Melt‐state polymer chain dimensions as a function of temperature

The unperturbed chain dimensions (〈R²〉_o/M) of cis/trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene, a near‐atactic poly(methyl methacrylate), and atactic polyolefins were measured as a function of temperature in the melt state via small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS). The polyolefinic materials were derived from polydienes or polystyrene via hydrogenation or deuteration and represent structures not encountered commercially. The parent polymers were prepared via lithium‐based anionic polymerizations in cyclohexane with, in some cases, a polymer microstructure modifier present. The polyolefins retained the near‐monodisperse molecular weight distributions exhibited by the precursor materials. The melt SANS‐based chain dimension data allowed the evaluation of the temperature coefficients [dln 〈R²〉_o/dT(κ)] for these polymers. The evaluated polymers obeyed the packing length (p)‐based expressions of the plateau modulus, G = kT/np³ (MPa), and the entanglement molecular weight, M_e = ρN_anp³ (g mol^?1), where n_t denotes the number (～21) of entanglement strands in a cube with the dimensions of the reptation tube diameter (d_t) and ρ is the chain density. The product np³ is the displaced volume (V_e) of an entanglement that is also expressible as pd or kT/G. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1768–1776, 2002     

Synthesis of 5-acetyloxazoles and 1,2-diketones from β-alkoxy-β-ketoenamides and their subsequent transformations

Lithiated alkoxyallenes, nitriles, and carboxylic acids have been employed as precursors in a three-component reaction leading to highly substituted β-alkoxy-β-ketoenamides. Upon treatment with trifluoroacetic acid, these enamides could be easily cyclized to 5-acetyloxazole derivatives. The synthesis is very flexible with respect to the substitution pattern at C-2 and C-4 of the oxazole core. A mechanistic suggestion for the oxazole formation is presented on the basis of (18)O-labeled compounds and their mass spectrometric analysis. In several cases, 1,2-diketones are formed as side products or even as major components. The acetyl moiety at C-5 of the oxazole derivatives can efficiently be converted into alkenyl or alkynyl moieties, which allows a multitude of subsequent reactions. Condensation reactions of the acetyl group provided the expected oxime or hydrazone. By applying a Fischer reaction, the phenylhydrazone could be transferred into an indole, which emphasizes the potential of 5-acetyloxazoles for the preparation of highly substituted (poly)heterocyclic systems. The alkynyl group at C-2 is prone to addition reactions, providing an enamine with interesting photophysical properties. Sonogashira couplings were performed with 5-alkynyl-substituted oxazoles, furnishing the expected aryl-substituted products. This alkynyl unit was employed for the preparation of a new, star-shaped trisoxazole derivative. The ability of this multivalent compound to form self-assembled monolayers between the basal plane of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and 1-phenyloctane was demonstrated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The star-shaped compound seems to prefer the C(3)-symmetric arrangement in this two-dimensional crystal. Two 1,2-diketones were smoothly converted into functionalized quinoxaline derivatives.     

Synthesis of Hexadentate Hexahydro-1,3,5-triazine-Based Ligands and their Copper(I) Complexes

Summary.  Hexadentate ligands were formed by the reaction of primary dimethylaminoethyl- or methoxyethylamines with formaldehyde. The resulting N, N′, N″-functionalized hexahydro-1,3,5-triazines contain pending amino or ether functionalities which are able to coordinate to metals in addition to the ring nitrogen atoms. Both ligands were reacted with CuBr, and novel tricopper clusters were isolated and characterized by X-ray structure analysis. In these compounds a ring nitrogen atom, the pending amino or ether functionality, and two bridging bromine atoms coordinate each of the copper atoms. Received January 22, 2002; accepted (revised) March 22, 2002     

Electronic energy transfer and collection in luminescent molecular rods containing ruthenium(II) and osmium(II) 2,2':6',2"-terpyridine complexes linked by thiophene-2,5-diyl spacers

The electronic absorption spectra, luminescence spectra and lifetimes (in MeCN at room temperature and in frozen n-C3H7CN at 77 K), and electrochemical potentials (in MeCN) of the novel dinuclear [(tpy)Ru(3)Os(tpy)]4+ and trinuclear [(tpy)Ru(3)Os(3)Ru(tpy)]6- complexes (3 = 2,5-bis(2,2':6',2'-terpyridin-4-yl)thiophene) have been obtained and are compared with those of model mononuclear complexes and homometallic [(tpy)Ru(3)Ru(tpy)]4+, [(tpy)Os(3)Os(tpy)]4+ and [(tpy)Ru(3)Ru(3)Ru(tpy)]6+ Complexes. The bridging ligand 3 is nearly planar in the complexes, as seen from a preliminary X-ray determination of [(tpy)Ru(3)Ru(tpy)][PF6]4, and confers a high degree of rigidity upon the polynuclear species. The trinuclear species are rod-shaped with a distance of about 3 nm between the terminal metal centres. For the polynuclear complexes, the spectroscopic and electrochemical data are in accord with a significant intermetal interaction. All of the complexes are luminescent (phi in the range 10(-4)-10(-2) and tau in the range 6-340 ns, at room temperature), and ruthenium- or osmium-based luminescence properties can be identified. Due to the excited state properties of the various components and to the geometric and electronic properties of the bridge, Ru --> Os directional transfer of excitation energy takes place in the complexes [(tpy)Ru(3)Os(tpy)]4+ (end-to-end) and [(tpy)Ru(3)Os(3)Ru(tpy)]6+ (periphery-to-centre). With respect to the homometallic case, for [(tpy)Ru(3)Os(3)Ru(tpy)]6+ excitation trapping at the central position is accompanied by a fivefold enhancement of luminescence intensity.     

IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROTON ACCEPTOR OF SCHIFF BASE DEPROTONATION IN BACTERIORHODOPSIN: A FOURIER-TRANSFORM-INFRARED STUDY OF THE MUTANT ASP85 → GLU IN ITS NATURAL LIPID ENVIRONMENT

Abstract— In order to assign the proton acceptor for Schiff base deprotonation in bacteriorhodopsin to a specific Asp residue, the photoreaction of the Asp85 → Glu mutant, as expressed in Halobacterium sp . GRB, was investigated by static low-temperature and time-resolved infrared difference spec-troscopy. Measurements were also performed on the mutant protein labeled with [4-¹³C]Asp which allowed discrimination between Asp and Glu residues. 14,15-di¹³C-retinal was incorporated to distinguish amide-II absorbance changes from changes of the ethylenic mode of the chromophore. In agreement with earlier UV-VIS measurements, our data show that from both the 540 and 610 nm species present in a pH-dependent equilibrium, intermediates similar to K and L can be formed. The 14 ms time-resolved spectrum of the 540 nm species shows that a glutamic acid becomes protonated in the M-like intermediate, whereas the comparable difference spectrum of the 610 nm species demonstrates that in the initial state a glutamic acid is already protonated. In conjunction with earlier observations of protonation of an Asp residue in wild-type M, the data provide direct evidence that the proton acceptor in the deprotonation reaction of the Schiff base is Asp85.