Formation and Characterization of Reversed Micelles Composed of Phospholipids and Fatty Acids

The formation of reversed micellar systems composed of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and fatty acid was newly demonstrated by a significant increase in water content in the organic ethyl oleate phase when the micelles were prepared by the contact method. The solubilized water concentration in the reversed micellar organic phase reached 3 wt%. The new systems are expected to be used as highly biocompatible reversed micellar systems. The structure of the reversed micelles composed of PC and oleic acid was characterized by determining the water concentration and by small-angle X-ray scattering analysis. The reversed micelles composed of PC and oleic acid formed in ethyl oleate were spherical. The radius of gyration was between 30 and 50 Å. The size of the reversed micelles decreased with an increase in the oleic acid concentration and was independent of the PC concentration. Experimental results indicated that the structure of the reversed micellar system was determined by the oleic acid concentration. An increase in the PC concentration caused an increase in the number of reversed micelles of the same size. These reversed micellar systems are expected to be used as solubilization media in pharmaceutical and food industries because they are not toxic.     

Pressure-Sensitive Paint measurement of the flow around a simplified car model

In applying Pressure-Sensitive Paint (PSP) to low-speed flow wind tunnel testing, it is important to minimize any measurement uncertainties. There are various error sources such as camera noise, misalignment of images due to model displacement and temperature distribution over the model. Among these factors, the effects of temperature distribution change during tests on pressure measurement accuracies were studied in the present paper. Pressure and temperature distributions over a simplified car model (1/10 scale Ahmed model) were measured using PSP and Temperature-Sensitive Paint (TSP). Sequential images were acquired at the same intervals over the entire test period, including for the conditions before and after the tunnel run. As a result, it was found that the measurement error caused by temperature distribution over the model could be reduced using a single-point temperature measurement. In addition, by measuring surface temperature distributions on the model using TSP, it was proved that the most accurate pressure measurement could be made by rationing the wind-off image acquired immediately after shutting down the tunnel to the wind-on image acquired immediately before shutting down the tunnel. Using the present measurement technique, complicated pressure fields over the Ahmed model were successfully visualized.     

Early stages of decomposition of alloys (spinodal or nucleation)

Progress in theory and experiment on the early stage of decomposition of alloys is reviewed. In the first half of this paper, theoretical treatments on decomposition of alloys by spinodal and nucleation mechanism and also continuum theories and the discrete lattice theories are comparatively reviewed. In the latter half of this paper, experimental results on Al-Zn, Ni-Al, Cu-Co and Al-Ag alloys are discussed.     

tert-Butoxide-mediated arylation of benzene with aryl halides in the presence of a catalytic 1,10-phenanthroline derivative

Sodium tert-butoxide mediates the coupling of aryl halides with benzene derivatives without the aid of transition metal catalysts but with a catalytic 1,10-phenanthroline derivative.     

Mesostructured organosilica with a 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium bridging unit: photoinduced charge separation in the organosilica framework

Polycondensation of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium-bridged organosilane in the presence of a nonionic surfactant yielded a mesostructured organosilica solid with a functional framework that exhibited long-lived photoinduced charge separation.     

Synthesis of chiral 3,3′-disubstituted 1,1′-binaphthyl-2,2′-disulfonic acids

A convenient synthesis of chiral 3,3′-disubstituted 1,1′-binaphthyl-2,2′-disulfonic acids (BINSA, 1) was developed. The key was directed ortho-lithiation of BINSA methyl ester 2 with n-BuLi and subsequent reaction with an electrophile. Electrophiles such as Br₂, I₂, Me₃SiOTf, and i-PrOB(Pin) reacted smoothly with 3,3′-dilithiated BINSA methyl ester, and the corresponding 3,3′-dihalo-, 3,3′-bis(trimethylsilyl)-, and 3,3′-diboryl-BINSA derivatives were obtained in yields of 21–78%. This simple synthetic method is highly attractive since the ability to prepare 3,3′-disubstituted BINOLs in advance can be useful.     

Trichlorosilyl triflate for enantioselective direct-type aldol reaction with chiral phosphine oxide

Trichlorosilyl triflate, in the presence of a chiral Lewis base catalyst, provides an effective method for the enantioselective direct-type aldol reaction of aldehydes and ketones. A chiral Lewis base induces both the production and activation of trichlorosilyl enol ether, yielding an aldol product in good yield and with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities.