para-Selective Arylation of Arenes: A Direct Route to Biaryls by Norbornene Relay Palladation

Biaryl compounds are extremely important structural motifs in natural products, biologically active components and pharmaceuticals. Selective synthesis of biaryls by distinguishing the subtle reactivity difference of distal arene C−H bonds are significantly challenging. Herein, we describe para-selective C−H arylation, which is acheived by a unique combination of a meta-directing group and norbornene as a transient mediator. Upon direct meta-C−H palladation, one-bond relay palladation occurs in presence of norbornene and subsequently para-C−H arylation is achieved for sulfonates, phosphonates and phenols bearing 2,6-disubstitution patterns. The protocol is amenable to electron-deficient aryl iodides. Multisubstituted arenes and phenols are obtained by postsynthetic modification of the products. The protocol allows the synthesis of hexa-substituted benzene by sequential selective distal C−H functionalization.     

Ceric Ammonium Nitrate Catalysed Protection of Alcohols by 3, 4-Dihydro-2H-pyran

Hydroxyl compounds readily add to dihydropyran in presence of a catalytic amount of ceric ammonium nitrate to give high yield of tetrahydropyranyl ethers.     

Vibration of rectangular plates with time-dependent boundary conditions

A general method of solution for the vibration of rectangular plates with any type of time-dependent boundary conditions is developed by an extension of the method of Mindlin and Goodman [1]. For illustration, the problems of a plate with different time-dependent boundary conditions are solved and the closed form solutions for the transverse deflections of the plate are obtained. The non-dimensionalized transverse deflections, ($\text{w}\text{a}$) at the middle of the plate are evaluated numerically for different dimensions of the plate and different forcing functions. These are presented graphically against the non-dimensionalized time, T, for three cases and tabulated for other cases.     

Origin of charge density wave formation in insulators from a high resolution photoemission study of BaIrO3

We investigate the origin of charge density wave (CDW) formation in insulators by studying BaIrO3 using high-resolution (1.4 meV) photoemission spectroscopy. The spectra reveal the existence of localized density of states at the Fermi level, E(F), in the vicinity of room temperature. These localized states are found to vanish as the temperature is lowered, thereby, opening a soft gap at E(F), as a consequence of CDW transition. In addition, the energy dependence of the spectral density of states reveals the importance of magnetic interactions, rather than well-known Coulomb repulsion effect, in determining the electronic structure thereby implying a close relationship between ferromagnetism and CDW observed in this compound. Also, Ba core level spectra surprisingly exhibit an unusual behavior prior to CDW transition.     

Entropy-stabilized smectic C phase in a system of zigzag-shaped molecules

We report Monte Carlo simulations of a system of rigid zigzag-shaped molecules that demonstrate that simple excluded-volume interactions are sufficient to produce a fluid tilted lamellar [smectic C (SmC)] liquid crystal phase. The molecules are composed of three rigidly linked hard spherocylinders arranged in a zigzag fashion. By varying the zigzag angle we have mapped out the whole phase diagram as a function of pressure and zigzag angle Psi. For Psi between 35 degrees and 80 degrees our model simulation exhibits the SmC phase. This is the first conclusive evidence where steric interactions arising out of molecular shape alone induce the occurrence of the SmC phase for a wide range of zigzag angles. For smaller Psi, a transition from tilted crystal to crystal is observed.     

An empirical fit to estimated neutron emission cross sections from proton induced reactions

Neutron emission cross section for various elements from⁹Be to²⁰⁹Bi have been calculated using the hybrid model code ALICE-91 for proton induced reactions in the energy range 25 MeV to 105 Me V. An empirical expression relating neutron emission cross section to target mass number and incident proton energy has been obtained. The simple expression reduces the computation time significantly. The trend in the variation of neutron emission cross sections with respect to the target mass number and incident proton energy has been discussed within the framework of the model used.     

Stereocontrol of 1,5-related stereocentres using an intermediate silyl group--the diastereoselectivity of nucleophilic attack on a double bond adjacent to a stereogenic centre carrying a silyl group

R-5-Methylcyclohex-2-enone 1 reacts successively with the phenyldimethylsilylzincate reagent and acetaldehyde to give with regiocontrol the aldols 7, dehydration of which creates the E-exocyclic double bond of the alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone 2. Conjugate addition of the ethylcuprate reagent to this compound takes place with high (96:4) selectivity in favour of the R stereoisomer 12, hydrolysis of which gives (2R,3R,5S,2'R)-2-(but-2'-yl)-3-dimethyl(phenyl)silyl-5-methylcyclohexanone 3. The oxime acetate of this ketone undergoes fragmentation in the presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate to give 3R,7R,5E-3,7-dimethylnon-5-enonitrile 4, in which an open-chain 1,5-stereochemical relationship is set up with a high level of stereocontrol. A similar sequence adding 4-methylpentylcuprate to the enone 2, and fragmentation gives 3R,7R,5E-3,7,11-trimethyldodec-5-enonitrile 20. Reduction and hydrogenation of this nitrile gives 3R,7R-3,7,11-trimethyldodecanal 22, which can be converted into phytol 25. The ketoaldehyde 29 reacts with samarium iodide to give only the alcohol 30, in which the radical anion has attacked from the top surface just like the cuprate reagents in their reactions with the ketone 2.     

Synthesis and characterization of corn starch based green composites reinforced with Saccharum spontaneum L graft copolymers prepared under micro-wave and their effect on thermal, physio-chemical and mechanical properties

In this paper, green composites of the corn starch were developed by using resorcinol-formaldehyde (Rf) as the cross-linking agent and reinforced with graft copolymers Saccharaum spontaneum L(Ss) and methyl methacrylates (MMA) as principal monomer and its binary mixture with acrylamide (AAm), acrylonitrile(AN), acrylic acid (AA) prepared under micro-wave. The matrix and composites were found to be thermally more stable than the natural corn starch backbone. There was improvement in physico-chemical and mechanical properties of composite were found to exhibit better than matrix. Ss-g-poly(MMA)-MW reinforced composites were found to exhibit better tensile strength, on the other hand Ss-g-poly(MMA + AA)-MW reinforced composites showed maximum compressive strength and wear resistance than other graft copolymers reinforced composite and the basic matrix. Further the matrix and composites were subjected for biodegradation studies through soil composting method. Different stages of biodegradation were evaluated through FT-IR studies and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) techniques.