Reactions of tetrafluoroethylene oligomers. Part 1. Some pyrolytic reactions of the pentamer and hexaher and of the fluorine adducts of the tetramer and pentamer

Pyrolyses of these highly branched fluorocarbons over glass beads caused the preferential thermolyses of CC bonds where there is maximum carbon substitution. Fluorinations of perfluoro-3,4-dimethylhex-3-ene (tetramer) (I) and perfluoro-4-ethyl-3,4-dimethylhex- 2-ehe (pentamer) (II) over cobalt (III) fluoride at 230° and 145° respectively afforded the corresponding saturated fluorocarbons (III) and (IV), though II gave principally the saturated tetramer (III) at 250°. Pyrolysis of III alone at 500—520° gave perfluoro-2-methylbutane (V), whilst pyrolysis of III in the presence of bromine or toluene afforded 2-bromononafluorobutane (VI) and 2H-nonafluorobutane (VII) respectively. Pyrolysis of perfluoro-3-ethyl-3, 4-dimethylhexane (IV) alone gave a mixture of perfluoro-2-methylbutane (V), perfluoro-2-methylbut-1-ene (VIII), perfluoro-3-methylpentane (IX), perfluoro-3,3-dimethylpentane (X), and perfluoro-3,4- dimethylhexane (III). Pyrolysis of IV in the presence of bromine gave (VI) and 3-bromo-3-trifluoromethyl-decafluoropentane (XI): with toluene, pyrolysis gare VlI and 3H-3-trifluoromethyldecafluoropentane (XII). Pyrolysis of II at 500° over glass gave perfluoro-1,2,3-trimethylcyclobutene (XIII) and perfluoro-2,3-dimethylpenta-1,3(E)- and (Z)-diene (XIV) and (XV) respectively. The diene mixture (XIV and XV) was fluorinated with CoF₃ to give perfluoro-2,3-dimethylpentane (XVI) and was cyclised thermally to give the cyclobutene (XIII). Pyrolysis of perfluoro-2- (1′-ethyl-1′-methylpropyl)-3-methylpent-1-ene (XVII) (TFE hexamer major isomer) at 500° gave perfluoro-1-methyl-2-(1′-methylpropyl)cyclobut-1-ene (XVIII) and perfluoro-2-methyl-2-(1′-methylpropyl)buta-1,3-diene (XIX). Fluorination of XVIII over CoF₃ gave perfluoro-1-methyl-2- (1′-methylpropyl)cyclobutane (XX), which on co-pyrolysis with bromine gave VI. XIX on heating gave XVIII. Reaction of XVIII with ammonia in ether gave a mixture of E and Z 1′-trifluoromethyl-2-(1′-trifluoromethyl- pentafluoropropyliden-1′-yl)tetrafluorocyclobutylamine (XXI) which on diazotisation and hydrolysis afforded 2-(2′trifluoromethyl- tetrafluorocyclobut-1-en-1′-yl)-octafluorobutan-2-ol (XXII).     

A phenoxyl radical complex of copper(II)

A new N,O-bidentate pro-ligand (HL), [ML2] (M = Cu, Zn) and [CuL2][BF4] have been synthesised; [CuL2].4DMF and [CuL2][BF4].2CH2Cl2 have been crystallographically and spectroscopically characterised; these data indicate that [CuL2]+ cations are constituted as [Cu2+(L.)(L-)]+ and involve the phenoxyl radical L..     

Photolysis of poly(amino acid)s at 77K: An ESR study

The mechanism of the ultraviolet (λ > 250 nm) degradation of poly(amino acid)s has been studied by ESR spectroscopy at 77 K. In the aliphatic poly(amino acid)s of glycine, alanine and valine, absorption of energy occurs predominantly in the peptide group, and the initial degradation reaction is scission of the CONH bond. The imino radical, ·NHCHR, abstracts the main chain H from the CHR group, or the tertiary H from valine, to give secondary carbon radicals. The acyl radical, CHRCO·, readily loses CO to form a chain-end radical, CHR·. The aromatic poly(amino acid)s of phenylalanine and tyrosine absorb energy mainly in the phenyl chromophore and bond scission occurs in the side chain. The mechanism of photolysis of the poly(amino acid)s differs from that of the N-acetyl amino acids (except for tyrosine) due to the presence of the labile carboxyl group.