Chemical and electrochemical oxidation of thiophene-pyridine and thiophene-pyrimidine co-oligomers in solutions

Chemical and electrochemical oxidation (or p-doping) of three types of pi-conjugated co-oligomers, Py-Th-(Th)n-Th-Py (Py = pyridine unit; Th = thiophene unit; 5a, n = 1; 6a, n = 2), Th-Py-(Th)n-Py-Th (5b: n = 1; 6b: n = 2), and Pym-Th-(Th)n-Th-Pym (Pym = pyrimidine unit; 5c: n = 1; 6c: n = 2), in solution systems has been studied. The chemical oxidation with NOBF(4) proceeded with isosbestic points in the UV-vis spectrum. The UV-vis absorption peak of 5a at 418 nm in CH(2)Cl(2) shifted to 456 nm after oxidation of 5a with NOBF(4). The oxidized 5a was easily reduced by N(2)H(4) to give the original UV-vis spectrum of 5a, and 5b, 6b, and 5c behaved similarly in the oxidation and reduction. In the oxidation by NOBF4, an (oxidized co-oligomer)/(original neutral co-oligomer) ratio of 1 was attained at [NOBF4] = 1.3 x 10(-6), 4 x 10(-6), 7 x 10(-6), and 9 x 10(-6) M for 5a, 6b, 5b, and 5c, respectively. The obtained data are considered to reflect the ease of oxidation of the co-oligomer, which is affected by the electron-accepting nature of the N-containing aromatic unit in the co-oligomer and effective pi-conjugated length of the co-oligomer. The cyclic voltammogram of 5a showed three redox couples with anodic peak current potentials of Epa = 0.75, 1.10, and 1.34 V versus Ag+/Ag, respectively. The first oxidation peak was assigned to one-electron oxidation of 5a, and electronic current of the first anodic peak (i) of 5a and 5c was proportional to (scanning rate)1/2. From the i- (scanning rate)1/2 relationship, diffusion constants, D's, of 5a and 5c were estimated to be 9.6 x 10(-6) and 1.7 x 10(-5) cm2 s(-1), respectively. CV data of 5b with the terminal thiophene units indicated occurrence of electrochemical oxidative polymerization of 5b.     

Preparation of rapidly disintegrating tablets containing itraconazole solid dispersions

The disintegratability of tablets prepared from two types of solid dispersions containing the water-soluble polymer TC-5 and the enteric polymer HP-55 as an excipient were compared. The disintegratability was better in the tablets of solid dispersions containing non-water-soluble HP-55 than those containing TC-5. In consideration of the dissolubility of solid dispersions containing HP-55, the mean diameter of the solid dispersion (coating powder) must be controlled to 120 microm or less, but as this markedly increases the adhesion/aggregation tendency of the particles (angle of repose: 47 degrees ), control of the adhesion/aggregation tendency emerged as another problem. Therefore, surface-modification was performed in a high-speed agitating granulator using 0.1% light anhydrous silicic acid as a surface modifier, and marked improvement in the flowability was observed. This made continuous tableting using a rotary tablet machine possible even with the poorly flowable solid dispersions. Also, in tableting of the solid dispersions, no recrystallization of amorphous itraconazole by the tableting pressure was observed, and the tablets maintained satisfactory dissolubility. Moreover, it was possible to obtain the rapidly disintegrating tablets with very satisfactory properties, i.e., a tablet hardness of 30 N or higher and a disintegration time of 30 s or less, by the addition of croscarmellose as a disintegrant at 2% to the surface-modified solid dispersion and selection of the tableting pressure at 4.5 kN.     

Highly selective photoinduced perfluoroalkylation of vinylsilanes and its application to synthesis of water-shedding polysilanes

The functionalization of polysilanes is an important subject in materials science because functionalized polysilanes are expected to exhibit potentially innovative properties. This research aims at the addition of a water-shedding property to polysilanes by introducing perfluoroalkyl groups into their skeleton. The photoinduced iodoperfluoroalkylation of various vinylsilanes takes place successfully upon irradiation with a xenon lamp: vinylmonosilanes undergo iodoperfluoroalkylation with perfluoroalkyl iodides (R_fI) regioselectively, and the corresponding perfluoroalkylated silanes are obtained in moderate to high yields. Detailed optimization of the photoinduced iodoperfluoroalkylation has been investigated to apply this method to the functionalization of polysilanes. Polysilanes having vinyl groups can be synthesized by the reductive coupling of dichlorovinylsilanes with samarium diiodide (SmI₂) and samarium metal (Sm) upon irradiation with visible light. The synthesized vinylpolysilanes and R_fI (about 1.0 mM CHCl₃ solution) are coated on a glass plate sequentially, and then the following photoirradiation with light of a wavelength over 300 nm successfully adds an excellent water-shedding property to the glass plate.     

Techniques for realizing practical application of sulfur cathodes in future Li-ion batteries

The development of lithium-sulfur batteries is associated with many problems. These problems include polysulfide dissolution, the shuttle phenomenon, the low electric and ionic conductivity of S, and the volume change that occurs during charge and discharge. In this review, various elemental techniques for overcoming these problems are summarized from the standpoints of the supporting materials. These techniques include preventing polysulfide dissolution from the cathodes through physical and chemical adsorption on the supporting materials, the use of electrolytes that do not dissolve polysulfides via the coordination of Li⁺ and solvents, and the use of ion-exchange polymers to permeate Li⁺ selectively. The following approaches to enable practical applications of S cathodes in future Li-ion batteries are introduced: the utilization of Li-free anode materials, such as C and Si; the use of Li₂S cathodes, which are prepared via a pre-lithiation process; and increasing the areal capacity of the S cathode by using a suitable current collector such as Al foam, thus providing a large amount of space for Li⁺ to migrate and the electron-conductive path. The utilization of an Al foam current collector is one of the promising approaches to creating a cost-effective Li-ion battery owing to the established mass production of Al foam for use in NiMH batteries; such Li-ion battery can achieve an unprecedentedly high areal capacity of 21.9 mAh cm^?2. Owing to the resulting areal capacity, the possibility of developing a lithium-sulfur battery with an energy density greater than 200 Wh kg^?1 has been demonstrated. Consequently, the combination of these approaches, as introduced in this review, would help create a bright, sustainable society.     

Measurement of the enthalpy of phase transition for iron chevrel phase sulphide in the temperature range from 300 to 500 K

Enthalpy increment H_T-H_289K measurements have been made on iron Chevrel phase sulphide Fe₂Mo₆S_7.8, in the temperature range 300 to 500 K by the drop method using a hightemperature Calvet-type twin calorimeter. The first-order phase transition of this sulphide from a triclinic (low-temperature phase) to a rhombohedral (high-temperature phase) occurred at 375 K, and the enthalpy was evaluated to be 6.0 kJ/mol. The heat capacities of iron Chevrel phase sulphide Fe₂Mo₆S_7.8 were also calculated before and after the phase transition.

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Zusammenfassung Nach der Tropfenmethode wurden mittels eines Hochtemperaturdoppelkalorimeters vom Typ Calvet im Temperaturbereich 300–500 K an Fe₂Mo₆S_7.8Messungen der Enthalpieinkremente H_T-H_298K durchgeführt. Die Phasenumwandlung erster Ordnung bei diesem Sulfid von der triklinen (Niedertemperaturphase) in die rhomboedrische (Hoch-temperaturphase) erfolgt bei 375 K und die Enthalpie erhielt man mit einem Wert von 6.0 kJ/mol. Die Wärmekapazitäten für Fe₂Mo₆S_7.8 wurden sowohl vor als auch nach der Phasenumwandlung berechnet.

     

Quantification of Intracellular Thiols by HPLC-Fluorescence Detection

Biothiols, such as cysteine and glutathione, play important roles in various intracellular reactions represented by the redox equilibrium against oxidative stress. In this study, a method for intracellular thiol quantification using HPLC-fluorescence detection was developed. Thiols were derivatized with a thiol-specific fluorescence derivatization reagent, viz. ammonium 7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-sulfonate (SBD-F), followed by reversed-phase separation on an InertSustain AQ-C18 column. Six different SBD-thiols (homocysteine, cysteine, cysteinylglycine, γ-glutamylcysteine, glutathione, and N-acetylcysteine as an internal standard) were separated within 30 min using a citric buffer (pH 3.0)/MeOH mobile phase. The calibration curves of all the SBD-thiols had strong linearity (R² > 0.999). Using this developed method, the thiol concentrations of human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cell samples were found to be 5.5–153 pmol/1 × 10⁶ cells. The time-dependent effect of a thiol scavenger, viz. N-ethyl maleimide, on intracellular thiol concentrations was also quantified. This method is useful for elucidating the role of intracellular sulfur metabolism.     

Characterization of Functional Groups in Estuarine Dissolved Organic Matter by DNP-enhanced 15N and 13C Solid-State NMR

Estuaries are key ecosystems with unique biodiversity and are of high economic importance. Along the estuaries, variations in environmental parameters, such as salinity and light penetration, can modify the characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Nevertheless, there is still limited information about the atomic-level transformations of DOM in this ecosystem. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy provides unique insights into the nature of functional groups in DOM. A major limitation of this technique is its lack of sensivity, which results in experimental time of tens of hours for the acquisition of ¹³C NMR spectra and generally precludes the observation of ¹⁵N nuclei for DOM. We show here how the sensitivity of solid-state NMR experiments on DOM of Seine estuary can be enhanced using dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) under magic-angle spinning. This technique allows the acquisition of ¹³C NMR spectra of these samples in few minutes, instead of hours for conventional solid-state NMR. Both conventional and DNP-enhanced ¹³C NMR spectra indicate that the ¹³C local environments in DOM are not strongly modified along the Seine estuary. Furthermore, the sensitivity gain provided by the DNP allows the detection of ¹⁵N NMR signal of DOM, in spite of the low nitrogen content. These spectra reveal that the majority of nitrogen is in the amide form in these DOM samples and show an increased disorder around these amide groups near the mouth of the Seine.     

Pd(O) promoted rearrangement of 2-(1,3-butadienyl)cyclopropane- 1,1-dicarboxylate esters to 2-alkenyl-3-cyclopentene-1,1-dicarboxylate esters

The title dienylcyclopropanes smoothly rearrange of five-membered rings in the presence of a Pd(O) catalyst under mild conditions.