Synthesis and characterization of new soluble aromatic polyamides derived from 1,4‐Bis(4‐carboxyphenoxy)‐2, 5‐di‐tert‐butylbenzene

Aromatic polyamides based on a novel bis(ether‐carboxylic acid) were synthesized by the direct phosphorylation condensation method. 1,4‐Bis(4‐carboxyphenoxy)‐2,5‐di‐tert‐butylbenzene was combined with various diamines containing flexible linkages and side substituents to render a set of eight novel aromatic polyamides. The polymers were produced with high yields and moderate to high inherent viscosities (0.49–1.32 dL/g) that corresponded to weight‐average and number‐average molecular weights (by gel permeation chromatography) of 31,000–80,000 and 19,000–50,000, respectively. Except for a single example, the polyamides were essentially amorphous and soluble in a variety of common solvents such as cyclohexanone, dioxane, and tetrahydrofuran. They showed glass‐transition temperatures of 250–295 °C (by differential scanning calorimetry) and 10% weight loss temperatures above 460 °C, as revealed by thermogravimetric analysis in nitrogen. Polymer films, obtained by casting from N,N‐dimethylacetamide solutions, exhibited good mechanical properties, with tensile strengths of 83–111 MPa and tensile moduli of 2.0–2.2 GPa. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 475–485, 2001     

Aromatic polyamides and polyimides derived from 3,3′-diaminobiphenyl: Synthesis,characterization, and molecular simulation study

In this article a new synthesis of 3,3′-diaminobiphenyl (3,3′-DABP) is described, along with the preparation and characterization of polyamides and polyimides based on it. Reactivity of this monomer was calculated by a molecular simulation study, using ab initio quantum-mechanical methods. Terephthaloyl and isophthaloyl chloride were used for the synthesis of polyamides, while 3,3′,4,4′-biphenylenetetracarboxylic acid dianhydride and 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride were used for the synthesis of polyimides. Medium to high molecular weight polymers were attained, with inherent viscosities near or higher than 1.0 dL/g, the solubility of the 3,3′-DABP polymers was much better than that of the homologous polymers from benzidine (4,4′-DABP), the glass-transition temperatures were lower, by about 40°C, and the thermal resistance, as measured by thermogravimetry, was virtually the same. Amorphous films, made from cast polymer solutions, showed excellent mechanical properties, comparable to conventional aromatic polyamides and polyimides. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that the radius of giration, end-to-end distance and density of poly(3,3′-DABP-isophthalamide) were lower than those of poly(4,4′-DABP-isophthalamide), as a consequence of the chain folding induced in the backbone by the m-substitution in 3,3′-DABP. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4646–4655, 1999     

Novel polyimides with p-nitrophenyl pendant groups. Synthesis and characterization

Polyimides derived from a new dianhydride with p-nitrophenyl pendant groups have been synthesized and their properties compared with those of a reference series, without side groups. The polymers were obtained by combination of the novel monomer with aromatic diamines, in a two-step procedure that involved the synthesis of poly(amic acid) or poly(amic silyl ester) intermediates and the cyclization of them to polyimides by thermal treatment. The introduction of the polar nitro groups caused significant increase of the T_gs. On the contrary, the thermal stability was reduced because of the breakdown of C_Ar—NO₂ linkages around 400^oC. A slight decrease in mechanical properties was observed, due to the bulkiness of the side groups, that also produced an important decrease in the strength of the β relaxation, as determined by dynamic mechanical analysis. The solubility of the current polyimides in organic solvents was as poor as that of the parent unsubstituted polymers. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3377–3384, 1999     

Synthesis and characterization of novel polyimides with bulky pendant groups

New dianhydrides containing t‐butyl and phenyl pendant groups have been synthesized and used as monomers, together with commercial diamines, to prepare novel polyimides. The influence of the chemical structure of the monomers on their reactivity has been studied by quantum semiempirical methods. The polyimides have been characterized by FTIR and by NMR in the case of soluble polymers. The presence of pendant groups and the method used to imidize polyimide precursors greatly affected polymer properties such as solubility, glass transition temperature, thermal stability, and mechanical properties. As a rule, the novel polyimides showed better solubility in organic solvents than the parent polyimides. Glass transition temperatures in the range 250–270°C and decomposition temperatures over 520°C were observed for the set of current polymers. Tensile strengths up to 135 MPa and mechanical moduli up to 3.0 GPa were measured on films of the current polyimides. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 805–814, 1999     

Thermal–Statistical Odd–Even Fermions’ Staggering Effect and the Order–Disorder Disjunction

We review thermal–statistical considerations on the odd–even staggering effect (OES) in fermions. There is a well known OES in nuclear binding energies at zero temperature. We discuss here a thermal OES (finite temperatures) that establishes links with the order–disorder disjunction. The present thermal considerations cannot be found in the nuclear literature.     

Effects of Calmodulin Inhibitors and Blue Light on Rhythmic Movement of Robinia pseudoacacia Leaflets

Abstract— The effect of several calmodulin (CAM) antagonists, blue light and an intracellular calcium inhibitor, on the circadian rhythm of Robinia pseudoacacia leaflet movement has been studied. The CAM antagonists, chlorpromazine (CPZ), trifluoperazine (TFP), calmidazolium and N -(6-aminohexyI)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W₇) shifted the phase of the circadian rhythmic movement while W₅, an inactive analogue of W₇, had no effect. Two hour pulses of calmidazolium (10–50 μ M ) gave rise to a phase-response curve with maximum advances (up to 9 h) at circadian time (CT) 6 and maximum delays (up to 7 h) at CT 22. No effect was found on transition from subjective day to subjective night and vice versa. The TFP (10–50 μ M ), applied as 2 h pulses during the circadian cycle, shifted the phase of the circadian leaflet movement and also produced maximum advances in the middle of subjective day. Two hour blue light pulses shifted the phase of leaflet rhythmic movement. The phase-response curve obtained showed maximum advances (up to 5 h) in the middle of subjective day and maximum delays on transition from subjective day to subjective night. Two hour pulses of 50 μ M 8-(diethylamino)octyl 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate hypochloride (TMB-8), an intracellular calcium inhibitor, caused the same type of phase-response curve, with maximum advances and delays occurring at the same time as those produced by blue light. These results indicate that CAM might be involved in controlling the circadian oscillator that drives Robinia leaflet movement. The relationship between CAM and calcium with red and blue light is discussed.     

Acyclic phenylalkanediols as substrates for the study of enzyme recognition: synthesis of substrates and enzymatic resolution via hydrolysis and transesterification

Different racemic or prochiral phenyl alkane (l,n)-diols were synthesized, and their resolution was carried out by two different strategies: enzymatic transesterification with vinyl acetate, or enzymatic hydrolysis of their corresponding diacetates, in both cases catalysed by porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL). The absolute configuration of the optically enriched reaction products was determined by formation of Mosher's esters or by the use of the Benzene Sector and Benzene Chirality Rules as obtained from the Circular Dichroism spectra.     

Correlation potentials for the He atom and the hydrogen molecule: A comparison between the correlation factor approach and DFT correlation energy functionals

Two points about correlation potentials have been dealt with in this article. The first one is related to the shape of some of the most representative correlation potentials applied to the ground state of the He atom. It is shown here that both LDA and two-body density correlation potentials compare well with that obtained through the quantum chemistry definition of correlation energy. This is an interesting result because, in previous works, it had been shown that none of the correlation potentials compared well with the Kohn–Sham one. The gradient-corrected correlation potentials exhibit a very different behavior to that of both exact potentials (quantum chemistry and Kohn–Sham ones). The other question posed here refers to how a reference to the two-body density must modify DFT functionals for the correlation energy, when a multideterminant wave function is needed. This question has been addressed by analyzing the variation of correlation potentials as the bond length of the H₂ molecule increases. The results show that an external reference to the two-body density qualitatively improves DFT correlation potentials and also that only those functionals explicitly depending on two-body density can give the quantitative correct trends. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 67: 143–156, 1998