Synthesis and SFM Study of Comb‐Like Poly(4‐vinylpyridinium) Salts and Their Complexes with Surfactants

Summary: Poly(4‐vinylpyridinium) bromides containing octyl and dodecyl pendant groups were synthesized. Bromide anions in these polymer salts were substituted with dodecylsulfate and bis(2‐ethylhexylsuccinate) anions using ion‐exchange reactions. Initially, P4VP and its derivatives loaded with hydrophobic groups were deposited on a mica surface from diluted solutions in chloroform for visualization. Images of single adsorbed macromolecules were obtained using scanning force microscopy. Original P4VP chains form partially compacted self‐intersecting coils. Loading the polymer chains with large hydrophobic groups and especially the increase in the number of alkyl tails (see Figure) per monomer unit of the polymer chain leads to the stretching of the coils, and the comb‐like macromolecules adopt more and more extended self‐avoiding 2D conformations when deposited on the substrate.

Polymer chains with large hydrophobic groups and increasing number of alkyl tails per monomer unit of the polymer chain.     

Search for hydrocarbons by the method of induced seismoacoustic emission in wells

Regular specific features have been observed for the first time in the response of a fluid-saturated porous medium to a high-intensity seismoacoustic field. Experimental investigations show that the observed behavior can serve as a basis for a new effective complex technology capable of detecting hydrocarbons and water in the near-well zone and selectively restoring the fluid conductivity in oil pools.     

Utility of the tandem Pauson-Khand reaction in the construction of tetracycles

The scope of the tandem Pauson-Khand reaction has been explored for the regiospecific construction of [5.5.5.5]- and [5.6.6.5]tetracyclic systems via the photolytic method of Livinghouse. The rapid regiospecific entry into the two dicyclopentapentanoid systems 17 and 29 was accomplished from the key diene-diynes 11 and 19b. A photochemically mediated catalytic tandem Pauson-Khand cyclization was employed to prepare the parent ring systems of dicyclopenta[a,e]pentalene (from 19b) and dicyclopenta[a,f]pentalene (from 11) in regiospecific fashion in a one-pot process. Under these conditions, conversion of acyclic diene-diyne 16 into tetracyclic system 17 was achieved in 74% yield, while a similar process was employed to convert 28 into tetracycle 29 in 90% yield. This is much improved over the previous conditions that employed NMO. Six carbon-carbon bonds were generated in this process constituting up to 98% yield for each carbon-carbon bond so formed. Furthermore, tetracyclic [5.6.6.5] systems such as dicyclopenta[b,g]decalins 37, 38, and 40 were prepared from similar diene-diyne precursors via the tandem Pauson-Khand cyclization. Importantly, acetal 36 provided the desired cis-fused [5.6.6.5] system 38a (via 40a/b) in stereospecific fashion. This reaction is unique in that it provides a cis-decalin ring system; moreover, the yield of each of the six carbon-carbon bonds formed in this process was at least 89%. The structure of cis diol 38a was confirmed by X-ray crystallography.     

First experimental observations of neutron bursts under thunderstorm clouds near sea level

The connection of short-term neutron bursts near sea level with the electric and geomagnetic atmospheric fields during thunderstorms in 2009–2011 has been experimentally studied. The data from the cosmic-ray spectrograph named after Kuzmin, an electrostatic fluxmeter, and a three-component fluxgate magnetometer in Yakutsk have been analyzed. It has been shown that short-term (no longer than 4 min) neutron bursts are due to negative lightning discharges. The bursts are detected at the ground level 1–3 km below thunderstorm clouds. In this case, the neutron flux is about 4 × 10⁻³ cm⁻² s⁻¹. The minimum energy of the neutrons that are efficiently detected by the monitor is about 10 MeV. It has been found that short-term neutron bursts are detected when the electric field strength reaches a threshold value of −16 kV/m.