Synthesis of a Stimuli‐Responsive P‐Chiral Polymer with Chiral Phosphorus Atoms and Azobenzene Moieties in the Main Chain

A reaction of the P‐chiral compound (S,S)‐1,2‐bis(boranato(tert‐butyl)methylphosphino)ethane with an azobenzene derivative gave stimuli‐responsive polymers with P‐chiral phosphines in the main chain. This is the first example of a stimuli‐responsive P‐chiral polymer. The polymer isomerized from the trans to the cis form upon UV irradiation and reverted to the trans form reversibly. The polymer was able to coordinate to platinum, and the resulting polymer complex exhibited the Cotton effect owing to the chirality of the phosphorus atoms. The structure of the P‐chiral polymer obtained could be changed reversibly by light and thermal stimuli, and the polymer chain was induced to rotate helically when complexed with transition metals through the chiral phosphorus atoms.     

Analytical approach to the discoloration of edible laver "nori" in the Ariake Sea.

To understand the cause of discoloration of the sea laver "nori," which is found in the Ariake Sea, the concentrations of pigments and elements in the normal and discolored laver samples were determined. In the discolored samples, a decrease in all of the pigments, chlorophyll a and carotenoids, and proteinous pigments, phycobiliproteins, was clearly observed. This was accompanied by a decrease in the content of Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and P. Good correlations between these elements and chlorophyll a, as well as between these elements and phycobiliproteins, were confirmed, indicating that, in addition to the deficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus, the deficiency of trace elements (Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu), which are specifically required for photosynthesis, could be a reason for the discoloration of nori. The cause of elemental deficiency is also discussed.     

The study of electron beam flue gas treatment for coal-fired thermal plant in Japan

The fundamental research work with simulated coal-fired flue gas was performed in JAERI to get basic data for electron beam treatment of flue gas from thermal power plants in Japan. The standard condition of the experiments was set to be the same as that of next large scale pilot test in Nagoya. The concentrations of NO_x and SO_x were 225 ppm and 800 ppm, respectively. The temperature of the system was 65°C. The effect of multiple irradiation was observed for NO_x removal. The target SO_x and NO_x removals (94% and 80%, respectively) with low NH₃ leakage (less than 10 ppm) were achieved at 9 kGy irradiation with 0.9 NH₃ stoichiometry during 7 hours continuous operation. The facility for the pilot plant (12,000 Nm³/hr) has just built at the site of Shin-Nagoya power plant of Chubu Electric Power Company and will be started in full operation in November 1992.     

A study of hepato-biliary and alimentary scintigrams using a triple tracer method

In order to evaluate the gastric emptying and postprandial mixing of bile with food, the scintigraphies of hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal tracts by using three different kinds of radioisotopes were performed simultaneously (99mTc-E.HIDA for hepatobiliary scintigraphy, 111In-DTPA containing orange juice and 131I-albumin containing scrambled egg for gastrointestinal scintigraphy). This method was available for observation of gastric emptying of liquid and solid foods and also examination of the mixing effect of bile and food quantitatively.     

One-pot synthesis of phenol and cyclohexanone from cyclohexylbenzene catalyzed by N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI)

Synthesis of phenol and cyclohexanone in one pot was examined by means of the NHPI-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of cyclohexylbenzene. The aerobic oxidation of cyclohexylbenzene catalyzed by NHPI followed by treatment with sulfuric acid afforded phenol and cyclohexanone in good selectivities. Thus, the reaction of cyclohexylbenzene under atmospheric dioxygen (1 atm) by NHPI at 100 °C for 3 h followed by treatment with 0.3 M sulfuric acid at room temperature for 2 h resulted in phenol and cyclohexanone in 96 and 91% selectivity, respectively, at 25% conversion. This method was successfully extended to the one-pot synthesis of 4-hydroxyacetophenone and cyclohexanone.     

Cation binding properties of crown ether-modified polyethylenimines

Crown ether-modified polyethylenimines (PEI-CR) were prepared to elucidate their cation binding efficiency and selectivity by liquid-liquid and solid-liquid extraction methods. With alkali metal cations it was found that polyethylenimines containing benzo-15-crown-5 moieties (Ia and Ib) extracted all cations examined more efficiently than their monomeric analogs, especially in the cases of K⁺ and Rb⁺ cations. The solid-liquid extraction revealed clearly that the polymers complexed with K⁺ and Rb⁺ cations according to a 1:2 cation-to-crown stoichiometry. The high selectivities of the polymers for K⁺ and Rb⁺ were interpreted in terms of the favourable conformation of the polymer chain for the formation of intramolecular 1:2 complexes. On the contrary, these polymers bound alkali earth cations less effectively with low selectivities.     

DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OF THE OKAZAKI LARGE SPECTROGRAPH FOR PHOTOBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH

A computer-operated spectrograph was recently built at Okazaki, Japan. Different specimens can be placed on a horseshoe-shaped focal curve (10 m long) covering a wavelength range of 250 to 1000 nm so they can be irradiated simultaneously. The linear dispersion is about 0.8 nm/cm. The photon fluence rate on the focal curve is 5 x 10¹⁵. photons x cm^-2 x s^-1 at 300nm and 1 x 10¹⁶ photons x cm^-2 x s^-1 at 600 and at 900 nm. The spectral half width is 5.5 nm or less on the focal curve. The stray light content is about 10^-5 of the main peak at the peak wavelength ± 100 nm. Specimens are set in microcomputer-controlled threshold boxes so that wavelengths, photon fluence rates, photon fluences and timing of irradiations are controlled automatically according to a pre-programmed schedule. An optical fiber system is also provided for remote irradiations.     

FLAVIN-PHOTOSENSITIZED MONOMERIZATION OF DIMETHYLTHYMINE CYCLOBUTANE DIMER IN THE PRESENCE OF MAGNESIUM PERCHLORATE

We have investigated the photosensitized monomerization of the cis,syn -cyclobutane dimer of 1,3-di-methylthymine using riboflavin tetraacetate and a 5-deazaflavin derivative as photosensitizer. Although little monomerization of the dimer is induced by photoexcitation of the flavins in the absence of any additives, the flavins can function as an efficient photosensitizer in the presence of magnesium perchlorate. Mechanistic studies involving spectroscopic, quantum-yield and flash-photolysis measurements demonstrated that the photosensitized monomerization exclusively proceeds through electron transfer from the dimer to the triplet flavins complexed with Mg²⁺. The effects of magnesium perchlorate are compared with those on the chloranil-photosensitized monomerization and also with the effects of HClO₄ on the flavin-photosensitized reaction.     

Improved separation of alpha chains of collagen type I, type III, and type V by noninterrupted electrophoresis using thioglycolic acid as a negatively charged reducer

Improved separation of alpha chains of collagen type I (alpha 1 [I]2 alpha 2[I]), type III(alpha 1[III]3), and type V (alpha 1[V]alpha 3[V])was achieved by noninterrupted sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with a negatively charged reducer, thioglycolic acid. The thioglycolic acid, added to the running buffer of the cathodic reservoir, in the middle of electrophoresis quickly migrated in the gel anode, reducing interchain disulfide linkages in collagen type III and dissociating it into its alpha chain monomer, alpha 1[III], without an interruption of electrophoresis. The alpha chain, alpha 1[III], migrated more slowly than the alpha 1 [I] and alpha 2[I] chains of collagen type I, resulting in an excellent separation of alpha 1[III] from alpha 1[I]. The mobility of alpha 1[III] could be controlled by varying the time of thioglycolic acid addition to the running buffer. This enabled us not only to separate alpha 1[III] from alpha 1[I] and alpha 1[V], but also to precisely quantitate these alpha chains, even at low protein loading of mixed samples.     

Complete replacement of H2 by D2 via Pd/C-catalyzed H/D exchange reaction

[reaction: see text] A general and in situ D2 gas generation method using 10% Pd/C-catalyzed H2-D2 exchange reaction in a H2-D2O system has been developed. H2 gas sealed in a reaction flask was efficiently converted into nearly pure D2 gas, which can be used for the reductive deuteration of substrates possessing reducible functionalities within the molecule.