Utilization of 4-(trifluoromethyl)benzenesulfonates as Counter Ions Tunes the Initiator Efficiency of Sophisticated Initiators for the Preparation of Well-Defined poly(2-oxazoline)s.

During the last decades, poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) have gained increased interest due to their versatility. In particular, cationic ring-opening polymerization (CROP) enables the synthesis of well-defined polymers bearing quantitative α- and ω-functionalities. In contrast to small initiating groups, the introduction of more sophisticated, respectively demanding groups remains challenging. To fulfill this challenge, the initiator should comply with one major requirement in order to yield well-defined polymers: a fast and complete initiation. The straight forward two-step synthesis of a novel initiator containing a 4-(trifluoromethyl)benzenesulfonate (fluorylate, TosCF3 ) counter-ion is herein presented to accomplish the introduction of a sophisticated functional 3-(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxy)prop-1-ene (TEG) initiating group. Kinetic studies are conducted in acetonitrile and chlorobenzene using the hydrophilic 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline (EtOx) as well as the hydrophobic 2-octyl-2-oxazoline (OctOx) as monomers to examine the influences of the solvent as well as the different monomers. In particular, the initiator efficiency is determined by 1 H and 19 F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and compared to the corresponding tosylate (TEGTos) and triflate (TEGTf). It is shown that the fluorylate combines the stability of the tosylate and an enhanced propagation rate comparable to the triflate.

Remote-controlled delivery of CO via photoactive CO-releasing materials on a fiber optical device.

Although carbon monoxide (CO) delivery materials (CORMAs) have been generated, remote-controlled delivery with light-activated CORMAs at a local site has not been achieved. In this work, a fiber optic-based CO delivery system is described in which the photoactive and water insoluble CO releasing molecule (CORM) manganese(i) tricarbonyl [(OC)3Mn(µ3-SR)]4 (R = nPr, 1) has been non-covalently embedded into poly(l-lactide-co-d/l-lactide) and poly(methyl methacrylate) non-woven fabrics via the electrospinning technique. SEM images of the hybrid materials show a porous fiber morphology for both polymer supports. The polylactide non-woven fabric was attached to a fiber optical device. In combination with a laser irradiation source, remote-controlled and light-triggered CO release at 405 nm excitation wavelength was achieved. The device enabled a high flexibility of the spatially and timely defined application of CO with the biocompatible hybrid fabric in aqueous media. The rates of liberated CO were adjusted with the light intensity of the laser. CO release was confirmed via ATR-IR spectroscopy, a portable electrochemical CO sensor and a heterogeneous myoglobin assay.

Strong intramolecular calcium-π interactions with aryl substituents--requirements and limitations.

The amidines Dipp-N=C(tBu)-N(H)-Qu (1a) (Dipp = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl, Qu = 8-quinolyl) and Dipp-N=C(tBu)-N(H)-Py (1b) (Py = 2-pyridyl) are deprotonated with KN(SiMe3)2, yielding potassium N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-N'-(8-quinolyl)pivalamidinate (2a) and potassium N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-N'-(2-pyridyl)pivalamidinate (2b). Metalation of 1a with [(thf)2Ca{N(SiMe3)2}2] in tetrahydrofuran (thf) leads to the formation of ether-free calcium bis[N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-N'-(8-quinolyl)pivalamidinate] (3a) with a strong intramolecular calcium-π interaction with one Dipp group. Furthermore, agostic bonds to one tert-butyl substituent complete the coordination sphere of the metal center and stabilize this bonding situation. The metathesis reaction of 2b with [(thf)4CaI2] yields the thf adduct of calcium bis[N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-N'-(2-pyridyl)pivalamidinate] (3b). In addition to the bonds between calcium and the hard Lewis bases (oxygen of thf, nitrogen atoms of the pyridylamido moieties), anagostic Ca-H bonds to the tert-butyl substituents complete the coordination sphere. The intramolecular calcium-π interaction with an aryl group as observed in 3a requires steric shielding of the alkaline earth metal center, safely excluding the formation of a complex with more than one thf ligand.