Copper‐catalyzed Clauson–Kass pyrroles synthesis in aqueous media

An efficient and convenient copper‐catalyzed Clauson–Kass reaction of 2,5‐dimethoxytetrahydrofuran with amines in aqueous media has been developed, providing a wide range of N‐substituted pyrroles in good yields. It is noteworthy that the Clauson–Kass reaction of 2,5‐dimethoxytetrahydrofuran with p‐phenylenediamine or m‐phenylenediamine proceeds smoothly to afford the corresponding monopyrroles and bispyrroles with high selectivity in impressive yields. A plausible mechanism for the formation of N‐substituted pyrroles has been proposed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copolymerization of styrene and norbornene with β‐diketiminato nickel/methylaluminoxane catalytic system

Styrene–norbornene (S‐N) copolymerizations were carried out using β‐diketiminato nickel complexes CH{C(CF₃)NAr}₂NiBr (Ar = 2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃, 1 ; Ar = 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃, 2 ) in the presence of methylaluminoxane. The influence of the comonomer feed content and polymerization temperature on the conversion and composition of the copolymers with the catalytic system was investigated. An increase in the feed ratio of S/N led to an increase in the incorporated styrene content of the resulting copolymer. NMR characterization of the copolymers generated with the catalytic systems showed that the random S‐N copolymers are produced. Differential scanning calorimetric determination of the copolymers shows higher T_g values than polystyrene, and gel permeation chromatographic measurements have shown that the copolymers possess rather narrow molecular weight distributions, suggesting that the copolymerization take place at a single active site. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and characterization of phenol‐based biaryl proton conducting polymers

Biaryl hydroxy polymers with orthogonal disposition of proton transporting ? OH moieties have been synthesized via conventional free radical polymerization. The polymers are characterized for their thermal stability and proton conductivity, and the results are compared with the corresponding styrenic hydroxy polymers. The orthogonal disposition of ? OH moieties in biaryl polymers does result in lower E_a for proton transport. However, the lower E_a values in biaryl polymers did not translate into a net increase in proton conductivity. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Sorption equilibria of CO2 on silica-gels in the presence of water

The sorption equilibria of carbon dioxide on three types of silica gel (SG) with different pore size distributions in the presence of water were studied experimentally using a volumetric method at 275?K with pressures from 0 to 3.7?MPa. Both the pore size distribution of the silica gel and the quantity of pre-sorbed water impact the formation of the CO₂ hydrates. For wet silicon gel A(SG-A) with water loading ratio of 0.75, the highest CO₂ sorption was about 2.5?mmol of CO₂ per gram of dry sorbent at 275?K. Similarly, the highest sorption was about 2.7?mmol for wet SG-B with R _w =0.81. However, CO₂ hydrate did not form on the wet surface of SG-C due to its large pore sizes.