Passive mode locking of the continuous wave DCM dye laser

The first passive mode locking of the continuous wave (cw) DCM dye laser is reported. Subpicosecond pulses as short as 0.68 ps were obtained over the spectral region from 655 to 673 nm from a simple linear cavity with no dispersion optimisation. The dye 1,3 Diethyl 4,2 quinolythiacarbocyanine iodide (DQTCI) was used as the saturable absorber.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis of ammonia-treated rice straw

Rice straw pretreated with liquid anhydrous ammonia was hydrolyzed with cellulase, cellobiase, and hemicellulase. Ammonia-processing conditions were 1.5 g of NH₃/g of dry matter, 85°C, and several sample moisture contents. There were four ammonia addition time (min)-processing time (min) combinations. Sugars produced were analyzed as reducing sugars (dinitrosalicylic acid method) and by high-performance liquid chromatography. Monomeric sugars increased from 11% in the nontreated rice straw to 61% of theoretical in treated rice straw (79.2% conversion as reducing sugars). Production of monosaccharides was greater at higher moisture content and was processing time dependent. Glucose was the monosaccharide produced in greater amounts, 56.0%, followed by xylose, arabinose, and fructose, with 35.8, 6.6, and 1.4%, respectively.     

Transition metal mediated asymmetric synthesis X. Homochiral π-complexes with planar chirality: synthetic equivalents of chiral cyclohexadiene dications

Homochiral 6-methoxy-substituted dienyltricarbonyliron complexes have been obtained from 1-methylcyclohexa-1,3-diene-5,6-diol (available via microbial oxidation of toluene) by complexation and removal of an allylic substituent with acids or with triphenylcarbenium tetrafluoroborate. A variety of optically active tricarbonyliron complexes have been produced from these compounds. The optical purity of the product and the stereochemistry of the complexation reaction have been determined. The high efficiency of chirality transfer during complexation of 5,6-dimethoxy-substituted dienes makes this method suitable as a general route to resolved organoiron complexes.     

Halo-nitrosyl-carbonyl-tungsten complexes and their triphenylphosphine derivatives as olefin methathesis catalysts

The tungsten complexes W(CO)₄(NO)X, W(CO)₃(NO)(PPh₃)X and W(CO)₂(NO)(PPh₃)₂X (X = Cl, Br and I) have been shown to be effective catalysts for the metathesis of 1,7-octadiene.     

Stereospecific synthesis and carbon-13 nmr spectra of 1,4-epoxydecahydronaphthalenes

The stereoselective synthesis of cis-fused 1,4-epoxydecahydronaphthalenes from transannular reactions of medium-ring compounds is described. The carbon-13 nmr spectra of both are reported, and assignments of the various resonances have been made based on model compounds and off-resonance decoupling experiments.     

An experimental and computational investigation of the Diels-Alder cycloadditions of halogen-substituted 2(H)-pyran-2-ones

[reaction: see text] Diels-Alder reactions of 3- and 5-halo-subsituted 2(H)-pyran-2-ones with both electron-rich and electron-deficient dienophiles afford stable and readily isolable bridged bicyclic lactone cycloadducts. These cycloadditions proceed with excellent regioselectivity and very good stereoselectivity. In contrast, Diels-Alder reactions of 4-halo-subsituted 2(H)-pyran-2-ones afford cycloadducts which are very prone to loss of bridging CO(2) and the subsequent formation of barrelenes ([2.2.2]cyclooctenes). Furthermore, these cycloadditions proceed with only moderate regio- and stereoselectivity. For both series of the 3- and 5-halo-subsituted 2(H)-pyran-2-ones and 4-halo-subsituted 2(H)-pyran-2-ones, the reactivity patterns do not significantly change between the halogens. The regio- and stereochemical preferences of the cycloadditions of halo-substituted 2(H)-pyran-2-ones are investigated computationally. Calculations were carried out on the transition states leading to the four possible regio- and stereoisomeric cycloadducts by using density functional theory (B3LYP/6-31G). These studies allow prediction of the regio- and stereoselectivity in these reactions which are broadly in line with experimental observations.     

C1 C70F38 contains four planar aromatic hexagons; the parallel between fluorination of [60]- and [70]fullerenes

The main C(1) isomer of C(70)F(38) is shown by single-crystal X-ray analysis to contain four planar aromatic hexagons and four isolated C=C bonds, has two fluorines on the equator, and is related to C(2) C(70)F(38) by means of three 1,3-fluorine shifts. The C(1) and C(2) isomers thus parallel the T and C(3)/C(1) isomers of C(60)F(36) in containing three and four aromatic rings, respectively, and in the fluorine shift relationship.