Natalia Tarasova

The aim of the study is to search for a reaction that provides the possibility of tandem “one-pot” formation of polymer networks during radical copolymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and glycidyl methacrylate. It was shown that the addition of recently synthesized 1,3-dimethylimidazolium (phosphonooxy-)oligosulfanide makes it possible to obtain a cross-linked copolymer in one stage as a result of radical copolymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and glycidyl methacrylate with a molar ratio of monomers less than 1.4. The structure of the copolymerization products of N-vinyl-2-pyrroldione and glycidyl methacrylate formed in the presence of 1,3-dimethylimidazolium (phosphonooxy-)oligosulfanide was characterized by ¹H NMR, FTIR and MALDI spectroscopy. ¹H NMR spectroscopy revealed an interaction under moderate heating between glycidyl methacrylate and 1,3-dimethylimidazolium (phosphonooxy-)oligosulfanide, accompanied by the formation of a mixture of unsaturated products of complex structure, presumably acting as crosslinking agents. It is shown that when the molar ratio of N-vinyl-2-pyrroldione/glycidyl methacrylate comonomers is 0.89, a densely crosslinked copolymer is formed, capable of limited swelling in water with a velocity constant of 5.06 × 10⁻² min⁻¹ and an equilibrium degree of swelling of about 227%.

The great attention paid to silver nanoparticles is largely related to their antibacterial and antiviral effects and their possible use as efficient biocidal agents. Silver nanoparticles are being widely introduced into various areas of life, including industry, medicine, and agriculture. This leads to their spreading and entering the environment, which generates the potential risk of toxic effect on humans and other biological organisms. Proposed paper describes the preparation of silver hydrosols containing spherical metal nanoparticles by photochemical reduction of Ag⁺ ions with oxalate ions. In deaerated solutions, this gives ~10 nm particles, while in aerated solutions, ~20 nm particles with inclusion of the oxide Ag₂O are obtained. Nanoparticles inhibit the bacterium Escherichia coli and suppress the cell growth at concentrations of ~1 × 10⁻⁶–1 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹. Silver particles cause the loss of pili and deformation and destruction of cell membranes. A mechanism of antibacterial action was proposed, taking into account indirect suppressing action of Ag⁺ ions released upon the oxidative metal dissolution and direct (contact) action of nanoparticles on bacterial cells, resulting in a change in the shape and destruction of the bacteria.

In comparison with white phosphorus, the toxicity of red phosphorus is thousands times smaller. Therefore, red phosphorus is the main modification produced and consumed by industry. Productivity, quality and product range depend on the efficiency of the technological system, on the possibility of modernizing production by introducing new progressive and environmentally friendly technologies using modern equipment. Development of a technological project for the production of red phosphorus is an urgent issue, which is the goal and the task of the research. The article presents the results of the synthesis of phosphorus-containing polymers from the white phosphorus, carried out under the influence of a beam of accelerated electrons. Graphical Abstract

The new initiator of the polymerization of acrylamide, leading to the formation of crosslinked polyacrylamide, was discovered. The structure of the synthesized polyacrylamide was characterized by XRD, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. It was shown that 1,3-dimethylimidazolium (phosphonooxy-)oligosulphanide is able to initiate radical polymerization under drying aqueous solutions of acrylamide, even at room temperature. According to XRF data, the synthesized polyacrylamide gel contains 0.28 wt% of sulphur. The formed polymer network has a low crosslinking density and a high equilibrium degree of swelling. The swelling rate of polyacrylamide gel in water corresponds to the first order kinetic equation with the rate constant 6.2 × 10⁻² min⁻¹. The initiator is promising for combining acrylamide polymerization with the processes of gel molding and drying.

Interaction of 1,3-dimethylimidazolium dimethylphosphate and elemental sulfur synthesized a new initiator of polymerization of formaldehyde, opening the possibility of its implementation in accordance with the principles of Green chemistry. The possibility of fast oligomerization of formaldehyde in an aqueous medium with the formation of insoluble products, the structure of which is determined by FTIR, MALDI-TOF, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, HSQC and HMBC spectroscopy, is shown. It was found that (phosphonooxy-)oligosulfanide anion initiates formaldehyde oligomerization by anionic mechanism with chain termination due to interaction with water. It was shown that the synthesized formaldehyde oligomers retain resistance to degradation up to a temperature of 443 K, and then slowly thermally decompose to a temperature of 513 K, above which the rate of thermal degradation increases significantly. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

The synthesis of polymers using elemental sulphur as a chemical agent has been studied in relation to the worldwide overproduction of cyclo-octasulphur. Herein, the mechanisms of the processes leading to the inclusion of elemental sulphur into macromolecules have been reviewed and the main methods for reduction of the reaction temperature required for the S₈ ring opening have been shown. Approaches to the activation of cyclo-octasulphur in the synthesis and macromolecule cross-linking reactions were discussed in the context of finding the chemical agents and conditions that satisfy the principles of green chemistry.