One‐component thioxanthone‐based polymeric photoinitiators

The photochemical and photophysical properties of new polymeric photoinitiators (PPIs) containing pendant thioxanthone (TX) and amine moieties are studied. The PPIs are synthesized by copolymerization of tert‐butyl 2‐((9‐oxo‐9H‐thioxanthen‐2‐yloxy)methyl)acrylate (TX1) with N,N‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEM) at two different ratios using free radical polymerization. UV–vis spectra indicate that PPIs possess similar absorption characteristics to TX1 in the violet range (～400 nm; absorption red‐shift 20 nm). The photochemical mechanisms are studied by electron spin resonance (ESR), steady state photolysis, laser flash photolysis, and cyclic voltammetry. ESR studies indicate formation of two different aminoalkyl radicals on the hydrogen donor amine. The triplet state of the PPIs is short‐lived compared to isopropyl thioxanthone and TX1, due to the built‐in amine functionality. Photopolymerization of trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) initiated by these photoinitiators under LED exposure at 385 and 405 nm using real‐time FTIR spectroscopy shows that they exhibit higher efficiency than TX/N‐methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and TX1/MDEA systems with the advantage of a much higher molecular weight that can be very helpful to overcome migration issues. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 3370–3378     

Cyclization tendencies in the free radical polymerization of allyl acrylate derivatives: A computational study

In this study density functional theory (DFT) has been used to model the elementary steps and rationalize the free radical polymerization kinetics in allyl methacrylate (AMA), allyl 2‐cyanoacrylate (ACA) and methyl α‐[(allyloxy)methyl]acrylate. The models used in this study have revealed the fact that while methyl α‐[(allyloxy)methyl]acrylate, cyclopolymerizes via 5‐membered rings, AMA and ACA do not. The cyclization tendency of methyl α‐[(allyloxy)methyl]acrylate is attributed to the similar hybridization (sp³) of C3 and C5 favoring a quasi cyclic structure for the reactive rotamer. On the other hand, the presence of the cyano (CN) group in ACA facilitates the initiation step as compared to AMA. The chain transfer reaction does not seem to play a major role in the monomers of interest. This study highlights the usage of quantum chemistry in determining the cyclization tendencies of allyl acrylate derivatives in their free radical polymerization reactions. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Benzoin type photoinitiator for free radical polymerization

Benzoin, a popular photoinitiator for free radical polymerization of vinyl monomers, was improved by introduction of two methyl thioether substituents. This new benzoin derivative showed an about 50 times higher light absorption in the near‐UV spectral region and performed better than the unsubstituted benzoin in polymerization experiments in bulk solutions or films of acrylate monomers when low initiator concentrations are used. Laser flash photolysis, low temperature luminescence experiments and photoproduct studies by mass spectrometry suggest that a slow α‐cleavage mechanism (k_α = 2.2 × 10⁵ s^?1) from the electronic triplet state with a quantum yield of 0.1 is the primary photoreaction to generate the initiating free radicals. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Newly synthesized Cu(II) pyrazino[2,3‐f][1,10]phenanthroline complexes as potential anticancer candidates

New binary and ternary copper(II) complexes, [Cu(py‐phen)₂(NO₃)]NO₃ ( 1 ), [Cu₂(py‐phen)₂(gly)₂(NO₃)₂(H₂O)₂]?3H₂O ( 2 ) and [Cu₂(py‐phen)₂(tyr)₂(H₂O)₂](NO₃)₂?3H₂O ( 3 ) (py‐phen: pyrazino[2,3‐f][1,10]phenanthroline; gly: glycine; tyr: tyrosine), have been synthesized and characterized using CHN analysis, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Interaction of these complexes with calf thymus DNA has been investigated using absorption spectral titration, ethidium bromide and Hoechst 33258 displacement assay and thermal denaturation measurements. These complexes were found to be efficient cleaving agents and cleavage reactions were mediated by hydrolytic and oxidative pathways. The interaction between these complexes and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated using electronic absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The experimental results show that the fluorescence quenching mechanism of these complexes and BSA is a static quenching process. Furthermore, in vitro cytotoxicities of these complexes against tumour cell lines (Caco‐2, MCF‐7 and A549) and healthy cell line (BEAS‐2B) showed that they exhibited anticancer activity with low IC₅₀ values. These complexes were markedly active against the cell lines and can be good drug candidates that are effective and safe for healthy tissue.     

Ferrocene based chiral binuclear η6‐benzene‐Ru(II)‐phosphinite complexes: Synthesis,characterization and catalytic activity in asymmetric reduction of ketones

In the present study, a series of chiral C₂‐symmetric ferrocenyl based binuclear η⁶‐benzene‐Ru(II) complexes bearing diphenylphosphinite and diisopropylphosphinite moieties have been synthesised. The new binuclear η⁶‐benzene‐Ru(II)‐phosphinite complexes were characterised based on nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H, ¹³C, ³¹P–NMR), FT‐IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Then, these complexes have been screened as catalytic precursors in the transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone with 2‐propanol as both the hydrogen source and solvent in the presence of KOH. The corresponding optically active secondary alcohols were obtained in excellent conversion rates between 96 and 99% and moderate to good enantioselectivities (up to 78% ee). The complex 5 was the most efficient catalyst among the four new complexes investigated herein.     

Synthesis and evaluation of new phosphonic acid‐functionalized acrylamides with potential biomedical applications

Phosphorus‐containing acidic monomers are able to interact with the inorganic phase of mineralized tissues such as enamel, dentin, and bone. From this perspective, three phosphonic acid‐containing acrylamide monomers with different lengths of alkyl chains were synthesized to be used for both self‐etching dental adhesives and mineralized hydrogel scaffolds. Monomers were synthesized by the reaction of α‐aminophosphonates (diethyl aminomethylphosphonate, diethyl 2‐aminobutan‐2‐ylphosphonate, and diethyl 2‐aminooctan‐2‐ylphosphonate) with acryloyl chloride followed by the hydrolysis of phosphonate groups by using trimethylsilyl bromide. The properties such as pH in the range of mild self‐etching adhesives, hydrolytic stability, high rate of copolymerizations with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and HEMA/glycerol dimethacrylate, giving high‐molecular‐weight polymers on thermal polymerization, and strong decalcification ability of hydroxyapatite make these monomers good candidates for self‐etching adhesives, although no appreciable effect of the number and size of the α‐substituents was observed. Hydrogel scaffolds containing phosphonic acid groups were fabricated, characterized, and mineralized. Altogether, the results suggest that these phosphonic acid‐containing monomers have suitable properties to be used in fabrication of biomaterials for both dental and bone tissue engineering applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2755–2767     

A simple and sensitive LC-ESI-MS (ion trap) method for the determination of bupropion and its major metabolite, hydroxybupropion in rat plasma and brain microdialysates

A specific and highly sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) method for the direct determination of bupropion (BUP) and its main metabolite hydroxybupropion (HBUP) in rat plasma and brain microdialysate has been developed and validated. The analysis was performed on a Bonus RP C18 (100 mm × 2.1 mm i.d., 3.5 μm particles) column using gradient elution with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and ammonium formate buffer (10 mM, pH 4). Plasma samples were analyzed after a simple, one-step protein precipitation clean-up with trichloroacetic acid (TCA), however clean-up for microdialysis samples was not necessary, enabling direct injection of the samples into the LC-ESI-MS system. Signals of the compounds were monitored under the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode of the LC-ESI-MS (ion trap) for quantification. The precursor to product ion transitions of m/z 240-184 and m/z 256-238 were used to measure BUP and HBUP, respectively. The method was validated in both plasma and microdialysate samples, and the obtained lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 1.5 ng mL⁻¹ for BUP and HBUP in both matrices. The intra- and inter-day assay variability was less than 15% for both analytes. This LC-ESI-MS method provided simple sampling, rapid clean-up and short analysis time (<9 min), applicable to the routine therapeutic monitoring and pharmacokinetic studies of BUP and HBUP.     

New C2-symmetric chiral phosphinite ligands based on amino alcohol scaffolds and their use in the ruthenium-catalysed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones

Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation processes of ketones with chiral molecular catalysts are attracting increasing interest from synthetic chemists due to their operational simplicity. C₂-symmetric catalysts have also received much attention and been used in many reactions. A series of new chiral C₂-symmetric bis(phosphinite) ligands has been prepared from corresponding amino acid derivated amino alcohols or (R)-2-amino-1-butanol through a three- or four-step procedure. Their structures have been elucidated by a combination of multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. ¹H-³¹P NMR, DEPT, ¹H-¹³C HETCOR or ¹H-¹H COSY correlation experiments were used to confirm the spectral assignments. In situ prepared ruthenium catalytic systems were successfully applied to ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone derivatives by iso-PrOH. Under optimized conditions, these chiral ruthenium catalyst systems serve as catalyst precursors for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone derivatives in iso-PrOH and act as good catalysts, giving the corresponding optical secondary alcohols in 99% yield and up to 79% ee.     

Electrochemistry of Novel Phthalocyanines Bearing 1,2,4 Triazole Groups

The phthalonitrile (3) and triazole substituted metallo phthalocyanines (MPc) (4–7) were prepared. The novel compounds were characterized with spectroscopic data. Electrochemical analyses of metallophthalocyanines (4–7) bearing triazole substituents were performed to investigate redox activity of phthalocyanines (Pcs) ring. While incorporation of Ni²⁺ and Cu²⁺ cations in the Pc core only influenced peak positions of Pc ring processes, Co²⁺ and Cl^1?Fe³⁺ cations of CoPc and FePc gave extra redox couples to the Pc based ones. Releasing the axial Cl^1? anion on Fe³⁺ cation of FePc during the reduction reactions complicated the redox responses. Redox reactions of Co²⁺ and Fe³⁺ metal centers also considerable influenced spectral and color responses of these complexes.