Neil Winterton

Solubilization of polymers by ionic liquids

Because of the unique characteristics of ionic liquids, novel polymer-containing materials in which ionic liquids play an important part are currently under intense scrutiny. The ionic liquid may be used as a medium in which polymerizations take place or into which a polymer may be dissolved or dispersed to enable a further chemical transformation or materials processing step to be carried out. Ionic liquid functionality may also be incorporated into the polymer itself, by the use of suitably derivatized monomers, by a post-polymerization reaction or simply by the formation of a composite comprising (at least) a polymer and an ionic liquid. The use of ionic liquids in such chemical and material processing necessitates an appreciation of their effect on reactivity and the forces that govern solubility and solvation. These topics are at an early stage of investigation, none more so than in respect of polymers and polymerization. This review surveys published material up to July 2006 relevant to polymer solubility and solubilization in ionic liquids.

Chlorine: the only green element – towards awider acceptance of its role in natural cycles

Approximately 2000 compounds of chlorine, both inorganic and organic, are known to be produced, transformed, transported and degraded in a range of natural geological, chemical or biochemical processes in most of the earth’s environmental compartments. Chloroform, chlorophenols, chloroacetic acids and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, long believed only to have arisen from man’s activities, have significant natural sources, some of which predate industrialization. The presumption that such materials are solely man-made must now be seen as incorrect. In fact, sufficient is known to suggest that natural cycles involving both organic and inorganic chlorine should be more widely recognised. Their characteristics should be more fully understood so as to put emissions of related synthetic materials and associated control and remediation measures into better context. The role played by organochlorine compounds, synthesised and utilized by a range of aquatic and terrestrial organisms (including humans) and the biosynthetic pathways leading to their formation and transformation are areas of research worthy of further study.

In situ crystallization of ionic liquids with melting points below −25 °C

1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids, [emim]OTf, OTf = trifluoromethanesulfonate (mp = −25.7 °C), and [emim]NTf2, NTf2 = bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide (mp = −25.7 °C), have been crystallized by in situ cryo-crystallization using a zone-melting technique and found to pack via interionic C–H⋯O and F⋯F interactions.

Modern coordination chemistry : the legacy of Joseph Chatt

Reminiscences of Joseph Chatt drawn from conversations with him and from the recollections of his earlier collaborators Recent Developments in the Synthesis, Bonding Modes and Reactivity of Hydrido and Dihydrogen Complexes The Chemistry of Phosphines Transition Metal Complexes of Olefins, Acetylenes, Arenes and Related Isolobal Ligands Chemistry Related to Dinitrogen Complexes The Biological Work of the ARC Unit of Nitrogen Fixation at the University of Sussex, and Further Developments in the hands of Collaborators and Colleagues Patterns and Generalisations in Stability and Reactivity Subject Index.

A novel N-heterocyclic carbene of platinum(II): synthesis in ionic liquids and crystal structure

A novel imidazole-type carbene of platinum(II), cis-(C2H4)(1-ethyl-3-methylimidazol-2-ylidene)PtCl2 (1), has been obtained by reacting a mixture of PtCl2 and PtCl4 with ethylene (50 atm) in the basic [EMIM]Cl/AlCl3 (1.3:1) ionic liquid at 200oC (where [EMIM]+ = 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium) and characterised by X-ray analysis.

Green chemistry: deliverance or distraction?

As the green chemistry principles are increasingly used in teaching chemistry at all levels, this perspective provides a critique of their strengths and weaknesses. It asks whether or not the principles have sufficient scientific validity to aid the proper understanding of the subject (as opposed to highlighting concerns about its application). Furthermore, as the principles are increasingly cited in research papers, it also questions whether evidence exists that they have led to improvements in the sustainability and environmental impact of chemical technology that would not otherwise have arisen as a result of conventional economic, feedstock, competitive, market and regulatory pressures had they not been promulgated.

Small steps come before giant leaps

The drama of the Apollo missions to the moon unfolded while I was a post doc at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My wife, Susan, and I sat gripped by the TV as the Apollo 11 mission and the historic first step on the moon on 20 July 1969 were brought to us in real time. We attended the launch of Apollo 12 in Florida, though our view and hearing were obscured by a rainstorm. So, while we were only about 7 miles from the launch pad, our families in the UK 4,500 miles away, had a better view than we did! Later, with Walter Cronkite, we lived through every minute of the fateful outward and nail-biting return journeys of Apollo 13. We rejoiced when he reported a successful splash-down in the Pacific Ocean and the safe return to Earth of Lovell, Swigert and Haise. I was, therefore, moved by the announcement of the death of Neil Armstrong on 25 August to contemplate (in a small way) humanity and human destiny. What was it about the time, the people (individually and collectively) and the circumstance that made this a unique milestone in human achievement (but one which, at the time, was viewed as an expensive distraction by some and a massive deception by others)? There is probably less of a recollection of the massive collective effort that went into the US space programme that ended up with that ‘small step’ for a man, starting with the early planning and political decisionmaking, the bringing together and the organisation of the skills, judgements, insights, ingenuity and resources needed to solve the many component challenges and problems that led to that moment on that memorable Sunday. Neil Armstrong’s personal demeanour after the triumph seemed to reflect his awareness of the teamwork of all those involved in the enterprise and its significance as well as of the risks involved, particularly to the lives of the astronauts themselves. The echoes of this triumph are still with us as we marvel at NASA’s achievement in landing and successfully deploying the Curiosity roving laboratory on Mars. In its different way, the success of the London Olympics and Paralympics was also built upon individual and team endeavour and commitment, made possible only through global organisation (with all its faults) and national political will that had a vision of an under-developed part of east London, including highly polluted sites, the legacy of Victorian and Edwardian industrial development, being transformed into a show-case for spectacle, drama and expressions of national pride (and not just of the host country). While there was success at the Games for some and disappointment for others, there was in addition, within an intensively competitive sporting environment, a celebration of the things we have in common, a welcome for strangers, a generosity to opponents, an appreciation of effort and commitment and a collective pride in the success of others in confronting and overcoming often very daunting personal challenges. We were also inspired by the opening and closing ceremonies, particularly by Stephen Hawking’s narration at the opening of the Paralympics, telling us that the human spirit and intellect must work as one, with the words: ‘We live in a universe governed by rational laws that we can discover and understand. Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.’ There will be both an enduring legacy in the minds and hearts of participants and spectators alike, as well as a physical legacy that includes the giving over of the laboratory used for drug testing of athletes to the nobler area of N. Winterton (&) University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK e-mail: n.winterton@liverpool.ac.uk