Three‐Component Supramolecular System with Multistimuli‐Responsive Properties in Water

Hyperbranched polyethylenimine terminated with isobutyramide groups (HPEI‐IBAm), 4‐(phenylazo)benzoic acid (PABA), and α‐cyclodextrin (α‐CD) were assembled together at pH≈7 to form the three‐component supramolecular complexes that were verified by ¹H and 2D ROESY ¹H NMR spectroscopy. UV/Vis spectrometric titration experiments showed that the content of α‐CD in the three‐component complexes was less than the feed amount and it was difficult for all the PABA units in the complexes to further form complexes with α‐CD. The obtained three‐component supramolecular complexes exhibited thermoresponsive properties in water. Increasing the α‐CD concentration led to a sharp increase in the cloud point temperature (T_cp) at the beginning, but after the [α‐CD]/[PABA] ratio was in the region of 1.3–1.6, the T_cp increased gradually When the concentration of α‐CD was low, a higher concentration of PABA led to a lower T_cp, however, the opposite was observed when the concentration of α‐CD was high. For the three‐component complex, increasing the α‐CD concentration at pH≈7 or at pH≈9 led to different T_cp temperatures. In the low α‐CD concentration range, adjusting the pH from ≈7–≈9 resulted in an increase in the T_cp, similar but not so pronounced as that of the two‐component system of HPEI‐IBAm/[PABA]. When the concentration of α‐CD was high, adjusting the pH from ≈7–≈9 decreased the T_cp; this observation is different to that of the two‐component system of HPEI‐IBAm/[PABA]. Reversible trans‐to‐cis photoisomerization of azobenzene units in the complexes occurred, following irradiation with UV or visible light. Trans‐to‐cis isomerization of azobenzene units decreased the T_cp. However, this result differed to that of the two‐component system of HPEI‐IBAm/PABA.     

Influence of sodium dodecyl sulfate on the phase transition of thermoresponsive hyperbranched polymer in water

The influence of sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS) on the cloud point temperature(Tcp) of the aqueous solution of thermoresponsive hyperbranched polyethylenimine derivative HPEI-IBAm was studied systematically. When p H was below 8.5, HPEI-IBAm was positively-charged. Initially, the Tcp of HPEI-IBAm decreased significantly, followed by an obvious increase with the increase of SDS concentration. The lower the p H was, the higher the SDS concentration was required to achieve the minimum Tcp. When p H was above 8.5, HPEI-IBAm was neutral and raising the SDS concentration led to the gradual increase of Tcp. Compared to linear poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)(PNIPAm), the Tcp of the current hyperbranched HPEI-IBAm was more sensitive to SDS. The thermoresponsive HPEI-IBAm/SDS complex was used as host to accommodate the non-polar pyrene in water. The lowest SDS concentration for effectively enhancing the solubility of pyrene in water was around 6.4 mmol·L~(-1). When HPEI-IBAm was present, the SDS concentration threshhold was decreased to about 0.31 mmol·L~(-1). Fluorescence technique with pyrene as the hydrophobic probe demonstrated that the SDS concentration of 7.2 mmol·L~(-1) was required to form the hydrophobic domain to accommodate pyrene guests without HPEI-IBAm, while only 0.2 mmol·L~(-1) of SDS was required in the presence of HPEI-IBAm.     

Effect of carbon chain length of monocarboxylic acids on cloud point temperature of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)

The temperature-induced phase transition of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) aqueous solution under mixing with a series of small carboxylic acids has been studied by turbidity measurements and laser light scattering. It has been found that cloud point temperature (T _cp) of the PEtOx was changed to varying degrees depending upon the pH, ionic strength, molar ratio of acids to 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline unit, and carbon chain length of small carboxylic acids. Significant change in T _cp was observed in the case of hexanoic acid. At acidic pH, an increase in the molar ratio of hexanoic acid to the 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline unit gradually decreased the phase transition temperature of the polymer as compared to the T _cp of pure PEtOx. At original pH 6 (pH?>?pK _a), T _cp shifts to higher value than that of pure PEtOx for lower molar ratios and decreased later on with increasing the molar ratio. The shift in the T _cp is described based on the differences in the driving force of phase transition, including hydrogen bonding between small carboxylic acids and PEtOx polymer and hydrophobic interaction.     

Using 2-isopropyl-2-oxazine to explore the effect of monomer distribution and polymer architecture on the thermoresponsive behavior of copolymers

Poly(cyclic imino ether)s (PCIE) have emerged as a highly promising class of polymer for use in biomedical applications with their value being derived from their excellent biocompatibility, diverse chemistry, and tunable hydrophilicity. Here, we investigate the properties of poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazine) (PiPrOz), a relatively unexplored PCIE, determining it to have a cloud point temperature (T_cp) below physiological temperature, not to crystallize from bulk or in solution, and to be highly biocompatible. Furthermore, a series of copolymers consisting of iPrOz and 2-methyl-2-oxazine (MeOz) was investigated with regard to the effect of monomer distribution and polymer architecture on thermoresponsive properties. To this end, linear block and statistical co-poly(2-oxazine)s (co-POz), along with three comb-shaped POz with block or statistical POz side chains were prepared. Each of the five polymers showed distinct thermoresponsive behavior, with the linear block co-POz undergoing micelle formation and the other polymers macroscopic phase-separation at different T_cps. The variety observed in response to heating clearly highlights the importance of monomer sequence and polymer architecture when designing thermoresponsive polymers. We anticipate that our findings will prove useful to polymer chemists seeking to prepare novel thermoresponsive biomaterials.     

Self‐Assembled Supramolecular Nanocarrier Hosting Two Kinds of Guests in the Site‐Isolation State

Hyperbranched polyethylenimine (HPEI) was simply mixed with a solution of amphiphilic calix[4]arene (AC4), which possesses four phenol groups and four aliphatic chains, in chloroform. This resulted in the novel supramolecular complex HPEI–AC4 through the noncovalent interaction of the amino groups of HPEI with the phenol groups of AC4. The formed HPEI–AC4 supramolecular complexes were characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. The cationic water‐soluble dye methyl blue (MB) and the anionic water‐soluble dye methyl orange (MO) were used as the model guests to test the performance of HPEI–AC4 as a supramolecular nanocarrier. It was found that HPEI–AC4 could accommodate the anionic water‐soluble MO guests into the HPEI core. The MO encapsulation capacity of HPEI–AC4 was pH sensitive, which reached maximum loading under weakly acidic conditions. The loaded MO molecules could be totally released when the pH value was reduced to be around 4.5 or raised to be around 9.5, and this process was reversible. HPEI–AC4 could not only accommodate the anionic MO with the HPEI core but could also simultaneously load the cationic MB molecules using the formed AC4 shell, thereby realizing the site isolation of the two kinds of functional units. The amount of MO and MB encapsulated by HPEI–AC4 could be controlled by varying the ratio of hydroxyl groups of AC4 to amino groups of HPEI.     

Lanthanide‐Based T2ex and CEST Complexes Provide Insights into the Design of pH Sensitive MRI Agents

The CEST and T₁ /T₂ relaxation properties of a series of Eu³⁺ and Dy³⁺ DOTA‐tetraamide complexes with four appended primary amine groups are measured as a function of pH. The CEST signals in the Eu³⁺ complexes show a strong CEST signal after the pH was reduced from 8 to 5. The opposite trend was observed for the Dy³⁺ complexes where the r_2ex of bulk water protons increased dramatically from ca. 1.5 mm ⁻¹ s⁻¹ to 13 mm ⁻¹ s⁻¹ between pH 5 and 9 while r₁ remained unchanged. A fit of the CEST data (Eu³⁺ complexes) to Bloch theory and the T_2ex data (Dy³⁺ complexes) to Swift–Connick theory provided the proton‐exchange rates as a function of pH. These data showed that the four amine groups contribute significantly to proton‐catalyzed exchange of the Ln³⁺‐bound water protons even though their pK _a’s are much higher than the observed CEST or T_2ex effects. This demonstrated the utility of using appended acidic/basic groups to catalyze prototropic exchange for imaging tissue pH by MRI.     

Synthesis and utility of new amine/nucleobase addition products of allenylphosphonates

In the reaction of allenylphosphonates with amines/nucleobases, depending on the amine and the allenylphosphonate, either Z- or E-vinylphosphonate or allylphosphonate as a single isomer with a β-amino functionality was isolated. A simple route to phosphonates with a β-NH₂ group is developed by direct reaction with ammonia. In reactions with adenine, three different modes of reaction, with one of them involving an unusual cyclisation, are observed. The utility of (enamino)allyl phosphonate products thus obtained in the synthesis of (enamino)-1,3-butadienes via Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons (HWE) reaction is also demonstrated.     

Solar State 1H and 13C NMR Studies of Melanoidins Synthesized from D-Xylose and Glycine

Parameters affecting ¹³C CP/MAS NMR spectra of solid melanoidins (in particular ¹H T₁, T₁₀ and the cross polarization time t_cp) have been obtained with the aim of determining the optimum conditions necessary for quantitative studies. Melanoidins were synthesized at 22[ddot], 68[ddot] and 100 [ddot]C, from molar solutions of D-xylose and glycine. The ¹H T₁₀ values for all melanoidins were similar. Single exponential ¹H T₁ and ¹H T₁₀ relaxation curves were observed for all three polymers, suggesting that the mace-rials were relatively homogenenous. An increase in T₁'s with an increase in unsaturation was also observed. The optimum conditions for quantifying the different types of C were found to be t_cp = 2 msec., recycling time 2 sec. and for these conditions, the melanoidins synthesized at 22[ddot]C showed 18% unsaturation, 18% carboxyl and amide C, while the melanoidin synthesized at 100 [ddot]C showed 28 and 11% respectively. Solid state ¹H NMR lineshapes were obtained and these consisted in all three melanoidins of a broad and a narrow component attributed to the protons of the polymer core and the protons of the mobile side chains or methyl groups respectively.     

Experimental thermochemical study of the enthalpies of formation and sublimation of isonicotinamide,picolinamide, nicotinamide,isonicotinamideN-oxide,and nicotinamideN-oxide. The dissociation enthalpies of the N–O bonds

The standard (p ^∘  =  0.1MPa) molar enthalpies of combustion in oxygen, at T =  298.15 K, for crystalline picolinamide (2-NH₂COPy), nicotinamide (3-NH₂COPy), isonicotinamide (4-NH₂COPy), nicotinamide N -oxide (3- NH₂COPyNO), and isonicotinamide N - oxide (4-NH₂COPyNO) were measured by static-bomb calorimetry. These values were used to derive the standard molar enthalpies of formation of the crystalline compounds. The standard molar enthalpies of sublimation, at T =  298.15 K, for the three pyridinecarboxamide isomers were measured by microcalorimetry and the standard molar enthalpies of sublimation for the two pyridinecarboxamide N -oxide compounds were measured by a mass-loss effusion technique. From the enthalpies of formation of the gaseous compounds, the molar dissociation enthalpies D_m^oof the (N ⁺ – O ⁻ ) covalent bonds were derived. Comparison has been made with D_m^o(N–O) values in pyridine N -oxide derivatives.     

A comparative study of neighbouring group effects on the isomerization of imines in platinum-imine complexes by 1H, 13C, 31P and 195Pt NMR spectroscopy

¹⁹⁵Pt-, ³¹P-, ¹³C- and ¹H-chemical shifts are reported for the first time for complexes of the type trans-[PtCl₂ (η²-C₂H₄) (imine)], I, trans-[PtCl₂ (η²-C₂H₄) (amine)] II, and trans-[PtCl₂(PR′₃) (imine)] III (the imine ligand being derived from cyclopropyl-2-thienylketone and primary amines; PR′₃ = PBuⁿ₃ and PPh₃; amine; the amine ligand obtained by the reduction of the appropriate imine). The use of multinuclear spectroscopy provides strong evidence for E-Z isomerization of imine ligands coordinated to platinum (II) of the type trans-[PtCl₂ (η²-C₂H₄)(imine)]. Tertiary phosphine ligands trans to imine ligand (III) are not strongly labilizing groups, in contrast to η²-C₂H₄, which shows a strong labilizing effect. The effect of neighbouring groups on E-Z isomerization indicates that increase of the bulky substituents close to the imino group tends to increase the rate of isomerization, and increasing the degree of substitution on the imine carbon atoms slows the rate of isomerization. Furthermore, addition of a trace of amine will catalyze the E-Z isomerization. Also, isomerization takes place in the liquid state to give one isomer during the coordination with platinum.     

Cyclopentanones—VIII : Stereochemistry of the lithium-liquid ammonia reduction of 2,3-dialkyl-4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenones

2,3-Dialkyl-1,4-cyclopentanediols are obtained by lithium-liquidammonia-alcohol reduction of 2,3-dialkyl-4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenones. The configuration of the diastereoisomers formed was proved by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy and by chemical evidence. In the most abundant isomer the alkyl groups are trans and each is in trans position to the vicinal hydroxyl function. In another diastereoisomer formed in substantial amount the alkyl groups have a cis orientation and are trans to the vicinal hydroxyl function. The ¹H-NMR parameters found are more useful generally for configurational assignments to synthetic and modified prostaglandins.     

Influence of N-amino protecting group on aldolase-catalyzed aldol additions of dihydroxyacetone phosphate to amino aldehydes

This work examines the influence of N-protecting groups on the conversion and stereoselectivity of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) dependent aldolase-catalyzed aldol additions of DHAP to N-protected-3-aminopropanal. Phenylacetyl-(PhAc-), tert-butyloxycarbonyl- (^tBoc-) and fluoren-9-ylmethoxycarbonyl- (Fmoc-)-3-aminopropanal were evaluated as substrates for d-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase from rabbit muscle (RAMA), and l-rhamnulose-1-phosphate aldolase (RhuA) and l-fuculose-1-phosphate aldolase (FucA), both from Escherichia coli. Using PhAc and ^tBoc ca. 70% conversions to the aldol adduct were achieved, whereas Fmoc gave maximum conversions of ca. 25%. The stereoselectivity of the DHAP-aldolases did not depend on the N-protected-3-aminopropanal derivative. Moreover, inversion of FucA stereoselectivity relative to that obtained with the natural l-lactaldehyde was observed. Both N-PhAc and ^tBoc adduct product derivatives were successfully deprotected by penicillin G acylase (PGA)-catalyzed hydrolysis at pH 7 and by treatment with aqueous TFA (6% v/v), respectively. However, the corresponding cyclic imine sugars could not be isolated, presumable due to the presence of a highly reactive primary amine and a keto group in the molecule, which lead to a number of unexpected reactions.     

Specific thermoresponsive behaviours exhibited by optically active and inactive phenylalanine modified hyperbranched polyethylenimines in water

Optically active and inactive hyperbranched polymers with specific thermoresponsive behaviours in water were reported.Through two steps hyperbranched polyethylenimine (HPEI) polymers terminated with different amount of D-phenylalanine (D-Phe),L-phenylalanine (L-Phe) or DL-phenylalanine (DL-Phe) were prepared and characterized.The analyses on the solution properties by turbidimetry,dynamic light scattering,fluorescence probe and 1H-NMR demonstrated that all the polymers exhibited specific thermoresponsive behaviours in water,including:(1) In the dilute polymer concentration region,increasing the polymer concentration led to the increase of phase transition temperature;(2) The optically inactive thermoresponsive hyperbranched polymers showed a higher cloud-point temperature (Tcp) than their corresponding optically active ones in a relatively higher polymer concentration;(3) At the same polymer concentration the hydrophobic groups of the optically inactive HPEI-DL-Phe formed more perfect hydrophobic domain than those of the optically active HPEI-L-Phe and HPEI-D-Phe.     

Small dop of comonomer,giant shift of cloud point: Thermo-responsive behavior and mechanism of poly(methylacrylamide) copolymers with an upper critical solution temperature

Poly(methylacrylamide) (PMAM) is a thermo-responsive polymer with an upper critical solution temperature (UCST). Its cloud point (T_cp) is around 60 °C, unsuitable for certain biomedical and industrial applications. This study brought up a copolymerization strategy to tune the T_cp of PMAM with hydrophilic comonomers. Surprisingly, with a small portion of hydrophilic monomer doped, the T_cp of the PMAM copolymer can be significantly shifted. For instances, with ≤7 mol% of acrylamide or 1 mol% of oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate, the T_cp can be shifted in a wide range from ~69 to ~0 °C. Microdifferential scanning calorimetry demonstrated that the enthalpic effect during the phase transition of the solutions is indistinctive, while fluorescence measurement with pyrene as a probe revealed that the hydrogen-bonding within polymer chains is enhanced by the hydrophobic aggregation of methyl groups. Therefore, the doped hydrophilic monomer could remarkably alter the ordering of water-molecules and the extent for the aggregation of methyl groups, leading to the pronounced shifting in the T_cp of the copolymers. This work would facilitate the application of PMAM as smart polymer materials and guide the inventions of functional materials based on UCST polymers.     

Quantum chemical calculations of the isomer shift in iron(II) complexes of 1,2,4-triazoles with a 1 A 1 ⇔ 5 T 2 spin transition

DFT calculations have been performed to determine the isomer shift for a series of iron(II) clusters with nitrogen-containing ligands which serve as models of coordination units in Fe(II) complexes with 1,2,4-triazoles possessing a ¹ A ₁ ? ⁵ T ₂ spin transition. Good agreement has been found between the theoretical and experimental values of the isomer shift for both low-and high-spin phases. Our calculations confirmed the hypothesis about relationship between the experimentally observed differences in the isomer shift for the low-spin phases of the complexes and variations of the Fe-N mean bond length.     

Deprotection of a primary Boc group under basic conditions

Treatment of a primary t-butyl carbamate (Boc) group with excess sodium t-butoxide in slightly wet tetrahydrofuran or 2-methyltetrahydrofuran provides the corresponding primary amine in excellent yield. We believe the reaction proceeds through an isocyanate intermediate.     

Kinetics and mechanism of tertiary amine‐catalyzed cleavage of N′‐morpholino‐N‐(2′‐methoxyphenyl)phthalamide: Kinetic evidence for the presence of a reactive intermediate on the reaction path

Pseudo‐first‐order rate constants (k_obs) for tertiary amine (DABCO and Me₃N) buffer‐catalyzed cyclization of N′‐morpholino‐N‐(2′‐methoxyphenyl)phthalamide ( 1 ) to N‐(2′‐methoxyphenyl)phthalimide ( 2 ) reveal saturation (nonlinear) plots of k_obs versus [Buf]_T (total tertiary amine buffer concentration) at a constant pH. Such plots at different pH have been attributed to the presence of a reactive intermediate (T^?) formed by tertiary amine buffer‐catalyzed intramolecular nucleophilic addition of the secondary amide nitrogen to the carbonyl carbon of the tertiary amide group of 1 . © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 42: 263–272, 2010     

Reaktionen von nitrosylkomplexen: XI. Überführung von μ-NO- in μ-NH2-liganden durch katalytische hydrierung am beispiel von [Cp′Co(μ-NO)]2 sowie von [CpCr(μ-NO)NO]2

Catalytic hydrogenation (Raney nickel, standard conditions) of [Cp′Co(μ-NO)]₂ (Cp′ = η-C₅H₄ Me) obtained by an improved procedure leads to rather labile Cp′₂CO₂(μ-NH₂)(μ-NO) which by further uptake of hydrogen decomposes liberating ammonia. Under analogous conditions [CpCr(μ-NO)NO]₂ is hydrogenated with stepwise formation of the known compounds Cp₂Cr₂(μ-NH₂)(μ-NO)(NO)₂ and [CpCr(μ-NH₂)NO]₂; the latter is obtained as a mixture of the cis and trans isomer which remarkably differ in air sensitivity.     

Ternary Ag/Ag3PO4/MIL-125-NH2 Z-scheme heterojunction for boosted photocatalytic Cr(VI) cleanup under visible light

The binary Ag₃PO₄/MIL-125-NH₂ (AMN-X) composites were synthesized through ion exchange-solution method, and the ternary Ag/Ag₃PO₄/MIL-125-NH₂ (AAMN-X) Z-scheme heterojunctions were prepared via the photo chemical reduction deposition strategy. The photocatalytic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) sequestration over AMN-X and AAMN-X were investigated under visible light. AAMN-120 accomplished superior reduction performance due to that Ag nanoparticles (NPs) act as electrons transfer bridge to enhance the separation efficiency of photogenerated e⁻-h⁺ pairs, in which the reaction rates (k value) were 2.77 and 124.2 fold higher than those of individual MIL-125-NH₂ and Ag₃PO₄, respectively. The influences of different pH values, small organic acids and coexisting ions on the photocatalytic performance of AAMN-120 were also investigated. In addition, the AAMN-120 heterojunction expressed great reusability and stability in cycling experiments. The mechanism of photocatalytic Cr(VI) was investigated and verified through photoluminescence (PL), electrochemistry, electron spin resonance (ESR), active species capture, and Pt element deposition experiments.     

Curing properties of novel curing agent based on phenyl bisthiourea for an epoxy resin system

Phenyl bisthioureas: 4,4′-(bisthiourea)diphenylmethane (DTM), 4,4′-(bisthiourea)diphenyl ether (DTE), and 4,4′-(bisthiourea)diphenyl sulfone (DTS) were synthesized and used as curing agents for the epoxy resin diglydicyl ether bisphenol A (DGEBA). Synthesized phenyl bisthioureas were characterized using FT-IR and ¹H-NMR analysis. For comparison studies the epoxy system was also cured using the conventional aromatic amine 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether (DDE). Curing kinetics of epoxy/amine system was studied by dynamic and isothermal differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Curing kinetic was evaluated based on model-free kinetics (MFK) and ASTM E 698 model, and the activation energy was compared with DDE. Curing system of phenyl bisthiourea link (DGEBA/DTM, DGEBA/DTE, and DGEBA/DTS) shows two exothermic peaks, while that of the conventional aromatic amines showed only a single peak. The initial exothermic peak is due to the primary nitrogen of the thiourea group, and the exotherm at higher temperature is due to the presence of thiourea groups. Glass transition temperature (T _g) of DGEBA/DTM, DGEBA/DTE, and DGEBA/DTS cured resins were lowered by 323 K when compared to the widely used diaminodiphenyl ether (DDE) cured resin. Oxidation induction temperature measurement performed on DSC suggests that the DGEBA/DTM, DGEBA/DTE, and DGEBA/DTS system cured resins has better oxidative stability when compared to cured DGEBA/DDE resin system.