Grafted fluoropolymers as supports for solid-phase organic chemistry : preparation and characterization

Solid-phase organic chemistry has rapidly expanded in the last decade, and, as a consequence, so has the need for the development of supports that can withstand the extreme conditions required to facilitate some reactions. The authors here prepare a thermally stable, grafted fluoropolymer support (see Figure for an example) in three solvents, and found that the penetration of the graft was greatest in dichloromethane.

Studies of the radiation chemistry and grafting of a fluoropolymer

The radiation chemistry and the grafting of a fluoropolymer, poly(tetrafluoroethylene-coperfluoropropyl vinyl ether) (PFA), was investigated with the aim of developing a highly stable grafted support for use in solid phase organic chemistry (SPOC). A radiation-induced grafting method was used whereby the PFA was exposed to ionizing radiation to form free radicals capable of initiating graft copolymerization of styrene. To fully investigate this process, both the radiation chemistry of PFA and the grafting of styrene to PFA were examined. Radiation alone was found to have a detrimental effect on PFA when irradiated at 303 K. This was evident from the loss in the mechanical properties due to chain scission reactions. This meant that when radiation was used for the grafting reactions, the total radiation dose needed to be kept as low as possible. The radicals produced when PFA was exposed to radiation were examined using electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Both main-chain (–CF2–C.F–CF2-) and end-chain (–CF2–C.F2) radicals were identified. The stability of the majority of the main-chain radicals when the polymer was heated above the glass transition temperature suggested that they were present mainly in the crystalline regions of the polymer, while the end-chain radicals were predominately located in the amorphous regions. The radical yield at 77 K was lower than the radical yield at 303 K suggesting that cage recombination at low temperatures inhibited free radicals from stabilizing. High-speed MAS 19F NMR was used to identify the non-volatile products after irradiation of PFA over a wide temperature range. The major products observed over the irradiation temperature 303 to 633 K included new saturated chain ends, short fluoromethyl side chains in both the amorphous and crystalline regions, and long branch points. The proportion of the radiolytic products shifted from mainly chain scission products at low irradiation temperatures to extensive branching at higher irradiation temperatures. Calculations of G values revealed that net crosslinking only occurred when PFA was irradiated in the melt. Minor products after irradiation at elevated temperatures included internal and terminal double bonds and CF3 groups adjacent to double bonds. The volatile products after irradiation at 303 K included tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and oxygen-containing species from loss of the perfluoropropyl ether side chains of PFA as identified by mass spectrometry and FTIR spectroscopy. The chemical changes induced by radiation exposure were accompanied by changes in the thermal properties of the polymer. Changes in the crystallinity and thermal stability of PFA after irradiation were examined using DSC and TGA techniques. The equilibrium melting temperature of untreated PFA was 599 K as determined using a method of extrapolation of the melting temperatures of imperfectly formed crystals. After low temperature irradiation, radiation- induced crystallization was prevalent due to scission of strained tie molecules, loss of perfluoropropyl ether side chains, and lowering of the molecular weight which promoted chain alignment and hence higher crystallinity. After irradiation at high temperatures, the presence of short and long branches hindered crystallization, lowering the overall crystallinity. The thermal stability of the PFA decreased with increasing radiation dose and temperature due to the introduction of defect groups. Styrene was graft copolymerized to PFA using -radiation as the initiation source with the aim of preparing a graft copolymer suitable as a support for SPOC. Various grafting conditions were studied, such as the total dose, dose rate, solvent effects and addition of nitroxides to create “living” graft chains. The effect of dose rate was examined when grafting styrene vapour to PFA using the simultaneous grafting method. The initial rate of grafting was found to be independent of the dose rate which implied that the reaction was diffusion controlled. When the styrene was dissolved in various solvents for the grafting reaction, the graft yield was strongly dependent of the type and concentration of the solvent used. The greatest graft yield was observed when the solvent swelled the grafted layers and the substrate. Microprobe Raman spectroscopy was used to map the penetration of the graft into the substrate. The grafted layer was found to contain both poly(styrene) (PS) and PFA and became thicker with increasing radiation dose and graft yield which showed that grafting began at the surface and progressively penetrated the substrate as the grafted layer was swollen. The molecular weight of the grafted PS was estimated by measuring the molecular weight of the non-covalently bonded homopolymer formed in the grafted layers using SEC. The molecular weight of the occluded homopolymer was an order of magnitude greater than the free homopolymer formed in the surrounding solution suggesting that the high viscosity in the grafted regions led to long PS grafts. When a nitroxide mediated free radical polymerization was used, grafting occurred within the substrate and not on the surface due to diffusion of styrene into the substrate at the high temperatures needed for the reaction to proceed. Loading tests were used to measure the capacity of the PS graft to be functionialized with aminomethyl groups then further derivatized. These loading tests showed that samples grafted in a solution of styrene and methanol had superior loading capacity over samples graft using other solvents due to the shallow penetration and hence better accessibility of the graft when methanol was used as a solvent.

Generation of profluorescent isoindoline nitroxides using click chemistry

Novel profluorescent nitroxides bearing a triazole linker between the coumarin fluorophore and an isoindoline nitroxide were prepared in good yields using the coppercatalyzed azide�alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC). Nitroxides containing 7-hydroxy and 7-diethylamino substitution on their coumarin rings displayed significant fluorescence suppression, and upon reaction with methyl radicals, normal fluorescence emission was returned. The fluorescence emission for the 7-hydroxycoumarin nitroxide and its diamagnetic analogue was found to be strongly influenced by pH with maximal fluorescence emission achieved in basic solution. Solvent polarity was also shown to affect fluorescence emission. The significant difference in fluorescence output between the nitroxides and their corresponding diamagnetic analogues makes these compounds ideal tools for monitoring processes involving free-radical species.

First measurements of source apportionment of organic aerosols in the Southern Hemisphere

An Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer was deployed at five urban schools to examine spatial and temporal variability of organic aerosols (OA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) used for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere to apportion the sources of the OA across an urban area. The sources identified included hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA), biomass burning OA (BBOA) and oxygenated OA (OOA). At all sites, the main source was OOA, which accounted for 62–73% of the total OA mass and was generally more oxidized compared to those reported in the Northern Hemisphere. This suggests that there are differences in aging processes or regional sources in the two hemispheres. Unlike HOA and BBOA, OOA demonstrated instructive temporal variations but not spatial variation across the urban area. Application of cluster analysis to the PMF-derived sources offered a simple and effective method for qualitative comparison of PMF sources that can be used in other studies.

Electron-accepting conjugated materials based on 2-Vinyl-4,5- dicyanoimidazoles for application in organic electronics

We report the Heck coupling of 2-vinyl-4,5-dicyanoimidazole (vinazene) with selected di- and trihalo aromatics in an effort to prepare linear and branched electron-accepting conjugated materials for application in organic electronics. By selecting the suitable halo-aromatic moiety, it is possible to tune the HOMO - LUMO energy levels, absorption, and emission properties for a specific application. In this regard, materials with strong photoluminescence from blue → green → red are reported that may have potential application in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Furthermore, derivatives with strong absorption in the visible spectrum, coupled with favorable HOMO-LUMO levels, have been used to prepare promising organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) when combined with commercially available semiconducting donor polymers.

Sandwich complexes of naphthalocyanine with the rare earth metals

Over the past two decades and in particular the past five years, numerous sandwich-type rare earth complexes containing naphthalocyanine ligands have been synthesized. The more extended delocalized π-electron system of naphthalocyanine in comparison with phthalocyanine generates unique physical, spectroscopic, electrochemical and photoelectrochemical properties which have aroused significant research interest in these compounds. This review summarizes recent progress in research on this important class of molecular materials and overviews the current status of the field.

Synthesis of profluorescent isoindoline nitroxides via palladium-catalysed Heck alkenylation

The synthesis of a new structural class of isoindoline nitroxides (aminoxyls), accessible via the palladium-catalysed Heck reaction, is presented. Reaction of the aryl bromoamine, 5-bromo-1,1,3,3-tetramethylisoindoline (4) or dibromoamine, 5,6-dibromo-1,1,3,3-tetramethylisoindoline (5) or the analogous bromonitroxides 6 and 7 with methyl acrylate gives the acrylate substituted tetramethylisoindoline amines 8 and 10 and nitroxides 12 and 14. Similarly, the reaction of the aryl bromides and dibromides 4–7 with methyl 4-vinylbenzoate gives the carboxystyryl substituted tetramethylisoindoline amines 9 and 11 and the analogous nitroxides 13 and 15. The carboxystyryl tetramethylisoindoline nitroxides demonstrate strongly suppressed fluorescence, which is revealed upon removal of the free radical by reduction or radical coupling.

The synthesis of novel isoindoline nitroxides bearing water-solubilising functionality

A range of novel tetramethyl- and tetraethylisoindolinenitroxides, possessing aryl-linked carboxylic acids, amines, alcohols and phosphonic acids were prepared. Notably, the chemistry established for the aromatic dibromination of the tetramethylisoindolines was not easily transferred to the corresponding tetraethylisoindoline system. Instead, various tetraethylisoindoline analogues were accessed by the oxidation of methyl groups attached to the aromatic ring to give the carboxylic acids. The increased steric bulk of the tetraethyl structures should limit bio-reduction and these compounds may have potential as antioxidants.

Porphyrins with metal, metalloid or phosphorus atoms directly bonded to the carbon periphery

Organometallic porphyrins with a metal, metalloid or phosphorus fragment directly attached to their carbon framework emerged for the first time in 1976, and these macrocycles have been intensively investigated in the past decade. The present review summarises for the first time all reported examples as well as applications of these systems.

Experimental and theoretical studies of the redox potentials of cyclic nitroxides

The redox potentials of 25 cyclic nitroxides from four different structural classes (pyrrolidine, piperidine, isoindoline, and azaphenalene) were determined experimentally by cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile, and also via high-level ab initio molecular orbital calculations. It is shown that the potentials are influenced by the type of ring system, ring substituents and/or groups surrounding the radical moiety. For the pyrrolidine, piperidine, and isoindolines there is excellent agreement (mean absolute deviation of 0.05 V) between the calculated and experimental oxidation potentials; for the azaphenalenes, however, there is an extraordinary discrepancy (mean absolute deviation of 0.60 V), implying that their one-electron oxidation might involve additional processes not considered in the theoretical calculations. This recently developed azaphenalene class of nitroxide represents a new variant of a nitroxide ring fused to an aromatic system and details of the synthesis of five derivatives involving differing aryl substitution are also presented.