Preparation of polythioamides from dialdehydes and diamines with sulfur by the Willgerodt–Kindler type reaction

Willgerodt–Kindler type reactions of dialdehydes and diamines in the presence of sulfur were investigated for preparation of polythioamides. The one‐pot, three‐component polycondensation afforded various polythioamides in moderate to good yields. The appropriate reaction conditions were examined for the separate monomers. The results led us to the proposed mechanism for the polycondensation including formation of the intermediate Schiff base polymers followed by the successive nucleophilic attack of polysulfide anions to the azomethine units to give the thioamide groups. Structure, solubility, and thermal properties of the polythioamides were also compared with those of analogous polyamides. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3739–3750, 2001     

A zinc(II) metal–organic framework with a novel topology formed from 4,4′,4′′‐nitrilotribenzoate and 4,4′‐bipyridine ligands

A metal–organic framework with a novel topology, poly[sesqui(μ₂‐4,4′‐bipyridine)bis(dimethylformamide)bis(μ₄‐4,4′,4′′‐nitrilotribenzoato)trizinc(II)], [Zn₃(C₂₁H₁₂NO₆)₂(C₁₀H₈N₂)_1.5(C₃H₇NO)₂]_n, was obtained by the solvothermal method using 4,4′,4′′‐nitrilotribenzoic acid and 4,4′‐bipyridine (bipy). The structure, determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis, possesses three kinds of crystallographically independent Zn^II cations, as well as binuclear Zn₂(COO)₄(bipy)₂ paddle‐wheel clusters, and can be reduced to a novel topology of a (3,3,6)‐connected 3‐nodal net, with the Schläfli symbol {5.6²}₄{5².6}₄{5⁸.8⁷} according to the topological analysis.     

A hydrostable and twofold interpenetrating three‐dimensional zinc–organic framework with rob topology based on 4,4′‐oxydibenzoate and 3,3′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bipyridine ligands

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of porous materials that have received widespread attention due to their potential applications in gas storage and/or separation, catalysis, luminescence, and so on. The title compound, poly[[(μ₂‐3,3′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bipyridine‐κ²N:N′)bis(μ₄‐4,4′‐oxydibenzoato‐κ⁴O:O′:O′′:O′′′)dizinc] tetrahydrate], {[Zn₂(C₁₄H₈O₅)₂(C₁₂H₁₂N₂)]·4H₂O}_n, has been prepared by the solvothermal assembly of Zn(NO₃)₂·6H₂O, 4,4′‐oxydi(benzoic acid) and 3,3′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bipyridine. The two Zn^II atoms adopt the same five‐coordinated distorted square‐pyramidal geometry (i.e. ZnO₄N), bonding to four O atoms from four different 4,4′‐oxydibenzoate (oba) ligands and one N atom from a 3,3′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bipyridine (dmbpy) ligand. The supramolecular secondary building unit (SBU) is a paddle‐wheel [Zn₂(COO)₄] unit and these units are linked by oba ligands within the layer to form a two‐dimensional net parallel to the b axis, with the dmbpy ligands pointing alternately up and down, which is further extended by dmbpy ligands to form a three‐dimensional framework with rob topology. The single net leaves voids that are filled by mutual interpenetration of an independent equivalent framework in a twofold interpenetrating architecture. The title compound shows thermal stability up to 673 K and is stable in aqueous solutions in the pH range 5–9. Excitation and luminescence data observed at room temperature show that it emits a bright‐blue fluorescence.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel reactive ladderlike 4,4′‐phenylene ether‐bridged polyvinylsiloxane

A novel soluble, reactive ladderlike 4,4′‐phenylene ether‐bridged polyvinylsiloxane (L) was synthesized successfully for the first time by a stepwise coupling polymerization (SCP) including hydrolysis and polycondensation. The monomer, 4,4′‐bis(vinyldimethoxysilyl)phenylene ether (M), was synthesized by Grignard reaction. The structures of the monomer and the polymer were characterized by infrared spectrometry (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ²⁹Si NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). It is proposed from the characterization data that the polymer possesses an ordered ladderlike structure. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2702–2710, 2000     

Syntheses of multicyclic poly(ether sulfone)s from 5,5′,6,6′‐tetrahydroxy‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl spirobisindane and 4,4′‐bis(4‐chlorophenyl) sulfones

5,5′,6,6′‐Tetrahydroxy‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl spirobisindane (TTSBI) was polycondensed with 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenyl sulfone (DCDPS) or with 4,4′‐bis(4‐chlorophenyl sulfonyl) biphenyl (BCSBP) in DMSO. Concentration and feed ratio were optimized to avoid gelation and to obtain a maximum yield of multicyclic polyethers free of functional groups. Regardless of these reaction conditions, only low fractions of perfect multicycles were obtained from DCDPS apparently due to steric hindrance of ring closure. Under the same conditions high fractions of perfect multicycles were achieved with the longer and more flexible DCSBP. The reaction products were characterized by MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry, ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy viscosity, and DSC measurements. Relatively low glass transition temperatures (T_gs ≈ 160–175 °C) were found. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3732–3739, 2008     

An Unexpected Discovery in the Willgerodt-Kindler Reaction of Acetophenone——the Formation of the 4-（Benzoylthiocarbonyl）morpholine

The Willgerodt-Kindler reaction of acetophenone was studied.Apart from the normal product 4-(benzylthio-carbonyl)morpholine,another product 4-(benzoylthiocarbonyl)morpholine was obtained unexpectedly.The struc-ture of the latter was confirmed by IR,~1H NMR spectra and X-ray diffraction analysis.The mechanism of the reac-tion was discussed.     

Preparation and physical properties of poly(4,4′‐diamino‐3′‐carbamoylbenzanilide terephthalamide) and poly(4,4′‐diamino‐3′‐carbamoylbenzanilide isophthalamide) films

To prepare thermally stable and high‐performance polymeric films, new solvent‐soluble aromatic polyamides with a carbamoyl pendant group, namely poly(4,4′‐diamino‐3′‐carbamoylbenzanilide terephthalamide) (p‐PDCBTA) and poly(4,4′‐diamino‐3′‐carbamoylbenzanilide isophthalamide) (m‐PDCBTA), were synthesized. The polymers were cyclized at around 200 to 350 °C to form quinazolone and benzoxazinone units along the polymer backbone. The decomposition onset temperatures of the cyclized m‐ and p‐PDCBTAs were 457 and 524 °C, respectively, lower than that of poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (566 °C). For the p‐PDCBTA film drawn by 40% and heat‐treated, the tensile strength and Young's modulus were 421 MPa and 16.4 GPa, respectively. The film cyclized at 350 °C showed a storage modulus (E′) of 1 × 10¹¹ dyne/cm² (10 GPa) over the temperature range of room temperature to 400 °C. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 775–780, 2000     

Preparation and characterization of optically active and organosoluble poly(amide‐imide)s from polycondensation reaction of N,N′‐(4,4′‐sulphonediphthaloyl)‐bis‐L‐isoleucine diacid with aromatic diamines

3,3′,4,4′‐Diphenylsulfonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (1) was reacted with L ‐isoleucine (2) in acetic acid and the resulting imide‐acid (3) was obtained in high yield. The diacid chloride (4) was prepared from the diacid derivative (3) by reaction with thionyl chloride. The polycondensation reaction of diacid chloride (4) with several aromatic diamines such as 4,4′‐sulfonyldianiline (5a), 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl methane (5b), 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylether (5c), p‐phenylenediamine (5d),m‐phenylenediamine (5e), 2,4‐diaminotoluene (5f) and 4,4′‐diaminobiphenyl (5g) was performed by two conventional methods: low temperature solution polycondensation and short period reflux conditions. In order to compare conventional solution polycondensation reaction methods with microwave‐assisted polycondensation, the reactions were also carried out under microwave conditions with a small amount of o‐cresol that acts as a primary microwave absorber. The reaction mixture was irradiated for 6 min with 100% of radiation power. Several new optically active poly(amide‐imide)s with inherent viscosity ranging from 0.23 to 0.41 dl/g were obtained with high yield. All of the earlier polymers were fully characterized by IR, elemental analyses and specific rotation techniques. Some structural characterizations and physical properties of these new optically active poly(amide‐imide)s are reported. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Energetic 4,4′‐Oxybis[3,3′‐(1‐hydroxytetrazolyl)]furazan and Its Salts

Energetic compounds that incorporate multiple nitrogen‐rich heterocycles are of great interest for high‐density energetic materials. A facile synthetic strategy to combine an oxy bridge and furazan groups, as well as tetrazole‐ols, into a molecule ( 5 ) was found. Some energetic salts based on 5 were prepared by neutralization. All of the compounds were fully characterized. Additionally, the structure of 7 has been elucidated by single‐crystal XRD analysis. Physicochemical and energetic properties were also studied; these show that these newly designed energetic salts exhibit good thermal stabilities. Hydroxylammonium salt ( 6 ) has a detonation performance and sensitivities comparable with those of 1,3,5‐trinitroperhydro‐1,3,5‐triazine (RDX).     

Preparation and properties of polyesters derived from 4,4′-sulfonyl dibenzoyl chloride by solution polycondensation

Sulfone-containing polyesters of 18 kinds having inherent viscosities of 1.19–0.16 dL g⁻¹ were prepared derived from 4,4′-sulfonyl dibenzoyl chloride by solution polycondensation from various aromatic and aliphatic diols in nitrobenzene at 82°C. The polyesters were examined with IR spectra, inherent viscosity, x-ray diffraction, solubility, DSC, and TGA. Polyester (PE-7) with the greatest inherent viscosity may reflect that bisphenol A having a electron-releasing group increases nucleophilic properties of the phenolate anion. Diols such as bisphenol AF (PE-13) and brominated diols (PE-4, PE-10, and PE-16) gave less favorable results. The diffractograms showed that all polyesters were essentially amorphous except that obtained from bisphenol S and its derivatives. Almost all polyesters except PE-1 and PE-2 were soluble in DMF, THF, tetrachloroethane and phenol/sym-tetrachloroethane (60/40 by mass) but insoluble in typical organic solvents such as acetone, toluene, and chloroform. These polymers obtained from aromatic bisphenols lost no mass below 309°C, but 10% loss of mass was recorded above 380°C in nitrogen. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cyclic and multicyclic poly(ether sulfone)s by polycondensation of 5,5′,6,6′‐tetrahydroxy‐ 3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl spirobisindane and 4,4′‐difluorodiphenylsulfone

5.5′,6,6′‐Tetrahydroxy‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl spirobisindane (TTSBI) was polycondensed with 4,4′‐difluorodiphenylsulfone (DFDPS) in DMSO with K₂CO₃ as catalyst and azeotopic removal of water. The feed ratio of DFDPS/TTSBI was varied from 1.0/1.0 to 2.0/1.0 at concentrations avoiding gelation. At feed ratios around 1.0/1.0 hyperbranched polymers were a minority and cyclic poly(ether sulfone)s were the predominant reaction products. With increasing feed ratio of DFDPS more and more multicyclic polymers were formed, and at a feed ratio of 1.9/1.0 perfect multicycles free of functional groups were the vast majority of the reaction product. Despite variation of the reaction conditions quantitative conversion was not achieved. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5597–5605, 2007     

A twofold interpenetrating three‐dimensional zinc–organic framework built from naphthalene‐1,4‐dicarboxylate and 4,4′‐bipyridine ligands

A novel three‐dimensional Zn^II complex, poly[[(μ₂‐4,4′‐bipyridine)(μ₄‐naphthalene‐1,4‐dicarboxylato)(μ₂‐naphthalene‐1,4‐dicarboxylato)dizinc(II)] dimethylformamide monosolvate monohydrate], {[Zn₂(C₁₂H₆O₄)₂(C₁₀H₈N₂)]·2C₃H₇NO·H₂O)}_n, has been prepared by the solvothermal assembly of Zn(NO₃)·6H₂O, naphthalene‐1,4‐dicarboxylic acid and 4,4′‐bipyridine. The two crystallographically independent Zn atoms adopt the same four‐coordinated tetrahedral geometry (ZnO₃N) by bonding to three O atoms from three different naphthalene‐1,4‐dicarboxylate (1,4‐ndc) ligands and one N atom from a 4,4′‐bipyridine (bpy) ligand. The supramolecular secondary building unit (SBU) is a distorted paddle‐wheel‐like {Zn₂(COO)₂N₂O₂} unit and these units are linked by 1,4‐ndc ligands within the layer to form a two‐dimensional net parallel to the ab plane, which is further connected by bpy ligands to form the three‐dimensional framework. The single net leaves voids that are filled by mutual interpenetration of an independent equivalent framework in a twofold interpenetrating architecture. The title compound is stable up to 673 K. Excitation and luminescence data observed at room temperature show that it emits bright‐blue fluorescence.     

Theoretical study on the reaction mechanisms and stereoselectivities of DABCO‐catalyzed Rauhut–Currier/cyclization reaction of methyl acrylate with 2‐benzoyl‐3‐phenyl‐acrylonitrile

With the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have investigated the mechanisms and stereoselectivities of the tandem cross Rauhut–Currier/cyclization reaction of methyl acrylate R₁ with (E)‐2‐benzoyl‐3‐phenyl‐acrylonitrile R₂ catalyzed by a tertiary amine DABCO. The results of the DFT calculations indicate that the favorable mechanism (mechanism A) includes three steps: the first step is the nucleophilic attack of DABCO on R₁ to form intermediates Int1 and Int1‐1, the second step is the reaction of Int1 and Int1‐1 with R₂ to generate intermediate Int2(SS,RR,SR&RS), and the last step is an intramolecular S_N2 process to give the final product P(SS,RR,SR&RS) and release catalyst DABCO. The S_N2 substitution is computed to be the rate‐determining step, whereas the second step is the stereoselectivity‐determining step. The present study may be helpful for understanding the reaction mechanism of similar tandem reactions.     

Cyclic and branched functional polyesters derived from 5,5′,6,6′‐tetrahydroxy‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl spirobisindane and various dicarboxylic acids

Triethylamine‐promoted polycondensations of 5,5′,6,6′‐tetrahydroxy‐3,3, 3′,3′‐tetramethyl spirobisindane (TTSBI) and α,ω‐alkane dicarboxylic acid dichlorides were performed with equimolar feed ratios. Three different procedures were compared. At a TTSBI concentration of 0.05 mol/L, gelation was avoided, and soluble cyclic polyesters having two OH groups per repeat unit were isolated. These polyesters were characterized with ¹H NMR spectroscopy, MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry, and SEC and DSC measurements. All polycondensations with sebacoyl chloride resulted in gelation, regardless of the procedure. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1699–1706, 2007     

Comparative study on polyimides from isomeric 3,3′‐, 3,4′‐, and 4,4′‐linked bis(thioether anhydride)s

Three isomeric bis(thioether anhydride) monomers, 4,4′‐bis(2,3‐dicarboxyphenylthio) diphenyl ketone dianhydride (3,3′‐PTPKDA), 4,4′‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxyphenylthio) diphenyl ketone dianhydride (4,4′‐PTPKDA), and 4‐(2,3‐dicarboxyphenylthio)‐4′‐(3,4‐dicarboxyphenylthio) diphenyl ketone dianhydride (3,4′‐PTPKDA), were prepared through multistep reactions. Their structures were determined via Fourier transform infrared, NMR, and elemental analysis. Three series of polyimides (PIs) were prepared from the obtained isomeric dianhydrides and aromatic diamines in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP) via the conventional two‐step method. The PIs showed excellent solubility in common organic solvents such as chloroform, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, and NMP. Their glass‐transition temperatures decreased according to the order of PIs on the basis of 3,3′‐PTPKDA, 3,4′‐PTPKDA, and 4,4′‐PTPKDA. The 5% weight loss temperatures (T_5%) of all PIs in nitrogen were observed at 504–519 °C. The rheological properties of isomeric PI resins based on 3,3′‐PTPKDA/4,4′‐oxydianiline/phthalic anhydride showed lower complex viscosity and better melt stability compared with the corresponding isomers from 4,4′‐ and 3,4′‐PTPKDA. In addition, the PI films based on three isomeric dianhydrides and 2,2′‐bis(trifluoromethyl)benzidine had a low moisture absorption of 0.27–0.35%. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Improved Preparation of 3,3′,4,4′‐Tetramethyldiphenylethane by Self Coupling Reaciton in Aqueous Media

In this article, 3,3′,4,4′‐tetramethyldiphenylethane was obtained in 86.5% total yield by self coupling reaction of 3,4‐dimethylbenzyl chloride catalyzed by Cu/Cu₂Cl₂/PEG‐600 and promoted by iron in aqueous media and the starting material 3,4‐dimethylbenzyl chloride was prepared by chloromethylation of o‐xylene in CTAB micellar catalytic system. Compared to other synthetic methods, the improved method not only enhanced the yield, but also made the operating units easy workup. The mechanisms of the chloromethylation and the self coupling were proposed. The structures of the products were confirmed by Elemental analysis, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR or compared with authentic samples.     

Synthesis of 4,4′‐bis (4‐oxyphenoxy)benzophenone diglycidyl ether and the thermal stability for blends with 3,4‐epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3,4‐epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate

We synthesized novel aromatic epoxy, 4,4′‐bis(4‐oxyphenoxy)benzophenone diglycidyl ether (DGEEK), by a three step reaction sequence and then it was blended with 3,4‐epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3,4‐epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate (CAE). The DGEEK structure was confirmed by FT‐IR and ¹H‐NMR measurement. Also, we investigated thermal properties of DGEEK/CAE blend epoxy by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetry analyzer (TGA). The glass transition temperature increased but initial decomposition temperature of cured epoxy decreased through the increasing amounts of ether–ether–ketone group of the epoxy network structure. By increasing the DGEEK mole fraction in the DGEEK/CAE blend epoxy matrix, the curing peak temperature decreased and the curing activation energy for DGEEK/CAE blend epoxy systems showed a considerable decrease. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and properties of polyarylates both from 2,2′-bibenzoyl chloride and bisphenols and from biphenyl-2,2′-diol and aromatic dicarboxylic acid chlorides

Polyarylates having inherent viscosities up to 1.02 dL/g were synthesized both by the phase-transfer catalyzed two-phase polycondensation of 2,2′-bibenzoyl chloride with various bisphenols and by the high-temperature solution polycondensation of biphenyl-2,2′-diol with aromatic dicarboxylic acid chlorides. All the polyarylates were amorphous and soluble in a variety of organic solvents including N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methyl–2-pyrrolidone, chloroform, m-cresol, and pyridine. Transparent and flexible films of these polymers could be cast from the chloroform solutions. These polyarylates had glass transition temperatures in the range of 120–250°C and began to lose weight at around 380°C in air. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.