Polyethyleneimine‐modified porous aromatic framework and silane coupling agent grafted graphene oxide composite materials for determination of phenolic acids in Chinese Wolfberry drink by HPLC

A simple method for the determination of phenolic acids in Chinese Wolfberry drink based on polyethyleneimine modified porous aromatic framework and graphene oxide composite sorbent for pipette‐tip solid‐phase extraction was developed. Porous aromatic framework and raphene oxide composite materials were grafted by silane coupling agent (3‐Chloropropyl)‐trimethoxysilane. The modified materials were characterized by five kinds of characterization. Experimental results showed that the prepared p‐phenylenediamine, cyanuric chloride, and graphene oxide composite material had a loose structure combined with the framework which improved hydrophobicity, and polyethyleneimine to increase the selectivity with the targets. The parameters of the pipette‐tip solid‐phase extraction procedure including the amount of sorbents, volumes and types of washing solvents and elution solvents were optimized to achieve optimal extraction efficiency. Good linearity of best material was achieved in the range of 0.1–400 µg/mL with correlation coefficient of chlorogenic acid (0.9994), caffeic acid (0.9997), and ferulic acid (0.9998). Recoveries between 93.5 and 102.3% were obtained at three spiked levels with relative standard deviation ≤3.1%. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of phenolic acids in Chinese Wolfberry drink sample.     

Near‐infrared electrochromic poly(aryl ether)s based on isolated electroactive tetraphenyl‐p‐phenylenediamine moieties

A series of near‐infrared (NIR) electrochromic aromatic poly(aryl ether)s containing N,N,N′,N′‐tetraphenyl‐p‐phenylenediamine (TPPA) moieties in the backbone were prepared from the high‐temperature polycondensation reactions of a biphenol monomer, 2,5‐bis(diphenylamino)hydroquinone, with difluoro compounds. The obtained polymers were readily soluble in many organic solvents and showed useful levels of thermal stability associated with high glass‐transition temperatures (182–205 °C) and high char yields (higher than 40% at 800 °C in nitrogen). The polymer films showed reversible electrochemical oxidation with high contrast ratio both in the visible range and NIR region, and also exhibited high coloration efficiency (CE), low switching time, and stability for electrochromic operation. The polyether TPPA‐a thin film revealed good CE in visible (CE = 217 cm²/C) and NIR (CE = 192 cm²/C) region with reversible electroactive stability (over 500 times within 5% loss relative to its initial injected charge). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5378–5385, 2009     

Phosphoryl group differentiating α‐amino acids from β‐ and γ‐amino acids in prebiotic peptide formation

In recent years β‐amino acids have increased their importance enormously in defining secondary structures of β‐peptides. Interest in β‐amino acids raises the question: Why and how did nature choose α‐amino acids for the central role in life? In this article we present experimental results of MS and ³¹P NMR methods on the chemical behavior of N‐phosphorylated α‐alanine, β‐alanine, and γ‐amino butyric acid in different solvents. N‐Phosphoryl α‐alanine can self‐assemble to N‐phosphopeptides either in water or in organic solvents, while no assembly was observed for β‐ or γ‐amino acids. An intramolecular carboxylic–phosphoric mixed anhydride (IMCPA) is the key structure responsible for their chemical behaviors. Relative energies and solvent effects of three isomers of IMCPA derived from α‐alanine (2a–c), with five‐membered ring, and five isomers of IMCPA derived from β‐alanine (4a–e), with six‐membered ring, were calculated with density functional theory at the B3LYP/6‐31G** level. The lower relative energy (3.2 kcal/mol in water) of 2b and lower energy barrier for its formation (16.7 kcal/mol in water) are responsible for the peptide formation from N‐phosphoryl α‐alanine. Both experimental and theoretical studies indicate that the structural difference among α‐, β‐, and γ‐amino acids can be recognized by formation of IMCPA after N‐phosphorylation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 94: 232–241, 2003     

Using natural deep eutectic solvents for the extraction of metabolites in Byrsonima intermedia leaves

Natural deep eutectic solvents have been used as an alternative to organic solvents for the extraction of plants metabolites, allowing for the extraction of compounds of different polarities, while being inexpensive, non‐toxic, and easy to prepare. This work presents the comparison of the chromatographic profiles by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode‐array detection obtained from Byrsonima intermedia (Malpighiaceae) using five choline chloride‐based natural deep eutectic solvents, in addition to the most used traditional extraction solvents, methanol/water 7:3 and ethanol/water 7:3 v/v. A reference extract was used to tentatively identify compounds by high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The water content appeared to be important for the extraction efficiency and the mixture choline chloride/glycerol was shown to be the best candidate for efficiently extracting this matrix when compared with the traditional extraction media in addition to being far greener as shown by the environmental analysis tool. Seven phenolic compounds (digalloyl quinic acid, proanthocyanidin dimer, galloylproanthocyanidin dimer, quercetin‐O‐hexoside, galloyl quercetin hexoside, quercetin‐O‐pentoside, and galloyl quercetin pentoside) were tentatively identified in all extracts. Moreover, the influence of these solvents on the antioxidant activity of the extracts was studied and the results for choline chloride/glycerol extracts were very similar to that of the traditional extraction solvents.     

Determination of phthalate esters in soil using a quick,easy, cheap,effective, rugged,and safe method followed by GC–MS

A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe procedure was designed to extract pesticide residues from fruits and vegetables with a high percentage of water. It has not been used extensively for the extraction of phthalate esters from sediments, soils, and sludges. In this work, this procedure was combined with gas chromatography with mass spectrometry to determine 16 selected phthalate esters in soil. The extraction efficiency of the samples was improved by ultrasonic extraction and dissolution of the soil samples in ultra‐pure water, which promoted the dispersion of the samples. Furthermore, we have simplified the extraction step and reduced the risk of organic solvent contamination by minimizing the use of organic solvents. Different extraction solvents and clean‐up adsorbents were compared to optimize the procedure. Dichloromethane/n‐hexane (1:1, v/v) and n‐hexane/acetone (1:1, v/v) were selected as the extractants from the six extraction solvents tested. C18/primary secondary amine (1:1, m/m) was selected as the sorbent from the five clean‐up adsorbents tested. The recoveries from the spiked soils ranged from 70.00 to 117.90% with relative standard deviation values of 0.67–4.62%. The proposed approach was satisfactorily applied for the determination of phthalate esters in 12 contaminated soil samples.     

P‐Type Photochromism of New Helical Naphthopyrans: Synthesis and Photochemical,Photophysical and Theoretical Study

Two novel helical naphthopyrans have been synthesised. The helical scaffold has the interesting effect of increasing the thermal stability of the transoid‐trans (TT) open isomer formed upon UV irradiation of the closed form (CF), which transforms these naphthopyrans from thermal to photochemical photochromes. The photochromic performance is excellent in both polar and apolar solvents and the conversion percentage from the CF to the TT form can be as high as 92.8 %. We propose a new method to determine the quantum yields of the photochemical processes that lead to transoid‐cis (TC) and TT isomers, and their molar absorption coefficients. The thermal stability of the TT and TC isomers has been studied in different solvents. The quantum yields of fluorescence before and after irradiation, along with the decay lifetimes, have also been measured. TD‐DFT calculations have been performed to determine the relative thermodynamic stability of the species involved in the photochromic mechanism and to rationalise their spectral properties.     

某些萃取剂与C6—C9芳烃相互作用的1H NMR研究

以四氯化碳作为惰性参考溶剂, 研究了N-甲基-2-吡咯烷酮(NMP)、环丁砜、N,N-二甲基甲酰胺(DMF)、N,N-二甲基乙酰胺(DMA)和γ-丁内酯(γ-BL)等五种萃取剂在几种芳烃溶剂中的~1H NMR谱。观察到萃取剂分子的化学位移在芳烃溶剂中均大幅度移向高场, 且NMP、γ-BL的共振谱线在芳烃中发生分裂或重叠。在不同的芳烃溶剂中, 以在苯乙烯中NMP、DMF、DMA、环丁砜共振谱线的移动幅度为最大。各萃取剂谱线位移的幅度随着苯环上甲基数目的增多而递减。结合溶液热力学的结果, 推断出NMP等萃取剂和芳烃分子之间存在着弱化学作用。     

Synthesis and characterization of new aromatic polyamides bearing crown ethers or their dipodal counterparts in the pendant structure. I. Benzo‐12‐crown‐4 and ortho‐bis(2‐ethoxyethoxy)benzene

Two novel isophthalic diacid‐based monomers have been synthesized by inclusion in ring position 5 of a functionalized benzoylamine moiety. The functionalization includes a 12‐crown‐4 ether group fused with the benzene subunit and a dipodand substructure, formally a disubstitution of the benzene ring, with two sequences of ethyl‐terminated ethylene oxide units, which represent the open‐chain counterpart of the alicylic crown moiety. The polycondensation of the two diacids with five aromatic diamines yielded 10 new polyamides with crown or podand pendant substructures. The polyamides had previously been chemically characterized by NMR, IR, and elemental analysis. The polymers showed high glass transition temperatures of up to 349 °C, good thermal stability (T_{donset, N2} ≈ 400 °C), and improved solubility in organic solvents. The presence of acyclic or alicyclic oxyethylene sequences as crown ether or podand substructures and an additional amide side group per repeat unit made the polymers essentially amorphous and improved their water absorption ability in comparison with nonsubstituted polyamides. Water uptake values as high as 12% were observed at 65% relative humidity. All the polyamides showed a good film‐forming ability, and the mechanical properties of these films are considered to be satisfactory for experimental aromatic polyamides. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2270–2281, 2006     

Green and enhanced extraction of coumarins from Cortex Fraxini by ultrasound‐assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction

Green and enhanced extraction of bioactive ingredients from medicinal plants has become a hot research field, and deep eutectic solvents have been considered as a novel kind of sustainable solvents in the extraction process. In this study, hydrogen bond acceptor (choline chloride, etc.) and hydrogen bond donor (l ‐malic acid, etc.) were used to prepare different kinds of deep eutectic solvents to extract coumarins from Cortex Fraxini. The extraction conditions, including the composition and moisture content of deep eutectic solvents, extraction time, and liquid‐solid ratio, were systematically optimized basing on the extraction yield of coumarins. To further investigate the extraction mechanism, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was performed, and the microstructures of Cortex Fraxini powders were observed before and after extraction using scanning electron microscope. Results showed that the novel ultrasound‐assisted extraction with conditions of deep eutectic solvent containing betaine/glycerin (1:3), aqueous solution (20%), solid‐liquid ratio (15 mg/mL), and extraction time (30 min) exhibited the best extraction yields for the four target coumarins and much better extraction efficiency than with conventional solvent extractions. This suggests that the new ultrasound‐assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction could be used as a green and high‐efficient approach for extraction of the main coumarins from Cortex Fraxini.     

Synthesis and characterization of new soluble polyamides derived from 2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)-3,5-dimethyltetrahydro-4H-pyran-4-one

A new oxypyrone diamine, 2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)-3,5-dimethyltetrahydro-4H-pyran-4-one (DAPP), was prepared from 4-nitrobenzaldehyde and 3-oxa-n-pentane in a two-step reaction with a high yield and a high purity. Aromatic polyamides were obtained from this novel condensation monomer and several diacid chlorides through the conventional low-temperature solution method in N,N-dimethylacetamide. Polycondensation results were consistent with a high reactivity for DAPP because high yields and high molecular weight polyamides were obtained with inherent viscosities up to 1.8 dL/g. The reactivity of DAPP was also estimated with theoretical calculations from computer programs for molecular simulation, with orbital and charge factors considered. The polymers showed improved solubility in organic solvents, relative to conventional wholly aromatic polyamides, and high glass-transition temperatures (from differential scanning calorimetry) over 270 °C. However, the thermal resistance, as estimated by thermogravimetric analysis, was lower than that of conventional aromatic polyamides; nevertheless, decomposition temperatures well beyond 300 °C were observed in nitrogen and air. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1825–1832, 2001     

Synthesis of novel polybenzimidazoles with pendant amino groups and the formation of their crosslinked membranes for medium temperature fuel cell applications

A series of new polybenzimidazoles (PBIs) with pendant amino groups have been synthesized via condensation polymerization of 5‐aminoisophthalic acid (APTA), isophthalic acid (iPTA), and 3,3′diaminobenzidine (DAB) in polyphosphoric acid at 190 °C for 20 h. The molar ratios between APTA and iPTA were controlled at 1:0, 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2, respectively, and the copolymerization reactions were carried out via both random and sequenced manners. The resulting polymers showed good solubility in some organic solvents such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc). The pendant amino groups of the PBIs were utilized to react with two kinds of crosslinkers, 1,3‐dibromopropane and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, to yield various crosslinked membranes. The crosslinked membranes generally showed good mechanical properties even at high‐phosphoric acid (PA) doping levels, whereas the uncrosslinked membranes highly swelled or even dissolved in PA. Fenton's test revealed that the crosslinked PBI membranes had excellent radical oxidative stability. The proton conductivities of the PA‐doped crosslinked membranes increased with an increase in temperature and high‐proton conductivity up to 0.14 S/cm at 0% relative humidity at 170 °C was achieved. The membranes with high PA‐doping levels, good mechanical properties, and high‐proton conductivities have been successfully developed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2009     

Photophysical Properties of Coumarin‐30 Dye in Aprotic and Protic Solvents of Varying Polarities¶

Experimental results on various photophysical properties of coumarin‐30 (C30) dye, namely, Stokes' shift (Δv), fluorescence quantum yield (τ_f), fluorescence lifetime (τ_f), radiative rate constant (k_f) and nonradiative rate constant (k_nr), as obtained using absorption and fluorescence measurements have been reported. Though in most of the solvents the properties of C30 show more or less linear correlation with the solvent polarity function, Δf= [(ε ‐ 1)/(2ε+ 1) ‐ (n² ‐ 1)/ (2n²+ l)], they show unusual deviations in nonpolar solvents at one end and in high‐polarity protic solvents at the other end. From the solvent polarity and temperature effect on the photophysical properties of the dye, following inferences have been drawn: ( 1 ) in nonpolar solvents, the dye exists in a nonpolar structure, where its 7‐NEt₂ substituent adopts a pyramidal configuration and the amino lone pair is out of resonance with the benzopyrone π cloud; ( 2 ) in medium to higher polarity solvents, the dye exists in a polar intra‐molecular charge transfer structure, where the 7‐NEt₂ group and the 1,2‐benzopyrone moiety are in the same plane and the amino lone pair is in resonance with the benzopyrone π cloud; ( 3 ) in protic solvents, the dye‐solvent intermolecular hydrogen bonding influences the photophysical properties of the dye; and ( 4 ) in high‐polarity protic solvents, the excited C30 undergoes a new activation‐controlled nonradiative deexcitation process because of the involvement of a twisted intra‐molecular charge transfer (TICT) state. Contrary to most other TICT molecules, the activation barrier for this deexcitation process in C30 is observed to increase with solvent polarity. A rational for this unusual behavior has been given on the basis of the solvent polarity‐dependent stabilization and crossing of relevant electronic states and the relative propensity of interconversion among these states.     

Preparation of flower-like molybdenum disulfide for solid-phase extraction of N-nitrosoamines in environmental water samples

In this paper, a flower-like molybdenum disulfide material was prepared by hydrothermal method and was first used as adsorbents in the solid-phase extraction process for enriching N-nitrosoamines. Molybdenum disulfide exhibited three-dimensional petal-like microspheres with about 500 nm in diameter. The relevant analyte extraction and elution parameters (sample volumes, solution pH, washing solvents, elution solvents, and elution volumes) were optimized to improve the solid-phase extraction efficiency. The solid-phase extraction process coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for determining N-nitrosoamines in environmental water samples was established. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.01–0.05 ng/mL. The satisfactory recoveries (68.9–106.1%) were obtained at three different spiked concentrations (2, 5, and 8 ng/mL) in water samples, and the relative standard deviations were between 1.96 and 8.38%. This proposed method not only showed high sensitivity and good reusability but also provided a new adsorbent for enriching trace N-nitrosoamines in environmental water samples.     

Full MP2 study of solvent implicit and explicit effect on tautomers of Dithio-Biuret

Dithio biuret conformers were optimised and frequency calculations were performed at MP2/6–311++G(d,p) level of theory. Classification of conformers was done to five different tautomers and the most stable conformer of each tautomer was selected. Tautomer 3 having trans conformation of amino and thiocarbonyl functional group was the most stable tautomer in the gas phase. Optimisation and frequency calculations were also done in four different solvents as follows: benzene, acetonitrile, DMSO and water. Stability of tautomers were compared in these solvents to explore effect of polarity on stabilisation of tautomers. Inter-conversion of selected tautomers was investigated both in the gas phase and in four different media. Results showed that when solvent is used as an implicit media, it has negligible effect on proton transfer. Water-explicit effect was also investigated and the results exhibited high dependency of proton transfer mechanism on water molecules when they participate in breaking and formation of bonds.     

Low‐Band‐Gap BODIPY Conjugated Copolymers for Sensing Volatile Organic Compounds

Conjugated polymers with strong photophysical properties are used in many applications. A homopolymer ( P1 ) and five new low band gap copolymers based on 4,4′‐difluoro‐4‐bora‐3a,4a‐diaza‐s‐indacene (BODIPY) and acceptors 3,6‐dithienyldiketopyrrolopyrrole ( P2 ), phthalimide ( P3 ), benzotriazole ( P4 ), 4,7‐dithienyl[1,2,3]triazolo[4,5g]quinoxaline ( P5 ), and 2,5‐dithienylthieno[3,4‐b]pyrazine ( P6 ) were prepared by means of Sonogashira polymerization. The characterization of polymers by using ¹H NMR, absorption, and emission spectroscopy is discussed. All polymers with high molecular weights (M_n) of 16 000 to 89 000 g mol^?1 showed absorption maxima in the deep‐red region (λ=630–760 nm) in solution and exhibited significant redshifts (up to 70 nm) in thin films. Polymers P2 , P5 , and P6 showed narrow optical band gaps of 1.38, 1.35, and 1.38 eV, respectively, which are significantly lower than that of P1 (1.63 eV). The HOMO and LUMO energy levels of the polymers were calculated by using cyclic voltammetry measurements. The LUMO energy levels of BODIPY‐based alternating copolymers were independent of the acceptors; this suggests that the major factor that tunes the LUMO energy levels of the polymers could be the BODIPY core. All polymers showed selective and reproducible detection of volatile organic solvents, such as toluene and benzene, which could be used for developing sensors.     

Hydrophobic and Physical Properties of the Two Step Processed Ambient Pressure Dried Silica Aerogels with Various Exchanging Solvents

The experimental results by using various exchanging solvents in the preparation of two step (acid and base) processed ambient pressure dried hydrophobic silica aerogels, are reported. Silica alcogels were prepared by hydrolysis with oxalic acid and condensation with NH₄OH of ethanol diluted tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) precursor and hexamethyldisilazane(HMDZ) methylating agent. The exchanging solvents used were: hexane, cyclohexane, heptane, benzene, toluene and xylene. The physical properties such as % of volume shrinkage, density, pore volume, % of porosity, thermal conductivity, % of optical transmission, surface area, pore size distribution and contact angle (θ) of the silica aerogels with water, were measured as a function of EtOH/TEOS molar ratios (R) for all the exchanging solvents. It was found that the physical and hydrophobic properties of the silica aerogels strongly depend on the nature of the solvent and R. Heptane solvent resulted in highly transparent (≈90% optical transmission at 700 nm for 1 cm thick sample), low density (≈0.060 g/cm³), low thermal conductive (≈0.070 W/m·K), high % of porosity (97%), high surface area (750 m²/g), uniform porosity and hydrophobic (θ ≈ 160°) aerogels compared to other solvents. On the otherhand, xylene resulted in aerogels with higher hydrophobicity (θ ≈ 172°) among other solvents.     

Synthesis of poly(1-vinylimidazole)-block-poly(9-vinylcarbazole) copolymers via RAFT and their use in chemically responsive graphitic composites

This study reports the synthesis of novel poly(1-vinylimidazole)-b-poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVI-b-PVK) block copolymers with varying monomer ratios using reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization and their incorporation in responsive composite materials. Specifically, non-covalent exfoliation of two different conductive fillers, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO), was studied. The percolation threshold of the synthesized nanocomposites was dependent on the polymer used for dispersion, showing a better affinity of the fillers for block copolymers with higher relative carbazole content. Resistivity measurements showed selective variation in the resistance signal when the materials were exposed to various organic solvents and acids, providing a good basis for the design of sensing devices.     

Soluble and Colorless Polyimides from Alicyclic Diamines

Abstract

A series of novel polyimides was synthesized from alicyclic diamines and various aromatic dianhydrides by one-step polymerization in m-cresol without a catalyst. The polymerization was conducted for 4 hours with refluxing, which was enough to obtain the polymers with high molecular weight. The inherent viscosities of the resulting polyimides were in the range of 0.30 ～1.29 dL/g. The prepared polyimides showed excellent thermal stabilities and good solubility. All the polymers were readily soluble in common organic solvents such as chloroform, tetrachloroethane (TCE), dimethylacetamide (DMAc), etc and the glass transition temperatures were observed at 199 to 311°C. UV-visible spectra were obtained to measure the transparency of polymer films. All the polymers showed high transmission above 90% in the wavelength of 400 ～700 nm.     

Theoretical study of solvent effects on the structures and isomerization of silylenoid H<Subscript>2</Subscript>SiLiF

The structures and isomerization of silylenoid H₂SiLiF are investigated by density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level. The solvent effects are modeled using the self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) method with Tomasi’s polarized continuum model (PCM). Five representative solvents, i.e. benzene, ether, THF, acetone, and DMSO, are chosen for this work. Special attention is paid to THF solvent. The results indicate that the polarity of solvents has played an important role on the structures and relative stabilities of different isomers. Contrary to the three-membered ring structure 1, the relative stability of the “classical” tetrahedron structure 4 increases with increasing dielectric constants (ε) of solvents. The σ-complex isomer 3 is most unstable structure. Although the relative energies are reduced with increasing dielectric constants (ε) of solvents, the p-complex structure 2 still has the lowest energy. The effects of solvents on the dipole moments and charge distributions are also discussed.     

Exploring the effects of solvents on an organic explosive: Insights from the electron structure,electrostatic potential,and conformational transformations of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane

In order to attain comprehensive insights into the crystallization of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) from solutions, the geometric and electronic structures and conformational transformations of its β-, γ-, ε-, ζ- and η- forms in six organic solvents (ethanol, ethyl acetate, methanol, acetone, acetonitrile, and 2-propanol) were evaluated using quantum chemistry calculations. Results showed that solvents have little effect on the geometric structures of molecules but greatly impact the energy and electronic structure of CL-20. The electron density, atomic charges, and electrostatic potential of CL-20 exhibit polarization due to the solvent effect, especially in alcohols. The polarity of CL-20 increased because of the change in electron density. The transformations of the five conformers of CL-20 were studied thoroughly, and the energy barriers were evaluated using the Gibbs energies. Importantly, the reason η-CL-20 is only found in CL-20-based cocrystals was suggested. These results indicate that solvents play a critical role in crystal growth.