Mechanism of Macroscopic Motion of Oleate Helical Assemblies: Cooperative Deprotonation of Carboxyl Groups Triggered by Photoisomerization of Azobenzene Derivatives

Macroscopic and spatially ordered motions of self‐assemblies composed of oleic acid and a small amount of an azobenzene derivative, induced by azobenzene photoisomerization, was previously reported. However, the mechanism of the generation of submillimeter‐scale motions by the nanosized structural transition of azobenzene was not clarified. Herein, an underlying mechanism of the motions is proposed in which deprotonation of carboxyl groups in cooperation with azobenzene photoisomerization causes a morphological transition of the self‐assembly, which in turn results in macroscopic forceful dynamics. The photoinduced deprotonation was investigated by potentiometric pH titration and FTIR spectroscopy. The concept of hierarchical molecular interaction generating macroscale function is expected to promote the next stage of supramolecular chemistry.     

Unique Thermal Structural Phase Transitions Exhibited by Unsymmetrical Organometallic Gold(III)-Dithiolene Complexes with Pentylthio and Hexylthio Groups

Unsymmetrical gold(III)-dithiolene complexes are potential candidates for molecular materials that exhibit thermal structural phase transitions. In this study, unsymmetrical ppy-gold(III) (ppy⁻=C-deprotonated-2-phenylpyridine(−)) complexes [AuC5] and [AuC6] coordinated by dithiolene ligands containing tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) skeletons with pentylthio (2-{bis(pentylthio)-1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene}-1,3-dithiol-4,5-dithiolate(2−)) and hexylthio groups (2-{bis(hexylthio)-1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene}-1,3-dithiol-4,5-dithiolate(2−)) were synthesized. Both complexes exhibited a large absorption band at approximately 508 nm, owing to intramolecular ligand-to-ligand charge transfer. One-dimensional columnar structures with head-to-tail molecular arrangements around the metal ions were constructed in the crystals. The flexible alkylthio groups were intercalated into crystalline spaces between dithiolene ligands in the columns. [AuC5] exhibits a simple phase transition at 198 °C between crystalline and isotropic phases irreversibly. The crystalline phase of [AuC6] observed at 25 °C melted at 148 °C. Another crystalline phase grew above 148 °C with a very slow crystallization rate from the liquid phase and was completely transformed into an isotropic phase at 200 °C.     

Drug–tea polyphenol interaction

Propericiazine (PCZ) is an antipsychotic agent used for the treatment and the prevention of relapse of schizophrenia. We found that when an oral solution containing PCZ was mixed with a green tea drink, the residual content of PCZ was reduced by forming an insoluble complex between PCZ and tea polyphenol. In this study, the mechanism underlying the incompatibility of PCZ with green tea polyphenol (GTP) in the solution was clarified by isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC). Both solutions of 27.4 mM PCZ and 2.2 mM (?)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), which is a main ingredient of GTP, were mixed and then PCZ in the filtrate was reduced to approximately 60 %. According to measurement at 298 K by ITC, PCZ formed an insoluble complex with EGCg at an associate constant (K) of 4.75 × 10² M^?1 exothermically, ΔH = ?40.0 kJ mol^?1. When (?)-epicatechin gallate (ECg) was used as the GTP, PCZ interacted with ECg with K and ΔH values of 3.74 × 10² M^?1 and ?22.1 kJ mol^?1, respectively. On the other hand, little heat of the reaction between PCZ and (?)-epigallocatechin or (?)-epicatechin was observed. The results indicated that the main reason for this incompatibility was the formation of an insoluble complex by PCZ and a gallate-type GTP such as EGCg and ECg in the aqueous solution.     

BASHD‐J‐resolved‐HMBC,an efficient method for measuring proton–proton and heteronuclear long‐range coupling constants

Natural products often possess various spin systems consisting of a methine group directly bonded to a methyl group (e.g. –CH_a–CH_b(CH₃)–CH_c–). The methine proton H_b splits into a broadened multiplet by coupling with several vicinal protons, rendering analysis difficult of ⁿJ_C–H with respect to H_b in the J‐resolved HMBC‐1. In purpose of the reliable and easy measurements of ⁿJ_C–H and ⁿJ_H–H in the aforesaid spin system, we have developed a new technique, named BASHD‐J‐resolved‐HMBC. This method incorporates band selective homo decoupled pulse and J‐scaling pulse into HMBC. In this method, high resolution cross peaks can be observed along the F₁ axis by J‐scaling pulse, and band selective homo decoupled pulse simplified multiplet signals. Determinations of ⁿJ_C–H and ⁿJ_H–H of multiplet signals can easily be performed using the proposed pulse sequence. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evolution of long-period stacking order (LPSO) in Mg97Zn1Gd2 cast alloys viewed by HAADF-STEM multi-scale electron tomography

We have studied three-dimensional (3D) structures and growth processes of 14H-type long-period stacking order (LPSO) formed in Mg₉₇Zn₁Gd₂ cast alloys by single tilt-axis electron tomography (ET) using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. Evolution of the solute-enriched stacking faults (SFs) and the 14H LPSO by ageing were visualised in 3D with a high spatial resolution in multi-scale fields of views from a few nanometres to ~10 μm. Lateral growth of the solute-enriched SFs and the LPSO in the (0?0?0?1)_Mg plane is notable compared to the out-of-plane growth in the [0?0?0?1]_Mg direction. The 14H LPSO grows at the cost of decomposition of the (Mg, Zn)₃Gd-type precipitates, and accompany a change of in-plane edge angles from 30 to 60°. We have updated the Time–Temperature–Transformation diagram for precipitation in Mg₉₇Zn₁Gd₂ alloys: starting temperatures of both solute-enriched SFs and LPSO formation shifted to a shorter time side than those in the previous diagram.     

Color adjustment algorithm adapted to the spectral reflectance estimation method

We are developing a daily health monitoring system that uses mobile phones with cameras and analyzes physiological conditions from R, G, and B intensity levels. However, since it is affected by various imaging conditions of the image input, color correction is required for accurate health monitoring. Therefore, we developed and validated a colorcorrection algorithm to derive reliable color information by correcting the spectral reflectance using the Wiener estimation and a color chart.