A luminescent chemosensor with specific response for Mg2+

A novel chemosensor, a cyclometalated platinum(II) bipyridyl acetylide complex containing a monoazacrown moiety in the acetylide ligand, which can signal Mg(2+) specifically and display large changes both in color and in luminescence intensity upon complexation with Mg(2+), is described.     

Photocatalytic hydrogen production from hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines by platinum(II) terpyridyl complexes in homogeneous solution

1,4-Dihydropyridines have been photocatalytically oxidized to pyridines by platinum(II) terpyridyl complexes with the generation of hydrogen in homogeneous solution. The hydrogen production proceeds in quantitative yield and with great catalytic turnover.     

A first eigenvalue estimate for embedded hypersurfaces

Suppose that M is a compact orientable hypersurface embedded in a compact n-dimensional orientable Riemannian manifold N. Suppose that the Ricci curvature of N is bounded below by a positive constant k. We show that 2λ₁>k−(n−1)maxM|H| where λ₁ is the first eigenvalue of the Laplacian of M and H is the mean curvature of M.     

Saccharomyces cerevisiae oxidosqualene‐lanosterol cyclase: A chemistry–biology interdisciplinary study of the protein's structure–function–reaction mechanism relationships

The oxidosqualene cyclases (EC 5.4.99‐) constitute a family of enzymes that catalyze diverse cyclization/rearrangement reactions of (3S)‐2,3‐oxidosqualene into a distinct array of sterols and triterpenes. The relationship between the cyclization mechanism and the enzymatic structure is extremely complex and compelling. This review covers the historical achievements of biomimetic studies and current progress in structural biology, molecular genetics, and bioinformatics studies to elucidate the mechanistic and structure–function relationships of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae oxidosqualene‐lanosterol cyclase‐catalyzed cyclization/rearrangement reaction. © 2008 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 8: 302–325; 2008: Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ) DOI 10.1002/tcr.20157     

Straightforward access to new vinca-alkaloids via selective reduction of a nitrile containing anhydrovinblastine derivative

A procedure to exclusively obtain 3′S-cyanoanhydrovinblastine 12 from two naturally occurring vinca-alkaloids (catharanthine and vindoline) in one step with good yield is described. Stereoselective reductions of 12, providing straightforward access to three new vinca-alkaloids, including two diastereomers 3′S-cyano-(4′R,5′-dihydro)-anhydrovinblastine and 3′S-cyano-(4′S,5′-dihydro)-anhydrovinblastine as well as (3′S-aminomethyl)-(4′S,5′-dihydro)-anhydrovinblastine in good yields is also reported.     

Copper ferrite superparamagnetic nanoparticles as a heterogeneous catalyst for directed phenol/formamide coupling

The copper ferrite-catalyzed, directed coupling of ortho-arylated phenols and dialkylformamides in the presence of a peroxide oxidant is described. Acyclic and cyclic amides were compatible with the reaction conditions. The copper ferrite catalyst is heterogeneous since substantial leaching was not detected and re-use of the catalyst for 9 consecutive reactions proceeded without a significant decrease in yield. To the best of our knowledge, this transformation has not been previously performed under heterogeneous catalysis conditions.     

A molecular dynamics simulation of a homogeneous organic-inorganic hybrid silica membrane

A new molecular dynamics simulation method was successfully applied to construct a homogeneous organic-inorganic hybrid silica membrane using the hybrid-pcff (h-pcff) potential function. Analysis suggested that the hybrid BTESE silica membrane provided a looser network and larger cavity size for the enhancement of gas permeability and selectivity.     

Asymmetric orbital-lattice interactions in ultrathin correlated oxide films

Using resonant x-ray spectroscopies combined with density functional calculations, we find an asymmetric biaxial strain-induced d-orbital response in ultrathin films of the correlated metal LaNiO3 which are not accessible in the bulk. The sign of the misfit strain governs the stability of an octahedral "breathing" distortion, which, in turn, produces an emergent charge-ordered ground state with an altered ligand-hole density and bond covalency. Control of this new mechanism opens a pathway to rational orbital engineering, providing a platform for artificially designed Mott materials.     

Development of a laser-based measurement system for evaluation of the scraping workpiece quality

A laser-based measurement system for evaluation of the scraping workpiece quality that can eliminate contact-induced measurement errors and increase measurement accuracy is proposed. The laser-based measurement system comprises a light-scattering-type triangulation laser, a computer numerical control (CNC) machine tool, and an analog-to-digital (A/D) card. The triangulation laser measures the depth of the scraping spots and the CNC machine tool locates their position. The 3D data of the scraping workpiece is then drawn using the least squares method. Cast iron and Turcite workpieces can be measured. Five parameters of the scraping workpiece, namely peak points per square inch, percentage of points, distribution of heights of points or depth of surroundings, edge shape of the grooves, and flatness, can be evaluated. The scanning rate and sampling rate of the laser-based measurement system are 100 mm/s and 10 KHz, respectively. In the future, an appliance machine based on the proposed system will be designed for the on-line detection of scraping workpieces.     

Atomic force microscopy-based repeated machining theory for nanochannels on silicon oxide surfaces

The atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based repeated nanomachining of nanochannels on silicon oxide surfaces is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The relationships of the initial nanochannel depth vs. final nanochannel depth at a normal force are systematically studied. Using the derived theory and simulation results, the final nanochannel depth can be predicted easily. Meanwhile, if a nanochannel with an expected depth needs to be machined, a right normal force can be selected simply and easily in order to decrease the wear of the AFM tip. The theoretical analysis and simulation results can be effectively used for AFM-based fabrication of nanochannels.