Study of the vi13/2-1 band in 189Pt

High-spin levels of 189Pt have been studied with the in-beam γ-spectroscopy method via the 176Yb(18O,5n) reaction at the beam energies of 88 and 95 MeV. The previously known vi13/2-1 band has been confirmed, and its unfavored signature branch extended up to the 31/2+ state. Within the framework of the triaxial particle-rotor model, the vi13/2-1 band is suggested to be associated with the 11/2[615] configuration, and to have triaxial deformation.     

Allosteric coextraction of sodium and metal ions with calix[4]arene derivatives 1

Solvent extraction of three alkali metal ions with p-t-octylcalix[6]arene hexacarboxylic acid, p-t-octylcalix[4]arene tetracarboxylic acid, corresponding linear trimeric and monomeric analogs was investigated. Cyclic tetramer selectively extracts sodium ion among alkali ions at extremely low pH, while the corresponding cyclic hexamer, the trimer, and the monomer exhibited only poor extraction ability for all alkali metals examined. The detailed extractive investigation of sodium ions with the cyclic tetramer was carried out. It was found that two sodium ions are simultaneously extracted by a single molecule of calix[4]arene derivative and that the second sodium extraction is facilitated by the uptake of the first sodium. The self-coextraction mechanism of sodium ions proposed in the present paper also strongly supports allosteric coextraction of sodium and other metal ions. In the competitive extraction of four alkali metal ions, potassium ion was slightly extracted as the second ion at low pH region, whereas it was hardly extracted in the individual extraction system. The result also supports the coextraction mechanism and role of the first-extracted sodium ion as an allosteric trigger. The extraction equilibrium constants of the cyclic tetramer and two sodium ions, K _ex1 and K _ex2, were estimated.     

Ion-beam irradiation effects on polyimide-UV–vis and infrared spectroscopic study

Ion-beam irradiation effects on polyimide, Kapton™, were studied with respect to optical and electronic properties. Stack films of Kapton™ (12.5 μm thick) were irradiated to various ion beams in air or vacuo at room temperature and subjected to ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, and change in absorbance and energy gap is discussed. The UV–vis absorption spectrum, which is assigned to the transition of electrons in benzene rings from π to π* orbital, upon He²⁺ (6 MeV/u) irradiation in air, shifted towards longer wavelength direction for all cases, and the shift was more obvious for higher linear energy transfer (LET) ion beams. The energy gap of the transition was estimated, and the H⁺ and He²⁺ ion beams caused little change in the transition energy gap Eg, while the heavier ions such as C⁶⁺ and Si¹⁴⁺ caused more significant decrease. This decrease is assumed to the structural changes around benzene rings, and the infrared spectroscopy revealed breakage in imide groups next to benzene ring in the repeating unit of polyimide.     

Adsorption behavior of uranium(VI) and other ionic species on cross-linked chitosan resins modified with chelating moieties

Cross-linked chitosan resins with catechol (catechol-type chitosan, type 1 and type 2), iminodiacetic acid (IDA-type chitosan), iminodimetylphosphonic acid (IDP-type chitosan), phenylarsonic acid (phenylarsonic acid-type chitosan), or serine (serine-type chitosan) were prepared for the collection and concentration of uranium(VI). The adsorption behavior of U(VI) and other ionic species, such as metal ions and oxo-acid ions, on the cross-linked chitosan (base material) and chitosan resins modified with chelating moieties was examined using a column procedure. Especially, the catechol-type chitosan (type 2) adsorbed U(VI) at pH 2-7, and selectively collected U(VI) at acidic pH regions by forming a stable chelate with hydroxyl groups of catechol moiety introduced to the chitosan. Also, the adsorption properties of cationic and anionic species present in aquatic media were elucidated. The adsorption ability for U(VI) was in the order: catechol-type chitosan (type 2) > serine-type chitosan > phenylarsonic acid-type chitosan > the others. The catechol-type chitosan (type 2) was useful for the collection and concentration of uranium(VI).     

Charge‐Conversional Polyionic Complex Micelles—Efficient Nanocarriers for Protein Delivery into Cytoplasm

Special delivery! Polyionic complex (PIC) micelles that contain the charge‐conversional moieties citaconic amide or cis‐aconitic amide were developed for cytoplasmic protein delivery. The increase of the charge density on the protein cargo helped the stability of the PIC micelles without cross‐linking, and the charge‐conversion in endosomes induced the dissociation of the PIC micelles to result in efficient endosomal release (see picture).

     

Palladium-catalyzed stereo- and regiospecific allylation of aryl halides with homoallyl alcohols via retro-allylation: selective generation and use of sigma-allylpalladium

Treatment of tertiary homoallyl alcohol with aryl halide under palladium catalysis resulted in the transfer of the allyl moiety of the homoallyl alcohol to aryl halide and yielded the corresponding cross-coupling product stereo- and regiospecifically. The transfer process includes retro-allylation, which proceeds via a conformationally regulated six-membered transition state. The retro-allylation can be regarded as a method for the stereo- and regiospecific preparation of sigma-allylpalladium.     

Radical phosphination of organic halides and alkyl imidazole-1-carbothioates

Taking advantage of a radical-based methodology, mild and chemoselective phosphination reactions of organic halide and alkyl imidazole-1-carbothioates have been developed. The mild reaction conditions allow labile functional groups to survive during the reaction.     

Generation of acyloxyketenes from unstable mesoionic 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates and their reaction with ketenophiles to give [2 + 2] cycloadducts

Fast ring opening of mesoionic 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates, generated by Rh(2)(OAc)(4)-catalyzed decomposition of phenyldiazoacetic anhydride derivatives, to acyloxyphenylketenes was demonstrated by trapping the ketenes with several ketenophiles. Reactions of phenyldiazoacetic anhydride derivatives with several ketenophiles such as dihydrofuran, carbodiimides, and imines were carried out. No 1,3-dipolar cycloadducts of the latter with 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates were observed. Instead, only their [2 + 2]-cycloadducts with the acyloxyketenes generated by ring-opening of the initially formed 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates were isolated. In the reaction with cyclopentadiene, 1,3-dipolar cycloadducts with 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates were formed as main products along with the [2 + 2]-ketene adduct. PM3 calculation of heats of formation of 2,5-diphenyl-1,3-dioxolium-4-olate and the corresponding benzoyloxyphenylketene indicates that the ring-opened acyloxyketenes are ca. 9 kcal/mol more stable than the corresponding 1,3-dioxolium-4-olates.     

BCx layers with honeycomb lattices on an NbB2(0001) surface

At elevated temperatures of 1000-1500 K, carbon (C) atoms that segregated to a surface and mixed with the boron (B) honeycomb lattice resulted in the formation of three different BC(x) layers as the topmost layers of NbB(2)(0001). Two of the layers were commensurate lattices: √7 × √7 and √3 × √3 structures; the third was incommensurate. The characteristic features of the √3 × √3 lattice with a honeycomb structure are discussed on the basis of the experimental data.