The pH-induced swelling and collapse of a polybase brush synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization

We have used neutron reflectometry to characterize the swelling behaviour of brushes of poly[2-(diethyl amino)ethyl methacrylate], a polybase, as a function of pH. The brushes, synthesized by the "grafting from" method of atom transfer radical polymerization, were observed to approximately double their thickness in low pH solutions, although the pK is shifted to a lower pH than in dilute solution. The composition-depth profile obtained from the reflectometry experiments for the swollen brushes reveals a region depleted in polymer between the substrate and the extended part of the brush.

Fundamental Pd0/PdII redox steps in cross-coupling reactions:homogeneous, hybrid homogeneous-heterogeneous to heterogeneous mechanistic pathways for C-C couplings

C–C bond-forming, cross-coupling reactions of organohalides with nucleophilic compounds, catalysed by palladium, are amongst the most important chemical reactions available to the synthetic chemist. The intimate mechanisms of these reactions, involving Pd0/PdII redox steps, have been of great historical interest and continue to be so. The myriad of possible mechanisms is reviewed in this chapter. The interplay of mononuclear Pd species with higher order Pd species, e.g. nanoclusters/nanoparticles are considered as being equally important in cross-coupling reaction mechanisms. A focus is placed on trichotomic behaviour of cross-coupling catalytic manifolds, from homogeneous to hybrid homogeneous–heterogeneous to truly heterogeneous behaviour. For the latter, surface chemistry and metal atom leaching (and various experimental techniques) are broadly discussed. It is now clear that mechanism for general cross‐coupling reactions, that is as presented to undergraduate students studying Chemistry degrees across the world, is undoubtedly more complex than first thought. New opportunities for catalyst design have therefore emerged in the area of Pd nanoparticles and nanocatalysis, with some wonderful applications especially in chemical biology, providing a snapshot of what the future might hold.