Isomerisation of ω-hydroxyalkenes under hydroxycarbonylation conditions in palladium catalysed aqueous phase systems

The ω-hydroxyolefins 3-buten-1-ol, 3-buten-1-methyl-1-ol and 4-penten-1-ol were subjected to hydroxycarbonylation conditions in water in the presence of PdCl₂(PhCN)₂ and 4-8 equiv. of water soluble tris(3-sodiumsulfonatophenyl)phosphine (TPPTS), or N-bis(N′,N′-diethyl-2-aminoethyl)-4-aminomethylphenyl-diphenylphosphine (N3P). Under conditions of high conversion, the olefins primarily undergo isomerisation through a chain walking mechanism with selectivities for aldehyde ranging from 65% to 98%, with the lower values for longer chain alcohols. The lactones formed as the minor product are almost exclusively branched, indicating that in the first step 2,1-insertion is strongly favoured over 1,2-insertion. In the N3P system also linear lactone is produced at lower conversion. Running the reaction in D₂O produces multiple deuterium incorporation in all positions of the carbon chain. A mechanism is discussed.     

A precise PKPβ+ measurement at Z = 55: (I). The mass of 130Cs

The Q-value for the ¹²⁹Xe(³He, d)¹³⁰Cs reaction is measured to be +5 ± 20 keV. By combining this result with the known neutron separation energy of ¹³⁰Xe, we derive the total decay energy of ¹³⁰Cs

¹³⁰Xe to beQ_EC = 2974 ± 20 keV. This value agrees well with two previous positron end-point measurements but disagrees with the corresponding value derived from the 1977 atomic mass evaluation. This has significance in testing the accuracy of the calculated ratio for ¹³⁰Cs decay. The mass excess of ¹³⁰Cs is derived to be ?86908 ± 14 keV. An excited state in ¹³⁰Cs. was also identified at 121 ± 15 keV with J < 3 and positive parity. The Q-value for ¹³⁶Xe(³He, d)¹³⁷Cs was measured to be 1918 ± 12 keV.     

A density functional theory study on the electrocyclization of 1,2,4,6-heptatetraene analogues: converting a pericyclic to a pseudopericyclic reaction

A comprehensive B3LYP/6-31+G* study on the electrocyclization of 1,2,4,6-heptatetraene analogues was conducted. Starting from the cyclization of (2Z)-2,4,5-hexatrienal, a pericyclic disrotatory process favored by the assistance of a electron lone pair, we incorporated small modifications in its molecular structure to obtain a truly pseudopericyclic process. To this purpose electronegative atoms (fluorine and nitrogen) were added to give a more electrophilic character on the carbon atom which is attacked by the electron lone pair of the oxygen atom. The complete pathway for each reaction was determined, and changes in magnetic properties were monitored with a view to estimating the aromatization associated with each process. This information, together with the energetic and structural results, allowed us to classify the reactions as pseudopericyclic or pericyclic. Among all studied reactions only one was a truly pseudopericyclic process and another was a borderline case. The features of this unequivocally pseudopericyclic case were analyzed in depth.     

Aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions of N-(benzylidene)polyfluoroanilines with methyl acrylate and acrylonitrile

Aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions of N-(benzylidene)polyfluoroanilines 1 with methyl acrylate or acrylonitrile were studied. It was found that Lewis base, solvent and reaction temperature can significantly affect the reaction. Using 3-hydroxyquinuclidine (3-HQD) as a Lewis base in the reactions of 1 with methyl acrylate in DMF, the normal aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts 3 were formed in moderate to excellent yields. For the reactions of 1 with acrylonitrile, 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) is the best Lewis base giving the corresponding aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts 4 as the sole product in good to moderate yield. However, upon treatment of 1 with acrolein 2c, the corresponding reaction did not occur even in the presence of a variety of catalysts.     

Determination of kinetic parameters of polymerizations by differential scanning calorimetry

Differential scanning calorimetry is well suited to record heat productions of chemical and physical processes as data for the following kinetic analysis. To obtain kinetic parameters of complex reactions, nonlinear optimization methods have to be used. Such complex reaction systems are polymerizations. We tried to evaluate measurements of the epoxy cure and the polymerization of β-propiolactame with simple and complex models. In both cases the simple models did not produce satisfactory results. But by using complex models a successful fitting of the measured data was possible. Our investigation shows that the combination of DSC and modern nonlinear evaluation methods presents a suitable tool for the kinetic investigation of polymerizations.     

Synthesis and characterization of new polyamides derived from di(4-cyanophenyl)isosorbide

New optically active polyamides were synthesized according to two ways: using a microwave-assisted polycondensation of an optically active isosorbide-derived diacylchloride with different aromatic diamines in NMP and using interfacial polymerization from an isosorbide-derived diamine with different diacylchlorides. The polymers are obtained with inherent viscosities in the range from 0.11 to 1.05 dL/g. The DSC and TGA measurements clearly demonstrate the high thermal stability of these polymers when considering the range of the melting points from 200 °C to 300 °C and the absence of decomposition till 350 °C.     

Thermodynamic parameters ΔΔH and ΔΔS as probes for the transition state in the reaction of N-phenyltriazolinedione with alkenes in nucleophilic solvents

The thermodynamic parameters, ΔΔH^# and ΔΔS^#, were determined for the interception of an intermediate, with the structural characteristics of an aziridinium imide, by nucleophilic solvents during the reaction of 2-methyl-2-butene with N-phenyltriazolinedione. The experimentally measured parameters were found to be in favor of an S_N2-‘like’ transition state and showed strong dependence on the bulkiness of the incoming molecule of the nucleophile-solvent.     

Electrocatalytic dehalogenation of α-bromoketones in the presence of Cp2TiCl2

Processes of direct and electrocatalytic (in the presence of electrochemically reduced Cp₂TiCl₂) reduction of three α-bromoketones containing the C(sp³)-Br or C(sp²)-Br bond, viz., 2-bromo-and 2,6-dibromo-4,4-dimethylcyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ones and α-bromo-acetophenone, were studied by cyclic voltammetry and preparative electrolysis. In all cases, the dissociative electron transfer proceeds via the concerted mechanism. Preparative electrolysis of these α-bromoketones in the presence of Cp₂TiCl₂ affords the reductive debromination products in 40–80% yield at low cathodic potentials (−0.85 V vs. Ag/AgCl/KCl). In the case of 2,6-dibromo-4,4-dimethylcyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-one in the potentiostatic regime, only one bromine atom can be eliminated selectively. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 977–983, May, 2007.