Curing and pyrolysis of epoxy resins containing 2-(6-oxido-6<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-dibenz(<Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">e</Emphasis>)(1,2)oxaphosphorin-6-yl)-1,4-naphthalenediol or bisphenol S

This work examines the curing kinetics, thermal properties, and decomposition kinetics of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxies with three different curing agents, 2-(6-oxido-6H-dibenz(c,e)(1,2)oxaphosphorin-6-yl)-1,4-naphthalenediol (ODOPN), bisphenol A (BPA), and bisphenol S (BPS). The differential scanning calorimetry curing study reveals that the curing kinetics of the DGEBA/ODOPN epoxy is first order, independent of the scan rate. The ODOPN-containing epoxy, unlike the conventional BPA one, includes a phosphorus-containing bulky pendant aromatic group and results in an increase in the glass-transition temperature of 83 K, the char yield increases by a factor of 3, and the limiting oxygen index values increase from 23 to 27. For the BPS system, the glass-transition temperature increased slightly, and both the char yield and the limiting oxygen index value increased insignificantly when the test was conducted in air. Finally, the thermogravimetric analysis decomposition study in N₂ from Ozawa's analysis demonstrates that the DGEBA/BPS epoxy has the highest activation energy, followed by the regular DGEBA/BPA system, and lastly the DGEBA/ODOPN has the lowest activation energy. The low activation energy for the ODOPN system is attributed to the initial decomposition of the phosphorus compound in the formation of an insulating layer.     

Novel vanadium(V) compounds with a layer structure: synthesis,crystal structures,and solid state NMR spectroscopy of [(VO(2))(2)(4,4'-bpy)(0.5)(4,4'-Hbpy)(XO(4))] x H(2)O (X = P and As)

A novel vanadium(V) phosphate and the arsenate analogue, [(VO(2))(2)(4,4'-bpy)(0.5)(4,4'-Hbpy)(XO(4))].H(2)O (X = P, As; bpy = bipyridine), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. They are the first structurally characterized compounds in the vanadium(V)/4,4'-bpy/phosphate (or arsenate) systems. The two compounds are isostructural and crystallize in the triclinic space group P macro (No. 2) with a = 7.9063(3) A, b = 10.2201(4) A, c = 12.1336(5) A, alpha = 113.4652(7) degrees, beta = 95.7231(7) degrees, gamma = 94.4447(7) degrees, and Z = 2 for the phosphate, and a = 7.8843(6) A, b = 10.3686(7) A, c = 12.2606(9) A, alpha = 113.464(1) degrees, beta = 95.560(1) degrees, gamma = 94.585(1) degrees, and Z = 2 for the arsenate. The structure consists of phosphate-bridged vanadium(V) double chains linked through 4,4'-bpy ligands to form a sheet with the monoprotonated 4,4'-Hbpy(+) ligand being coordinated to the metal atom as a pendent group. The (1)H MAS NMR spectrum exhibits four resonances at 14.2, 9.5, 7.2, and 3.7 ppm with an intensity ratio close to 1:6:6:2, corresponding to three different types of protons in 4,4'-bpy and 4,4'-Hbpy(+) and one type of protons in H(2)O. The peak at 14.2 ppm can be assigned to the proton bonded to the pyridine nitrogen atom, which confirms the presence of 4,4'-Hbpy(+).     

Iron-Catalyzed Cleavage Reaction of Keto Acids with Aliphatic Aldehydes for the Synthesis of Ketones and Ketone Esters

The radical–radical coupling reaction is an important synthetic strategy. In this study, the iron-catalyzed radical–radical cross-coupling reaction based on the decarboxylation of keto acids and decarbonylation of aliphatic aldehydes to obtain valuable aryl ketones is reported for the first time. Remarkably, when tertiary aldehydes were used as carbonyl sources, ketone esters were selectively obtained instead of ketones. The gram-scale preparation of aryl ketone through this strategy was easily achieved by using only 3 mol % of the iron catalyst. As a proof-of-concept, the bioactive molecule flurprimidol was synthesized in two steps by using this strategy.     

Synthesis of selenium-containing biindolyls and their Diels–Alder reaction toward the synthesis of heteroannulated [a]- and [c]-carbazoles

We reported the first syntheses of 2- and 3-(2-(benzo[b]selenophen-2-yl)-indoles and their Diels–Alder reactions to furnish six unique annulated benzoselenphene carbazoles. This facile route can be used to synthesize selenium-containing biindolyl derivatives that possessed potential pharmaceutical activities.     

Preparation and Superconductivity of a Series of Bi2CaSr2-XBaxCu2O8+δ

By means of the addition of Ba into the Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O 2122 system, a series of Bi₂CaSr_2-xBa_xCu₂O_8+δ (0 ≤ × ≤ 2) quinary metal oxides were prepared by the citrate route and by the conventional powder reaction method. The samples prepared by the former method have better properties than the latter. It was found that 5 was not equal to zero for all of them and that it increased with decreasing Tc. Two phases were indentified in the oxides containing all five metal elements. One is the Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O 2122 phase, the other is a new insulating phase which probably contains Bi-Ca-Ba-Cu-O with undetermined stoichiometry. Superconductivity was found in those samples for which × ≤ 1.50 with their Tc onsets between 93–78 K by resistivity measurements. Superconductivity decreased monotonically with increasing x. However, residual resistance was found in those samples for which 1.00 ≤ × ≤ 1.50, The Meissner effect appears in the samples where × ≤ 1.00 with Tc onsets between 88–80 K. For x = 1.75 and 2.00, the samples were semiconductors with resistivities of 6.66 × 10² and 6.96 × 10³ Ω cm at 290 K, and activation energies of 0.109, and 0.298 eV, respectively.     

Hydrogen rearrangements in alkyl-, styryl- and alkyl propenyl sulfoxides

The McLafferty-type rearrangements, which are the most facile fragmentation for the styryl- and the alkyl propenyl sulfoxides, have been proven to involve at least a β-hydrogen by deuterium labelling studies. γ-Hydrogen also rearranges, yet a cyclopropane instead of an alkene is eliminated. Furthermore, alkyl propenyl sulfoxides undergo hydrogen migration only to the surfinyl oxygen.     

Ultrafast quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in proteins: Interresidue and intrahelical electron transfer

Quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in proteins has been critical to the understanding of protein dynamics and enzyme reactions using tryptophan as a molecular optical probe. We report here our systematic examinations of potential quenching residues with more than 40 proteins. With site-directed mutation, we placed tryptophan to desired positions or altered its neighboring residues to screen quenching groups among 20 amino acid residues and of peptide backbones. With femtosecond resolution, we observed the ultrafast quenching dynamics within 100 ps and identified two ultrafast quenching groups, the carbonyl- and sulfur-containing residues. The former is glutamine and glutamate residues and the later is disulfide bond and cysteine residue. The quenching by the peptide-bond carbonyl group as well as other potential residues mostly occurs in longer than 100 ps. These ultrafast quenching dynamics occur at van der Waals distances through intraprotein electron transfer with high directionality. Following optimal molecular orbital overlap, electron jumps from the benzene ring of the indole moiety in a vertical orientation to the LUMO of acceptor quenching residues. Molecular dynamics simulations were invoked to elucidate various correlations of quenching dynamics with separation distances, relative orientations, local fluctuations and reaction heterogeneity. These unique ultrafast quenching pairs, as recently found to extensively occur in high-resolution protein structures, may have significant biological implications.     

Pressure- and heat-induced insertion of CO2 into an auxetic small-pore zeolite

When the small-pore zeolite natrolite is compressed at ca. 1.5 GPa and heated to ca. 110 °C in the presence of CO(2), the unit cell volume of natrolite expands by 6.8% and ca. 12 wt % of CO(2) is contained in the expanded elliptical channels. This CO(2) insertion into natrolite is found to be reversible upon pressure release.     

Densities,viscosities, refractive indices,and surface tensions for binary and ternary mixtures of 2-propanol,tetrahydropyran, and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane

Densities, viscosities, refractive indices, and surface tensions of the ternary system (2-propanol + tetrahydropyran + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane) at T = 303.15 K and its constituent binary systems (2-propanol + tetrahydropyran, 2-propanol + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, and tetrahydropyran + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane) at T = (293.15, 303.15, 313.15, and 323.15) K were measured at atmospheric pressure. Densities were determined using a vibrating-tube densimeter. Viscosities were measured with an automatic microviscometer based on the rolling-ball principle. Refractive indexes were measured using a digital Abbe-type refractometer. Surface tensions were determined by the Wilhelmy-plate method. From these data, excess molar volumes, deviations in viscosity, deviations in refractive index, and deviations in surface tension were calculated. The results for the binary and ternary systems were fitted to the Redlich–Kister equation and the variable-degree polynomials in terms of compositions, respectively. The experimental and calculated quantities are used to study the nature of mixing behaviour between mixture components.