MIL-50, an open-framework GaPO with a periodic pattern of small water ponds and dry rubidium atoms: a combined XRD,NMR, and computational study

A new fluorinated gallium phosphate, MIL-50, has been synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions using 1,6-diaminohexane. The chemical formula of MIL-50 is Rb(2)Ga(9)(PO(4))(8)(HPO(4))(OH)F(6).2N(2)C(6)H(18).7H(2)O. The structure is a network of hexameric units of Ga(3)(PO(4))(3)F(2) and Ga(3)(PO(4))(2)(HPO(4))F(3) via corner sharing. It creates a three-dimensional open-framework delimiting 6- and 18-ring channels running along the c axis. The diprotonated 1,6-diaminohexane and water molecules are trapped within the 18-ring pores, whereas the rubidium cations reside in the 6-ring ones. A double quantum (31)P NMR experiment and partial charge calculations indicate that water molecules are present under the form of periodic small clusters, lowering the multiplicity of one phosphorus site, P3. Though water hops within the clusters, the motion leaves the water pattern periodic. Rubidium is so tightly embedded into the framework that water moving in the large 18-ring channels does not reach it, leaving it therefore dry. The crystal framework may be ascribed to the orthorhombic space group Cmc2(1) (n degrees 36), a = 32.1510(2), b = 17.2290(3), c = 10.2120(1) A. The periodic water pattern has a different symmetry than that of the framework. A method has been devised to superpose the two sublattices that coexist in the same unit cell in order to have full occupancy of each site and to perform Madelung summations. This original method is of general interest for most zeolitic materials exhibiting a different symmetry for the framework and the template sublattices.     

Micellar shape change and internal segregation induced by chemical modification of a tryptych block copolymer surfactant

We report the detailed characterization of micelles formed by two nonionic, amphiphilic ABC triblock copolymers. Poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(styrene)-b-1,2-poly(butadiene) (PEO-b-PS-b-PB) triblock copolymer "OSB" forms core-corona spherical micelles in aqueous solution, and the two hydrophobic blocks S and B are mixed homogeneously within the micelle core. PEO-b-PS-b-PB:C6F13I triblock copolymer "OSF" was prepared by selective fluorination of the B block in OSB with n-perfluorohexyl iodide. Fluorination of the B block induces internal segregation into an inner F core and an intermediate S shell. Furthermore, the strong incompatibility that results from fluorination drives a shape change into an oblate ellipsoid. These micellar morphologies are confirmed by combined light, neutron, and X-ray scattering measurements, as well as TEM imaging.     

Orthogonal self-assembly of low molecular weight hydrogelators and surfactants

The concurrent self-assembly of new 1,3,5-trisamide-cyclohexane-based low molecular weight hydrogelators and various surfactants in water leads to the formation of self-assembled fibrillar networks with encapsulated micelles. This prototype system presents an example of orthogonal self-assembly, that is, the independent formation of two different supramolecular structures, each with their own characteristics that coexist within a single system.     

Weighted two-band target entropy minimization for the reconstruction of pure component mass spectra: Simulation studies and the application to real systems

A method is proposed, on the basis of a recently developed algorithm--Band Target Entropy Minimization (BTEM)--to reconstruct mass spectra of pure components from mixture spectra. This method is particular useful in dealing with spectral data with discrete features (like mass spectra). Compared to the original BTEM, which has been applied to differentiable spectroscopies such as Fourier-transfer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet (UV), Raman, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the latest modifications were obtained through: (1) Reformulating the objective function using the peak heights instead of their derivatives; (2) weighting the abstract vector VT to reduce the effect of noise; (3) using a two-peak targeting strategy (tBTEM) to deal with strongly overlapping peaks; and (4) using exhaustive search to locate all the component spectra. A set of 50 multi-component mass spectra was generated from ten reference experimental pure component spectra. Many of the compounds chosen have common MS fragments and therefore, many of the pure component spectra have considerable intensity in same data channels. In addition, a set of MS spectra from a real system with four components was used to examine the newly developed algorithm. Successful reconstruction of the ten component spectra of the simulated system and the four component spectra of the real system was rapidly achieved using the new tBTEM algorithm. The advantages of the new algorithm and its implication for rapid system identification of unknown mixtures are readily apparent.     

Activation barriers in the homolytic cleavage of radicals and ion radicals

As revealed by several experimental examples, radicals and ion radicals may, in contrast with closed-shell molecules, undergo exothermic homolytic cleavages (.A..B --> A: +.B) with substantial activation barriers. A two-state semiclassical model is proposed for explaining the existence of the barrier and estimating its magnitude. It is based on the intersection of the potential energy surfaces characterizing the dissociation of a bonding state, .A..B -->.A. +.B, on one hand, and the approach to bonding distance of a repulsive state, A: +.B --> A therefore B, on the other. After inclusion of the bond cleavage and formation as Morse curves in the normal-mode analysis, a simple activation driving force relationship is obtained, the two main ingredients of the intrinsic barrier being the triplet excitation energy of the A moiety and the pi*--> sigma* excitation energy in .A-B. The model is then tested by quantum chemical calculations, first on a simplified system to evaluate the calculation techniques and then on a real system. A comparison of the model predictions with experiment is finally performed using the rate data recently gathered for the cleavage of 4-cyanophenyl alkyl ether anion radicals, which cover a respectable range of driving forces, showing satisfactory agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental data.     

Determination of manganese in brain samples by slurry sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple procedure for the determination of manganese in different sections of human brain samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry has been developed. Brain sections included cerebellum, hypothalamus, frontal cortex, vermix and encephalic trunk. Two sample preparation procedures were evaluated, namely, slurry sampling and microwave-assisted acid digestion. Brain slurries (2% w/v) could be prepared in distilled, de-ionized water, with good stability for up to 30 min. Brain samples were also digested in a domestic microwave oven using 5 ml of concentrated HNO₃. A mixed palladium+magnesium nitrate chemical modifier was used for thermal stabilization of the analyte in the electrothermal atomizer up to pyrolysis temperatures of 1300 °C, irrespective of the matrix. Quantitation of manganese was conducted in both cases by means of aqueous standards calibration. The detection limits were 0.3 and 0.4 ng ml⁻¹ for the slurry and the digested samples, respectively. The accuracy of the procedure was checked by comparing the results obtained in the analysis of slurries and digested brain samples, and by analysis of the NIST Bovine Liver standard reference material (SRM 1577a). The ease of slurry preparation, together with the conventional set of analytical and instrumental conditions selected for the determination of manganese make such methodology suitable for routine clinical applications.     

Purification of cellulosic pulp by hot water extraction

Hot water extraction (HWE) of pulp in a flow-through reactor was evaluated as a method to purify paper-grade pulps. About 50–80 % of the xylan and up to 50 % of the lignin in unbleached birch Kraft pulp was extracted by the HWE without losses in cellulose yield. The residual xylan content in the extracted pulps was predominantly too high for dissolving-grade applications, but some of the pulps with a xylan content of 5–7 % might still be suitable as rayon-grade pulps. Increasing extraction temperature lowered the xylan content at which cellulose yield started to decrease. Furthermore, at any given xylan content, increasing extraction temperature resulted in cellulosic pulp with higher degree of polymerization. The extracted xylan was recovered almost quantitatively as xylo-oligosaccharides. The results suggest that HWEs at elevated temperatures may be applied to purify cellulosic pulps, preferably containing a low xylan content, and to recover the extracted sugars.     

Observation and mechanistic study of facile C-O bond formation between a well-defined aryl-copper(III) complex and oxygen nucleophiles

A well-defined macrocyclic aryl–Cu(III) complex (2) reacts readily with a variety of oxygen nucleophiles, including carboxylic acids, phenols and alcohols, under mild conditions to form the corresponding aryl esters, biaryl ethers and alkyl aryl ethers. The relationship between these reactions and catalytic C-O coupling methods is demonstrated by the reaction of the macrocyclic aryl–Br species with acetic acid and p-fluorophenol in the presence of 10 mol% Cu(I). An aryl-Cu(III)-Br species 2(Br) was observed as an intermediate in the catalytic reaction. Investigation of the stoichiometric C-O bond-forming reactions revealed nucleophile-dependent changes in the mechanism. The reaction of 2 with carboxylic acids revealed a positive correlation between the log(k(obs)) and the pK(a) of the nucleophile (less-acidic nucleophiles react more rapidly), whereas a negative correlation was observed with most phenols (more-acidic phenols react more rapidly). The latter trend resembles previous observations with nitrogen nucleophiles. With carboxylic acids and acidic phenols, UV-visible spectroscopic data support the formation of a ground-state adduct between 2 and the oxygen nucleophile. Collectively, kinetic and spectroscopic data support a unified mechanism for aryl-O coupling from the Cu(III) complex, consisting of nucleophile coordination to the Cu(III) center, deprotonation of the coordinated nucleophile, and C-O (or C-N) reductive elimination from Cu(III).     

Synthesis and properties of fluorous arenes and triaryl phosphorus compounds with branched fluoroalkyl moieties (“split pony tails”)

Most compounds designed for immobilization in fluorous media feature linear pony tails of the formula (CH₂)_m(CF₂)_n−1CF₃ [(CH₂)_mR_fn]. This paper presents a first-generation approach to compounds with branched or “split” pony tails of the formula (CH₂)_lCH[(CH₂)_mR_fn]₂. Allyl tri(n-butyl)tin is reacted twice with perfluorooctyl iodide (R_f8I; first, photochemical, 78-81%; second, thermal with radical initiator, 71%; 13-18 g scales) to give the secondary alkyl iodide ICH(CH₂R_f8)₂ (3). A subsequent Ni(Cl)₂(PPh₃)₂-catalyzed reaction with allyl tri(n-butyl)tin yields the branched alkene H₂CCHCH₂CH(CH₂R_f8)₂ (74%). A palladium-catalyzed Heck coupling with OP(p-C₆H₄Br)₃ gives the fluorous phosphine oxide OP(p-C₆H₄CHCHCH₂CH(CH₂R_f8)₂)₃ (84%), and Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation affords OP(p-C₆H₄(CH₂)₃CH(CH₂R_f8)₂)₃ (>99%). Reduction with SiHCl₃ gives P(p-C₆H₄(CH₂)₃CH(CH₂R_f8)₂)₃, which is protected as the air-stable borane adduct H₃B·P(p-C₆H₄(CH₂)₃CH(CH₂R_f8)₂)₃ (9, 64%). The CF₃C₆F₁₁/toluene partition coefficient of 9 is much higher than that of the analog with p-(CH₂)₃R_f8 groups (96.6:3.4 versus 37.3:62.7). The iodide 3 is unreactive towards PAr₃ at 175-250 °C. However, a CuBr-catalyzed reaction with C₆H₅MgBr gives C₆H₅CH(CH₂R_f8)₂, which also exhibits a high partition coefficient (97.9:2.1).