Synthesis of some chiral liquid crystals and study of the effect of intramolecular hydrogen bonding on the phase behaviour

The synthesis of three new series of chiral Schiff's bases containing benzilideneaniline and 2-hydroxybenzilideneaniline moieties as mesogenic cores is presented. Differential scanning calorimetry, optical polarizing microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements were used to study the phase transition temperatures and behaviour. The results reveal that most of these materials show chiral smectic mesomorphism.     

WAXS studies on block copolymers of ethylene and propylene

Wide-angle X-ray scattering from presumed block copolymers of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene-propylene copolymer (EPR), i.e., PP-EPR and PP-EPR-PP, synthesized by sequential polymerization with δ-TiCl₃? Et₂AlCl, was examined and compared with WAXS of mechanical blends and chain-transfer mixtures of PP and EPR with comparable compositions. The peak at 2θ = 20° for both the copolymers and the mixtures was attributed to the γ modification of PP in EPR. A strong variation in the ratio of diffraction intensities I₀₄₀/I₁₁₀ of PP in block copolymers and mixtures was explained in terms of crystallite growth in different directions. Analysis of the patterns and calculation of crystallinity, crystallite size, and lattice parameters led to the conclusion that block structure existed in the prepared copolymers.     

In‐line monitoring of UV photopolymerization with a quartz crystal resonator

An in‐line monitoring device using a quartz crystal resonator for thin film polymerization was proposed, and its performance has been evaluated by implementing in the UV polymerization of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate with a photoinitiator of 1‐chloroanthraquinone. Because the variation of resonant resistance of the resonator is proportional to the square root of viscosity change that is closely related to the polymerization degree, the resistance can be used as a measure of the polymerization degree. The resistance measurements were compared with the outcome of instrumental analyses of polymerization degree using an FTIR spectrometer and a gel permeation chromatograph. The experimental results showed that the resistance measurements were consistent with the experimental outcome of the instrumental analyses, and this indicates the effectiveness of the proposed device. Owing to the simplicity and availability of the resonator system, its wide utilization in the monitoring of a variety of film polymerization processes, including photoresistor application, is expected. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2428–2439, 2006     

Measurement and prediction of solubilities and diffusion coefficients of carbon dioxide in starch–water mixtures at elevated pressures

The solubility and diffusion coefficient of carbon dioxide in intermediate‐moisture starch–water mixtures were determined both experimentally and theoretically at elevated pressures up to 16 MPa at 50 °C. A high‐pressure decay sorption system was assembled to measure the equilibrium CO₂ mass uptake by the starch–water system. The experimentally measured solubilities accounted for the estimated swollen volume by Sanchez–Lacombe equation of state (S‐L EOS) were found to increase almost linearly with pressure, yielding 4.0 g CO₂/g starch–water system at 16 MPa. Moreover, CO₂ solubilities above 5 MPa displayed a solubility increase, which was not contributed by the water fraction in the starch–water mixture. The solubilities, however, showed no dependence on the degree of gelatinization (DG) of starch. The diffusion coefficient of CO₂ was found to increase with concentration of dissolved CO₂, which is pressure‐dependent, and decrease with increasing DG in the range of 50–100%. A free‐volume‐based diffusion model proposed by Areerat was employed to predict the CO₂ diffusivity in terms of pressure, temperature, and the concentration of dissolved CO₂. S‐L EOS was once more used to determine the specific free volume of the mixture system. The predicted diffusion coefficients showed to correlate well with the measured values for all starch–water mixtures. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 607–621, 2006     

Acetic anhydride as a synthetic reagent

Acetic anhydride has been used widely in synthetic organic chemistry, especially in syntheses and transformations of heterocyclic compounds. These utilities are reviewed under the following classification.     

Single Atom Alloy Preparation and Applications in Heterogeneous Catalysis

There have been remarkable progresses in manipulating heterogeneous catalysts' nanostructures in the past decade. The concept of single atom alloy (SAA) was firstly proposed in 2012 when researchers successfully stabilized single Pd atoms on the Cu(111) surface. However, earlier work in 2009, which focused on replacing one Au atom with a Pd atom in thiolate protected Au₂₅ nanoclusters, could also be considered as the pioneer work of single atom alloy. Both kinds of single atom alloys exhibited the potential of maximum utilization of scarce elements and attractive catalytic performances. The well‐defined structures of SAA catalysts make accurate modeling possible, which further realizes the rational design of single atom alloy catalysts. In this review, we summarize the research trajectory of single atom alloys as well as recent achievements in this field. We also introduce several commonly adopted characterization methods for SAA catalysts such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), temperature programmed reaction (TPR), extended X‐ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra, matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrum (MALDI‐MS) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Through discussing recent progresses in SAA catalysts, we propose that future researches in this filed should be focused on exploring new kinds of metal nanocrystals and controlling the nanostructure of SAA even more precisely.     

Density functional study of the l-proline-catalyzed α-aminoxylation of aldehydes reaction: The reaction mechanism and selectivity

The reaction mechanism of the l-proline-catalyzed α-aminoxylation reaction between aldehyde and nitrosobenzene has been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Our calculation results reveal following conclusions [1]. The first step that corresponds to the formation of C–O bond, is the stereocontrolling and rate-determining step [2]. Among four reaction channels, the syn-attack reaction channel is more favorable than that of the anti one, and the TS-ss channel dominates among the four channels for this reaction in the step of C–O bond formation [3]. The intermolecular hydrogen bond between the acidic hydrogen of l-proline and the N atom of the nitrosobenzene in an early stage of the process catalyzes very effectively the C–O bond formation by a large stabilization of the negative charge that is developing at the O atom along the electrophilic attack [4]. The effect of solvent decreases the activation energy, and also, the calculated energy barriers are decrease with the enhancement of dielectric constants for C–O bond formation step. These results are in good agreement with experiment, and allow us to explain the origin of the catalysis and stereoselectivity for l-proline-catalyzed α-aminoxylation of aldehyde reaction. The addition of H₂O to substituted imine proline, intermolecular proton-transfer steps, and the l-proline elimination process were also studied in this paper.     

Copper(II) diamino acid complexes: quantum chemical computations regarding diastereomeric effects on the energy of complexation

[reaction: see text] Quantum chemical calculations were used to rationalize the observed enantiodifferentiation in the complexation of alpha-amino acids to chiral Cu(II) complexes. Apart from Cu(II)[bond]pi interactions and steric repulsions between the anchoring cholesteryl-Glu moiety and an aromatic amino acid R group, hydrogen bonding also plays a role. In fact, in the case of tryptophan, C[double bond]O...H[bond]N hydrogen bonding between the glutamate moiety and the tryptophan N[bond]H group compensates for the loss of intramolecular hydrogen-bonding and diminished Cu(II)[bond]pi interactions.     

Synthesis of pyrimido[4,5-e][1,4]oxazepin-5-ones

Eighteen novel pyrimido[4,5-e][1,4]oxazepin-5-ones were prepared directly via the reaction of either ethyl 4-chloro-2-phenyl-5-pyrimidinecarboxylate (Ia) or ethyl 4-chloro-2-m-chlorophenyl-5-pyrimidinecarboxylate (Ib) with a variety of substituted 2-(alkylamino)ethanols. A typical example was the preparation of 8,9-dihydro-9-methyl-2-phenylpyrimido[4,5-e][1,4]-oxazepin-5(7H)-one (IIa) from the reaction of Ia with 2-(methylamino)ethanol. Hydrolytic cleavage of the lactone ring in IIa with sodium hydroxide solution, followed by acidification with hydrochloric acid afforded 4-[(2-hydroxyethyl)methylamino]-2-phenyl-5-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid (IV). Reactions of IIa with concentrated ammonium hydroxide or hydrazine also caused cleavage of the lactone ring, giving the corresponding amide (V) or hydrazide (VI), respectively. Structural assignments were supported by infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra.     

贮氢材料电极循环寿命的定量预测定时放电半衰期法的应用

贮氢材料电极循环寿命的定量预测定时放电半衰期法的应用韩剑文，袁满雪，周作祥，赖城明（南开大学化学系天津３０００７１）关键词：贮氢电极，循环寿命，半衰期。前文￣［１］讨论了应用定终点电位放电半衰期法来预测贮氢材料电极循环寿命的问题。本文讨论如何采用定时...