Robust and Operationally Simple Synthesis of Poly(bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy) phosphazene) with Controlled Molecular Weight, Low PDI, and High Conversion.

Synthetically straightforward conditions have been developed for the preparation of poly(bis 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)phosphazene with low PDI (<1.15) at high conversion (75-99%) and on a multigram scale. A combination of 31P NMR and GPC analyses demonstrate that molecular weight increases linearly as a function of monomer consumption, exhibiting first order kinetics with respect to monomer concentration up to high monomer conversion. Thus, the molecular weight can be controlled by varying the initiator (H2O) to monomer ratio.

Using density functional theory to interpret the infrared spectra of flexible cyclic phosphazenes.

The cyclic phosphazene trimer P(3)N(3)(OCH(2)CF(3))(6)and the related cyclic tetramer P(4)N(4)(OCH(2)CF(3))(8) have been synthesized, isolated and their vapor-phase absorption spectra recorded at moderate resolution using an FTIR spectrometer. The interpretation of these spectra is achieved primarily by comparison with the results of high-precision density functional calculations, which enable the principal absorption features to be assigned and conclusions to be drawn regarding the geometries and conformations adopted by both molecules. These in turn allow interesting comparisons to be made with analogous cyclic halo-phosphazenes (such as P(3)N(3)Cl(6)) and other related ring compounds. The highly flexible nature of the two cyclic phosphazenes precludes a complete theoretical study of their potential energy hypersurfaces and a novel alternative approach involving the analysis of a carefully selected subset of the possible molecular conformations has been shown to produce satisfactory results. The two cyclic phosphazene oligomers have been proposed as the major low-to-medium temperature pyrolysis products of the parent polyphosphazene (PN(OCH(2)CF(3))(2))(n), and the identification of vibrational absorption features characteristic of each molecule will enable future studies to test the validity of this proposition.

Quadruply hydrogen bonded cytosine modules for supramolecular applications.

In view of the range of properties required from supramolecular materials, there is clearly a need for new strong quadruple hydrogen bonded modules, which can be used in polymer or copolymer synthesis via the self- or hetero-association of complimentary units. A cytosine-based module has been prepared for supramolecular applications using a straightforward synthetic approach. The cytosine module was designed such that it does not undergo tautomeric changes observed with ureidopyrimidinones. The cytosine module was capable of forming quadruple hydrogen bonded assemblies both in solution and in the solid state, and the structure of the dimeric self-assembled unit was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray and solution NMR techniques. The dimerization constant was estimated to be greater than 9 x 106 M-1 in deuterated benzene. The capacity of the cytosine-based module to strongly hetero-associate with the ureidopyrimidinone module was demonstrated, and a supramolecular polymer of a bifunctional unit incorporating the cytosine module and PEG-based linker was described.

Ureidopyrimidinones incorporating a functionalizable p-aminophenyl electron-donating group at C-6.

[structure: see text] 2-Ureido-4-[1H]-pyrimidinones have been reported to dimerize via quadruple hydrogen bonding systems with dimerization constants >10(6) M(-1) in CDCl3. The dimerization constant, K(dim), is dependent on the solvent as well as the ring-substituents present, where previously alkyl (e.g., R1 = Me) and aromatic moieties (e.g., R1 = p-NO2C6H4, R1 = C6H2(OC13H27)3) have been incorporated at the C-6 position. To assess the influence of alternative, functionalizable, electron-donating groups on the dimerization motif and tautomeric distribution of isomers, the synthesis of compounds possessing aminophenyl functionality at the C-6 position has been achieved. NMR spectroscopy chemical shift analysis revealed that compound 2 (R1 = p-NH2C6H4, R2 = C6H13) existed as the 2-ureido-4-pyrimidinol dimeric DADA array in DMSO-d6, where a dimerization constant of 46 M(-1) was determined. This is the first time that a ureidopyrimidinone quadruple hydrogen bonding DADA array has been observed in pure DMSO, a highly polar solvent. The azo-derivative 5 of compound 2 was prepared which also adopted the pyrimidin-4-ol form in DMSO-d6. Compounds 7, 10 and 11 were then synthesized containing a more hydrophilic PEG unit in the lateral chain and the tautomeric distributions were determined.