Vapochromic Ionic Liquids from Metal–Chelate Complexes Exhibiting Reversible Changes in Color,Thermal, and Magnetic Properties

Vapor‐ and gas‐responsive ionic liquids (ILs) comprised of cationic metal‐chelate complexes and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Tf₂N) have been prepared, namely, [Cu(acac)(BuMe₃en)][Tf₂N] ( 1 a ), [Cu(Bu‐acac)(BuMe₃en)][Tf₂N] ( 1 b ), [Cu(C₁₂‐acac)(Me₄en)][Tf₂N] ( 1 c ), [Cu(acac)(Me₄en)][Tf₂N] ( 1 d ), and [Ni(acac)(BuMe₃en)][Tf₂N] ( 2 a ) (acac=acetylacetonate, Bu‐acac=3‐butyl‐2,4‐pentanedionate, C₁₂‐acac=3‐dodecyl‐2,4‐pentanedionate, BuMe₃en=N‐butyl‐N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine, and Me₄en=N,N,N′,N′‐trimethylethylenediamine). These ILs exhibited reversible changes in color, thermal properties, and magnetic properties in response to organic vapors and gases. The Cu^II‐containing ILs are purple and turn blue‐purple to green when exposed to organic vapors, such as acetonitrile, methanol, and DMSO, or ammonia gas. The color change is based on the coordination of the vapor molecules to the cation, and the resultant colors depend on the coordination strength (donor number, DN) of the vapor molecules. The vapor absorption caused changes in the melting points and viscosities, leading to alteration in the phase behaviors. The IL with a long alkyl chain ( 1 d ) transitioned from a purple solid to a brown liquid at its melting point. The Ni^II‐containing IL ( 2 a ) is a dark red diamagnetic liquid, which turned into a green paramagnetic liquid by absorbing vapors with high DN. Based on the equilibrium shift from four‐ to six‐coordinated species, the liquid exhibited thermochromism and temperature‐dependent magnetic susceptibility after absorbing methanol.     

Fast time-reversible algorithms for molecular dynamics of rigid-body systems

In this paper, we present time-reversible simulation algorithms for rigid bodies in the quaternion representation. By advancing a time-reversible algorithm [Y. Kajima, M. Hiyama, S. Ogata, and T. Tamura, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 80, 114002 (2011)] that requires iterations in calculating the angular velocity at each time step, we propose two kinds of iteration-free fast time-reversible algorithms. They are easily implemented in codes. The codes are compared with that of existing algorithms through demonstrative simulation of a nanometer-sized water droplet to find their stability of the total energy and computation speeds.     

A remark on the regularity of weak solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations in terms of the pressure in Lorentz spaces

For the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in R³${\mathbb{R}}^3$, a regularity criterion for weak solutions is proved under the assumption that the pressure belongs to the scaling invariant Lorentz space with small norm, while corresponding results for the velocity field were proved by Sohr. The main theorem continues and extends a previous result given by the author.     

Dynamics of 9-hydroxyphenalenone studied by one-dimensional solid-state spin exchange NMR

We present a new NMR method to clarify the dynamics of proton tautomerism in solid 9-hydroxyphenalenone. Two 13C resonance lines influenced by the proton tautomerism have a chemical-shift difference between them, which increases with decreasing temperature. To depict the precise potential curve of the proton tautomerism, the chemical-shift difference when the proton tautomerism is completely frozen is necessary. For solid 9-hydroxyphenalenone and its derivatives, the freezing temperatures are often under -100 degrees C. When the freezing temperatures are below the temperature range in which standard magic angle spinning NMR probes can perform a sample spinning, it is very difficult to obtain the shift difference. The NMR experiments based on this new method are performed at a temperature significantly higher than -100 degrees C at which the proton tautomerism is still active. The new method yields the 13C spin relaxation rates, the rates for the proton tautomerism, and the populations of the two tautomers. Using the populations and the 13C chemical-shift difference at that temperature, we determined the chemical-shift difference at the freezing temperature. We also obtained several parameters characterizing the potential profile for the proton dynamics in solid 9-hydroxyphenalenone.     

Metal complexes from 1,1'-di(pyrazinyl)ferrocene: coordination polymers and bridged diferrocenes

Ferrocene-based ligands 1,1'-di(pyrazinyl)ferrocene (L1) and 1,1'-di(2-pyrimidinyl)ferrocene (L2) were synthesized and copper and silver complexes were obtained from L1. Coordination polymers [{Cu(2)(PhCOO)(4)}(L1)](n) (1), [{Cu(2)(C(5)H(11)COO)(4)}(L1)](n) (2), and [{Cu(2)(OAc)(4)}(L1)](n).0.5n[Cu(2)(OAc)(4)(H(2)O)(2)].1.5nCH(3)CN (3) resulted from the reaction with the corresponding copper carboxylates. In all three complexes, L1 links the dinuclear copper carboxylate units to form one-dimensional step-like chains. In 2, these chains are further linked by [Cu(2)(OAc)(4)(H(2)O)(2)] dinuclear units via hydrogen bonding to form sheet structures. The reaction of L1 with copper(I) iodide resulted in a multinuclear complex [(CuI)(4)(L1)(2)].(L1) (4), which contains a [(CuI)(4)(L1)(2)] diferrocene unit with a step-like (CuI)(4) core. Reactions of L1 with silver(I) salts resulted in silver-bridged diferrocenes [Ag(2)(L1)(2)]X(2) (X = ClO(4) (5a, b), NO(3) (6a-c) and PF(6) (7)), some of which incorporate aromatic solvents into their crystal lattices. The intramolecular Ag...Ag separations in these metallamacrocycles (3.211-3.430 A) depended upon the counter-anions and on the coordination mode of the silver ions. In all of these coordination complexes, L1adopts a synperiplanar eclipsed conformation and acts as a bidentate ligand, with only the 5-nitrogen of each pyrazine ring involved in coordination.     

Highly ordered chevron-shaped arrays of continuous copper nano-dot lines formed by electroless deposition on hydrogen-terminated Si(111) surfaces

We have succeeded in forming highly ordered chevron-shaped arrays of continuous copper nano-dot lines by electroless deposition on hydrogen-terminated Si(111) (H-Si(111)) surfaces. Detailed investigations have shown that tiny Cu clusters are preferentially formed at step edges when the electroless deposition is carried out in a deoxygenated neutral aqueous solution of a low Cu2+ concentration (less than 10 microM) with pH approximately = 7. This finding was combined with highly ordered step-edge lines on H-Si(111) prepared by the previously reported method of Teflon scratching and NH4F etching, which has led to the above success. The present result indicates that designed ordered metal nanowires can be produced by the electroless deposition method, using H-Si(111) surfaces with well-regulated step lines as a substrate.     

Functionalities of one-dimensional dynamic ultramicropores in nickel(II) coordination polymers

Ni(II) coordination polymers with a 4,4'-azobis(pyridine) (azpy) ligand, {[Ni2(NCX)4(azpy)4].G}n (X = S, G (guest molecule) = MeOH (1.MeOH); X = S, G = EtOH (1.EtOH); X = S, G = H2O (1.H2O); X = S, G = no guest (1); X = Se, G = MeOH (2.MeOH); X = Se, G = H2O (2.H2O); X = Se, G = no guest (2)), have been synthesized and structurally characterized with their porosity. These compounds have one-dimensional periodic ultramicropores that contain the small guest molecules, H2O, MeOH, or EtOH, whose hydroxy groups interact with the S or Se atoms of isothiocyanate or isoselenocyanate, respectively, via -S(Se)...HO- hydrogen bonds. Although the molecular dimensions of the MeOH guest are considerably larger than the window size of the ultramicropore, 1.MeOH and 2.MeOH easily release their guest molecules without decomposition of the framework to form 1 and 2 without any guest molecules. This shows that 1 and 2 have dynamic ultramicropores constructed from the interpenetrating framework. The guest desorption experiments using 1.MeOH and 1.EtOH reveal that the difference in the desorption behavior is due to van der Waals interactions that depend on the molecular shape of the guest molecule in the ultramicropores and/or an entrance blocking effect that depends on the minimum dimensions of the guest molecule for the pore windows. A marked difference in the N2 and CH4 adsorption isotherms was observed and is associated with the strength of the host-guest interaction.     

Formation of p-phenylenediamine-crown ether-[PMo12O40]4- salts

Electron transfer from the electron donor of p-phenylenediamine (PPD) to the electron acceptor of (H+)3[PMo12O40]3- forms a one-electron-reduced Keggin cluster of [PMo12O40]4-, bearing a S = 1/2 spin, while proton transfer from the proton donor of (H+)3[PMo12O40]3- to the proton acceptor of PPD yielded mono- and diprotonated cations of 4-aminoanilinium (HPPD+) and p-phenylenediammonium (H2PPD2+). By introduction of crown ether receptors during the crystallization process, supramolecular cations of (HPPD+)(crown ethers) and/or (H2PPD2+)(crown ethers) were successfully introduced into three new alpha-[PMo12O40]4- salts of (H2PPD2+)2([12]crown-4)4[PMo12O40]4- (1), (HPPD+)4([15]crown-5)4[PMo12O40]4- (2), and (HPPD+)2(H2PPD2+)([18]crown-6)4[PMo12O40]4- (3) as the countercation. The protonated states of PPD and molecular-assembly structures of the supramolecular cations depended on the size of the crown ethers. In salt 3, a novel mixed-protonated state of HPPD+ and H2PPD2+ was confirmed to be complexed in the cation structure. According to the changes in the cation structures, the anion arrangements were modulated from those of the two-dimensional layer for salt 1 to the isolated cluster for salts 2 and 3. The temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibilities of salts 1-3 were consistent with the isolated spin arrangements of [PMo12O40]4-. The electronic spectra of salts 1-3 indicated the intervalence optical transition from pentavalent Mo(V) to hexavalent Mo(VI) ions within the [PMo12O40]4- cluster. Temperature-dependent electron spin resonance spectra of salt 2 revealed the delocalization-localization transition of the S = 1/2 spin at 60 K. The spin on the [PMo12O40]4- cluster was localized on a specific Mo(V) site below 60 K, which was thermally activated with an activation energy of 0.015 eV.     

pH-responsive, self-assembling nanoparticle from a fullerene-tagged poly(L-glutamic acid) and its superoxide dismutase mimetic property

In this study, we describe the fabrication of novel fullerene-containing peptide-nanoparticles through self-assembly. A water-soluble, poly(l-glutamic acid)-attached fullerene was newly synthesized and the conformation and self-assembling property in water were examined by using circular dichroism, FTIR, UV, atomic force microscopy, and dynamic light scattering measurements. In the lower pH region (<6.8), the fullerene peptide self-assembles into nanoparticles that are ca. 100-200 nm in diameter. These nanoparticles are rich in alpha-helices, and stacking interaction of fullerene moieties contributes to the stability of the high-order structure. In addition, these particle sizes can be easily controlled by changing pH that results in causing the conformational transition of PLGA segment. Finally, the fullerene-containing nanoparticle is confirmed to be capable of removing the biologically important superoxide radical in comparison with the superoxide dismutase.     

Synthesis of alpha-amino acid precursors directly from aldehydes using masked acyl cyanide reagents and N,O-dialkylated hydroxylamines

A synthetic methodology for the synthesis of alpha-amino acid precursors directly from the corresponding aldehydes using N,O-dialkylated hydroxylamines and masked acyl cyanide (MAC) reagents was developed. The one-pot reaction can be carried out under mild conditions and without a separate purification step of the imino species. The method was applied to the synthesis of optically pure (+)-4-methylphenylglycine and the derivatives by using an Abiko-Masamune's tricyclic 1,2-oxazolidine as the chiral auxiliary.