Statistical nonstationarity of the composition of styrene with methyl methacrylate in the cooligomer

It was found that the composition of cooligomer produced in the styrene(A)–methyl methacrylate(B)–CCl₄(S) system deviates from the statistical steady-state composition predicted from the Mayo-Lewis equation on the low molecular weight side when the molar ratio of [A]/[B] is large. When the molar ratio of [A]/[B] is small, however, it is not obvious whether or not this phenomenon is observed, because the cooligomer of low molecular weight cannot be obtained easily since the chain transfer constant of the poly(methyl methacrylate) radical to CCl₄ is very small in comparison, with that of the polystyryl radical. This behavior is shown to be attributable mainly to the preferential consumption of styrene monomer in the initiation step, based on the structure of the cooligomer, as inferred from the mechanism of the initiation, transfer, and termination, and the stochastic approach in which the cooligomerization process is regarded as a Markov process.     

Computer simulation for the cooligomerization system

In order to clarify the kinetic features of the styrene (A)–methyl methacrylate (B)–CCl₄(S) cooligomerization system, a computer simulation was carried out. The experimental data on the degree of polymerization and the deviation of the cooligomer composition from the statistical steady-state composition were comparatively well explained by calculations based on the kinetic equations derived from the assumed reaction scheme and the values of the velocity coefficients, although the values of the four velocity coefficients in the initiation step and the velocity coefficient of the termination by the coupling of two solvent radicals were estimated. The results of the calculation of the rate of each component reaction show that the following two reactions are the most important in the initiation and in the transfer and termination steps when the [S]/([A] + [B]) ratio is large: where, A, A*, and P are styrene, polystyryl radical, and the cooligomer, respectively. Moreover, it was concluded that the deviation of the cooligomer composition from the statistical steady-state composition was caused by these two reactions.     

Polymerization of styrene catalyzed by rare earth Schiff base complexes

The rare earth Schiff base complex Nd (H₂Salen)₂Cl₃·2C₂H₅OH was synthesized by a simple and convenient method and characterized by IR and elemental analysis. The catalyst system composed of Nd (H₂Salen)₂Cl₃·2C₂H₅OH/Al(i-Bu)₃/CCl₄ is effective for the polymerization of styrene (St). The optimum conditions are as follows: [St]/[Nd] = 1000, [CCl₄]/[Nd] = 9, [Al]/[Nd] = 30, and polymerization at 50°C for 20 h. The resulting polystyrene was characterized by NMR and GPC. The results of NMR show that the polymer obtained had a stereoregularity with 52.3% isotacticity and 47.7% syndiotacticity without any random structure. __________ Translated from Journal of Zhejiang University (Science Edition), 2007, 34(2): 189–196 [译自: 浙江大学学报(理学版)]     

Synthesis and characterization of norbornene–ethylene–styrene terpolymers with a substituted ansa‐fluorenylamidodimethyltitanium‐based catalyst

This article reports a synthetic method for a norbornene–ethylene–styrene (N‐E‐S) terpolymer, which has not been well investigated so far, via incorporation of styrene (S) into vinyl‐type norbornene–ethylene (N‐E) copolymers catalyzed by a substituted ansa‐fluorenylamidodimethyltitanium [Me₂Si(3,6‐tBu₂Flu)(tBuN)]TiMe₂ catalyst ( I ) activated with a [Ph₃C][B(C₆F₅)₄]/Al(iBu)₃ cocatalyst at room temperature in toluene. The resulting terpolymerization product contained the targeted N‐E‐S terpolymer and the contaminated homopolymers, which were then able to be completely removed by solvent fractionation techniques. While homopolystyrene was easily extracted by fractionation with methylethylketone as a soluble part, homopolyethylene and a trace amount of homopolynorbornene could be perfectly separated by fractionation with chloroform as insoluble parts. The detail characterizations of a chloroform‐soluble polymer with gel permeation chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and differential scanning calorimetry analyses proved that it contained a true N‐E‐S terpolymer with long N‐E sequences incorporated with isolated or short styrene sequences. The homogeneity of the morphology together with a single glass transition temperature that proportionally decreased with the increase of the styrene contents indicated that the N‐E‐S terpolymer obtained in this work is a random polymer with an amorphous structure. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2765–2773, 2007     

Synthesis of polyisobutylene with arylamino terminal group by combination of cationic polymerization with alkylation

The controlled cationic polymerization of isobutylene (IB) initiated by H₂O as initiator and TiCl₄ as coinitiator was carried out in n‐Hexane/CH₂Cl₂ (60/40, v/v) mixture at −40 °C in the presence of N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMA). Polyisobutylene (PIB) with nearly theoretical molecular weight (M_n = 1.0 × 10⁴ g/mol), polydispersity (M_w/M_n) of 1.5 and high content (87.3%) of reactive end groups (tert‐Chlorine and α‐double bond) was obtained. The Friedel‐Crafts alkylation of triphenylamine (TPA) with the above reactive PIB was further conducted at different reactions, such as [TPA]/[PIB], solvent polarity, alkylation temperature, and time. The resultant PIBs with arylamino terminal group were characterized by ¹H NMR, UV, and GPC with RI/UV dual detectors. The experimental results indicate that alkylation efficiency (A_eff) increased with increases in [TPA]/[PIB], reaction temperature, and reaction time and with a decrease in solvent polarity. The alkylation efficiency could reach 81.0% at 60/40(v/v) mixture of n‐Hex/CH₂Cl₂ with [TPA]/[PIB] of 4.49 at 50 °C for 54 h. Interestingly, the synthesis of PIB with arylamino terminal group could also be achieved in one pot by combination of the cationic polymerization of IB initiated by H₂O/TiCl₄/DMA system with the successive alkylation by further introduction of TPA. Mono‐, di‐ or tri‐alkylation occurred experimentally with different molar ratio of [TPA]/[PIB]. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 936–946, 2008     

Theoretical Study on the Mechanism of Ni‐Catalyzed Alkyl–Alkyl Suzuki Cross‐Coupling

Ni‐catalyzed cross‐coupling of unactivated secondary alkyl halides with alkylboranes provides an efficient way to construct alkyl–alkyl bonds. The mechanism of this reaction with the Ni/ L1 ( L1 =trans‐N,N′‐dimethyl‐1,2‐cyclohexanediamine) system was examined for the first time by using theoretical calculations. The feasible mechanism was found to involve a Ni^I–Ni^III catalytic cycle with three main steps: transmetalation of [Ni^I( L1 )X] (X=Cl, Br) with 9‐borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9‐BBN)R₁ to produce [Ni^I( L1 )(R₁)], oxidative addition of R₂X with [Ni^I( L1 )(R₁)] to produce [Ni^III( L1 )(R₁)(R₂)X] through a radical pathway, and C? C reductive elimination to generate the product and [Ni^I( L1 )X]. The transmetalation step is rate‐determining for both primary and secondary alkyl bromides. KOiBu decreases the activation barrier of the transmetalation step by forming a potassium alkyl boronate salt with alkyl borane. Tertiary alkyl halides are not reactive because the activation barrier of reductive elimination is too high (+34.7 kcal mol^?1). On the other hand, the cross‐coupling of alkyl chlorides can be catalyzed by Ni/ L2 ( L2 =trans‐N,N′‐dimethyl‐1,2‐diphenylethane‐1,2‐diamine) because the activation barrier of transmetalation with L2 is lower than that with L1 . Importantly, the Ni⁰–Ni^II catalytic cycle is not favored in the present systems because reductive elimination from both singlet and triplet [Ni^II( L1 )(R₁)(R₂)] is very difficult.     

Novel organosoluble polynorbornene bearing a polar,pendant, ester‐bridged epoxy group via living ring‐opening metathesis polymerization

A novel organosoluble polynorbornene bearing a polar, pendant, ester‐bridged epoxy group [poly(oxiran‐2‐ylmethyl 2‐methylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐5‐ene‐2‐carboxylate) (polyOMMC)] was prepared via the living ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of active norbornenes with a Ru catalyst. PolyOMMC exhibited excellent solubility in a variety of solvents. The number‐average molecular weight of polyOMMC linearly increased with the [M]/[I] ratio (where [M] is the monomer concentration and [I] is the initiator concentration), and a narrow polydispersity of 1.09–1.19 was observed; this was considered a living polymerization. When ROMP of oxiran‐2‐ylmethyl 2‐methylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐5‐ene‐2‐carboxylate with [M]/[I] = 350 was carried out at 30 °C in CH₂Cl₂, the number‐average molecular weight (7.01 × 10⁴; polydispersity index = 1.07) was close to the calculated molecular weight (7.28 × 10⁴), and a diblock copolymer was observed after the addition of another monomer ([M]/[I] = 350) with an increase in the number‐average molecular weight (1.60 × 10⁵; polydispersity index = 1.11), which was close to the calculated molecular weight (1.61 × 10⁵). The modified polynorbornenes retained good solubility in methylene chloride, tetrahydrofuran, dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethylformamide, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, and N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrdione. High‐performance polynorbornenes with active epoxy groups could be designed with great potential for applications in photoresists, UV curing, and elastomers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4428–4434, 2006     

A tungsten complex containing a highly delocalized metal–ligand system

Nucleophilic attack of (triphenylphosphonio)cyclopentadienide on the dichlorodiazomethane–tungsten complex trans‐[BrW(dppe)₂(N₂CCl₂)]PF₆ [dppe is 1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane] results in C—C bond formation and affords the title compound, trans‐[W(C₂₄H₁₈ClN₂P)Br(C₂₆H₂₄P₂)₂]PF₆·0.6CH₂Cl₂. This complex, bis[1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane]bromido{chloro[3‐(triphenylphosphonio)cyclopentadienylidene]diazomethanediido}tungsten hexafluorophosphate dichloromethane 0.6‐solvate, contains the previously unknown ligand chloro[3‐(triphenylphosphonio)cyclopentadienylidene]diazomethane. Evidence from bond lengths and torsion angles indicates significant through‐ligand delocalization of electron density from tungsten to the nominally cationic phosphorus(V) centre. This structural analysis clearly demonstrates that the tungsten–dinitrogen unit is a powerful π‐electron donor with the ability to transfer electron density from the metal to a distant acceptor centre through an extended conjugated ligand system. As a consequence, complexes of this type could have potential applications as nonlinear optical materials and molecular semiconductors.     

Microemulsions as a medium in chemical kinetics,II. The I− + S2O8= and crystal Violet + OH− reactions in different surfactant/oil/water microemulsions

A kinetic study of the reactions I^? + S₂O₈⁼ and CV⁺ + OH^? (CV = 4, 4′, 4″-tris(dimethylamino)triphenylmethyl chloride or crystal violet) in different water in oil microemulsions is reported. The dependence of the rate constants on the nature of the surfactant as well as on the molar ratio R = [H₂O]/[Surfactant] has been investigated. The results are interpreted on the basis of the electrostatic interactions between the reactants and the surfactant polar heads and considering the water properties inside the aqueous core of the droplets.     

Preparation of poly(alkylenebenzimidazole) by ruthenium complex catalyzed polycondensation of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine with α,ω‐diols

The reactions of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine with 1,12‐dodecanediol in 1 : 1–1:3 molar ratios in the presence of RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ catalyst give poly(alkylenebenzimidazole), [ (CH₂)₁₁ O (CH₂)₁₁ Im / (CH₂)₁₀ Im ]_n (Im: 5,5′‐dibenzimidazole‐2,2′‐diyl) (I_a‐I_d) in 71–92% yields. The relative ratio between the [(CH₂)₁₁ O (CH₂)₁₁ Im ] unit (A) and the [‐ (CH₂)₁₀ Im ] unit (B) in the polymer chain varies depending on the ratio of the substrates used. The polymer I_a obtained from the 1 : 3 reaction contains these structural units in a 98 : 2 ratio. The polymers are soluble in polar solvents such as DMF (N,N‐dimethylformamide), DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), and NMP (N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone) and have molecular weights M_n (M_w) of 4,200–4,800 (4,800–6,500) by GPC (polystyrene standard). The polymerization of the diol and 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine in higher molar ratios leads to partial cross‐linking of the resulting polymers I_e and I_f via condensation of imidazole NH group with CH₂OH group. Similar reactions of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine with α,ω‐diols, HO(CH₂)_mOH (m = 4–10), in a 1 : 3 molar ratio give the polymers containing [ (CH₂)_m−1 O (CH₂) _m−1 Im ] and [ (CH₂) _m−2 Im ] units with partial cross‐linked structures. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1383–1392, 1999     

Synthesis and reactivity of the five-coordinate {Fe(NO)2} [(TMEDA)Fe(NO)2I]

The reaction of [Fe(μ-I)(NO)₂]₂ and TMEDA in a 1:2 molar ratio in THF affords the neutral five-coordinate DNIC [(TMEDA)Fe(NO)₂I] (1). The single-crystal X-ray structure shows that the geometry of iron center of complex 1 is best described as a distorted trigonal bipyramidal with two nitrosyl groups positioned in the equatorial plane. The EPR spectrum of complex 1 displays the six-line signal with g = 2.031 (a_I = 37.6 G) at 298 K. The coincident g values of EPR among complex 1, protein-bound DNICs and low-molecular-weight DNICs implicate that the five-coordinate DNICs may exist in biological system. The interconversion between complex 1 and [(TMEDA)Fe(NO)₂] (2) reveals that the {Fe(NO)₂}⁹ DNICs containing [amine, amine] ligation mode could be stabilized by the five-coordinated geometry while the {Fe(NO)₂}¹⁰ DNICs containing [amine, amine] ligation mode favors the four coordination sphere. In addition, the transformation from complex 1 to [Fe(NO)₂(C₃H₃N₂)]₄ (3), [Fe(μ-SPh)(NO)₂]₂ (4), [PPh₄][(PhS)₂Fe(NO)₂] (5) and [Na-18-crown-6-ether][(C₃H₃N₂)₂Fe(NO)₂] (6), respectively, in the presence of thiolates or imidazolates indicates that complex 1 could be employed as the precursor for the syntheses of the DNICs containing the [N,N]/[N,S]/[S,S] different ligations.     

Facile synthesis of hyperbranched poly(p‐phenyleneethynylene‐alt‐m‐phenyleneethynylene) with narrow dispersity and high branching degree by sonogashira polymerization of an AB2 monomer

An AB₂ monomer PhBr₂  C  C  Ph  C  CH containing one acetylene group and two bromide groups was efficiently synthesized by a strategy based on the different reactivity between aromatic iodide and bromide in Sonogashira reaction. The Sonogashira polymerization of PhBr₂  C  C  Ph  C  CH was investigated to get hyperbranched poly(p‐phenyleneethynylene‐alt‐m‐phenyleneethynylene) (hb‐PMPE) in terms of the effects of monomer addition method, core molecule with different functionality, and ratio of [monomer]/[core molecule]. The results showed that narrow dispersities (D) (D: 1.23∼1.50) were obtained by slow monomer addition and with core molecule. Bifunctional core molecule induced narrower dispersity than monofunctional core molecule. The molecular weight of hb‐PMPE increased with increasing ratio of [monomer]/[core molecule], however, a negative deviation from calculated value was observed. The dispersity slightly increased with increasing [monomer]/[core molecule]. When the ratio of [monomer]/[core molecule] was below 50/1, monomodal distribution was observed; whereas when the ratio increased to 70/1, bimodal distribution was obtained. All the polymers showed degrees of branching (DBs) around 0.6. The hb‐PMPEs showed one major absorption band with λ_max around 330 nm, and emission band with λ_max around 390 nm. All the polymers showed relative quantum yields (Φ_r) above 0.5 in dilute THF solution. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 96–104     

Atom transfer radical polymerization of styrene initiated by polychloroalkanes and catalyzed by CuCl/2,2′-bipyridine: A kinetic and mechanistic study

A series of polychloroalkanes, known as telogen agents for redox telomerization, were used as initiators for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene using the heterogeneous CuCl/2,2′-bipyridine catalyst. In copper-catalyzed redox telomerization, the reactivity of RCCl₃-type telogens is strongly influenced by the nature of the R group. In ATRP, the 2,2′-bipyridine ligand levels the activity of the catalytic system in such a way that all 1,1,1-trichloroalkanes are efficient initiators in ATRP, whatever the R group. The nature of this substituent influences the overall rate of polymerization through both the number of active sites per chain and the [Cu (I)]/[Cu (II)] ratio. By the combining of several analytical techniques, it is proved that some polychloroalkanes such as CCl₃CO₂CH₃, CCl₃CF₃, or CCl₄ are bifunctional initiators. Finally, a general mechanism of initiation is proposed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 2933–2947, 1998     

Complexes of Group 12 Metal Dihalides with 2‐Acetylpyridine‐N‐oxide 4N‐methylthiosemicarbazone (H4MLO). The Crystal Structures and Organization of [Zn(H4MLO)X2] (X = Br,I)

Reaction of group 12 metal dihalides with 2‐acetylpyridine‐N‐oxide ⁴N‐methylthiosemicarbazone (H4MLO) in ethanol afforded compounds [M(H4MLO)X₂] (M = Zn^II, Cd^II, Hg^II; X = Cl, Br, I), the structures of which were characterized by elemental analysis and by IR and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the complexes of ZnBr₂ and ZnI₂ were analysed structurally by X‐ray diffractometry. In [Zn(H4MLO)Br₂] the ligand is O,N,S‐tridentate and the metal is pentacoordinated, while in [Zn(H4MLO)I₂] the thiosemicarbazone is S,O‐bis‐monodentate and the Zn^II cation has a distorted tetrahedral coordination polyhedron. In assays of antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Paecilomyces variotii, only the mercury compounds showed any activity, and only [Hg(H4MLO)Cl₂] and [Hg(H4MLO)I₂] were competitive with nystatin against A. niger.     

Undecahalo‐closo‐undecaborates [B11Hal11]2–

The closo‐undecaborate A₂[B₁₁H₁₁] (A = NBzlEt₃) can be halogenated with excess N‐chlorosuccine imide, bromine or iodine, respectively, to give the perhalo‐closo‐undecaborates A₂[B₁₁Hal₁₁] (Hal = Cl, Br, I). The chlorination in the 11 : 1 ratio of the reagents yields A₂[B₁₁HCl₁₀], whose subsequent iodination makes A₂[B₁₁Cl₁₀I] available. The three type [B₁₁Hal₁₁]^2– anions show only one and the two type [B₁₁Cl₁₀X]^2– anions (X = H, I) only two ¹¹B NMR peaks in the ratio 10 : 1, thus exhibiting the same degenerate rearrangement of the octadecahedral B₁₁ skeleton as is well‐known for [B₁₁H₁₁]^2–. The crystal structure analysis of A₂[B₁₁Br₁₁] and A₂[B₁₁I₁₁] reveals a rigid octadecahedral skeleton in the solid state, up to 330 K, whose B–B bond lengths deviate more or less from the idealized C_2v gas phase structure, but are in good accordance with the distances of A₂[B₁₁H₁₁]. Electrochemical experiments elucidate the mechanism of the known oxidation of [B₁₁H₁₁]^2– to give [B₂₂H₂₂]^2–: A first one‐electron transfer is followed by the dimerization of the [B₁₁H₁₁]^– monoanion, whereas neutral B₁₁H₁₁, a presumably most reactive species, does not play a role as an intermediate. The electrochemical oxidation of [B₁₁Hal₁₁]^2– anions also starts with a one‐electron transfer, which is perfectly reversible only in the case of Hal = Br. There is no electrochemical indication for the formation of [B₂₂Hal₂₂]^2–. The neutral species B₁₁Hal₁₁ should be a short‐lived, very reactive species.     

Synthesis,characterization and properties of N‐maleimide side‐chain liquid crystalline copolymers

A homologous series of side‐chain liquid crystalline (SCLC) poly{[N‐[10‐((4‐(((4′‐n‐hexyloxy)benzoyl)oxy)phenoxy)carbonyl)‐n‐decyl]maleimide]‐co‐[N‐(n‐octadecyl)maleimide]} [(ME6)‐co‐(MI‐18)] random copolymers with various MI‐18 contents have been synthesized and their properties studied. The high content in threo‐disyndiotactic sequences of the maleimide main chain seems responsible for the stability of the highly ordered smectic mesophase. The relationship between structure and composition on thermotropic mesophase was investigated by polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X‐ray diffraction. For copolymers with mesogenic unit contents less than ～0.655 molar fraction the transition from (S_A) texture to isotropic (I) is maintained, as shown by the T_Cl, ΔH_Cl and ΔS_Cl amounts and intermolecular spacing 4.42–4.53 Å and intralayer correlation lengths of 44.2–45.2 Å. The layer thickness does not appreciably depend on copolymer composition. However, copolymers with non‐mesogenic comonomer MI‐18 molar contents larger than >0.655 molar fraction X(M), are no longer liquid crystalline materials, despite its packing is preserved without any detectable appearance of birefringence. Thermodynamic boundaries of the liquid crystalline state have been established through a phase diagram. The properties of this n‐hexyloxy pendant group‐based series are compared to those of the analogous materials containing methoxy pendant groups (ME1), and differences are accounted for in terms of the local side‐chain packing within the mesophase. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Reaction of 2‐[(2‐aminoethyl)amino]ethanol with pyridine‐2‐carbaldehyde and complexation of the products with CuII and CdII along with docking studies

The reaction between 2‐[2‐(aminoethyl)amino]ethanol and pyridine‐2‐carbaldehyde in a 1:2 molar ratio affords a mixture containing 2‐({2‐[(pyridin‐2‐ylmethylidene)amino]ethyl}amino)ethanol (PMAE) and 2‐[2‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)oxazolidin‐3‐yl]‐N‐(pyridin‐2‐ylmethylidene)ethanamine (POPME). Treatment of this mixture with copper(II) chloride or cadmium(II) chloride gave trichlorido[(2‐hydroxyethyl)({2‐[(pyridin‐2‐ylmethylidene)amino]ethyl})azanium]copper(II) monohydrate, [Cu(C₁₀H₁₆N₃O)Cl₃]·H₂O or [Cu(HPMAE)Cl₃]·H₂O, 1 , and dichlorido{2‐[2‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)oxazolidin‐3‐yl]‐N‐(pyridin‐2‐ylmethylidene)ethanamine}cadmium(II), [CdCl₂(C₁₆H₁₈N₄O)] or [CdCl₂(POPME)], 2 , which were characterized by elemental analysis, FT–IR, Raman and ¹H NMR spectroscopy and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. PMAE is potentially a tetradentate N₃O‐donor ligand but coordinates to copper here as an N₂ donor. In the structure of 1 , the geometry around the Cu atom is distorted square pyramidal. In 2 , the Cd atom has a distorted octahedral geometry. In addition to the hydrogen bonds, there are π–π stacking interactions between the pyridine rings in the crystal packing of 1 and 2 . The ability of PMAE, POPME and 1 to interact with ten selected biomolecules (BRAF kinase, CatB, DNA gyrase, HDAC7, rHA, RNR, TrxR, TS, Top II and B‐DNA) was investigated by docking studies and compared with doxorubicin.     

Study of a reduction step during the continuous synthesis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-amino-3-azabicyclo[3.3.0]octane. Kinetics,modelling, and optimization

The reduction of N-chloro-3-azabicyclo[3.3.0]octane with sodium borohydride at different pH values and variable concentrations of the haloamine and reducing agent was studied. The reaction was found to be second order and exhibited a specific acid catalysis. The enthalpy and entropy of activation were determined at pH 12.89. A mathematical treatment of the kinetic data allowed a complete characterization of the final state and the determination of percentage of haloamine reduced as a function of temperature, [NaBH₄]/[haloamine] ratio, arid pH. A reaction mechanism is proposed.     

Factors affecting product distributions in ethylene/styrene copolymerization by (aryloxo)(cyclopentadienyl)titanium complexes‐MAO catalyst systems

Ethylene/styrene copolymerizations using Cp′TiCl₂(O‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) [Cp′ = Cp* (C₅Me₅, 1 ), 1,2,4‐Me₃C₅H₂ ( 2 ), tert‐BuC₅H₄ ( 3 )]‐MAO catalyst systems were explored under various conditions. Complexes 2 and 3 exhibited both high catalytic activities (activity: 504–6810 kg‐polymer/mol‐Ti h) and efficient styrene incorporations at 25, 40°C (ethylene 6 atm), affording relatively high molecular weight poly (ethylene‐co‐styrene)s with unimodal molecular weight distributions as well as with uniform styrene distributions (M_w = 6.12–13.6 × 10⁴, M_w/M_n = 1.50–1.71, styrene 31.7–51.9 mol %). By‐productions of syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS) were observed, when the copolymerizations by 1 – 3 ‐MAO catalyst systems were performed at 55, 70 °C (ethylene 6 atm, SPS 9.0–68.9 wt %); the ratios of the copolymer/SPS were affected by the polymerization temperature, the [styrene]/[ethylene] feed molar ratios in the reaction mixture, and by both the cyclopentadienyl fragment (Cp′) and anionic ancillary donor ligand (L) in Cp′TiCl₂(L) (L = Cl, O‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃ or N=C^tBu₂) employed. Co‐presence of the catalytically‐active species for both the copolymerization and the homopolymerization was thus suggested even in the presence of ethylene; the ratios were influenced by various factors (catalyst precursors, temperature, styrene/ethylene feed molar ratio, etc.). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4162–4174, 2008     

Room temperature polymerization of alkyl isocyanates catalyzed by rare earth Schiff base complexes

The polymerization of alkyl isocyanates catalyzed by rare earth chloride salen complexes/triisobutyl aluminum (Ln(H₂salen)₂Cl₃·2C₂H₇OH/Al(i-Bu)₃) at room temperature was investigated. The influences of ligand structure, catalyst composition, polymerization temperature, polymerization time, the concentration of catalyst and monomer, and the polymerization solvent on the polymerization of isocyanates were studied. It was found that under the polymerization conditions, examined La(H₂salen_A)₂Cl₃·2C₂-H₇OH/Al(i-Bu)₃ (H₂salen_A= N,N′-disalicylideneethylene diamine) is a fairly high efficient catalyst for the polymerization of n-hexyl isocyanate (n-HexNCO) to prepare high molecular weight poly(n-hexyl isocyanate) (PHNCO) with narrower molecular weight distribution at room temperature. PHNCO could be prepared with yield of 74.0%, number-average molecular weight (M _n) of 40.20×10⁴ and MWD of 1.79 under the following optimum conditions: [Al]/[La] = 30 (molar ratio), [n-HexNCO]/[La] = 100 (molar ratio), [n-HexNCO] = 3.43 mol/L polymerization at 20°C for 12 h in toluene. In the same polymerization conditions, poly (n-octyl isocyanate) (PONCO) with yield of 67.3%, and poly(n-butyl isocyanate) (PBNCO) with yield of 45.5%, could be prepared respectively. The kinetics of the polymerization of n-HexNCO was also investigated and found to be first-order with respect to both monomer and catalyst concentrations.