An unexpected Pummerer rearrangement in the synthetic route to ethyl (2′-hydroxy-4′,5′-methylenedioxyphenyl)acetate: An alternative approach to 2,3-dimethylthio benzofurans

The synthesis of ethyl (2′-hydroxy-4′,5′-methylendioxophenyl)acetate, a fragment of the antihyperglycemic natural coumarin subcoriacin, is reported. We found an expeditious route to the title compound in five steps. Final metal catalyzed acid ethanolysis of the vinylic 1,1-methylthio methylsulfoxide derivative afforded the required aryl acetic ester, but in the absence of metal catalyst, an unexpected Pummerer rearrangement produced the 2,3-dimethylthiofuran derivative as the major product. This last result provides an alternative entry to 2,3-dimethlythiobenzofurans.     

Synthesis and antifungal activity of carvacrol and thymol esters with heteroaromatic carboxylic acids

Aiming to obtain the more effective pathogen inhibitive ingredients and explore the influence of introducing different heterocyclic units to carvacrol and thymol esters, twenty ester derivatives with different heterocyclic units were synthesized. And the in vitro antifungal activity of title compounds against five plant pathogenic fungi was evaluated by mycelium growth rate method. The results showed that some carvacrol and thymol esters showed good to excellent antifungal activity, and compound 9d (4-bromo-5-isopropyl-2-methylphenyl picolinate) exhibited a broad antifungal spectrum. Preliminary study indicated that the introduction of furan, thiophene and pyridine unit could enhance the antifungal activity of carvacrol and thymol esters against Botrytis cinerea and a bromine atom on the para position of benzene moiety could enhance their antifungal activity.     

Self‐assembled polyurea macromer nanodispersion and resulting hybrid polyurea‐acrylic emulsions and films

A polyurea macromer (PUM) was synthesized and dispersed in basic conditions to form self‐assembled nanoparticles (<20 nm dispersions, up to 30 wt % aq. soln.). These nanoparticles enabled surfactant‐free emulsion polymerization to form hybrid polyurea‐acrylic particles despite the absence of a measureable water‐soluble fraction. The T_g of the starting PUM material was a strong function of the PUM's extent of neutralization and hydration (varying between 100 °C and >175 °C) due to changes in hydrogen and ionic bonding. Two separate hybrid polyurea‐acrylic emulsion systems were prepared: one by direct polymerization of (meth)acrylic monomers in the presence of the nanodispersion and a second by a physical blend of PUM nanodispersion with an acrylic latex control. The direct polymerization method resulted in a hybrid emulsion particle size that developed by a mechanism resembling conventional emulsion polymerization and was unlike that described for seeded polyurethane dispersion systems. Film hardness was shown to increase with increasing coating thickness for the hybrid film prepared by direct polymerization. The resulting mechanical properties could be explained by applying mechanical models for a composite foam structure. These results were unprecedented for normal elastomer films. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 1373–1388     

弹性蛋白酶生物催化酯水解的综合实验设计*

酯的水解是有机化学实验教学中的一个重要化学反应,传统的酯水解实验设计是利用酸性或碱性环境在加热的条件下进行水解,而本实验设计将酯水解与生物催化相结合,利用弹性蛋白酶的水解功能,在常温及中性环境下实现对4-三氟甲基-7-丙酰氧基香豆素的水解。该实验设计创新性地将酯水解和酶催化相结合,有利于拓展学生的知识面,培养化学生物学复合型人才。同时,生物催化反应具有反应温和、环境友好等特点,符合当代绿色化学的需求。     

基于聚丙交酯的光固化型可生物降解聚氨酯丙烯酸酯的合成和表征

基于聚醚酯的聚氨酯丙烯酸酯具有应用于组织工程支架材料及相关生物医用材料的潜力,研究其可生物降解性及影响因素非常重要.聚醚酯是由PEG(Mw=400)引发L-丙交酯开环聚合而得到的PLLA-PEGPLLA(PLEL)嵌段共聚物.它与二异氰酸酯(异佛尔酮二异氰酸酯和六亚甲基二异氰酸酯)反应,并用甲基丙烯酸羟乙酯封端,得到聚氨酯丙烯酸酯低聚物,然后通过紫外固化得到聚氨酯丙烯酸酯材料(PUA).用NMR和GPC对PLEL二醇和预聚物进行了组成和分子量表征,用DSC和DMA对PUA进行了结构和物理性能表征以及用接触角、吸水率和质量分析方法对材料的亲水性和降解性能进行了表征.结果发现,随着PLLA疏水链段变长,PLEL软段分子量增大,材料的亲水性降低,交联度和降解速率变小.相同的软段,基于硬段HDIHEMA的PUA材料比IPDI-HEMA的PUA有较低的T_g,较高的亲水性和降解速率.因为IPDI有环状结构,降低了PUA与水的相互作用.在3种不同降解条件下,氧化降解速率最高,酶解的速率高于水解.PUA材料的氧化降解速率取决于软段中PEG的含量,PLEL1000-HDI中PEG含量最高,其氧化降解最快,13周内失重率达到82.6%.     

Proton exchange membrane prepared by blending polybenzimidazole with poly (aminophosphonate ester)

In this article, we report a new amorphous-crystalline polymer blend system consisting of poly (4, 4′-diphenylether-5, 5′-bibenzimidazole) (OPBI) and poly (aminophosphonate ester) (PAPE) polymers, the membranes of which were fabricated using the solution blending route. A series of blend membranes at different ratios were prepared and systematically analysed for chemical interactions, morphological changes and their physico-chemical properties studied for use as proton exchange membrane. While FT-IR spectroscopy established the hydrogen bonding interactions between N–H of OPBI and phosphonate ester group of PAPE, X-ray diffraction studies revealed the development of crystallinity in the membrane matrix. Interestingly, the gradual induction of crystallinity in an amorphous OPBI matrix was found to influence the properties of the blend membranes favourably. For instance, the blend membrane containing 25 wt% PAPE in OPBI matrix displayed the maximum property enhancement in terms of storage modulus, glass transition temperature (T_g), phosphoric acid (PA) doping level (37 mol/OPBI repeat unit) and most importantly proton conductivity (0.135 S/cm at 180 °C) which is almost twice the value for pristine OPBI (0.05 S/cm at 180 °C) under identical conditions. Although improved properties were observed at other blend ratios as well, the studies ascertain that the membrane with 25 wt% PAPE was found to be the threshold ratio up to which properties increase and beyond which i.e. at >25 wt% PAPE, there is a decrement in properties like mechanical stability and proton conductivity. An important reason for this was attributed to the creation of a right balance of amorphous and crystalline domains and appropriate intra and inter-polymer hydrogen bonding interactions in the matrix of 75/25 (OPBI/PAPE) blend membrane.     

Facile amidation of esters with aromatic amines promoted by lanthanide tris (amide) complexes

The development of catalysts capable of catalyzing amidation of esters with amines to construct amides under mild conditions is of great importance. Compared to aliphatic amines, the direct catalytic amidation of esters with less nucleophilic aromatic amines is rather difficult. Employing simple lanthanide tris (amide) complexes Ln[N (SiMe₃)₂]₃(μ-Cl)Li (THF)₃ as the catalysts, it was found a broad range of aromatic amines and esters were efficiently converted into various amides in good yields under mild conditions. A plausible mechanism for this transformation was experimentally supported as starting from an amide exchange reaction between the lanthanide tris (amide) complex and the substrate amine.     

Efficient synthesis of branched poly(acrylic acid) derivatives via postpolymerization modification

The utility of pentafluorophenyl esters for the selective introduction of functional units and branch points in well-defined poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) derivatives is demonstrated using a combination of controlled radical polymerization and postpolymerization modification. Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer enables the synthesis of well-defined copolymers—poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate-co-tert-butyl acrylate)—with the active ester repeat units serving as attachment points for reaction with primary amines, specifically tris(2-(t-butoxycarbonyl)ethyl)methyl amine (Behera's amine). Deprotection using trifluoroacetic acid removes both the backbone and side chain t-butyl esters to give a series of branched PAA derivatives containing novel tricarboxylic acid side chains that are well suited to complexation and multidentate interactions. Surprisingly, the active ester homopolymer is shown to have the highest reactivity with Behera's amine when compared to copolymers with lower incorporation of pentafluorophenyl esters, suggesting an intriguing interplay of neighboring group effects and steric interactions. The ability to tune the efficiency of postpolymerization modification gives a library of PAA derivatives.     

Hantzsch Ester as a Visible-Light Photoredox Catalyst for Transition-Metal-Free Coupling of Arylhalides and Arylsulfinates

Diethyl 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate (HEH) has been utilized as a visible-light photoredox catalyst for the cross coupling of arylhalides and arylsulfinates without transition metal, sacrificial agent, and mediator. This method is compatible with various functional groups and provides diaryl sulfones in good to high yields. Mechanistic studies indicate that this reaction undergoes the stepwise light irradiation of HE⁻, single electron transfer (SET) in donor–acceptor complex (DAC) from *HE⁻ to arylhalide, trapping of aryl radical with sulfinate, and SET oxidation of sulfone radical anion by HE^. to sulfone by the DAC method.     

Buffering effects on the solution behavior and hydrolytic degradation of poly(β-amino ester)s

With a vast, synthetically accessible compositional space and highly tunable hydrolysis rates, poly(β-amino ester)s (PBAEs) are an attractive degradable polymer platform. Leveraging PBAEs in a wide range of applications hinges on the ability to program degradation, which, thus far, has been frustrated by multiple confounding phenomena contributing to the degradation of these charged polyesters. Basic conditions accelerate hydrolysis, yet reduce solubility, limiting water access to amines and esters. Further, the high buffering capacity of PBAEs can render buffers ineffective at controlling solution pH. To unify understanding of PBAE degradation and solution properties, this study examines PBAE hydrolysis as a function of pH and buffer concentration as well as polymer hydrophobicity. At low buffer concentrations, the PBAE amines and the acid produced during hydrolysis control solution pH. Meanwhile, at high buffer concentrations that afford relatively constant pH, hydrolysis rate increases with pH, despite the reduced PBAE solubility. Increasing the hydrophobic content of PBAEs eventually hinders the capacity of the polymer to accept protons from solution, limiting the pH increase and slowing hydrolysis. These studies showcase the role of buffering on the pH-dependent degradation and solution properties of PBAEs, providing guidance for programming degradation in applications ranging from drug delivery to thermosets.