Ca(1)(-)(x)Na(2)(x)Al(2)B(2)O(7): a structure with tunable density of Na(+) vacancies

A series of samples with the composition Ca(1)(-)(x)Na(2)(x)Al(2)B(2)O(7) (0 < x < or = 1) was investigated and a hexagonal structure with unusually large range of homogeneity (at least from x = 0.01 to 0.95) was revealed. The hexagonal phase consists of [Al(2)B(2)O(7)](infinity)(2)(-) lamellae stacked along the c axis, as in CaAl(2)B(2)O(7) and Na(2)Al(2)B(2)O(7). Nevertheless, the configuration and stacking sequence of the [Al(2)B(2)O(7)](infinity)(2)(-) lamellae are different in these three structures. In the hexagonal structure of Ca(1)(-)(x)()Na(2)(x)()Al(2)B(2)O(7), Ca and half Na cations (Na1) statistically occupy the same crystallographic site which is located between the [Al(2)B(2)O(7)](infinity)(2)(-) lamellae, the other half Na cations (Na2) distribute in the planes bisecting the [Al(2)B(2)O(7)](infinity)(2)(-) lamellae. Depending on the composition, the site occupation factor of Na2 site can vary in the same range as x, leading to a tunable density of Na(+) vacancies in the structure. The AlO(4) tetrahedra and BO(3) triangles in the structure tilt in appropriate ways to improve the bond valence sum of Na2 cations which are not sufficiently bonded to the anions.     

A novel method for determination of inorganic oxyanions by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using dehydration reactions

Novel methods for the determination of inorganic oxyanions by electrospray (ES) ionization mass spectrometry have been developed using dehydration reactions between oxyanions and carboxylic acids at the ES interface. Twelve oxyanions (VO₃^?, CrO₄^2?, MoO₄^2?, WO₄^2?, BO₃^3?, SiO₃^2?, SiO₄^4?, AsO₄^4?, AsO₂^?, SeO₄^2?, SeO₃^2? and NO₂^?), out of 16 tested, reacted with at least one of four aminopolycarboxylic acids, i.e. iminodiacetic acid (IDA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), trans‐1,2‐diaminocyclohexane‐N,N,N′,N′‐tetraacetic acid and triethylenetetramine‐N,N,N′,N″,N′″,N′″‐hexaacetic acid, at the ES interface to produce the dehydration products that gave intense mass ion responses, sufficient for trace analysis. As examples, trace determinations of Cr^VI and silica in water samples were achieved after online ion exchange chromatography, where the dehydration product of CrO₄^2? and NTA (m/z 290) and that of SiO₄^4? and IDA (m/z 192) were measured. The limits of detection of the respective methods were 17 nM (0.83 ng Cr/ml) for Cr^VI and 0.17 μM (4.8 ng Si/mL) for SiO₄^4?. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF KINETICALLY STABILIZED 1,3-DIPHOSPHACYCLOBUTENE DERIVATIVES

1-(2,4,6-Tri-tert-butylphenyl)-2-phosphaethyne (1) was allowed to react with 0.5 equiv of an alkyllithium and subsequently with an alcohol to afford a bulky 1,3-diphosphacyclobutene, and its structure and coordination properties on transition metals were investigated. On the other hand, 1 was allowed to react with an alkyllithium and iodomethane to form a stable biradical, 1,3-diphosphacyclobutane-2,4-diyl.     

Cross‐Coupling of Organolithium with Ethers or Aryl Ammonium Salts by C−O or C−N Bond Cleavage

Various aryl‐, alkenyl‐, and/or alkyllithium species reacted smoothly with aryl and/or benzyl ethers with cleavage of the inert C?O bond to afford cross‐coupled products, catalyzed by commercially available [Ni(cod)₂] (cod=1,5‐cyclooctadiene) catalysts with N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands. Furthermore, the coupling reaction between the aryllithium compounds and aryl ammonium salts proceeded under mild conditions with C?N bond cleavage in the presence of a [Pd(PPh₃)₂Cl₂] catalyst. These methods enable selective sequential functionalizations of arenes having both C?N and C?O bonds in one pot.     

Which Stereoinductor Is Better for Asymmetric Functionalization of α-Amino Acids in a Nickel(II) Coordination Environment? Experimental and DFT Considerations

The results of extended comparative investigation of nickel(II) Schiff base complexes (containing various auxiliary chiral moieties) commonly used as a methodological platform for the asymmetric synthesis of tailor-made α-amino acids are provided. The following issues are addressed: 1) redox activity (determining the possibility for electrochemically induced reactions); 2) quantitative estimation of the reactivity of deprotonated complexes towards electrophiles; and 3) quantum-chemical estimation of noncovalent interactions in the metal coordination environment (which shed light on the origin of the stereochemical outcome observed for different stereoinductors). Possible mechanisms that determine the relationship between the stereochemical configuration of a molecule and its electronic structure are discussed. The DFT-calculated HOMO–LUMO energies and localization, as well as relative energies for the (S)- and (R)-alanine derivatives, that determine the stereoinduction efficiency in thermodynamically controlled reactions in nickel(II) coordination are provided. The computational data are supported by experimental results on the monobenzylation of glycine derivatives.     

Homo‐double helix formation of an optically active conjugated polymer bearing carboxy groups and amplification of the helicity upon complexation with achiral and chiral amines

An optically active, m‐terphenyl‐based π‐conjugated polymer bearing carboxy groups was synthesized by the copolymerization of the diethynyl monomer bearing a carboxy group with (S,S)‐2,5‐bis(2‐methylbutoxy)‐1,4‐dibromobenzene using Sonogashira reaction. The copolymer showed a weak circular dichroism (CD) in the main‐chain chromophore region due to a homo‐double helix formation with an excess helical handedness biased by the chiral alkoxy substituents through self‐association. However, upon complexation with achiral amines, such as piperidine, the CD intensity of the polymer significantly increased resulting in the formation of a greater excess one‐handed homo‐double helix via hydrogen‐bonded inclusion complexation with the achiral amines between each strand, leading to the amplification of the helicity. A preferred‐handed homo‐double helix was also induced in the polymer in the presence of nonracemic amines. The effect of the achiral and chiral amines on the homo‐double helix formation was investigated by comparing the CD spectra of the polymer to those of its model dimer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 990–999     

Edge proximity and matching extension in projective planar graphs

A graph $G$ with at least $2m+2$ vertices is said to be distance $d$ $m$-extendable if, for any matching $M$ of $G$ with $m$ edges in which the edges lie at distance at least $d$ pairwise, there exists a perfect matching of $G$ containing $M$. In this paper we prove that every 5-connected triangulation on the projective plane of even order is distance 3 7-extendable and distance 4 $m$-extendable for any $m$.     

Synthesis of well‐defined block copolymer composed of flexible amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol) and hydrophobic liquid crystalline segments by living coordination polymerization of allene derivatives and its application to thin film with perpendicularly oriented cylindrical nanostructure

A block copolymer composed of a flexible polar poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and a less polar liquid crystalline poly(allene) segments is prepared by the living coordination polymerization of an allene derivative possessing trans‐azobenzene‐containing mesogenic substituent by the use of a π‐allylnickel macroinitiator bearing PEG segment. The thin film of the block copolymer is prepared by the spin coating of its solution onto mica or silicon wafer which proves to possess perpendicularly oriented nanocylindrical microphase separated structures as supported by the differential calorimetric, polarized optical microscopic, grazing‐incidence small‐angle X‐ray scattering, transmission electron microscope, and atomic force microscope measurements.