Kinetic study of the crosslinking reaction of 1,2‐polybutadiene with dicumyl peroxide in the absence and presence of vinyl acetate

The crosslinking reaction of 1,2-polybutadiene (1,2-PB) with dicumyl peroxide (DCPO) in dioxane was kinetically studied by means of Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy (FTNIR). The crosslinking reaction was followed in situ by the monitoring of the disappearance of the pendant vinyl group of 1,2-PB with FTNIR. The initial disappearance rate (R₀) of the vinyl group was expressed by R₀ = k[DCPO]^0.8[vinyl group]^−0.2 (120 °C). The overall activation energy of the reaction was estimated to be 38.3 kcal/mol. The unusual rate equation was explained in terms of the polymerization of the pendant vinyl group as an allyl monomer involving degradative chain transfer to the monomer. The reaction mixture involved electron spin resonance (ESR)-observable polymer radicals, of which the concentration rapidly increased with time owing to a progress of crosslinking after an induction period of 200 min. The crosslinking reaction of 1,2-PB with DCPO was also examined in the presence of vinyl acetate (VAc), which was regarded as a copolymerization of the vinyl group with VAc. The vinyl group of 1,2-PB was found to show a reactivity much higher than 1-octene and 3-methyl-1-hexene as model compounds in the copolymerization with VAc. This unexpectedly high reactivity of the vinyl group suggested that an intramolecular polymerization process proceeds between the pendant vinyl groups located on the same polymer chain, possibly leading to the formation of block-like polymer. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4437–4447, 2004     

Basic study of the gelation of dimethacrylate‐type crosslinking agents

An investigation was made of the gelation of dimethacrylate‐type crosslinking agents in view of an application for separation media. The study mainly centered on a crosslinking agent, glycerol dimethacrylate (GDMA), which is relatively hydrophilic because of a hydroxyl group in the middle of its structure. The gelation of GDMA was compared with that of other hydrophobic crosslinking agents such as ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and 1,6‐hexanediol dimethacrylate. The diluents used in the study were toluene, toluene with methanol, and cyclohexanol. The gelation was observed in real time with a charge coupled device camera and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Also, the separated dry gels were extensively characterized with scanning electron microscopy, BET (N₂ absorption and desorption isotherm), and Fourier transform infrared. DLS analysis showed a stronger molecular interaction of GDMA gelation in toluene, whereas this interaction was much weaker in an alcoholic solvent such as toluene with methanol or cyclohexanol. This indicated that GDMA gelation might proceed through hydrogen bonding as well as a crosslinking reaction of vinyl groups. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 949–958, 2006     

Copolymers containing a spiro orthoester moiety that undergo no shrinkage during cationic crosslinking

A spiro orthoester with an exomethylene group (exoSOE) was radically copolymerized with acrylonitrile or vinyl acetate at several feed ratios to obtain the corresponding copolymers having spiro orthoester moieties in the side chain. The obtained copolymers could be crosslinked via the double ring‐opening polymerization of the spiro orthoester moieties in their side chain by a treatment with BF₃OEt₂. The volume changes upon the crosslinking of the copolymers were evaluated by density measurements with a micromeritics gas pycnometer. The copolymers experienced less than 1% volume expansion instead of volume shrinkage during typical cationic crosslinking, regardless of the copolymer compositions. Negligible shrinkage was observed during the thermal cationic crosslinking of a film cast from a nitrobenzene solution of the copolymers containing a benzylthiophenium salt as a thermally latent cationic initiator. The constantly low volume changes during the crosslinking of the copolymers from exoSOE probably depended on the almost zero volume change during the cationic polymerizations of spiro orthoester derivatives. This indicates that exoSOE is an effective monomer for crosslinkable polymers without volume changes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3666–3673, 2006     

The molecular structure and chemical reactivities of the condensation products of o-substituted benzylidenacetylacetone with hydrazine dihydrochloride

Reaction of o-nitrobenzylideneacetylacetone ( 1a ) with hydrazine dihydrochloride in methanol gave 4-(α-methoxy-o-nitrobenzyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazole hydrochloride ( 4a ), whose structure was unambigously confirmed by an X-ray crystallographic analysis, via 4-(o-nitrobenzylidene)-3,5-dimethylisopyrazole ( 2a ). Compound 2a was synthesized by condensation of 1a with hydrazine dihydrochloride in acetonitrile. Analogously the corresponding o-chloro derivatives ( 2b, 4b ) were obtained. These were converted to N-methyl ( 6b ) and N-acetyl ( 7a,b ) derivatives and the behaviors on bromination and pyrolysis were investigated.     

Synthetic and structural studies of [6]-, [7]- and [10]metacyclophanes

A new preparative sequence from 2,3-polymethylene-2-cyclopentenone 5 to 2,6-polymethylenebromobenzenes 3 (n = 6, 7, 10) and 2,6-polymethylenephenyllithiums 6 has been found. The reaction of 6 with various electrophiles produces a number of new compounds to disclose the unique reactivity of the aryl C-Li moiety surrounded by the polymethylene chain. Photolysis of 3a and 3b provides transannular products 8, 10 and 11, all arising from the proximity between the aromatic bromine and the aliphatic hydrogen intraannularly opposed to be removed as HBr. Spectrometric study gives quantitative data of the dependence of the molecular geometry upon the chain length and the aromatic substituents. The energy barriers ΔG_c^≠ of the conformational flipping are 17·4 kcal/mol (T_c 76·5°) for [6]metacyclophane (7a), 11·5 kcal/mol (T_c ?28°) for [7]metacyclophane (7b), ·8 kcal/mol for [10]metacyclophane (7c). The lower-energy process of the aliphatic chain in [6]metacyclophane derivatives is the pseudorotation with substituent-dependent barrier ΔG_c^≠ 11·1 kcal/mol (T_c ?31·5°) for 7a, 12·4 kcal/mol (T_c ?4·5°) for 3a and 12·7 kcal/mol (T_c 1·0°) for 12a. The rather large rotational barrier is attributed to the compressed structure of each system. The benzene ring distortion of the cyclophanes is deduced from the bathochromic shift of the B-band and the diamagnetic shift of the benzene proton signals in the PMR.     

Frequency measurement of pure rotational transitions of OH

Frequencies of pure rotational transitions of OH⁻ ion were measured in the 1-5 THz region with a high-precision tunable far-infrared spectrometer. The measured frequencies were analyzed together with the data of infrared measurements to refine rotational parameters.