Stereocontrol in the cationic polymerization of N-vinylcarbazole

The dependence of the steric microstructure of cationically polymerized poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) upon catalyst, polymerization temperature, and polymerization solvent has been investigated. The effect of polymerization temperature variation was found to be small, whereas the choice of catalyst and polymerization solvent was found to have a strong influence upon the PVK steric microstructure. A correlation was found between the syndiotacticities X_s and the π^* solvent polarities of the polymerization solvents for a given catalyst. A decrease in X_s with increasing π^* solvent polarity was observed using BF₃OEt₂ and AlEt₂Cl catalysts and has been interpreted in terms of propagation via contact ion-pair ring structures reversibly formed between the active end group and a preceding repeating unit. The increase in X_s with increasing π^* solvent polarity observed with several of the catalysts investigated has been interpreted in terms of chain ion pairs whose separation increases with increasing π^* solvent polarity. The influence of the various Lewis acid catalysts upon the steric microstructures of cationically polymerized PVK allowed the following order of nucleophilicity to be established:      

Classifying the polarity of organic solvent mixtures by using Hostalene Red adsorbed on nanosized zeolite as a fluorescent probe

A method is described for the determination of the polarity of mixed organic solvents by using the fluorescent probe Hostasol Red (HR) desposited on the outer surface of nanosized zeolite L. Organic solvents and their mixtures can be roughly classified according to their polarity with bare eyes and fluorometrically. Emission peaks range from 520 to 640 nm. Some solvents act as quenchers. The method is studied with series of protic and nonprotic solvents, and with selected mixtures of organic solvents.

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Graphical abstract The dye Hostalene Red adsorbed on nanosized zeolite shows strong fluorescence solvatochromism. This can be exploited to quickly assess the polarity of solvents and solvent mixtures.

     

Phase separation of poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate) to liquid crystal and isotropic solution in various helicogenic solvents

Solvent effects on the phase separation of poly(-benzyl L-glutamate) to liquid crystal and isotropic solution have been observed in various helicogenic solvents. The temperature-composition phase diagrams have been determined for each solution. The critical concentrations, ₂ ^* , at which the phase separation occours have been compared in various solvents. In dimethylformamide in which the polymer is molecularly dispersed, the observed ₂ ^* value has agreed with that calculated by Flory's theory. In some solvents in which the polymer aggregates in a head-to-tail mode such as chloroform, the observed ₂ ^* values have been considerably small. It is assumed that the polymer aggregates behave as longer particles than the original particles. In dioxane in which the polymer aggregates highly both in a head-to-tail and a side-by-side modes, the ₂ ^* value has been a little larger than that in chloroform. In this case the relationship between the aggregation and the liquid crystal formation is so complicated that further investigation is necessary. In aromatic solvents such asm-cresol that dissolves the polymer almost molecularly, the ₂ ^* is smaller than that in dimethylformamide. Therefore, the intermolecular interactions between the phenyl groups in the side groups of the polymer and those in solvent molecules must be considered.The author is grateful to Mr. K. Sano and Mr. M. Watanabe for their observation of the liquid crystal formation.     

Aquation of α-cis-chloroaquoethylenediamine-N,N'-diacetatocobalt(III) in aqueous and in mixed solvents: A mechanistic study

Summary The displacement of chloride ligands from -cis-chloro-aquoethylenediamine-N,N-diacetatocobalt(III) in nonacidic aqueous solutions was followed conductimetrically at 30–45° and the products of aquation were characterised by conductance, spectral and ion-exchange techniques. The rate constants for aquation in aqueous media and in 1 : 4 v : v mixed solvents at 25° are: 4.0 × 10^–5 s^–1 in H₂O, 2.71 × 10^–5 s^–1 in MeOH : H₂O, 2.74 × 10^–5 s^–1 in EtOH: H₂,O and 2.58 × 10^–5 s^–1 n in Me₂CO : H₂O. The corresponding H* and S* values have also been evaluated. Solvent polarity has a marked influence on the rate of chloride ion release. The aquation rate constants and the activation parameters have been correlated with solvent parameters,e.g. D, Y-values, Dimroth's E_T and Kosower's Z-values and, based on these correlations, a dissociative interchange (I_d) mechanism is proposed rather than dissociative as observed for some other cobalt(III) complexes.Senior author.     

Rotamerisation and intramolecular proton transfer of 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)oxazole, 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)imidazole and 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)thiazole: a theoretical study

Semi-empirical (AM1-SCI) calculations have been performed on 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)oxazole (HPO), 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)imidazole (HPI) and 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)thiazole (HPT) to rationalise the photophysical behaviour of the compounds exhibiting intramolecular rotation as well as excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). The calculations reveal that there is a gradual variation in the properties from HPO to HPT through HPI so far as the existence of the rotational isomers in the ground state is concerned. While HPO gives rise to two stable rotamers (I and II) in all the common solvents, there is only one stable species for HPT in the S₀ state. For HPI, rotamer II is possible only in the isolated state and/or in solvents of low polarity, but in high polar solvents it gives rise to the normal form (I) only. For all the molecules in the series, however, intramolecular proton transfer (IPT) takes place in the lowest excited singlet (S₁) and the triplet (T₁) states. Combination of the rotamerism and ESIPT gives rise to multiple fluorescence bands for the fluorophores. Theoretical assignments have been made for the excitation, fluorescence and phosphorescence bands. Simulated potential energy curves (PEC) in different electronic states reveal that the IPT process is feasible in either of the S₁ and T₁ states but not in the ground state. The ESIPT reaction has been found to be favoured both thermodynamically and kinetically in these electronic states compared to the ground state. However, quantum mechanical tunnelling has been proposed for the prototropic reaction to proceed in the excited states.     

Kinetics and Mechanism of Izomerization of N-Alkoxycarbonyl-5-aroxytetrazoles

The kinetics and mechanism of the N²-N¹-isomerization of 2-methoxycarbonyl-5-(p-X-phenoxy)- tetrazoles (X = H, CH₃, NHCOCH₃, Cl, Br, NO₂) were studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy in a DMSO-d ₆-CDCl₃ mixture (25:75). The rate of isomerization of the N²-isomer into N¹-isomer fit the first-order equation (after three half-conversion periods). The isomerization is accompanied by hydrolysis and decarboxylation. The Hammett plot of ln(k _X k _H) for the isomerization showed a good correlation with ^- values (^- = 1.33, r = 0.965). A poor correlation with values was obtained. The kinetic data, the effect of solvent polarity, the substituent effects, and the results of AM1 quantum-chemical calculations suggest an ionic mechanism of the isomerization in polar solvents and a concerted mechanism in nonpolar solvents.     

Asymmetric cyclopropanation of (5S,SS)-3-p-tolylsulfinyl-5-ethoxyfuran-2(5H)-one with sulfonium ylides: influence of the sulfur ylide substituents on stereoselectivity

The cyclopropanation of title compound 1 with various sulfur ylides has been examined. A very high π-facial selectivity was observed in the reaction with diphenylsulfonium ylides, Ph₂SCRR′ (anti attack with respect to the alkoxy group in 1 is clearly preferred) whereas the endo-selectivity was found when R ≠ R′ is dependent on their relative size. Reactions with dimethylsulfonium ylides Me₂SCRR′ occurred with a moderate π-facial selectivity and exo-selectivity, the former being dependent on the solvent polarity. The stereochemical course of the cyclopropanation reactions is rationalized in terms of steric and electrostatic interactions.     

Zum Lumineszenzverhalten von 9-Fluorenon

On the Luminescence of 9-Fluorenone The fluorescence of 9-fluorenone has been measured in various solvents. At room temperature and for non-hydrogen bonding solvents an emission with 19.3 ? \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \widetilde\nu $\end{document}_max ? 21.4 · 10³ cm^?1 is found, whereas the fluorescence for hydrogen bonding solvents is broad and strongly red shifted, 16.7 ? \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \widetilde\nu $\end{document}_max ? 17.5 · 10³ cm^?1. For these solvents also a strong temperature dependence of the emission characteristics is observed. The effects are attributed to hydrogen bonding of excited singlet fluorenone. Further, the phosphorescence of 9-fluorenone is detected for ethanol and EPA (diethyl ether/2-methyl-butane/ethanol (99.5%) 5:5:2) solutions, locating the lowest triplet ππ* state at 17,600 cm^?1.     

Spin-crossover complexes in solution,II solvent effects on the high spin-low spin-equilibrium of [Fe(bzimpy)2](ClO4)2

Summary The influence of the solvent on the spin-equilibrium of [Fe(bzimpy)₂](ClO₄)₂ (bzimpy=2,6-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine) has been investigated in several nonaqueous solvents by means of UV-Vis spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurements. In methanol, a bis-tris ligation equilibrium is found. Both, the FeL ₂ ²⁺ and FeL ₃ ²⁺ species show spin-crossover behaviour in solution. Photometric and magnetic properties of the complex in various solvents are related. The spin-equilibrium of [Fe(bzimpy)₂](ClO₄)₂ shows the strongest sensitivity towards changes of the solvent that has ever been observed for spin-crossover compounds. Increase in solvent donor number (DN) from DN=14.1 (Acetonitril) to DN=19.1 (Methanol) causes a shift from _exp=4.21 (78% High-Spin (HS)) to _exp=3.0 (56% HS). In solvents with DN 30 deprotonation of the complex occurs yielding a low-spin species. The solvent effects are discussed in terms of the donor-acceptor concept.Dedicated to Professor Harry J. Emeléus with heartiest congratulations to his 90^th birthday on 22^th June 1993.     

Influence of solvents on the parameters of the NMR spectra of Vinca alkaloids. V

Summary On the basis of the results of a study of the influence of various solvents on the parameters of the NMR spectra of some hydroxyindole alkaloids, the following characteristic values of for the protons have been found:a) for C₁₉-CH₃ in the allo bases is +0.18 ppm; b) in the epiallo bases it is +0.36 ppm; c) for CO₂CH₃ in the allo bases is +0.30 to +0.37 ppm; d) in the epiallo bases it is +0.19 ppm; and e) for the 11-OCH₃ group in the hydroxyindoles is +0.44 to +0.52 ppm.It has been established that in the epiallo bases benzene causes a diamagnetic shift, and in the allo bases a paramagnetic shift, of the H₁₉ signal. It is possible to perform a stereochemical identification of the hydroxyindole alkaloids on the basis of the value of for C₁₉-CH₃, CO₂CH₃, and H₁₉ protons.Analysis of the signals of the aromatic protons of vineridine in C₆D₆ solution and in a number of other solvents has permitted their assignments to be refined and a long-range (allyl) coupling of the H₁₇ and H₁₅ protons with an SSCC of 2.0 Hz that is characteristic of the epiallo alkaloids to be found. It has been shown that the change in the CSs of the protons of rings D and E of the hydroxyindole alkaloids and the indole alkaloid reserpinine as a result of the influence of various solvents mainly has a symbatic nature. The invariability of the SSCCs of the protons in the solvents investigated with the exception of solutions in TFA, shows that the conformations of rings C, D, and E in them do not change. The changes in the CSs and SSCCs of the protons in the alkaloids investigated in TFA are an indication of the isomerization of these compounds in the acid.Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, Tashkent. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 360–368, May–June, 1977.     

Spectrochemical Properties of Noncubical Transition Metal Complexes in Solution. XII. Angular Overlap Studies of Salicylideneethylenediamine Cu(II) Complex in Various Solvents

As a part of our general interest in the UV-Vis spectroscopy of multidentate mixed-donor ligands, the (salicylideneethylenediamine)Cu(II) complex has been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, solubility in common solvents, molar conductivities, and ultraviolet (UV), and visible (Vis) spectroscopy. The combined results of spectrophotometric measurements and EPR spectra, as well as known the X-ray structure for solids, were used to determine the structure of the investigated complex in solutions. The spectra of [Cu(salen)] (H₂salen = salicylideneethylenediamine), were measured in various solvents at room temperature, resolved by Gaussian analysis, and angular overlap model (AOM) treated in C _2v symmetry. Because of overparametrization problems, the bis(salicylaldehyde)Cu(II) complex has been characterized and AOM treated. The results of this have been used for AOM studies of [Cu(salen)]. The effect of the solvents upon the - and -bonding ligand abilities is discussed.     

An attempt to parameterize the structuredness of solvents

An attempt has been made to parameterize the structuredness of solvents from the viewpoint of intermolecular interactions, and the structuredness parameter S _p has newly been proposed. The enthalpy of vaporization H _vap ^/o of various solvents has been considered to consist of donor-acceptor interaction energy (DA), which can been estimated from Gutmann's donor and acceptor numbers, some other interaction energies (VDW), which may not be fully described in terms of the donor-acceptor interactions and may be related to the electronic distribution, the volume and shape of the molecule, the polarizability and ionization potential of atoms in the molecule, the energies of these interactions being usually considered to be of Van der Waals type and possibly evaluated from the enthalpy of vaporization ofn-alkanes, and the intermolecular interaction energy (STR) due to the three-dimensional molecular ordering in the liquid: H _vap ^/o =DA+VDW+STR. The STR term obtained as the difference between H _vap ^/o and (DA+VDW) is defined as the structuredness parameter S _p , which is a dimensionless quantity by dividing the value with the (kJ-mol^–1) unit. The entropies of formation S ₁ ^o and S ₄ ^o of [MX]⁺ and [MX₄]^2– complexes, respectively, of divalent metal ions (Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Hg²⁺) with halide and thiocyanate ions in aqueous and nonaqueous solvents could be represented as an almost linear function of the structuredness parameters S _p .     

Solvent Effects on the Monomer/Hydrogen‐Bonded Dimer Equilibrium in Carboxylic Acids: (+)‐(S)‐Ketopinic Acid as a Case Study

The hydrogen‐bond‐assisted self‐association process of a chiral semirigid carboxylic acid, namely, (+)‐(S)‐ketopinic acid, has been studied. The multiconformational monomer/dimer equilibrium has been evaluated by means of a concentration‐dependent FTIR study that enabled the experimental equilibrium constants of the dimer formation reaction (K_dim) to be determined in two solvents of different polarity. In CDCl₃, dimeric forms predominate, even in diluted solutions ( =5.074), whereas in CD₃CN the self‐association process is hindered and monomers are always the main species, irrespective of solute concentration ( =0.194). The reliability of the dimerization constants and the derived mono‐ and dimeric experimental fractions have been proven by means of accurate matching between the experimental vibrational circular dichroism spectra of the species and the theoretical spectra generated by considering the simultaneous weighted contributions of the concomitant monomers and dimers.     

Azeotropic mixtures as mobile phase for thin-layer chromatography of organic fluorescent dyes

Reproducible R _f values in the thin-layer chromatography (TLC) of various fluorescent dyes (amino derivatives of naphthoylenebenzimidazole, naphthalimide, benzanthrone, phenalenone, including phosphorus-containing luminophores) were shown to be obtained by elution with binary homogeneous azeotropic mixtures of solvents of different polarity. Some trends in the chromatographic mobility were established governed by the structural features of the groups of compounds under study.     

Solvent coordination to palladium can invert the selectivity of oxidative addition

Reaction solvent was previously shown to influence the selectivity of Pd/P^tBu₃-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross-couplings of chloroaryl triflates. The role of solvents has been hypothesized to relate to their polarity, whereby polar solvents stabilize anionic transition states involving [Pd(P^tBu₃)(X)]⁻ (X = anionic ligand) and nonpolar solvents do not. However, here we report detailed studies that reveal a more complicated mechanistic picture. In particular, these results suggest that the selectivity change observed in certain solvents is primarily due to solvent coordination to palladium. Polar coordinating and polar noncoordinating solvents lead to dramatically different selectivity. In coordinating solvents, preferential reaction at triflate is likely catalyzed by Pd(P^tBu₃)(solv), whereas noncoordinating solvents lead to reaction at chloride through monoligated Pd(P^tBu₃). The role of solvent coordination is supported by stoichiometric oxidative addition experiments, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and catalytic cross-coupling studies. Additional results suggest that anionic [Pd(P^tBu₃)(X)]⁻ is also relevant to triflate selectivity in certain scenarios, particularly when halide anions are available in high concentrations.

In the presence of the bulky monophosphine P^tBu₃, palladium usually prefers to react with Ar–Cl over Ar–OTf bonds. However, strongly coordinating solvents can bind to palladium, inducing a reversal of selectivity.

Oxidative addition is a key elementary step in diverse transformations catalyzed by transition metals.¹ For instance, this step is common to traditional cross-coupling reactions, which are among the most widely used methods for small molecule synthesis. During the oxidative addition step of cross-coupling reactions, a low valent metal [usually Pd(0)] inserts into a C–X bond with concomitant oxidation of the metal by two electrons. The “X” group of the C–X bond is commonly a halogen or triflate. Despite a wealth of research into this step,^2–5 uncertainties remain about its mechanistic nuances. The mechanistic details are especially pertinent to issues of selectivity that arise when substrates contain more than one potentially reactive C–X bond.⁶One of the best-studied examples of divergent selectivity at the oxidative addition step is the case of Pd-catalyzed Suzuki couplings of chloroaryl triflates. In 2000, Fu reported that a combination of Pd(0) and P^tBu₃ in tetrahydrofuran (THF) effects selective coupling of 1 with o-tolylB(OH)₂via C–Cl cleavage, resulting in retention of the triflate substituent in the final product 2a (Scheme 1A).⁷ In contrast, the use of PCy₃ (ref. 7) or most other phosphines⁸ provides complementary selectivity (product 2b) under similar conditions. The unique selectivity imparted by P^tBu₃ was later attributed to this ligand''s ability to promote a monoligated oxidative addition transition state on account of its bulkiness.^5,8 Smaller ligands, on the other hand, favor bisligated palladium, which prefers to react at triflate. The relationship between palladium''s ligation state and chemoselectivity has been rationalized by Schoenebeck and Houk through a distortion/interaction analysis.⁵ In brief, the selectivity preference of PdL₂ is dominated by a strong interaction between the electron-rich Pd and the more electrophilic site (C–OTf). On the other hand, PdL is less electron-rich and its selectivity preference mainly relates to minimizing unfavorable distortion energy by reacting at the more easily-distorted C–Cl bond.Open in a separate windowScheme 1Seminal reports on the effects of (A) ligands and (B) solvents on the selectivity of cross-coupling of a chloroaryl triflate.^5,7,9Proutiere and Schoenebeck later discovered that replacing THF with dimethylformamide (DMF, Scheme 1B, entry 1) or acetonitrile caused a change in selectivity for the Pd/P^tBu₃ system.^9,10 In these two polar solvents, preferential reaction at triflate was observed, and P^tBu₃ no longer displayed its unique chloride selectivity. The possibility of solvent coordination to Pd was considered, as bisligated Pd(P^tBu₃)(solv) would be expected to favor reaction at triflate. However, solvent coordination was ruled out on the basis of two intriguing studies. First, DFT calculations using the functional B3LYP suggested that solvent-coordinated transition states are prohibitively high in free energy (about 16 kcal mol⁻¹ higher than the lowest-energy monoligated transition structure). Second, the same solvent effect was not observed in a Pd/P^tBu₃-catalyzed base-free Stille coupling in DMF (Scheme 1B, entry 2). Instead, the Stille coupling was reported to favor reaction at chloride despite the use of a polar solvent. This result appears inconsistent with the possibility that solvent coordination induces triflate-selectivity, as coordination of DMF to Pd should be possible in both the Stille and Suzuki conditions, if it happens at all. Instead, it was proposed that the key difference between the Suzuki and Stille conditions was the absence of coordinating anions in the latter (unlike traditional Suzuki couplings, Stille couplings do not necessarily require basic additives such as KF to promote transmetalation). Indeed, when KF or CsF was added to the Stille reaction in DMF, selectivity shifted to favor reaction at triflate (Scheme 1B, entry 3), thereby displaying the same behavior as the Suzuki coupling in this solvent. On the basis of this and the DFT studies, it was proposed that polar solvents induce a switch in chemoselectivity if coordinating anions like fluoride are available by stabilizing anionic bisligated transition structures (Scheme 1B, right).However, our recent extended solvent effect studies produced confounding results.¹¹ In a Pd/P^tBu₃-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling of chloroaryl triflate 1, we observed no correlation between solvent polarity and chemoselectivity (Scheme 2). Although some polar solvents such as MeCN, DMF, and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) favor reaction at triflate, a number of other polar solvents provide the same results as nonpolar solvents by favoring reaction at chloride. For example, cross-coupling primarily takes place through C–Cl cleavage when the reaction is conducted in highly polar solvents like methanol, water, acetone, and propylene carbonate. In fact, the only solvents that promote reaction at triflate are ones that are commonly thought of as “coordinating” in the context of late transition metal chemistry.¹² These are solvents containing nitrogen, sulfur, or electron-rich oxygen lone pairs (nitriles, DMSO, and amides). The observed solvent effects were upheld for a variety of chloroaryl triflates and aryl boronic acids.¹¹Open in a separate windowScheme 2Expanded solvent effect studies in the Pd/P^tBu₃-catalyzed Suzuki coupling.¹¹We have sought to reconcile these observations with the earlier evidence⁹ against solvent coordination. Herein we report detailed mechanistic studies indicating that coordinating solvents alone are sufficient to induce the observed selectivity switch. In solvents like DMF and MeCN, stoichiometric oxidative addition is favored at C–OTf even in the absence of anionic additives. The apparent contradiction between our observations and the previously-reported DFT calculations and base-free Stille couplings is reconciled by a reevaluation of those studies. In particular, when dispersion is considered in DFT calculations, neutral solvent-coordinated transition structures involving Pd(P^tBu₃)(solv) become energetically feasible. Furthermore, we find that the selectivity analysis in the Stille couplings is convoluted by low yields, the formation of side products, and temperature effects. When these factors are disentangled, the Stille coupling in DMF displays selectivity similar to the Suzuki coupling in the same coordinating solvent. In light of these new results, anionic bisligated [Pd(P^tBu₃)(X)]⁻ does not appear to be the dominant active catalyst in nonpolar or polar solvents unless special measures are taken to increase the concentration of free halide, such as adding tetraalkylammonium halide salts or crown ethers.