Extended-chain crystals. III. Size distribution of polyethylene crystals grown under elevated pressure

Extended-chain crystals of high molecular weight polymethylene, a polyethylene with a broad molecular weight distribution, and three fractions of polyethylene were grown from the melt under elevated pressure. Comparison of the crystal size distribution in the molecular chain direction (measured on fracture surfaces by electron microscopy) with the molecular weight distribution (measured by gel-permeation chromatography) gave the following results. Up to molecular weight 10,000 all samples showed eutectic separation into fully extended chain crystals of narrow molecular weight distribution. Above molecular weight 10,000 mixed crystals were formed. Under the chosen crystallization conditions larger chain extension was achieved with higher molecular weights. However, an increase in molecular weight by a factor of 1000 led only to a tenfold increase in chain extension. These facts are discussed in the light of a proposed mechanism of crystal growth.     

Extended-chain crystals. V. Thermal analysis and electron microscopy of the melting process in polyethylene

Differential thermal analysis and electron microscopy of partially molten, extended-chain polyethylene crystals, grown under elevated pressure, was performed. It could be shown that melting peaks on the low temperature side of the main melting peak are due to narrowly distributed, low molecular weight polymer segregated in extended-chain crystals. Superheating of crystals before melting increased with molecular weight and chain extension. The melting mechanism of extended chain crystals was shown to be a successive peeling off of chains which leaves the chain extension constant up to melting of the last crystal trace.     

Chain‐Growth Click Polymerization of AB2 Monomers for the Formation of Hyperbranched Polymers with Low Polydispersities in a One‐Pot Process

Hyperbranched polymers are important soft nanomaterials but robust synthetic methods with which the polymer structures can be easily controlled have rarely been reported. For the first time, we present a one‐pot one‐batch synthesis of polytriazole‐based hyperbranched polymers with both low polydispersity and a high degree of branching (DB) using a copper‐catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) polymerization. The use of a trifunctional AB₂ monomer that contains one alkyne and two azide groups ensures that all Cu catalysts are bound to polytriazole polymers at low monomer conversion. Subsequent CuAAC polymerization displayed the features of a “living” chain‐growth mechanism with a linear increase in molecular weight with conversion and clean chain extension for repeated monomer additions. Furthermore, the triazole group in a linear (L) monomer unit complexed Cu^I, which catalyzed a faster reaction of the second azide group to quickly convert the L unit into a dendritic unit, producing hyperbranched polymers with DB=0.83.     

Well‐defined epoxide‐containing styrenic polymers and their functionalization with alcohols

Polymers containing electrophilic moieties, such as activated esters, epoxides, and alkyl halides, can be readily modified with a variety of nucleophiles to produce useful functional materials. The modification of epoxide‐containing polymers with amines and other strong nucleophiles is well‐documented, but there are no reports on the modification of such polymers with alcohols. Using phenyloxirane and glycidyl butyrate as low molecular weight model compounds, it was determined that the acid‐catalyzed ring‐opening of aryl‐substituted epoxides by alcohols to form β‐hydroxy ether products was significantly more efficient than that of alkyl‐substituted epoxides. An aryl epoxide‐type styrenic monomer, 4‐vinylphenyloxirane (4VPO), was synthesized in high yield using an improved procedure and then polymerized in a controlled manner under reversible addition‐fragmentation chain‐transfer (RAFT) polymerization conditions. A successful chain extension with styrene proved the high degree of chain‐end functionalization of the poly4VPO‐based macro chain transfer agent. Poly4VPO was modified with a library of alcohols and phenols, some of which contained reactive functionalities, e.g., azide, alkyne, allyl, etc., using either CBr₄ (in PhCN at 90 °C for 2–3 days) or BF₃ (in CH₂Cl₂ at ambient temperature over 30 min) as the catalyst. The resulting β‐hydroxy ether‐functionalized homopolymers were characterized using size exclusion chromatography, ¹H NMR and IR spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1132–1144     

Beech Lignin—Proposal of a Constitutional Scheme

The high molecular weight material lignin consists of phenylpropane units linked together by a variety of bond types. During the past eight years, two newly developed degradation procedures have permitted the first direct determinations of the nature of these bonds. The first procedure affords a very mild partial hydrolysis of benzyl ether bonds. Eleven dimeric, trimeric, and tetrameric degradation products were obtained in this way from spruce and beech lignin: they exhibited three different kinds of bonds between the C₉ structural units, and their structures have all been elucidated. In the second procedure, the most important kind of bond in lignin, i. e. the arylglycerol-β-aryl ether bond, can be subjected to directed cleavage under mild conditions after introduction of a suitable neighboring group. On application to beech lignin, 91 % of the material was degraded giving monomeric to tetrameric phenols. Complete structural elucidation of the twenty dimeric phenols isolated and a knowledge of their relative yields and the yields of the other fractions obtained by gel filtration permitted a structural scheme to be set up for beech lignin in which the C₉ structural units are linked together by no less then ten different kinds of bonds. The structural scheme, which can be readily explained biogenetically, has the same elemental composition as natural beech lignin. Further support for the structural scheme comes from a comparison of the ¹³C-NMR spectrum of natural beech lignin and a ¹³C-NMR spectrum calculated for the proposed structure on the basis of about fifty lignin model substances.     

Thermal degradation of poly(methyl-n-hexylsilylene)

Thermal degradation of poly(methyl-n-hexylsilane) in the solid state in absence of oxygen reveals formation of a cyclic pentamer between 150 and 250°C. Polymer is gradually degraded to an intermediate molecular weight distribution. The weight average of this new distribution is not only temperature-dependent, but is also a function of viscosity of the polymer and nature of chain ends. As no insolubles or Si? H groups are formed, the degradation mechanism is most likely a back-biting mechanism induced by active chain ends such as silyl anions or Si? Cl rather than a homolytic cleavage of the main chain. A concurrent intramolecular rearrangement reaction is also proposed. Moreover, this study proposes an explanation to the trimodal molecular weight distribution obtained by the Wurtz coupling of dichlorosilanes with molten sodium in refluxing toluene. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Flow injection chemiluminescence determination of polyhydroxy phenols using luminol-ferricyanide/ferrocyanide system

It was found that the weak chemiluminescence produced from the reaction of polyhydroxy phenols with luminol in alkaline solution could be strongly enhanced by ferricyanide and ferrocyanide. Based on this found, a new flow injection chemiluminescence method is proposed for the determination of four polyhydroxy phenols: pyrogallol, phlorglucinol, quinol and resorcinol. The detection limits of the method are 0.03 μg ml⁻¹ pyrogallol, 0.03 μg ml⁻¹ phlorglucinol, 0.04 μg ml⁻¹ quinol, and 0.02 μg ml⁻¹ resorcinol. The possible mechanism of CL reactions is also discussed briefly.     

High-temperature reactions of hydroxyl and carboxyl PET chain end groups in the presence of aromatic phosphite

When melt-extruded in the presence of triphenylphosphite (TPP), the molecular weight of polyesters such as poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) increases with time. Analysis of the PET chain end groups and model studies of high-temperature reactions indicate that, most likely, the process leading to chain extension of PET in the presence of TPP takes place in two steps. In the first step, TPP rapidly reacts with the hydroxyl end groups by displacing one phenoxy group from the TPP. In the second step, a slow reaction takes place between the alkyldiphenyl phosphite and carboxylic chain end groups, forming an ester bond between the carboxyl and alkyl groups, and producing diphenylphosphite (DPP) as a reaction by-product. The DPP tautomerizes to its pentacovalently bonded stabler form of diphenylphosphate, the form in which the DPP was usually detected in our analyses. The ester formation results in the extension of the PET chains. Model studies are presented which support the proposed mechanism.     

Antibiotics from algae—XXVIII: Cleavage of high molecular phlorotannin derivatives from the brown alga fucus vesiculosus L

A mixture of various high molecular weight phenols containing phlorotannins was extracted from the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus, and phase transfer catalytically methylated in the presence of Adogen 464. Aromatic ether chains of permethylated phlorotannins and of a few low molecular weight model compounds were cleaved with sodium in liquid ammonia. A number of methoxylated phenols, biphenyls, diphenyl ethers and phenoxy-biphenyls were isolated from the mixture of cleavage products. Analysis of these cleavage products proves the occurrence of the substitution patterns already known for low molecular weight phlorotannins consisting of polyhydroxyphenols derived from phloroglucinol and indicates the presence of additional substitution patterns in high molecular phlorotannins.     

Polymerization by oxidative coupling. II. Co-redistribution of poly(2,6-diphenyl-1,4-phenylene ether) with phenols

Poly(2,6-diphenyl-1,4-phenylene ether) reacts with phenols in the presence of an initiator to form a mixture of low molecular weight hydroxyarylene ethers. Although the reaction is similar to the equilibration of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) with phenols, higher reaction temperatures and larger initiator concentrations are required. Compounds as 3,3′,5,5′-tetraphenyl-4,4′-diphenoquinone, tert-butyl perbenzoate, and benzoyl peroxide are active initiators. The structure of the polymer affects the extent to which the polymer equilibrates.     

The crystal structure and drawing induced polymorphism in poly(aryl ether ketone)s, 3. Crystallization during hot-drawing of poly(ether ether ketone ketone)

The evolution of crystallinity and polymorphism during hot-drawing of amorphous poly(ether ether ketone ketone) (PEEKK) as a function of strain rate, draw ratio, and temperature was investigated. In modification I, the competition of chain extension and molecular alignment is responsible for the strain rate and temperature dependence. Modification II crystallization is basically controlled by chain extension during stretching. The former can be transformed into the latter via relaxation during stretching or annealing at elevated temperature.     

Alkylation of phenol: a mechanistic view

The current work utilizes the ab initio density functional theory (DFT) to develop a molecular level of the mechanistic understanding on the phenol alkylation in the presence of a cation-exchange resin catalyst, Amberlyst-15. The catalyst is modeled with the benzene sulfonic acid, and the effect of this acid on olefins such as isopropene (i-Pr) and tributene (t-Bu) in a phenol solution mimics the experimental condition. A neutral-pathway mechanism is established to account for early-stage high concentration of the phenolic ether observed in experiments. The mechanism involves an exothermic reaction between olefin and the benzene sulfonic acid to form ester followed by three reaction pathways leading to direct O-alkylation, o-C-alkylation, and p-C-alkylation. Our calculations conclude that O-alkylation to form the phenolic ether is the most energetically favorable in the neutral condition. An ionic rearrangement mechanism describes intramolecular migrations of the alkyl group from the phenolic ether to form C-alkylphenols, while the positively charged protonation significantly lowers transition barriers for these migrations. The ionic rearrangement mechanism accounts for high yields of o-C-alkylphenol and p-C-alkylphenol. Competition between the H atom and the alkyl R group at the substitutive site of the protonated ortho configuration is found to be the determining factor to the ortho/para ratio of C-alkylation products.     

Influence of Backbone Structure on Properties of Directly Polymerized Phenoxy Resins from Epichlorohydrin and Various Aromatic Dihydric Phenols Monomers

A series of phenoxy resins was directly prepared through the polymerization of each of the various aromatic dihydric phenols and epichlorohydrin.FTIR and 1H NMR spectra were recorded to characterize the structures of the re-sins.The GPC curves were used to determine the molecular weight distribution.In addition,the thermal properties of the resins were studied with differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)and thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA).The thermal stabilities of the polymers increased with the content of the benzene ring,pendant group increasing or biphenyl groups emerging.The adhesive properties of the polymers were evaluated in terms of the lap shear strength with Fe-Fe adherends.The fracture mechanisms were determined by SEM observation and it was found that there was an important participation of cohesive fracture mechanisms.Also,it has been demonstrated that the extension of these micro-cohesive mechanisms is directly correlated with the adhesive strength.According to these results,the phenoxy resin containing biphenyl groups presented a higher adhesive strength and could improve the adhesive property of the epoxy/phenoxy system to a certain extent.     

Ether Cleavage with Organo-Alkali-Metal Compounds and Alkali Metals

Reactions with organo-alkali-metal compounds are mostly carried out in ether-type solvents. It has long been known that ether cleavage takes place at the same time. The mechanism of the cleavage, in particular the fact that dialkyl ethers can be decomposed by a variety of mechanisms acting simultaneously, has only become clear in the most recent investigations. The observation that even with purely aliphatic ethers a considerable amount of Wittig ether rearrangement can occur is remarkable. Unusual secondary reactions can also occur by means of which alkyl- and aryllithium compounds in ether or tetrahydrofuran yield new organolithium compounds—sometimes with rearrangement. The reactions of alkyl aryl ethers with alkali metals are also varied and five different mechanisms for them have been discussed in the literature. It is interesting, for example, that the cleavage of anisole can be directed simply by changing the solvent so that in one case only cleavage of the aryl-oxygen bond occurs and in the other almost 100% cleavage of the alkyl-oxygen bond results. The formation of biphenyl as a by-product upon cleavage of the alkyl-oxygen bond in anisole was also puzzling. This was later shown to occur not through the dimerization of phenyl radicals but via 2-methoxybiphenyl. The number of cleavage mechanisms reduces to two if one assumes two different σ^*-radical anions as being intermediates in the kinetically controlled reaction. Comparison of the reactivity of thioethers and ethers reveals not only gradual but also fundamental differences—the cleavage of the thioethers is thermodynamically controlled.     

Crystallization during polymerization of diazomethane. II. Studies of model compounds and chain extension of etched polyethylene single crystals by chemical reaction

In order to study the mechanism of crystallization during polymerization, a method to produce living oligomer crystal nuclei was developed. The living oligomers are diazoketones prepared from their carboxylic acids or acid chlorides. These diazoketones were proved to be reactive toward boron trifluoride etherate. The complex could be further chain-extended through a living polymerization mechanism with diazomethane. The optimal conditions for the reactions were worked out using model compounds. These reactions were then applied to chain extension of etched polyethylene single crystals. The reactions were confirmed by a combination of time-dependent differential thermal analysis, molecular weight determination, nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared analysis. The importance and potential application of such reactions for the study of nucleation and crystallization, and final properties of the resulting polymers are discussed.     

Studies of the formation of thermosetting resins. XII. Computer simulation of the reactions of phenols with formaldehyde

The mechanism of the reaction of phenols with formaldehyde was studied by computer simulation. At first starting molecules were stored in a computer and the hypothetical reaction yielded conditions like the reactivity ratio of hydroxymethyl group to formaldehyde and that of orthohydrogen to parahydrogen. The molecular weight distribution of the hypothetical product in the computer was compared with that of the prepared resin determined from GPC measurement. Reaction mechanisms were discussed. We also confirmed, by computer simulation, that the rate of methylenation is larger than that of hydroxymethylation in an acid-catalyzed system and that the reactivity ratio of hydroxymethyl group to formaldehyde is 5–12 for the reaction of phenols such as o-cresol, p-cresol, and phenol with formaldehyde. The opposite results were obtained in a base-catalyzed system. It also became apparent that information regarding molecular structures, such as the number of branches, the number of phenolic nuclei in the longest chain, and the number of o,o′-,o,p′- and p,p′-methylene linkages, can be obtained by computer simulation. The most probable values of these factors for 10 mer of a phenol–formaldehyde condensation molecule are 2, 7, 2, 5, and 2.     

Hétérocyclisations intramoléculaires par réaction d'oxymercuration III. Régiosélectivité et stéréosélectivité de l'oxymercuration intramoléculaire de phénols orthoallyliques

The intramolecular heterocylization of ortho-allylic phenols by oxymercuration has been realized with compounds having different substituents on the allylic chain. In all cases, only the corresponding benzofuran is formed. However, with a substituent at the terminal carbon of the double bond, we also observed the formation of benzopyran. The influence of the solvent and the mercuric salt on the orientation of this reaction has been examined. There is evidence of a molecular rearrangement during the reduction.     

Claisen rearrangement induced by low-energy collision of ESI-generated, protonated benzyloxy indoles

The Claisen rearrangement is a well-known process occurring in condensed phase. In the gas-phase protonated allyl phenyl ethers, propargyl phenyl ethers, and N-allyl aniline produced by positive ion chemical ionization undergo Claisen rearrangement. This reaction has been observed even in the case of odd-electron molecular ions. Phenyl allenyl ether molecular ions actually undergo Claisen rearrangement, producing intense [M - CO](+*) ions. In this investigation, the behavior of protonated benzyloxy indole and some of its derivatives, obtained in electrospray conditions, is described. Low-energy MS/MS experiments carried out on [M + H](+) species show CO loss and an unexpected water loss: both can be justified only by the occurrence of Claisen rearrangement. Deuterium labeling experiments confirm this mechanism. The influence of different substituents in the indole moiety is discussed.     

The Claisen rearrangement of protonated allyl phenyl ether

Molecular protonated ions of allyl phenyl ether undergo a Claisen rearrangement both in the ion source and along the flight path. The rearranged ions undergo fragmentation, the predominat loss being ethene, and only a small contribution from loss of carbon monoxide is observed. Collision-induced dissociation spectra are used to verify the structures of the daughter ions. These spectra, together with other evidence of an acid-induced ortho rearrangement, allow a mechanism to be proposed for the ethene loss. In contrast, molecular protonated ions of propargyl phenyl ether lose exclusively carbon monoxide.     

Catalyzed chain transfer to monomer in free radical polymerization

The kinetics and the molecular weight distribution in the radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of a cobalt complex of hematoporphyrin tetramethyl ether is investigated. The whole complex of experimental data indicates the new kinetic phenomenon—catalyzed chain transfer to monomer. The possible mechanism of the chain transfer and the chain transfer agent regeneration acts is suggested.