Modification of an epichlorohydrin polymerization

The acid-catalyzed polymerization of epichlorohydrin was modified by the addition of 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether to the reaction. The amount of diepoxide added and the method of addition were varied to produce a series of polymers with increased molecular weight, broad molecular weight distributions, and variations in hydroxyl functionality. Polyurethane networks were prepared from these polyols for the evaluation of elastomeric properties. The most obvious result was the lack of elastomeric network formation in the unmodified material when modified polyols produced elastomeric properties under the same conditions. Differences in properties between samples with more diepoxide added in the original polymerization generally showed trends to lower elongation and higher modulus. Changes in the method of addition of the diepoxide produced great differences in the toughness of the elastomers formed in the cure process.     

The nature of the lowest excited state and photosubstitution reactivity of tetracarbonyl-1,10-phenanthrolinetungsten(0) and related complexes

Absorption and emission spectral studies of M(CO)₄L complexes (M = Cr Mo, W; L = 2,2′-bipyridine, 1,10-phenanthroline, 5-CH₃-, 5-Cl-, 5-Br-, 5-NO₂-1,10-phenanthroline) have been carried out and reveal that the lowest excited state in every case is charge-transfer (CT) in character, M→ CT in absorption, and in no case do the ligand field (LF) excited states cross below the CT state. Minimum energies of the LF states have been established by the spectroscopic study of cis-bis(pyridine)- and cis-bis(aliphatic amine)-tetracarbonylmetal(0) complexes which all have LF lowest excited states for M = Mo, W. For the M(CO)₄L complexes emission is detectable for M = Mo or W and occurs in the range 14.40-15.66 kK with lifetimes of 7.9-13.3 μsec and quantum yields of 0.02–0.09 all in EPA solution at 77 K. For the bis-pyridine and -aliphatic amine complexes emission occurs only from the W complexes and is of the order of 3.0–4.0 kK higher in energy than for the M(CO)₄L complexes. Photosubstitution of pyridine is efficient in cis-W(CO)₄(py)₂ (py = pyridine): Φ_436nm = 0.23; Φ_405nm = 0.27; and Φ_366nm = 0.23. The M(CO)₄L complexes have strongly wavelength dependent, but modest, quantum yields for CO substitution and show that the lowest CT state is unreactive. Typical values for CO substitution for M = W and L = 1,10-phenanthroline are: Φ_436nm = 1.6 × 10^?4; Φ_405nm = 1.2 × 10^?3; Φ_366nm = 9.2 × 10^?3; and Φ_313nm = 2.2 × 10^?2.     

A novel fluorescent silica tracer for biological silicification studies.

BACKGROUND: Biological silica production has drawn intense attention and several molecules involved in biosilicification have been identified. Cellular mechanisms, however, remain unknown mainly due to the lack of probes required for obtaining information on live specimens. RESULTS: The fluorescence spectra of the compound 2-(4-pyridyl)-5-((4-(2-dimethylaminoethylaminocarbamoyl)methoxy)phenyl)oxazole (PDMPO) are affected by the presence of >3.2 mM silicic acid. Increase in intensity and shift in the fluorescence coincide with the polymerization of Si. The unique PDMPO-silica fluorescence is explored here to visualize Si deposition in living diatoms. The fluorophore is selectively incorporated and co-deposited with Si into the newly synthesized frustules (the outer silica shells) showing an intense green fluorescence. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that a fluorescence shift is due to an interaction between PDMPO and polymeric silicic acid. PDMPO is an excellent probe for imaging newly deposited silica in living cells and has also a potential for a wide range of applications in various Si-related disciplines, including biology of living organisms as diatoms, sponges, and higher plants, clinical research (e.g. lung fibrosis and cancer, bone development, artificial bone implantation), and chemistry and physics of materials research.