Rhodium‐ and ruthenium‐complex‐catalyzed condensation of ferrocene‐containing dithiols and diols with diarylsilanes to give silaferrocenophanes and ferrocene polymers

1,1′‐Ferrocenedithiol reacts with di(4‐methoxyphenyl)silane, diphenylsilane, and di(4‐fluorophenyl)silane in the presence of RhCl(PPh₃)₃ catalyst to give mixtures of 2,2‐diaryl‐1,3‐dithia‐2‐sila[3]ferrocenophanes (1a–3a) and ? (Fc? S? SiAr₂? S) _n? (Fc = 1,1′‐ferrocenylene; 1b: Ar = C₆H₄OMe‐4; 2b: Ar = Ph; 3b: Ar = C₆H₄F‐4). The products are isolated and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and elemental analyses. The polymers 1b–3b, obtained from a toluene‐soluble fraction of the products, show GPC elution patterns corresponding to M_n values of 2700–4600 (polystyrene standards). The UV–vis spectra of the ferrocenophanes and polymers exhibit a d–d transition peak at about 440 nm, while the polymers show a π–π* transition peak at 320–330 nm. The cyclic voltammograms of 3a (Ar = C₆H₄F ? 4) and 3b show a reversible redox of the iron center at 0.27 V and 0.35 V (Ag⁺/Ag) respectively. Reaction of 1,1′‐ferrocenedimethanol with diphenylsilane in the presence of RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ catalyst results in selective formation of 3,3‐diphenyl‐2,4‐dioxa‐3‐sila[5]ferrocenophane ( 4 ), whose structure was determined by X‐ray crystallography. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

7,7,8,8‐Tetraaryl‐o‐quinodimethane Stabilized by Dibenzo Annulation: A Helical π‐Electron System That Exhibits Electrochromic and Unique Chiroptical Properties

When two benzene rings are fused to a tetraaryl‐o‐quinodimethane skeleton, sterically hindered helical molecules 1 acquire a high thermodynamic stability. Because the tetraarylbutadiene subunit contains electron‐donating alkoxy groups, 1 undergo reversible two‐electron oxidation to 2 ²⁺, which can be isolated as deeply colored stable salts. Intramolecular transfer of the point chirality (e.g., sec‐butyl) on the aryl groups to helicity induces a diastereomeric preference in dications 2 b ²⁺ and 2 c ²⁺, which represents an efficient method for enhancing circular‐dichroism signals. Thus, those redox pairs can serve as new electrochiroptical response systems. X‐ray analysis of dication 2 ²⁺ revealed π–π stacking interaction of the diarylmethylium moieties, which is also present in solution. The stacking geometry is the key contributor to the chirosolvatochromic response.     

Effects of substrate microstructure on the magnetic anisotropy of sputtered cobalt alloy film

The magnetic properties and crystalline structure of Co alloy film deposited on a regularly corrugated substrate have been studied. Microscopic grooves are lithographically fabricated on InP substrates. In-plane anisotropy energy is 4–5×10⁴J/m³. The magnetic anisotropy is affected by the crystallographic orientation and the microscopic shape of the corrugated Co alloy film.     

Characteristics of ZnO epilayer on the post-annealed buffer layer on GaN/sapphire substrate by pulsed laser deposition

We employed epi-GaN substrates for ZnO film growth, and studied the deposition and post-annealing effects. ZnO films were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. The as-grown films were annealed for one hour under atmospheric pressure air. ZnO morphologies after annealing were investigated and the post-annealed ZnO films grown at T _g =700^oC have very smooth surfaces and the rms with roughness is about 0.5 nm. Finally, ZnO post-annealed buffer layer was inserted between ZnO epilayer and GaN/sapphire substrates. It is confirmed by AFM that growth temperature of 700^oC helps the films grow in step-flow growth mode. It is observed by cathode luminescence spectrum that the ZnO film grown at 700^oC has very low visible luminescence, indicating the decrease of the deep level defects. It is also revealed by Hall measurements that carrier concentration is decreased by increasing the growth temperatures. It is suggested that low temperature buffer layer growth and post-annealing technique can be used to fabricate ZnO hetero-epitaxy.     

Anti-allergic effect of the flavonoid myricitrin from Myrica rubra leaf extracts in vitro and in vivo

Flavonoids are ingested by the general population as anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. In this study, we investigated the effects of myricitrin, a flavonoid rich in Myrica rubra leaf, upon anti-inflammatory action. Myrica rubra leaf extracts inhibited pro-inflammatory TNFα production in a macrophage cell line, Raw264.7 cells. We observed that the serum IgE levels in the leaf extract-treated DO11.10, a mouse allergy model, were down-regulated. HPLC was performed to demonstrate that M. rubra leaf extracts contain a large amount of myricitrin. We observed an inhibitory effect of HPLC-purified myricitrin on TNFα production in Raw264.7 cells. Thus, myricitrin may be of potential interest in the management of inflammatory conditions.     

Evolution of the Kondo effect in a quantum dot probed by shot noise

We measure the current and shot noise in a quantum dot in the Kondo regime to address the nonequilibrium properties of the Kondo effect. By systematically tuning the temperature and gate voltages to define the level positions in the quantum dot, we observe an enhancement of the shot noise as temperature decreases below the Kondo temperature, which indicates that the two-particle scattering process grows as the Kondo state evolves. Below the Kondo temperature, the Fano factor defined at finite temperature is found to exceed the expected value of unity from the noninteracting model, reaching 1.8±0.2.     

Dwork cohomology and algebraic ${\Cal D}$-modules

Using local cohomology and algebraic -Modules, we generalize a comparison theorem between relative de Rham cohomology and Dwork cohomology due to N. Katz, P. Monsky, A. Adolphson and S. Sperber. Received June 10, 1999 / Published online July 20, 2000