Synthesis of a transition metal-dithionite complex, (η5-C5H5)(CO)2FeS(O)2S(O)2Fe(CO)2(η5-C5H5)

The reaction of Na[η⁵-C₅H₅Fe(CO)₂] with large excess of SO₂ in THF at ?78°C followed by warming to room temperature affords an iron—dithionite complex, (η⁵-C₅H₅)(CO)₂FeS(O)₂S(O)₂Fe(CO)₂(η⁵-C₅H₅).     

Degradation of epoxy polymers: Part 1—Products of thermal degradation of bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether

The principal characteristics and products of thermal degradation of a commercial epoxy resin prepared by reaction of 2,2-bis(4′-hydroxy phenyl)propane (bisphenol-A) with 1-chloro-2,3-epoxy propane (epichlorhydrin) have been studied. The principal volatile products, acrolein, acetone and allyl alcohol, are formed at 280°C and, although cross-linking is detectable at 220°C, it only becomes significant at 320°C when the residual resin is brittle and insoluble. Decomposition of the cross-linked resin occurs above 340°C when phenolic compounds appear together with more complex products with higher molecular weights whose structures have been speculated upon from examination of their mass spectral characteristics.     

Degradation of epoxy polymers: 2—Mechanism of thermal degradation of bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether

In a previous paper, some 15 compounds were positively identified among the products of thermal degradation of bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether. The structures of an additional 22 compounds, all aromatic, were speculated upon on the basis of mass spectral analysis. In the present paper, mechanisms are proposed to account for all these products and the characteristics of their formation in the overall degradation process.     

The synthesis and chemistry of a bis-pyrazolinylketone and the structure determination

The synthesis and spectral characteristics of a bis-spiro compound: 2,6-bis(4-phenyl-3-δ¹-pyrazolinyl)cyclo-hexanone are reported. Unlike literature reports, this particular δ¹-pyrazoline does not readily rearrange to the ² isomer on heating. Pyrolysis gives 2,6-bis(α-methylbenzylidene)cyclohexanone. A monopyrazolinylket-one was also isolated which is most likely an intermediate in the bis-denitrogenation. A mechanism for the denitrogenation-rearrangement is proposed.     

Water-soluble ABC triblock copolymers based on vinyl ethers: Synthesis by living cationic polymerization and solution characterization

Water-soluble ABC triblock copolymers of methyl vinyl ether (MVE), ethyl vinyl ether (EVE), and methyl tri(ethylene glycol) vinyl ether (MTEGVE) of various block sequences and carrying 20 monomer units in each block were synthesized by living cationic polymerization. In addition to the triblocks, one AB diblock, one BA diblock, and one statistical copolymer of MVE and MTEGVE carrying 20 units of each type of monomer were synthesized as controls. Moreover, three homopolymers each carrying 20 units of MVE and end groups of varying hydrophobicity were synthesized using three different initiators. The molecular weights and molecular weight distributions of all the polymers were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) in tetrahydrofuran (THF). The number average degrees of polymerization (DP_ns) and composition of all the polymers were calculated by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) spectroscopy. The molecular weights and degrees of polymerization corresponded to the values expected from the monomer/initiator ratios. The calculated polydispersities were reasonably narrow at 1.3. Aqueous GPC studies at room temperature on the triblock copolymers showed that the polymers exist as isolated chains (unimers) in solution but they tend to assemble and form micelles in the presence of a sufficiently high salt concentration apparently due to the insolubility of the EVE units under the latter conditions. Triblocks with a different block sequence exhibited a different susceptibility to salt-induced micellization, as indicated by the retention volume of the micelles and the relative micelle/unimer peak areas. Similarly, the cloud points of the triblock copolymers covered a relatively wide temperature range from 56 to 72°C. These differences in micellization and cloud points suggest a profound effect of the location of the hydrophilic MTEGVE block on copolymer association. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1181–1195, 1997     

The synthesis and chemistry of some bis-aziridinylketones and their spectral study

The synthesis and spectral characteristics of certain bis(1-alkyl-3-phenyl-2-aziridinyl)ketones are reported. The reactions of 1,2,4,5-tetrabromo-1,5-diphenyl-3-pentanone ( 2 ) with primary amines are assumed to have a mechanism similar to that of a simple dibromo-ketone. The so-called cis, cis- or trans, trans-configurations of the bis-aziridinylketones were determined by ¹H and ¹³C nmr spectra.     

The effect of electronegative atoms on the structures of hydrocarbons. ab initio calculations on molecules containing fluorine or (carbonyl) oxygen

A series of ab initio calculations have been carried out, using the 4-21G basis set. Ethane and propane were first studied to obtain reference points. The effect of adding an electronegative atom (fluorine, or carbonyl oxygen) onto the framework was then studied as a function of the torsional angle about the single bond. Some pronounced trends in structural changes were observed, and these can in part be correlated with hyperconjugative effects. For example, fluoroethane has bond lengths which are shorter than those in ethane itself, by 0.024 Åin the C C bond, and 0.003 Åin the α C H bonds. These changes are essentially torsionally independent. On the other hand, in propionaldehyde, the C C bond length of the methyl group and the C H bond lengths of the hydrogens attached to the alpha carbon vary as a function of the torsion angle. If the methyl C C bond in the carbonyl plane is taken as a reference, the bond stretches .016 Åwhen the torsion angle is increased to 90°, an α C H bond similarly stretches up to .007 Å. Many of these geometric changes are large, well beyond the experimental errors in modern measurements.     

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection: Analysis of duck hepatitis B

We report an accurate and reproducible DNA quantitation method using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The amount of PCR product is monitored after each PCR cycle by capillary electrophoresis. To ensure accurate quantitation, a non-amplified internal standard is added to each PCR-amplified electrophoresis sample to correct for variations in injection volume. Quantitation of the sample is based on the number of cycles necessary to generate a predetermined amount of PCR product. Duck hepatitis B virus genome was used as a model in this study. The genome was quantified with a linear relationship between cycle number and logarithm of sample DNA for amounts of sample DNA between 30 and 3.1 x 10(8) copies ( r(2)>0.999). The relative standard deviation for the corrected capillary electrophoresis signal was 2.7%, while the relative standard deviation for the overall assay was 3.0%. Results from a single-blind study generated a relative error of 1.3%.     

Thin-layer chromatography combined with diode laser desorption/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

The desorption of an analyte by a continuous wave diode laser from a porous surface of a thin-layer plate covered with a graphite suspension is presented. The thermally desorbed analyte molecules are ionized in the gas phase by a corona discharge at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, both essential processes--the desorption and the ionization of analyte molecules, which are often performed in one step--are separated. The target preparation is easy and fast since no additional extraction process is required. The mass spectrometric background signal was mostly limited to the low mass range showing no interference with typical compounds of interest. In this study, the calmative and antihypertensive drug reserpine was chosen as model analyte, which is often used for specification of mass spectrometers. No fragmentation was observed because of efficient collisional cooling under atmospheric pressure. The influence of diode laser power and the composition of the graphite suspension were investigated, and a primary optimization was performed.     

Molecular dynamics effects on luminescence properties of oligothiophene derivatives: a molecular mechanics-response theory study based on the CHARMM force field and density functional theory

CHARMM force field parameter values for a class of oligothiophene derivatives have been derived with reference to density functional theory/B3LYP potential energy surfaces. The force field parametrization of these luminescent conjugated polyelectrolytes includes the electronic ground state as well as the strongly light absorbing first excited state. In conjunction with quantum chemical response theory calculations of transition state properties, a molecular dynamical model of the Stokes shift is obtained. The theoretical model is benchmarked against experimental data recorded at room temperature which refer to sodium salts of p-HTAA and p-FTAA with distilled water as a solvent. For p-HTAA the theoretically predicted Stokes shift of 112 nm is in good agreement with the experimental result of 124 nm, given the approximations about exciton localization that were introduced to obtain a force field for the excited state.