RAFT/MADIX copolymerization of vinyl acetate and 5,6‐benzo‐2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxepane

The synthesis of well‐defined degradable poly(vinyl acetate) analogues is achieved by RAFT copolymerization of 5,6‐benzo‐2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxepane (BMDO) and vinyl acetate (VAc) using methyl (ethoxycarbonothioyl)sulfanyl acetate (MEA) as controlling agent. Several monomer mixtures with low BMDO contents (<30 mol %) are employed to prepare different copolymers. In all the cases, the evolution of molar masses and the dispersity values (<1.26) confirm the controlled feature of the polymerization. The livingness of the obtained chains is demonstrated by successful chain extension experiments with VAc, although the presence of dead chains is also shown. The introduction of ester groups into the main chain of these P(VAc‐co‐BMDO) copolymers allows their degradation when treated with a mixture of KOH/MeOH in reflux during 2.5 h. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 104–111     

Chemiluminescence mapping. I. Experimental method and initial measurments on the D+F2 and F+D2 reactions

Measurements by a new experimental chemiluminescence method of the nascent DF product vibrational distribution confirm earlier findings for the F + D₂ → DF(ν?4) + D reaction. The distribution for D + F₂ → DF(ν?15) + F shows a larger fraction (≈ 78%) of the reaction exothermicity channeled into product vibration than is observed by conventional chemiluminescence measurements on the parallel H + F₂ system (58%). The new method, termed chemiluminescence mapping for its simultaneous recording of spectrally and temporally resolved chemiluminescence, differs from the earlier arrested relaxation and measured relaxation techniques by the introduction of a short duty cycle pulsed molecular reagent source, a modified deuterium dissociation source, and signal averaged (time resolved), detection of the DF infrared emission. The chemiluminescence mapping technique results for D + F₂ and F + D₂, are presented; apparent deviation from the energy distribution in the H + F₂ system is discussed.     

Selectivity and energetics in the MPD of isomeric fluoropentanes

The multiphoton gas-phase HF elimination from 1-, 2- and 3-fluoropentanes (1FP, 2FP and 3FP) has been studied; 1FP does not react. The conversion per flash for 3FP is 1000 times greater than that for 2FP. The average excitation energies for 3FP and 2FP are 125 and 110 kcal/mole, respectively; the 3FP undergoes secondary reaction. The difference in photophysical properties of 2FP and 3FP can be used as the basis for a purification technique.     

Growth related properties of pentacene thin film transistors with different gate dielectrics

We report a study on the influence of dielectric surface properties on the growth, the morphology and ordering of pentacene layers and associated consequences on the performance of organic field effect transistors (OFETs). This work mainly aims at disentangling the respective influences of surface roughness and surface energy on pentacene growth. A range of inorganic high-k oxides as well as polymer dielectrics were compared: Ta₂O₅ deposited by e-beam evaporation or grown by anodic oxidation, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) single layer or PMMA/Ta₂O₅ bi-layer. Some complementary results on anodic HfO₂ were also added. Atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and infrared absorption evidenced that hydrophobicity and surface roughness drastically influence pentacene growth mechanisms. Transistors realized with the different dielectrics show characteristics well correlated to pentacene structural properties. In particularly, we point out the relationship between the grain size and the field effect mobility with the surface energy of the dielectric substrate. The general trend is that the bigger the grains, the higher the mobility but that best electrical performances of OFETs are obtained with a dielectric surface energy close to that of pentacene. This work also bears out our former results on the benefit of a polymer/high-k oxide bilayer dielectric configuration to improve the field effect mobility while keeping a low operating voltage.     

Field emission study of ammonia adsorption and catalytic decomposition on individual molybdenum planes

A probe-hole field emission microscope was used to investigate the crystallographic specificity of ammonia adsorption at 200 and 300 K on (110), (100), (211) and (111) molybdenum crystal planes. Chemisorbed NH₃ causes a large work function decrease, especially at 200 K in agreement with an associative adsorption model which can also explain that this decrease is more important on the crystal planes of highest work function (At 200 K, Δφ = ?2.25 eV on Mo(110) compared to Δφ = ?1.55 eV on Mo (111). The decomposition of NH₃ was followed by measuring the work function changes for stepwise heating of the Mo tip covered with NH₃ at 200 K. On the four studied planes NH₃ decomposition and H₂ desorption are completed at about 400 K. Δφ changes above 400 K depend on the crystal plane and have been related to two different nitrogen surface states. No inactive plane towards NH₃ adsorption and decomposition has been found but the noted crystallographic anisotropy in this low pressure study is relevant to the structure sensitive character of the NH₃ decomposition and synthesis reactions.     

Pt10Ni10(111) single crystal alloy: Determination of the surface composition by AES,XPS and ISS

The surface composition of the Pt₁₀Ni₉₀(111) single crystal alloy has been determined from AES, XPS and ISS experiments. The clean surface is largely enriched with platinum: 30–40% in the top layer instead of 10% in the bulk. This enrichment concerns mainly the ultimate surface layer and appears to be only slightly dependent on the sample temperature.     

Calculational and experimental investigations of the pressure effects on radical-radical cross combination reactions: C2H5+C2H3

Pressure-dependent product yields have been experimentally determined for the cross-radical reaction C2H5 + C2H3. These results have been extended by calculations. It is shown that the chemically activated combination adduct, 1-C4H8*, is either stabilized by bimolecular collisions or subject to a variety of unimolecular reactions including cyclizations and decompositions. Therefore the "apparent" combination/disproportionation ratio exhibits a complex pressure dependence. The experimental studies were performed at 298 K and at selected pressures between about 4 Torr (0.5 kPa) and 760 Torr (101 kPa). Ethyl and vinyl radicals were simultaneously produced by 193 nm excimer laser photolysis of C2H5COC2H3 or photolysis of C2H3Br and C2H5COC2H5. Gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry/flame ionization detection (GC/MS/FID) were used to identify and quantify the final reaction products. The major combination reactions at pressures between 500 (66.5 kPa) and 760 Torr are (1c) C2H5+C2H3-->1-butene, (2c) C2H5 + C2H5-->n-butane, and (3c) C2H3+C2H3-->1,3-butadiene. The major products of the disproportionation reactions are ethane, ethylene, and acetylene. At moderate and lower pressures, secondary products, including propene, propane, isobutene, 2-butene (cis and trans), 1-pentene, 1,4-pentadiene, and 1,5-hexadiene are also observed. Two isomers of C4H6, cyclobutene and/or 1,2-butadiene, were also among the likely products. The pressure-dependent yield of the cross-combination product, 1-butene, was compared to the yield of n-butane, the combination product of reaction (2c), which was found to be independent of pressure over the range of this study. The [1-C4H8]/[C4H10] ratio was reduced from approximately 1.2 at 760 Torr (101 kPa) to approximately 0.5 at 100 Torr (13.3 kPa) and approximately 0.1 at pressures lower than about 5 Torr (approximately 0.7 kPa). Electronic structure and RRKM calculations were used to simulate both unimolecular and bimolecular processes. The relative importance of C-C and C-H bond ruptures, cyclization, decyclization, and complex decompositions are discussed in terms of energetics and structural properties. The pressure dependence of the product yields were computed and dominant reaction paths in this chemically activated system were determined. Both modeling and experiment suggest that the observed pressure dependence of [1-C4H8]/[C4H10] is due to decomposition of the chemically activated combination adduct 1-C4H8* in which the weaker allylic C-C bond is broken: H2C=CHCH2CH3-->C3H5+CH3. This reaction occurs even at moderate pressures of approximately 200 Torr (26 kPa) and becomes more significant at lower pressures. The additional products detected at lower pressures are formed from secondary radical-radical reactions involving allyl, methyl, ethyl, and vinyl radicals. The modeling studies have extended the predictions of product distributions to different temperatures (200-700 K) and a wider range of pressures (10(-3)-10(5) Torr). These calculations indicate that the high-pressure [1-C4H8]/[C4H10] yield ratio is 1.3+/-0.1.     

1,3-Oxazoline- and 1,3-oxazolidine-2-thiones as substrates in direct modified Stille and Suzuki cross-coupling

1,3-Oxazoline- (OXT) and 1,3-oxazolidine-2-thiones (OZT) can undergo direct Stille and Suzuki cross-coupling reactions under microwave activation to produce 2-aryloxazoles and 2-aryloxazolines in reasonable to good yields.