THE ROLE OF DIOXYGEN SPECIES IN THE BASE- AND COBALT-CATALYZED OXYGENATION OF HINDERED PHENOLS

Abstract— The mechanisms by which 4-substituted 2,6-di- t -butylphenols are oxygenated by base- and Co(II) Schiff base complex-catalysis into o - or p -peroxyquinols and their Co(III) complexes, respectively, have been investigated. For the base-catalyzed oxygenation, a one-step ionic mechanism involving no radical species is suggested to be the most probable one. For the formation of the peroxycobalt(III) complexes, the following stoichiometry is concluded: ArOH + Co(II) + 5/4 O₂→ peroxycobalt(III) complex + 1/2 H₂O. A mechanism involving an electron transfer between the phenols and the Co(II)-O₂ complex followed by further electron transfer between the formed phenoxy radicals and the Co(II) complex to give the corresponding phenolate anions is proposed.     

囊泡表面分子间通讯交流体系的构建: 利用受体的分子识别行为调控酶的活性

在人工双层膜囊泡表面, 构建了一个通过人工受体的分子识别行为控制酶反应活性的超分子体系. 体系以生物体细胞信号转导系统为模拟原型, 由作为受体的烷基胺、被受体识别的信号分子吡哆醛衍生物、乳酸脱氢酶、受体和酶之间的媒介物Cu^2＋以及作为体系载体的合成肽脂囊泡五个成分构成．通过UV-vis光谱法及动态光散射测定对体系进行了评价, 结果表明: 随着受体疏水参数增大, 其对信号分子的识别能力增强, 二者呈良好的线性关系; 通过信号分子与囊泡表面静电相互作用的研究表明信号分子具有选择性; 媒介物与信号分子–受体可形成化学计量比为1∶2的配合物, 其形成能力比媒介物与酶的结合能力更强．作为结论, 体系中烷基胺受体对磷酸吡哆醛信号分子的识别有效控制了处于囊泡表面的乳酸脱氢酶的活性．     

A twin optically-pumped far-infrared CH3OH laser for plasma diagnostics

A twin optically-pumped far-infrared CH₃OH laser has been constructed for use in plasma diagnostics. The antisymmetric doublet due to the Raman-type resonant two-photon transition is reproducibly observed at 118.8 m. With the 118.8-m line, it is obtained from the frequency separation of the anti-symmetric doublet that CH₃OH absorption line center is 16±1 MHz higher than the pump 9.7-m P(36) CO₂ laser line center. It is shown that the Raman-type resonant two-photon transition is useful in order to get several-MHz phase modulation for the far-infrared laser interferometer. Some preliminary performances of this twin laser for the modulated interferometer are described.This work was carried out under the collaborating research program at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464, Japan.     

Electronic and ionic transports for negative charge carriers in smectic liquid crystalline photoconductor

We have investigated negative charge carrier transport in the smectic mesophases of the 2-phenylnaphthalene derivative, 6-(4'-octylphenyl)-2-dodecyloxynaphthalene (8-PNP-O12), using the time-of-flight (TOF) method. We revealed that the negative charge carrier transport in its smectic mesophases had two different mechanisms, i.e., electronic and ionic conductions: we observed two transits of the carriers in both the smectic A (SmA) and smectic B (SmB) phases and demonstrated their origins by dilution experiments with a hydrocarbon (n-dodecane); the fast transit was attributed to the electronic transport of electrons and the slow one to the ionic transport of negative ions. Furthermore, it was clarified that the ionic transport was caused by small amounts of chemical impurities ionized by trapping photogenerated electrons in 8-PNP-O12 in addition to photoinduced autoionization of the impurities. Furthermore, we determined the trapping lifetimes for electrons to be 140 and 24 mus for the SmA and SmB phases, respectively. The experimental results suggest the coexistence of two distinctive transport channels for these charge carriers in the smectic mesophases.     

Aromaticity of planar boron clusters confirmed

Low-energy boron clusters are characterized by two-dimensional geometry. Aromaticity of these planar boron clusters was established in terms of topological resonance energy (TRE). All planar boron clusters were found to be highly aromatic with large positive TREs even if they have 4n pi-electrons. Aromaticity must therefore be the origin of unusual planar or quasi-planar geometry. Thus, the aromaticity concept is as useful in boron chemistry as it is in general organic chemistry. It is evident that the Hückel 4n + 2 rule of aromaticity should not be applied to such polycyclic pi-systems. Some of the boron clusters are in the triplet electronic state to attain higher aromaticity. Multivalency and electron deficiency of boron atoms are responsible for lowering the energies of low-lying pi molecular orbitals and then for enhancing aromaticity. For polycyclic pi-systems, paratropicity does not always indicate antiaromaticity.     

Radical addition to "cation pool". Reverse process of radical cation fragmentation

The reaction of an N-acyliminium ion with an alkyl iodide and hexabutyldistannane took place to give the alkylation product. A mechanism involving the addition of an alkyl radical to an N-acyliminium ion to produce the corresponding radical cation has been suggested.     

Presence of peroxyradicals in cigarette smoke and the scavenging effect of shikonin, a naphthoquinone pigment

Using a new method having been developed for the purpose of quantitative determination for peroxyradicals, the presence of peroxyradicals was proved in cigarette smoke. In brief, peroxyradicals in cigarette smoke were measured by ESR spectrometry coupled to non-reductive scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). As a result, peroxyradicals were found to be major reactive oxygen species (ROS) since the concentration of peroxyradicals recovered from cigarette smoke was much higher than that of any of other ROS (superoxide and hydroxyl radical) and nitric oxide. Furthermore, several antioxidants (ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione, epigallocatechin gallate, shikonin) were examined for scavenging activity against peroxyradicals in the cigarette smoke. Among them shikonin alone exerted the scavenging activity, suggesting that shikonin is promising antioxidant for cigarette filters because of its effectiveness against broad range of ROS including peroxyradicals, heat resistance, nonvolatility and high affinity to the filter.     

Specific oxidation of C-14 oxygenated 4(20),11-taxadienes by microbial transformation

Three C-14 oxygenated taxanes, 2α,5α,10β,14β-tetraacetoxytaxa-4(20),11-diene (1), 2α,5α,10β-triacetoxy-14β-(2-methylbutyryloxy)taxa-4(20),11-diene (2), and yunanaxane (3), major products of callus cultures of Taxus spp., were regio- and stereoselectively hydroxylated at the 7β position by a fungus, Absidia coerulea IFO 4011. Intriguingly, when 1 was co-administered with β-cyclodextrin and incubated with the fungus cell cultures, three other compounds 5α,9α,10β,13α-tetraacetoxytaxa-4(20),11-dien-14β-ol (7), 5α,9α,10β,13α-tetraacetoxytaxa-4(20),11-dien-1β-ol (8) and 5α,9α,10β,13α-tetraacetoxy-11(15→1) abeotaxa-4(20),11-dien-15-ol (9) were obtained.     

Mercuric triflate-catalyzed synthesis of 2-methylfurans from 1-alkyn-5-ones

[reaction: see text] 2-Methylfurans were prepared by an effective cyclization of 1-alkyn-5-ones in the presence of mercuric triflate as the catalyst under very mild reaction conditions with high catalytic turnover up to 100 times. Benzene, toluene, or dichloromethane was the solvent of choice.     

Imaging of enzyme activity by scanning electrochemical microscope equipped with a feedback control for substrate-probe distance

The enzymatic activity of diaphorase (Dp) immobilized on a solid substrate was characterized using a scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) with shear force feedback to control the substrate-probe distance. The shear force between the substrate and the probe was monitored with a tuning fork-type quartz crystal and used as the feedback control to set the microelectrode probe close to the substrate surface. The sensitivity and the contrast of the SECM image were improved in the constant distance mode (distance, 50 nm) with the shear force feedback compared to the image in the constant height mode without the feedback. By using this system, the SECM and topographic images of the immobilized diaphorase were simultaneously measured. The microelectrode tip used in this study was ground aslant like a syringe needle in order to obtain the shaper topographic images. This shape was also effective for avoiding the interference during the diffusion of the enzyme substrates.