Factors controlling photochemical cleavage of the energetically unfavorable Ph-Se bond of alkyl phenyl selenides

Primary photochemical paths of alkyl phenyl selenides (1) were investigated, and an origin of large deviations in the chemical yields of products obtained by carbon radical reactions induced by photolysis of phenyl selenides was clarified. KrF excimer laser photolyses of n-pentyl phenyl selenide (1a) yielded 1-pentene (2a), n-pentane (3a), n-decane (4a), dipentyl selenide (5a), benzene (6), dipentyl diselenide (7a), and diphenyl diselenide (7) as major photoproducts, with compounds 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, and 7 formed by pentyl-Se bond cleavage, and 5a, 6, and 7a by Ph-Se bond cleavage. The selectivity of the photoproducts revealed the occurrence of an unexpected amount of Ph-Se bond cleavage (35% in n-hexane at 248 nm) during photolysis. Solvent viscosity, wavelength of light, and the structure of alkyl substituents were the major factors that controlled Ph-Se bond cleavage. The ratio of Ph-Se bond cleavage decreased with increasing solvent viscosity and laser wavelength. The effect of alkyl substituents on the ratio of bond cleavages, Ph-Se/total C-Se, was investigated for five alkyl phenyl selenides; the ratio decreased in the order pentyl > 2-methylallyl > allyl > 1-ethylpropyl > tert-butyl groups. The contribution of Ph-Se bond cleavage is most probably the origin of the large deviations in the yields of radical reactions induced by photolyses of 1, which can be minimized by selecting appropriate solvents and wavelength of light.     

Application of revised version of neural independent component analysis to classification problems of confiscated methamphetamine

Recently, profiling the chemical substances in illegally distributed drugs has been needed in order to reveal the drug channels. However, this kind of profiling is often difficult because such drugs contain various kinds of impurities and the quantity of these impurities changes. Due to these circumstances, several methods, including a slightly revised ICA (Independent Component Analysis) by a Hebbian learning artificial neural network, were applied for profiling illegally distributed methamphetamine. Eventually, better classification results with the ICA than with other methods were obtained. These results show that ICA could make it easier to profile illegally distributed methamphetamine.     

Kinetic resolution of sec-alcohols by a new class of pyridine catalysts having a conformation switch system

The catalysts having a conformation switch system induced by acylation and deacylation serve as asymmetric acylating catalysts of sec-alcohols. The kinetic resolution of various sec-alcohols resulted in good to excellent selectivities in the presence of 0.5 to 0.05 mol % of catalyst 1a. The conformation switch system plays a key role to attain both good selectivity and high catalytic activity.     

Characterization of water content in biodiesel fuel certified reference material (NMIJ CRM 8302-a)

The National Metrology Institute of Japan has issued a certified reference material of biodiesel fuel derived from palm oil (NMIJ CRM 8302-a) for the measurement and quality control of water, methanol, six elements (sulfur, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium), density, and kinematic viscosity. This paper presents the technical details for the characterization of the water content in NMIJ CRM 8302-a. Because the water content in biodiesel is easily affected by ambient humidity, sample handling is extremely difficult. Thus, a sample handling technique that overcomes this limitation was established, and optimized coulometric and volumetric Karl Fischer titrations were performed in order to accurately determine the water content with traceability to the International System of Units. The certified water content and its expanded uncertainty with a coverage factor k = 2 were 393 mg kg^?1 and 25 mg kg^?1, respectively.     

Direct Observation of a Li‐Ionic Space‐Charge Layer Formed at an Electrode/Solid‐Electrolyte Interface

When two different materials come into contact, mobile carriers redistribute at the interface according to their potential difference. Such a charge redistribution is also expected at the interface between electrodes and solid electrolytes. The redistributed ions significantly affect the ion conduction through the interface. Thus, it is essential to determine the actual distribution of the ionic carriers and their potential to improve ion conduction. We succeeded in visualizing the ionic and potential profiles in the charge redistribution layer, or space‐charge layer (SCL), formed at the interface between a Cu electrode and Li‐conductive solid electrolyte using phase‐shifting electron holography and spatially resolved electron energy‐loss spectroscopy. These electron microscopy techniques clearly showed the Li‐ionic SCL, which dropped by 1.3 V within a distance of 10 nm from the interface. These techniques could contribute to the development of next‐generation electrochemical devices.     

Expanding vinyl ether monomer repertoire for ring-expansion cationic polymerization: Various cyclic polymers with tailored pendant groups

Herein, we clarified the ring-expansion cationic polymerization with a cyclic hemiacetal ester (HAE)-based initiator was versatile in terms of applicable vinyl ether monomers. Although there was a risk that higher reactive vinyl ethers may incur β-H elimination of the HAE-based cyclic dormant species to irreversibly give linear chains, the polymerizations were controlled to give corresponding cyclic polymers from various alkyl vinyl ethers of different reactivities. Functional vinyl ether monomers were also available, and for instance a vinyl ether monomer carrying an initiator moiety for metal-catalyzed living radical polymerization in the pendant allowed construction of ring-linear graft copolymers through the grafting-from approach. Furthermore, ring-based gel was prepared via the addition of divinyl ether at the end of the ring-expansion polymerization, where multi HAE bonds cyclic polymers or fused rings were crosslinked with each other. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3082–3089     

Alternating Sequence Control for Carboxylic Acid and Hydroxy Pendant Groups by Controlled Radical Cyclopolymerization of a Divinyl Monomer Carrying a Cleavable Spacer

By utilizing features of the hemiacetal ester (HAE) bond: easy formation from vinyl ether and carboxylic acid and easy cleavage into different functional groups (‐COOH and ‐OH), we achieved control of the alternating sequence of two functional pendant groups of a vinyl copolymer. Methacrylate‐ and acrylate‐based vinyl groups were connected through HAE bonds to prepare a cleavable divinyl monomer, which was cyclo‐polymerized under optimized conditions in a ruthenium‐catalyzed living radical polymerization. Subsequent cleavage of the HAE bonds in the resultant cyclo‐pendant led to a copolymer consisting of alternating methacrylic acid and 2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate units as analyzed by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The alternating sequence of ‐COOH and ‐OH pendants specifically provided a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in an ether solvent, which was not observed with the random copolymer of same composition ratio.     

The Solid-State and Solution Conformations of (+)-Chelidonine

The solid-state and solution conformations of (+)-chelidonine ( 1 ), a biologically active alkaloid, were determined by X-ray diffraction and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction analysis revealed a conformer with B/C ‘anti-type’ cis conjunction, a half-chair of ring B , and a twist half-chair of ring C. One H₂O molecule per one alkaloid molecule was cocrystallized and stabilized by H-bonding with OH? C(11). Analysis of the thermal behavior of the crystal showed more thermal stability in the monohydrate than the anhydrate. The NMR measurement of concentration and temperature dependences in CDCl₃ and in (CD₃)₂SO suggested that the OH group of 1 was intramolecularly H -bonded to N(5) in (CD₃)₂SO and intermolecularly H-bonded to the solvent in CDCl₃. Conformational-energy calculations by the MNDO method showed that the intramolecular H -bond was little affected by the conformational stabilization of 1 .     

An efficient ionization method of electrospray mass spectrometry: the development of an aromatic-cored matrix that wraps labile metal complexes through molecular recognition

Compound 1a, which possesses a triphenylene core and six tetraethyleneoxide side chains, shows efficient ionization of M(II)-containing (M=Pd, Pt) complexes in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The molecular ion peaks [M]+, which are hardly detected under common ESI-MS conditions, are clearly observed as their [M x (1a)n]+ (n=1-4) adducts. UV-visible and NMR studies reveal that the electron-rich triphenylene core of 1a binds to the electron-deficient frameworks of the M(II) complexes in solution, giving rise to charge transfer (CT) complexes. We suggest that 1a stabilizes the complexes and promotes efficient ionization through unique donor-acceptor molecular recognition.