Design and synthesis of thioether-imidazolium chlorides as efficient ligands for palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of aryl bromides with arylboronic acids

The catalyst composed of 0.25-0.025 mol % of [Pd(allyl)Cl]₂ and 0.5-0.05 mol % of the thioether-imidazolium chloride 3c was proven to be efficient in the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions of aryl bromides with arylboronic acids.     

An asymmetric S(N)Ar reaction using the molecular chirality in a crystal

An asymmetric S(N)Ar reaction was performed by using molecular chirality generated and amplified by the spontaneous crystallization of achiral naphthamides; the chirality was retained in a cold solution, caused by slow racemization, and was transferred to stable axially chiral materials with high enantiomeric excesses.     

Immobilization of polysaccharide derivatives onto silica gel Facile synthesis of chiral packing materials by means of intermolecular polycondensation of triethoxysilyl groups

The 3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamates of cellulose and amylose bearing a small amount of 3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl residues were synthesized by a simple process and efficiently immobilized onto a silica gel support by intermolecular polycondensation of the triethoxysilyl groups. The obtained chiral packing materials (CPMs) were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography. The polysaccharide derivatives containing about 1-2% of the 3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl residue were efficiently immobilized with a high chiral recognition. The immobilized CPMs could be used with the eluents containing chloroform and tetrahydrofuran, which cannot be used with the conventional coated-type CPMs. By using these eluents, the chiral recognitions for many racemates could be improved.     

Determination of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds by HPLC with a Hydrophilic Polymer Column and Conductometric Detection after Trace Enrichment by Solid Phase Extraction

Quaternary ammonium compounds containing at least one long alkyl chain act as cationic surfactants and are widely used as fabric softeners, disinfectants and human hair cosmetics. After usage, the surfactants are generally discharged via waste water treatment facilities to surface waters. Hence they can disturb the ecological balance due to their toxicity to aquatic organisms. In this context reliable analytical methods for determination of quaternary alkylammonium compounds are required in the analysis of environmental samples as well as in the quality control of manufactured products.     

An ab initio calculation of O and Si NMR parameters for SiO2 polymorphs

Ab initio molecular orbital calculations (Hartree–Fock, HF and density functional theories, DFTs) have been carried out for SiO₂ polymorphs coesite, low cristobalite, and α-quartz, in order to investigate the reliability of this method for predicting ²⁹Si and ¹⁷O nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) properties of silicates. Oxygen- and silicon-centered clusters consisting of one (1T) to three tetrahedral (3T) shells (one to four atomic shells), taken from real crystal structure, have been investigated. It is found that for reasonable predication of both the ²⁹Si and ¹⁷O chemical shifts (δ_i^Si and δ_i^O), the minimum cluster is one that gives the correct second neighbors to the nucleus of interest. Both the δ_i^Si and δ_i^O have reached convergence with respect to cluster size at the OH-terminated two tetrahedral (2T) shell (three atomic shells around Si and four atomic shells around O) model. At convergence, the calculated δ_i^Si values agree well (within ±1 ppm) with experimental data. The calculated ¹⁷O electric field gradient (EFG)-related parameters also agree with experimental data within experimental uncertainties. The calculation also reproduces small differences in δ_i^O for O sites with similar tetrahedral connectivities, but shows deviations up to about 10 ppm in relative difference for O sites with different tetrahedral connectivities. The poor performance for the latter is mainly due to the approximations of the HF method. Our study thus suggests that the ab initio calculation method is a reliable mean for predicting ²⁹Si and ¹⁷O NMR parameters for silicates. Such an approach should find application not only to well-ordered crystalline phases, but also to disordered materials, by combining with other techniques, such as the molecular dynamics simulation method.     

Stereoregulation in cationic polymerization by designed Lewis acids. II. Effects of alkyl vinyl ether structure

Stereoregulation in the cationic polymerization of various alkyl vinyl ethers was investigated with bis[(2,6‐diisopropyl)phenoxy]titanium dichloride ( 1 ; catalyst) in conjunction with the HCl adduct of isobutyl vinyl ether as an initiator in n‐hexane at −78 °C. The tacticities depended on the substituents of the monomers. Isobutyl and isopropyl vinyl ethers gave highly isotactic polymers (mm = 83%), whereas tert‐butyl and n‐butyl vinyl ethers resulted in lower isotactic contents (mm ∼ 50%) similar to those for TiCl₄, a conventional Lewis acid, thus indicating that the steric bulkiness of the substituents was not the critical factor in stereoregulation. A statistical analysis revealed that the high isospecificity was achieved not by the chain end but by the catalyst 1 or the counteranion derived therefrom. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1060–1066, 2001     

Olefin polymerization with Me4Cp–Amido complexes with electron‐withdrawing groups

A series of Me₄Cp–amido complexes {[η⁵:η¹‐(Me₄C₅)SiMe₂NR]TiCl₂; R = t‐Bu, 1 ; C₆H₅, 2 ; C₆F₅, 3 ; SO₂Ph, 4 ; or SO₂Me, 5 } were prepared and investigated for olefin polymerization in the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO). X‐ray crystallography of complexes 3 and 4 revealed very long Ti N bonds relative to the bonds of 1 . These complexes were employed for ethylene–styrene copolymerizations, styrene homopolymerizations, and propylene homopolymerizations in the presence of MAO. The productivities of the catalysts derived from 3 – 5 were much lower than the productivity of the catalyst derived from 1 for the propylene polymerizations and ethylene–styrene copolymerizations, whereas the styrene polymerization activities were much higher for the catalysts derived from 3 – 5 than for the catalyst derived from 1 . The polymerization behavior of the catalysts derived from the metallocenes 3 – 5 were more reminiscent of monocyclopentadienyl titanocene Cp′TiX₃/MAO catalysts than of CpATiX₂/MAO catalysts such as 1 containing alkylamido ligands. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4649–4660, 2000     

Controlled synthesis of functionalized polymers by transition‐metal‐mediated living radical polymerization

This paper discusses recent progress in transition‐metal‐catalyzed living radical polymerizations, partly focusing on the search of metal complex catalysts that play a critical role in controlling polymer molecular weights, then‐distributions, and architectures. Following a brief overview of the design of initiating systems (initiators and metal catalysts), half‐metallocene‐type complex catalysts are presented that induce living radical polymerizations of methacrylates, acrylates, and styrene to give markedly narrow molecular weight distributions and controlled molecular weights. Some of these halfmetallocenes also work in water where suspension living radical polymerization is feasible.     

Well‐Controlled Biodegradable Nanocomposite Foams: From Microcellular to Nanocellular

Via a batch process in an autoclave, the foam processing of neat polylactide (PLA) and two different types of PLA/layered silicate nanocomposites has been conducted using supercritical carbon dioxide as a foaming agent. The morphological correlation between the dispersed silicate particles with nanometer dimensions in the bulk and the obtained closed‐cell structure of the foam is discussed. This is the first report that deals with the possibility of preparing biodegradable nanocellular polymeric foams via nanocomposite technology.

SEM image of the freeze‐fracture surface of a PLA/layered silicate foam, exhibiting closed‐cell structure.