Anisotropic Poisson Effect and Deformation-Induced Fluorescence Change of Elastic 9,10-Dibromoanthracene Single Crystals

Elastic organic crystals have attracted considerable attention as next-generation flexible smart materials. However, the detailed information on both molecular packing change and macroscopic mechanical crystal deformations upon applied stress is still insufficient. Herein, we report that fluorescent single crystals of 9,10-dibromoanthracene are elastically bendable and stretchable, which allows a detailed investigation of the deformation behavior. We clearly observed a Poisson effect for the crystal, where the short axes (b and c-axes) of the crystal are contracted upon elongation along the long axis (a-axis). Moreover, we found that the Poisson's ratios along the b-axis and c-axis are largely different. Theoretical molecular simulation suggests that the tilting motion of the anthracene may be responsible for the large deformation along the c-axis. Spatially resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurement of the bent elastic crystals reveals that the PL spectra at the outer (elongated), central (neutral), and inner (contracted) sides are different from each other.     

Vanadium-catalyzed green oxidation of benzylic alcohols in water under air atmosphere

The oxidation of alcohols using catalytic amounts of metal complexes is highly attractive from the viewpoint of green chemistry principles. However, examples of metal complex-catalyzed oxidations of alcohols with O₂ using water as the solvent are still rare, and precious metals, high-pressure O₂ or air, and a stoichiometric amount of base are often required. In this study, it was found that an oxovanadium-4,4′-t-Bubpy (4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridyl) complex exhibited high catalytic activity in the oxidation of benzhydrols under an atmosphere of O₂ in water as the sole solvent. Interestingly, this catalytic oxidation method could be applied to the gram-scale aerobic oxidation of alcohols in water under the atmosphere.     

Physical- and Bio-Organic Chemstry of Nonbonded Selenium· · ·Oxygen Interactions

Weak nonbonded interaction between a divalent selenium and an oxygen atom (i.e., Se···O interaction) frequently plays important roles in chemical and biological functions of selenium compounds. To establish that ⁷⁷ Se NMR is an easy experimental probe to diagnose the strength of an Se···O interaction, 3 series of 2-substituted benzeneselenenyl derivatives, which have an intramolecular Se···O interaction in solution, were employed. By comparing the ⁷⁷ Se NMR chemical shifts (δ _Se ) with those observed for other series of selenium compounds, which have an intramolecular Se···Y (Y = N, O, F, Cl, or Br) interaction, approximate linear correlation was found between the δ _Se values and the strengths of the nonbonded Se···Y interactions evaluated by natural bond orbital analysis at the B3LYP level. The correlation will be useful for estimating the strength of an Se···O interaction simply from the ⁷⁷ Se NMR chemical shift. By extending the chemistry of nonbonded Se···O interactions to structural biology, analogous S···O interactions have been discovered in protein architecture. The directional features were, however, different from those of Se···O and S···O interactions of small organic compounds.     

Initial step of anthracene‐sensitized photoacid generation from diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate in an epoxy matrix studied by steady‐state and laser‐flash photolyses

The anthracene‐sensitized photodecomposition of diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate was studied in an epoxy matrix. From steady‐state photolysis, the generation of protons, which are considered to be the actual initiators of the polymerization of epoxides, was confirmed. In addition, 9‐phenylanthracene was detected as a main product from anthracene. From time‐resolved laser‐flash photolysis, a broad absorption band with a peak at about 500 nm was observed that was thought to be due to the precursor of 9‐phenylanthracene. On the basis of these results, we propose electron transfer from anthracene in the excited singlet state to the diphenyliodonium cation as the initial step of photoacid generation. This process is followed by fast chemical reactions, which generate 9‐phenylanthracene and protons, and back electron transfer from the diphenyliodine radical to the anthracene cation radical. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2937–2946, 2001     

Electronic absorption and emission spectra of Alq3 in solution with special attention to a delayed fluorescence

Tris(8-quinolinolato)aluminum(III) (Alq₃) shows electronic absorption bands at 378, 360 (in a 1:1 mixed solvent of methanol and ethanol (ME) at 77 K), 334, 316, 300, 263, 255.8, and 233 nm in ethanol at room temperature. According to the polarized fluorescence excitation spectrum together with MO calculations, for instance, the 360 nm band is assigned to an LL CT transition (an intramolecular charge transfer transition between two ligands), and the 378 nm band to an LM/ML CT one (an intramolecular charge transfer transition between ligand and metal). Alq₃ shows a broad fluorescence band peaking at around 478 nm in the ME matrix at 77 K. The emission spectrum measured with a phosphoroscope has two emission bands at 567 and 478 nm. The 567 nm band accompanies vibronic bands at 578 and 605 nm, being safely assigned to a phosphorescence of Alq₃. The lifetimes of the 478 and 567 nm bands are both 5.4 ms. The lifetime of the 478 nm band together with the band position and its band shape indicate that this band can be assigned to a delayed fluorescence.     

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analysis of microcystins, cyclic heptapeptide hepatotoxins: modulation of charge states and [M+H]+ to [M+Na]+ ratio

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was used to develop a rapid, sensitive, and accurate method for determination and identification of hepatotoxic microcystins, cyanobacterial cyclic heptapeptides. To optimize the electrospray ionization conditions, factors affecting charge state distribution, such as amino acid components of sample, proton affinity of the additives, and additive concentration, were investigated in detail and a method for controlling charge states was developed to provide molecular-related ions for assignment of molecular weight and reasonably abundant precursor ions for MS/MS analysis. A procedure for identification of microcystins consisting of known amino acids was proposed: for microcystins giving abundant [M + 2H]2+ ions, the addition of nitrogen-containing bases to the aqueous sample solution is effective to obtain an increased intensity of [M + H]+ ions, whereas the addition of Lewis acids containing nitrogen can produce increased abundances of [M + 2H]2+ ions for microcystins giving weak [M + 2H]2+ ions. Microcystins possessing no arginine residue always give sodium adduct ions [M + Na]+ as the base peak, and these are difficult to fragment via low energy collision-induced dissociation to yield structurally informative products; the addition of oxalic acid increases [M + H]+ ion abundances, and these fragment readily.     

Microchip electrophoresis for specific gene detection of the pathogenic bacteria V. cholerae by circle-to-circle amplification.

We have developed a new method for a fast and precise analysis of circle-to-circle amplification (C2CA) product for specific gene detection by microchip electrophoresis. In this method, we have added a new enzymatic step to the C2CA reaction, which could be carried out isothermally at 37 degrees C. Compared to the original single-stranded DNA, the double-stranded DNA that is produced by this enzymatic reaction is more reliable for analysis by microchip electrophoresis. C2CA product was detected within 55 s with high reproducibility by this method which was successfully applied to the detection of 10-ng genomic DNA of the pathogenic bacteria Vibrio. cholerae within 110 s. Purification was found to be an indispensable step for the analysis of the C2CA product of genomic DNA samples.