Copper(II) complexes bearing cyclobutanecarboxylate and pyridine ligands: a new series of dinuclear paddle-wheel complexes

Monatshefte für Chemie - Chemical Monthly - Four members of a new series of paddle-wheel copper(II) complexes bearing cyclobutanecarboxylate as bridging ligand with pyridine derived ligands in...     

Determination of glycols by HPLC with refractive index detection

A simple and fast HPLC method for the determination of glycols is described. It is characterized by a reversed-phase separation using water as eluent and a refractive index detection. The method was applied to investigate the biodegradation of glycols in a laboratory activated sludge plant and to determine the content of glycols or alcohols in detergents. The detection limit is 4 mg/l ethylene glycol or propylene glycol in an aqueous sample.     

Two-level structured self-adaptive surfaces with reversibly tunable properties

We report a route to fabricate two-level structured self-adaptive surfaces (SAS) of polymer materials. The first level of structure is built by a rough polymer film that consists of needlelike structures of micrometer size. The second level of structure is formed by the nanoscopic self-assembled domains of a demixed polymer brush irreversibly grafted onto the needles. By exposing the surface to solvents that are selective to one of the components of the brush, we reversibly tune the surface properties. The large-scale surface structure amplifies the response and enables us to control wettability, adhesion, and chemical composition of the surface over a wide range.     

Selection rules for helicate ligand component self-assembly: steric, pH, charge, and solvent effects

The reaction between 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxaldehyde, copper(I), and certain primary amines was found to give quantitatively a dicopper double-helicate product (two of which were crystallographically characterized) by imine self-assembly around Cu(I) templates. The parameters of this reaction were investigated, and important roles were found to be played by (i) the steric bulk of the amine, (ii) the charge of the amine, (iii) the solvent used, and (iv) the pH of the solution. Water was found to allow the broadest range of structures to form, and ligand-component exchange reactions (involving the substitution of an aromatic for an aliphatic amine) were demonstrated to proceed readily in this solvent.