On distribution of molecular weight in anionic polymerizates of caprolactam

Measurement has been made of the dependence of the molecular weight distribution on the ratio of the catalytic system components and on the polymerization time for polycaprolactam obtained by anionic polymerization. A bimodal character of the curves was observed for products made using molar ratios of activator (N-benzoylcaprolactam) to initiator (sodium dihydro-bis(methoxyethoxy)aluminate) of 1:1 and 1:3, when the polymerization times were less than 1 hr. This course is explained by the influence of fast side-reactions, mainly condensations. For a ratio of 3:1 of the components of the catalytic system, smooth integral distribution curves are obtained, accounting for a very fast decrease in the strong base concentration in the initial stages of the polymerization.     

High-dimensional quantum dynamical study of the dissociation of H2 on Pd110

We report the first six-dimensional quantum dynamical study of the dissociative adsorption of H(2) on a (110) surface. We have performed quantum coupled-channel calculations for the system H(2)/Pd(110) based on a potential energy surface (PES) that was derived from ab initio electronic structure calculations. In particular, we have focused on the effects of the corrugation and anisotropy of the PES on the H(2) dissociation probability. Our results agree well with the available experimental data for the sticking probability as a function of the initial kinetic energy and the angle of incidence. Because of the coupling between the anisotropy and corrugation of the potential energy surface our calculations predict an unusual rotational heating and a rather small rotational alignment in desorption.     

Metallacycloalkanes: I. Preparation and characterisation of α,α′-bipyridyl-5-nickela-3,3,7,7-tetramethyl-trans-tricyclo[4.1.0.02,4]heptane

Oxidative addition of 2 molecules of 3,3-dimethylcyclopropene (I) to α,α′-bipyridyl(1,5-cyclooctadiene)nickel(0) (III) gave the title compound (IV) in over 90% yield. Complex IV was characterized by mass, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Its structure was determined by X-ray diffraction (a 13.7081(2), b 14.638(2), c 9.5139(1) Å, β 110.82(1)°, C2/c, R = 0.05 for 1614 reflections).     

A post-Hartree-Fock model of intermolecular interactions

Intermolecular interactions are of great importance in chemistry but are difficult to model accurately with computational methods. In particular, Hartree-Fock and standard density-functional approximations do not include the physics necessary to properly describe dispersion. These methods are sometimes corrected to account for dispersion by adding a pairwise C6R6 term, with C6 dispersion coefficients dependent on the atoms involved. We present a post-Hartree-Fock model in which C6 coefficients are generated by the instantaneous dipole moment of the exchange hole. This model relies on occupied orbitals only, and involves only one, universal, empirical parameter to limit the dispersion energy at small interatomic separations. The model is extensively tested on isotropic C6 coefficients of 178 intermolecular pairs. It is also applied to the calculation of the geometries and binding energies of 20 intermolecular complexes involving dispersion, dipole-induced dipole, dipole-dipole, and hydrogen-bonding interactions, with remarkably good results.     

Acid-catalyzed attack of the dinitrogen ligand in thecis-(Me2PhP)4Mo(N2)2 andtrans-(Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2W(N2)2 complexes by nitronium and nitrosonium cations with the formation of nitrogen oxides

The interaction of labeled dinitrogen complexescis-(Me₂PhP)₄Mo(¹⁵N₂)₂ andtrans-(dppe)₂W(¹⁵N₂)₂ with non-labeled nitronium and nitrosonium fluoroborates,¹⁴NO₂BF₄ and¹⁴NOBF₄, in sulfolane at room temperature in the presence of H₂SO₄ results in rapid formation of labeled nitrous and nitric oxides (¹⁵N¹⁴NO,¹⁵NO), as well as¹⁵N¹⁴N. The yield of the products depends on the reagent ratio and reaches 10–20 mol. % per mole of a complex under optimum conditions. The mechanism of the reactions found is proposed. It involves the step of protonation of the dinitrogen ligand to form the corresponding hydrazido(2–) derivatives, which are then attacked by nitronium or nitrosonium cations. In accordance with the mechanism proposed, it was established that the hydrazido(2–) complexes, (Me₂PhP)₃Mo(¹⁵N₂H₂)Cl₂ and (dppe)₂W(¹⁵N₂H₂)Cl₂, are capable of forming¹⁵N¹⁴NO,¹⁵NO, and¹⁵N¹⁴N under the action of¹⁴NO₂BF₄ and¹⁴NOBF₄ in the absence of an acid.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 13–13, July, 1995.     

Unexpected open-chain molecular structure of a titanocenyl-substituted dimethyl ether

Reaction of (η-C₅H₄CH₃)₂TiCl₂ with CH₃OCH₂MgCl yielded (η-C₅H₄-CH₃)₂Ti(Cl)CH₂OCH₃ (2a). Complex 2a crystallizes in space group P2₁/n with cell constants a 8.162(1), b 11.004(2), c 15.297(2) Å, β 96.40(1)°. In contrast to the three-membered metallacyclic zirconium compound of analogous composition (η-C₅H₅)₂Zr(Cl)CH₂OCH₃ (1), the titanocenyl-substituted ether 2a has an open-chain (η¹-O“-outside”) type structure.     

über Katalysatoren- und Fermentmodelle (1)

Ohne Zusammenfassung Die Arbeit wurde aus Mitteln des Marshall-Planes (ERP-Mittel) und mit Spenden aus dem „Fonds Chemie“ ausgeführt. Wir sprechen den zust?ndigen Stellen für die Gew?hrung der Beihilfe unseren verbindlichsten Dank aus. Der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft danken wir für die überlassung einer Ultrazentrifuge, den Behring-Werken für die uns zur Verfügung gestellten Serumalbumin- und -globulin-Pr?parate.     

Effect of selenium oxidation state on cadmium translocation in chamomile plants

Syntheses and spectral characteristics of cadmium(II) compounds (CdSeO₄, CdSeO₃, and Cd(NCSe)₂(nia)₂) containing selenium in oxidation states (VI), (IV), and (-II) are described. In Cd(NCSe)₂(nia)₂, nicotinamide (nia) and selenocyanate anions are bonded to Cd atom as N-donor monodentate ligands. Nicotinamide is coordinated through the ring nitrogen atom. The effects of these selenium compounds as well as Cd(NCS)₂(nia)₂ on the growth and Cd accumulation in roots and shoots of hydroponically cultivated chamomile plants (cultivar Lutea) were studied. In the applied concentration range (12–60 μmol dm⁻³) Cd(NCS)₂(nia)₂ affected neither the length nor the dry mass of roots and shoots. Other compounds applied at 24 μmol dm⁻³ and 60 μmol dm⁻³ significantly reduced dry mass of roots and shoots. Selenium oxidation state in the cadmium compounds affected Cd accumulation in plant organs as well as Cd translocation within the plants, which was reflected in the values of bioaccumulation (BAF) and translocation factors (S/R). Cd amount accumulated by shoots was lower than that in the roots. The highest BAF values determined for Cd accumulation in shoots were obtained with CdSeO₄. Substitution of S with Se in the Cd(NCX)₂(nia)₂ (X = Se or S) caused an increase of Cd translocation into the shoots. Presented at the XVIIIth Slovak Spectroscopic Conference, Spišská Nová Ves, 15–18 October 2006.     

Validation of the density-functional based tight-binding approximation method for the calculation of reaction energies and other data

We investigated the performance of the approximative density functional method DFTB versus BLYP and G2 with respect to zero-point corrected reaction energies, vibrational frequencies, and geometry parameters for a set of 28 reactions and 22 representative molecules containing C, H, N, and O (DFTB--density-functional based tight-binding approximation). The DFTB reaction energies show a mean absolute deviation versus the G2 reference of 4.3 kcalmol only. The corresponding value for the vibrational frequencies amounts to 75 cm(-1) versus BLYP/cc-pVTZ. With very few exceptions bond lengths and angles are in excellent agreement with the results of higher-level methods.     

The structure of a model intermediate for the nickel-catalyzed cyclodimerization of allene

The stoichiometric reaction between allene, zerovalent nickel and a chelating diphosphane leads to the formation of a bis-methylenenickelacyclopentane derivative whose structure has been established by X-ray crystallography.