Synthesis and characterization of novel renewable polyesters based on 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid and 2,3‐butanediol

Novel polyesters from 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid or 2,5‐dimethyl‐furandicarboxylate and 2,3‐butanediol have been synthesized via bulk polycondensation catalyzed by titanium (IV) n‐butoxide, tin (IV) ethylhexanoate, or zirconium (IV) butoxide. The polymers were analyzed by size exclusion chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), matrix‐assisted laser ionization‐desorption time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, electrospray ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, electrospray ionization quadruple time‐of‐flight mass spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. Fully bio‐based polyesters with number average molecular weights ranging from 2 to 7 kg/mol were obtained which can be suitable for coating applications. The analysis of their thermal properties proved that these polyesters are thermally stable up to 270–300 °C, whereas their glass transition temperature (T_g) values were found between 70 and 110 °C. Furthermore, a material was prepared with a molecular weight of 13 kg/mol, with a T_g of 113 °C. This high T_g would make this material possibly suitable for hot‐fill applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Homo‐ and random copolymerizations of ω‐pentadecalactone with ε‐caprolactone using isothiourea‐based dual catalysis

In this study, the catalytic behavior of dual catalysis based on isothioureas (ITUs) for ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of macrolactone ω‐pentadecalactone (PDL) and its copolymerization with ε‐caprolactone (CL) has been investigated in detail. In the presence of benzyl alcohol (BnOH) initiator, 2,3,6,7‐tetrahydro‐5H‐thiazolo[3,2‐a]pyrimidine (THTP) acted as a representative organic compound, which coupled with magnesium halides (MgX₂) as cocatalysts and catalyzed the polymerization in toluene at 70 °C. Under suitable conditions, an array of polymers with controlled molecular weights and relatively narrow molecular weight distributions were synthesized. The formation of homopolymers and copolymers with different architectures was verified using GPC, DSC, NMR, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐ToF) mass. The MALDI‐ToF mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of poly(ω‐pentade‐calactone) (PPDL) provided direct evidence for the successful initiation of ROP of PDL using BnOH to obtain linear PPDL with a very small amount of oligomer. The NMR analysis indicated that the arrangements of PDL and CL units in the copolymer chains were completely random. The thermal stability of copolymers was composition dependent and increased with the increase in the content of PDL unit. Furthermore, the proposed polymerization mechanism is a dual catalytic mechanism. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019     

Matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry analysis of living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers. I. Optimization of measurement conditions for poly(isobutyl vinyl ether)

Matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF‐MS) was utilized for the analysis of polymers obtained by the living cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) with the HCl‐VE adduct/SnCl₄/n‐Bu₄NCl initiating system in CH₂Cl₂ at −78 °C. Under optimized analysis conditions, well‐resolved spectra were obtained for samples with number‐average molecular weights of ≤10⁴ with the use of 1,8‐dihydroxy‐9(10H)‐anthracenone (dithranol) as a matrix and sodium trifluoroacetate as an added salt. The MS spectra showed only one series of peaks separated exactly by the mass of the IBVE. The observed mass of each peak was in good agreement with the theoretical one, which possesses one initiator fragment at the α end and one methoxy group originated from quenching with methanol at the ω end. Thus, detailed end group analysis is possible for poly(VE). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4023–4031, 2000     

Precision synthesis and characterization of thymine‐functionalized polyisobutylene

A new two‐step synthesis of polyisobutylene (PIB) with precisely one thymine functionality per chain (PIB‐T) is reported. The primary hydroxyl‐functionalized PIB (PIB‐OH) precursor was prepared by direct functionalization via living carbocationic polymerization of isobutylene initiated by the α‐methylstyrene epoxide/TiCl₄ system. Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐ToF MS) of a low molecular weight PIB‐OH precursor demonstrated the effectiveness of direct functionalization by this method. A PIB‐acrylate precursor (PIB‐Ac) was obtained from such a PIB‐OH, and the PIB‐T was subsequently prepared by Michael addition of thymine across the acrylate double bond. MALDI‐ToF MS of the products verified that all polymer chains carried precisely one thymine group. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3501–3506, 2010     

The effect of temperature on the stability of compounds used as UV‐MALDI‐MS matrix: 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2,4,6‐trihydroxyacetophenone, α‐cyano‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid, 3,5‐dimethoxy‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid,nor‐harmane and harmane

The thermal stability of several commonly used crystalline matrix‐assisted ultraviolet laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (UV‐MALDI‐MS) matrices, 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (gentisic acid; GA), 2,4,6‐trihydroxyacetophenone (THA), α‐cyano‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid (CHC), 3,5‐dimethoxy‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid (sinapinic acid; SA), 9H‐pirido[3,4‐b]indole (nor‐harmane; nor‐Ho), 1‐methyl‐9H‐pirido[3,4‐b]indole (harmane; Ho), perchlorate of nor‐harmanonium ([nor‐Ho + H]⁺) and perchlorate of harmanonium ([Ho + H]⁺) was studied by heating them at their melting point and characterizing the remaining material by using different MS techniques [electron ionization mass spectrometry (EI‐MS), ultraviolet laserdesorption/ionization‐time‐of‐flight‐mass spectrometry (UV‐LDI‐TOF‐MS) and electrospray ionization‐time‐of‐flight‐mass spectrometry (ESI‐TOF‐MS)] as well as by thin layer chromatography analysis (TLC), electronic spectroscopy (UV‐absorption, fluorescence emission and excitation spectroscopy) and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H‐NMR). In general, all compounds, except for CHC and SA, remained unchanged after fusion. CHC showed loss of CO₂, yielding the trans‐/cis‐4‐hydroxyphenylacrilonitrile mixture. This mixture was unambiguously characterized by MS and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, and its sublimation capability was demonstrated. These results explain the well‐known cluster formation, fading (vanishing) and further recovering of CHC when used as a matrix in UV‐MALDI‐MS. Commercial SA (SA 98%; trans‐SA/cis‐SA 5 : 1) showed mainly cis‐ to‐trans thermal isomerization and, with very poor yield, loss of CO₂, yielding (3′,5′‐dimethoxy‐4′‐hydroxyphenyl)‐1‐ethene as the decarboxilated product. These thermal conversions would not drastically affect its behavior as a UV‐MALDI matrix as happens in the case of CHC. Complementary studies of the photochemical stability of these matrices in solid state were also conducted. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isothiourea‐based lewis pairs for homopolymerization and copolymerization of 2,2‐dimethyltrimethylene carbonate with ε‐caprolactone and ω‐pentadecalactone

In this study, the homopolymerization of 2,2‐dimethyltrimethylene carbonate (DTC) and its copolymerizations with ε‐caprolactone (CL) were carried out in detail using the isothiourea‐based Lewis pairs comprised 2,3,6,7‐tetrahydro‐5H‐thiazolo(3,2‐a)pyrimidine and magnesium halides (MgX₂) with benzyl alcohol (BnOH) as the initiator. The copolymerization of DTC and CL via one‐pot addition produced randomly sequenced copolymers. On the other hand, a well‐defined linear poly(ε‐caprolactone)–block–poly(2,2‐dimethyltrimethylene carbonate) (PCL‐b‐PDTC) diblock copolymer was prepared by simple sequential ring‐opening polymerization of CL and DTC. In addition, poly(ω‐pentadecalactone)–block–PDTC diblock copolymer was successfully prepared by the same strategy. Moreover, PDTC–poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)–PDTC triblock copolymer was synthesized in the presence of PEG 2000. The effects of different polymerization conditions on the polymerization reactions have been systematically discussed. The resulting polymers were characterized by the ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐ToF MS). The block copolyester structures were confirmed by the ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and DSC characterizations. These results indicated that the supposed mechanism was a dual catalytic mechanism. The proposed mechanism involved activation of the monomer via coordination to the MgX₂, and the initiator alcohol was deprotonated by base. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 2349–2355     

Determination of block size in poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐polystyrene block copolymers by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Characterization of block size in poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(styrene) (PEO‐b‐PS) block copolymers could be achieved by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF‐MS) after scission of the macromolecules into their constituent blocks. The performed hydrolytic cleavage was demonstrated to specifically occur on the targeted ester function in the junction group, yielding two homopolymers consisting of the constitutive initial blocks. This approach allows the use of well‐established MALDI protocols for a complete copolymer characterization while circumventing difficulties inherent to amphiphilic macromolecule ionization. Although the labile end‐group in PS homopolymer was modified by the MALDI process, PS block size could be determined from MS data since polymer chains were shown to remain intact during ionization. This methodology has been validated for a PEO‐b‐PS sample series, with two PEO of number average molecular weight (M_n) of 2000 and 5000 g mol^?1 and M_n(PS) ranging from 4000 to 21,000 g mol^?1. Weight average molecular weight (M_w), and thus polydispersity index, could also be reached for each segment and were consistent with values obtained by size exclusion chromatography. This approach is particularly valuable in the case of amphiphilic copolymers for which M_n values as determined by liquid state nuclear magnetic resonance might be affected by micelle formation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3380–3390, 2009     

ToF‐SIMS study of 1‐dodecanethiol adsorption on Au,Ag, Cu and Pt surfaces

Time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) has been used to perform a chemical analysis of long‐chain thiol (CH₃(CH₂)₁₁SH)‐treated gold, silver, copper and platinum surfaces. All the mass peaks from positive and negative ion spectra within the range m/z = 0–2000 u are studied. ToF‐SIMS data revealed that on gold, silver and copper substrates 1‐dodecanethiol form dense standing‐up phases, but on platinum being a catalytically active substrate, we were able to identify also surface‐aligned parallel lying molecules in addition to a standing thiolate layer. Our study shows that when ToF‐SIMS spectra are analyzed, not only the existence of oligomers but also metal + hydrocarbon fragments give information about the order of SAM. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of different poly(2‐oxazoline) block copolymers by MALDI‐TOF MS/MS and ESI‐Q‐TOF MS/MS

A complete library of poly(2‐oxazoline) block copolymers was synthesized via cationic ring opening polymerization for the characterization by two different soft ionization techniques, namely matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) and electrospray ionization quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (ESI‐Q‐TOF MS). In addition, a detailed characterization was performed by tandem MS to gain more structural information about the block copolymer composition and its fragmentation behavior. The fragmentation of the poly(2‐oxazoline) block copolymers revealed the desired polymer structure and possible side reactions, which could be explained by different mechanisms, like 1,4‐ethylene or hydrogen elimination and the McLafferty +1 rearrangement. Polymers with aryl side groups showed less fragmentation due to their higher stability compared to polymers with alkyl side groups. These insights represent a further step toward the construction of a library with fragments and their fragmentation pathways for synthetic polymers, following the successful examples in proteomics. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Disperse red 1 end capped oligoesters. Synthesis by noncatalyzed ring opening oligomerization and structural characterization

The synthesis of novel azofunctional oligoesters through bulk ring opening of ε‐caprolactone and D ,L ‐lactide (LA) at 100 and 130 °C, respectively, mediated by N‐ethyl‐N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐4‐(4‐nitrophenylazo)aniline (Disperse Red 1) (DR1) is described. The synthetic procedure allows “clean” products because no catalysts were used in the reaction. Moreover, DR1 moiety is showed for the first time to promote the ring opening of cyclic esters. The molecular structure of the obtained oligoesters was established by NMR spectroscopy, MALDI ToF MS and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI MS). ESI‐MS/MS fragmentation experiments were used to demonstrate the nature of the chain end groups (hydroxyl and DR1). Intermolecular transesterification reactions were proved by mass spectrometry studies at least in the case of LA oligomerization. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 534–547, 2009     

Molecular weight analysis of water‐soluble poly(phenylene ethynylene)s using MALDI‐TOF MS

Molecular weights of seven poly(phenylene ethynylene)‐based water‐soluble conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) obtained through Sonogashira coupling are determined by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS). A standard sample preparation protocol is developed to characterize the seven CPEs using 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid as the matrix (M) and AgTFA as the cationization reagent (CR). High‐quality MALDI mass spectra are obtained at volume mixing ratios (CPE/M/CR) of 5/5/1 for anionic polymers (P1–P4) and 5/50/1 for cationic polymers (P5–P7). Molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, and end‐group information are analyzed. The effects of molecular weight of CPEs on optical and quenching properties are also studied. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2537–2543     

Functionalization of polymeric organolithium compounds with 3,4‐epoxy‐1‐butene: Precursors for diene‐functionalized macromonomers

The functionalization of polymeric organolithiums (PLi) with 3,4‐epoxy‐1‐butene (EPB) in a hydrocarbon solution yielded the corresponding hydroxybutene‐functionalized polymers in high yields (>95%). Three modes of addition of PLi to EPB were observed (1,4, 3,4, and 4,3). The products and chain‐end structures were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, attached‐proton‐test ¹³C NMR, calculated ¹³C NMR chemical shifts, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS). The regioselectivity of the addition depended on the PLi chain‐end structure, the reaction conditions, and the addition of lithium salts or Lewis bases. In the absence of additives, the functionalization of poly(styryl)lithium (PSli) produced equal amounts of 1,4‐, 3,4‐, and 4,3‐addition, as determined by quantitative ¹³C NMR analysis. The use of a low temperature (6 °C), inverse addition, the addition of triethylamine (TEA; [TEA]/[PSLi] = 20) as a Lewis base, or dienyllithium chain ends produced polymers with only the 1,4‐addition product. Mild dehydration of the hydroxybutene‐functionalized polymer with p‐toluenesulfonic acid produced the corresponding diene‐functionalized macromonomer, as shown by MALDI‐TOF MS. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 947–957, 2003     

Phosgene‐free synthesis of polypeptides: Useful synthesis for hydrophobic polypeptides through polycondensation of activated urethane derivatives of α‐amino acids

We report a useful synthetic method of polypeptides using a series of urethane derivative of α‐amino acids (l ‐leucine, l ‐phenylalanine, l ‐valine, l ‐alanine, l ‐isoleucine, l ‐methionine), which are readily synthesized by N‐carbamoylation of tetrabutylammonium salts of α‐amino acids with diphenyl carbonate. Heating these urethane derivatives in N,N‐dimethylacetamide in the presence of n‐butylamine successfully gave the corresponding polypeptides with well‐defined structures through polycondensation with the elimination of phenol and CO₂. The matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry investigation showed that the resulting polypeptides had an n‐BuNH₂‐incorporated initiating end and an amino group at propagating end. These results strongly indicated that primary amines served as an initiator in this polycondensation system. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3726–3731     

Mixed iridium(III) and ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes containing poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐bipyridine macroligands

A hydroxy‐functionalized bipyridine ligand was polymerized with ε‐caprolactone utilizing the controlled ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone in the presence of stannous octoate. The resulting poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐containing bipyridine was characterized by ¹H NMR and IR spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography, as well as matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, revealing the successful incorporation of the bipyridine ligand into the polymer chain. Coordination to iridium(III) and ruthenium(II) precursor complexes yielded two macroligand complexes, which were characterized by NMR, gel permeation chromatography, matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight MS, cyclic voltammetry, and differential scanning calorimetry. In addition, both photophysical and electrochemical properties of the metal‐containing polymers proved the formation of a trisruthenium(II) and a trisiridium(III) polypyridyl species, respectively. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4153–4160, 2004     

On‐Line Electrochemistry/Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (EC/ESI‐MS) for the Generation and Identification of Nucleotide Oxidation Products

The oxidation behavior of DNA and RNA nucleotides is studied by an on‐line set‐up consisting of an electrochemical thin‐layer cell (EC) directly coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS). This set‐up allows the generation of nucleotide oxidation products in the electrochemical cell at increasing potentials. Moreover, the products are determined directly, without isolation or derivatization steps, by electrospray ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (ESI‐ToF/MS). The dependence of the mass spectra on the applied potential is displayed as ‘mass voltammograms’. An advanced set‐up, consisting of the electrochemical cell coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (EC/ESI‐MS/MS) allows further structure elucidation based on fragmentation experiments. The electrochemical conversion is performed using a boron doped diamond (BDD) working electrode, which is known to generate hydroxyl radicals at high potentials. The capability of the EC‐MS system to generate highly relevant oxidation products which also occur upon oxidative damage in vivo is demonstrated in this study by the formation of well known biomarkers for DNA damage, including 2′‐deoxy‐8‐oxo‐guanosine 5′‐monophosphate.     

Collision‐induced dissociation study of poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline) using survival yields and breakdown curves

Poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline), a synthetic polymer was analysed by mass spectrometry using different ion sources. Two distributions could be identified in the mass spectra which related to two different polymer series (one with hydrogen and hydroxyl end‐groups and the other with methyl and hydroxyl end‐groups). The fragmentation behaviour of the protonated oligomers was studied in a quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer (MS) with electrospray, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and direct analysis in real time soft ionization techniques. Three product ion series were identified in the MS/MS spectra independently of the ion source used. Based on the results, a mechanism was proposed for the dissociation by means of the accurate mass of the product ions, pseudo MS³ experiments and the energy dependence of the product ion intensity, i.e. breakdown curves. The survival yield method was used to highlight the correlation between the size of the oligomers and the laboratory frame collision energy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Laser‐induced decomposition of 2,2‐dimethoxy‐2‐phenylacetophenone and benzoin in methyl methacrylate homopolymerization studied via matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Pulsed laser polymerization (PLP) experiments were performed on the bulk polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) at ?34 °C. The aim of this study was to investigate the polymer end groups formed during the photoinitiation process of MMA monomer using 2,2‐dimethoxy‐2‐phenylacetophenone (DMPA) and benzoin as initiators via matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry. Analysis of the MALDI‐TOF spectra indicated that the two radical fragments generated upon pulsed laser irradiation show markedly different reactivity toward MMA: whereas the benzoyl fragment—common to both DMPA and benzoin—clearly participates in the initiation process, the acetal and benzyl alcohol fragments cannot be identified as end groups in the polymer. The complexity of the MALDI‐TOF spectrum strongly increased with increasing laser intensity, this effect being more pronounced in the case of benzoin. This indicates that a cleaner initiation process is at work when DMPA is used as the photoinitiator. In addition, the MALDI‐TOF spectra were analyzed to extract the propagation‐rate coefficient, k_p, of MMA at ?34 °C. The obtained value of k_p = 43.8 L mol^?1 s^?1 agrees well with corresponding numbers obtained via size exclusion chromatography (k_p = 40.5 L mol^?1 s^?1). © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 675–681, 2002; DOI 10.1002/pola.10150     

Gas‐phase fragmentation of protonated C60‐pyrimidine derivatives

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (ESI/MS/MS) and multiple stage mass spectrometry (MSⁿ, n > 2) were used in the positive ion mode, with two different types of mass spectrometers, a quadrupole time‐of‐flight and an ion trap, to characterize two sets of different types of C₆₀‐aminopyrimidine exohedral derivatives. In one set, the pyrimidine moiety bears an amino acid methyl ester residue, and in the other the pyrimidine ring is part of a nucleoside‐type moiety, the latter existing as two separated diastereoisomers. We have found that retro‐cycloaddition processes occur for the closed shell protonated species formed by electrospraying C₆₀ derivatives synthesized by Diels–Alder reactions, whereas for the C₆₀ derivatives synthesized via 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions, these processes did not occur. Formation of diagnostic ions allowed the differentiation between the two groups of fullerene derivatives, and between the diastereoisomers of C₆₀ derivatives with a nucleoside‐type moiety. In general, the fragmentation processes are strongly dependent on the protonation sites and on the structure of the exohedral moieties. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of Suzuki–Miyaura catalyst‐transfer polycondensation of AB‐type fluorene monomer using coordination‐saturated aryl Pd(II) halide complexes as initiators

Novel triarylamine‐based coordination‐saturated aryl Pd(II) halide complexes ligated by PEt₃, PCy₃, and P(o‐tol)₃ were successfully synthesized by direct oxidative addition of aryl halide to the corresponding Pd(0) precursors. Suzuki–Miyaura coupling polymerization of 2‐(7‐halide‐9,9‐dioctylfluoren‐2‐yl)?1,3,2‐dioxaborinane with these Pd(II) complexes as initiators was investigated for the synthesis of poly(fluorene)s with triarylamine end group. Pd(II) complexes with PCy₃ or P(o‐tol)₃ exhibited catalytic activity and realized the catalyst‐transfer polycondensation at 75 °C and room temperature, respectively, while the polymerization using Pd(II) catalyst ligated by PEt₃ did not proceed, which indicated that the bulky phosphine ligands could facilitate the reductive elimination and further promote the polymerization. In addition, the dimeric Pd(II) complex with P(o‐tol)₃ can convert into monomeric Pd(II) intermediate with an open coordination site, which had a higher activity. The end groups of the afforded polyfluorene were analyzed by matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry, in which the Ar/H end groups are indicative of the catalyst‐transfer polymerization. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1457–1463     

Investigation of ionic liquids under Bi‐ion and Bi‐cluster ions bombardment by ToF‐SIMS

A systematic study of five different imidazolium‐based room temperature ionic liquids, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium acetate, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium nitrate, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium iodide, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide were carried out by means of time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) in positive and negative ion mode. The compounds were measured under Bi‐ion and Bi‐cluster ions (Bi_2–7⁺, Bi_{3, 5}²⁺) bombardment, and spectral information and general rules for the fragmentation pattern are presented. Evidence for hydrogen bonding, due to high molecular secondary cluster ions, could be found. Hydrogen bonding strength could be estimated by ToF‐SIMS via correlation of the anionic yield enhancement with solvent parameters. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.