Cutting-edge Results on Energies and Catalysts at SPring-8

What is an industrial researcher expecting from the use of synchrotron radiation at SPring-8? It seems that there are two answers. One expectation is that he is able to explain convincingly to his customers a distinctive advantage of the developed product in a visible manner, and the other is that he investigates essential quality of materials by returning to the starting point when he is at a loss what to do in the process of his R&D; thus he can gain the opportunity of making a technical breakthrough in his R&D. This is because SPring-8 provides the most powerful synchrotron radiation currently available. As a result, a researcher can understand the chemical-bonding states of the material structure at the atomic and electronic levels by utilizing new analytical tools such as XAFS (X-ray Absorption Fine Structure) and XRD (X-ray Diffraction), etc.     

On-line pseudo-dynamic network testing on base-isolated bridges using Internet and wireless Internet

In this paper we present the results of the online pseudo-dynamic network testing using the Internet that were jointly conducted by several institutions in Korea and Japan. Example studies were performed on base-isolated bridges with four continous spans. Test facilities located at several institutions were interactively used to test the non-linear behaviors of the base isolators. At first, a series of international network tests was carried out between Japan and Korea, and the performance of two system configurations with different data communication schemes was compared. Then, network tests were repeated on a similar bridge structure between two institutions in Korea, and the overall performance was discussed. A web-based Java monitoring system was developed for checking the partners' testing conditions and for sharing the test results with the authorized observers. Wireless Internet technology using mobile phones was also investigated. The results indicate that the time to execute a single step varies widely, depending on the data communication/sharing schemes and the testing hardware, e.g., 0.2–15 s for data communication and 1–10 s for execution of the pseudo-dynamic tests for each time-step. The time required additionally for data communication in the on-line network testing is judged as reasonable in comparison with the time for the pseudo-dynamic test. The results also show that the wireless communication is very attractive for on-line network testing, owing to the mobility and Internet security.     

Rhodium(I)‐Catalyzed Cycloisomerization of Benzylallene‐Alkynes through C?H Activation

The efficient Rh^I‐catalyzed cycloisomerization of benzylallene‐alkynes produced the tricyclo[9.4.0.0^3,8]pentadecapentaene skeleton through a C H bond activation in good yields. A plausible reaction mechanism proceeds via oxidative addition of the acetylenic C H bond to Rh^I, an ene‐type cyclization to the vinylidenecarbene–Rh^I intermediate, and an electrophilic aromatic substitution with the vinylidenecarbene species. It was proposed based on deuteration and competition experiments.     

New entry to the Pauson-Khand reaction: trimethylgermyl group at the triple bond terminus as a latent functional group

The Pauson-Khand reaction of enynes possessing a trimethylgermyl group at the alkyne terminus afforded the corresponding bicyclo[3.3.0]octenone and bicyclo[4.3.0]nonenone skeletons in a stereoselective manner. The resulting trimethylgermyl group of the bicyclic compounds was then converted to the iodo group, which was used for further elaboration. Thus, the trimethylgermyl group at the triple bond terminus was shown to be a precursor for other appendages.     

Numerical factorization of a polynomial by rational Hermite interpolation

We derive a class of iterative formulae to find numerically a factor of arbitrary degree of a polynomialf(x) based on the rational Hermite interpolation. The iterative formula generates the sequence of polynomials which converge to a factor off(x). It has a high convergence order even for a factor which includes multiple zeros. Some numerical examples are also included.     

Synthesis and central nervous system stimulant activity of 5,8-methanoquinazolines fused with 1,2,4-triazole,tetrazoleand 1,2,4-triazine

5,8-Methanoquinazolines fused with 1,2,4-triazole 4–5 , tetrazole 6 , and 1,2,4-triazine 8 were prepared starting from 2-hydrazino-5,8-methanoquinazoline 3 . Compound 3 and 6 showed the most potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant activities.     

The synthesis of the monomethylbenzo[2,3]phenanthro-[4,5-bcd]thiophenes

The synthesis of the potentially mutagenic 1-methyl- (11), 3-methyl- (12), 4-methyl- (21), 5-methyl- (27), 7-methyl- (58), 8-methyl- (61), 9-methyl- (59) and 10-methylbenzo[2,3]phenanthro[4,5-bcd]thiophene (60) is reported.