Cationic copolymerization behavior of epoxide and 3‐isochromanone

Cationic copolymerization of n‐butyl glycidyl ether (BGE) and 3‐isochromanone (ICM) was investigated using trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TfOH) as an initiator at 100 °C. In the copolymerization, the reactive site of ICM with the propagating cation was completely different from that in its homopolymerization: in the former, the propagating cation reacted with the carbonyl oxygen of ICM, while in the latter, the propagating cation reacted with the aromatic ring of ICM. In spite of the potential of ICM to undergo the homopolymerization, in the present copolymerization, ICM was consumed smoothly only in the presence of epoxide. As a result, the copolymerization proceeded in a statistic manner to afford the corresponding copolymer bearing ICM‐derived ester linkages distributed in the main chain. Cationic copolymerization of bisphenol A‐diglycidyl ether and ICM was also performed to synthesize the corresponding networked polymer. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4213–4220     

Nitrite reduction on morphologically controlled Pt nanoparticles

On the surface of morphologically controlled Pt nanoparticles, statistically rich in [100] crystalline facet, nitrite ions were reduced by H2 to N2 with high selectivity.     

Alkyl group as entropy reservoir in an MMX chain complex, Pt2(n-PenCS2)4I

Heat capacity of halogen-bridged one-dimensional binuclear metal complex (so-called MMX chain) having four n-pentyl groups, Pt2(n-PenCS2)4I, was measured by adiabatic calorimetry. A first-order phase transition was observed at 207.4 K when measurement was made after cooling from room temperature. The enthalpy and entropy of transition were determined to be 10.19 kJ mol(-1) and 49.1 J K(-1) mol(-1), respectively. A monotropic phase transition was observed at 324 K on heating, and the entropy of transition was essentially null. The sample once heated above 324 K never returned to the initial phase at room temperature and underwent a higher-order phase transition at 173 K and a first-order phase transition at 220.5 K. The enthalpy and entropy of the first-order phase transition were estimated to be 11.6 kJ mol(-1) and 52.4 J K(-1) mol(-1), respectively. The magnitude of the entropy gain at the phase transition from the initial room-temperature phase to the high-temperature phase at 324 K shows that in Pt2(n-PenCS2)4I a large amount of entropy reserved in alkyl chain is transferred to dithiocarboxylato groups upon the phase transition, as in the cases of Pt2(n-PrCS2)4I and Pt2(n-BuCS2)4I.     

Stabilization of Bicontinuous Cubic Phase and Its Two-Sided Nature Produced by Use of Siloxane Tails and Introduction of Molecular Nonsymmetry

A recent intriguing finding that a helical network arrangement forms the bicontinuous cubic phase is attracting great attention for the possibility of new routes to asymmetric synthesis by achiral molecules. However, the design of the molecular structure for the cubic phase is still unrevealed. In this work, a nonsymmetric core molecule with larger naphthalene and smaller benzene moieties at each side of the central linkage and the same disiloxanyldecyloxy terminal at both terminals is shown to be the first example of molecule forming both single-layered and double-layered core assembly modes in the Ia3d phase as a single molecule system. The molecule forms the former mode at high temperatures as a thermodynamically stable phase, similarly to the symmetric naphthalene core system, whereas, on cooling below a temperature (∼350 K), a metastable Ia3d phase forms a double-layered core state down to room temperature, which is common to the benzene core system. As another effect of the nonsymmetric core, the cubic phase is maintained at room temperature for more than 100 days with slight distortion. Infrared spectral studies and quantum chemical calculations suggested the easy transformation between the two core assembly modes. The core nonsymmetry can be a versatile fine-tuning of the core assembly mode and phase stability for the cubic phase molecules.     

Tetracyanoresorcin[4]arene selectively recognises trimethyllysine and inhibits its enzyme-catalysed demethylation

Abstract

Nε-methylation of lysine within proteins is a critical biological process that, among other roles, is involved in the control of gene expression. Compounds that recognise Nε-methylated lysine may therefore be useful probes for the study of the associated biological mechanisms and have therapeutic potential. Here, we show that tetracyanoresorcin[4]arene (1) selectively recognises Nε-trimethyllysine and binds to Nε-trimethyllysine within the context of a short peptide. Its binding properties compare favourably to a previously characterised Nε-trimethyllysine binder, p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene (2). We also show that both 1 and 2 inhibit the demethylation of Nε-trimethyllysine within a histone-derived peptide by the histone demethylase KDM4A.     

Microscopic magnetic property of perpendicular magnetic films of DyxCo100−x measured using soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

We have carried out X-ray absorption measurements with its magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of perpendicular magnetic films of Dy_xCo_100−x (15?x?33) at Dy M_4,5 and Co L_2,3 absorption edges to investigate electronic and spin states of the Dy 4f and Co 3d states, respectively. The replacement of major spin between Dy 4f and Co3d is clearly observed in the spectra between 20?x?25. The expected values of the orbital angular moment ∣〈L_z〉∣ of Dy 4f were estimated to be 1.4-0.8 μ_B while that of Co 3d was estimated to be around 0.2 μ_B.     

Novel preferred orientation in injection-molded nylon 6-clay hybrid

Nylon 6-clay hybrid (NCH) is a molecular composite of Nylon 6 and uniformly dispersed silicate monolayers of montmorillonite. In this study the preferred orientation of montmorillonite and Nylon-6 crystallites in a thick (3 mm) injection-molded bar of NCH has been investigated using x-ray diffraction and electron micrography (TEM). It is clear that this bar has a triple layer structure consisting of surface, intermediate, and middle layers which have different preferred orientation. In the surface layer both the silicate monolayers and the chain axes of Nylon-6 crystallites are parallel to the bar surface though the latter are randomly oriented within the plane. In the intermediate layer the silicate monolayers remain parallel to the bar surface but the Nylon-6 crystallites rotate by 90° so that the chain axes would be perpendicular to the bar surface or the silicate monolayers. In the middle layer the silicate monolayers are randomly oriented around the flow axis of the NCH bar while remaining parallel to it, and the Nylon crystallites are randomly oriented around the flow axis while keeping their chain axes perpendicular to the silicate monolayers. It may be concluded that such preferred orientation of Nylon 6 crystallites is induced by the clay because the crystallites in the pure Nylon 6 bar have no preferred orientation. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Reversible electro-optical switching of a memory type PDLC using two-frequency-addressing liquid crystals

A memory type PDLC has been prepared by sandwiching a mixture of two-frequency-addressing liquid crystals and acrylate monomers with a hydoroxy group between two glass substrates with ITO electrodes followed by UV irradiation. This PDLC can be electrically switched between a transparent state and a light scattering state, which are maintained over several months without electric fields.     

Investigation of the morphology-catalytic reactivity relationship for Pt nanoparticles supported on alumina by using the reduction of NO with CH4 as a model reaction

The morphological evolution of large Pt nanoparticles supported on alumina in reaction conditions has a significant impact on the catalytic behaviour for the NO/CH4 reaction.