A precision measurement of the hyperfine structure of87Sr+

The ground state hyperfine splitting of⁸⁷Sr⁺ was measured with a precision of 1×10^–8. The experiments were performed with an RF ion trap connected to an ISOL (isotope separator on-line), where all the possible transitions between Zeeman sublevels were observed by a laser-microwave double resonance method. The magnetic dipole hyperfine constant was determined to beA=–1 000 473.673 (11) kHz.     

Structural determination of carvone, a component of spearmint, by means of gas electron diffraction augmented by theoretical calculations

The molecular structure and conformation of carvone, a compound with a minty odor, were investigated by means of gas electron diffraction supported by theoretical calculations. Electron diffraction patterns were recorded by heating the nozzle up to 128 °C to obtain enough scattering intensity. The infrared spectrum was also measured by using an absorption cell with a path length of 10 m. The obtained molecular scattering intensities were analyzed with the aid of theoretical calculations and infrared spectroscopy. It was revealed that the experimental data are well reproduced by assuming that carvone consists of a mixture of three conformers that have the isopropenyl group in the equatorial position and mutually differ in the torsional angle around the single bond connecting the ring and the isopropenyl group. It was also found that the puckering amplitude of the ring of carvone is close to those of menthol and isomenthol, a minty compound and its nonminty isomer. The determined structural parameters (r_g and ∠_α) of the most abundant conformer of carvone are as follows: 〈r(C-C)〉=1.520(3) Å; 〈r(CC)〉=1.360(5) Å; r(CO)=1.225(5) Å; 〈r(C-H)〉=1.104(4)Å; 〈∠CC-C〉=121.1(5)°; 〈∠C-C-C〉=110.4(5)°; ∠C-CO-C=117.1(14)°; 〈∠C-C-H〉=111.1(13)°. Angle brackets denote average values and parenthesized values are the estimated limits of error (3σ) referring to the last significant digit.     

In Situ Processing of Nano Crystalline Oxide Particles/Polymer Hybrid

Nano sized crystalline particles/polymer hybrids were synthesized form designed metal-organic precursors. The newly developed method is composed of the synthesis of organic matrix by polymerization and the in situ nucleation and growth of crystalline oxide particles in the organic matrix below 100°C. The design of metal-organic precursor modified with polymerizable ligand and the selection of reaction conditions does influence the size and crystallinity of ceramic particles in organic matrix. The nano-sized magnetic particle/polymer hybrid exhibits the interesting feature of superparamagnetism and quantum size effect. The crystalline particles of BaTiO₃/, PbTiO₃/, and KNbO₃/polymer hybrids behave to be dielectric and show the typical electro-rheological behavior.     

Novel method to control release of lipophilic drugs with high potency from silicone

Silicone has been utilized as a carrier material for sustained release system of lipophilic drugs. Extensive studies revealed that drug release rate is influenced by factors such as physicochemical properties of the drug and additives.(1-5)) When a lipophilic drug is highly potent at low concentrations, the drug release rate should be strictly controlled so as to avoid side effects. In this study, using vitamin D(3) (VD(3)) as an example of such drugs, we investigated novel method to suppress initial burst and to modify drug release rate from silicone matrix. As a result, it was found that (a). addition of human serum albumin (HSA) suppressed initial burst and enhanced release rate in the later stage, resulting constant release of VD(3), (b). covering a matrix formulation with a membrane of low diffusivity (core-rod formulation) suppressed initial burst and released drug in a constant rate, and (3) using materials for which the drug has high affinity as dissolution solvent (reservoir formulation), the drug release rate was reduced.     

Application of an automated synthesis suite to parallel solution-phase peptide synthesis

An in-house developed automated synthesis suite was used to prepare a library of 72 tetrapeptide derivatives, the starting materials for pharmaceutically attractive pentapeptides, employing a convergent strategy. An initial set of 18 dipeptides were synthesized on a large-scale (100-1000 g) using automated synthesis workstations, and then 72 tetrapeptides were synthesized on a medium scale (5-10 g) using an automated system. Each di- or tetrapeptide was prepared in a single operating cycle using a modified methanesulfonic acid method, then a sub-library of 56 pentapeptides were synthesized in parallel, on a small-scale (100 mg-1 g) using a robotic workstation.     

Nuclearg-factors of the 1229 and 2911 keV isomers in143Nd

Nuclearg-factors of the 1229 keV 13⁺/2 and 2911 keV 21⁺/2 level and the half-life of the 1229 keV level have been measured to beg(1229)=0.058(5),g(2911)=0.69(12) andT _1/2 (1229)=6.79(2) ns. The experimental g-factors show that the 1229 keV level has a dominant configuration of (f _7/23^–), and the 2911 keV level has an almost pure (f _7/27^–), configuration.The authors would like to thank the crew of CYRIC for the operation of the cyclotron.     

Flow-injection determination of d-mannitol with immobilized mannitol dehydrogenase

A flow-injection system is described for the determination of d-mannitol. Mannitol dehydrogenase is immobilized on poly(vinyl alcohol) beads and packed in a column (5 cm × 4 mm i.d.). The NADH formed is detected fluorimetrically. The response is linear between 5 × 10^?7 and 1 × 10^?4 M mannitol and the detection limit is 1 × 10^?7 M. The throughput is 30 samples per hour. The reactor is stable for at least 8 weeks.     

Determination of the change of nuclear charge radius of the119Sn Mössbauer transition by internal conversion

Radioactive¹¹⁹Sb was implanted into six host matrices (CaSnO₃, Pt, Y, Au,-Sn, Pb) and internal conversion electrons of the 23.87 keV transition in¹¹⁹Sn were measured with an iron-free magnetic spectrometer as well as Mössbauer spectra. In the analysis of the conversion spectra of outermost electrons, the overlapping K-LM Auger lines were subtracted using the Auger spectrum of tin measured with another source of^117mSn, and the shake-off effect accompanying the conversion process was considered. From the correlation between the Mössbauer isomer shifts and the intensity ratios of O-shell to N₁-shell conversion electrons, the change of the nuclear charge radius of the 23.87 keV transition of¹¹⁹Sn was deduced to be R/R=(0.87 ± 0.25) × 10^–4 for a uniform charge distribution ofR= 1.2 ×A ^1/3 fm or, equivalently, r²>—=(3.6 ± 1.0) ×10^–3 fm².     

Synthesis of (±)-ascochlorin,an antiviral antibiotic

(±)-Ascochlorin, 5-chloro-2, 4-dihydroxy-6-methyl-3-[(2$\text{E}$, 4$\text{E}$)-5-(1,2,6-trimethyl-3-oxocyclohexyl)3-methyl-3,4-pentadienyl] benzaldehyde, was synthesized in 14 steps from (±)-3,4-dimethyl-2-cyclohexenone.