Comparison between Abel test stability and thermal decomposition behavior of nitrocellulose

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Nitrocellulose (NC) is prone to spontaneous decomposition with exothermic heat release and thus is generally evaluated for stability during the storage...     

Stereocontrolled synthesis of a potent antimalarial alkaloid, (+)-febrifugine

A novel and stereocontrolled synthetic path to a potential antimalarial piperidine alkaloid, (+)-febrifugine, was established by employing the reductive deamination and simultaneous recyclization of a proline derivative with samarium diiodide, as a key step.     

Distributions of major-to-ultratrace elements among the particulate and dissolved fractions in natural water as studied by ICP-AES and ICP-MS after sequential fractionation.

In order to elucidate the distributions of the elements among the particulate and dissolved fractions in pond water, major-to-ultratrace elements in different sizes of particles as well as in the filtrate passed through the 0.05 microm filter were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The different sizes of particle samples (ca. 100-300 microg each) were collected on the membrane filters with pore sizes of 10, 3.0, 1.2, 0.4, 0.2 and 0.05 microm, respectively, by sequential fractionation. As a result, about 40 elements in different sizes of particles could be determined by ICP-AES and ICP-MS, after acid digestion using HNO3/HF/HClO4. Then, the fractional distribution factors of major-to-ultratrace elements among the particulate and dissolved fractions were estimated from the analytical results. The total contents of Al, Fe, Ti, REEs (rare earth elements), Bi, Pb and Ag in the particulate fractions (larger than 0.05 microm) were more than 80-90%, while those of Ca, Sr, Cs, W, Ba, Mn and Co in the dissolved fraction, which corresponded to the filtrate passed through the 0.05 microm membrane filter, were more than 80%. It was further found that the fractional distributions of Cu and Zn in the dissolved fraction were ca. 50%. In addition, the enrichment factors (EFs) of the elements in the particulate fractions with particle sizes of 3.0-10 microm and 0.05-0.2 microm were estimated to elucidate their geochemical characteristics in natural water.     

Thermolysis of reactive oligo(p-phenylene sulfide) containing disulfide bond

Oligo(phenylene sulfide) (OPS) containing one disulfide bond at the end of the chain, which was obtained by the oxidative polymerization of diphenyl disulfide, had a relatively low Td_10%(temperature for 10% weight loss) of 412 °C because of degradation of the disulfide bond. But this thermal cleavage of the disulfide bond promoted the curing reaction through thiophenoxy radical formation. OPS was allowed to react with diiodobenzene at 220 °C. The thermal stability of OPS was improved through the consumption of the disulfide bond and the coupling of the chain.     

On the bromine variations in mouse lymphoma

Bromine and chlorine concentrations in some tissues (liver, spleen, thymus) of healthy mice (normal group) and lymphomatous mice (lymphoma group) were determined by neutron activation analysis. There were significant differences in the Br concentrations of the tissues between the normal and lymphomatous group, while the Cl concentrations were found relatively constant in all the tissues. As a result, the Br/Cl ratios in the tissues of the lymphomatous group were significantly higher than those of the normal group. It was difficult to conclude that Br was absorbed into the bodies of lymphomatous mice more easily than was Cl. It is suggested that Br excretion from the body is suppressed.     

Reaction of phosgene with the tricycle related to the minor base of phenylalanine transfer ribonucleic acids

1-Benzylwye (8) underwent electrophilic substitution at the 7-position in the presence of phosgene and pyridine in tetrahydrofuran (THF) to afford the 1,4-dihydropyridines (11, 10, and 14) together with the carboxylic acid 6 and its methyl ester 2 after short treatment of the reaction mixture with methanol and then with water. When triethylamine was used instead of pyridine, phosgene reacted with triethylamine rather than 8, producing (E)-3-(diethylamino)propenoyl chloride (17) and diethylcarbamoyl chloride (18).     

π‐Facial Selectivity in the Formation of Tricarbonylchromium(0) Complexes of Estra‐1, 3, 5(10), 6‐tetraenes

The preparation of two η⁶‐estra‐1, 3, 5(10), 6‐tetraene tricarbonylchromium complexes 4 and 6 are described. In both cases only one stereoisomer can be isolated, in contrast to other estrane‐tricarbonylchromium complexes, where complexations are non‐stereoselective. X‐ray crystal structural analysis of 4 discloses that only the more sterically hindered β‐facial isomer is formed. It is assumed that the 6, 7‐olefinic moiety exerts a directive influence on the complexation.     

Electronic structure and magnetic properties of small manganese oxide clusters

To investigate the electronic structure and magnetic properties of manganese oxide clusters, we carried out first-principles electronic structure calculations for small MnO clusters. Among various structural and magnetic configurations of the clusters, the bulklike [111]-antiferromagnetic ordering is found to be favored energetically, while the surface atoms of the clusters exhibit interesting electronic and magnetic characteristics which are different from their bulk ones. The distinct features of the surface atoms are mainly attributed to the reduction of Mn coordination numbers and the bond-length contractions in the clusters, which may serve as a key factor for the understanding of physical and chemical properties of magnetic oxide nanoparticles.     

Photoinduced face-inversion of conjugated tetraene ligands on a Pd-Pd-Pd moiety

The linear sandwich tripalladium complexes [Pd3{Ar(CH=CH)4Ar}2[BArf]2 (Ar = Ph, p-t-Bu-C6H4, p-styryl-C6H4) undergo photoinduced isomerization involving face-inversion of the tetraene ligands. Irradiation of these complexes with visible light (>510 nm) resulted in rac (staggered sandwich) to meso (eclipsed sandwich) isomerization. The structures of rac and meso isomers are determined by X-ray crystallographic analyses.     

Quantum control of molecular orientation by two-color laser fields

We demonstrate molecular orientation by using phase-controlled two-color omega+2omega laser pulses with an intensity of 1.0x10(12) W/cm(2) and a pulse duration of 130 fs. The orientation of three iodine-containing molecules (IBr, CH(3)I, and C(3)H(5)I) was monitored by the directional asymmetries of the photofragment angular distribution in dissociative ionization. In all three molecules, the directional asymmetry showed an oscillating behavior dependent on the relative phase difference between omega and 2omega pulses. The phase dependence of the directional asymmetry observed in iodine ions and counterpart ions were out of phase with each other. This result shows that a phase-controlled omega+2omega optical field discriminates between parallel and antiparallel configurations of aligned molecules that have a permanent dipole. This method performed well because (1) molecular orientation can be achieved by all-optical fields; (2) the direction of orientation is easily switched by changing the sign of the quantum interference; and (3) this method is free from any resonance constraint and thus can be applied to any molecule.