Electrically conducting polyaromatic sulfides

Poly(p-phenylene sulfide), PPS, a melt and solution processible polymer, can be made highly conducting by doping with strong electron acceptors such as ASF5. Virgin PPS is an insulator with a relatively high ionization potential compared to polyacetylene. This, coupled with its high melting and solubilization points, restricts possible dopants to those which are particularly aggressive and capable of reacting with PPS in the solid state. These aggressive dopants induce a variety of chemical changes in the polymer backbone upon doping. While fluorination and crosslinking occur to some extent, infrared spectra and independent chemical synthesis suggest that the predominant chemical change is via intrachain bridging (cyclization) of adjacent phenyl rings. In an attempt to find processible systems with lower ionization potentials and which are less prone to chemical modification, a variety of polyaromatic sulfides were prepared. The influence of polymer structure, morphology, and dopant-induced chemical modifications upon conductivity is discussed.     

Trifluoromethyl-substituted indenyl rhodium and iridium complexes are highly selective catalysts for directed hydroboration reactions

Rhodium and iridium catalysts containing trifluoromethyl-substituted indenyl ligands (Ind'MCod, Ind' = C9H7, (1-CF3)C9H6, (2-CF3)C9H6, (1,3-CF3)2C9H5) have been developed for the directed hydroboration of 4-(benzyloxy)cyclohexene to cis-3-(benzyloxy)cyclohexanol. Compared to unsubstituted complexes, trifluoromethyl substitution yields a 3-10% increase in selectivity which is attributed to the strong electron-withdrawing effect of the trifluoromethyl group. Rhodium complexes give selectivities of 74-84%, and iridium complexes give high levels of selectivity (93-98%).     

Proliferative and antioxidant activity of Symphytum officinale root extract

The root of Symphytum officinale L. is commonly used in folk medicine to promote the wound healing, reduce the inflammation and in the treatment of broken bones. The objective of our investigation was to analyse the extract from S. officinale in term of its antioxidant activity and the effect on cell viability and proliferation of human skin fibroblast (HSF). Moreover, the quantification of main phenolics and allantoin was conducted using HPLC–DAD method. Five compounds were found: rosmarinic, p-hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, chlorogenic and p-coumaric acid. DPPH, FRAP and TPC assay showed the high antioxidant activity of the extract. MTT test proved the stimulatory effect on cell metabolism and viability of HSF cells. Moreover, no changes in cytoskeleton structure and cells shape were observed. The obtained results indicate that non-toxic extract from S. officinale root has strong antioxidant potential and a beneficial effect on human skin fibroblasts.     

Alkylated Aromatic Thioethers with Aggregation‐Induced Emission Properties—Assembly and Photophysics

In this contribution, we present the synthesis and self‐assembly of alkylated thioethers with interesting photophysical properties. To this end, the emission, absorption and excitation spectra in organic solvents and as aggregates in water were measured as well as the corresponding photoluminescence quantum yields and lifetimes. The aggregates in aqueous media were visualized and measured using transmission electron microscopy. Besides that, crystal structures of selected compounds allowed a detailed discussion of the structure–property relationship. Furthermore, the mesomorphic behavior was investigated using polarized optical microscopy (POM) as well as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).     

Palladium on carbon as a precatalyst for the Suzuki-Miyuara cross-coupling of aryl chlorides

Palladium on carbon is used as a precatalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura reaction of aryl chlorides and aryl boronic acids. An efficient catalyst system is obtained that allows the reaction of substrates that are difficult to couple under ligand free conditions. This includes electron rich and sterically hindered aryl chlorides as well as electron deficient and sterically hindered boronic acids. We have discovered that the amount of ligand needed to catalyze these reactions can be significantly decreased by incorporating an incubation period. This study also provides valuable insight into the mechanism of the Pd/C-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling. For example, mercury poisoning studies provide evidence that the active catalytic species is homogeneous. However, catalyst reuse and low metal contamination indicate that this system retains many of the advantages of a heterogeneous catalyst. From these results, a catalytic cycle is proposed.     

Self-diffusion and ‘order–order’ kinetics in B2-ordering AB binary systems with a tendency for triple-defect formation: Monte Carlo simulation

Self-diffusion of component atoms and ‘order–order’ relaxations in a B2-ordering binary system AB showing a tendency for triple-defect formation were consistently simulated by means of two Monte Carlo techniques. In view of a strict correlation between antisite-defect and vacancy concentrations the Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations were implemented with a temperature-dependent vacancy concentration determined by means of Semi-Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (SGCMC) simulations. The Ising model of the system was completed with local-configuration-dependent saddle-point energy parameters related to vacancy mediated atomic jumps. The simulations elucidated the atomistic origin of the experimentally observed low rate of ‘order–order’ relaxations in NiAl, as well as reproduced the experimental relation between the activation energies for ‘order–order’ kinetics and Ni self-diffusion in NiAl. Higher value of the deduced activation energy for atomic migration with respect to the effective energy barriers related to individual atomic jumps indicated their high correlation.