New stage in living cationic polymerization: An array of effective Lewis acid catalysts and fast living polymerization in seconds

Our recent extensive research on Lewis acid catalysts with a weak base for the cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers led to unprecedented living reaction systems: fast living polymerization within 1–3 s; a wide choice of metal halides containing Al, Sn, Fe, Ti, Zr, Hf, Zn, Ga, In, Si, Ge, and Bi; and heterogeneously catalyzed living polymerization with Fe₂O₃. The use of added bases for the stabilization of the propagating carbocation and the appropriate selection of Lewis acid catalysts were crucial to the success of such new types of living polymerizations. In addition, the base‐stabilized living polymerization allowed the quantitative synthesis of star‐shaped polymers with a narrow molecular weight distribution via polymer‐linking reactions and the precision synthesis and self‐assembly of stimuli‐responsive block copolymers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1801–1813, 2007.     

CeO2-ZrO2-Y2O3对Pt-Rh型三效催化剂性能的影响

采用共沉淀法技术制备了Ce0.35Zr0.55Y0.10固溶体,并对其进行了比表面积、储氧量的测试和XRD的表征.将其用于低贵金属Pt-Rh型三效催化剂的制备,考察了CeO2-ZrO2-Y2O3对三效催化剂性能的影响.结果表明,Ce0.35Zr0.55Y0.10具有与Ce0.50Zr0.50O2相似的立方结构和相近的储氧量,经高温(1000 ℃)后仍能保持较大的比表面积(38.66 m2·g-1).和含Ce0.50Zr0.50O2的三效催化剂相比,含CeO2-ZrO2-Y2O3的三效催化剂经高温老化后,C3H8,CO,NO仍具有较高的转化率和较低的起燃温度.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) Na<Subscript>x</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanostructures

Nanorods of sodium titanium dioxide bronze Na_xTiO₂ were synthesized by the hydrothermal treatment of the amorphous TiO₂·nH₂O gel with 10 M NaOH followed by ultrasonication in 0.1 M HCl and thermal treatment (500°C, 10 h). The thermal treatment of the nanorods does not change the morphology of the particles. According to the electron diffraction data, the Na_xTiO₂ nanorods grow along the c axis.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 71–73, January, 2005.     

Biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyalkanoates) by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli strains

Biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) consisting of 3-hydroxyalkanoates (3HAs) of 4 to 10 carbon atoms was examined in metabolically engineered Escherichia coli strains. When the fadA and/or fadB mutant E. coli strains harboring the plasmid containing the Pseudomonas sp. 61-3 phaC2 gene and the Ralstonia eutropha phaAB genes were cultured in Luria-Bertani (LB) medium supplemented with 2 g/L of sodium decanoate, all the recombinant E. coli strains synthesized PHAs consisting of C4, C6, C8, and C10 monomer units. The monomer composition of PHA was dependent on the E. coli strain used. When the fadA mutant E. coli was employed, PHA containing up to 63 mol% of 3-hydroyhexanoate was produced. In fadB and fadAB mutant E. coli strains, 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) was efficiently incorporated into PHA up to 86 mol%. Cultivation of recombinant fadA and/or fadB mutant E. coli strains in LB medium containing 10 g/L of sodium gluconate and 2 g/L of sodium decanoate resulted in the production of PHA copolymer containing a very high fraction of 3HB up to 95 mol%. Since the material properties of PHA copolymer consisting of a large fraction of 3HB and a small fraction of medium-chain-length 3HA are similar to those of low-density polyethylene, recombinant E. coli strains constructed in this study should be useful for the production of PHAs suitable for various commercial applications.     

Dirhodium(II)-catalyzed carbonyl ylide generation. Stereoelectronic control in dioxolane formation

The combination of ethyl diazoacetate with aryl aldehydes in the presence of copper(I) or rhodium(II) catalysts results in the formation of 1,3-dioxolane products in moderate to good yields. These reactions occur through a pathway that involves ylide intermediates. Catalyst-dependent diastereocontrol is observed and suggests that metal-associated ylides are involved in the product-determining step. The influence of aryl aldehyde substituents has been determined. Current address. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 961–965, May, 1998.     

桑蚕丝素蛋白初始结构对其矿化作用的影响

以碱金属离子诱导桑蚕丝素蛋白溶液发生构象转变, 研究了蛋白质初始结构对其矿化作用的影响. FT-IR, XRD和SEM等测试结果显示, 未经任何处理的桑蚕丝素蛋白溶液矿化后形成片状复合物, 其无机相以二水磷酸氢钙(DCPD)为主; 而经过K^＋和Na^＋金属离子处理后, 桑蚕丝素溶液的结构由无规线团/螺旋构象向β-折叠发生转变, 矿化后成纤维状, 并相互结合呈现纳米级的三维多孔结构, 其无机相以热力学稳定的羟基磷灰石(HA)为主. 可以认为, 丝素蛋白结构转化为较伸展的β-折叠后, 使得更多的亲水基团暴露在外面, 在丝素蛋白分子不断凝聚成纤过程中, HA结晶快速生长并附着在这些微纤上, 最终形成纤维状的丝素蛋白/HA复合物. 该结果为阐明蛋白质的生物矿化过程及其调控机理提供了理论依据, 同时可以从矿化复合物的形成来反映这些微量元素可能对骨组织形成的影响, 为临床骨组织的修复提供一定的参考.     

Indium-mediated allylation/propargylation of α-diazoketones: a facile synthesis of 1-bromo-2-alkyl- or 2-arylpent-4-en-2-ols

α-Diazoketones undergo smooth allylation with successive bromide insertion with allylindium bromide generated in situ from allyl bromide and indium metal to produce 1-bromo-2-alkyl- or 2-arylpent-4-en-2-ols in high yields. Addition of propargylindium bromide produces 1-bromo-2-alkyl-or 2-arylpent-4-yn-2-ols under similar conditions.     

Synthesis and crystal structures of Group 6 metal carbonyl complexes containing S-rich bis(pyrazol-1-yl)methane ligands

The reaction of 3(5)-methylthio-5(3)-phenylpyrazole with dibromomethane under phase-transfer catalytic conditions only affords a new ligand, bis(3-phenyl-5-methylthiopyrazol-1-yl)methane. However, the reaction of 3(5)-methylthio-5(3)-p-methoxyphenylpyrazole or 3(5)-methylthio-5(3)-tert-butylpyrazole with dibromomethane under the same conditions yields three isomers, respectively, indicating that the substituents significantly affect the steric and electronic properties of pyrazole ring during the formation of ligands. Treatment of these potential polydentate ligands with M(CO)₆ (M=Cr, Mo or W) under UV irradiation at room temperature affords (NN)M(CO)₄ derivatives, in which some complexes contain asymmetric substituted bis(pyrazol-1-yl)methane ligands. The X-ray crystal structure analyses indicate that the sulfur atoms in these complexes do not take part in the coordination to the metal centers, and S-rich bis(pyrazol-1-yl)methanes actually act as bidentate chelating ligands by two nitrogen atoms. It is also interesting that in order to reduce the repulsion of methyl groups with carbonyls, the methyl groups in these complexes are oriented away from the metal centers.     

Imidazole Coordinated Sandwich-type Antimony Polyoxotungstates Na9[ {Na（H=O2}3{M（C3H4N2）}3（ Sb W9O33）2]·xH=O（M=Ni^Ⅱ, Co^Ⅱ, Zn^Ⅱ, Mn^Ⅱ）

The imidazole covalently coordinated sandwich-type heteropolymngstates Na9[ {Na（H=O2}3{M（C3H4N2）}3（ Sb W9O33）2]·xH=O（M=Ni^Ⅱ, Co^Ⅱ, Zn^Ⅱ, Mn^Ⅱ） were obtained by the reaction of Na2WO4·2H2O, SbCl3·6H2O, NiCl2·6H2O [MnSO4·H2O, Co（NO3）2·6H2O, ZnSO4·7H2O] and imidazole at pH≈7.5. The structure of Na9[{Na（H2O）2}3{Ni（C3H4N2）}3（SbW9O33）2]·32H2O was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Polyanion [{Na（H2O）2}3{Ni（C3H4N2）}3（SbW9O33）2}3]^9- has approximate C3v symmetry, imidazole coordinated six-nuclear duster [{Na（H2O）2}3{Ni（C3H4N2）}3]^9＋ is encapsulated between two （α-SbW9O33）^9-, the three rings of imidazole in the polyanion are perpendicular to the horizontal plane formed by six metals （Na-Ni-Na-Ni-Na-Ni） in the central belt, and x-stacking interactions exist between imidazoles of neighboring polyanions with dihedral angel of 60%. The compounds were also characterized by IR, UV-Vis spectra, TG and DSC, and the thermal decomposition mechanism of the four compounds was suggested by TG curves.     

Silica-Based and Transition Metal-Based Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Materials—A Comparison

Organically substituted metal alkoxides can be prepared by reaction of the parent alkoxides with complexing organic compounds. The chemical and structural consequences of such substitutions are discussed in this article. Examples are given showing how functional organic moieties, such as polymerizable groups, can be incorporated into sol-gel materials via the complexing ligands. Major structural differences between silica-based and metal-based hybrid materials originate from the different charge/coordination number ratios of silicon and most metals. This results in a high tendency for the molecular building blocks to aggregate. In many cases, metal oxide clusters are formed which are capped by the organic ligands. Such surface-modified clusters are themselves very valuable condensed matter units for materials syntheses.