Synthesis of 2-alkylidenetetrahydrofurans by Ru-catalyzed regio- and stereoselective codimerization of dihydrofurans with alpha,beta-unsaturated esters

2-(1-Alkoxycarbonyl)alkylidenetetrahydrofurans were readily synthesized by the codimerization of 2,3- or 2,5-dihydrofurans with alpha,beta-unsaturated esters using a zerovalent Ru catalyst, Ru(cod)(cot), with high regio- and stereoselectivity.     

Ultra-slow muon facility for advanced μSR studies

A concept, a construction and an account of commissioning experiments up to May 1993 are given for the recently completed ultra-slow positive muon facility at the pulsed muon facility of UT-MSL/KEK. The intense and ultra-slow ⁺ beam with an extremely small phase-space volume to be produced in this facility will open new muon sciences includingSR studies on material surfaces.     

Ultra-slow muon facility for surface HFI studies

A concept, a design, a construction and an account of commissioning experiments are given for the recently completed ultra-slow muon facility at the pulsed muon facility of UT-MSL/KEK. The intense (more than 10³/s) slow ⁺ beam with an extremely narrow phase-space volume (0.2 eV×(3 cm)²) to be produced in this facility will open a new muon science including surface physics and chemistry and fundamental atomic physics.Post-doctoral fellow of Swiss National Science Foundation.     

Meso-tetrakis[o-(N-methyl)pyridinium]porphyrin ensembles with axially coordinated cyclodextrin-penetrating phenethylimidazole: reversible dioxygen-binding in aqueous DMF solution

alpha-Cyclodextrin (alpha CD)-penetrating 2-methyl-1-phenethylimidazole coordinates to the zinc(II) and iron(II) complexes of meso-tetrakis[o-(N-methyl)pyridinium] porphyrinate, giving non-covalently linked alpha CD-porphyrin ensembles; the iron(II) complex can reversibly bind and release dioxygen in aqueous DMF solution.     

Recent developments on creation of artificial metalloenzymes

Organic synthesis using biocatalysts has been developed over many years and is still a prominent area of research. In this context, various hybrid biocatalysts composed of a synthetic metal complex catalyst and a protein scaffold (i.e. “artificial metalloenzymes”) have been constructed. One of the most recent research areas in biocatalysts-mediated synthesis is CC bond/cleavage, the most important type of reaction in organic chemistry. Some of the artificial enzymes were applied to in-cell reactions as well as in vitro systems. The effects of the structural fluctuation in biomacromolecules on their functions have also been realized. This review article includes recent research examples of artificial metalloenzymes used to CC bond formation/cleavage. As a perspective, we also focus on how we apply protein dynamics factor for the creation of new generation artificial metalloenzymes.     

Wavelength effect on the photoinduced reaction of polymethylmethacrylate

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) containing benzophenone (BP) was photo-irradiated with monochromatic radiation of wavelength 260–360 nm using the Okazaki Large Spec-trograph (OLS). On irradiation of PMMA films containing BP in air, the sensitized main-chain scission and photocrosslinking of PMMA took place simultaneously. These reactions are dependent on irradiation wavelength. The threshold wavelength for both reactions is found to be ca. 380 nm. The number of main-chain scission and amount of gel increased with the increase of BP concentration in PMMA. Photosensitized main-chain scission favors the irradiation of radiation at ca. 280 nm and photocrosslinking takes place efficiently with the exposure of 340 nm radiation. A possible mechanism for photosensitized reaction is proposed. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.