Methyl methacrylate polymerization at samarium(II)-grafted MCM-41

Sm(II)-modified periodic mesoporous silica (PMS), Sm[N(SiHMe₂)₂]₂(THF)_x@MCM-41, was used for the synthesis of Sm(II) alkyl, alkoxide, and indenyl surface species via secondary ligand exchange. The performance of the novel Sm(II)-based organometallic–inorganic hybrid materials as initiators for the graft polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is reported. All of the Sm(II) hybrid materials including the new PMMA–PMS composites were characterized via N₂ physisorption, elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The organic–inorganic composites revealed complete pore blockage as well as enrichment and strong adhesion of the polymer at the exterior of the porous silica material.     

The UV photolysis (λ = 185 nm) of liquid t-butyl methyl ether

t-Butyl methyl ether has been UV photolysed (λ = 185 nm) to a maximal conversion of less than 0·1%. A study of the products (quantum yields) has been made: methanol (0·40₅), t-butanol (0·20), isobutene (0·17₈), t-butyl neopentyl ether (0·14₂), t-butyl ethyl ether (0·13₄), 1,2-di-t-butoxyethane (0·097), methane (0·056), isobutane (0·046), isopropenyl methyl ether (0·030), hydrogen (0·020), neopentane (0·016), ethane (0·015), formaldehyde (0·012), 2-methoxy-2-methyl-4-t-butoxybutane (0·005), hexamethylethane (0·0048), 2-methoxy-2-methylbutane (0·0027), 2-methoxy-2-methyl-3-t-butoxypropane (0·002), isopropyl methyl ether (0·0015), formaldehyde t-butyl methyl acetal (0·001), formaldehyde di-t-butyl acetal (0·001), 2-methoxy-2-methyl-4,4-dimethylpentane (0-001), 2-methoxy-2-methyl-3,3-dimethylbutane (0·0003), 2,5-dimethoxy-2,5-dimethylhexane (0·0002), di-t-butyl ether (5 · 10^?5), 2,2-dimethyloxirane (?, <- 0·001). There is no decomposition of the t-BuO radical into acetone (< 5 · 10^?4) and CH₃. Cyclisation reactions leading to α,α-dimethyloxetane (< 10^?4) and 1-methoxy-1-methylcyclopropane (< 10^?4) do not occur. The material balance yields C₅H_11·97O_1·018.The main modes of fragmentation (ca 82%) are represented by the homolytic CO bond split, either into t-butyl and methoxy (ca 52%) or into t-butoxy and methyl (ca 30%), Fragmentation into methanol and isobutene (8·5%) as well as into formaldehyde and isobutane (2%) are further modes of decomposition. The break of a CC linkage (4·5%) mainly occurs by elimination of molecular methane. A CH bond split has a probability of ca 3% with the methoxy CH bond the more likely one to break.     

Planar and tubular perovskite-type membrane reactors for the partial oxidation of methane to syngas

Dense planar and tubular oxygen separation membranes of La_0.6Ca_0.4Fe_0.75Co_0.25O_3– were investigated as reactors for the partial oxidation (POX) of methane to syngas. Their permeation properties were measured in an air/argon pO₂ gradient as a function of temperature. At 900 °C, the oxygen flux through a 1.26-mm-thick membrane was 0.075 mol/cm²·s and through a 0.25-mm-thick tube, 0.24 mol/cm²·s.For the POX measurements, a catalyst was added to the membrane and methane was introduced on the argon side. This resulted in a gradual increase of the oxygen flux with increasing concentration of methane, reaching 2 mol/cm²·s at 900 °C with pure methane. For the planar reactor, the CO selectivity reached 99% and the CH₄ conversion 75% at 918 °C with pure methane. For the tubular reactor, the CO selectivity and CH₄ conversion were 83 and 99%, respectively, under the same conditions. After 1,400 h of operation in a tubular POX reactor, the membrane was examined revealing phase demixing and local decomposition.Presented at the OSSEP Workshop Ionic and Mixed Conductors: Methods and Processes, Aveiro, Portugal, 10–12 April 2003     

The quenching of CdSe quantum dots photoluminescence by gold nanoparticles in solution

The photoluminescence (PL) of CdSe quantum dots (QD) in aqueous media has been studied in the presence of gold nanoparticles (NP) with different shapes. The steady state PL intensity of CdSe QD (1.5-2 nm in size) is quenched in the presence of gold NP. Picosecond bleach recovery and nanosecond time-resolved luminescence measurements show a faster bleach recovery and decrease in the lifetime of the emitting states of CdSe QD in the presence of quenchers. Surfactant-capped gold nanorods (NR) with aspect ratio of 3 and surfactant-capped and citrate-capped nanospheres (NS) of 12 nm diameter were used as quenchers in order to study the effect of shape and surface charge on the quenching rates. The Stern-Volmer kinetics model is used to examine the observed quenching behavior as a function of the quencher concentration. It was found that the quenching rate of NR is more than 1000 times stronger than that of NS with the same capping material. We also found that the quenching rate decreases as the length of the NR decreases, although the overlap between the CdSe emission and the NR absorption increases. This suggests that the quenching is a result of electron transfer rather than long-range (Forster-type) energy transfer processes. The quenching was attributed to the transfer of electron with energies below the Fermi level of gold to the trap holes of CdSe QD. The observed large difference between NR and NS quenching efficiencies was attributed to the presence of the [110] facets only in the NR, which have higher surface energy.     

Platinum(II) 1,10-phenanthroline complexes of acetylides containing redox-active groups

The new diimine ligand 3,8-di-n-pentyl-4,7-di(phenylethynyl)-1,10-phenanthroline (1) was used for the synthesis of a range of Pt(II) complexes, viz.[Pt(1)Cl2], [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Ph)2], [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Fc)2] and [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-p-C6H4-C triple bond C-Fc)2](Fc = ferrocenyl). Crystal structure analyses were performed for [Pt(1)Cl2] and [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Ph)2] and revealed that the di(acetylide)pi-tweezer of the latter binds a molecule of chloroform through C-H...pi hydrogen bonds. The redox and optical properties of 1 and its complexes were investigated by (spectro-)electrochemistry, UV-Vis and luminescence spectroscopy, and an energy level diagram was derived for [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Fc)2] and related compounds on the basis of the data collected. The ferrocenyl-substituted Pt(II) complexes are donor-sensitiser assemblies. Intramolecular quenching of the photoexcited Pt(II) diimine unit leads to very short luminescence lifetimes for [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-p-C(6)H(4)-C triple bond C-Fc)2](2 ns) and [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Fc)2](0.3 ns), as opposed to [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Ph)2](0.7 micros). Excimer formation has been observed for [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Ph)(2)] at room temperature in dichloromethane and at low temperatures in frozen glassy dichloromethane and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran solution, but not in the solid state.     

Zur Synthese sulfonierter Derivate von 2,3-Dimethylanilin und 3,4-Dimethylanilin

On the Synthesis of Sulfonated Derivatives of 2,3-Dimethylaniline and 3,4-Dimethylaniline Baking the hydrogensulfate salt of 2,3-dimethylaniline ( 1 ) or of 3,4-dimethylaniline ( 2 ) led to 4-amino-2,3-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 4 ) and 2-amino-4,5-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 5 ), respectively (Scheme 1). The sulfonic acid 5 was also obtained by treatment of 2 with sulfuric acid or by reaction of 2 with amidosulfuric acid. 3-Amino-4,5-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 3 ) and 5-Amino-2,3-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 6 ) were prepared by sulfonation of 1,2-dimethyl-3-nitrobenzene ( 9 ) to 3,4-dimethyl-5-nitrobenzenesulfonic acid ( 11 ) and of 1,2-dimethyl-4-nitrobenzene ( 10 ) to 2,3-dimethyl-5-nitrobenzenesulfonic acid ( 12 ), respectively, with subsequent Béchamp reduction (Scheme 1). Preparations of 2-amino-3,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 7 ) and of 6-amino-2,3-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 8 ) were achieved by the sulfur dioxide treatment of the diazonium chlorides derived from 3,4-dimethyl-2-nitroaniline ( 24 ) and from 2,3-dimethyl-6-nitroaniline ( 31 ) to 3,4-dimethyl-2-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride ( 29 ) and 2,3-dimethyl-6-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride ( 32 ), respectively, followed by hydrolysis to 3,4-dimethyl-2-nitrobenzenesulfonic acid ( 30 ) and 2,3-dimethyl-6-nitrobenzenesulfonic acid ( 33 ), and final reduction (Scheme 3). Compound 7 was also synthesized by reaction of 4-chloro-2,3-dimethylaniline ( 23 ) with amidosulfuric acid to 2-amino-5-chloro-3,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 20 ) and subsequent hydrogenolysis (Scheme 2). 4′-Bromo-2′, 3′-dimethyl-acetanilide ( 13 ) and 4′-chloro-2′, 3′-dimethyl-acetanilide ( 14 ) on treatment with oleum yielded 5-acetylamino-2-bromo-3,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 17 ) and 5-acetylamino-2-chloro-3,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 18 ), respectively. Their structures were proven by hydrolysis to 5-amino-2-bromo-3,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 21 ) and 5-amino-2-chloro-3,4-dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid ( 22 ), followed by reductive dehalogenation to 3 .     

Dimetallic Complexes with Bridging Seven-membered Cycloolefins. Synthesis,Multinuclear NMR.-Spectroscopic Properties and Structure

The synthesis of dimetallic olefin complexes of the type L¹M¹C₇H₇M²L² (M¹ = Fe, Co, Rh; M² = Rh, Ir, Pd; L¹ = CO, C₅H₅; L² = diene, allyl, P(OR)₃) is described. The fluxional structures were investigated by ¹³C-, ⁵⁷Fe- and ¹⁰³Rh-NMR.-spectroscopy, and a cisoid dimetallic coordination, including a (metal, metal)-bond, can be deduced for the C₇H₇-ring. ⁵⁷Fe- and ¹⁰³Rh-chemical shifts give indications for the charge distribution in the 34e-complexes. The homodimetallic complex (Cp)Rh(tropone)Rh(Cp) ( 13 , Cp = cyclopentadienyl) and the corresponding 2-methoxytropone complex 14 were synthesized in addition to the above mentioned complexes. A fluxional bis(1-3-η-allyl)-coordination of the two Rh-atoms was derived from the temperature-dependent ¹³C-NMR.-spectra. A spin simulation of the (Cp)-multiplets of 12 and 13 yields information about (Rh, Rh)-spin-coupling which amounts to ≈5 Hz at 30°.     

Copper oxide nanocrystals

It is well-known that inorganic nanocrystals are a benchmark model for nanotechnology, given that the tunability of optical properties and the stabilization of specific phases are uniquely possible at the nanoscale. Copper (I) oxide (Cu(2)O) is a metal oxide semiconductor with promising applications in solar energy conversion and catalysis. To understand the Cu/Cu(2)O/CuO system at the nanoscale, we have developed a method for preparing highly uniform monodisperse nanocrystals of Cu(2)O. The procedure also serves to demonstrate our development of a generalized method for the synthesis of transition metal oxide nanocrystals. Cu nanocrystals are initially formed and subsequently oxidized to form highly crystalline Cu(2)O. The volume change during phase transformation can induce crystal twinning. Absorption in the visible region of the spectrum gave evidence for the presence of a thin, epitaxial layer of CuO, which is blue-shifted, and appears to increase in energy as a function of decreasing particle size. XPS confirmed the thin layer of CuO, calculated to have a thickness of approximately 5 A. We note that the copper (I) oxide phase is surprisingly well-stabilized at this length scale.     

Does CH prefer a C2v rather than a Cs structure?

The closely related C_s ( 1 ) and C_2v ( 3 ) structures of CH have been reinvestigated at many ab initio levels using MP2/6-31G** and MP2/6-311 + + G(2df, 2pd) geometries. The largest basis sets employed were 6-311G(3df, 2p), 6-311 + + G(3df, 3pd), and the Dunning “correlation consistent” polarized triple-split valence basis set (cc-pVTZ). Electron correlation was probed at the MP4 level, but the QCISD method was also used with the largest basis sets. While electron correlation favors 3 over 1 by about 2 kcal/mol, the correlated relative energies with all basis sets employed range from 0.36–1.03 kcal/mol in favor of 1 . The best estimate of this difference, 0.86 kcal/mol, is essentially identical with the (scaled) zero-point energy difference, 0.84 kcal/mol, favoring 3 over 1 . These results indicate that 1 and 3 have almost exactly the same energy at 0 K. Our best value for the dissociation energy of CH is 42.0 kcal/mol [QCISD(T)/6-311 + + G(3df, 3pd)//MP2(fu)/6-311 + + G(2df, 2pd), corrected to 298 K], which agrees very well with the experimental value. © 1992 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.