The microenvironment in polymer solids with added plasticizers. An attempt to measure the size and distribution of free volume in poly(methyl methacrylate) solids

Various amounts of n-alkylbenzenes (C_n: C₆H₅-C_nH_2n+1 (n = 3-16)) were doped into poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films, and the emission and thermal properties of each film were measured in detail together with their solid-state ¹³C NMR spectra. The aim of the present work was to estimate the size distribution of free volume in amorphous regions of polymer solids heavily doped with plasticizers by using C_n as models of a plasticizer. The excimer fluorescence yields of C_n in PMMA were found to depend on both the amount of C_n and the length of the alkyl chains of C_n, although the fluorescence spectra of all of the C_ns in dilute fluid solution were almost the same. The quantitative analysis showed: (1) C_n with n ? 12 induces a phase separation in PMMA, in which almost all of the C_n molecules are in a separated phase, and thus they cannot penetrate regions in which PMMA chains are aggregated. This means that C_n with n ? 12 cannot enlarge the space between PMMA chains. (2) Smaller C_n (n < 11) can enter free volumes between PMMA chains that correspond to their molecular size, but they can enlarge them only to a limited extent. Thus, the amount by which plasticization can increase the free volume of PMMA is limited by the size of the dopant and the inherent free volume of the polymer matrix. (3) The efficiency of excimer formation was found to reveal the maximum amount of C_n that could fit in the free volume of PMMA. Thus our fluorescence measurements showed that PMMA solids that were plasticized to their limit had a free volume that was larger than the volume occupied by all the conformers of C₅ and smaller than the volume occupied by almost all the conformers of C₁₂. In conclusion, we were able to obtain information on plasticization and to demonstrate a method of monitoring microenvironments in polymer solids after they have been doped with plasticizers.     

Indium(I) bromide-mediated coupling of dibromoacetonitrile with aldehydes followed by Boord elimination of bromine and oxygen of β-bromo alkoxides for preparation of 3-organyl-2-alkenenitriles

The organoindium compound derived from indium monobromide and dibromoacetonitrile reacts with carbonyl compounds to afford the corresponding 2-bromo-2-cyano-indium(III) alkoxide. The action of a second equivalent of indium monobromide onto the alkoxides derived from aldehydes promotes the Boord elimination of the β-related oxygen and bromine atoms leading to 2-alkenenitriles.     

Inclusion complexes of alcohols with α-cyclodextrin

Calorimetric studies of the inclusion complexes of straight and branched alcohols and of diols with alpha-cyclodextrin (-CD) have been carried out in water solvent. The data suggest that straight and branched chain alcohols enter the cavity of -CD alkyl end first. The hydroxyl group hydrogen bonds to the outer oxygen ring of the cyclodextrin. For branched chain alcohols the longer alkyl part of the molecule penetrates the -CD cavity up to the hydroxyl group. Diols form two hydrogen bonds to the outer oxygen ring of the cyclodextrin with some penetration into its interior.     

Nonequilibrium dynamics of a diffusion-limited reaction driven by a cluster-memory mechanism

The diffusion-limited reaction A+AA+B is studied in general dimension. The asymptotic decay of the system is found to depend nontrivially upon the initial concentration of A particles for certain ranges of the diffusion constant, backward reaction rate, and total concentration of particles. This nonequilibrium behavior is due to the formation of clusters centered about the initial A particles. A perturbative analysis ind=1 shows that the transition to the nonequilibrium dynamics is sharp and is quite similar to another previously studied reaction A+AA. Ford>1, a scaling argument is presented which describes the dependence of the asymptotic decay on the initial concentration of A particles and the equilibrium concentration for large backward reaction rates. Monte Carlo data are shown which confirm the analytic work ind=1, 2, and 3.     

Aryl-bis(triorganylphosphine)nickel phenoxides

Compounds of general formulatrans-ArNi(PR₃)₂OAr' (R = Et, cyclohexyl; Ar = 2-MeC₆H₄, 2-FC₆H₄; Ar' = 4-FC₆H₄, 4-NO₂C₆H₄) were synthesized by the reaction of Ar'OK with cationic nickel complexes generated by treatment of ArNi(PR₃)₂Cl with TlBF₄. Syntheses of 4-fluorophenoxide complexes, ArNi(PR₃)₂OC₆H₄F-4, additionally give some quantities oftrans-[ArNi(PR₃)₂OC₆H₄F-4][HOC₆H₄F-4] adducts. Exchange reactions MeC₆H₄Ni(PEt₃)₂OC₆H₄F-4 + XC₆H₄OH 2-MeC₆H₄Ni(PEt₃)₂OC₆H₄X + 4-FC₆H₄OH were studied in THF. The equilibrium is shifted to the right as the acidity of ArOH increases. A linear relationship between lgK _eq and pK _a of XC₆H₄OH in DMSO was found. A conclusion concerning the strong polarization of the Ni-O bond was made on the basis of an analysis of the chemical shifts of fluorine atoms in 2-MeC₆H₄Ni(PEt₃)₂OC₆H₄F-4.Translated fromIvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2266–2271, November, 1995.     

Molecular ions of 3,3′-bi(2-R-5,5-dimethyl-4-oxopyrrolinylidene) 1,1′-dioxides

The electrochemical reduction of 3,3′-bi(2-R-5,5-dimethyl-4-oxopyrrolinylidene) 1,1′-dioxides (R = CF₃, Me, Ph, Bu^t), which are cyclic dinitrons with conjugated C=C bond, in acetonitrile is an EE process producing stable radical anions and dianions, whereas the electrochemical oxidation is an EEC (R = Me, Ph) or EE process (R = Bu^t) with formation of radical cations (except for the case of R = CF₃) and dications (R = Bu^t) stable under standard conditions. Radical cations of the dioxides with R = Me, Ph, and Bu^t and radical anions of the whole series of the compounds studied, including R = CF₃, were characterized by ESR spectroscopy combined with electrochemical measurements and quantum-chemical calculations. The electrochemical behavior of the Bu^t-substituted dinitron is unique: the EE processes in the region of negative and positive potentials with formation of the dianion, radical anion, radical cation, and dication stable at T = 298 K were observed for the first time within one cycle of potential sweep in the CV curve measured in MeCN. __________ Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 1148–1154, May, 2005.     

Synthesis and iNOS/nNOS inhibitory activities of new benzoylpyrazoline derivatives

A series of new Δ²-pyrazoline derivatives has been synthesized by means of a 1,3-dipolar-cycloaddition reaction. Ethyl 3-(5-methoxy-2-nitrobenzoyl)-Δ²-pyrazoline-5-carboxylate (5a) has been designed for the formation of the benzoylpyrazoline system present in these derivatives. Two synthetic routes have been utilized changing the starting products in the cycloaddition reaction. In both routes, the majority product obtained was only a Δ²-pyrazoline. The intermediate ethyl 1-acyl-3-(2-nitrobenzoyl-5-substituted)-Δ²-pyrazoline-5-carboxylate derivatives have been transformed into the final compounds by means of several chemical treatments. The compounds have been biologically evaluated as inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), showing better affinity towards the inducible NOS isoform than versus neuronal NOS.     

Chemo- and regioselective synthesis of 2-alkylidenetetrahydrofurans bearing a chiral sulfur atom by domino reactions of sulfoximines

The addition of the dianion of Johnson’s sulfoximine to α,ω-halogenoesters evolves by an intramolecular heterocyclization to provide a direct access to 2-alkylidenetetrahydrofurans bearing a chiral sulfur atom via domino addition-elimination/S_N reactions.     

Alternative paths in the ring opening of oxadiaziridine: The diimide N-oxide versus the oxodiimide rearrangement

The ring opening of the oxadiaziridine by cleavage of the N-N bond has been theoretically investigated by SCF calculations improved with limited CI. The possible competition of this reaction with the better known ones (N-O bond cleavage, inversion of the N atom) is discussed. The chemical implications of the formation of a new type of 1,3-dipole are examined.     

Evaluation of free hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of some Chinese herbs by capillary zone electrophoresis with amperometric detection

Due to the severe damage caused by free hydroxyl radicals (OH·) to cells and tissues, there is much interest in finding and studying effective and non-toxic OH· scavengers, including traditional Chinese herbs. In this paper, the simple and highly-sensitive technique of capillary zone electrophoresis with amperometric detection (CZE-AD) was used to study the OH· scavenging activities of aqueous extracts from some traditional Chinese herbs. Salicylic acid (SAL) was used as an OH· trap, and the content of OH· could be determined by assaying their products, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,3-DHBA) and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHBA). The optimum conditions for CZE-AD for the determination of 2,3-DHBA and 2,5-DHBA were explored. The linearity ranges of 2,3-DHBA and 2,5-DHBA were 1.0 ×10^–7~1.0 ×10^–4 mol L^–1, and their detection limits were as low as 2×10^–8 mol L^–1, which were much better than the CE-UV method often used. The traditional Chinese herbs studied included Radix angelicae sinensis, Rhizoma coptidis, Ligustrum lucidum, Ligusticum wallichii, Radices glycyrrhizae and Semen plantaginis. The experiments showed that the aqueous extracts from all of the above traditional Chinese herds had free OH· scavenging activities, although to different degrees.