Synthesis of terpinyl acetate using octadecylamine ethoxylate ionic liquids as catalysts

Terpinyl acetate, an important natural flavor, can be synthesized by esterification of α-pinene with acetic acid under acidic conditions. In this work, seven acidic ionic liquids were first synthesized, using octadecylamine ethoxylates (AC 1810, AC 1815, AC 1820, and AC 1830) as the cations, and characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The ionic liquids were then used as catalysts in the synthesis of terpinyl acetate. The effect of preparation conditions on catalyst performance was examined. It was found that the acidic ionic liquid 1-(3-sulfonic acid)propyl-3-poly(ethylene glycol) octadecylamine polyoxyethylene ether tetrafluoroborate ([PAC1815]⁺[BF₄]^?) was an excellent catalyst for synthesis of terpinyl acetate. The effects of the conditions used for preparation of terpinyl acetate were examined in detail, and the optimum preparation conditions were obtained. Under the optimum conditions, the yield of terpinyl acetate reached 35.70 %. When the catalyst was reused for the 5th time, the yield of terpinyl acetate was still 32.00 %. The results showed that effective separation and recycling of catalyst could contribute to developing a new strategy for synthesis of terpinyl acetate.     

An Investigation into the Migration of Segments in Crosslinked Fluorinated Polyimide Adhesive

Crosslinked fluorinated polyimides (CFPI) were successfully synthesized to study and explore the effect of cross-linkage on the migration of fluorinated segments and on the adhesion strength. Characterization by dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMA) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed good thermal properties of CFPI. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed that the ratio of fluorinated component (6FDA-ODA) concentration of the surface to the bulk decreased with the crosslink density. The water contact angle of CFPI was lower than that of non-crosslinked fluorinated polyimide, indicating that the migration of fluorinated groups to the surface was reduced by the presence of cross-linkage. Therefore, CFPI, with no fluorine segregation on the surface, exhibited excellent wetting of adherent surfaces and adhesion strength, which was proved by lap shear strength (LSS) measurements and scanning electron microscopy.     

Analysis of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in soil using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS) is used to determine the total nitrogen(TN) and total phosphorus(TP) in soil.Quantitative determinations are conducted using the line intensity of the analyte element and element concentration.Calibration models are obtained using ten samples for TN and seven samples for TP.The rest samples are used to validate the results.Strong linear correlations are obtained from the determined TN and TP concentrations.LIBS is a powerful tool for analyzing soil samples to determine nutrient elements by selecting calibration and validation samples with similar matrix composition.     

Synthesis,structural characterization,and olefin polymerization behavior of vanadium(III) complexes bearing bidentate phenoxy‐phosphine ligands

Vanadium(III) complexes bearing phenoxy‐phosphine ligands ( 2a–g ) (2‐R₁‐4‐R₂‐6‐PPh₂‐C₆H₂O)VCl₂(THF)₂ ( 2a : R₁ = R₂ = H; 2b : R₁ = F, R₂ = H; 2c : R₁ = Ph, R₂ = H; 2d : R₁ = tBu, R₂ = H; 2e : R₁ = R₂ = Me; 2f : R₁ = R₂ = tBu; 2g : R₁ = R₂ = CMe₂Ph) were prepared from VCl₃(THF)₃ by treating with 1.0 equiv of the ligand in tetrahydrofuran (THF) in the presence of excess triethylamine (TEA). The reaction of VCl₃(THF)₃ with 2.0 equiv of the ligand in THF in the presence of excess TEA afforded vanadium(III) complexes bearing two phenoxy‐phosphine ligands ( 3c–f ). These complexes were characterized by FTIR and mass spectrum as well as elemental analyses. Structures of 2f and 3c were further confirmed by X‐ray crystallographic analyses. Complexes 2a–g and 3c–f were employed as the catalysts for ethylene polymerization under various reaction conditions. On activation with Et₂AlCl, these complexes exhibited high catalytic activities (up to 41.3 kg PE/mmol_V·h·bar) even at high temperature (70°C), and produced high molecular weight polymer with unimodal molecular weight distributions, indicating the polymerization took place in a single‐site nature. Complexes 3c–f displayed better thermal stability than the corresponding complexes 2a–g under similar conditions. In addition, copolymerizations of ethylene and 1‐hexene with precatalysts 2a–g were also explored in the presence of Et₂AlCl. Catalytic activity, comonomer incorporation, and properties of the resultant polymers can be controlled over a wide range by tuning catalyst structures and reaction parameters.© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012