Kinetic study of the crosslinking reaction of 1,2‐polybutadiene with dicumyl peroxide in the absence and presence of vinyl acetate

The crosslinking reaction of 1,2-polybutadiene (1,2-PB) with dicumyl peroxide (DCPO) in dioxane was kinetically studied by means of Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy (FTNIR). The crosslinking reaction was followed in situ by the monitoring of the disappearance of the pendant vinyl group of 1,2-PB with FTNIR. The initial disappearance rate (R₀) of the vinyl group was expressed by R₀ = k[DCPO]^0.8[vinyl group]^−0.2 (120 °C). The overall activation energy of the reaction was estimated to be 38.3 kcal/mol. The unusual rate equation was explained in terms of the polymerization of the pendant vinyl group as an allyl monomer involving degradative chain transfer to the monomer. The reaction mixture involved electron spin resonance (ESR)-observable polymer radicals, of which the concentration rapidly increased with time owing to a progress of crosslinking after an induction period of 200 min. The crosslinking reaction of 1,2-PB with DCPO was also examined in the presence of vinyl acetate (VAc), which was regarded as a copolymerization of the vinyl group with VAc. The vinyl group of 1,2-PB was found to show a reactivity much higher than 1-octene and 3-methyl-1-hexene as model compounds in the copolymerization with VAc. This unexpectedly high reactivity of the vinyl group suggested that an intramolecular polymerization process proceeds between the pendant vinyl groups located on the same polymer chain, possibly leading to the formation of block-like polymer. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4437–4447, 2004     

Studies on the syntheses of heterocyclic compounds. part CDLV. The mass spectral investigation and synthesis of the ochotensinan skeleton

Syntheses of several 1-spiroisoquinoline derivatives (VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, and XIV) were carried out and their unique mass spectral fragmentations were reported. The presence of carbonyl groups at the C-9 and C-14 positions caused cleavage of the five membered ring through the elimination of one or two carbon monoxide groups. This led to the formation of the three membered ring system on the fragmentation pathway.     

Studies on the syntheses of heterocyclic compounds. Part DXCVII. A synthesis of dienone analogs by electrolytic oxidation

Electrolytic coupling reaction of laudanosine (1) gave the O-methylflavinantine (II). N-Ethoxycarbonylated dihydrostilbene (IVa) gave a rearranged dienone (Va) and N-trifluoro-acetylated dihydrostilbene (IVb) contrastively gave an unrearranged dienone (Vb).     

Destructive and non-destructive determination of titanium in yttrium,niobium and tantalum oxides by photon activation

Destructive and non-destructive procedures have been developed for the determination of titanium by photon activation analysis. The non-destructive analyses with an internal standard method are performed on niobium and tantalum oxides while destructive determinations, including non-isotope addition and radiochemical separation, are applied to yttrium oxide samples.     

Optical properties of layered superconductor LixZrNCl

We investigated band-insulator-to-superconductor transition in Li_xZrNCl driven by carrier doping by means of magnetization, resistivity, and optical reflectivity measurements. The magnetization and the resistivity measurements showed that the transition occurs at around x=0.05. The pristine β-ZrNCl exhibited reflectivity and optical conductivity spectra typical of an insulator, whereas in the spectrum of Li_0.37ZrNCl, Drude-like high reflectance band and associated plasma edge are apparently observed. This is the direct spectroscopic evidence of insulator-to-metal transition of Li_xZrNCl.