Fluoride complexation of element 104, rutherfordium

Fluoride complexation of element 104, rutherfordium (Rf), produced in the 248Cm(18O,5n)261Rf reaction has been studied by anion-exchange chromatography on an atom-at-a-time scale. The anion-exchange chromatographic behavior of Rf was investigated in 1.9-13.9 M hydrofluoric acid together with those of the group-4 elements Zr and Hf produced in the 18O-induced reactions on Ge and Gd targets, respectively. It was found that the adsorption behavior of Rf on anion-exchange resin is quite different from those of Zr and Hf, suggesting the influence of relativistic effects on the fluoride complexation of Rf.     

Spontaneous three-dimensional nanostructure formation of perfluoroalkyl terminated liquid crystal: a molecular dynamics simulation study

Structure formation of a perfluoroalkyl terminated liquid crystal molecule was studied by molecular dynamics simulations. Two distinct structures with smectic-C-like layers and with bundles (blocks) of collapsed layers were spontaneously formed depending on the simulation temperatures. The bundles in the latter structure were somewhat positionally ordered (with respect to the small angle spots in its structure function) and orientationally isotropic overall even though the molecules making each bundle were well oriented. These characteristics of the simulated system well correspond to the cubic phase of the real system, and an even more precisely correspond to the proposed cubic structure model with respect to its hierarchical structure.     

Conformation selective assembly of carboxyphenyl substituted porphyrins on Au (111)

The selective assembly of carboxyphenyl substituted porphyrins on the Au (111) surface has been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy. We find that conformational isomers of the porphyrins are induced upon adsorption and are selectively assembled into hydrogen-bonded supramolecular clusters or wires on the surface. The conformation selective assembly is attributed to the coplanar intermolecular interactions between hydrogen-bonded carboxyphenyl groups.     

Catalyst-transfer polycondensation. mechanism of Ni-catalyzed chain-growth polymerization leading to well-defined poly(3-hexylthiophene)

We studied the mechanism of the chain-growth polymerization of 2-bromo-5-chloromagnesio-3-hexylthiophene (1) with Ni(dppp)Cl2 [dppp = 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane], in which head-to-tail poly(3-hexylthiophene) (HT-P3HT) with a low polydispersity is obtained and the M(n) is controlled by the feed ratio of the monomer to the Ni catalyst. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra showed that the HT-P3HT uniformly had a hydrogen atom at one end of each molecule and a bromine atom at the other. The reaction of the polymer with aryl Grignard reagent gave HT-P3HT with aryl groups at both ends, which indicates that the H-end was derived from the propagating Ni complex. The degree of polymerization and the absolute molecular weight of the polymer could be evaluated from the 1H NMR spectra of the Ar/Ar-ended HT-P3HT, and it was found that one Ni catalyst molecule forms one polymer chain. Furthermore, by reaction of 1 with 50 mol % Ni(dppp)Cl2, the chain initiator was found to be a bithiophene-Ni complex, formed by a coupling reaction of 1 followed by insertion of the Ni(0) catalyst into the C-Br bond of the dimer. On the basis of these results, we propose that this chain-growth polymerization involves the coupling reaction of 1 with the polymer via the Ni catalyst, which is transferred intramolecularly to the terminal C-Br bond of the elongated molecule. We call this mechanism "catalyst-transfer polycondensation".     

Non-destructive observation of electrically detected magnetic resonance in bulk material using AC bias

DC bias is normally found in conventional measurements of electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR). Usually, electrodes are formed on the sample surface to make ohmic contacts for detecting changes in the electrical characteristics of the sample material. Thus, destructive procedures are required to detect the EDMR signal of bulk material with such methods. An AC bias detection technique was developed to allow the non-destructive EDMR measurement of bulk materials. An AC bridge circuit was constructed to detect the change in impedance of the sample, which when changed by ESR, an unbalanced AC voltage can be detected. By detecting this AC bias, it is possible to cancel the effects, such as Shottky barriers, that disturb the ohmic contact between the electrodes and a sample material. Further, the AC bias current penetrates the thin surface layer of a sample such as silicon oxide, which normally obstructs a DC current. This method was utilized using conductive rubber contacts for non-destructive EDMR measurements of part of a silicon wafer. EDMR spectra observed were the same as those obtained by the conventional method of using DC bias detection.     

Solution structure of Vanabin2, a vanadium(IV)-binding protein from the vanadium-rich ascidian Ascidia sydneiensis samea

Ascidians belonging to the suborder Phlebobranchia are known to accumulate high levels of a transition metal, vanadium, in their blood cells, called vanadocytes, although the mechanism for this biological phenomenon remains unclear. Recently, we identified vanadium(IV)-binding proteins, designated as Vanabins, from vanadium-accumulating ascidians. Here, we report the first 3D structure of Vanabin2 from an ascidian, Ascidia sydneiensis samea, in an aqueous solution. The structure revealed a novel bow-shaped conformation, with four alpha-helices connected by nine disulfide bonds. There are no structural homologues reported so far. The 15N heteronuclear single-quantum coherence (HSQC) perturbation experiments of Vanabin2 indicated that vanadyl cations, which are exclusively localized on the same face of the molecule, are coordinated by amine nitrogens derived from amino acid residues such as lysines, arginines, and histidines, as suggested by the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results. The present NMR studies provide information that will contribute toward elucidating the mechanism of vanadium accumulation in ascidians.     

Elucidation of the stereochemistry of Tl+ in oxide glasses by electron spin resonance spectroscopy

The relation has been elucidated between the stereochemistry of Tl⁺ and the chemical composition of host oxide glasses by measuring the ESR of paramagnetic Tl²⁺ induced with γ-irradiation at 77 K. The spectra have been analyzed by using a new solution of the spin-Hamiltonian developed by the authors. The results indicate: (1) there are two sites for Tl⁺ in a wide variety of oxide glasses (site I and site II). Tl⁺ in site I has a heavily distorted ligand field (lone pair electrons of Tl⁺ occupy a s-p(-d) hybridized non-bonding orbital extruding in one direction). The geometry of the Tl⁺-complex in site II is nearly spherically-symmetric (lone pair electrons locate in an anti-bonding sigma orbital to which the Tl 6s atomic orbital mainly participates); (2) site I appears in the glasses where both the bridging and non-bridging oxygens coexist. Site II is observed in the other glasses; (3) a drastric change in lineshape of Tl²⁺ induced with 77 K irradiation was observed upon thermal annealing. A structural model for this change was proposed; the Tl²⁺ with an excess plus charge is stabilized by the cooperative motion of the alkali ion pairing with Tl²⁺ and intervening non-bridging oxygens, the alkali being repelled and the oxygens being attracted.     

Molecular beam epitaxy of ZnSexTe1−x (0 ≲ x ≲ 1)

Single-crystalline films of ZnSe_xTe_1?x (0 ? x ? 1) have been successfully grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Evaluation of the epitaxial films shows the growth of good-crystallinity films with flat surfaces. The dependence of the composition ratio x on the molecular beam intensities of Zn, Se, and Te was studied and the following features became clear: (1) the incorporation rate of Se is much higher than that of Te; (2) the control of the composition ratio can be best achieved by maintaining the arrival rate ratio of Te/Se above unity; (3) the composition ratio depends mainly on the arrival rate ratio of Se/Zn.     

Redox-neutral C–H cyanation of tetrahydroisoquinolines under photoredox catalysis

Redox-neutral cyanation of C–H bond adjacent to a nitrogen atom was achieved by using the combination of a photoredox catalyst and p-toluenesulfonyl cyanide. The reaction of tetrahydroisoquinolines proceeded smoothly, affording the corresponding cyanated products selectively in good to high yield. Although the reaction rate became slower in the case of the substrates having electron-withdrawing groups, high yields were achieved by elongating the reaction time. Although the yields were only moderate, the reaction conditions were also applicable to N,N-dialkylanilines.