Solid-state interactions of vanadium and phosphorus oxides in the closed systems

Physicochemical processes during thermal treatment of vanadium and phosphorus oxides mixture (1) as well as with diammonium hydrophosphate (2) in the closed system (autoclave) have been studied. In the first case, at 300 °C, the defective structure γ-VOPO₄ is formed and in the second case, there was established possibility of synthesis of vanadyl hydrophosphate—the precursor of vanadyl pyrophosphate (the catalyst of n-butane oxidation to maleic anhydride). At the same time, various phases of mixed ammonium and vanadium phosphates were obtained at lower and higher temperatures.     

Co0.50VOPO4·2H2O

The crystal structure of cobalt vanadophosphate dihydrate {systematic name: poly[diaqua‐μ‐oxido‐μ‐phosphato‐hemicobalt(II)vanadium(II)]}, Co_0.50VOPO₄·2H₂O, shows a three‐dimensional framework assembled from VO₅ square pyramids, PO₄ tetrahedra and Co[O₂(H₂O)₄] octahedra. The Co^II ions have local 4/m symmetry, with the equatorial water molecules in the mirror plane, while the V and apical O atom of the vanadyl group are located on the fourfold rotation axis and the P atoms reside on sites. The PO₄ tetrahedra connect the VO₅ polyhedra to form a planar P–V–O layer. The [Co(H₂O)₄]²⁺ cations link adjacent P–V–O layers via vanadyl O atoms to generate an unprecedented three‐dimensional open framework. Powder diffraction measurements reveal that the framework collapses on removal of the water molecules.     

Bioengineering functional copolymers. III. Synthesis of biocompatible poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐maleic anhydride)‐g‐poly(ethylene oxide)]/poly(ethylene imine) macrocomplexes and their thermostabilization effect on the activity of the enzyme penicillin G acylase

Stimuli‐responsive poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐maleic anhydride)‐g‐poly(ethylene oxide)]/poly(ethylene imine) macrobranched macrocomplexes were synthesized by (1) the radical copolymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide and maleic anhydride with α,α′‐azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator in 1,4‐dioxane at 65 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere, (2) the polyesterification (grafting) of prepared poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐maleic anhydride) containing less than 20 mol % anhydride units with α‐hydroxy‐ω‐methoxy‐poly(ethylene oxide)s having different number‐average molecular weights (M_n = 4000, 10,000, or 20,000), and (3) the incorporation of macrobranched copolymers with poly(ethylene imine) (M_n = 60,000). The composition and structure of the synthesized copolymer systems were determined by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and chemical and elemental analyses. The important properties of the copolymer systems (e.g., the viscosity, thermal and pH sensitivities, and lower critical solution temperature behavior) changed with increases in the molecular weight, composition, and length of the macrobranched hydrophobic domains. These copolymers with reactive anhydride and carboxylic groups were used for the stabilization of penicillin G acylase (PGA). The conjugation of the enzyme with the copolymers significantly increased the thermal stability of PGA (three times at 45 °C and two times at 65 °C). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1580–1593, 2003     

Polymers from renewable resources. II. A study in the radio chemical grafting of poly(styrene‐alt‐maleic anhydride) onto cellulose extracted from pine needles

A binary mixture of styrene and maleic anhydride has been graft copolymerized onto cellulose extracted from Pinus roxburghii needles. The reaction was initiated with gamma rays in air by the simultaneous irradiation method. Graft copolymerization was studied under optimum conditions of total dose of radiation, amount of water, and molar concentration previously worked out for grafting styrene onto cellulose. Percentage of total conversion (Pg), grafting efficiency (%), percentage of grafting (Pg), and rates of polymerization (R_p), grafting (R_g), and homopolymerization (R_h) have been determined as a function of maleic anhydride concentration. The high degree of kinetic regularity and the linear dependence of the rate of polymerization on maleic anhydride concentration, along with the low and nearly constant rate of homopolymerization suggest that the monomers first form a complexomer which then polymerizes to form grafted chains with an alternating sequence. Grafting parameters and reaction rates achieve maximum values when the molar ratio of styrene to maleic anhydride is 1 : 1. Further evidence for the alternating monomer sequence is obtained from quantitatively evaluating the composition of the grafted chains from the FT‐IR spectra, in which the ratio of anhydride absorbance to aromatic (CC) absorbance for the stretching bands assigned to the grafted monomers remained constant and independent of the feed ratio of maleic anhydride to styrene. Thermal behaviour of the graft copolymers revealed that all graft copolymers exhibit single stage decomposition with characteristic transitions at 161–165°C and 290–300°C. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1763–1769, 1999     

On the topotactic dehydration of VOHPO4 · 0.5 H2O into vanadyl pyrophosphate

The thermal analysis (DTA, TGA) of the dehydration under inert atmosphere of the vanadyl hydrogen phosphate hydrate VOHPO₄ · 0.5 H₂O recently studied, together with the characterization of both starting and final compounds (XRD, ir, and uv-visible spectroscopies) show that pseudomorphic vanadyl pyrophosphate is obtained in these conditions. This form γ-(VO)₂P₂O₇ is the active and selective catalyst in butane oxidation to maleic anhydride whereas β-(VO)₂P₂O₇ is selective in butene oxidation only. Pseudomorphic relations between VOHPO₄ · 0.5 H₂O and γ-(VO)₂P₂O₇ are evidenced by the comparison of XRD patterns, SEM and TEM experiments, and justified with the help of both structures. The low values of the activation energies calculated from kinetic data, E₁ = 21.4 and E₂ = 24.7 kcal · mole^?1 show that the dehydration of the hydrate and the formation of γ are topotactic, this hypothesis is confirmed and the mechanism stated precisely in view of the preceding results.     

Synthesis of periodic copolymers via ring‐opening copolymerizations of cyclic anhydrides with tetrahydrofuran using nonafluorobutanesulfonimide as an organic catalyst and subsequent transformation to aliphatic polyesters

To synthesize polyesters and periodic copolymers catalyzed by nonafluorobutanesulfonimide (Nf₂NH), we performed ring‐opening copolymerizations of cyclic anhydrides with tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 50–120 °C. At high temperature (100–120 °C), the cyclic anhydrides, such as succinic anhydride (SAn), glutaric anhydride (GAn), phthalic anhydride (PAn), maleic anhydride (MAn), and citraconic anhydride (CAn), copolymerized with THF via ring‐opening to produce polyesters (M_n = 0.8–6.8 × 10³, M_n/M_w = 2.03–3.51). Ether units were temporarily formed during this copolymerization and subsequently, the ether units were transformed into esters by chain transfer reaction, thus giving the corresponding polyester. On the other hand, at low temperature (25–50 °C), ring‐opening copolymerizations of the cyclic anhydrides with THF produced poly(ester‐ether) (M_n = 3.4–12.1 × 10³, M_w/M_n = 1.44–2.10). NMR and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectra revealed that when toluene (4 M) was used as a solvent, GAn reacted with THF (unit ratio: 1:2) to produce periodic copolymers (M_n = 5.9 × 10³, M_w/M_n = 2.10). We have also performed model reactions to delineate the mechanism by which periodic copolymers containing both ester and ether units were transformed into polyesters by raising the reaction temperature to 120 °C. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Liquid Phase Selective Oxidation of Alcohols over VPO Catalysts Supported on Mesoporous Hexagonal Molecular Sieves (HMS)

The vanadium phosphorous oxide (VPO) catalysts, supported on mesoporous hexagonal molecular sieves (HMS) with different vanadium loadings, were prepared by precipitation method on organic phase. Techniques such as XRD, BET and SEM, were used for characterization of the catalyst. The bulk VPO catalyst contains vanadyl pyrophosphate phase ((VO)₂P₂O₇), and a small amount of VOPO₄. The high surface area, large pore volume and pore size of HMS in VPO/HMS samples, provide an excellent dispersion of same phase of VPO compound on the support surface. Oxidation of various alcohols was studied in the liquid phase over VPO/HMS catalyst, using tert‐butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) as an oxidant. The activity of VPO/HMS samples were considerably increased with respect to bulk VPO catalyst. At 90 °C, the obtained activities were 0.567 and 6.545 g_pro.g^?1_VPOh^?1 over the bulk VPO and 20 wt% VPO/HMS catalysts, respectively. The effects of substrates, reaction time, reaction temperature, solvents, catalyst recycling and leaching of VPO in liquid phase reaction were also investigated. The following order has been observed for the percentage of conversions of alcohols: Benzylic alcohol > Secondary alcohol ～ Primary alcohol. The kinetic of benzyl alcohol oxidation using excess TBHP over VPO/HMS catalyst was investigated at temperatures of 27, 60 and 90 °C, and followed a pseudo‐first order with respect to benzyl alcohol.     

Deactivation of a mixed oxide catalyst of Mo–V–Te–Nb–O composition in the reaction of oxidative ethane dehydrogenation

The operational stability of a mixed oxide catalyst of Mo–V–Te–Nb–O composition in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ratio of C₂H₆: O₂ = 3: 1) is studied in a flow reactor at temperatures of 340–400°C, a pressure of 1 atm, and a WHSV of the feed mixture of 800 h^?1. It is found that the selectivity toward ethylene is 98% at 340°C, but the conversion of ethane at this temperature is only 6%; when the temperature is raised to 400°C, the conversion of ethane is increased to 37%, while the selectivity toward ethylene is reduced to 85%. Using physical and chemical means (XPS, SEM), it is found that the lack of oxidant in the reaction mixture leads to irreversible changes in the catalyst, i.e., reduced selectivity and activity. Raising the reaction temperature to 400°C allows the reduction of tellurium by ethane, from the +6 oxidation state to the zerovalent state, with its subsequent sublimation and the destruction of the catalytically active and selective phase; in its characteristics, the catalyst becomes similar to the Mo–V–Nb–O system containing no tellurium.     

A parametric study of the terminal maleation of polypropylene through an Alder Ene reaction

A study of the parameters that affect the Alder Ene reaction with respect to the synthesis of a terminally anhydride-functionalized polypropylene was carried out over a temperature range of 220–250°C using maleic anhydride concentrations of 2–12 mol equivalence with respect to the vinylidene group. As previously observed, a Lewis acid (i.e., SnCl₂ · 2H₂O) had a catalytic effect on the reaction at these temperatures, thereby improving anhydride content in the polymer for short reaction times. Increased temperature and maleic anhydride concentration had a positive effect on improving the incorporation of the succinyl anhydride moiety at the terminal site in polypropylene. Lower SnCl₂ · 2H₂O concentrations, likewise, improve the functionality of the product. The application of a second-order kinetic model to the measured succinyl anhydride results was not valid over the entire temperature range studied due to side reactions, particularly vinylidene isomerization, and homopolymerization of maleic anhydride. Ruthenium chloride has been examined as another possible catalyst candidate in the reaction and has been found to improve the level of anhydride incorporation in polypropylene compared to stannous chloride. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. A Polym. Chem. 36: 2371–2380, 1998     

Melt modification of poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride) with alcohols in the presence of 1,3‐oxazolines

Various copolyesteramides were prepared by melt compounding at 220 °C involving reaction of poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride), SMA, with 6, 17, and 28 wt % maleic anhydride content, and 1‐dodecanol, C12OH, in the presence of 2‐undecyl‐1,3‐oxazoline, C11OXA. Copolymer architectures were examined by means of ¹H NMR, FTIR, DSC, and TGA using model compounds prepared via solution reactions. While conversion of anhydride with alcohol was poor due to the thermodynamically favored anhydride ring formation, very high conversions were achieved when stoichiometric amounts of C11OXA were added. According to spectroscopic studies esteramide groups resulted from reaction of oxazoline with carboxylic acid intermediate. In the absence of alcohol, C11OXA reacted with anhydride to produce esterimides. Effective attachment of flexible n‐alkyl side chains via simultaneous reaction of C12OH and C11OXA resulted in lower glass‐transition temperatures of copolyesteramides. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1222–1231, 2000     

Alternating Copolymerization of Propylene Oxide with Biorenewable Terpene‐Based Cyclic Anhydrides: A Sustainable Route to Aliphatic Polyesters with High Glass Transition Temperatures

The alternating copolymerization of propylene oxide with terpene‐based cyclic anhydrides catalyzed by chromium, cobalt, and aluminum salen complexes is reported. The use of the Diels–Alder adduct of α‐terpinene and maleic anhydride as the cyclic anhydride comonomer results in amorphous polyesters that exhibit glass transition temperatures (T_g) of up to 109 °C. The polymerization conditions and choice of catalyst have a dramatic impact on the molecular weight distribution, the relative stereochemistry of the diester units along the polymer chain, and ultimately the T_g of the resulting polymer. The aluminum salen complex exhibits exceptional selectivity for copolymerization without transesterification or epimerization side reactions. The resulting polyesters are highly alternating and have high molecular weights and narrow polydispersities.     

Chemoselectivity Control in the Asymmetric Hydrogenation of γ‐ and δ‐Keto Esters into Hydroxy Esters or Diols

The asymmetric hydrogenation of aromatic γ‐ and δ‐keto esters into optically active hydroxy esters or diols under the catalysis of a novel DIPSkewphos/3‐AMIQ–Ru^II complex was studied. Under the optimized conditions (8 atm H₂ , Ru complex/t‐C₄H₉OK=1:3.5, 25 °C) the γ‐ and δ‐hydroxy esters (including γ‐lactones) were obtained quantitatively with 97–99 % ee. When the reaction was conducted under somewhat harsh conditions (20 atm H₂ , [t‐C₄H₉OK]=50 mm , 40 °C), the 1,4‐ and 1,5‐diols were obtained predominantly with 95–99 % ee. The reactivity of the ester group was notably dependent on the length of the carbon spacer between the two carbonyl moieties of the substrate. The reaction of β‐ and ?‐keto esters selectively afforded the hydroxy esters regardless of the reaction conditions. This catalyst system was applied to the enantioselective and regioselective (for one of the two ester groups) hydrogenation of a γ‐?‐diketo diester into a trihydroxy ester.     

Reversible Transformation between Amorphous and Crystalline States of Unsaturated Polyesters by Cis–Trans Isomerization

An aliphatic polyester has been prepared from ethylene oxide and maleic anhydride that undergoes reversible transformation between amorphous (T_g=18 °C) and crystalline (T_m=124 °C) states through cis–trans isomerization of the C=C bonds in the polymer backbone without any change in either the molecular weight or dispersity of the polymer. A similar transformation was also observed in chiral unsaturated polyesters formed from enantiopure terminal epoxides, such as epichlorohydrin, phenyl glycidyl ether, and (2,3‐epoxypropyl)benzene. These unsaturated polyesters with 100 % E‐configuration in the crystalline state were prepared by quantitative isomerization of their Z‐configuration analogues in the presence of a catalytic amount of diethylamine, while in the presence of benzophenone, irradiation with 365 nm UV light resulted in the transformation of about 30 % trans‐alkene to cis‐maleate form, thereby affording amorphous polyesters.     

Electrical and structural properties of Pd/V/n‐type InP (111) Schottky structure as a function of annealing temperature

Palladium/Vanadium (Pd/V) Schottky structures are fabricated on n‐type InP (100) and the electrical, structural and surface morphological characteristics have been studied at different annealing temperatures. The extracted barrier height of as‐deposited Pd/V/n‐InP Schottky diode is 0.59 eV (I–V) and 0.79 eV (C–V), respectively. However, the Schottky barrier height of the Pd/V Schottky contact slightly increases to 0.61 eV (I–V) and 0.84 eV (C–V) when the contact is annealed at 200 °C for 1 min. It is observed that the Schottky barrier height of the contact slightly decreases after annealing at 300, 400 and 500 °C for 1 min in N₂ atmosphere. From the above observations, it is clear that the electrical characteristics of Pd/V Schottky contacts improve after annealing at 200 °C. This indicates that the optimum annealing temperature for the Pd/V Schottky contact is 200 °C. Basing on the auger electron spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction results, the formation of Pd‐In intermetallic compound at the interface may be the reason for the increase of barrier height upon annealing at 200 °C. The formation of phosphide phases at the Pd/V/n‐InP interface could be the reason for the degradation in the barrier heights after annealing at 300, 400 and 500 °C. From the AFM results, it is evident that the overall surface morphology of the Pd/V Schottky contacts is fairly smooth. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phosphorylated PEG (PPEG) as a new support for generation of nano‐Pd(0): application to the Heck–Mizoroki and Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions

Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) with different molecular weights (M_w = 200, 400, 1000) were phosphorylated to their bis‐diphenyl phosphinite derivatives as stable solids which are melted in the range 140–160°C. These phosphorylated PEGs were used as ligands and reducing agents to generate nano‐Pd(0) catalysts in 2.5–8.3 nm. The nano‐Pd(0) particles supported on phosphorylated PEG₂₀₀ were applied for the efficient Heck–Mizoroki carbon–carbon coupling reactions of ArX (X = Cl, Br, I) at 80–100°C under solvent‐free conditions and for the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction in ethanol at 70°C. The catalyst was recycled easily and reused for several runs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and properties of conjugated polymers containing 3,9‐carbazolylene and silylenevinylene moieties in the main chain

Novel conjugated polymers containing 3,9‐carbazolylene and silylenevinylene moieties were synthesized by the hydrosilylation polymerization of 1,4‐bis(3‐ethynyl‐9‐carbazolyl)benzene ( 1 ) with various bis(hydrosilane)s or dihydrosilanes using a rhodium catalyst. Polymers with weight‐average molecular weights ranging from 5400 to 20,000 were obtained in 55–97% yields by the polyaddition with a rhodium catalyst in toluene at 25 °C for 24 h. All the polymers were soluble in CHCl₃ and THF, and had predominantly trans‐structures. The polymers exhibited λ_max at a longer wavelength region than 1 , and emitted fluorescence in 14–50% quantumn yields. The polymers were oxidized and reduced in the region of 0.4–1.6 V, and thermally stable up to 200 °C under air. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1815–1821, 2010     

Mechanochemical modification of V-P-Bi-O catalysts

It has been shown that mechanochemical treatment of a V-P-Bi-O catalyst increases the surface area of the specimens and the surface concentration of phosphorus. The treatment also changes the ratio between concentrations of planes in the VOHP0₄·0.5H₂O phase, increasing the content of the plane of paired vanadyls, and lowers the crystallization temperature of the vanadyl pyrophosphate. All of these changes result in higher conversions in the oxidation of n-butane and higher selectivities of maleic anhydride formation.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éxperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 313–315, September–October, 1995.     

Mechanosynthesis and mechanochemical treatment of bismuthdoped vanadium phosphorus oxide catalysts for the partial oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride

Three Bi-doped vanadyl pyrophosphate catalysts were prepared via dihydrate route （VPD method）, which consisted of different preparation methods including mechanosynthesis, mechanochemical treatment, and the conventional reflux method. The catalysts produced by the above three methods were characterized by x-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and temperature programmed reduction （TPR）. Catalytic evaluation for the partial oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride （MA） was also carried out. The XRD patterns of all the Bi-doped catalysts showed the main peaks of pyrophosphate phase. Lower intensity peaks were observed for the mechanochemically treated Bi-doped catalyst （VPDBiMill） with two additional small peaks corresponding to the presence of a small amount of V5＋ phase. The TPR profiles showed that the highest amount of active oxygen species, i.e, V4＋–O- pair, responsible for n-butane activation, was removed from VPDBiMill. Furthermore, from the catalytic test results, the graph of selectivity to MA as a function of the conversion of n-butane demonstrated that VPDBiMill was the most selective catalyst. This suggests that the mechanochemical treatment of vanadium phosphate catalyst （VPDBiMill） is a potential method to improve the catalytic properties for the partial oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride.     

Study of the selectivity of a V2O5?ZrO2 catalyst for partial oxidation ofo-xylene at high temperatures

It has been established that at high temperatures (above 450°C) the V₂O₅−ZrO₂ catalyst exhibits a higher selectivity in the oxidation ofo-xylene to phthalic anhydride than does the conventional V₂O₅−TiO₂(a) catalyst. The catalyst selectivity is found to increase with respect to partial oxidation ofo-xylene, the valuable by-product maleic anhydride being obtained. Studies by different physicochemical methods have shown that V₂O₅−ZrO₂ undergoes no significant phase and structural changes under high-temperature conditions.