Poly(N-n-butylitaconimide). Preparation and characterization

Poly(N-n-butylitaconimide) was prepared by radical polymerization in benzene and in bulk at 60°C and was subsequently fractionated at 30°C with benzene and methanol as solvent and nonsolvent, respectively. Relationships between molecular weight and intrinsic viscosity (Mark-Houwink-Sakurada equations) in tetrahydrofuran, benzene, and toluene at 30°C are established. From the Burchard-Stockmayer-Fixman plot, the characteristic ratio of this polymer is determined, and local chain conformation is discussed in relation to the termination process in radical polymerization. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Triangle contraction in six-membered-ring silicon clusters

We propose the “triangle contraction” as an important reconstruction mechanism of six-membered-ring silicon clusters on the basis of the force and virial analysis for Si₆, Si₁₀, Si₁₄, Si₁₈, Si₂₂, and Si₂₆ clusters. Forces acting on atoms have been calculated using the local-density-functional scheme with linear-combination-of-atomic-orbitals-Xα method. Calculated forces show that most of the (111)-surface equilateral triangles have tendency to contract, indicating the generality of the triangle-contraction mechanism.     

Reinvestigation of the stereochemistry of kulokekahilide-2

An attempt to carry out a total synthesis of kulokekahilide-2 (1) by macrolactonization of a seco acid prepared from a suitably protected hexapeptide and a dioxy acid moiety unexpectedly resulted in the formation of the 43-epimer (1a) of the cytotoxic depsipeptide, for which structure 1b has previously been proposed. A second attempt involving macrolactamization of the corresponding amino acid gave the target product, 1b, but the spectral data of the product did not match those of natural 1. Furthermore, neither 1a nor 1b showed any cytotoxicity, from which it is concluded that the structure of natural 1 is incorrect and should be re-examined.     

Electronic and geometric properties of alkali-C60 molecules

First-principle electronic structure calculations are carried out for M_xC ₆₀ ^q , where M = Li, Na, K and ( x , q ) = (1, 0),(1,±1),(2, 0),(3, - 1),(6, 0),(6, - 1),(12, 0) using the local density functional. The electric dipole moment for MC₆₀ agrees with the experimental results. The calculated Mulliken charge indicates that the bonding of the alkali atom with C₆₀ is mostly ionic except for lithium. The alkali atom prefers to make many bonds with the carbon atoms rather than a single bond with the neighbor carbon atom. The calculated adsorption energy suggest that the metal-metal bonding of sodiums and potassiums on C₆₀ arises for more than the six valence electrons in the alkali atoms. The lithium-lithium bond is, on the other hand, not appeared for x ? 12. The difference in the most stable geometry between lithiums and the other alkali atoms on C₆₀ comes from the covalent character of the lithium-carbon bond.