Lower critical solution temperature sensitivity to structural changes in poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) homopolymers

The effect of the molecular weight on the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) has been discussed extensively, where LCST increased with molar mass, decreased or kept constant, which leads to confusion. This work is focused on the preparation of poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) homopolymers, obtained in a wide molecular weights range. The LCST behavior is analyzed by calorimetry and rheology, and a deep study of molecular features is carried out for a better knowledge of the influence of various parameters involved on LCST. Finally, the molecular weight trend is observed, and its influence on LCST is compared with the effect of other parameters as polymer concentration in water, end‐group effect, and tacticity. It is observed that other parameters such tacticity and end‐group effect will affect the LCST behavior over molecular weight, if this one is not high enough. Furthermore, the study of the LCST ranges will be a useful tool for analyzing the molecular weight trends. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 1386–1393     

Aromatic and Antiaromatic Pathways in Triphyrin(2.1.1) Annelated with Benzo[b]heterocycles

Understanding of the aromatic properties and magnetically induced current densities of highly conjugated chromophores is important when designing molecules with strongly delocalized electronic structure. Linear extension of the triphyrin(2.1.1) skeleton with an annelated benzo[b]heterocycle fragment modifies the aromatic character by extending the electron delocalization pathway. Two-electron reduction leads to an antiaromatic triphyrin(2.1.1) ring and an aromatic benzo[b]heterocycle subunit. Current-density calculations provide detailed information about the observed pathways and their strengths.     

Oxysulfide Semiconductors for Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting with Visible Light

Photocatalytic overall water splitting by sulfide‐based materials is a great challenge because of the poor resilience of such materials against hole oxidation. In a recent study, Domen and co‐workers developed an innovative strategy to stabilize sulfide‐based photocatalysts by hybridizing S 3p with O 2p orbitals to produce oxysulfides in which S^2? is stable. Further surface engineering of the oxysulfides with dual co‐catalysts promoted charge separation and interface transfer, thus reducing the charge build‐up that inhibits photocorrosion. The pH value of the reaction mixture is a critical consideration for achieving efficient stoichiometric H₂ and O₂ evolution by these oxysulfide photocatalysts.     

On the Structure and Chiral Aggregation of Liquid Crystalline Star-Shaped Triazines H-Bonded to Benzoic Acids

The ability of a star-shaped tris(triazolyl)triazine derivative to hierarchically build supramolecular chiral columnar organizations through the formation of H-bonded complexes with benzoic acids was studied from a theoretical and experimental point of view. The combined study has been done at three different levels including the study of the structure of the triazine core, the association with benzoic acids in stoichiometry 1:3, and the assembly of 1:3 complexes in helical aggregates. Although the star-shaped triazine core crystallizes in a non-C₃ conformation, the C₃-symmetric conformation is theoretically predicted to be more stable and gives rise to a favorable C₃ supramolecular 1:3 complex upon the interaction with three benzoic acids in their voids. In addition, calculations at different levels (DFT, PM7, and MM3) for the 1:3 host-guest complex predict the formation of large stable columnar helical aggregates stabilized by the compact packing of the interstitial acids by π–π and CH⋅⋅⋅π interactions. The acids restrict the movement of the the star-shaped triazine cores along the stacking axis causing a template effect in the self-assembly of the complex. Theoretical predictions correlate with experimental results, since the interaction with achiral or chiral 3,4,5-(4-alkoxybenzyloxy)benzoic acids gives rise to supramolecular complexes that organize in bulk hexagonal columnar mesophases stable at room temperature with intracolumnar order. The existence of supramolecular chirality in the mesophase was determined for complexes formed by acids derived from (S)-2-octanol. Chiral aggregation was also evidenced for complexes formed in dodecane.     

Absolute control of helicity at the C-termini in quinoline oligoamide foldamers by chiral oxazolylaniline moieties

Absolute one-handed chiral quinoline tetramers andoctamers containing different oxazolylanilines at the C-terminus have been synthesized.The absolute one-handed sense and diastereomeric excess values were valued by^1H NMR.X-ray crystal diffractionand CD studies reveal that the S-oxazolylaniline always induces a P-handed helicity and the absolute helicity is driven by the stable three-center hydrogen bonding between protons in the amide and N atoms in oxazolylaniline and adjacent quinoline ring.CPL investigations demonstrated that S-CQn-a-d are CPL active and its g(lum)values are dependent on its length.Interestingly,the sizes of the substituents in the chiral centers are different,howeve r,they exert no effect on the dissymmetric factors g(abs)and g(lum)of quinoline oligoamide foldamers.     

New Supercage Metal–Organic Framework Based on Allopurinol Ligands Showing Acetylene Storage and Separation

To develop efficient adsorbent materials for storage and separation of C₂H₂, an unprecedented supercage MOF, [Me₂NH₂]⋅[Zn₃(ALP)(TDC)_2.5]⋅3.5DMF⋅2 H₂O ( 1 ) was constructed through medicinal molecule allopurinol (ALP) and S-containing 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (H₂TDC). 1 contains a novel linear trinuclear cluster that is composed by ALP and carboxylates and forms a final uncommon 5-connected yfy topological framework. The framework possesses three types of interlinked cages decorated by rich functional sites, and reveals not only high adsorption capacity for C₂H₂ but also excellent selective separation for C₂H₂/CO₂ and C₂H₂/CH₄ at 298 K. Dynamic breakthrough experiments on C₂H₂/CO₂ (1:1) mixture and C₂H₂/CH₄ (1:1) mixture also demonstrated the potential of the material to separate C₂H₂ from CO₂ or CH₄ mixtures. Molecular simulations were also studied to identify the different CO₂- and C₂H₂- binding sites in 1 , such as carboxylate groups, S atoms and carbonyl groups.     

Direct Hydrogenation of Nitroaromatics at Room Temperature Catalyzed by Magnetically Recoverable Cu@Fe2O3 Nanoparticles

Metal embedded in metal oxide nanoparticles are active as catalyst in plethora of industrially important reactions. Herein, embedded Cu@Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles was synthesized via a one step hydrothermal strategy which selectively catalyzes the hydrogenation of diverse nitroaromatics in H₂O at room temperature. The remarkable catalytic performance is due to the successful hybridization of metallic Cu and Fe₂O₃ which in turn allows easy electroflipping between various oxidation states of Cu and Fe. Azo- and azoxy-compounds are not formed during the catalyzed process. This evidently establish that the hydrogenation of nitroaromatics proceeds via direct route with >99% selectivity to the corresponding anilines.     

Tandem Use of Optical Sensing and Machine Learning for the Determination of Absolute Configuration,Enantiomeric and Diastereomeric Ratios,and Concentration of Chiral Samples

We have developed an optical method for accurate concentration, er, and dr analysis of amino alcohols based on a simple mix‐and‐measure workflow that is fully adaptable to multiwell plate technology and microscale analysis. The conversion of the four aminoindanol stereoisomers with salicylaldehyde to the corresponding Schiff base allows analysis of the dr based on a change in the UV maximum at 420 nm that is very different for the homo‐ and heterochiral diastereomers and of the concentration of the sample using a hypsochromic shift of another absorption band around 340 nm that is independent of the analyte stereochemistry. Subsequent in situ formation of Cu^II assemblies in the absence and presence of base enables quantification of the er values for each diastereomeric pair by CD analysis. Applying a linear programming method and a parameter sweep algorithm, we determined the concentration and relative amounts of each of the four stereoisomers in 20 samples of vastly different stereoisomeric compositions with an averaged absolute percent error of 1.7 %.     

The least slope of a convex function and the maximal monotonicity of its subdifferential

In this paper, we give a direct proof of Rockafellar's result that the subdifferential of a proper convex lower-semicontinuous function on a Banach space is maximal monotone. Our proof is simpler than those that have appeared to date. In fact, we show that Rockafellar's result can be embedded in a more general situation in which we can quantify the degree of failure of monotonicity in terms of a quotient like the one that appears in the definition of Fréchet differentiability. Our analysis depends on the concepts of the least slope of a convex function, which is related to the steepest descent of optimization theory.The author would like to express his thanks to R. R. Phelps for reading a preliminary version of this paper and making some very valuable suggestions.     

Influence of power-law index on transitional Reynolds numbers for flow over a semi-circular cylinder

In this work, the governing partial differential equations (continuity and Cauchy’s momentum equations) describing the flow of power-law type non-Newtonian fluids across a semi-circular cylinder (oriented with its curved surface in the upstream direction) have been solved numerically. In particular, consideration has been given to the delineation of the critical Reynolds numbers denoting the onset of flow separation from the surface of the cylinder and the onset of the laminar vortex shedding regime. This information is germane to establish the scaling of the macroscopic characteristics like drag coefficient and Strouhal number on the governing parameters, namely, Reynolds number and power-law index. The present results clearly suggest that the transitional Reynolds numbers show a strong dependence on the type (shear-thinning and shear-thickening) of fluid behavior as well as on the severity of the shear-dependence of the viscosity. With reference to the behavior seen in Newtonian fluids, the flow remains not only attached to the surface up to higher Reynolds numbers, but shear-thinning behavior also delays the onset of the laminar vortex shedding regime. As expected, shear-thickening fluids, of course, display the opposite characteristics.