Straightforward preparation of polymers based on oligodimethylsiloxane and alkylamine

Novel oligodimethylsiloxane‐based polymers with alkyl side chain were synthesized in bulk by step‐growth polymerization between α,ω‐glycidyl ether oligodimethylsiloxanes and a monoalkylamine in the absence of catalyst and at temperatures ranging between 80 and 180 °C. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight results attested for the high reactivity of the amine functions with the glycidyl groups and revealed that the main polymer structure was (A₂B₂)_n type with alkyl moieties as dangling chains. No etherification was observed during the reaction even at high temperatures and the nature of the end groups strongly depended on the molar ratio between glycidyl and amine functions. Polymerization reactions were followed by ¹H NMR and the kinetics of the glycidyl‐amine reaction pointed out the dependence of temperature, molar ratio, and the molar mass of the oligodimethylsiloxane. High conversion rates were obtained, especially with the lowest molecular weight oligodimethylsiloxane. An optimized kinetic model derived from the Horie's model was discussed and permitted to correctly fit the experimental data. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Thermomechanical behaviors and dielectric properties of polyaniline‐doped para‐toluene sulfonic acid/epoxy resin composites

Composites based on conductive organic/inorganic fillers dispersed in insulating matrix have been widely investigated because of their widespread applications such as electromagnetic shielding, electrostatic discharge, and sensors. In this context, novel composite materials based on epoxy resin matrix charged with polyaniline (PANI)‐doped para‐toluene sulfonic acid were elaborated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to check the structure and the morphology of the samples. Viscoelastic behavior and thermal stability of the composites were explored by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. It was shown that the PANI particles exhibited a partial crystalline structure and were homogeneously dispersed in epoxy matrix. Consequently, this structure affected the thermal stability and viscoelastic properties of the composites. Furthermore, the dielectric and electrical properties were investigated up to 1 MHz. Measurements of dielectric properties revealed that with loading fillers in matrix, the dielectric parameters increased to high values at low frequency then decreased at values around 40 and 32 of real and imaginary parts, respectively, at 1 MHz with 15% of PANI content. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A supramolecular cup-and-ball C60-porphyrin conjugate system

In addition to the ammonium-crown ether recognition, pi-stacking interactions between the C60 sphere and the porphyrin moiety have been evidenced in a supramolecular complex obtained from a porphyrin-crown ether conjugate and a fullerene derivative bearing an ammonium unit.     

Helicity‐Encoded Molecular Strands: Efficient Access by the Hydrazone Route and Structural Features

Control over the folding of molecular strands may be achieved by appropriate choice of the constituting subunits, in particular for chains of specific heterocycles such as sequences of directly connected pyridine (py) and pyrimidine (pym) rings, which are known to fold into extended helical structures. Since the hydrazone (hyz) group represents an isomorphic analogue of a py site, the condensation of hydrazine and carboxaldehyde derivatives of pym offers a very efficient approach to strands incorporating hyz instead of py units and constituted by sequences of alternating hyz and pym groups. A series of such strands of different lengths, up to ten hyz units, i.e., 1 – 7 , were synthesized. Their spectral properties indicate that they fold indeed into helical shapes. Extensive characterization was performed in solution by ¹HNMR spectroscopy and in the solid state by determination of the crystal structures of eight such strands. They all display the expected helical geometry with up to 3 ¹/₃ turns and direct stacking contacts. The efficiency and flexibility of the synthetic approach as well as its wide potential for generation of diversity through lateral decoration make the (hyz? pym) subunit a particularly attractive helicity codon.     

Novel heteroleptic cis-(C--N)2Pd(II) chelates for the preparation of enantiopure planar chiral cyclopalladated 2-[tricarbonyl(eta6-phenyl)chromium]pyridine

In the presence of large amounts of [Me4N]Cl, the reaction of ortho-chloromercurated 2-[(eta6-phenyl)tricarbonylchromium]pyridine with mu-chloro cyclopalladated aromatic compounds yields a series of new heteroleptic heterodinuclear cis-(C--N)2Pd(II) complexes, which are valuable precursors of planar chiral cyclopalladated (eta6-arene)Cr(CO)3 complexes.     

Molecular tectonics: infinite cationic double stranded helical coordination networks

Upon crystallisation of two bismonodentate tectons based on two pyridine units, interconnected at the meta position by a tetra- or hexa-ethylene glycol fragment and Ag+ cation, double stranded helical infinite coordination networks were formed and structurally characterised. The cationic double helical architectures obtained may be regarded as analogues of DNA in terms of topology.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Various Benzyl Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic Acids (dtpa) and Their Paramagnetic Complexes,Potential Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Four derivatives of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (=3,6,9‐tris(carboxymethyl)‐3,6,9‐triazaundecanedioic acid (H₅dtpa)), potential contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), carrying benzyl groups at various positions of the parent structure were synthesized and characterized by a thorough multinuclear NMR study, i.e., the (S)‐ and (R)‐stereoisomers 1a and 1b of 4‐benzyl‐3,6,9‐tris(carboxymethyl)‐3,6,9‐triazaundecanedioic acid (H₅[(S)‐(4‐Bz)dtpa] and H₅[(R)‐(4‐Bz)dtpa], the diamide derivative N,N″‐bis[(benzylcarbamoyl)methyl]diethylenetriamine‐N,N′,N″‐triacetic acid (=3,9‐bis[2‐(benzylamino)‐2‐oxoethyl]‐6‐(carboxymethyl)‐3,6,9‐triazaundecanedioic acid; H₃[dtpa(BzA)₂]; 2 ), and the diester derivative N,N″‐bis{[(benzyloxy)carbonyl]methyl}diethylenetriamine‐N,N′,N″‐triacetic acid (=3,9‐bis[2‐(benzyloxy)‐2‐oxoethyl]‐6‐(carboxymethyl)‐3,6,9‐triazaundecanedioic acid; H₃[dtpa(BzE)₂]; 3 ). From the ¹⁷O‐NMR chemical shift of H₂O induced by their dysprosium complexes with ligands 1 – 3 , it was concluded that only one H₂O molecule is contained in the first coordination sphere of these lanthanide complexes. The rotational correlation times (τ_R) of the complexes were estimated from the ²H‐NMR longitudinal relaxation rate of the deuterated diamagnetic lanthanum complexes. The exchange time of the coordinated H₂O molecule (τ_M) was studied through the temperature dependence of the ¹⁷O‐NMR transverse relaxation rate. As compared to [Gd(dtpa)]²⁻, the H₂O‐exchange rate is faster for [Gd{(S)‐(4‐Bz)dtpa}]²⁻ and [Gd{(R)‐(4‐Bz)dtpa}]²⁻‐, slower for [Gd{dtpa(BzA)₂}], and almost identical for [Gd{dtpa(BzE)₂}]. The analysis of the ¹H‐relaxivity of the gadolinium complexes recorded from 0.02 to 300 MHz established that i) the relaxivity of [Gd{dtpa(BzE)₂}] is similar to that of [Gd(dtpa)]²⁻, ii) the slightly slower molecular rotation of [Gd{dtpa(BzA)₂}] induces a mild enhancement of its relaxivity, and iii) the marked increase of relaxivity of [Gd{(S)‐(4‐Bz)dtpa}]²⁻ and [Gd{(R)‐(4‐Bz)dtpa}]²⁻ mainly results from an apparently shorter distance between the gadolinium ion and the H₂O protons of the coordinated H₂O molecule.     

Water‐Soluble Flavonol (=3‐Hydroxy‐2‐phenyl‐4H‐1‐benzopyran‐4‐one) Derivatives: Chemical Synthesis,Colouring, and Antioxidant Properties

Water‐soluble derivatives of rutin, a very common glycoside of quercetin (=3,3′,4′,5,7‐pentahydroxyflavone=2‐(3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐3,5,7‐trihydroxy‐4H‐1‐benzopyran‐4‐one) and a potent plant antioxidant from the flavonol family, were synthesized by simple chemical procedures aimed at introducing carboxy or sulfo groups at the sugar moiety (Scheme 1). Such derivatives form stable molecular complexes with malvin, a polyphenolic pigment from the anthocyanin family, and thereby prove to be very effective in the enhancement (hyperchromism) and variation (bathochromism) of natural colours. The H₂O‐solubilizing carboxylate and sulfate groups are shown to deeply modify the enthalpy‐entropy balance of the pigment‐flavonol complexation (copigmentation). A molecular interpretation of the complexation‐induced bathochromic shift in the pigment VIS band is proposed. Finally, the H₂O‐soluble rutin derivatives are shown to retain the high antioxidant ability of rutin as evidenced by their efficient trapping of the coloured radical DPPH (=2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐(2,4,6‐trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl).     

Molecular recognition of avidin on biotin-functionalized gold surfaces detected by FT-IRRAS and use of metal carbonyl probes

Fourier transform infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (FT-IRRAS) was successively used to monitor the covalent immobilization of biotin molecules onto a planar gold substrate covered with a self-assembled monolayer of cystamine and to transduce the molecular recognition of avidin and biotin. This detection was greatly facilitated and made selective by the labeling of avidin and of biotin with various transition metal carbonyl probes. The binding of avidin to the surface was optimized by blocking the nonspecific binding sites by adsorption of an unrelated protein, bovine serum albumin. This work exemplifies the feasibility of detecting biomolecular associations involving molecules of any size at a liquid/solid interface by using a simple and accessible surface analysis technique.     

New Ba5M5−xPtxClO13 (M=Fe, Co) oxychlorides with layered perovskite-related structure

Crystals of Ba₅Fe_5−xPt_xClO₁₃ and Ba₅Co_5−yPt_yClO₁₃ were prepared for x=1.31, 1.51, 1.57, 1.59 and y=0, 0.97 and 1.08 in a BaCl₂ flux and investigated by X-ray diffraction methods. These compounds adopt a 10H perovskite structure built from the stacking of BaO₃ and BaOCl layers in the sequence (BaO₃)₄(BaOCl) with space group P6₃/mmc. The cation sites within the trimeric unit of face-sharing octahedra are occupied by Co or Fe and Pt ions, while the tetrahedral sites formed between BaO₃ and BaOCl layers are only occupied by Fe or Co. Moreover, oxygen stoichiometry indicates an average oxidation state for Co and Fe higher than +III, indicating the stabilization of Co⁴⁺ and Fe⁴⁺.