Photolytic Decarbonylation of Oxalyl Diisothiocyanate in Solid Argon Matrices to syn-anti Carbonyl Diisothiocyanate and Its Isomerization

Oxalyl diisothiocyanate, ((CO)NCS)₂, has been studied in solid argon matrices at 4.2 K with the aid of infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The spectra show mainly signals attributed to the most stable anti-anti conformer, which is corroborated by comparison to computed anharmonic fundamental IR transitions. Upon irradiation with 254 nm UV light, oxalyl diisothiocyanate eliminates carbon monoxide under formation of carbonyl diisothiocyanate, CO(NCS)₂. This reaction is only slightly exothermic by 0.4 kcal mol⁻¹ at the DLPNO-CCSD(T)/def2-QZVPP//B3LYP-D3/def2-TZVPP level of theory. Remarkably, photolysis produces mostly the less stable syn-anti conformer of carbonyl diisothiocyanate. Subsequent annealing at 30 K for two minutes results in a structural relaxation to the 0.7 kcal mol⁻¹ more stable syn-syn conformer confirming a low torsional barrier height between the isomers.     

Radiation-Induced Solid-State Polymerization in Binary Systems. VI. Polymerization of Vinyl Compounds in the Supercooled Liquid Phase

Abstract

The radiation-induced polymerization of glass-forming systems containing vinyl monomers was investigated. Irradiation below the secondorder transition temperature (T_g) of the systems causes no in-source polymerization but does cause a very rapid postpolymerization in the course of heating above T_g. Differential thermal analysis was carried out to estimate T_g and to follow the postpolymerization.     

Cryochemistry : edited by M. Moskovits and G.A. Ozin,John Wiley & Sons,New York,London, Sydney and Toronto, 1976, pp. xi + 532, price £25.85

The IR spectra of N₂F₄ solutions in liquid argon and nitrogen have been recorded and reanalyzed in the 3300–3550 cm^?1 region. The fundamental absorption bands of NF-stretching modes of both the gauche and trans isomers and the bands of the second order transition have been observed. These new IR data on the spectra of cryosystems and published Raman data allowed us to make an unambiguous interpretation of the NF₂-stretching vibrational bands for both the N₂F₄ conformers.     

Oxidative Addition of Dihydrogen to Divanadium in Solid Ne: Multiple-Bonded Triplet HVVH and Singlet V2(μ-H)2

Dinuclear compounds of early transition metals with a high metal–metal bond order are of fundamental interest due to their intriguing bonding situation and of practical interest because of their potential involvement in catalytic processes. In this work, two isomers of V₂H₂ have been generated in solid Ne by the reaction between V₂ and H₂ and detected by infrared spectroscopy: the linear HVVH molecule (³Σ_g⁻ ground state), which is the product of the spin-allowed reaction between V₂ (³Σ_g⁻ ground state) and H₂, and a lower-energy, folded V₂(μ-H)₂ isomer (¹A₁ ground state) with two bridging hydrogen atoms. Both isomers are characterized by metal–metal bonding with a high bond order; the orbital occupations point to quadruple bonding. Irradiation with ultraviolet light induces the transformation of linear HVVH to folded V₂(μ-H)₂, whereas irradiation with visible light initiates the reverse reaction.     

Isomers of Disulfur Dinitride,S2N2

UV photolysis (λ=248 or 255 nm) of cyclic S₂N₂ isolated in solid argon matrices yields two open‐shell S₂N₂ isomers, trans SNSN (³A′′) and cis SNSN (³A′′), as well as a closed‐shell C_2v dimer (SN)₂ (¹A₁). These novel isomers have been characterized by their IR spectra and mutual photo‐interconversion reactions. Quantum chemical calculations support the experimental results and also provide insight into the complex potential energy surface of S₂N₂.     

The effect of ions irradiation on the thermal properties of poly(ether ether ketone)

The effect of irradiating amorphous poly (ether ether ketone), PEEK, with ions, 11 MeV proton (H⁺), and 25.6 MeV helium (He²⁺), has been investigated focusing on the changes in thermal properties. The extent of chain scission and crosslinking was evaluated using the Charlesby‐Pinner equation. Crosslinking increased the glass transition temperature (T_g) in line with the DiBenedetto equation from which the crosslinking constant for each ion was calculated. The effect of irradiation on the thermal degradation kinetics was studied in an argon atmosphere at a constant heating rate by mean of the Chang and the second Kissinger methods. Irradiation significantly reduced the thermal stability of the polymer and its service lifetime. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 2212–2221, 2008     

Synthesis and comparative study on polyetherimides from isomeric 4,4′-isopropylidenediphenoxy bis(phthalic anhydride)s

Two isomers of commercial 4,4′-(4,4′-isopropylidenediphenoxy) bis(phthalic anhydride) (4,4′-BPADA), that is, 3,4′-(4,4′-isopropylidenediphenoxy) bis(phthalic anhydride) (3,4′-BPADA) and 3,3′-(4,4′-isopropylidenediphenoxy) bis(phthalic anhydride) (3,3′-BPADA), were synthesized through aromatic nucleophilic substitution from nitrophthalonitrile and bisphenol A. 3,4′-BPADA was first synthesized from two intermediates, that is, 3-(4-[4-hydroxyphenylisopropylidene] phenoxy) phthalonitrile (3-BPADN) and 3,4′-(4,4′-isopropylidenediphenoxy) bis(phthalonitrile) (3,4′-BPATN). The corresponding three series of polyetherimides (PEIs) were prepared with two representative aromatic diamines (4,4′-oxydianiline and m-phenylenediamine (m-PDA)) via two-step procedure and chemical imidization. Isomeric polyimides showed T_gs from 206 to 256°C in nitrogen and T_d5%s from 488 to 511°C in argon, good mechanical properties (tensile moduli of 2.3–3.3 GPa, tensile strengths of 70–96 MPa, and elongations at break of 3.2%–5.1%), and good solubility. With the introduction of 3-substituted phthalimide unit, PEIs displayed higher T_g values, lower strengths and elongations, better solubility and larger d-spacings. The rheological properties of thermoplastic polyimide resins based on the BPADA isomers were investigated, which showed that polyetherimide PEI-3b derived from 3,3′-BPADA and m-PDA had the lowest melt viscosity among the isomers, indicating that the melt processibility had been greatly improved.     

Characterization of isomeric elastomers using thermal analysis

Many of the isomers of polybutadiene and polyisoprene elastomers can be characterized by thermal analysis.T _g is sensitive to side chain units (1,2 or 3,4 structure) for both polymers. Crystallinity measurements can characterizecis andtrans isomers. DMA and DEA master curves provide an idea of the heterogeneity of the chain units from the width of the loss factor curves in theT _g region. Thermal and thermooxidative degradation, as followed by DSC and DTG, can differentiate specific natural and synthetic isomers of polyisoprenes in raw and vulcanized states.     

Oxidative Addition of Dihydrogen to Divanadium in Solid Ne: Multiple‐Bonded Triplet HVVH and Singlet V2(μ‐H)2

Dinuclear compounds of early transition metals with a high metal–metal bond order are of fundamental interest due to their intriguing bonding situation and of practical interest because of their potential involvement in catalytic processes. In this work, two isomers of V₂H₂ have been generated in solid Ne by the reaction between V₂ and H₂ and detected by infrared spectroscopy: the linear HVVH molecule (³Σ_g^? ground state), which is the product of the spin‐allowed reaction between V₂ (³Σ_g^? ground state) and H₂, and a lower‐energy, folded V₂(μ‐H)₂ isomer (¹A₁ ground state) with two bridging hydrogen atoms. Both isomers are characterized by metal–metal bonding with a high bond order; the orbital occupations point to quadruple bonding. Irradiation with ultraviolet light induces the transformation of linear HVVH to folded V₂(μ‐H)₂, whereas irradiation with visible light initiates the reverse reaction.     

Matrix Isolation and Spectroscopic Characterization of the Phenylperoxy Radical and Its Rearranged Products

The phenylperoxy radical 1 has been synthesized by the reaction of the phenyl radical 2 with ³O₂. Radical 1 could be either generated in the gas phase and subsequently trapped in solid argon at 10 K, or directly synthesized in argon matrices. By reacting 2 as well as its perdeuterated isotopomer [D₅]‐ 2 with ¹⁶O₂ and with ¹⁸O₂, respectively, the four isotopomers [H₅]‐¹⁶O₂‐ 1 , [D₅]‐¹⁶O₂‐ 1 , [H₅]‐¹⁸O₂‐ 1 , and [D₅]‐¹⁸O₂‐ 1 were matrix‐isolated and characterized by IR spectroscopy. The experimental IR spectra are in excellent agreement with results from DFT calculations. Irradiation of 1 with visible light produces the 2‐oxepinoxy radical 5 in a clean reaction. Subsequent irradiation results in ring‐opening and formation of several conformers of ketoketene 6 . The radicals 1 , 5 , and 6 play an important role in the combustion of aromatic hydrocarbons and could now be isolated and spectroscopically characterized for the first time.     

Vibrational Spectra and Density Functional Theory Calculations of Metallo-tetra-(tert-butyl)-tetra-azaporphyrines

The infrared absorption and 514.5 nm excited Raman spectra were measured for the metallo-tetra-(tert-butyl)-tetraazaporphyrin (MT(tBu)TAP, M=Cu, Co, Ni, Zn). The ground-state structures and vibrational spectra of MT(tBu)TAPs have been calculated at the B3LYP level of theory. The observed Raman and IR bands have been assigned based on the calculation results and by comparing with the normal metalloporphyrins. The relationship between the Raman/IR frequencies and the structures of TAP ring was investigated. The results show that the frequencies of C_βC_β′ stretch (A_g), asymmetric C_αN_m stretch (A_g), and symmetric C_αN_m stretch (B_g) modes increase linearly with the decrease of the core-sizes of TAP ring.Among the three modes, the later two are more sensitive to the core-size change.     

The Ti2H2 molecule: terminal or bridging hydrogens ?

Density functional calculations carried out for Ti₂H₂ show that several structures are thermodynamically stable with respect to Ti₂+H₂. The ground state of Ti₂H₂ is found to be ³B₁ and it involves two hydrogen bridges in a nonplanar C _{2 v} arrangement. The ¹A₁ state and other triplet states of the bridging structure are only a few kilocalories per mole above the ground state. The ¹Σ _g ⁺ state, which corresponds to the Ti analogue of acetylene, is energetically less favored than the bridging structure but it is still bound relative to Ti₂+H₂. Results are also presented for the Ti₂H molecule. Both bridging and terminal isomers are found to be very stable due to the formation of strong covalent Ti-H bonds. A comparison of the calculated harmonic vibrational frequencies and IR intensities of Ti₂H₂ and Ti₂H isomers with the spectra from matrix isolation IR studies on Ti _x /H₂ indicates that these molecules may have been produced in low-temperature reactions. Received: 15 September 1999 / Accepted: 7 December 1999 / Published online: 19 April 2000     

Effect of microstructure on hydrolytic degradation studies of poly (l-lactic acid) by FTIR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry

Structural changes during thermally induced crystallization and alkaline hydrolysis of Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) films were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), FTIR spectroscopy, weight loss, HPLC and optical microscopy. It was shown that crystallinity (χ_c), glass transition temperature (T_g) and melting temperature (T_m) were found to be strongly annealing temperature (T_a) dependent. The FTIR study of PLLA films suggested that the bands at 921 and 956 cm⁻¹ could be used to monitor the structural changes of PLLA. An independent infrared spectroscopic method was developed for the first time to determine crystallinity of PLLA before degradation and it showed good qualitative correlation with DSC crystallinity. The higher crystallinity values determined by FTIR were attributed to the intermediate phase included in the IR crystallinity. Both the weight loss data and the percentage of lactic acid obtained by HPLC showed that the alkaline hydrolysis of PLLA films increased with increasing crystallinity. The DSC observation showed an increase in T_g and no significant change in T_m and heat of fusion, while IR showed an increase in IR crystallinity with increasing hydrolysis time. The increase in IR crystallinity and T_g with hydrolysis time suggested that degradation progressed from the edges of the crystalline lamellas without decreasing lamellar thickness, but increased the intermediate phase and the short-range order.     

Synthesis,characterization, and spectroscopic studies of tetradentate Schiff base chromium(III) complexes

Eight chromium(III) complexes of tetradentate Schiff bases have been prepared in situ by condensing of a substituted salicylaldehyde compound with ethylenediamine. These were characterized by elemental analysis, m.p., IR, molar conductivity, magnetic moment measurements, and electronic spectra. The free ligands were also characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra. The ¹³C NMR spectra are discussed in terms of possible substituent effects. The IR and electronic spectra of the free ligand and the complexes are compared and discussed. The electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra of four free ligands and their complexes were measured. The deconvolution of the visible spectra of the complexes, C_2v symmetry, in DMSO yields three peaks at ca. 15 600–17 600, 18 400–20 400 and 20 000–23 100, and are assigned to the three d–d transitions, ⁴B_1g → ⁴E_g(⁴T_2g); ⁴B_1g → ⁴B_2g(⁴T_2g); ⁴B_1g → ⁴E_g(⁴T_1g), respectively. The complexes showed magnetic moment in the range of 3.5–4.2 BM which corresponds to three unpaired electrons.     

Mixed IR/Vis Two‐Dimensional Spectroscopy: Chemical Exchange beyond the Vibrational Lifetime and Sub‐ensemble Selective Photochemistry

Two‐dimensional exchange spectroscopy (2D EXSY) is a powerful method to study the interconversion (chemical exchange) of molecular species in equilibrium. This method has recently been realized in femtosecond 2D‐IR spectroscopy, dramatically increasing the time resolution. However, current implementations allow the EXSY signal (and therefore the chemical process of interest) only to be tracked during the lifetime (T₁) of the observed spectroscopic transition. This is a severe limitation, as typical vibrational T₁ are only a few ps. An IR/Vis pulse sequence is presented that overcomes this limit and makes the EXSY signal independent of T₁. The same pulse sequence allows to collect time‐resolved IR spectra after electronic excitation of a particular chemical species in a mixture of species with strongly overlapping UV/Vis spectra. Different photoreaction pathways and dynamics of coexisting isomers or of species involved in different intermolecular interactions can thus be revealed, even if the species cannot be isolated because they are in rapid equilibrium.     

Subduced selection rules for vibronic transitions ind 3 octahedral complexes

Forbidden electronic transitions are often weakly allowed through vibronic coupling to normal modes of the molecule. In transition metal complexes, the first order strong coupling appears in many cases to select specifically one of the available asymmetric modes. In this work the Intermediate Ligand Field model has been extended to vibronic coupling. The basis functions and tensor operators are described as species subduced from the vibronic generative group SU(3) which results from the diagonal restriction of the direct product of the electronic generative group SU(2) with the three dimensional harmonic oscillator group SU(3). This model implies that transitions between strongly coupled bases are permitted only through an overall octupole operator. All lower multipoles are forbidden and in particular the dipole is eliminated by the requirement for a translationally invariant centre of mass. The model permits any combination of multipole operators for separate electronic and vibrational transitions which result in the overall octupole. This theory is applied to two cases ofd ³ complex spectra. It provides an unambiguous assignment of the⁴ A _2g -⁴ T _2g transition in the absorption spectrum of solid [MnF₆]^4– and of the MCD spectrum of the⁴ A _2g -(² T _1g ,⁴ T _2g ) region in [Cr(H₂O)₆]³⁺. In the latter complex, the observed exclusive coupling of the² T _1g state tot _1u (stretch) and the⁴ T _2g state tot _1u (twist) is predicted by the model.     

Synthesis and properties of thermoplastic propyl-etherified amylose

Amylose was etherified with 1-bromopropane in DMSO. The degree of substitution (DS) was varied by altering the feed ratio of 1-bromopropane. The structures of the products were characterized by IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. When the molar feed ratio of 1-bromopropane to hydroxyl groups of amylose was beyond 7.5, the hydroxyl groups were completely substituted with propyl ether groups. The etherified amylose with DS 1.9 showed a glass transition temperature (T_g), and that with DS 2.3 or 3.0 showed both T_g and melting temperature (T_m) (DS 3.0 means complete substitution). The etherification imparted melt processability and solubility in nonpolar organic solvent to amylose.     

Probing Protonation Sites of Isolated Flavins Using IR Spectroscopy: From Lumichrome to the Cofactor Flavin Mononucleotide

Infrared spectra of the isolated protonated flavin molecules lumichrome, lumiflavin, riboflavin (vitamin B₂), and the biologically important cofactor flavin mononucleotide are measured in the fingerprint region (600–1850 cm^?1) by means of IR multiple‐photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy. Using density functional theory calculations, the geometries, relative energies, and linear IR absorption spectra of several low‐energy isomers are calculated. Comparison of the calculated IR spectra with the measured IRMPD spectra reveals that the N10 substituent on the isoalloxazine ring influences the protonation site of the flavin. Lumichrome, with a hydrogen substituent, is only stable as the N1‐protonated tautomer and protonates at N5 of the pyrazine ring. The presence of the ribityl unit in riboflavin leads to protonation at N1 of the pyrimidinedione moiety, and methyl substitution in lumiflavin stabilizes the tautomer that is protonated at O2. In contrast, flavin mononucleotide exists as both the O2‐ and N1‐protonated tautomers. The frequencies and relative intensities of the two C?O stretch vibrations in protonated flavins serve as reliable indicators for their protonation site.     

Double H-bridged and single H-bridged diboryl radicals

The structures of B₂H₅·, B₂H₅CO·, and B₂H₅N₂· radicals are investigated using the 6–31G^* basis set. Both double H-bridged and single H-bridged isomers are found to be local minima on the potential energy surface. The effects of electron correlation are taken into account using single point MP4/6–31G^* calculations and, for the diboryl radicals, complete MP3/6–31G^* optimizations. In all cases the single H-bridged isomers are found to be more stable than the corresponding double H-bridged isomers.The transition state for the double H-bridged to single H-bridged B₂H₅· isomerization reaction is calculated to be 2.54 kcal mol^–1 above the double H-bridged radical at the MP4SDTQ/6-31G^*//UHF/ 6–31 G^* level when corrected for zero point energy. Barrier tunneling increased the reaction rate by a factor of 2.5–3.0, strongly suggesting the system is fluxional at this temperature.The addition of CO and N₂ to the diboryl radicals leads to relocation of the unpaired electron and rehybridization of the C and N atoms adjacent to the boron atoms. The isomers of B₂H₅CO· and B₂H₅N₂· are different and should be distinguishable experimentally. While the CO moiety is bound to the diboryl radicals isomers by over 19 kcal mol^–1, no binding energy is evident for N₂.     

Interpretation of the vibronic fine structure in the fluorescence spectrum of matrix isolated UF6

The emission spectra of UF₆ in an argon matrix are ascribed to a T_1g state subject to a strong Jahn-Teller effect and a weak crystal field and Herzberg-Teller effects. These effects account quantitatively for the observed triplet structure of the vibronic bands without involving different crystal sites.