Ni(II)/Zn-Mediated chemoselective arylation of aromatic aldehydes: facile synthesis of diaryl carbinols

Direct arylation of aromatic aldehydes with aryl bromides in the presence of Ni(II)/Zn was investigated. The choice of ligand in this nickel-catalyzed coupling was critical to the formation of the secondary alcohols. Monodentate phosphine ligands were ineffective, whereas NiBr(2)(dppe)/Zn successfully catalyzed this reductive coupling reaction. The reaction conditions were mild and diarylcarbinols with a variety of functional groups such as ketone, ester, amide, and nitrile groups were readily prepared.     

Use of cotton as a sorbent for on-line precolumn enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in waters prior to liquid chromatography determination

Using cotton as a solid-phase extraction sorbent of the precolumn, an on-line coupled precolumn preconcentration-liquid chromatography system with fluorescence detection was developed for the determination of PAHs in aqueous samples. Four PAHs including fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene and benzo[k]fluoranthene were preconcentrated by a precolumn packed with 30 mg of absorbent cotton and then separated by C₁₈ analytical column. When 100 ml of sample was enriched, the proposed procedure provided detection limits in the range of 0.5-57 ng l⁻¹. Several water samples spiked with PAHs were analyzed with recoveries in the range of 92-119% at spiking level of 100 ng l⁻¹ for fluorene, phenanthrene and fluoranthene, and 10 ng l⁻¹ for benzo[k]fluoranthene, respectively.     

Emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate under pulsed microwave irradiation

Emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) under pulsed microwave irradiation (PMI) with higher peak pulse power was studied. The effects of various parameters of PMI on the polymerization were analyzed and compared with that under conventional heating (CH) process. The results were summarized, as compared with that under CH, as follows. The amount of initiator used to reach constant conversion reduced by 50% at the same polymerization time; at the same initiator concentration 0.15 and 0.2 wt.%, the polymerization rate increased by 131% and 163%, respectively. The molecular weight of polymer obtained was 1.1-2.0 times larger than that under CH; at the same irradiation energy, the conversion achieved using a lower pulse power was greater than that using a higher pulse power. There seemed to be a factor of the irradiation energy efficiency; in other words, for the monomer conversion, the irradiation energy of low pulse power had a higher efficiency. The conversion achieved using a 3.5 μs pulse width was almost the same as that using a 1.5 μs pulse width. The results indicated that PMI had a significant non-thermal effect on the emulsion polymerization of MMA so as to effectively enhance the polymerization rate. The glass transition temperature (T_g), the polydispersity index (PDI) and the regularity of the polymer obtained using two processes were similar, indicating that the physical properties and microstructure of the polymer were not modified by the use of microwaves.     

exo- and enantioselective cycloaddition of azomethine ylides generated from N-alkylidene glycine esters using chiral phosphine-copper complexes

High diastereo- and enantioselectivities were obtained for the asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides generated from N-alkylideneglycine esters with dipolarophiles using chiral phosphine-copper complexes as catalysts. Whereas the cycloaddition of azomethine ylides catalyzed by metal salts generally afforded endo-adducts as the predominant product, the present method is the first example of an exo-selective cycloaddition. [reaction: see text]     

Study of a mathematical model of metal ion complexes in solvent sublation

Separation of metal ion complex, [(C(12)H(8)N(2))(3)Fe(2+)], with surfactant sodium dodecylphrate (DLS) complex from aqueous phase was carried out by solvent sublation, which obeys first-order kinetics. On the base of the complete transport mechanisms, the Langmuir adsorption, and the ion complex equilibrium in the aqueous phase, a mathematical model for the [(C(12)H(8)N(2))(3)Fe(2+)]-surfactant ion complex is obtained with the aid of the Mathematic 4.0 program, 4th Runge-Kutta method, and the Matlab programs. The effects of many parameters, such as K(a), K(l), K(ow), d(i), V(o), V(w), and Q(a), on solvent sublation are investigated. Furthermore, the simulation showed that the model is substantiated for experiments on the solvent sublation of the complex.     

Photocurrent generation in multilayer self-assembly films fabricated from water-soluble poly(phenylene vinylene)

A novel, water-soluble, cationic PPV derivative poly[(2,5-bis(3-bromotrimethylammoniopropoxy)-phenylene-1,4-divinylene)-alt-1,4-(2,5-bis(2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy))phenylene vinylene] (BH-PPV) has been synthesized by a Heck coupling reaction. Multilayered assemblies of the BH-PPV and the sodium salt of hexa(sulfobutyl)fullerenes (C(60)-HS) were fabricated successfully by an alternate deposition technique. The multilayer structures were studied by UV/Vis spectroscopy, small angle X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. The photoinduced charge transfer property of the self-assembled multilayer film was also measured by a three-electrode cell technique. A steady and rapid cathodic 5.5 microA cm(-2) photocurrent response was measured as the irradiation of the multilayer film was switched on and off. Importantly, the response of on/off cycling is prompt and reproducible. A possible mechanism for the electron-transfer process is proposed.     

Thermodynamics and kinetics of the hydride-transfer cycles for 1-aryl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide and its 1,2-dihydroisomer

Five 1-(p-substituted phenyl)-1,4-dihydronicotinamides (GPNAH-1,4-H(2)) and five 1-(p-substituted phenyl)-1,2-dihydronicotinamides (GPNAH-1,2-H(2)) were synthesized, which were used to mimic NAD(P)H coenzyme and its 1,2-dihydroisomer reductions, respectively. When the 1,4-dihydropyridine (GPNAH-1,4-H(2)) and the 1,2-dihydroisomer (GPNAH-1,2-H(2)) were treated with p-trifluoromethylbenzylidenemalononitrile (S) as a hydride acceptor, both reactions gave the same products: pyridinium derivative (GPNA(+)) and carbanion SH(-) by a hydride one-step transfer. Thermodynamic analysis on the two reactions shows that the hydride transfer from the 1,2-dihydropyridine is much more favorable than the hydride transfer from the corresponding 1,4-dihydroisomer, but the kinetic examination displays that the former reaction is remarkably slower than the latter reaction, which is mainly due to much more negative activation entropy for the former reaction. When the formed pyridinium derivative (GPNA(+)) was treated with SH(-), the major reduced product was the corresponding 1,4-dihydropyridine along with a trace of the 1,2-dihydroisomer. Thermodynamic and kinetic analyses on the hydride transfer from SH(-) to GPNA(+) all suggest that the 4-position on the pyridinium ring in GPNA(+) is much easier to accept the hydride than the 2-position, which indicates that when the 1,4-dihydropyridine is used the hydride donor to react with S, the formed pyridinium derivative GPNA(+) may return to the 1,4-dihydropyridine by a hydride transfer cycle; but when the 1,2-dihydropyridine is used as the hydride donor, the formed pyridinium derivative can not return to the 1,2-dihydropyridine by the hydride reverse transfer from SH(-) to GPNA(+). These results clearly show that the hydride-transfer cycle is favorable for the 1,4-dihydronicotinamides, but unfavorable for the corresponding 1,2-dihydroisomers.     

Analysis of flavonoid constituents from leaves of Acanthopanax senticosus harms by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Three known flavonoids, quercetin, quercitrin (quercetin-3-0-rhamnoside) and rutin (quercetin-3-0 rutinoside), have been identified for the first time in the leaves of Acanthopanax senticosus Harms by using electrospray tandem mass spectrometry techniques (ESI-MS(n)). The flavonoid hyperin (quercetin-3-0-beta-galactoside), already known to be present, was also investigated. The diagnostic fragment ions of the aglycone quercetin were obtained in the ESI-MS(n) experiments, and a fragmentation mechanism proposed.     

Resonance Rayleigh scattering technology as a new method for the determination of the inclusion constant of beta-cyclodextrin

The interaction of procaine hydrochloride and beta-cyclodextrin in aqueous solution was studied using resonance Rayleigh scattering technology. The molar ratio of the inclusion complex was 1:1 established by spectrophotometry. The resonance Rayleigh scattering technology was first applied in the determination of the beta-cyclodextrin inclusion constant. The inclusion constant of procaine hydrochloride beta-cyclodextrin complex Kf is 1.23 x 10(2) and 1.27 x 10(2) l mol(-1) for method I and 1.15 x 10(2) and 1.21 x 10(2) l mol(-1) for method II. These determination results were in correspondence with the results of the spectrophotometric and fluorescence methods. Therefore, the resonance Rayleigh scattering method can be used as a new technology for the determination of the inclusion constant.     

Synthesis of novel 5,6-substituted furo[2,3-d]pyrimidines via Pd-catalyzed cyclization of alkynylpyrimidinols with aryl iodides

A flexible method for the synthesis of 5,6-disubstituted furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives is described. The key step is a palladium-catalyzed arylative cyclization of alkynylpyrimidinols with various aryl iodides, which gave the title compounds in 36-75% yield.