Facile synthesis of glycerol carbonate from glycerol using selenium‐catalyzed carbonylation with carbon monoxide

The commercial production of glycerol has increased considerably for several years, because of its rising inevitable formation as a by‐product of biodiesel. For the effective utilization of glycerol, a new synthesis of glycerol carbonate (4‐hydroxymethyl‐2‐oxo‐1,3‐dioxolane) that is used as solvents and raw material of plastics from glycerol was explored. By combined the selenium‐catalyzed carbonylation of slightly excess of glycerol with carbon monoxide and potassium carbonate under 0.1 MPa at 20°C for 4 h in DMF with the oxidation of resulting selenocarbonate salt with molecular oxygen (0.1 MPa, 20 °C) for 2 h, glycerol carbonate was obtained in good yields (83–84%). However, sodium hydride to form sodium alkoxide in situ lowered the yield of glycerol carbonate. Use of triethylamine, 1‐methylpyrrolidine, and DBU as bases gave poor results. Furthermore, styrene carbonate was obtained in excellent yield (90%) under similar reaction conditions. The catalytic synthesis of glycerol carbonate was also brought about in the mixed gas atmosphere (carbon monoxide:oxygen = 3:1, 0.1 MPa, 20°C). Glycerol carbonate and styrene carbonate were obtained in reasonable yields (197% and 119%, based on selenium used). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 21:541–545, 2010; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.20640     

Incorporation of nonionic emulsifiers inside particles in emulsion polymerization: mechanism and methods of suppression

Emulsion polymerizations of styrene were carried out using two kinds of polyoxyethylene lauryl ether nonionic emulsifiers having different hydrophilic-lipophilic balances (HLB): Emulgen 109P (HLB 13.6); and Emulgen 150 (HLB 18.3). In both cases, incorporation of emulsifier inside polystyrene (PS) particles was clearly observed, as previously reported for the emulsion polymerization of styrene and methacrylic acid using polyoxyethylene nonyl phenyl ether (Emulgen 911, HLB 13.7) nonionic emulsifier. The generality of the incorporation phenomenon of nonionic emulsifier inside polymer particles in emulsion polymerization was clarified. In the case of Emulgen 109P, which is more hydrophobic than Emulgen 150, about 30% of the total amount was incorporated inside the PS particles, higher than for Emulgen 150 (15%). The difference seemed to be ascribed to the difference in the affinities between the nonionic emulsifiers and styrene, which cause the incorporation of emulsifier. On the basis of this idea, suppression of the incorporation was achieved by decreasing the polymerization temperature and the monomer-feed rate. This strongly supports the proposed incorporation mechanism.     

Effects of extension or prevention of pi-conjugation on photoinduced electron transfer processes of ferrocene-oligothiophene-fullerene triads

Photoinduced electron-transfer processes of alkyl-inserted ferrocene-trimethylene-oligothiophene-fullerene (Fc-tm-nT-C60) linked triads and directly linked ferrocene-oligothiophene-fullerene(Fc-nT-C60) triads were investigated using time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopic methods. In nonpolar solvent, the energy-transfer (EN) process occurred from 1nT* to C60 for both triads, without forming the charge-separated (CS) state. In polar solvent, the initial CS state, Fc-tm-nT(*+)-C60(*-), was formed via Fc-tm-nT-1C60 after the EN process from 1nT by photoexcitation of the nT moiety and after direct photoexcitation of the C60 moiety. For Fc-tm-nT(*+)-C60(*-), the positive charge shifted from the nT(*+) moiety to the Fc moiety, producing the final CS state, Fc(*+)-tm-nT-C60(*-), which lasted for 22-330 ns by changing nT from 4T to 12T. For Fc-nT-C60 in polar solvent, the CS state, in which the radical cation is delocalized on both Fc and nT moieties ((Fc-nT)(*+)-C60(*-)), was formed immediately after direct photoexcitation of the nT and C60 moieties. The lifetimes of (Fc-nT)(*+)-C60(*-) were estimated to be 0.1-50 ns by changing nT from 4T to 12T. The longer lifetimes of Fc(*+)-tm-nT-C60(*-) than those of (Fc-nT)(*+)-C60(*-) are caused by the insertion of the trimethylene chain to prevent the pi-conjugation between the Fc and nT moieties. The lifetimes for Fc(*+)-tm-nT-C60(*-) and (Fc-nT)(*+)-C60(*-) are prolonged by changing nT from 4T to 12T. For the charge-recombination process of Fc(*+)-tm-nT-C60(*-), the damping factor was evaluated to be 0.10 A(-1). For (Fc-nT)(*+)-C60(*-), the oxidation potentials of the nT moieties control the electron-transfer process with reflecting stabilization of the radical cations of the nT moieties.     

Detection of the G-quadruplex-TMPyP4 complex by 2-aminopurine modified human telomeric DNA

2-Aminopurine (Ap) modified human telomere sequences were used to monitor the specific complex formation of the G-quadruplex and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (TMPyP4).     

One-dimensional assemblies of platinum nanoparticles on a graphite surface using nonionic/ionized mixed hemicylindrical micelle templates

One-dimensional (1-D) self-assemblies of Pt nanoparticles on a graphite surface have been synthesized via a template-directed sintering process of individual nanoparticles, using nonionic/cationic mixed hemicylindrical micelle templates of dodecyldimethylamine oxide surfactant at graphite/solution interfaces. The dimension and morphology of Pt nanoparticles can be widely controlled by the concentration of Pt ions equivalent to the mixing ratio of nonionic and cationic species in the surfactant micelle. This approach could be extended to fabricate a wide range of self-assembling metallic nanostructures on surfaces using various nonionic/cationic mixed micelle-like self-assemblies carrying metal ions at interfaces, while providing a fundamental insight into a 1-D self-assembly from individual nanoparticles.     

Kinetic substituent and solvent effects in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of diphenyldiazomethanes with fullerenes C60 and C70: a comparison with the addition to TCNE, DDQ, and chloranil

Kinetics of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a series of meta- and para-substituted diphenyldiazomethanes (DDMs) with fullerenes C60 and C70 as dipolarophiles have been investigated in toluene at 30 degrees C. Fullerene C60 was ca. 1.5 times more reactive than C70. The rate constants (k) for the primary [3 + 2] additions increased with the increase of the electron-releasing ability of the meta and para substituent. The log k/k0 values were well correlated by the Yukawa-Tsuno (Y-T) equations with the smaller negative rho values (-1.6 and -1.7 for C60 and C70) and the reduced resonance reaction constants r (0.22 and 0.17) compared to similar reactions of common acceptors, TCNE, DDQ, and chloranil (CA). The plots of log k (acceptor) versus log k (C60) as reference gave good regression equations and the slopes became larger in the order of TCNE > DDQ > CA > C70 > or = C60. The rates were also found to decrease with the increase of solvent polarity due to the ground-state solvation of fullerenes. However, the relative reactivity of these acceptors toward the unsubstituted DDM increased in the order of DDQ > C60 > or = C70 > TCNE > CA. The unexpected higher reactivity of fullerenes was interpreted in terms of the inherent steric strain by the pyramidalization of the sp2 C-atoms as well as the shorter [6,6] bonds with larger pi-electron densities.     

Probing the microenvironments in the grooves of Z-DNA using dan-modified oligonucleotides

The environment-sensitive fluorophore dan (6-dimethylamino-2-acyl-naphthalene)- modified dC or dG bases were introduced into the Z-DNA forming sequence. It was demonstrated that both grooves of Z-DNA are more hydrated than those of B-DNA. Dan will be useful for probing the microenvironments in the grooves among the DNA polymorphs.     

Linear-type S-bridged triruthenium complexes with aliphatic aminothiolate ligands: synthesis, characterization, and properties

Treatment of [RuCl(2)(DMSO)(4)] with 2-aminoethanethiol (Haet) in ethanol gave a dicationic triruthenium complex, [Ru[Ru(aet)(3)](2)]Cl(2) ([1]Cl(2)). Complex [1]Cl(2) was also obtained by treatment of RuCl(3).nH(2)O with excess Haet in water. When [1](2+) was chromatographed on a cation-exchange column of SP-Sephadex C-25, meso (DeltaLambda) and racemic (DeltaDelta/LambdaLambda) isomers of the corresponding tricationic complex, [Ru[Ru(aet)(3)](2)](3+) ([2](3+)), were eluted with aqueous NaNO(3). The racemic isomer of [2](3+) was optically resolved into DeltaDelta and LambdaLambda isomers by using [Sb(2)(R,R-tartrato)(2)](2-) as a resolving agent. The molecular structures of DeltaLambda- and DeltaDelta/LambdaLambda-[2](NO(3))(3) were determined by X-ray crystallography. In these complexes, the central Ru atom is coordinated by six thiolato groups from two terminal fac-(S)-[Ru(aet)(3)] units in an octahedral geometry, forming a linear-type S-bridged triruthenium structure. The spectroelectrochemical studies on the electronic absorption and CD spectra, together with the electrochemical studies, demonstrated that [1](2+) and [2](3+) are interconvertible with each other through a one-electron redox process, retaining the chirality of the triruthenium structure. Their electronic structures were investigated on the basis of EPR and magnetic susceptibility measurements, which indicated that [1](2+) and [2](3+) have spin ground states of S(t) = 0 and S(t) = 1/2, respectively. The corresponding L-cysteinato complex, [Ru[Ru(L-cys-N,S)(3)](2)](3-), which was formed from RuCl(3).nH(2)O and excess L-cysteine (L-H(2)cys) in water followed by air oxidation, is also presented.     

Lewis acid-assisted nucleophilic substitution of fullerene epoxide

[Structure: see text] A 1,4-bis(phenyl)-1,4-dihydro[60]fullerene resulting from an efficient nucleophilic substitution has been obtained by reaction of a fullerene epoxide, C60O, with nucleophilic aromatic compounds in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate as a Lewis acid.     

Difference between the position value and the Myerson value is due to the existence of coalition structures

The study characterizes the position value and the Myerson value for communication situations. Each of these two values is represented by the Shapley value of a modified game obtained from the original communication situation. The difference between the two values comes from the existence of a coalition structure in the modified game.