Atom-transfer radical polymerization of poly(ethylene oxide) macromonomers in aqueous media

Soluble comb-shaped and swelling network polymers based on monomethacrylate (M = 2080) and bismethacrylate (M = 4000) poly(ethylene oxide) macromonomers, have been synthesized by the controlled atom-transfer radical polymerization in aqueous media. PEG 2000 methyl ether ethyl-2-bromoisobutyrate and 2-bromoisobutyrate, in combination with CuBr, CuBr₂, and 2,2′-bipyridyl, have been used as initiators. The length of the main chain of comb-shaped polymers, as estimated with multidetector chromatography, is in good agreement with the calculated values in the 15–20 range at M _w /M _n = 1.42–1.89. The polymerization of the methacrylate macromonomer proceeds at a high rate and with a nearly quantitative conversion. The replacement of 10–80 mol % CuBr with CuBr₂ appreciably decelerates polymerization and decreases polydispersity to 1.14–1.21, while the experimental and calculated values of chain lengths remain equal. This finding indicates a higher level of process control. The polymer networks thus prepared manifest Gaussian elastic behavior, as is evident from the relationship between the elastic modulus G and the swelling degree Q that is consistent with the classical prediction G ～ Q ^m , where m = ?1/3. Within the framework of the accepted model of networks of this type, this fact suggests the short length of polymethacrylate chains. In addition, the relationship between the time of attainment of the gelation point and the composition of the initiation system agrees with the atomtransfer controlled polymerization mechanism. The efficiencies of various radical polymerization methods for controlling the network structure are compared.     

Adsorption of water vapour from humid air by selected carbon adsorbents

The water uptake by carbon molecular sieves (CMS) and graphitized carbons, all of which are used to determine volatile organic compounds in air, was investigated using a direct experimental approach. CMS, e.g. Carboxen 1002, Carboxen 1003 and Anasorb CMS adsorb substantial amounts of water, in the range 400 to 450 mg per gram of adsorbent. Graphitized carbons, e.g. Carbrogaph 5TD and Carbopack X show low water trapping, less than 30 mg g(-1) and Carbopack Y as little as 5 mg g(-1) or less. The water sorption capacity for graphitized carbons is strongly dependent on the relative humidity (RH). The change of RH from 95 to 90% decreases the amount of adsorbed water by more than a factor of 2. Two different water adsorption mechanisms are operative: adsorption on polar centers and micropore volume filling. For graphitized carbons and CMS at low RH, adsorption on polar centers is involved. For CMS, once the threshold value of relative humidity (RHth) is surpassed, micropore volume filling becomes predominant. RHth is 44 +/- 3 and 42 +/- 3% for Carboxen 1002 and 1003, respectively, and 32 +/- 3% for Anasorb CMS. The CMS mass in the trap was found not to affect the mass of retained water under condition of incomplete saturation of adsorbent bed with water. Thus, the restrictions commonly imposed on the CMS mass are not necessary. The dry purging technique is suggested to remove adsorbed water. Carbograph 5TD and Carbopack X require only a few hundred ml of dry air to remove adsorbed water entirely. Water can also be purged out from CMS; however, much larger volumes of dry air are needed.     

Simple Method for Simultaneous Determination of Selenium and Arsenic in Human Hair by Means of Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry with Hydride Generation Technique

This study describes a simple, rapid and reliable method for simultaneous determination of selenium and arsenic in human hair by means of atomic fluorescence spectrometry combined with a hydride generation technique (HG-AFS). The procedure developed encompasses microwave digestion of a sample in the nitric acid environment only. The interferences caused by nitrous oxides are eliminated by removing a gas from above the digested solution with a stream of argon. The sample is then chemically treated in a flow-through hydride generation system and exposed to measurements in a double-channel atomic fluorescence spectrometer. The method permits determining both analytes in the linear range of 0.5–100µgL^–1 with a detection limit equal to 0.2µgL^–1, as well as with very good repeatability not exceeding 1% for Se and 2% for As. No mutual interferences from either of the analytes in the concentrations ranges matching the hair composition were found. The method was verified in terms of accuracy with the use of a reference material and then applied to the analysis of the natural samples of human hair.     

A Stopped-flow Study on the Kinetics and Mechanism of CO2 Uptake by the cis-[Cr(1,10-phenanthroline)2(OH2)2]3+ Complex Ion

The kinetics of the reaction between gaseous CO₂ and the cis-[Cr(phen)₂(OH₂)₂]³⁺ ion leading to the formation of the carbonato complex ion, have been studied over the pH and temperature ranges: 3 < pH < 6 and 5 < T < 25 °C, respectively, at a constant ionic strength of 1 m (NaClO₄). Investigations were carried out using the stopped-flow spectrophotometry technique in the UV–Vis range: 340–700 nm. The major reactant species in the pH range studied was cis-[Cr(phen)₂(OH)(OH₂)]²⁺ ion, which underwent reaction with CO₂ to form cis-[Cr(phen)₂(OH₂)(HCO₃)]²⁺ ion. Subsequently, slower ring closure of the latter species to form the bidentate carbonato chelate was observed. The possible mechanism has been discussed and the activation parameters ΔH^† and ΔS^† were also determined for the reaction studied.     

Characterization and TG-MS studies of lactato and bipyridine-lactato complexes of Co(II) and Ni(II)

Two lactates and four new mixed ligand complexes with formulae Co(lact)₂·2H₂O, Ni(lact)₂·3H₂O, Co(4-bpy)(lact)₂, Co(2,4'-bpy)₂(lact)₂, Ni(4-bpy)(lact)₂·2H₂O and Ni(2,4'-bpy)₂(lact)₂ (where 4-bpy=4,4'-bipyridine, 2,4'-bpy=2,4'-bipyridine, lact=CH₃CH(OH)COO^-) were isolated and investigated. The thermal behaviour of compounds was studied by thermal analysis (TG, DTG, DTA). In the case of hydrated complexes thermal decomposition starts with the release of water molecules. The compounds decompose at high temperature to metal(II) oxides in air. A coupled TG-MS system was used to analyse the principal volatile products of thermolysis and fragmentation processes of obtained complexes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Quantum chemical studies of dioxygen activation by mononuclear non-heme iron enzymes with the 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad

Density functional theory with the B3LYP hybrid functional has been used to study the mechanisms for dioxygen activation by four families of mononuclear non-heme iron enzymes: alpha-ketoacid-dependent dioxygenases, tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent hydroxylases, extradiol dioxygenases, and Rieske dioxygenases. These enzymes have a common active site with a ferrous ion coordinated to two histidines and one carboxylate group (aspartate or glutamate). In contrast to the heme case, this type of weak field environment always leads to a high-spin ground state. With the exception of the Rieske dioxygenases, which have an electron source outside the active site, the dioxygen activation process passes through the formation of a bridging-peroxide species, which then undergoes O-O bond cleavage finally leading to the four electron reduction of O(2). In the case of tetrahydrobiopterin- and alpha-ketoacid-dependent enzymes, the O-O heterolysis yields a high-valent iron-oxo species, which is capable of performing a two-electron oxidation chemistry on various organic substrates. For the other two families of enzymes (extradiol dioxygenases and Rieske dioxygenases) the substrate oxidation and the O-O bond cleavage are found to be coupled. In the extradiol dioxygenases the product of the O-O bond cleavage is a ferric iron with an oxy-substrate with a mixture of radical and anionic character, which is essential for the selectivity of the catechol cleavage.     

Modeling solvent effects on electron-spin-resonance hyperfine couplings by frozen-density embedding

In this study, we investigate the performance of the frozen-density embedding scheme within density-functional theory [J. Phys. Chem. 97, 8050 (1993)] to model the solvent effects on the electron-spin-resonance hyperfine coupling constants (hfcc's) of the H2NO molecule. The hfcc's for this molecule depend critically on the out-of-plane bending angle of the NO bond from the molecular plane. Therefore, solvent effects can have an influence on both the electronic structure for a given configuration of solute and solvent molecules and on the probability for different solute (plus solvent) structures compared to the gas phase. For an accurate modeling of dynamic effects in solution, we employ the Car-Parrinello molecular-dynamics (CPMD) approach. A first-principles-based Monte Carlo scheme is used for the gas-phase simulation, in order to avoid problems in the thermal equilibration for this small molecule. Calculations of small H2NO-water clusters show that microsolvation effects of water molecules due to hydrogen bonding can be reproduced by frozen-density embedding calculations. Even simple sum-of-molecular-densities approaches for the frozen density lead to good results. This allows us to include also bulk solvent effects by performing frozen-density calculations with many explicit water molecules for snapshots from the CPMD simulation. The electronic effect of the solvent at a given structure is reproduced by the frozen-density embedding. Dynamic structural effects in solution are found to be similar to the gas phase. But the small differences in the average structures still induce significant changes in the computed shifts due to the strong dependence of the hyperfine coupling constants on the out-of-plane bending angle.     

Interferences in ultratrace speciation of organolead and organotin by gas chromatography with atomic spectrometric detection

Interferences in trace and ultratrace speciation analysis of organotin and organolead compounds in various samples by gas chromatography coupled with atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and/or microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry (MIP AES) are investigated. Particular attention is given to the effects of matrix co-extractives and reagents impurities introduced during sample preparation. Their influence on the detection limits is discussed in terms of baseline noise level, blank value, formation of artefacts and signal suppression. Loss of column resolution during the analysis of some matrices is observed.     

Formation and thermal decomposition of aluminium nitroxy compounds

During the reactions of lithium oxide with aluminium nitride, and of lithium nitride with aluminium oxide, the formation has been observed of a previously unknown compound, of composition Li₂AlNO. The course of its thermal decomposition has also been determined.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurde das Auftreten einer bisher unbekannten Verbindung der Zusammensetzung LiAlNO bei den Reaktionen von Lithiumoxid mit Aluminiumnitrid und Lithiumnitrid mit Aluminiumoxid beobachtet. Der Verlauf der thermischen Zersetzung dieser Verbindung wurde bestimmt.

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Li₂AlNO. .

     

The intermediacy of metathiophosphonate PhPSO in the reaction of N-tert-butyl-P-phenylphosphonamidothioic acid with alcohols

Kinetic studies of the reaction of N-tert-butyl-P-phenylphosphonamidothioic acid (1) with alcohols were carried out in CH2Cl2 by means of 31P NMR spectrometry. The reaction is of the first order with respect to thio acid 1. The first-order rate constant at 30 degrees C increases with increasing methanol concentration below 0.25 M, but otherwise the rate constants are either independent of alcohol concentration (MeOH above 0.25 M, BuOH) or decrease with increasing alcohol concentration (i-PrOH, t-BuOH). The effect of alcohols on the order of the reaction and parameters of activation, as well as results of competition experiments, lead us to the conclusion that reaction of 1 with alcohols occurs by an elimination-addition mechanism involving the association of the thio acid 1 and the alcohol and then formation in the rate-determining step of an encounter complex 2' ' involving metathiophosphonate 4, amine, and alcohol. Metathiophosphonate 4 reacts preferentially with the alcohol as the encounter complex (primary alcohols) or after diffusion apart as a "free" intermediate (hindered alcohols).