No abstract

The weakly coordinated triflate complex [(P^P)Pd(OTf)](+)(OTf)(-) (1) (P^P = 1,3-bis(di-tert-butylphosphino)propane) is a suitable reactive precursor for mechanistic studies of the isomerizing alkoxcarbonylation of methyl oleate. Addition of CH(3)OH or CD(3)OD to 1 forms the hydride species [(P^P)PdH(CH(3)OH)](+)(OTf)(-) (2-CH(3)OH) or the deuteride [(P^P)PdD(CD(3)OD)](+)(OTf)(-) (2(D)-CD(3)OD), respectively. Further reaction with pyridine cleanly affords the stable and isolable hydride [(P^P)PdH(pyridine)](+)(OTf)(-) (2-pyr). This complex yields the hydride fragment free of methanol by abstraction of pyridine with BF(3)·OEt(2), and thus provides an entry to mechanistic observations including intermediates reactive toward methanol. Exposure of methyl oleate (100 equiv) to 2(D)-CD(3)OD resulted in rapid isomerization to the thermodynamic isomer distribution, 94.3% of internal olefins, 5.5% of α,β-unsaturated ester and <0.2% of terminal olefin. Reaction of 2-pyr/BF(3)·OEt(2) with a stoichiometric amount of 1-(13)C-labeled 1-octene at -80 °C yields a 50:50 mixture of the linear alkyls [(P^P)Pd(13)CH(2)(CH(2))(6)CH(3)](+) and [(P^P)PdCH(2)(CH(2))(6)(13)CH(3)](+) (4a and 4b). Further reaction with (13)CO yields the linear acyls [(P^P)Pd(13)C(═O)(12/13)CH(2)(CH(2))(6)(12/13)CH(3)(L)](+) (5-L; L = solvent or (13)CO). Reaction of 2-pyr/BF(3)·OEt(2) with a stoichiometric amount of methyl oleate at -80 °C also resulted in fast isomerization to form a linear alkyl species [(P^P)PdCH(2)(CH(2))(16)C(═O)OCH(3)](+) (6) and a branched alkyl stabilized by coordination of the ester carbonyl group as a four membered chelate [(P^P)PdCH{(CH(2))(15)CH(3)}C(═O)OCH(3)](+) (7). Addition of carbon monoxide (2.5 equiv) at -80 °C resulted in insertion to form the linear acyl carbonyl [(P^P)PdC(═O)(CH(2))(17)C(═O)OCH(3)(CO)](+) (8-CO) and the five-membered chelate [(P^P)PdC(═O)CH{(CH(2))(15)CH(3)}C(═O)OCH(3)](+) (9). Exposure of 8-CO and 9 to (13)CO at -50 °C results in gradual incorporation of the (13)C label. Reversibility of 7 + CO ⇄ 9 is also evidenced by ΔG = -2.9 kcal mol(-1) and ΔG(‡) = 12.5 kcal mol(-1) from DFT studies. Addition of methanol at -80 °C results in methanolysis of 8-L (L = solvent) to form the linear diester, 1,19-dimethylnonadecandioate, whereas 9 does not react and no branched diester is observed. DFT yields a barrier for methanolysis of ΔG(‡) = 29.7 kcal mol(-1) for the linear (8) vs ΔG(‡) = 37.7 kcal mol(-1) for the branched species (9).

The melting point of triacylglycerides (TAGs) under atmospheric pressure depends on both the fatty acid composition and crystalline structure of the polymorphic state, which are influenced by the temperature treatment history of the TAG. In this contribution, the additional effect of high hydrostatic pressure is described. Samples were placed in a temperature-controlled cell and pressurized up to 450 MPa. The phase transition was investigated either by perpendicular light scattering and transmission or with a polarized-light microscope. The high-pressure polarized-light microscope allows a precise determination of the melting point. The investigated TAGs showed a significant nonlinear increase of the melting point with pressure. Light scattering and transmission were used to observe the phase change in the high-pressure cell. Similar to supercooling in temperature-induced phase transition, we found a dramatic increase of the delay time in our pressure-induced solidification. Even the dependency of this induction time on the control parameter pressure was similar to that in temperature-driven crystallization. We propose that different crystalline structures may be obtained by superpressuring instead of supercooling.

An efficient approach for the synthesis of block copolymers of poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene) (NBR) and poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) is described. Conjugation of preformed polymer building blocks is achieved via a hetero-Diels-Alder (HDA) mechanism employing cyclopentadiene-capped NBRs with dienophile SAN copolymers, both synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The protocol is further extended toward the synthesis of 4-miktoarm star polymers, consisting of two NBR and two SAN arms. Molar masses of the obtained complex macromolecular architectures range from below 10 000 g·mol–1 up to 110 000 g·mol–1 with dispersities below 1.5. Molecular verification of the coupling moieties is provided via NMR spectroscopy as well as ESI mass spectrometry. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) traces of the obtained block copolymers and miktoarm star polymers were analyzed via deconvolution techniques, revealing the presence of 9.9–12.6 wt % (block copolymers) and 20 wt % (stars) of polymer chains not participating in the HDA conjugation, respectively. The residual polymers were analyzed toward their origin from either the loss of functionality during RAFT polymerization or incomplete conversion during the conjugation process. The comprehensive analysis of the macromolecular material was underpinned by kinetic simulations to estimate the fractions of nonfunctional polymer chains generated during the NBR and SAN polymerizations. The simulations evidenced that NBR-b-SAN samples cannot contain more than 94.4 wt % (M n 13 000 g·mol–1), 93.6 wt % (M n 57 000 g·mol–1), or 93.9 wt % (M n 110 000 g·mol–1) of polymer chains actually possessing the targeted block copolymer structures when assuming an ideal RAFT process. These results unambiguously reveal that nonfunctionalized polymer chains formed during RAFT polymerization cause the incomplete conjugation of polymer building blocks, evidencing the limitations of end-group control in controlled/living radical polymerizations.

Analytical UV absorption detection for microfluidic devices, capillary electrophoresis, and even high-performance liquid chromatography is hampered by the small detection volumes, short absorption paths, and the need to sample at a high rate with a stable background and low noise. Fiber-loop ring-down spectroscopy (FLRDS) permits absorption detection of dilute liquid samples in volumes as small as a few nanoliters, while being insensitive to light source fluctuations and permitting a millisecond temporal resolution. We demonstrate a FLRDS based detection scheme that is compatible in dimensions (<200 microm absorption path, 6.0 nL detection volume) and optical design (405 nm detection wavelength, fiber coupled) with existing separation systems. An optical/fluidic interface has been built that allows injection of laser light into the loop while also permitting delivery of the sample. The detection limit of tartrazine was determined to be 5 microM (30 fmol) corresponding to an absorption of 0.11 cm(-1). Equivalent results were obtained when detecting myoglobin, a heterocyclic pharmaceutical ingredient, and 5.17 microm diameter polystyrene beads.

No abstract

The synthesis of acrylonitrile‐butadiene rubbers (NBRs) via trithiocarbonate‐mediated reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of acrylonitrile (ACN) and 1,3‐butadiene (BD) in solution under azeotropic conditions (38/62) was investigated for a broad range of common solvents: N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc), chlorobenzene, 1,4‐dioxane, tert‐butanol, isobutyronitrile, toluene, trimethylacetonitrile, dimethyl carbonate, acetonitrile, methyl acetate, acetone, and tert‐butyl methyl ether. The gravimetrically determined conversions for the free radical polymerizations of ACN/BD after 22 h at 100 °C were in the range of 15% for methyl acetate to 35% for DMAc. The origin of the differences in conversion is attributed to the unequal decomposition behavior of the employed azo initiator 2,2′‐azobis(N‐butyl‐2‐methylpropionamide) (1) in the solvents under investigation, as determined by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. Relative decomposition of 1 in solution (0.1 mol L−1) at 100 °C was calculated from the UV–vis spectra for selected solvents. 90% of 1 in DMAc was decomposed after 22 h, 83% in tert‐butanol, 57% in 1,4‐dioxane, 53% in isobutyronitrile, 45% in chlorobenzene, and 21% in toluene. The evolution of molecular weight with conversion using the initiator 1 was in accordance with the theoretically expected values, regardless of the solvent studied. Moreover, the RAFT‐mediated copolymerization of ACN/BD in DMAc with azo initiators 1, 1‐[(1‐cyano‐1‐methylethyl)azo]formamide (2) and 1,1′‐azobis(cyclohexanecarbonitrile) (3) was investigated. A strong deviation from the linear evolution of molecular weight due to a fast decomposition of these initiators – congruent with high primary radical delivery rates – at the selected temperature was observed when using 2 and 3. The deviation was not observed when using 1. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012

A highly selective photo-induced nitrile imine mediated tetrazole–ene coupling (NITEC) of chain-end-functionalized nitrile–butadiene rubber (NBR) is reported, providing nitrile rubbers with molar masses of up to 48 000 g·mol–1. NBR was obtained via the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) mediated copolymerization of acrylonitrile and 1,3-butadiene employing a novel photoreactive tetrazole-functionalized trithiocarbonate. The herein reported tetrazole-functionalized trithiocarbonate representsto the best of our knowledgethe first ever reported photoreactive RAFT agent capable of undergoing light-induced ligations with enes. Molar masses of the tetrazole-functionalized NBRs were in the range of 1000 to 38 000 g·mol–1 with dispersities between 1.1 to 1.6. By an appropriate choice of the tetrazole substituents, a reaction of the in situ formed enophile with the double bonds or the nitrile moieties of the incorporated monomer units within the polymer backbonepresent in high excess relative to the dipolarophile linker moleculewas not observed. Underpinned by DFT calculations, the selectivity was identified to originate from a reduced LUMO energy level of the maleimide linker compared to the nonactivated backbone olefins when employing a nitrile–imine of moderate reactivity.