Selective initiation of nonconjugated dienes containing electron donor–electron acceptor systems. II. Polymerization studies of vinyl ether–β-nitrostyrenes

The monomer series, o-, m-, and p-(2-vinyloxyethoxy)-β-nitrostyrenes, was studied. All three monomers were selectively polymerized through the electron-donating vinyloxy group via cationic initiation. The linear polymers from the meta and para isomers containing the electron-accepting nitrovinyl group were readily crosslinked via anionic initiation. The polymer derived from the ortho isomer was not crosslinked by this mechanism, an observation in accord with results previously reported from these laboratories in which it was shown that all o-substituted-β-nitrostyrenes having ortho substituents larger than fluorine exhibited a sterically inhibited propagation step. The meta and para isomers of this series were selectively polymerized through the electron-accepting nitrovinyl group via anionic initiation. Because of the fact that the resulting polymers were soluble only in highly polar solvents, subsequent crosslinking of these polymers via cationic initiation could not be accomplished. However, these polymers showed strong tendencies to undergo crosslinking upon long exposure to air. Because of the sterically induced ortho effect referred to above, no significant polymerization occurred in the case of the ortho isomer of this series via anionic initiation. However, it was shown in this case that initiation via the anion was rapid, and that the slow step was propagation.     

Reactions of alkynes with bis(triphenylphosphine)platinum-ethylene: A P-{H} NMR study

Internally consistent assignments of the ³¹P-{¹H} NMR parameters of the complexes [Pt(RCCR′)(PPh₃)₂] are proposed, based on the premise that the magnitude of ¹J(PtP) depends mainly on the nature of the moiety CR trans to P. For a given R, ²J(PP) correlates with ¹J(PtP) for thebond trans to CR. The alkynes PhCCSnEt₃, PhCCSnPh₃, Me₃SiCCCl, Me₃SiCCBr, Et₃SiCCI and MeCCI undergo oxidative addition reactions with [Pt(C₂H₄)(PPh₃)₂]; the intermediate alkyne complex was detected for PhCCSnEt₃, Me₃SiCCCl and Me₃CCBr. The triyne Me(CC)₃Me forms platinum(0) complexes by coordination with the central or terminal CC bond and appears also to give a platinum(II) complex by oxidative addition.     

The determination of lead in blood by atomic absorption with the high-temperature graphite tube

The use of the high-temperature graphite tube with atomic absorption constitutes an exceptionally sensitive analytical method. Since only very small quantities of sample are needed, this method is highly suitable for the determination of lead in whole blood, especially when blood must be drawn from children. A technique which requires little preparation of the sample has been developed for such determinations. The graphite tube system developed can be used on any of a number of atomic absorption spectrophotometers and is better suited to routine analyses than the methods of L'vov and Massmann who pioneered the use of graphite tubes.     

High-pressure adsorption of CO2 on NaY zeolite and model prediction of adsorption isotherms

Supercritical carbon dioxide is an efficient solvent for adsorptive separations because it can potentially be used as both the carrier solvent for adsorption and the desorbent for regeneration. Recent results have demonstrated an anomalous peak or "hump" in the adsorption isotherm near the bulk critical point when the adsorption isotherm is plotted as a function of bulk density. This work presents new data for the adsorption and desorption of carbon dioxide in the near-critical region on a crystalline, well-structured adsorbent (NaY zeolite). The results indicate a strong affinity for CO(2) as well as a significant hump near the critical point. The lattice model previously developed by Aranovich and Donohue is applied to analyze the adsorption.     

Natural products to drugs: natural product derived compounds in clinical trials

Natural product and natural product-derived compounds that are being evaluated in clinical trials or in registration (current 31 December 2004) have been reviewed. Natural product derived drugs launched in the United States of America, Europe and Japan since 1998 and new natural product templates discovered since 1990 are discussed.     

Rhodium(I) catalyst supported on polymer crystal surfaces: Further hydrogenation studies

Catalysts bound to polymers in the form of crosslinked beads have been demonstrated to have a number of advantages over homogeneous catalysts. However, there are several problems that exist due to the polymer support being in the form of a bead. The rate of reaction depends on the presence of solvents that adequately swell the bead in order to allow access to the catalytic sites. Differences in polarity and reactant size can inhibit diffusion into the bead. Recently a new system has been developed whereby tris(triphenyl phosphine) chlororhodium (I) (Wilkinson's catalyst) is bound to the surface of polyethylene single crystals. Polyethylene single crystals have a very high surface to volume ratio allowing for greater ease of reaction compared to a bead system. In a previous paper we showed that there is a dramatic increase in catalytic activity and that the reaction rate increased as the polarity of solvent was increased, even in ethanol where the homogeneous catalyst is not soluble and the polystyrene bead support would not swell. In this letter we are describing the activity of hydrogenation of olefins contained in both large and/or polar molecules. The results demonstrate the advantages of supported catalysts on polyethylene single crystals rather than on polymer beads.     

Lattice-Boltzmann simulations of the dynamics of polymer solutions in periodic and confined geometries

A numerical method to simulate the dynamics of polymer solutions in confined geometries has been implemented and tested. The method combines a fluctuating lattice-Boltzmann model of the solvent [Ladd, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 1339 (1993)] with a point-particle model of the polymer chains. A friction term couples the monomers to the fluid [Ahlrichs and Dunweg, J. Chem. Phys. 111, 8225 (1999)], providing both the hydrodynamic interactions between the monomers and the correlated random forces. The coupled equations for particles and fluid are solved on an inertial time scale, which proves to be surprisingly simple and efficient, avoiding the costly linear algebra associated with Brownian dynamics. Complex confined geometries can be represented by a straightforward mapping of the boundary surfaces onto a regular three-dimensional grid. The hydrodynamic interactions between monomers are shown to compare well with solutions of the Stokes equations down to distances of the order of the grid spacing. Numerical results are presented for the radius of gyration, end-to-end distance, and diffusion coefficient of an isolated polymer chain, ranging from 16 to 1024 monomers in length. The simulations are in excellent agreement with renormalization group calculations for an excluded volume chain. We show that hydrodynamic interactions in large polymers can be systematically coarse-grained to substantially reduce the computational cost of the simulation. Finally, we examine the effects of confinement and flow on the polymer distribution and diffusion constant in a narrow channel. Our results support the qualitative conclusions of recent Brownian dynamics simulations of confined polymers [Jendrejack et al., J. Chem. Phys. 119, 1165 (2003) and Jendrejack et al., J. Chem. Phys. 120, 2513 (2004)].