur polyurethanes. Furthermore, this concept review discusses the advantages of inverse vulcanization in conjunction with dynamic covalent polymerization and post-polymerization modifications to prepare segmented block copolymers with enhanced thermomechanical and flame retardant properties of these materials.     

Photoluminescence of Seven-Coordinate Zirconium and Hafnium Complexes with 2,2′-Pyridylpyrrolide Ligands

Luminescent seven-coordinated zirconium and hafnium complexes bearing three mono-anionic 2,2′-pyridylpyrrolide ligands and one chloride were synthesized. Solid-state structures and the dynamic behaviors in solution were probed by X-ray crystallography and variable temperature ¹H NMR experiments, respectively. Absorption spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations supported a hybrid of ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT)/ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LLCT) for the visible light absorption band. The complexes (^MePMP^Me)₃MCl (M=Zr, Hf, ^MePMP^Me=3,5-dimethyl-2-(2-pyridyl)pyrrolide) are emissive in solution at room temperature upon irradiation with visible light due to a combination of phosphorescence and fluorescence characterized by excited state lifetimes in the μs and low to sub-ns timescale, respectively. Electrochemical experiments revealed that the zirconium complex possesses a reversible redox event under highly reducing condition (−2.29 V vs. Fc^+/0).     

Organic-Free Interzeolite Transformation in the Absence of Common Building Units

Zeolite crystals can be used as seeds or aluminosilicate sources in syntheses to control polymorphs and/or reduce the quantity of organics used as structure-directing agents. A frequently invoked hypothesis for interzeolite transformations is that zeolites share some underlying similarity in structure, most notably in cases pertaining to organic-free syntheses. Herein, we show for the first time that ZSM-5 (MFI) can be directly obtained from USY (FAU) through an interzeolite transformation between parent–daughter structures lacking common building units in the absence of a structure-directing agent and seeds. We show that interzeolite transformation leads to a crystalline product with fewer defects. Our findings also reveal that ZSM-5 is a metastable intermediate that undergoes further transformation to mordenite (MOR) and quartz. The MFI-to-MOR transition is counter to reported trends for which transformations lead to structures with reduced molar volume. Herein, we propose mechanistic arguments that suggest the driving force for interzeolite transformation is more complex than guidelines posited in the literature.     

Hyperpolarization of Amino Acids in Water Utilizing Parahydrogen on a Rhodium Nanocatalyst

NMR offers many possibilities in chemical analysis, structural investigations, and medical diagnostics. Although it is broadly used, one of NMR spectroscopies main drawbacks is low sensitivity. Hyperpolarization techniques enhance NMR signals by more than four orders of magnitude allowing the design of new contrast agents. Parahydrogen induced polarization that utilizes the para-hydrogen's singlet state to create enhanced signals is of particular interest since it allows to produce molecular imaging agents within seconds. Herein, we present a strategy for signal enhancement of the carbonyl ¹³C in amino acids by using parahydrogen, as demonstrated for glycine and alanine. Importantly, the hyperpolarization step is carried out in water and chemically unmodified canonical amino acids are obtained. Our approach thus offers a high degree of biocompatibility, which is crucial for further application. The rapid sample hyperpolarization (within seconds) may enable the continuous production of biologically useful probes, such as metabolic contrast agents or probes for structural biology.     

19F-detected dual-optimized inverted 1JCC 1,n-ADEQUATE

Modification of the recently reported ¹⁹F-detected 1,1-ADEQUATE experiment that incorporates dual-optimization to selectively invert a wide range of ¹J_CC correlations in a 1,n-ADEQUATE experiment is reported. Parameters for the dual-optimization segment of the pulse sequence were modified to accommodate the increased size of ¹J_CC homonuclear coupling constants of poly- and perfluorinated molecules relative to protonated molecules to allow broadband inversion of the ¹J_CC correlations. The observation and utility of isotope shifts are reported for the first time for 1,1- and 1,n-ADEQUATE correlations.