Experimental and theoretical investigations of isomerization reactions of ionized acetone and its dimer

Ionization dynamics of acetone and its dimer in supersonic jets is investigated by a combination of experimental and theoretical techniques, both of which have recently been developed. In experiments, the neutral and the cationic structures are explored by infrared predissociation spectroscopy with the vacuum-ultraviolet photoionization detection schemes. Reaction paths following the one-photon ionization of the acetone monomer and its dimer have been studied by the joint use of several theoretical methods including the ab initio molecular dynamics, the global reaction route mapping, the intrinsic reaction coordinate, and the artificial force induced reaction calculations. Upon one-photon ionization, the dimer isomerizes to the H-bonded form, in which the enol cation of acetone is bound to the neutral molecule, while this enolization is energetically forbidden in the acetone monomer. The enolization of the dimer cation occurs through a two-step proton-transfer from the methyl group of the ionized moiety, and is catalyzed by the neutral moiety within the dimer cation.     

Evolved gas analysis of Ti(C5H5)2Cl2 by means of Li+ ion attachment mass spectrometry

Characterization of the compound Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2) was studied using Li(+) ion attachment mass spectrometry (IAMS) as an analytical methodology. Since this target compound is used as an anticancer drug in the treatment of leukemia, accurate and rapid monitoring methods for the determination of titanium drugs in a hospital environment are desirable. A quadrupole mass spectrometry system along with a Li(+) ion attachment technique and a direct inlet probe (DIP) produced the Li(+) adduct of Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2), Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2)Li(+). The DIP also was used to study the temperature-resolved behavior of this compound. The slope of the plot of signal intensity of Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2)Li(+) versus temperature for Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2) sublimation from 60 to 100 °C was used to determine an apparent activation energy (E(a)) of 124.43 kJ/mol for the sublimation of Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2). This value is comparable to the reported value of 118.8 kJ/mol for molar enthalpy of sublimation of Ti(C(5)H(5))(2)Cl(2). These results demonstrate that the IAMS methodology can be used to study the enthalpy of sublimation for d-metal complex materials.     

Internal Rotation of the Methyl Group in Cations of Toluene Derivatives

The potential of the internal rotation of the methyl group was determined for o-, m-, and p-fluorotoluene cations by pulsed field ionization spectroscopy. The potential of the internal rotational motion was also surveyed for other toluene derivative cations. It was found that the barrier height generally increases by ionization. The increase in the barrier height has been discussed in connection with the reduction of the internal rotational constant B by ionization. The geometrical distortion of the methyl group during the internal rotation has been suggested.     

Sodium methoxide: a simple but highly efficient catalyst for the direct amidation of esters

A simple NaOMe catalyst provides superior accessibility to a wide variety of functionalized amides including peptides through direct amination of esters in an atom-economical and environmentally benign way.     

Reactivity and electrochemical behavior of ruthenium dithiolene complexes with coordinatively unsaturated metal centers: cycloaddition and dimerization reactions

The novel ruthenium dithiolene complexes [(arene)Ru{S₂C₂(COOMe)₂}] (arene = C₆H₆ (1a), C₆H₄(Me)(iPr) (1b), C₆Me₆ (1c)) were synthesized. The equilibrium between complex 1a and the corresponding dimer [(C₆H₆)Ru{S₂C₂(COOMe)₂}]₂ (1a′) was confirmed in solution. The reaction of complex 1a with dimethyl- or diethylacetylene dicaboxylate gave the alkene-bridged adducts [(C₆H₆)Ru{S₂C₂(COOMe)₂}{C₂(COOR)₂}] (R = Me (2a), Et (3a)) as [2 + 2] cycloaddition products formally. The reactions of complex 1a with diazo compounds also gave the alkylidene-bridged adducts [(C₆H₆)Ru{S₂C₂(COOMe)₂}(CHR)] (R = H (4a), SiMe₃ (5a), COOEt (6a)) as [2 + 1] cycloaddition products. The electrochemical behavior of complex 1a was investigated. The reductant of complex 1a was a stable species for several minutes. The oxidant of complex 1a was very unstable; the cation 1a⁺ formed was immediately converted to the corresponding cationic dimer 1a′⁺. The cationic dimer 1a′⁺ was stable for several minutes, and it was rapidly and quantitatively converted to the neutral complex 1a when it was reduced.     

Preparation of various Janus composite particles with two components differently combined

Janus composite particles with a combination of organic and inorganic substances were synthesized by soap-free emulsion polymerization in which an amphoteric initiator of 2,2′-azobis[N-(2-carboxyethyl)-2-2-methylpropionamidine] (VA-057) was employed to introduce a polystyrene (PSt) lobe onto silica cores surface-modified with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxy silane (MPTMS). Thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the surface-modified silica particles and showed that a small amount of MPTMS introduced onto the surface of silica particles could successfully prepare SiO₂–PSt Janus particles. The oxide part of SiO₂–PSt Janus particles obtained with the polymerization was further surface-modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) to introduce positively charged amino groups on the silica surface. The silica surface modified with APS was covered with gold by electroless deposition in which a gold precursor of auric chloride was reduced with ascorbic acid in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone. The electroless deposition of gold successfully produced Janus particles with a combination of gold and PSt surfaces. Furthermore, dissolution of the polymer component of the Au–PSt Janus particles in tetrahydrofuran led to another Janus type of particles with an inorganic combination of Au and SiO₂.     

Polymerization of Acrylamide in Aqueous Solution of Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) at Lower Critical Solution Temperature

Acrylamide (AAm) was found to polymerize in a solution of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) in water at around its lower critical solution temperature (LCST) (32°C) without any initiators. This phenomenon was specifically observed in aqueous solutions of the polymers having LCST such as PNIPAAm and poly(methylvinylether) (PMVE). AAm polymerized only when PNIPAAm and AAm were dissolved in water below LCST of PNIPAAm and then the solution was warmed up to the polymerization temperature (40°C). On the other hand, the polymerization of AAm did not proceed when AAm was added into aqueous PNIPAAm solution during and after the phase separation above 32°C. Furthermore the polymerizability of AAm was remarkably affected by the concentration and molecular weight of the PNIPAAm additives. Under the condition of lower PNIPAAm concentration (0.30 mol/L), the increase in the molecular weight of PNIPAAm considerably increased the molecular weight of the resulting PAAm but decreased the yield of PAAm. Under the condition of higher PNIPAAm concentration (0.60 mol/L) the polymerizability was not so affected by the molecular weight of PNIPAAm, while the molecular weight of PAAm formed by using higher molecular weight PNIPAAm was higher than those of PAAm formed by using lower molecular weight PNIPAAm. Moreover, the molecular weight of PAAm formed by the PNIPAAm induced polymerization of AAm was much higher than that of the polymer obtained by the radical polymerization using AIBN in THF or VA‐ 061 in water.     

Thiol-terminated hydroxy-functional polymer as a transtab toward polymer latex particles

Hydroxy-functional macrodisulfides have been synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate or 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate in 2-propanol. Mean degrees of polymerization of the polymer chains beside the disulfide were fixed at 30, 60, and 90; since ATRP has reasonably good living character, the molecular weight distribution is relatively narrow. Furthermore, the macrodisulfides were reduced to synthesize corresponding thiol-terminated polymers with relatively narrow molecular weight distributions. ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography were used to characterize the macrodisulfides and thiol-terminated polymers in terms of their chemical structure, molecular weight, and polydispersity, respectively. Dispersion polymerizations of styrene using the thiol-terminated hydroxy-functional polymers as a transtab (chain transfer agent + colloidal stabilizer) in ethanol resulted in colloidally stable submicrometer-sized polystyrene latex particles. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and elemental microanalysis were used to characterize the particles in terms of their morphologies, particle sizes and their distributions, and chemical compositions.