A density functional theory computational study of the role of ligand on the stability of CuI and CuII species associated with ATRP and SET‐LRP

Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and single electron‐transfer living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP) both utilize copper complexes of various oxidation states with N‐ligands to perform their respective activation and deactivation steps. Herein, we utilize DFT (B3YLP) methods to determine the preferred ligand‐binding geometries for Cu/N‐ligand complexes related to ATRP and SET‐LRP. We find that those ligands capable of achieving tetrahedral complexes with Cu^I and trigonal bipyramidal with axial halide complexes with [Cu^IIX]⁺ have higher energies of stabilization. We were able to correlate calculated preferential stabilization of [Cu^IIX]⁺ with those ligands that perform best in SET‐LRP. A crude calculation of energy of disproportionation revealed that the same preferential binding of [Cu^IIX]⁺ results in increased propensity for disproportionation. Finally, by examining the relative energies of the basic steps of ATRP and SET‐LRP, we were able to rationalize the transition from the ATRP mechanism to the SET‐LRP mechanism as we transition from typical nonpolar ATRP solvents to polar SET‐LRP solvents. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4950–4964, 2007     

Poly(ortho‐phenylene ethynylene)s: Synthetic accessibility and optical properties

Poly(ortho‐phenylene ethynylene)s (PoPEs) have been synthesized via an in situ activation/coupling AB′ polycondensation protocol. The resulting polymers have been characterized by several analytical methods and are shown to have no structural defects. Although the Sonogashira–Hagihara polycondensation reaction is less efficient than for the preparation of the corresponding meta‐ and para‐linked polymers, presumably because of steric hindrance caused by the ortho substituents, the process can be accelerated by the use of microwave irradiation. Optical spectroscopy indicates solvent‐dependent conformational changes between extended transoid and helical cisoid conformations, providing the first experimental evidence for solvophobically driven folding of the PoPE backbone. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1619–1627, 2006     

Combinational simulations of free energy of polymer solution

It is conceptually proposed that the total entropy of polymer solution is contributed from two distinct parts: the positional and the oomformational. The former can be represented analytically, while the latter can be simulated with the random self-avoiding walk model on the simple cubic lattice for multichain systems. The obtained results indicated that both the conformational entropy and the mixing heat are consistent with the scaling laws wry well.     

The effect of side substituents on rotation hindrance in polyheteroarylenes

Hindered rotation was considered in calculations of the conformational parameters of a series of polyheteroarylenes with bulky side substituents by the Monte-Carlo method. Within the range of experimental errors, the results of calculations for several polyarylates coincide with the values of conformational rigidity, determined from hydrodynamic experimental data. The proposed procedure was used to estimate the rigidities of a number of polymers with bulky side substuents for which experimental determination is difficult. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1287–1296, July, 1998.     

Synthesis and characterization of liquid‐crystalline polyphosphonates containing disubstituted ferrocene esters as mesogens

A series of ferrocene‐containing liquid‐crystalline polyphosphonates with an even number of methylene groups are reported. All the polymers gave birefringent melts. The mesophase was identified as transparent with an increase in the spacer. The effects of pendant substitution and the spacer were studied with thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The effects of the phosphonate group in the spacer and the ferrocene ester group in the mesogen were examined. The presence of a steplike mesogenic structure and a pendant phenyl group in the spacer led to reductions in the glass‐transition and melting temperatures. The ferrocene moiety in the mesogen might be one of the reasons for the increased thermal stability and decreased liquid crystallinity. An energy‐minimized structure for the mesogenic and spacer segments was created with computer‐modeling programs, and it suggested the reason for the reductions in the glass‐transition and melting temperatures. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2256–2263, 2002     

Electronic structure and conformational flexibility of 1,4-dihydroazines and their 4-ylide derivatives

The conformational flexibility of 1,4-dihydropyridine, 1,4-dihydropyrimidine, 1,4-dihydropyridazine, 1,4-dihydro-1,3,5-triazine, and their 4-oxo, imino, and methylene derivatives was studied by the semiempirical quantum-chemical AM1 method. It was demonstrated that the replacement of the methylene group in the dihydroazine ring by the exocyclic double bond results only in an increase in the rigidity of the heterocycle rather than leading to a loss of its conformational flexibility. It was suggested that nonplanar conformations of rings in ylide derivatives are stabilized by the nonaromatic cyclic -system. Introduction of the exocyclic double bond does not cause a substantial change in the -electronic structure of the heterocycle. The aromaticity indicesI ₆ andI ₆() were calculated. The correlation between these indices and a change in the energy upon bending of the heterocycle was established.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No 8 pp 1938–1941, August, 1996.     

Anti-metatype antibodies in immunoassays

In this review anti-metatype antibodies are described invoking new principles in immunoassay development. Anti-metatype antibodies are immunological reagents specific for the conformation of the liganded antibody active site which do not interact with bound ligand or unliganded antibody. Relationships between anti-metatype antibody reactivity and the ligand-induced conformational state of monoclonal antibodies are reviewed with emphasis on the fluorescein hapten as a small molecule model system. One characteristic result of the interaction of anti-metatype antibodies with liganded antibodies is a significant delay in the dissociation rate (k₂) of the ligand bound within the primary immune complex. The latter is an important consideration for assay development. Polyclonal and monoclonal anti-metatype antibody reagents are characterized in terms of their differential effects on the ligand dissociation rate. Anti-metatype antibody reactivity is further discussed in terms of protein-protein specificity patterns and relative interactions with idiotype-family members, structural derivatives, and site-specific mutants. Incorporation of principles inherent in the anti-metatype concept and their application to assay development are summarized.Abbreviations D₂O deuterium oxide - Fab 50 kd antibody fragment containing V_HC_H1 + V_LC_L domains - FITC(I) fluorescein isothiocyanate (isomer I) - Fv 26 kd fragment of the antibody molecule containing the variable domains of the H and L chains - Ig immunoglobulin - IgG immunoglobulin G with a mol. wt. of 150 kd. - IgM immunoglobulin M with a mol. wt. of 10⁶d - Id idiotype - Ka antibody affinity (k₁/k₂) in M^–1 - k₁ second order rate of ligand association in M^–1s^–1 - k₂ first order rate of ligand dissociation in s^–1 - K_D dissociation constant or the reciprocal of the affinity constant (1/Ka) - Mab monoclonal antibody - Met metatype - NMR nuclear magnetic resonance - SCA single chain Fv derivative containing a synthetic linker between the two variable domains - V_H variable domain of the antibody H chain - V_L variable domain of the antibody L chain     

Computer modelling of the conformational equilibrium of 2-and 2,5,5-substituted 1,3,2-dioxaborinanes

Empirical, semiempirical, and nonempirical quantum-chemical methods were used to study the conformational equilibrium of 2,5,5-substituted 1,3,2-dioxaborinanes. The sofa invertomers were found to correspond to the local and global minima on the potential energy surface. The position of the equilibrium between these forms is a function of the substituents at C₍₅₎ of the heterocycle. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 12, pp. 1860–1865, December, 2007.     

Binding studies of sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate with poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)

The binding of sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate (SDBS) with poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) has been investigated at 303.15 and 313.15 K using equilibrium dialysis, surface tension, viscosity, ultrasound velocity and ultrasound absorption techniques. From each of these studies four distinct regions of SDBS-PVP interactions were observed. Interaction of SDBS with PVP was found to involve the binding of surfactant dimers with the polymer molecule followed by usual micellization. The binding data has been analyzed in terms of various models of polymer-surfactant interaction.     

Ab initio study of the ground state and conformational stability of peroxyacetyl nitrate in internal rotation about the peroxide bond

The molecular and electronic structure of the ground state of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) was calculated by the unrestricted Hartree-Fock-Roothaan method with the use of the standard 3–21G and 6–31G basis set. The potential curve of the internal rotation about the peroxide bond of PAN was calculated with the 6–31G basis set. The curve contains two maxima. The ground state of PAN is characterized by a structure in which groups of atoms adjacent to the peroxide bond lie in planes that are perpendicular to each other (the dihedral angle ϱ(COON) is 89.9°). The calculated barriers to rotation are 19.6 and 66.8 kJ mol⁻¹. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 600–604, April, 1998.