High temperature pyrolysis of methane in shock waves. Rates for dissociative recombination reactions of methyl radicals and for propyne formation reaction

The pyrolysis of 2% CH₄ and 5% CH₄ diluted with Ar was studied using both a single–pulse and time–resolved spectroscopic methods over the temperature range 1400–2200 K and pressure range 2.3–3.7 atm. The rate constant expressions for dissociative recombination reactions of methyl radicals, CH₃ + CH₃ → C₂H₅ + H and CH₃ + CH₃ → C₂H₄ + H₂, and for C₃H₄ formation reaction were investigated. The simulation results required considerably lower value than that reported for CH₃ + CH₃ → C₂H₄ + H₂. Propyne formation was interpreted well by reaction C₂H₂ + CH₃ → P-C₃H₄ + H with ?? = 6.2 × ¹⁰12 exp(?17 kcal/RT) ^cm3 mol^?1 s^?1.     

Photochemical asymmetric synthesis of phenyl-bearing quaternary chiral carbons using chiral-memory effect on beta-hydrogen abstraction by thiocarbonyl group

Quaternary chiral carbons were effectively generated from tertiary chiral carbons via photochemical intramolecular beta-hydrogen abstraction reaction of thioimides involving the highly-controlled chiral-memory effect.     

Improved efficiency of a pulsed optical parametric oscillator by delayed double-pass pump

By delaying the second pass of the pump of a singly resonant optical parametric oscillator, the conversion efficiency can be improved. We show the experimental results of an intracavity-doubled singly resonant parametric oscillator pumped by a Q-switched laser. Using 0.49 mJ of pump energy at 532 nm from a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser, 0.085 mJ of 488 nm was obtained with the optimum delay for the second pass of the pump, giving a conversion efficiency of 17%. The improvement over the case of a single-pass pump was 85%, and the improvement over the double-pass pump with a small delay was 40%.     

Synthesis of the core ring system of awajanomycin from N-Boc-3-methoxycarbonyl-2-pyridinone

Awajanomycin, which was isolated from marine-derived fungus, possesses unique structural features and cytotoxic activity against A549 cells. Due to its unique structure, no total synthesis has yet been reported, and neither the relative stereochemistry nor the absolute configuration has been determined. We report the synthesis of the core ring system of awajanomycin, which includes: (i) regioselective addition of the acetate unit onto C4-position of N-Boc-3-methoxycarbonyl-2-pyridinone; (ii) stereoselective installation of a hydroxyl group on C3-position; and (iii) stereo- and regioselective epoxide-opening reaction by Me₃Al.     

Statistics of rare strong bursts in autocatalytic stochastic growth with diffusion

A general model of autocatalytic stochastic growth with diffusion is analytically and numerically investigated. Exact analytical results for the intermittency exponents and the probability of rare strong bursts in an infinite system are presented. Finite-size saturation effects, leading to the stretched exponential growth of statistical moments, are further considered. These analytical predictions are checked in numerical simulations.     

The optimization for cyclization reaction of 2-(2-carbomethoxyethynyl)aniline derivatives and formal synthesis of pyrroloquinoline quinone and its analogue utilizing a sequential coupling-cyclization reaction

The reaction conditions for the Pd-catalyzed cyclization reaction of 2-(2-carbomethoxyethynyl)aniline derivatives were investigated. The amounts of Pd(PPh₃)₄, methyl propiolate, and ZnBr₂ could be significantly reduced compared with those reported in our preliminary publication by careful tuning of the solvent and the reaction temperature. In addition to the above results, formal syntheses of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) and its analogue from 2-amino-5-nitrophenol using a Pd-complex-catalyzed sequential coupling-cyclization reaction between methyl propiolate and 2-iodoaniline derivatives are described.     

Liquid-phase microextraction of tributyltin and triphenyltin coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Comparison between 4-fluorophenyl and ethyl derivatizations

This paper describes the liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) of tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The 4-fluorophenylation and ethylation reactions were used for the derivatization of the organotins. For the two derivatizations, the LPME parameters such as organic solvent, stirring rate, temperature, extraction time and the other additional conditions were examined. Using pure water, the calibration curves, method detection limits (MDLs) and reproducibilities (RSDs) of the two derivatizations were compared under the respective optimized procedures. The 4-fluorophenyl derivatization, which showed a lower MDL (0.36 ng/l) and better reproducibility (RSD = 11% at 10 ng/l) for TBT, was applied to the analysis of seawater. The TBT was detected in the range from 1.1 to 2.0 ng/l in the seawater samples collected in Osaka Bay.     

Palladium-catalysed direct synthesis of benzo[b]thiophenes from thioenols

The one-pot conversion of thioenols into benzo[b]thiophenes was achieved by using a simple palladium catalyst such as PdCl(2) or PdCl(2)(cod).     

Preparation and Dielectric Properties of YMnO3 Ferroelectric Thin Films by the Sol-Gel Method

Thin films of YMnO3 are proposed as a new candidate for non-volatile ferroelectric memory devices. They were prepared via solutions through two different processes: thermal decomposition and reflux using yttrium acetate tetrahydrate and manganese acetate tetrahydrate as starting materials. For coatings prepared by thermal decomposition process, the starting materials were dissolved in ethanol containing diethanolamine, and single phase YMnO3 was obtained with heat-treatment at 900°C. When the starting materials were refluxed using 2-ethoxyethanol as a solvent, single phase YMnO3 was obtained with heat-treatment at 800°C. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the 300 nm thick films with a stoichiometric Y/Mn ratio had many pinholes, and a very large dielectric loss, 0.83 at 100 kHz. Inclusion of 5–10% excess of Y in the coating solution produced dense structures with improved dielectric properties. The dielectric constant and loss tangent of the thin films with Y/Mn ratio of 1.00/0.90 were about 20 and 0.05 at 100 kHz, respectively.     

Lead Assays with Smartphone Detection Using a Monolithic Rod with 4-(2-Pyridylazo) Resorcinol

A monolithic rod of polyurethane foam–[4-(2-pyridylazo) resorcinol] (PUF–PAR) as a simple chemical sensor for lead assays with smartphone detection and image processing was developed. With readily available simple apparatus such as a plastic cup and a stirrer rod, the monolithic PUF rod was synthesized in a glass tube. The monolithic PUF–PAR rod could be directly loaded by standard/sample solution without sample preparation. A one-shot image in G/B value from a profile plot in ImageJ for a sample with triplicate results via a single standard calibration approach was obtained. A linear single standard calibration was: [G/B value] = −0.038[µg Pb²⁺] + 2.827, R² = 0.95 for 10–30 µg Pb²⁺ with a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 33 µg L⁻¹. The precision was lower than 15% RSD. The proposed method was tested by an assay for Pb²⁺ contents in drinking water samples from Bangkok. The results obtained by the proposed method agree with those of ICP-OES and with 100–120% recovery, demonstrating that the method is useful for screening on-site water monitoring.