Direct evidence for the gas phase thermal polymerization of styrene. Determination of the initiation mechanism and structures of the early oligomers by ion mobility

We present here direct evidence for the thermal self-initiated polymerization of styrene in the gas phase and establish that the initiation process proceeds via essentially the same mechanism (the Mayo mechanism) as in condensed phase polymerization. Furthermore, we provide structural identifications of the dimers and trimers formed in the gas phase.     

Synthesis and photophysical properties of meso-substituted bisporphyrins: comparative study of phosphorescence quenching for dioxygen sensing

The 4,6-bis(10-mesityl-5,15-di-p-tolylporpyrinyl)dibenzothiophene (H4DPSN) free base was obtained in five steps from commercially available materials. The metalation of DPSN2- with zinc(II), copper(II), and palladium(II) led to three new homobimetallic systems, (Zn)2DPSN, (Cu)2DPSN, and (Pd)2DPSN, respectively. The cofacial structures of these molecules offer the possibility of having dioxygen molecules inside the cavity for a period of time, allowing dynamic (collisional) phosphorescence quenching to be more efficient. The bimolecular excited-state deactivation rate constant for deactivation by dioxygen (kQ: (Pd)2DPB, 2.98x10(9); (Pd)2DPSN, 3.99x10(9); (Pd)2DPX, 6.94x10(9); (Pd)TPP, 8.95x10(9); (Pd)2DPS, 8.95x10(9) M-1 s-1) of (Pd)2DPSN, which exhibits an intense phosphorescence at 699 nm, was compared to those observed for (Pd)TPP, (Pd)2DPS, (Pd)2DPX, and (Pd)2DPB (TPP2-=tetraphenylporphyrin dianion, DPS4-=4,6-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]dibenzothiophene tetraanion, DPX4-=4,5-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]-9,9-dimethylxanthene tetraanion, and DPB4-=1,8-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]biphenylene tetraanion). These collision-induced deactivation data were interpreted by estimating a series of physical parameters such as the surface area and bisporphyrin radii, the diffusion coefficient of the bismacrocycles, and the theoretical deactivation efficiency for the five compounds addressing the role of steric hindrance of the macrocycles on each other and the aryl groups at the meso positions. For sensing purposes, (Pd)2DPX is characterized by a Stern-Volmer constant kSV of 2.91x10(6) M-1, placing the lower detection limit for [O2] in solution at 0.58 ppm, which is better than that for (Pd)TPP (kSV=2.31x10(6) M-1; lower detection limit of 0.73 ppm), the classically used monoporphyrin complex.     

Characterization of humic substances: Implications for trihalomethane formation

Humic substances are precursors of carcinogenic trihalomethanes (THMs) formed during disinfection by chlorination in water treatment processes. In an effort to understand the relationship between trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) and physicochemical properties of humic substances, UV-visible absorbance, fluorescence in emission and synchronous scan modes, and NMR spectra were measured for several aquatic fulvic and humic acids. For comparison, a soil fulvic acid was also examined using these methods. The feasibility of the gradient modified spin-echo (GOSE) NMR experiment to selectively measure singlet resonances arising from isolated protons was examined. In addition, diffusion coefficients were measured for DMSO solutions of the fulvic acids using BPPLED and GOSE-edited pulse sequences. Although none of the methods tested produced results that correlated with THMFP, the GOSE intensities determined for different regions of the NMR spectra did reflect the relative abundance of different types of functional groups produced by lignin oxidation. In addition, the GOSE-edited diffusion results suggest that the isolated protons, those most reactive to chlorination, are more likely contained in the larger molecular weight fractions of fulvic acids.     

Materials and Methods

Materials and Methods Synthesis of thionyl chloride-activated succinamidopropyl-glass beads     

MgCl2 Enhances Cluster Formation by Nanoscale Toroidal DNA Condensates

Multivalent cations can cause DNA to condense from its extended state in solution into high-density toroid-shaped particles. Developing methods to control the size and size distribution of DNA toroids is an important goal for the development of artificial gene delivery systems. Here we demonstrate that changes in salt conditions, prior to condensation by multivalent cations, can significantly affect DNA condensation. Specifically, millimolar concentrations of MgCl₂ are shown to cause the formation of toroid clusters, whereas NaCl at the same ionic strength does not.     

Influence of an 8-trifluoroacetyl group on flavanol couplings

The effect of an electron attracting substituent in the Lewis acid catalyzed oligomerization of flavanols was investigated. The results showed that the presence of a COCF₃, at the 8 position of a (+)-catechin unit strongly influenced the attack of the 6 free nucleophile flavanol position by the electrophile generated from a 4-O-alkyloxy protected catechin unit. This was observed either with TiCl₄ or TMSOTf as Lewis acids in which the carbon-carbon bond formation was inhibited and the corresponding dimer was detected in small amount. On the contrary, the formation of a carbon-oxygen bond was observed and the corresponding C-4→O→C-3 ether linked procyanidin dimer was isolated in a good yield. In order to avoid the participation of the C-3 hydroxyl group in the dimerization reaction, the two flavanol units were forced into C-4→C-8 coupling by use of an internal link. The structural elucidation of the isolated compounds was achieved through MS and NMR spectroscopy.     

Spectrophotometric and titrimetric determination of gallium in minerals and ores using semimethylthymol blue

The composition, overall stability constant and molar absorptivity of the chelate of gallium(III) ion with semimethylthymol blue, SMTB, were determined spectrophotometrically in acetate buffer (pH 4.5–5). A violet Ga(SMTB) chelate was formed with logarithmic overall stability constant of 18.0±0.1 (I=0.1) and molar absorptivity of 4.25×10⁴l mol^–1cm^–1 (_max 580 nm). SMTB is proposed as a new reagent for the spectrophotometric determination of micro-molar amounts of gallium(III). The colour development depends on time, temperature, pH and buffer species. The interference of different cations, anions and organic acids on gallium(III) determination was also investigated. Beer's law was obeyed for 3.5–31.3 gGa(III)/25ml (0.14–1.25 g ml^–1). SMTB was used for the spectrophotometric determination of gallium in different grade minerals and ores and the results were of acceptable error and relative standard deviation. Comparison between the two suggested methods and atomic absorption spectrometry for Ga(III) determination was carried out.     

Structure and properties of hydrophobically end-capped poly(ethylene oxide) solutions in the presence of monovalent and divalent cations

Hydrophobically modified poly(ethylene oxide), HMPEO, was studied in concentrated salt solutions. The influence of salts was compared to the effect of temperature on poly(ethylene oxide), PEO. As expected, the addition of monovalent cations (Na(+), K(+)) has the same effect as an increase in temperature in agreement with the thermodynamic properties of PEO: a decrease in solubility, micelle size, and viscosity was observed. Moreover, the intensity of neutron scattering peaks (characteristic of the semi-dilute solutions of these associative polymers) increases due to the collapse of PEO coronae in micelles. Very peculiar behavior was observed in the presence of divalent cations (Ca(2+), Mg(2+)): larger micelle aggregates and higher viscosities, relaxation times, and activation energies were observed by dynamic rheology. This behavior is attributed to interactions between divalent cations and oxygen in PEO backbones close to the micelle core, which may reinforce intermicellar bridges.     

Solution-phase preparation of a 560-compound library of individual pure mappicine analogues by fluorous mixture synthesis

Solution-phase mixture synthesis has efficiency advantages and favorable reaction kinetics. Applications of this technique, however, have been discouraged by the difficulty in obtaining individual, pure final products by using conventional separation and identification processes. Introduced here is a new strategy for mixture synthesis that addresses the separation and identification problems. Members of a series of organic substrates are paired with a series of fluorous tags of different chain lengths. The tagged starting materials are then mixed and taken through a multistep reaction process. Fluorous chromatography is used to demix the tagged product mixtures on the basis of the fluorine content of the tags to provide the individual pure components of the mixture, which are detagged to release the final products. The utility of fluorous mixture synthesis is demonstrated by the preparation of a 560-membered library of analogues of the natural product mappicine. A seven-component mixture is carried through a four-step mixture synthesis (two one-pot and two parallel steps) to incorporate two additional points of diversity onto the tetracyclic core. Methods for analysis and purification of the intermediates are established for the quality control of the mixture synthesis.