A fractional crystallization method
was used to separate the cis
and trans isomers of three double-decker silsesquioxanes (DDSQs) with
an aminophenyl moiety in a THF + hexanes solvent mixture. The experimental
solubilities were fitted to the Schröder–van Laar equation
with activity coefficients determined using the NRTL model by adjusting
the binary interaction parameters. The ability to separate these cis
and trans isomers was affected by the regioisomer (m- or p-aminophenyl) and the R moiety (cyclohexyl
or methyl) coupled via silicon. For a given DDSQ compound, the variances
between the solubilities of the cis and trans isomers depend on differences
in thermal properties (Schröder–van Laar). Cis isomers
were 33 times more soluble than trans isomers for p-aminophenyl (R = methyl) and 22 times more soluble for the analogous m-aminophenyl in a solution of THF and hexanes. For a more
sterically hindered m-aminophenyl (R = cyclohexyl),
the cis isomers were only 3.5 times more soluble, and the overall
solubility was also the lowest. The magnitude of the binary interaction
between DDSQ and nonsolvent (hexanes) was used to explain how quickly
the solubility decreased as hexanes were added. The solubilities of
the two m-aminophenyl structures decreased at similar
rates, while the solubility of the p-aminophenyl
structure decreased at a much lower rate since the magnitude of the
binary interaction between p-aminophenyl and hexanes
is smaller.