Phase Transfer Catalysis in the Polycondensation Processes. XXV. The Relationship Between Structure and Supramolecular Ordering of Some Aromatic Polyethers Containing Flexible Spacer

Abstract

The paper presents a study concerning the influence of the chemical structure on the supramolecular ordering [crystalline, liquid crystalline (LC), or amorphous] of some aromatic polyethers. The polymers were synthesized using a phase transfer catalysis technique, in a liquid/liquid system, starting from 1,4‐dichlorobutane or 1,5‐dichloropentane and various bisphenols, as follows: 4,4′‐dihydroxyazobenzene (DHAB), 4,4′‐dihydroxydiphenyl (DHD), bisphenol A (BPA), and 2,7‐dihydroxynaphtyl (DN). All polymers were characterized by using ¹H‐NMR, DSC, and optical microscopy in polarized light. Some samples containing azobenzene moieties showed LC properties, but the majority of them resulted as semi‐crystalline compounds. If a bent bisphenol was used (BPA) to obtain homopolymers or copolymers, only amorphous products were obtained. The low thermal stability of the LC products generated some difficulties regarding the characterization of the mesophase. Generally, the copolymerization reaction influenced only the crystalline melting points, the isotropization temperature of the LC polymers being situated near their thermal degradation limit.     

Organofluorine compounds and fluorinating agents : Part 28. New perfluoroalkyl substituted chiral mesogens

The perfluorohexyl-aryl-thioethers 3 and 4, building blocks for the synthesis of the chiral target mesogens 12-15, were prepared by dithionite-mediated S-perfluoroalkylation of the p-substituted thiophenols 1 and 2. The phenolic HO group of 3 was O-glucosylated with pentaacetyl-d-glucopyranose to 5 followed by deacetylation forming the tetrol 6 and by acetalizing with 4-(4-perfluorohexylsulfanyl-benzoyloxy)-benzaldehyde-dimethylacetal (8) generating the dihydroxy-intermediate 9. The latter contains two perfluorohexylthio chains. Alternatively, the dimethylacetal 8 was linked to p-octylphenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (10) giving the mixed octyl/perfluorohexyl substituted p-octylphenyl-4,6-O-[4′-(4″-perfluorohexylsulfanyl)-benzoyloxy]-benzylidene-β-d-glucopyranoside (11). Compound 8 was obtained via esterification of 4 with p-hydroxy-benzaldehyde to 4-(4-perfluorohexylsulfanyl-benzoyloxy)-benzaldehyde (7). Finally, the diols 9 and 11 were dehydroxylated to 12 and 13 followed by hydrogenation yielding 14 and 15, respectively. Tetrol 6, diols 9, 11 and the non-amphiphilic compounds 7, 12-15 are thermotropic liquid crystals.     

Synthesis and thermal properties of side-chain liquid crystalline polyethers with racemic and chiral backbone

Racemic and chiral [(4-cyano-4′-biphenyl)oxy] and [(4-methoxy-4′-biphenyl)oxy]methyloxiranes were prepared from racemic epichlorohydrin or racemic and chiral glycidols and polymerized in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) with Bu^tOK as the initiator system. Initial phase identifications were made by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and optical microscopy techniques and confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurements. Upon heating, all the monomers show only a crystal–isotropic phase transition. The racemic and chiral [(4-cyano-4′-biphenyl)oxy]methyloxiranes exhibit a nematic and a cholesteric monotropic phase, respectively. Methoxybiphenyl substituted polyethers are crystalline and insoluble in virtually all common solvents. Cyanobiphenyl substituted polyethers are soluble under the same experimental conditions and show enantiotropic liquid crystalline properties. The racemic polymer exhibits a nematic phase, while the optically active polymer forms a cholesteric phase.     

Indirect competitive immunoassay for trichlorophenol determination: Rational evaluation of the competitor heterology effect

An improved competitive indirect immunoassay for the detection of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) has been developed and optimized by preparing heterologous haptens that have been evaluated as coating antigens. The relation between the degree of heterology and immunoassay detectability has been investigated according to the geometric and electronic distribution similarities between the haptens and the analyte using molecular modeling tools. The assay has been characterized according to different physicochemical parameters such as the incubation time, the ionic strength, the effect of detergents and the pH. The resulting assay has an IC₅₀ of 1.44 μg l⁻¹ and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.2 μg l⁻¹ and it shows a good accuracy and suitability to analyze trichlorophenol in drinking water.     

Sulfur containing polymers.: Aromatic polydithiocarbonates and polythiocarbonates: synthesis and thermal properties

New polydithiocarbonates and polythiocarbonates were obtained by interfacial polymerization of bis(4-mercaptophenyl)methane, bis(4-mercaptophenyl)ether and bis(4-mercaptophenyl)sulfide with phosgene, bisphenol A bischloroformate and bisphenol A polycarbonate oligomers (-OH/-O-CO-Cl terminated). Polymerization process was carried out under interfacial conditions using a phase-transfer catalyst, as earlier described for the synthesis of polydithiocarbonates and polythiocarbonates from 2,2-bis(4-mercaptophenyl)propane. The structures of the polymers were examined by IR and NMR spectroscopies; their thermal properties were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. In particular, the effect of the substitution of one or both the ethereal oxygen atoms of the carbonate group by sulfur has been analyzed by comparing the T_g values and the ability to crystallize of the sulfur containing polymers with those of the corresponding polycarbonates.     

Making equation of state models predictive: Part 2: An improved PCP-SAFT equation of state

We use the PCP-SAFT equation of state, which is of the Van der Waals type and has a sound physical basis, to predict mixture properties, such as vapor–liquid and liquid–liquid equilibria, as well as excess enthalpies. We use molecular properties, such as dipole moment, quadrupole moment, polarizability and dispersion interaction coefficients, that have been determined quantum mechanically in Part I of this publication and adjust the remaining three pure compound parameters to pure compound data. We finally present a new combination rule for the dispersion energy parameter ? that is based on the quantum mechanically determined data. The predictions based on quantum mechanically determined pure compound properties along with the new combination rule show an improved performance compared to the original PCP-SAFT combination rule.     

New hydrofluoropolyethers: I. Synthesis and reaction pathway evaluation

A novel family of hydrofluoropolyethers (HFPEs) was obtained with 60-80% selectivity by hydrogenation of perfluoropolyether acyl chlorides with Pt/CaF₂. These compounds are characterized by a macromeric fluorinated body end-capped, on one or both sides, by a (1,1-difluoro)ethoxy group. A reaction pathway for the reduction was proposed consistently with the observed yields and side products. The hemiacetal originated by reaction of the aldehyde (first product of reduction) with the corresponding alcohol was postulated to be the key precursor leading to the HFPE. The metal appears to play a fundamental role promoting the hydrogenolysis of this unexpected intermediate. Exhaustive reduction of the alcohol, generally recognized as the path affording hydrocarbons in the hydrogenation of acyl chlorides, was excluded by products analysis and by specific experiments.     

Study of photocrosslinkable polysiloxanes bearing gem di-styrenyl groups: Synthesis and thermal properties

The synthesis of photocrosslinkable polysiloxanes containing gem di-oxaalkylene styrenyl groups and gem di-urethane-α-methyl styrenyl groups has been performed by copolycondensation of α,ω-dihydroxy polydimethyl siloxanes and dichlorosilanes bearing either cyclic acetal groups or Si-H groups (onto which the cyclic acetal groups are further added) and dichlorosilanes bearing alkyl groups. The introduction of styrenyl groups was then achieved by hydrolysis of the acetal groups into the corresponding alcohols followed by reaction with chloromethyl styrene or with 3-isopropenyl-α,α- dimethylbenzyl isocyanate.The structure of the different products synthesized was determined by IR, ¹H, ¹³C and ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopies. The thermal properties of the polysiloxanes bearing gem di-styrenyl groups have been studied at low and high temperatures.These products have been crosslinked under UV, in the presence of a cationic photoinitiator, and showed very good release paper properties.     

Low-temperature fluorination of fluoro-containing polymers: EPR studies of polyvinylidenefluoride and the copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene with ethylene

The direct fluorination of polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) and the copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene with ethylene (CTE) was studied at 35-300 K. The dependence of radical formation on temperature and reaction time was obtained by use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Primary alkyl radicals formed as a result of the reaction of fluorine abstracting a hydrogen from the polymer were detected at 35 K. These radicals rapidly react with molecular oxygen producing long-lived (∼48 h at 300 K) peroxy radicals. The peroxy radicals when subjected to UV-irradiation (λ < 280 nm) give rise to other radicals that are not stable at T > 77 K. The concentration of the radicals produced during fluorination of PVDF at 77-200 K is one order of magnitude less than that formed from CTE under similar conditions. A mechanism based on the abstraction of the H and the energies of the C-H bonds is given. Density functional theory was used to predict the structures and EPR parameters for a number of fluorinated radicals to explain the observed spectra. The FOO radical was detected at low temperatures.     

Fundamentals and applications of needle trap devices: A critical review

The needle trap device (NTD) is an extraction trap that contains a sorbent inside a small needle, through which fluid can be actively drawn into and out of by a gas-tight syringe or pump, or analytes can be introduced passively to the trap by diffusion. The needle trap (NT) is a potentially solventless sampling technique/sample preparation and introduction device. Both fluid-borne analytes and particles can be trapped inside the needle and then adsorbed analytes are desorbed in an inlet of analytical instrument and introduced for identification and quantification. The fluid may be either gaseous or liquid. The objectives of this critical review are to summarize the theory of the sampling process for both active and passive time-average extraction modes in addition to outlining the evolution of the technology and main applications.     

Thermodynamics of organic mixtures containing amines: V. Systems with pyridines

Binary mixtures containing pyridine (PY), or 2-methylpyridine (2MPY) or 3-methylpyridine (3MPY) or 4-methylpyridine (4MPY) and an organic solvent as benzene, toluene, alkane, or 1-alkanol are investigated in the framework of DISQUAC. The corresponding interaction parameters are reported. The model describes accurately a whole set of thermodynamic properties: vapor-liquid equilibria (VLE), liquid-liquid equilibria (LLE), solid-liquid equilibria (SLE), molar excess Gibbs energies (G^E), molar excess enthalpies, (H^E), molar excess heat capacities at constant pressure () and the concentration-concentration structure factor (S_CC(0)). It is remarkable that DISQUAC correctly predicts the W-shaped curve of the of the pyridine + n-hexadecane system. The model can be applied successfully to mixtures with strong positive or negative deviations from the Raoult's law. DISQUAC improves the theoretical results from UNIFAC (Dortmund version). The replacement of pyridine by a methylpyridine leads to a weakening of the amine-amine interactions, ascribed to the steric effect caused by the methyl group attached to the aromatic ring. This explains that for a given solvent (alkane, 1-alkanol) H^E(pyridine) > H^E(methylpyridine).     

Polyhalogenoheterocyclic compounds: Part 54: [1] Suzuki reactions of 2,4,6-tribromo-3,5-difluoropyridine

Palladium catalysed Suzuki cross-coupling reactions between 2,4,6-tribromo-3,5-difluoropyridine and a short series of aromatic boronic acid derivatives gave 4-bromo-3,5-difluoro-2,6-diphenylpyridine derivatives arising from displacement of bromine atoms attached to positions ortho to ring nitrogen or the corresponding triaryl systems depending on the reaction conditions. Consequently, the use of polybromofluoropyridine scaffolds for the synthesis of polyfunctional heteroaromatic derivatives is expanded further.     

Thermodynamic study of sodium-iron oxides: Part II. Ternary phase diagram of the Na-Fe-O system

Studies on ternary phase diagrams of the Na-Fe-O system have been carried out from the thermodynamic point of view. Thermodynamic data of main ternary Na-Fe oxides Na₄FeO₃(s), Na₃FeO₃(s), Na₅FeO₄(s) and Na₈Fe₂O₇(s) have been assessed. A user database has been created by reviewing literature data together with recent DSC and vapor pressure measurements by the present authors. New ternary phase diagrams of the Na-Fe-O system have been constructed from room temperature to 1000 K. Stable conditions of the ternary oxides at 800 K were presented in predominance diagram as functions of oxygen pressure and sodium pressure.     

Liquid core waveguide-based optical spectrometry for field estimation of dissolved BTEX compounds in groundwater: A feasibility study

The utility of a liquid core waveguide (LCW) system for acting as a sentry monitor for compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX) in water was examined. A vapor-permeable LCW suitable for long path length absorbance spectroscopy based on a Teflon AF 2400 tube was fabricated. Multiwavelength spectroscopy in the near-UV was carried out using a fiber optic-based flashlamp-photodiode array (PDA) combination with hexane as the solvent in the waveguide core. Using multicomponent calibration, quantitation of benzene and toluene accurate to 6±5% could be conducted at sub-mg l⁻¹ levels in mixtures after a sampling period of 10 min.     

Amination of octafluoronaphthalene in liquid ammonia: 2,6- and 2,7-Diaminohexafluoronaphthalenes selective preparation

Monoamination of octafluoronaphthalene by liquid ammonia affords 2-aminoheptafluoronaphthalene mainly (isolated yield 85-90%). Diamination of octafluoronaphthalene or amination of 2-aminoheptafluoronaphthalene affords a mixture of isomeric 1,6-, 1,7-, 2,6-, and 2,7-diaminohexafluoronaphthalenes with considerable prevalence of the 2,7-isomer (∼70%), thus being the first example of the predominant substitution at position 7 in 2-substituted polyfluoronaphthalenes. The 2,7/2,6 ratio of 2-X-heptafluoronaphthalene (X = ⁻NH, NH₂ and NHAc) amination diminishes with the decrease of electron-donating effect of the substituent; 2,7-diaminohexafluoronaphthalene forms in the reactions of 2-aminoheptafluoronaphthalene or octafluoronaphthalene with excess of NaNH₂ in liquid ammonia and 2,6-diaminohexafluoronaphthalene—in the reaction of 2-acetylamidoheptafluoronaphthalene with liquid ammonia followed by acetylamido group hydrolysis. The method of the selective preparation of these diamines based on the reversible transformation of amino group and a convenient technique of their high purity isolation by complexation with crown ether have been elaborated.     

Novel electrolyte salts based on perfluoroalkyltrifluoroborate anions: 1. Synthesis and characterization

Lithium and tetraethylammonium perfluoroalkyltrifluoroborate salts, Li[R_fBF₃]·H₂O and Et₄N[R_fBF₃] (R_f=C₂F₅, n-C₃F₇ and n-C₄F₉), were prepared from the reactions of perfluoroalkylmagnesium reagents (R_fMgBr) and B(OCH₃)₃, followed by fluorination by aq.KHF₂ and aq.HF solutions and the cation exchange reaction of the resultant K[R_fBF₃]. All the salts prepared were characterized by NMR, NMR, NMR, NMR, IR, MS and elemental analysis.