Copper-containing dendromesogens: the influence of the metal on the mesomorphism

The synthesis and liquid crystalline behaviour of the first and second generations of a dendrimeric structure based on poly(propyleneimine)(DAB-dendr(NH₂)_x) are reported. 4-(4-n-Alkoxybenzoyloxy)salicylaldehydes are used as mesogenic moieties attached at the peripheral amino groups of the dendrimers giving rise to dendromesogens with four and eight mesogenic branches. From these dendromesogens, considered as organic ligands, were prepared six metal-containing dendrimers which incorporate two or four copper atoms in their structures. All the dendrimeric ligands and three of the metal-containing dendrimers exhibit liquid crystalline properties which were studied by optical microscopy, DSC, X-ray diffraction and EPR spectroscopy.     

Thermotropic mesomorphism in penta- and hepta-coordinated metal complexes

New Ni(II) and UO₂(II) metallomesogens obtained from mesomorphic N,N'-salicyliden(3,3'-diamine-N-methyldipropylamine) ligands containing a pentadentate N₃O₂ chelating cavity and bearing two or four lateral substituents, are isolated and fully characterized. Some of the synthesized nickel and dioxouranium complexes show a SmC mesophase. To the best of our knowledge, these species are the first pentacoordinated Ni(II) and heptacoordinated UO₂(II) metallomesogens to be reported.     

官能化苯并菲盘状液晶的合成及不饱柔链对介晶性的影响

合成了12个含不饱和软链的苯并菲盘状液晶化合物,C18H6（OC5H11）6-x（OR）x（x=1,2,3）,R=-C3H6CH=CH2（a）,-C3H6C≡CH（b）,-C2H4OCH=CH2（c）.化合物结构通过核磁共振氢谱和高分辨质谱表征.化合物热致液晶性通过偏光显微镜（POM）,差视扫描热量法（DSC）,和X射线衍射（XRD）进行了研究.结果显示目标化合物呈现有序的六方柱状介晶相.端炔基链化合物b系列熔点最高.乙烯氧基柔链化合物c系列有最高的清亮点和最宽的介晶性温度范围,且随着不饱和醚链数的增多,清亮点明显升高.对称苯并菲化合物sym-C18H6（OC5H11）3（OR）3比不对称化合物asym-C18H6（OC5H11）3（OR）3具有更高的熔点和清亮点.乙烯氧基柔链可极化的偶极相互作用对液晶稳定性有较大贡献.     

Unsymmetrical alkoxy-substituted triphenylenes: the dependence of mesomorphism on molecular shape

Several series of unsymmetrical hexa-alkoxytriphenylenes have been prepared. For almost every series a maximum in the Colh-I clearing point is found for the most symmetrical triphenylene, i.e. when all six alkoxy chains are of equal length. A similar trend is found for the melting points (Tm), although the effect is not so pronounced. A minimum length is required for formation of a columnar mesophase (Col hd). After this critical value has been reached for short alkoxy chains, much lower Colh-I temperatures are then observed for longer chains. Ordered hexagonal columnar phases required for efficient photoluminescence and electroluminescence have been found for several asymmetrical homologues with comparable TCol-I to those observed for the symmetrical homologues, but also with lower Tm. This may facilitate the preparation of mixtures of triphenylenes with the desired ordered hexagonal columnar phases with a TCol-I and a Tm below room temperature.     

丙基联苯酯型液晶的合成:不饱和端基及氧原子对介晶性的影响

本文以对溴苯甲醚为原料制备成格氏试剂,与4-丙基环己酮亲核加成,脱水,Pd/C催化脱氢芳基化,L iPPh2脱甲基得到了4-正丙基-4’-羟基联苯。该联苯与酰氯酯化反应合成了系列丙基联苯酯类液晶化合物C3H7-C6H4-C6H4-OC(O)R。通过差示扫描量热法和热台偏光显微镜对其介晶性研究发现,当R=CnH2n 1(n=3,4)时,化合物无液晶性;但n=5-7、10,C8H16CH=CH2,C8H16C≡CH时,化合物具有SA相;当R=CH2OCmH2m 1(m=2-5),CH2OCH2CH2OCH3时,化合物呈有序度较较高的SB相。这类化合物的液晶相较窄,多在25℃-100℃范围内。TGA测试的化合物热分解温度都高于200℃。     

Photoluminescent nickel(II)-metallomesogens derived from salphen ligands: influence of halogens at the spacer on mesomorphism and emission properties

Three new series of photoluminescent nickel(II) metallomesogens, [NiL]; H₂L = N,N′-Bis(4-n-alkoxysalicylidene)-4-fluoro/bromo/chloro-1,2-diaminobenzene (n = 12, 14, 16) based on ‘salphen’ ligands have been synthesised and their mesomorphic and photophysical properties explored. The complexes, isolated as orange microcrystalline solids were characterised by elemental analyses, FT-IR, ¹H NMR and UV-visible spectroscopy. Thermal studies show all the compounds to be enantiotropic liquid crystals displaying columnar mesophase over a wide temperature range. Electronegativity and steric requirement of the halogen substituent at the ligand’s spacer remarkably influence the 2-D packing of the columns in the lattice in these complexes controlling the supramolecular mesomorphic order and photoluminescence. The mesophase behaviour of the fluoro-substituted complex is characterised by a transition from a columnar oblique (p1) to columnar rectangular (p2mm) phase, former stable till ambient temperature. The chloro and bromo analogues, on the other hand, displayed exclusively columnar rectangular (p2mm) mesophase with the former transforming into a glassy state and latter into a crystalline phase during cooling to ambient temperature. Molecular model based on interdigitated anti-parallel and back to back arrangements in the different columnar mesophase are proposed on the basis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The complexes emit in the blue region when excited with near UV wavelength.     

Modeling the environment influence on the anodic metal dissolution

The influence of the electrolyte composition on the anodic indium dissolution is studied by the RRDE method. A model is designed for the active dissolution of indium according to the hydroxide and anion mechanisms. The model is used for calculating polarization curves and the limiting current of the oxidation of intermediate ions of univalent indium on the ring electrode at different solution compositions and electrode rotation rates. The calculated curves agree well with the experimental ones, which confirms validity of the model. The paper illustrates the way one can analyze the active metal dissolution kinetics in the case of the hydroxide and anion mechanisms. Dedicated to the ninetieth anniversary of Ya.M. Kolotyrkin’s birth.     

NO binding to cobalamin: influence of the metal oxidation state

Density functional and molecular orbital theory calculations on models for cobalamin suggest that NO binds similarly to the Co(II) and Co(III) oxidation states. However, Co(III) can bind water far more strongly than Co(II) as a sixth ligand, so that the competition between water and NO complexation strongly favors water for Co(III) in the gas phase. Although the Co(II) oxidation state is found to bind water slightly more strongly than NO in the gas phase, the inclusion of solvation effects via the polarizeable continuum model makes NO binding more favorable. Thus, the experimentally observed ability of cob(II)alamin to bind NO in aqueous solution is the result of its weak complexation with water and the relatively poor solvation of NO. Calculated vibrational frequencies support the interpretation of the cob(II)alamin-NO complex as being cob(III)alamin-NO-, although the DFT calculations underestimate the degree of charge transfer in comparison to Hartree-Fock calculations.     

Radioactive contaminants in the subsurface: the influence of complexing ligands on trace metal speciation

Equilibrium thermodynamics is one of the pillars which support safety analyses of repositories for radioactive waste. The research summarized in this review deals with approaches to resolve the problems related to thermodynamic equilibrium constants and solubility of solid phases in the field of radioactive waste management. The results have been obtained at the Paul Scherrer Institut between 1995 and 2005 and comprise the scientific basis of the author’s habilitation thesis in the field of nuclear environmental chemistry. The topics are grouped according to three different levels of problem solving strategies: (1) Critical and comprehensive reviews of the available literature, which are necessary in order to establish a reliable chemical thermodynamic database that fulfils the requirements for rigorous modeling of the behavior of the actinides and fission products in the environment. (2) In many case studies involving inorganic and simple organic ligands a serious lack of reliable thermodynamic data is encountered. There, a new modeling approach to estimate the effects of these missing data was applied. This so called “backdoor approach” begins with the question, “What total concentration of a ligand is necessary to significantly influence the speciation, and hence the solubility, of a given trace metal?” (3) In the field of natural organics, mainly humic and fulvic acids, we face an ill-defined problem concerning the molecular structure of the ligands. There, a pragmatic approach for performance assessment purposes was applied, the “conservative roof” approach, which does not aim to accurately model all experimental data, but allows estimates of maximum effects on metal complexation by humic substances to be calculated.     

Radioactive contaminants in the subsurface: the influence of complexing ligands on trace metal speciation

Equilibrium thermodynamics is one of the pillars which support safety analyses of repositories for radioactive waste. The research summarized in this review deals with approaches to resolve the problems related to thermodynamic equilibrium constants and solubility of solid phases in the field of radioactive waste management. The results have been obtained at the Paul Scherrer Institut between 1995 and 2005 and comprise the scientific basis of the author’s habilitation thesis in the field of nuclear environmental chemistry. The topics are grouped according to three different levels of problem solving strategies: (1) Critical and comprehensive reviews of the available literature, which are necessary in order to establish a reliable chemical thermodynamic database that fulfils the requirements for rigorous modeling of the behavior of the actinides and fission products in the environment. (2) In many case studies involving inorganic and simple organic ligands a serious lack of reliable thermodynamic data is encountered. There, a new modeling approach to estimate the effects of these missing data was applied. This so called “backdoor approach” begins with the question, “What total concentration of a ligand is necessary to significantly influence the speciation, and hence the solubility, of a given trace metal?” (3) In the field of natural organics, mainly humic and fulvic acids, we face an ill-defined problem concerning the molecular structure of the ligands. There, a pragmatic approach for performance assessment purposes was applied, the “conservative roof” approach, which does not aim to accurately model all experimental data, but allows estimates of maximum effects on metal complexation by humic substances to be calculated.     

Polymorphism and mesomorphism of oligomeric surfactants: effect of the degree of oligomerization

A series of cationic oligomeric surfactants (quaternary dodecyldimethylammonium ions with two, three, or four chains connected by an ethylene spacer at the headgroup level, abbreviated as dimer, trimer, and tetramer) were synthesized and characterized. The influence of the degree of oligomerization on their polymorphic and mesomorphic properties was investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, polarizing optical microscopy, thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry. All compounds display layered arrangements with interdigitated dodecyl chains. The increase in the degree of oligomerization increases the interlayer distance and decreases the ordering in the solid phase; whereas the dimer sample is fully crystalline with well-developed 3D ordering and the trimer and tetramer crystallize as highly ordered crystal smectic phases. The number of thermal phase transitions and sequence of phases are markedly affected by the number of dodecyl chains. Anhydrous samples exhibit polymorphism and thermotropic mesomorphism of the smectic type, with the exception of the tetramer that displays only transitions at higher temperature associated with decomposition and melting. All hydrated compounds form lyotropic mesophases showing reversible phase transitions upon heating and cooling. The sequence of liquid-crystalline phases for the dimer, typical of concentrated ionic surfactant systems, comprises a hexagonal phase at lower temperatures and a smectic phase at higher temperatures. In contrast, the trimer and tetramer reveal textures of the hexagonal phase.     

Copper-containing catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of organic compounds

A method of doping magnesium aluminum hydrotalcites, which are precursors for oxidative dehydrogenation oxide catalysts of various compositions, with copper(II) was developed, and copper(II)-containing oxide catalyst samples were synthesized. The catalytic properties of these catalysts were studied in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane, propane, and hexane. The conversion of ethane into ethylene on the copper-containing catalysts was established to proceed with high selectivities (90?C97%) and at low temperatures (400?C450°C).     

On the mesomorphism of lanthanum (III) alkanoates

The mesophase behaviour of lanthanum(III) tetradecanoate, La(C₁₃H₂₇COO)₃, (lanthanum myristate) has been studied by polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and high temperature X-ray diffraction. This metallomesogen forms an ordered lamellar solid which melts to a smectic A mesophase (SmA). Structural details of the different phases are discussed. The higher homologues of the lanthanum(III) soaps were found to have a similar mesophase behaviour.     

Synthesis and mesomorphism of the liquid crystal based on diosgenyl end-capped polycarbonate

ABSTRACT

To enhance the activity of the hydroxyl group of diosgenin, the diosgenyl derivative Dios–(CH₂)₆–OH with an alkyl spacer and end primary hydroxyl group was synthesised via the chain extension reaction between diosgenin and 1,6-hexanediol. Then the liquid crystal (LC) compounds Dios–(CH₂)₆–(trimethylene carbonate [TMC])_n with different TMC content were obtained via the ring-opening polymerisation of TMC with Dios–(CH₂)₆–OH as initiator and mesogenic unit, importantly, there was no catalyst added. The chemical structures of the Dios–(CH₂)₆–OH and Dios–(CH₂)₆–(TMC)_n were characterised by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and ¹H NMR. The mesomorphism was characterised by polarising optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurement, and the phase transition was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that Dios–(CH₂)₆–(TMC)_n displayed an enantiotropic smectic phase, and TMC content played an important role in the LC properties of Dios–(CH₂)₆–(TMC)_n. The higher the TMC content, the lower the phase transition temperature of Dios–(CH₂)₆–(TMC)_n.     

Lyotropic mesomorphism of alkyl esters of acyl-L-carnitines

The lyotropic polymorphism of a series of alkyl esters of acyl-L-carnitine has been studied by optical polarizing microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The different structures observed as a function of concentration and temperature have been characterized and their topology determined. As a result, two different phase sequence patterns have been detected: esters of normal alcohols bearing an alkyl chain of 6 or more carbon atoms in the acyl substituent display only a lamellar phase, while compounds which bear a relatively short alkyl chain (4 or less carbon atoms) show in addition non-lamellar type I hexagonal and cubic Q²³⁰ phases. From the analysis of the areas-per-molecule at the polar/apolar interface, the ability of the compounds investigated to form not only non-lamellar phases, but also direct micelles in isotropic solution has been related to the structural characteristics of the molecules. Curved, convex interfaces (in micelles and in non-lamellar phases) are possible only for the most polar acylcarnitines which have a relatively short alkyl chain, so that they behave like single chain surfactants; the most paraffinic derivatives, which have a relatively long alkyl chain, are effective double chain surfactants and then generate only quasi-planar interfaces.     

Metal-support interactions in zeolite-supported noble metals: influence of metal crystallites on the support acidity

The metal-support interactions on a series of catalysts of different acidities, including platinum-modified zeolites and H-MCM-41, are investigated by means of XPS, CO and pyridine adsorption, and a model reaction (ring opening of decalin). The electronic properties of Pt are influenced by the acidity of the support, and the alteration of Pt properties increases with increasing acidity of the support, as can be seen from the changes in the Pt binding energy and stretching frequency of adsorbed CO. At the same time, the presence of platinum affects the acidic properties of the supports by reducing the strength of the acid sites. This is observed directly as the changes in desorption of pyridine from the acid sites and indirectly as the suppression of cracking reactions during the ring opening of decalin on the Pt-modified catalysts. The observed results are discussed in terms of the interatomic potential model.     

Alkali metal complexes of a phosphine-borane-stabilised carbanion: influence of co-ligands on structure

The adducts [[(Me(3)Si)(2){Me(2)P(BH(3))}C]K(L)(n)](m) [L = THF, n = 0.5, m = infinity (2a); L = tmeda (2b), pmdeta (2c), n = 1, m = 2] may be synthesised by treatment of solvent-free [[(Me(3)Si)(2){Me(2)P(BH(3))}C]K](infinity) (2) with the corresponding Lewis base (tmeda = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine; pmdeta = N,N,N',N',N'-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine). X-Ray crystallography reveals that, whereas 2 crystallises with a complex 2-dimensional sheet structure, 2a crystallises as a ribbon-type one-dimensional polymer and both 2b and 2c crystallise as dimers. The corresponding complex with 12-crown-4, [K(12-crown-4)(2)][(Me(3)Si)(2){Me(2)P(BH(3))}C] (2d) crystallises as a separated ion pair. The complexes [[(Me(3)Si)(2){Me(2)P(BH(3))}C]M(pmdeta)](n) [M = Na, n = 1 (6); M = Rb, n = 2 (7)] may be synthesised by treatment of [(Me(3)Si)(2){Me(2)P(BH(3))}C]M with pmdeta. Whereas crystallises as a discrete monomer, compound 7 crystallises as a dimer. Compounds 2, 2a-2d, 6, 7 and the corresponding caesium derivative [[(Me(3)Si)(2){Me(2)P(BH(3))}C]Cs(pmdeta)](2) () provide an opportunity to consider the influence of the ionic radius of the metal and the nature of the co-ligands on the structures of alkali metal complexes of a phosphine-borane-stabilised carbanion.