Styrene epoxidation catalyzed by polyoxometalate/quaternary ammonium phase transfer catalysts: The effect of cation size and catalyst deactivation mechanism

Catalytic epoxidation of alkenes is an important type of organic reaction in chemical industry,and the deep insight into catalyst deactivation will help to develop new epoxidation process.In this work,series of quaternary ammoniums bearing different cationic sizes,i.e.MTOA+(methyltrioctylammonium,[(C_(8)H_(17))_(3)CH_(3)N]+),HTMA+(hexadecyltrimethylammonium,[(C_(16)H_(33))(CH_(3))_(3)N]+) and DMDOA+(dimethyldioctadecylammonium,[(C_(18)H_(37))_(2)(CH_(3))_(2)N]+) were incorporated with polyoxometalate (POM) anions to prepare phase transfer catalysts (PTCs),which were used in the styrene epoxidations.Among them,(MTOA)_(3)PW_(4)O_(24)exhibits the best catalytic performance judged from the highest styrene conversion rate(52%) and styrene oxide selectivity (93%),during which the styrene epoxidation conditions were optimized.Meanwhile,the deactivation mechanism of this kind of PTCs was proposed firstly,i.e.in the case of low H_(2)O_(2) content,the oxidant can only be used in the styrene epoxidation,in which the catalyst can transform into stable Keggin-type POM.But when the content of H_(2)O_(2) is higher,the excess H_(2)O_(2) can reactivate the Keggin-type POM into active (PW_(4)O_(24))_(3)-anions,which can trigger the ring-opening polymerization of styrene oxide.Consequently,the catalyst is deactivated by adhered poly(styrene oxide)irreversibly,which was determined by NMR spectra.In this situation,the active moiety{PO_(4)[WO(O_(2))_(2)]_(4)}_(3)-in phase-transfer catalytic system can break into some unidentified species with low W/P ratio with the presence of epoxides.This work will be beneficial for the design of new PTCs in alkene epoxidation in fine chemical industry.

One-pot synthesis of ordered mesoporous Cu-KIT-6 and its improved catalytic behavior for the epoxidation of styrene:Effects of the pH value of the initial gel

The heterogeneously copper-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of styrene was studied using copper-doped mesoporous KIT-6（CU-KIT-6_x） prepared via pH adjustment（where x is the pH：1.43,2.27,3.78,3.97,4.24 or 6.62）.Variations in the catalyst structure and morphology with pH values were characterized by X-ray power diffraction,nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis,transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.As the pH value applied during the initial synthesis,the resulting Cu-KIT-6_x exhibited different structural,textural and surface characteristics,especially in terms of specific copper species and copper content At a pH value of 3.78,approximately 4.6 wt%copper（Ⅱ） was successfully incorporated into the framework of the initial KIT-6,in the form of-Cu-O-Si- groups.The catalytic performance of each catalyst was evaluated by following the epoxidation of styrene,employing tert-butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidant and CH_3CN as the solvent.A significant styrene conversion of 43.5%with 86.6%selectivity for the desired styrene epoxide was obtained over the Cu-KIT-63.78.A higher Cu content,an ordered cubic laid mesoporous architecture and various specific textural characteristics all combined to endow the Cu-KIT-63.78 with high catalytic activity and good stability.

An Investigation on the Polymerization of Styrene by Fluorescence Probe Technique

The polymerization of styrene is monitored by pyrene excimer formation. The ratio of monomer to excimer intensities ( I m/ I e) of pyrene increases as polymerization proceeds. The increase of I m/ I e is ascribed to the increase of microviscosity surrounding the probes forming excimer during polymerization. The linear relationship between the changing rate of I m/ I e and the polymerization rate of styrene is obtained. Therefore, I m/ I e may be used to monitor the progress of the polymerization of styrene.

Study on Structure and Performance of Starch and Styrene Graft Copolymer

[Objective] The paper was to study the structure and performance of starch and styrene graft copolymer. [Method] The microscopic structure of corn starch and styrene graft copolymer was analyzed by using infrared spectrum and scanning electron microscope, and the property of starch and styrene graft copoly- mer was confirmed through grinding experiment, tensile strength, water absorption rate, hot water resistance properties and enzymatic properties analysis. [Result] The starch and styrene graft copolymer had the properties of thermoplastic and microbial degradation. IConclusion] The starch and styrene graft copolymer is expected to be developed as a biodegradable material.

Synthesis of Ln-doped MCM-41 mesoporous materials and their catalytic performance in oxidation of styrene

Using cetyl-trimethyl-ammonium bromide （CTMAB） as the template agent and tetraethylorthosilicate （TEOS） as the silica source, the MCM-41 mesoporous materials were synthesized with La or Ce incorporated in the framework under hydrothermal conditions. The structure and the state of La or Ce were investigated through the analyses of XRD, nitrogen adsorption-desorption, FT-IR, and UV-Vis. XRD and N2 adsorption-desorption results showed that Ln-MCM-41 exhibited the loss of the lattice ordering of the MCM-41 construct, and larger unit cell parameter and pore diameter than pure silica MCM-41. The FT-IR and UV-Vis results indicated the presence of isolated tetra-coordinated La or Ce ions in the framework and other Ln species dispersed highly on the Ln-MCM-41 surface simultaneously. Furthermore, their catalytic behaviors in the oxidation of styrene were studied using H2O2 as the oxidant. The La-MCM-41 catalysts exhibited high reactivity and the reactivity increased with the increase of the La content in the La-MCM-41 samples. On the contrary, Ce-MCM-41 catalysts showed low reactivity in the oxidation of styrene and the conversion of styrene decreased with the increase of the Ce content in the Ce-MCM-41 samples.

Leaching of styrene and other aromatic compounds in drinking water from PS bottles

Bottled water may not be safer, or healthier, than tap water. The present studies have proved that styrene and some other aromatic compounds leach continuously from polystyrene （PS） bottles used locally for packaging. Water sapmles in contact with PS were extracted by a preconcentration technique called as ＂purge and trap＂ and analysed by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer （GC/MS）. Eleven aromatic compounds were identified in these studies. Maximum concentration of styrene in PS bottles was 29.5 μg/L. Apart from styrene, ethyl benzene, toluene and benzene were also quantified but their concentrations were much less than WHO guide line values. All other compounds were in traces. Quality of plastic and storage time were the major factor in leaching of styrene. Concentration of styrene was increased to 69.53 μg/L after one-year storage. In Styrofoam and PS cups studies, hot water was found to be contaminated with styrene and other aromatic compounds. It was observed that temperature played a major role in the leaching of styrene monomer from Styrofoam cups. Paper cups were found to be safe for hot drinks.

Studies on the Mechanism of the Direct Synthesis of Styrene form Benzene and Ethylene

The adsorption behavior and description behavior of benzene , ethylene and ethylbenzene over HZSM-5 and Co/HZSM-5 catalysts were studied by means of TPSR (Temperature programmed surface reaction) technique. TPSR results of ben- zene and ethylene co-adsorption show that the maian products are styrene , ethylben- zene, toluene, propane, and butane. In a separate experiment of ethylbenzene ad- sorption, styrene . toluene and benzene are formed due to cracking and dehydro- genation. The mechanism of styrene formation was proposed , i. e. , the reaction was carried out via. the dehydrogenation of mediate species ethylbenzene according to the results of TPSR-MS , activity testing and thermodynamic analysis.

Photoreductive degradation of sulfur hexafluoride in the presence of styrene

Sulfur hexafluoride （SF6） is known as one of the most powerful greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Reductive photodegradation of SF6 by styrene has been studied with the purpose of developing a novel remediation for sulfur hexafluoride pollution. Effects of reaction conditions on the destruction and removal efficiency （DRE） of SF6 are examined in this study. Both initial styrene-to-SF6 ratio and initial oxygen concentration exert a significant influence on DRE. SF6 removal efficiency reaches a maximum value at the initial styrene-to-SF6 ratio of 0.2. It is found that DRE increases with oxygen concentration over the range of 0 to 0.09 mol/m^3 and then decreases with increasing oxygen concentration. When water vapor is fed into the gas mixture, DRE is slightly enhanced over the whole studied time scale. The X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy （XPS） analysis, together with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR） analysis, prove that nearly all the initial fluorine residing in the gas phase is in the form of SiF4, whereas, the initial sulfur is deposited in the form of elemental sulfur, after photodegradation. Free from toxic byproducts, photodegradation in the presence of styrene may serve as a promising technique for SF6 abatement.

MONOMER REACTIVITY RATIO AND THERMAL PERFORMANCE OFα-METHYL STYRENE AND GLYCIDYL METHACRYLATE COPOLYMERS

Synthesis and characterization of the copolymers （PAG） of α-methyl styrene （AMS） and glycidyl methacrylate （GMA） are presented. The copolymers of PAG were characterized by gel permeation chromatography （GPC）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, nuclear magnetic resonance （^1H-NMR） and thermogravimetery （TG）. Based on the copolymer compositions determined by ^1H-NMR, the reactivity ratios of AMS and GMA were found to be 0.105 ± 0.012 and 0.883 ± 0.046 respectively by Kelen-Tudos method. TG revealed that thermal stability of the copolymers decreased with increasing the AMS content in the copolymers, which indicated that the degradation was mainly caused by the chain scission of AMS-containing structures. Under heating, the copolymers depolymerize at their weak bonds and form chain radicals, which could further initiate other chemical reactions.

CATALYTIC COPOLYMERIZATION OF STYRENE AND ETHYLENE BY NEUTRAL NICKEL(Ⅱ) COMPLEXES IN EMULSION

Emulsion copolymerization of styrene and ethylene catalyzed by a series of neutral nickel(Ⅱ) complexes was carried out in an aqueous system to give high-molecular-weight copolymers.The copolymers and emulsions were characterized by an array of techniques including NMR,GPC,TEM,WAXD and DSC.The results indicate that the copolymers obtained are mostly block copolymers of polyethylene with random insertion of styrene units,and their M_W is in the range of 10~5-10~6.By enhancing the electron withdrawing of the s...

Copolymerization of Styrene with N-phenylmaleimide by Rare Earth Coordination Catalysts

Copolymerization of styrene (St) with N-phenylmaleimide (NPMI) was studied with rare earth coordination catalyst Nd(naph)3-AlEt3 in toluene. Characterization of the copolymers showed that the copolymers possess an alternating structure.

Surface Modification of Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Membranes by Low-Temperature Plasma with Grafting Styrene

In order to control the surface pore sizes of polyvinylidene fluoride membranes and their distribution, low temperature plasma-induced grafting modifications of PVDF were studied to prepare hydrophobe membranes. By argon （Ar） treating and subsequent grafting reaction, a hydrophobe monomer, styrene, was introduced into the PVDF membrane. Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection （FTIR-ATR） was utilized to characterize the chemical and physical changes in the Ar plasma modified membrane. The surface modifications of PVDF membranes were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, atomic force microscopy （AFM） and differential scanning calorimeter （DSC）. The water permeability and the solute rejection were measured by PVDF membrane modified in different graft conditions. Results demonstrated that the pores in the modified membranes get smaller and the distribution of pores gets narrowed with the increase in grafting reaction duration. Longer graft time caused the water flux of PVDF membrane to decrease from 578 kg/（m^2· h） to 23 kg/（m^2· h） and the solute rejection to increase from 73% to 92%.

Research on poly(styrene-acrylic acid)-supported neodymium complex in catalytic copolymerization of styrene and 4-vinylpyridine

The catalytic activity of poly（styrene-acrylic acid） （PSAA） supported neodymium chloride （NdCl3） complex for the copolymerization of styrene and 4-Vinylpyridine was studied. The influence of various factors, such as Al/Nd molar ratio, reaction time, macromolecular carder （PSAA）, and ratio of styrene to 4-vinypyridine （g/g）, on the copolymerization yield of styrene and 4-Vinylpyridine was investigated. The results showed that the copolymerization of polar monomers with olefins occurred efficiently and the catalytic activity of polymer-supported catalyst was higher than that of the similar small molecular catalysts. The activity of PSAA.Nd complex increased with in- creasing Al/Nd molar ratios and decreased with increasing polymerization time. The highest activity of PSAA＇Nd was observed at 120 min, and the highest yield was found at the ratio of styrene to 4-vinylpyridine of 4：2. DSC analysis presented that the resulted polymer had only one glass transition temperature, and showed very good thermal stability.

Morphology and crystal-plane effects of Zr-doped CeO2 nanocrystals on the epoxidation of styrene with tert-butylhydroperoxide as the oxidant

The morphology effect of Zr-doped CeOwas studied in terms of their activities in the selective oxidation of styrene to styrene oxide using tert-butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidant. In the present work, Zrdoped CeOnanorods exhibited the highest catalytic performance（yield of styrene oxide and TOF value）followed by nanoparticles and nanocubes. For the Zr-doped CeOnanorods, the apparent activation energy is 56.3 k J/mol, which is much lower than the values of catalysts supported on nanoparticles and nanocubes（73.3 and 93.4 k J/mol）. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy results indicated that（100） and（110） crystal planes are predominantly exposed for Zr-doped CeOnanorods while（100）and（111） for nanocubes,（111） for nanoparticles. The remarkably increased catalytic activity of the Zrdoped CeOnanorods is mainly attributed to the higher percentage of Cespecies and more oxygen vacancies, which are associated with their exposed（100） and（110） crystal planes. Furthermore, recycling studies proved that the heterogeneous Zr-doped CeOnanorods did not lose its initial high catalytic activity after five successive recycles.

Synthesis and characterization of miktoarm star copolymer of styrene and butadiene using multifunctional macromolecular initiator

A new kind of multifunctional macromolecular initiator with Sn-C bonds and polydiene arms was synthesized by living anionic polymerization. At first, polydiene-stannum chloride （PD-SnCl3） was prepared by the reaction of n-butyl-Li （n-BuLi）, stannic chloride （SnCl4） and diene. Then PD-SnCl3 was used to react with the dilithium initiator to prepare the multifunctional organic macromolecular initiators. The result suggested that the initiators had a remarkable yield by GPC, nearly 90%. By using these multifunctional macromolecular initiators, styrene and butadiene were effectively polymefized via anionic polymerization, which gave birth to novel miktoarm star copolymers. The relative molecular weight and polydispersity index, microstructure contents, copolymerization components, glass transition temperature （Tg） and morphology of the miktoarm star copolymers were investigated by GPC-UV, ~H NMR, DSC and TEM, respectively. 2009 Xing Ying Zhang. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

Effects of the crystallization time on the mesoporous structure,texture, morphology and styrene oxidation performances of V-MCM-41

The new V-MCM-41 molecular sieves with good ordered hexagonal mesoporous structure and crystallinity were synthesized through in-situ hydrothermal preparation method. The effects of the crystallization time were discussed. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2adsorption/desorption, Fourier transformed infrared and scanning electron microscopy. The different structures, textures, morphologies of V-MCM-41 obtained with different crystallization times were observed and analyzed on the basis of the characterized results. The results showed that the V-MCM-41 molecular sieve obtained at 110 °C for 48 h crystallization times was of good spherical morphology, ordered hexagonal structure, most uniform pore size distribution and high surface area compared with other samples. Meanwhile, the V-MCM-41 molecular sieve with the high skeleton Si condensation and the good crystallinity was obtained. The heteroatom could be incorporated into MCM-41 framework with increasing crystallization times, which was beneficial to improve the catalytic activity and selectivity of pure siliceous MCM-41. The V-MCM-41 showed the good catalytic selectivity in catalytic oxidation of styrene using hydrogen peroxide, and the selectivity of the benzaldehyde and phenylacetic acid reached 30.68% and 49.44%, respectively. © 2016

Controlled Radical Polymerization of Styrene in the Presence of Different Copper Complexes and Organic Halides

The polymerization behaviors of Styrene (St) in the presence of CuX/L [X=Cl or Br; L= 2,2 bipyridine (bpy), 1,10 phenanthroline (phen) or 4,7 diphenyl 1,10 phenanthroline (DPP) ] and R X (R=trichloromethyl, benzyl or allyl; X=Cl or Br) have been studied and examined. In a CuCl/bpy/RCl/St system, a bimodal GPC peak at the early stage of polymerization was observed, and a concept of multi active species was proposed to explain this phenomenon. In a CuCl/phen (DPP)/RCl/St system, the \%M\%\-n of polystyrene (PS) increased linearly with St conversion and ln[M] o/[M] also increased linearly with time, indicating the living nature of this system. Furthermore, the stability of the propagating active species in a CuBr/phen/RBr/St system is higher than that in the CuBr/phen/RBr/St system.

Organolanthanide Compounds Containing Methanesulfonate and Pyrazinamide Ligand in Styrene Polymerization

The synthesis of organolanthanide compounds identified as LnCp^＊（MS）2PzA, Ln = Sm, Tb, Yb （MS = methanesulfonate, Cp^＊ = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, and PzA = pyrazinamide）, by the reaction of coordination compounds Ln（MS）3（PzA）4 with NaCp in THF was reported. The complexes were formulated according to elemental analyses, complexometric titration with EDTA （%Ln）, and ^1H NMR. IR spectroscopy revealed that PzA coordinates with lanthanide （Ⅲ） ions and methanesulfonate coordinates via oxygen atoms in a non-equivalent manner. In preliminary catalytic studies, these compounds were active in styrene polymerization that used MAO as a cocatalyst with an activity of 12.3 kg PS molSm^-1h^-1. Differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） of polystyrene showed that the polymer was mainly atactic.

Polymerization of Styrene by Neutral Ni (II) Acetylide Complex

Neutral nickel sigma -acetylide complex [Ni(C=CPh)(2)(PBu3)(2)] is a novel initiator for the polymerization of styrene in CHCl3 over a range of polymerization temperature from 40 degreesC to 60 degreesC. The polystyrene obtained was a syndio-rich atactic polymer and its weight-average molecular weight reached 279000. The mechanism of the polymerization was discussed and a radical mechanism was proposed.

Thermoregulated Phase-separable Ru_3(CO)_(12)/PETPP Complex Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Styrene

Thermoregulated phase-separable Ru-3(CO)(12)/PETPP (PETPP=P[p-C6H4O (CH2CH2O)(n) H](3), n=6) complex catalyst was first applied in the hydrogenation of styrene. Under the conditions: P(H-2)=2.0MPa, T=90degreesC, styrene could be completely transferred and the yield of ethylbenzene reached up to 99.5%. After simple decantation, the catalyst could be reused for ten times without decreasing in activity.