Thermal degradation and oxidation of polystyrene studied by factor-jump thermogravimetry

Factor-jump thermogravimetry has been used to study the activation energy of polystyrene degrading in a vacuum, in N₂ flowing at 4 mm/s and in $\text{N}{}_2\text{O}{}_2$ mixtures. The results show the activation energy to be 44·9 ± 0·2 kcal/mole (188 ± 0·8 kJ/mole) for degradation above 350°C in vacuum or in flowing N₂. This agrees well with work reported in 1949 by Jellinek⁷ but with few results reported subsequently.The apparent activation energy for polystyrene losing weight above 280°C in an atmosphere of abundant O₂ is 21·5 ± 0·2 kcal/mole (90·2 ± 0·8 kJ/mole). In all cases where O₂ was deliberately introduced (partial pressures >4 mm Hg), the sample degraded to a black tar and the activation energy was ≤30 kcal/mole, depending on the amount of oxygen present and on the thermal history of the sample.     

The aromatic cope rearrangement: Activation parameters

The activation parameters (ΔH^≠ = 26.7 ± 4.0 kcal/mol and ΔS^≠ = 17.5 ± 9.8 eu) have been measured for the Cope rearrangement of $\text{cis}$-1-($\text{m}$-hydroxyphenyl)-2-vinylcyclopropane.     

Transition structures for the reaction of difluorocarbene with propene

Two $\text{ab}$$\text{initio}$ transition structures for the reaction of difluorocarbene with propene have been located with gradient techniques and the 3-21G basis set. The activation energy is 1.3 kcal/mol lower than for the reaction with ethylene. Two transition structures with the fluorines approaching $\text{syn}$ or $\text{anti}$ to the methyl group are identical in energy     

Mechanism of N-vinylcarbazole polymerization on Co(II)–13X molecular sieve

Kinetics of polymerization of N-vinylcarbazole over Co(II)-13X molecular sieves in toluene have been studied. The rate of polymerization (R_p) has been found to be second order with respect to percent exchange level of Co(II) and also to the NVC concentration at all the reaction temperatures of 40, 50 and 60°C. The rate increases with decreasing pH of the original exchanging salt solution up to a pH of about 3.5, beyond which it falls. The overall activation energy of polymerization has been found to decrease with increase in monomer concentration, exchange level of Co(II), and the hydrogen ion concentration of the original exchange solution. Average degree of polymerization also follows a similar trend. A mechanism of polymerization involving simultaneous propagation on both metal ion Co(II) and proton on a zeolite surface has been suggested. The two propagation routes are characterized by an average activation energy of 10.36 kcal/mol and 5.40 kcal/mol on the metal ion and proton centers, respectively.     

Homogeneous decomposition of vinyl ethers. The heat of formation of ethanal-2-yl

The thermal unimolecular decomposition of three vinylethers has been studied in a VLPP apparatus. The high-pressure rate constant for the retro-ene reaction of ethylvinylether was fit by log k (sec^?1) = (11.47 + 0.25) - (43.4 ± 1.0)/2.303 RT at <T> = 900 K and that of t - butylvinylether by log k (sec^?1) = (12.00 ± 0.27) - (38.4 ± 1.0)/2.303 RT at <T> = 800 K. No evidence for the competition of the higher energy homolytic bond-fission process could be obtained from the experimental data. The rate constant compatible with the C? O bond scission reaction in the case of benzylvinylether was log k (sec^?1) = (16.63 ± 0.30) - (53.74 ± 1.0)/2.303 RT at <T> = 750 K. Together with ΔH_f,300⁰(benzyl·) = 47.0 kcal/mol, the activation energy for this reaction results in ΔH_f,300⁰(CH₂CHO) = +3.0 ± 2.0 kcal/mol and a corresponding resonance stabilization energy of 3.2 ± 2.0 kcal/mol for 2-ethanalyl radical.     

Quantum chemical study of the hydrogen‐bonded patterns in A · T base pair of DNA: Origins of tautomeric mispairs,base flipping,and Watson–Crick ⇒ Hoogsteen conversion

The current work aims to thoroughly investigate a variety of facets of the hydrogen‐bond pattern of the Watson–Crick A · T base pair of DNA. It offers a novel mechanism of the origin of the hydrogen‐bonded mispairing in the A · T base pair based on the analysis of the lower‐energy portion of the total potential energy surface of all possible rearrangements of the hydrogen‐bond patterns in this pair, performed at the Hartree–Fock (HF), second‐order Moller–Plesset (MP2)//HF, and B3LYP computational levels in conjunction with 6‐31+G(d) basis set. The specific novelty of this mechanism is that the primary step consists of a single proton transfer along the N₃(T)–H … N₁ (A) hydrogen bond, thus leading to a transition state that is not directly related to the proton transfer. Rather, it governs the interbase shift within the A · T pair switching the hydrogen‐bonded pattern and then separating the normal A · T pair from the mispairing valley on its potential energy surface. The latter comprises three mismatched base pairs, easily converted to each other because of lower barriers (≈1 kcal/mol) of the corresponding proton transfers. It is demonstrated that, in terms of the Gibbs free energy taken at room T = 298.15 K, the most stable mispair in such valley is predicted to be less stable by 9.7 ± 2 kcal/mol than the Watson–Crick pair, thus implying that the spontaneous point mutations of this type occur as infrequently as to be characterized by an equilibrium constant of 10^?6 to 10^?9. This estimate falls into the well‐known experimental range of mutation frequency per base pair. The structure of a so‐called “base flipping” of the A · T base pair, originated from a breaking of its N₃(T)‐H … N₁ (A) hydrogen bond, is also found and reported in the current work for the first time. The transition state A · T ${}_{\text{ts}}^{\text{WC?H}}$ , which governs the conversion of the Watson–Crick pair of adenine · thymine into the Hoogsteen one and is related to a breaking of the N₆(A)–H … O₄(T), is also obtained and its energetical and geometrical features are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2003     

Fluoride in sea water: intercalibration study based on electrometric and spectrophotometric methods

Fluoride was shown to be a conservative constituent of sea water. Samples from the eastern tropical North Pacific, the Caribbean, the Labrador Basin, and the Reykjanes Ridge region indicated that the most probable $\text{F}\text{Cl}$ ratio in sea water is 6.71·10^-5 with an overall uncertainty of ±0.07·10^-5 based on 99% confidence limits of ±0.02·10^-5 and an allowance of ±0.05· 10^-5 for systematic error. Double-blind measurements from laboratories using electrometric and spectrophotometric methods agreed closely. Mean $\text{F}\text{Cl}$ ratios found were all within 0.7% of the most probable value.     

Kinetics and equilibria in the system Br + t-BuO2H ⇆ HBr + t-BuO2. OH bond dissociation energy in t-BuO2-H

The kinetics and equilibria in the system Br + t-BuO₂H ? HBr + t-BuO₂· have been measured in the range of 300–350 K using the very low pressure reactor (VLPR) technique. Using an estimated entropy change in reaction (1) ΔS₁ = 3.0 ± 0.4 cal/mol·K together with the measured ΔG₁, we find ΔH₁ = 1.9 ± 0.2 kcal/mol and DHº (t-BuO₂-H) = 89.4 ± 0.2 kcal/mol ΔH_f·(tBuO₂·) = 20.7 kcal/mol and DH^º (t-Bu-O₂) = 29.1 kcal/mol. The latter values make use of recent values of ΔH_f·(t-Bu) = 8.4 ± 0.5 kcal/mol and the known thermochemistry of the other species. The activation energy E₁ is found to be 3.3 ± 0.6 kcal/mol, about 1 kcal lower than the value found for Br attack on H₂O₂. It suggests a bond 1 kcal stronger in H₂O₂ than in tBuO₂H.     

Radical polymerization of n-substituted methacrylamides

The relationship between the structure of monomer and kinetics of the radical polymerization of N-ethylmethacrylamide, N-butylmethacrylamide and N-phenylmethacrylamide in methanol and in dimethylsulphoxide was investigated. The reaction order with respect to initiator is 0·5 in all cases; the order with respect to monomer is independent of the type of substituent but depends on the solvent and on the viscosity of the reaction mixture. The polymerization rate, the value of $\text{κ}{}_{\mathrm{p}}\text{/κ}{}_{\mathrm{t}}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$, and the initiator efficiency decrease in the series N-phenylmethacrylamide, N-ethylmethacrylamide and N-butylmethacrylamide. The overall activation energy of polymerization for the monomers lies between 16 and 20 kcal/mol.     

Molecular beam chemiluminescence XI: kinetic and internal energy dependence of the NO + O3 → NO2*,→ NO23 reaction

Seeded supersonic NO beams were used to study the kinetic energy dependence of both the electronic (NO₂^*) and vibrational (NO₂³) chemiluminescence of the NO + O₃ reaction. In addition the electronic CL is found to be enhanced by raising the NO internal temperature. This is shown to be due to enhanced reactivity of the NO(²Π,_{$\text{3}\text{2}$}) fine structure component. By difference NO(²Π_{$\text{1}\text{2}$}) is concluded to yield predominantly groundstate NO₂³. The excitation function for NO₂^* formation from NO(²Π_{$\text{3}\text{2}$}) is of the form σ_{$\text{3}\text{2}$}(E) = C(E/E₀ - 1)ⁿ over the 3–6 kcal energy range where n = 2.4 ± 0.15, C = 0.163 Ų and E₀ = 3.2 ± 0.3 kcal/mole. Vibrational IR emission from NO₂³ has an energy dependence different from electronic NO₂^* emission, confirming that emitters are formed predominantly in distinct reaction channels rather than via a common precursor (either NO₂^* or NO₂³). The short wavelength cutoff of the CL spectra recorded at elevated collision energies E ? 15 kcal/mole corresponds to the total available energy. These and literature results are discussed in the light of general properties of the (generally unknown) ONO₃ potential energy surfaces. The formation of electronically excited NO₂^* rather than energetically preferred O₂ (¹ Δg) (Gauthier and Snelling) can be rationalized in terms of surface hopping near a known intersection of potential energy surfaces more easily than by vibronic interaction in the asymptotic NO₂ product.     

Tracer diffusion coefficient of oxide ions in LaCoO3 single crystal

The tracer diffusion coefficient, $\text{D1}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>O</mtext>}}$, of oxide ions in LaCoO₃ single crystal was determined over the temperature range of 700–1000°C by a gas-solid isotopic exchange technique using ¹⁸O tracer. For the determination, two methods, the gas phase analysis and the depth profile measurement, were employed. Under an oxygen pressure of 34 Torr, the temperature dependence of $\text{D1}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>O</mtext>}}$ in LaCoO₃ was expressed by

$\text{D1}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>O</mtext>}}\text{(}\text{cm}{}^2\text{·}\text{sec}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}\text{) = 3.63 × 10}{}^4\text{exp}\text{?}\text{(74 ± 5)}\text{kcal}\text{·}\text{mole}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}\text{RT}$

$\text{D1}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>O</mtext>}}$ at 950°C was found to be proportional to P^?0.35_O2. The diffusion of oxide ions occurs through a vacancy mechanism. The activation energy for the migration of oxide ion vacancies was estimated as 18 kcal · mole^?1.     

Thermal degradation study of isotactic polypropylene using factor-jump thermogravimetry

The degradation of isotactic polypropylene in the range 390–465°C was studied using factor-jump thermogravimetry. The degradations were carried out in vacuum and at pressures of 5 and 800 mm Hg of N₂, flowing at 100–400 standard mL/s. At 800 mm Hg this corresponds to linear rates of 1–4 mm/s. In vacuum bubbling in the sample caused problems in measuring the rate of weight loss. The apparent activation energy was estimated as 61.5 ± 0.8 kcal/mol (257 ± 3 kJ/mol). In slowly flowing N₂ at 800 mm Hg pressure the activation energy was 55.1 ± 0.2 kcal/mol (230 ± 0.8 kJ/mol) for isotactic polypropylene and 51.1 ± 0.5 kcal/mol (214 ± 2 kJ/mol) for a naturally aged sample of atactic polypropylene. For isotactic polypropylene degrading at an external N₂ pressure of 5 mm Hg the apparent activation energy was 55.9 ± 0.3 kcal/mol (234 ± 1 kJ/mol). A simplified degradation mechanism was used with estimates of the activation energies of initiation and termination to give an estimate of 29.6 kcal/mol for the ß-scission of tertiary radicals on the polypropylene backbone. Initiation was considered to be backbone scission ß to allyl groups formed in the termination reaction. For initiation by random scission of the polymer backbone, as in the early stages of thermal degradation, an overall activation energy of 72 kcal/mol is proposed. The difference between vacuum and in-N₂ activation energies is ascribed to the latent heat contributions of molecules which do not evaporate as soon as they are formed. At these imposed rates of weight loss the average molecular weights of the volatiles in vacuum and in 8 and 800 mm H_g N₂ are in the ratios 1–1/2–1/9.     

Electronic spectra of the isomeric 4-benzylidene-2-phenyl-Δ2-oxazolin-5-ones and the products of their reaction with nucleophiles including α-chymotrypsin : Kinetics of the hydrolysis of the isomeric enzyme derivatives

The 4-cis- and trans-benzylidene-2-phenyl-Δ²oxazolin-5-ones have been prepared and evaluated as chromophoric reagents for the investigation of the active site of α-chymotrypsin. The UV spectra of the isomeric oxazolinones are discussed and compared with those of similar compounds, notably the 1,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadienes, A novel spectroscopic consequence of geometrical isomerism in conjugated chromophores is reported. The facile isomerization of the cis-oxazolinone has been investigated by spectrophotometry and product isolation. Both oxazolinones react rapidly with the enzyme to provide products whose UV spectra are consistent with their assignment as α-benzamido- cinnamoyl-enzymes. The uncertainties in these assignments resulting from the presence in the oxazolinones of multiple electrophilic centres are discussed. The pseudo first-order rate constants for the hydrolysis of the products of interaction of α-chymotrypsin with the isomeric oxazolinones were determined at 25·0°, I = 00·1 in the pH range 7–10–5. The pH-rate profile for the hydrolysis of the product formed by reaction of the trans-oxazolinone is consistent with this reaction being deacylation of α-benzamido-trans-cinnamoyl-α-chymotrypsin catalysed by the enzyme's electron relay system (pKa 7·8, ks= 0·159s^?1). The pH rate profile for the hydrolysis of the product formed by reaction of the cis-oxazolinone is more complex. The profile could include a component catalysed by the relay system (pKa approx 8, $\text{k}$, = 10^?3 s^?1) but the predominating reaction appears to be an unusually rapid reaction of the derivatized enzyme with hydroxide ion (k = 233 ± 10 M^?1s^?1). Possible interpretations of these pH-rate profiles are discussed.     

Coulometric titration of iodide and iodine with electrolytically generated hypobromite

Conditions for the quantitative coulometric titration of iodide and iodine with electrolytically generated hypobromite in the presence of borax buffer have been established. Iodide and iodine are oxidized to iodate. The method, with biamperometric indication of the equivalence point, was successfully applied for a wide range of iodide concentrations (6.21–2115μg with reliability intervals of ±0.21–±11μg) and iodine concentrations (24.26–3311μg with reliability intervals of ±0.36–±11.7μg). The determinations are accurate and sensitive even in the presence of large amounts of bromides and chlorides ($\text{Br}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{I}{}^{\mathrm{?}}$= 1.2·10⁶ and $\text{C}\text{l}$^?I^?=4.0·10^{3), as well as in the presence of oxidizing agents such as IO₃?, BrO₃? and CrO₄2? ($\text{I}\text{O}$₃?/I₂)=3.2·105, $\text{I}\text{O}$₃?/I₂=3.1·103, $\text{Br}\text{O}$-₃/I₂}=1.1·10⁴ and $\text{Cr}\text{O}$^2-₄/I₂=1.0·10⁴, as was confirmed by statistical tests. The oxidation mechanism under the conditions of coulometric titrations is discussed.     

The Thermal Decomposition of Polydichlorophosphazene

Abstract

The thermal decomposition of polydichlorophosphazene has been examined. The decomposition was found to be first-order with an activation energy of 22.5 ± 2 kcal mole^?1. The products comprised a wide range of cyclic and linear dichlorophosphazenes. It is suggested that the decomposition reaction is initiated at the ends of the macromolecules.     

Zur konformation und intramolekularen beweglichkeit von [6]paracyclophan-8,9-dicarbonsäurediethylester)

The title compound 1 prepers the conformations $\text{1a}$/$\text{1b}$ predicted for [6]paracyclophane; the barrier for the intramolecular process $\text{la}$ ? $\text{1b}$ was found to be Δ G⁺ = 13.9 kcal/mol at +4°C.     

Kinetics of iodination of hydrogen sulfide by iodine and the heat of formation of the SH radical

The kinetics of the gas-phase thermal iodination of hydrogen sulfide by I₂ to yield HSI and HI has been investigated in the temperature range 555–595 K. The reaction was found to proceed through an I atom and radical chain mechanism. Analysis of the kinetic data yields log k (l/mol·sec) = (11.1 ± 0.18) – (20.5 ± 0.44)/θ, where θ = 2.303 RT, in kcal/mol. Combining this result with the assumption E_?1 = 1 ± 1 kcal/mol and known values for the heat of formation of H₂S, I₂, and HI, ΔH_f,298⁰(SH) = 33.6 ± 1.1 kcal/mol is obtained. Then one can calculate the dissociation energy of the HS? H bond as 90.5 ± 1.1 kcal/mol with the well-known values for ΔH_f,298⁰ of H and H₂S.     

The crystal structure of polyacrylonitrile

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) has been prepared by a free-radical mechanism using azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator. Fibres were produced by extruding a solution of this polymer into dilute sodium thiocyanate. Wide-angle X-ray analysis showed that the resulting fibres exhibited a moderate degree of crystalline order. An orthorhombic unit-cell has been proposed to account for the observed reflections, the cell constants are: $\text{a = 21·48 ± 0·02}\text{A}\text{?}\text{; b = 11·55 ± 0·03}\text{A}\text{?}\text{; c = 7·096 ± 0·003}\text{A}\text{?}$. A helical structure has been proposed for PAN with four monomer units per crystallographic repeat. The probability of a syndiotactic configuration has been suggested to account for the meridional reflections; the calculated density of the proposed cell (1·199 g cm^?3) was found to agree very well with values quoted in the literature.     

Demasking reactions of potassium hydroxotrifluoroborate with lanthanum(III) complexes of polyaminopolycarboxylic acids: Part 1. Equilibrium constants for the reactions with EDTA and NTA complexes

Equilibrium constants for the demasking reactions of potassium hydroxotrifluoroborate. (KBF₃OH) toward La(III) complexes of EDTA and NTA have been estimated by means of ¹H-n.m.r- measurement at 35°C. For the constants defined as K^BF_LaLm = [L]^m[La(BF₃OH)_n]/[LaL_m][BF₃OH]_n, the results were: for EDTA (m = 1,n = $\text{1}\text{3}$) K^BF_LaL = 10^2.7, and for NTA (m = 2, n = $\text{1}\text{3}$) K^BF_LaL2 = 1026. These values are much larger than the equilibrium constants for the well known demasking reaction of fluoride ion toward La(III) complexes of EDTA and NTA, which are —12.43 and —14.92, respectively.     

The tris(picolinate)vanadate(II) ion: Redox properties and electron transfer kinetics with cobalt(III) amines

Vanadium(II) ions form with the pyridine-2-carboxylate ligand a deep blue, tris-substituted complex absorbing at 660 nm (ε = 7.2 × 10³ M^?1) cm^?1) with a shoulder at 450 nm. Reversible spectroelectrochemistry and cyclic voltammetry were observed for this complex, with E_{$\text{1}\text{2}$} = ?0.448 V vs NHE, and ΔS_rc^θ = ?6 cal · mol^?1 · deg^?1. Electron transfer kinetics with [CO(en)₃]³⁺ led to k₁₂ = 3100 M^?1 s^?, ΔH^≠ = 12.4 kcal · mol^?1 and ΔS^≠ = ?0.9 cal · mol^?1 · deg^?1 (I = 0.10 M). For the related [Co(NH₃)₆]³⁺ complex, k₁₃ = 1.9 × 10⁴ M^?1 s^?1. The self-exchange rate constant and activation parameters were analysed in terms of relative Marcus theory.