Highly stereoselective construction of spiro[4.5]decanes by SmI(2)-promoted ketyl radical mediated tandem cyclization

[reaction: see text] Ketyl radical mediated tandem cyclization of omega-alkynyl carbonyl compounds bearing activated alkene using SmI(2) gave spiro[4.5]decanes stereoselectively. In the presence of HMPA, alpha,beta-unsaturated esters and alkenyl phosphonates were converted to spiro[4.5]decanes and a monocyclic compound, respectively. In the presence of Sm, bicyclic lactones were obtained from alpha,beta-unsaturated esters. The spiro[4.5]decane was provided from an alkenyl phosphonate. Interestingly, the stereochemical changeover at the first cyclization has been controlled by means of a variety of activators.     

Twin-transformed lattice defects in γ-TiAl

We study the transformation of lattice defects in γ-TiAl upon intersection by deformation twins. A faulted dipole is chopped forming a dislocation loop faulted on the cube plane of the twin; faulted dipoles and twin loops may shrink at different rates. Dislocations with 1/2<110] and <011] Burgers vectors gliding on octahedral planes are transformed into configurations with low mobility on {010} plane. Elementary mechanisms involved in the transformation are considered and a pole mechanism for twin growth at forest dislocations is proposed.     

Auditory sustained field responses to periodic noise

Background  

Auditory sustained responses have been recently suggested to reflect neural processing of speech sounds in the auditory cortex. As periodic fluctuations below the pitch range are important for speech perception, it is necessary to investigate how low frequency periodic sounds are processed in the human auditory cortex. Auditory sustained responses have been shown to be sensitive to temporal regularity but the relationship between the amplitudes of auditory evoked sustained responses and the repetitive rates of auditory inputs remains elusive. As the temporal and spectral features of sounds enhance different components of sustained responses, previous studies with click trains and vowel stimuli presented diverging results. In order to investigate the effect of repetition rate on cortical responses, we analyzed the auditory sustained fields evoked by periodic and aperiodic noises using magnetoencephalography.     

Ring opening of 2,5-didehydrothiophene: matrix photochemistry of C4H2S isomers

Irradiation (lambda > 254 nm) of matrix-isolated 2,5-diiodothiophene (10) gives rise to IR bands assigned to ethynylthioketene (6). Diethynyl sulfide (3), which would form in the process of retro-Bergman cyclization of the incipient 2,5-didehydrothiophene (4), is not detected. Under the same irradiation conditions, matrix-isolated diethynyl sulfide (3) rearranges to thioketene 6 and butatrienethione (5), the global minimum on C4H2S potential energy surface. The photochemical formation of thioketene 6 from either diyl 4 or sulfide 3 may be interpreted in line with a recent computational prediction on the thermal ring opening of diyl 4, which favors C-S bond cleavage, leading to 6, over C-C bond cleavage, leading to 3. Photolysis of matrix-isolated 3,4-thiophenedicarboxylic acid anhydride (11) enables the observation of the photoequilibration of three low-energy C4H2S isomers, butatrienethione (5), ethynylthioketene (6), and butadiynylthiol (7), via apparent [1,3]-hydrogen shifts.     

Planar symmetry incompatibility in Ru-Sn-Zn pseudo-decagonal approximants composed of novel pentagonal antiprisms

Two new ternary compounds in the Ru-Sn-Zn system were synthesized by conventional high-temperature reactions, and their crystal structures were analyzed by means of the single crystal X-ray diffraction: Ru(2)Sn(2)Zn(3) (orthorhombic, Pnma, Pearson symbol oP28, a = 8.2219(16), b = 4.1925(8), c = 13.625(3) ?, V = 469.66(16) ?(3), Z = 4) and Ru(4.15)Sn(4.96)Zn(5.85) (orthorhombic, Pnma, Pearson symbol oP60-δ, a = 8.3394(17), b = 4.2914(9), c = 28.864(6) ?, V = 1032.98(40) ?(3), Z = 4). With the increase in the Sn content, the half-decagon structure unit with a triangle center in Ru(2)Sn(2)Zn(3) grows up to a symmetry incompatible decagonal unit with a central triangle in the common plane in Ru(4.15)Sn(4.96)Zn(5.85). Both structures can be described by hexagonal arrays of Sn-centered novel pentagonal antiprisms. In light of their pseudodecagonal diffraction in the h0l section and point group mmm, both phases are considered as new quasicrystal approximants in the Ru-Zn-Sn ternary system. The temperature dependences of the electrical resistivity for both compounds exhibit metallic behavior, but their Seebeck coefficients are of opposite sign.     

Inelastic x-ray scattering measurements of dynamical cross-over in liquid As2Se3 at high temperature and high pressure

Liquid As₂Se₃ undergoes the semiconductor-metal transition with increasing temperature when pressure is applied to avoid evaporation of the liquid. To investigate the atomic dynamics of liquid As₂Se₃, we have carried out inelastic x-ray scattering experiments of this system at 1073 K and 6 MPa and obtained the dynamic structure factor S(Q,E), from approximately 1.6 nm⁻¹ to 11 nm⁻¹, where Q and E are momentum and energy transfer, respectively. The excitation energy in the semiconducting state at 1073 K disperses as fast as the ultrasonic sound velocity at Q < 2.5 nm⁻¹ but at Q > 2.9 nm⁻¹ it disperses approximately 1.8 times faster. We analyzed S(Q,E) at 1073 K using a simple viscoelastic model and discussed Q dependence of the propagation of the acoustic mode.     

Instability of the electron gas in an expanding metal

We have measured x-ray diffraction and small-angle x-ray scattering of fluid rubidium by reducing electron density down to the range where the compressibility of the interacting electron gas has been theoretically predicted to become negative. Negative compressibility is closely associated with a negative value of the static dielectric function, which makes the screened Coulomb interaction among like charges overall attractive. It was clearly observed that the interatomic distance decreases in spite of the fact that mean interatomic distance increases with expansion, suggesting that an attractive interaction among like charges, ions in this case, is enhanced. These findings indicate that the observed structural features are evidence of the compressional instability of the 3D electron gas.     

Synthesis, photochemistry, and electrochemistry of ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes anchored by dicobalt carbonyl units

A novel hybrid complex system of ruthenium polypyridyl complexes anchored by dicobalt carbonyl units, [Ru(bpy)₂{phen-C{Co₂(CO)₄(dppm)}C-tolyl}](PF₆)₂ (1) and [Ru(bpy)₂{tolyl-C{Co₂(CO)₄(dppm)}C-phen-C{Co₂(CO)₄(dppm)}C-tolyl}](PF₆)₂ (2), has been prepared from the dicobalt carbonyl complex Co₂(CO)₆(dppm) (dppm = bis(diphenylphosphino)methane) and the ruthenium complex [Ru(bpy)₂(phen--tolyl)](PF₆)₂ (3) or [Ru(bpy)₂(tolyl--phen--tolyl)](PF₆)₂ (4).The present Ru-Co₂ hybrid complexes 1 and 2 are nonluminescent at room temperature, although precursor ruthenium polypyridyl complexes, such as 3 and 4, clearly show phosphorescence from the ³MLCT excited state. The emission quenching of these hybrid complexes indicates the intramolecular energy transfer from the ruthenium polypyridyl unit to the dicobalt carbonyl unit(s) and then to the ground state by a radiationless deactivation process accompanied by a vibrational relaxation of the dicobalt carbonyl unit(s). This interpretation is supported by spectral change measurements along with constant potential electrolysis and electrochemical data.     

Entanglement and Photon Anti-Bunching in Coupled Non-Degenerate Parametric Oscillators

We analytically and numerically show that the Hillery-Zubairy’s entanglement criterion is satisfied both below and above the threshold of coupled non-degenerate optical parametric oscillators (NOPOs) with strong nonlinear gain saturation and dissipative linear coupling. We investigated two cases: for large pump mode dissipation, below-threshold entanglement is possible only when the parametric interaction has an enough detuning among the signal, idler, and pump photon modes. On the other hand, for a large dissipative coupling, below-threshold entanglement is possible even when there is no detuning in the parametric interaction. In both cases, a non-Gaussian state entanglement criterion is satisfied even at the threshold. Recent progress in nano-photonic devices might make it possible to experimentally demonstrate this phase transition in a coherent XY machine with quantum correlations.