1,8-bis(diphenylmethylium)naphthalenediyl dication as an organic oxidant: synthesis of benzidines via self-coupling of N,N-dialkylanilines

1,8-Bis(diphenylmethylium)naphthalenediyl dications promoted oxidative coupling of various N,N-dialkylanilines to afford the corresponding para-coupled bisanilines, benzidines, in good to excellent yield. The dications were readily prepared from a cyclic ether precursor, derived from 1,8-dibromonaphthalene, via deoxygenation with a silylating reagent in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol under anhydrous conditions. [reaction: see text]     

Spin-lattice relaxation times of bound water—Its determination and implications for tissue discrimination

Measurements were made of T1 of bound water (T1b) and bound water fraction () for gelatin solutions and human tissues (sera, brain tumor, cerebral white matter). Bound water fraction in each sample was measured by means of thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry: DSC). T1 values were measured by FONAR QED 80-. T1b values were calculated by an equation derived from the fast-exchange two-state model. In the study of gelatin solutions, the relationship between T1 and water content differed depending on the sort of solutions. This was considered to be due to differences in T1b values. In each biological tissue the values of T1b and had different distributions. These results indicate that values of T1b and for biological tissues may be altered in correspondence to the changes in pathophysiological states in those tissues.     

Living cationic ring‐opening polymerization of five‐membered cyclic dithiocarbonate controlled by neighboring group participation of carbamate group

A five‐membered cyclic dithiocarbonate having phenylcarbamate moiety 1 underwent cationic ring‐opening polymerization by using methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate as an initiator in nitrobenzene at 60 °C. Both of the corresponding first‐order kinetic plot and conversion‐molecular weight plot showed linearity to suggest the living fashion of the polymerization, which was then supported by two‐stage polymerization experiment. The living fashion as well as the regioselective formation of the repeating unit suggested significant contribution of the neighboring group participation of the carbamate group to form a stabilized cationic propagating end, of which structure was confirmed by performing an equimolar reaction of 1 and methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate with analyzing the resulting species by NMR spectroscopy. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4459–4464, 2007     

Femtosecond laser-induced stimulation of a single neuron in a neuronal network

We demonstrated the stimulation of neurons at a single-cell level in cultured neuronal network by a focused femtosecond laser. When the femtosecond laser was focused on a neuron loaded with a fluorescent calcium indicator, the fluorescence intensity immediately increased at the laser spot, suggesting that intracellular Ca²⁺ increases in the neuronal cell due to the femtosecond laser irradiation. The probability of Ca²⁺ elevation at the laser spot depended on the average laser power, irradiation time, and position of the focal point along the optical axis, indicating that the femtosecond laser activates neurons because of multiphoton absorption. Moreover, after laser irradiation of a single neuron cultured on multielectrode arrays, the evoked electrical activity of the neurons was demonstrated by electrophysiological systems, which concluded that the focused femtosecond laser could achieve stimulating a single neuron in a neuronal network with high spatial and temporal resolution.     

Second hyperpolarizabilities (gamma) of bisimidazole and bistriazole benzenes: diradical character, charged state, and spin state dependences

The second hyperpolarizabilities of bisimidazole- and bistriazole-benzene compounds have been calculated at different levels of approximation to unravel the effects of diradical character as well as of charge and spin multiplicity. The largest second hyperpolarizabilities are associated with intermediate diradical character, provided positive charging does not compensate for this effect. For the neutral diradical bisimidazole compound, the singlet diradical species possesses a second hyperpolarizability two to three times larger than the corresponding triplet, demonstrating the possibility of spin state control of the third-order NLO responses for diradical species.     

Poly(p‐benzamide) having isopropyl‐substituted chiral tri(ethylene glycol) side Chain: Synthesis and helical conformation

Isopropyl‐substituted tri(ethylene glycol) is used as a chiral side chain of N‐substituted poly(p‐benzamide) in order to increase the difference of stability between the right‐ and left‐handed helical structures of the polymer. The target polymer is synthesized by the chain‐growth condensation polymerization of the corresponding monomer with an initiator using lithium 1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexamethyldisilazide as a base. A circular dichroism (CD) study of the polymer reveals that the CD signal is due to an excess of a thermodynamically controlled right‐handed helical structure of the polymer, and that the replacement of the methyl group with a bulkier isopropyl group at the side chain of poly(p‐benzamide) increases the abundance of right‐handed helical structure in chloroform. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1623–1628     

C−F Transformations of Benzotrifluorides by the Activation of Ortho-Hydrosilyl Group

Single C−F transformations of aromatic trifluoromethyl compounds are challenging issues due to the strong C−F bond. We have recently developed selective methods for single C−F transformations such as allylation of o-hydrosilyl-substituted benzotrifluorides through the hydride abstraction with trityl cations. Single C−F thiolation and azidation of o-(hydrosilyl)benzotrifluorides were achieved using trityl sulfides and trityl azide catalyzed by Yb(OTf)₃. Treatment of o-(hydrosilyl)benzotrifluorides with trityl chloride resulted in single C−F chlorination. The resulting fluorosilyl group served in further transformations including protonation, halogenation, and Hiyama cross-coupling with C−Si cleavage. We also synthesized benzyl fluorides by LiAlH₄-reduction of the resulting fluorosilanes and further C−F transformations. These methods enabled us to prepare a broad range of organofluorines from simple benzotrifluorides through C−F and C−Si transformations.     

Controlled polymerization of an AB2 monomer using a chloromethylarene as comonomer: branched polymers from activated methylene compounds

Hyperbranched and branched polymers were synthesized by one-pot reaction of the AB₂ monomer 4-(4′-chloromethylbenzyloxy)phenylacetonitrile (1 ). The polymerization of 1 was controlled by adding a chloromethylarene (A₁ comonomer) such as methoxybenzyl chloride and by adding TBAC (tetrabutylammonium chloride). Copolymerization of 1 with A₂ comonomers, bis(chloromethyl)arenes, gives the corresponding copolymers.     

Control of droplet size and spacing in micrometer-sized polymeric dewetting patterns

When a polymer solution is cast on a flat substrate and the solvent is allowed to evaporate, dewetting might take place. Instead of a continuous film, the polymer forms micrometer-sized droplets. By controlling the solvent casting process with the help of a roller apparatus, the size and spacing of the polymer droplets can be adjusted. We investigated the effect of polymer concentration and roller speed on the pattern dimensions and found that higher concentrations lead to larger polymer droplets (from 1 to 11 microm), whereas faster roller speeds lead to a wider interdroplet spacing (from 4 to 130 microm).