No abstract

Furan, pyrrole, and thiophene were polymerized under catalysis by trichloro‐ and trifluoroacetic acid to produce colored polymers which were characterized by various methods, including electronic and proton magnetic resonance spectra and electrical conductances of deeply colored trichloroacetic acid adducts. The predominant repeat units of these polymers are of the same type as those of deeply colored cyclopentadiene polymers, except that a CH2 group is replaced by O, NH, or S.

Persistent toxic substances (PTS) include the Stockholm persistent organic pollutants, like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxin/furan, etc., and organometallic compounds, like organomercury, organotin, and organolead, which all share the same characteristics of being persistent, toxic, bioaccumulative, and able to travel long distances through different media. The adverse health effects of some of the emerging chemicals like pentabromodiphenyl ether, bisphenol A, and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, which are widely used in daily appliances (e.g., TVs, computers, mobile phones, plastic baby bottles), have become a public health concern due to more evidence now available showing their adverse effects like disturbance of the endocrine system and cancer. This article is an attempt to review the current status of PTS in our environment, citing case studies in China and North America, and whether our existing drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment processes are adequate in removing them from water. Some management issues of these emerging chemicals of concern are also discussed.

The author reports on efforts from a group at the University of Alberta that has developed and tested laboratory methods for treating some commonly used hazardous or toxic chemicals.

2,3-O-Isopropylidene-d-glyceraldehyde reacts with dimethylphosphine oxide in the presence of triethylamine to give separable (1S,2R)-and (1R,2R)-1-dimethylphosphinylgrycerol (65 :35), from which the (1R) and (1S) title compounds are respectively derived via 1-O-mesyl and 1-azido derivatives. The corresponding 1-dimethoxyphosphinylglycerols are similarly prepared. Structural and conformational assignments of these products are made on the basis of the 1H NMR data and [α]D values.