Swelling of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels in water-aprotic solvent mixtures

The swelling volume of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PIPAAm) gel in aprotic solvents (acetonitrile (AcN)-, tetrahydrofuran (THF)-, 1,4-dioxane (DO)- and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO))-water mixtures was measured at 25°C. The gel swollen in water shrank first and then reswelled with addition of the aprotic solvents. At an intermediate mole fraction (XDMSO) range of DMSO-water mixtures, the gel demonstrated a reentrant swelling phenomenon the hydrated gel shrank first on addition of a small amount of solvent, showed a typical wide reentrant transition, and gradually reswelled in the range near pure solvent. On the other hand, the gels in AcN-, THF-, and DO-water mixtures demonstrated a reentrant-convex swelling phenomenon: the gels reswelled after a reentrant phase transition in low Xorg (XAcN, XTHF and XDO), showed a maximum swelling in the intermediate Xorg region, and shrank again gradually in the high Xorg region. Such a swelling behavior of the gel was interpreted by correlating with solution properties of the aqueous aprotic solvent mixtures.The strength of hydrogen bonding around amide groups of the homopolymer was examined in pure solvents (water, THF, and DMSO) and in all proportion of aqueous THF to observe the relation with swelling behavior of gel by spectrum analysis of the amide I and II bands of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The swelling properties of gels in solvents and the aqueous mixtures were well correlated with the peak shifts of amide groups of the homopolymer.     

Structural difference between a superconducting sodium cobalt oxide and its related phase

Monolayer hydrate (MLH) Na_xCoO₂·y′H₂O was obtained from superconducting bilayer hydrate (BLH) Na_xCoO₂·yH₂O by partial extraction of H₂O molecules between the CoO₂ layers. Magnetization measurements indicated that electron densities in the CoO₂ layer of the MLH phase remained unchanged after the water extraction. Nevertheless, superconductivity was completely suppressed in the MLH phase. This strongly suggests that the highly 2D nature in the BLH phase due to its thick insulating layers consisting of H₂O molecules and Na⁺ ions plays an important role for inducing superconductivity.     

Study on Segmental Motion and Ion Binding in Polyelectrolyte Solutions by Ultrasonic Spectroscopy

The ultrasonic absorption spectra of aqueous solutions of polyacrylate (PA), polyphosphate (PP), and polystyrenesulfonate (PSS), neutralized by tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH), were measured. The effects of addition of tetramethylammonium chloride (TMACl) and sodium chloride (NaCl) to the polyelectrolyte solutions were investigated in the frequency range from 500 kHz to 100 MHz. Two ultrasonic relaxation processes due to the local segmental motions were observed. The relaxation frequency for TMAPP solution decreased as the ionic strength was increased by the addition of TMACl. For the other two polymer solutions, the ionic strength did not affect the relaxation spectra. The addition of NaCl led to an increase of the ultrasonic absorption, which was ascribed to ion binding. The ultrasonic absorption due to the ion binding was estimated by subtracting the contribution of the segmental motion from the measuring ultrasonic spectra. The volume changes accompanying the ion binding for polyacrylate and polyphosphate salts were estimated to be 5 and 8 cm³-mol^?1, respectively.     

Assembly of Carbohydrates on a Nickel(II) Center by Utilizing N-Glycosidic Bond Formation with Tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (tren). Syntheses and Characterization of [Ni{N-(aldosyl)-tren}(H(2)O)](2+), [Ni{N,N'-bis(aldosyl)-tren}](2+) and [Ni{N,N',N"-tris(aldosyl)-tren}](2+)

Reactions of [Ni(tren)(H(2)O)(2)]X(2) (tren = tris(2-aminoethyl)amine; X = Cl (1a), Br (1b); X(2) = SO(4) (1c)) with mannose-type aldoses, having a 2,3-cis configuration (D-mannose and L-rhamnose), afforded {bis(N-aldosyl-2-aminoethyl)(2-aminoethyl)amine}nickel(II) complexes, [Ni(N,N'-(aldosyl)(2)-tren)]X(2) (aldosyl = D-mannosyl, X = Cl (2a), Br (2b), X(2) = SO(4) (2c); aldosyl = L-rhamnosyl, X(2) = SO(4) (3c)). The structure of 1c was confirmed by X-ray crystallography to be a mononuclear [Ni(II)N(4)O(2)] complex with the tren acting as a tetradentate ligand (1c.2H(2)O: orthorhombic, Pbca, a = 15.988(2) ?, b = 18.826(4) ?, c = 10.359(4) ?, V = 3118 ?(3), Z = 8, R = 0.047, and R(w) = 0.042). Complexes 2a,c and 3c were characterized by X-ray analyses to have a mononuclear octahedral Ni(II) structure ligated by a hexadentate N-glycoside ligand, bis(N-aldosyl-2-aminoethyl)(2-aminoethyl)amine (2a.CH(3)OH: orthorhombic, P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 16.005(3) ?, b = 20.095(4) ?, c = 8.361(1) ?, V = 2689 ?(3), Z = 4, R = 0.040, and R(w) = 0.027. 2c.3CH(3)OH: orthorhombic, P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 14.93(2) ?, b = 21.823(8) ?, c = 9.746(2) ?, V = 3176 ?(3), Z = 4, R = 0.075, and R(w) = 0.080. 3c.3CH(3)OH: orthorhombic, P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 14.560(4) ?, b = 21.694(5) ?, c = 9.786(2) ?, V = 3091 ?(3), Z = 4, R = 0.072, and R(w) = 0.079). The sugar part of the complex involves novel intramolecular sugar-sugar hydrogen bondings around the metal center. The similar reaction with D-glucose, D-glucosamine, and D-galactosamine, having a 2,3-trans configuration, resulted in the formation of a mono(sugar) complex, [Ni(N-(aldosyl)-tren)(H(2)O)(2)]Cl(2) (aldosyl = D-glucosyl (4b), 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucosyl (5a), and 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-galactosyl (5b)), instead of a bis(sugar) complex. The hydrogen bondings between the sugar moieties as observed in 2 and 3 should be responsible for the assembly of two sugar molecules on the metal center. Reactions of tris(N-aldosyl-2-aminoethyl)amine with nickel(II) salts gave the tris(sugar) complexes, [Ni(N,N',N"-(aldosyl)(3)-tren)]X(2) (aldosyl = D-mannosyl, X = Cl (6a), Br (6b); L-rhamnosyl, X = Cl (7a), Br (7b); D-glucosyl, X = Cl (9); maltosyl, X = Br (10); and melibiosyl, X = Br (11)), which were assumed to have a shuttle-type C(3) symmetrical structure with Delta helical configuration for D-type aldoses on the basis of circular dichroism and (13)C NMR spectra. When tris(N-rhamnosyl)-tren was reacted with NiSO(4).6H(2)O at low temperature, a labile neutral complex, [Ni(N,N',N"-(L-rhamnosyl)(3)-tren)(SO(4))] (8), was successfully isolated and characterized by X-ray crystallography, in which three sugar moieties are anchored only at the N atom of the C-1 position (8.3CH(3)OH.H(2)O: orthorhombic, P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 16.035(4) ?, b = 16.670(7) ?, c = 15.38(1) ?, V = 4111 ?(3), Z = 4, R = 0.084, and R(w) = 0.068). Complex 8 could be regarded as an intermediate species toward the C(3) symmetrical tris(sugar) complexes 7, and in fact, it was readily transformed to 7b by an action of BaBr(2).     

Geographical distribution of plutonium derived from the atomic bomb in the eastern area of Nagasaki

In order to know the distribution of plutonium derived from the Nagasaki atomic bomb, soil samples were measured to determine the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu isotope ratio of and concentrations of ^239+240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs. The ^239+240Pu concentrations in soils, except for Nishiyama area, were close to the average concentration of soil collected in Japan. In soils collected at the Nishiyama area and at the eastern area of Nagasaki Prefecture and at part of northern area in Kumamoto Prefecture, the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu ratios were lower than the global fallout values. This suggests that plutonium from the atomic bomb was deposited in the eastern area from the hypocenter reaching up to 100 km eastwards.     

Mononuclear five-coordinate molybdenum(IV) and -(V) monosulfide complexes coordinated with dithiolene ligands: reversible redox of Mo(V)/Mo(IV) and irreversible dimerization of [MoVS]- cores to a dinuclear [MoV2(mu-S)2]2- Core

A mononuclear five-coordinate molybdenum(IV) monosulfide complex, (Et4N)2[MoS(L)2] (L = cyclohexene-1,2-dithiolate) (1), was obtained and characterized by IR, UV-vis spectroscopic methods, and X-ray crystallography. 1 was oxidized by an equivalent ferrocenium cation to give the corresponding mononuclear molybdenum(V) complex, (Et4N)[MoS(L)2] (2), which was stable for a few minutes under a lower concentration than 0.3 mM and then further dimerized to (Et4N)2[Mo(L)2]2(mu-S)2 (3).     

Dielectrically controlled resolution (DCR) of 3-aminopiperidine via diastereomeric salt formation with N-tosyl-(S)-phenylalanine

A useful key intermediate for the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, 3-aminopiperidine 1, was successfully resolved with an enantiomerically pure resolving agent, N-tosyl-(S)-phenylalanine 2, to give both stereoisomers (R)-1 and (S)-1 as a less-soluble diastereomeric salt with (S)-2, via a dielectrically controlled resolution (DCR) phenomenon.