Kinetic and mechanistic studies of the interaction of 2-mercapto pyridine with dichloro[1-alkyl-2-(arylazo)imidazole]palladium(II) complexes

Nucleophilic substitution of Pd(RaaiR′)Cl₂ [(RaaiR′ = 1-alkyl-2-(arylazo)imidazole, p-R-C₆H₄-N=N-C₃H₂NN-1-R′; where R = H(a)/ Me(b)/ Cl(c) and R′ = Et(1)/Bz(2)] with 2-Mercaptopyridine (2-SH-Py) in acetonitrile (MeCN) at 298 K, to form [Pd₂(2-S-Py)₄], has been studied spectrophotometrically under pseudo-first-order conditions and the analyses support the nucleophilic association path. The reaction follows the rate law, Rate = {k ₀ + k [2-SH-Py] ₀ ² }[Pd(RaaiR′)Cl₂]: first order in Pd(RaaiR′)Cl₂ and second order in 2-SH-Py. The rate of the reaction follows the order: Pd(RaaiEt)Cl₂ (1) < Pd(RaaiBz)Cl₂ (2) and Pd(MeaaiR′)Cl₂ (b) < Pd(HaaiR′)Cl₂ (a) < Pd(ClaaiR′)Cl₂ (c). External addition of Cl⁻ (LiCl) and HCl suppresses the rate (Rate ∝ 1/[Cl⁻]₀ & ∝1/[HCl]₀). The reactions have been studied at different temperatures (293–308 K) and activation parameters (Δ^‡ H° and Δ ^‡ S°) of the reactions were calculated from the Eyring plot and support the proposed mechanism.     

Development and validation of LC‐MS/MS method for the estimation of β‐hydroxy‐β‐methylbutyrate in rat plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic studies

A simple, sensitive and specific high‐performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of β‐hydroxy‐β‐methyl butyrate (HMB) in small volumes of rat plasma using warfarin as an internal standard (IS). The API‐4000 LC‐MS/MS was operated under the multiple reaction‐monitoring mode using the electrospray ionization technique. A simple liquid–liquid extraction process was used to extract HMB and IS from rat plasma. The total run time was 3 min and the elution of HMB and IS occurred at 1.48 and 1.75 min respectively; this was achieved with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid in a water–acetonitrile mixture (15:85, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min on a Agilent Eclipse XDB C₈ (150 × 4.6, 5 µm) column. The developed method was validated in rat plasma with a lower limit of quantitation of 30.0 ng/mL for HMB. A linear response function was established for the range of concentrations 30–4600 ng/mL (r > 0.998) for HMB. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision values for HMB were acceptable as per Food and Drug Administration guidelines. HMB was stable in the battery of stability studies, viz. bench‐top, autosampler freeze–thaw cycles and long‐term stability for 30 days in plasma. The developed assay method was applied to a bioavailability study in rats. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nanocomposite Hydrogel of Pd@ZIF-8 and Laponite®: Size-Selective Hydrogenation Catalyst under Mild Conditions

The composite hydrogel of a nanoscale metal–organic framework (NMOF) and nanoclay has emerged as a new soft-material with advanced properties and applications. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of a hydrogel nanocomposite by charge-assisted self-assembly of Pd@ZIF-8 nanoparticles with Laponite^® nanoclay which coat the surface of Pd@ZIF-8 nanoparticles. Such surface coating significantly enhanced the thermal stability of the ZIF-8 compared to the pristine framework. Further, the Pd@ZIF-8+LP hydrogel nanocomposite shows better size-selective catalytic hydrogenation of olefins than Pd@ZIF-8 nanoparticles based on selective diffusion of the substrate.     

Synthesis,structural characterization,and olefin polymerization behavior of vanadium(III) complexes bearing bidentate phenoxy‐phosphine ligands

Vanadium(III) complexes bearing phenoxy‐phosphine ligands ( 2a–g ) (2‐R₁‐4‐R₂‐6‐PPh₂‐C₆H₂O)VCl₂(THF)₂ ( 2a : R₁ = R₂ = H; 2b : R₁ = F, R₂ = H; 2c : R₁ = Ph, R₂ = H; 2d : R₁ = tBu, R₂ = H; 2e : R₁ = R₂ = Me; 2f : R₁ = R₂ = tBu; 2g : R₁ = R₂ = CMe₂Ph) were prepared from VCl₃(THF)₃ by treating with 1.0 equiv of the ligand in tetrahydrofuran (THF) in the presence of excess triethylamine (TEA). The reaction of VCl₃(THF)₃ with 2.0 equiv of the ligand in THF in the presence of excess TEA afforded vanadium(III) complexes bearing two phenoxy‐phosphine ligands ( 3c–f ). These complexes were characterized by FTIR and mass spectrum as well as elemental analyses. Structures of 2f and 3c were further confirmed by X‐ray crystallographic analyses. Complexes 2a–g and 3c–f were employed as the catalysts for ethylene polymerization under various reaction conditions. On activation with Et₂AlCl, these complexes exhibited high catalytic activities (up to 41.3 kg PE/mmol_V·h·bar) even at high temperature (70°C), and produced high molecular weight polymer with unimodal molecular weight distributions, indicating the polymerization took place in a single‐site nature. Complexes 3c–f displayed better thermal stability than the corresponding complexes 2a–g under similar conditions. In addition, copolymerizations of ethylene and 1‐hexene with precatalysts 2a–g were also explored in the presence of Et₂AlCl. Catalytic activity, comonomer incorporation, and properties of the resultant polymers can be controlled over a wide range by tuning catalyst structures and reaction parameters.© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Peptide‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) biohybrids by grafting‐from ring‐opening polymerization: Synthesis,aggregation, and crystalline properties

Well‐defined peptide‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) (Pep‐PCL) biohybrids were successfully synthesized by grafting‐from ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of ε‐caprolactone (CL) using designed amine‐terminated sequence‐defined peptides as macroinitiators. MALDI‐TOF‐MS and ¹H NMR analyses confirmed the successful attachment of peptide to the PCL chain. The gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurement showed that the Pep‐PCL biohybrids with controllable molecular weights and low polydispersities (PDI <1.5) were obtained by this approach. The aggregation of Pep‐PCL hybrid molecules in THF solution resulted in the formation of micro/nanospheres as confirmed through FESEM, TEM, and DLS analyses. The circular dichroism study revealed that the secondary structure of peptide moiety was changed in the peptide‐PCL biohybrids. The crystallization and melting behavior of Pep‐PCL hybrids were somewhat changed compared with that of neat PCL of comparable molecular weight as revealed by DSC and XRD measurements. In Pep‐PCL biohybrids, extinction rings were observed in the PCL spherulites, in contrast with the normal spherulite morphology of the neat PCL. There was a substantial decrease (4–5 folds) in the spherulitic growth rate after the incorporation of peptide moiety at the end of PCL chain as measured by polarizing optical microscopy. Pseudomonas lipase catalyzed enzymatic degradation was studied for Pep‐PCL hybrids and neat PCL. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Physically cross‐linked networks of POSS‐capped poly(acrylate amide)s: Synthesis,morphologies, and shape memory behavior

In this work, we synthesized a novel organic–inorganic semitelechelic polymer from polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and poly(acrylate amide) (PAA) via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The organic–inorganic semitelechelic polymers have been characterized by means of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. It was found that capping POSS groups to the single ends of PAA chains caused a series of significant changes in the morphologies and thermomechanical properties of the polymer. The organic–inorganic semitelechelics were microphase‐separated; the POSS microdomains were formed via the POSS–POSS interactions. In a selective solvent (e.g., methanol), the organic–inorganic semitelechelics can be self‐assembled into the micelle‐like nanoobjects. Compared to plain PAA, the POSS‐capped PAAs significantly displayed improved surface hydrophobicity as evidenced by the measurements of static contact angles and surface atomic force microscopy. More importantly, the organic–inorganic semitelechelics displayed typical shape memory properties, which was in marked contrast to plain PAA. The shape memory behavior is attributable to the formation of the physically cross‐linked networks from the combination of the POSS–POSS interactions with the intermolecular hydrogen‐bonding interactions in the organic–inorganic semitelechelics. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 587–600