Coordination Behavior of a D‐Penicillaminato Aurate(I) Metalloligand Toward Coblat(III) Centers

Treatment of (NH₄)[Au(D‐Hpen‐S)₂](D‐H₂pen = D‐penicillamine) with CoCl₂·6H₂O in an acetate buffer solution, followed by air oxidation, gave neutral Au^ICo^III and anionic Au^I₃Co^III₂ polynuclear complexes, [Au₃Co₃(D‐pen‐N,O,S)₆]([ 1 ]) and [Au₃Co₂(D‐pen‐N,S)₆]^3? ([ 2 ]^3?), which were separated by anion‐exchange column chromatography. Complexes [ 1 ] and [ 2 ]^3? each formed a single isomer, and their structures were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography. In [ 1 ], each of three [Au(D‐pen‐S)₂]^3?metalloligands coordinates to two Co^III ions in a bis‐tridentate‐N,O,S mode to form a cyclic Au^I₃Co^III₃ hexanuclear structure, in which three [Co(D‐pen‐N,O,S)₂]^? octahedral units and six bridging S atoms adopt trans(O) geometrical and R chiral configurations, respectively. In [ 2 ]^3?, each of three [Au(D‐pen‐S)₂]^3? metalloligands coordinates to two Co^III ions in a bis‐bidentate‐N,S mode to form a Au^I₃Co^III₂ pentanuclear structure, in which two [Co(D‐pen‐N,S)₃]^3? units and six bridging S atoms adopt ∧ and R chiral configurations, respectively.     

Analysis of optical absorption spectra of transition metal cluster ions by the spin-polarized DV-Xα method

Optical absorption spectra of cobalt cluster ions, Co _n ⁺ , and vanadium cluster ions, V _n ⁺ , were analyzed by a theoretical calculation based on the spin-polarized DV-Xα method, and their electronic and geometric structures were obtained. Relative absorption cross section associated with each electronic transition was calculated; the calculation enables a qualitative comparison of calculated spectrum with a measured one not only in its transition energy but also in its intensity profile. This analysis shows that Co ₄ ⁺ , Co ₃ ⁺ , and V ₄ ⁺ have, respectively, a tetrahedral structure with a bond distance of 2.00Å, an equilateral triangle with a bond distance of 2.30Å, and a distorted tetrahedral structure with five bonds having a distance of 2.34 Å and one of 2.89Å. The differences in the population between majority and minority spins (spin-difference) evaluated from the electronic structure thus obtained were 2.0, 1.7, and zero per atom in Co ₃ ⁺ , Co ₄ ⁺ , and V ₄ ⁺ , respectively. These spin differences indicate a ferromagnetic and an antiferromagnetic spin-coupling in the cobalt and vanadium cluster ions, respectively.     

Asymmetric allylic amination in water catalyzed by an amphiphilic resin-supported chiral palladium complex

[reaction: see text] Catalytic asymmetric allylic amination of cycloalkenyl carbonates (methyl cyclohexen-2-yl carbonate, methyl cyclohepten-2-yl carbonate, methyl 5-methoxycarbonylcyclohexen-2-yl carbonate, methyl cyclohexenyl carbonate, tert-butyl 5-methoxycarbonyloxy-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridinedicarboxylate) with dibenzylamines ((C6H5CH2)2NH, (C6H5CH2)(4-CH3OC6H4CH2)NH, (4-CH3OC6H4CH2)2NH) was achieved in water under heterogeneous conditions by use of a palladium complex of (3R,9aS)-3-[2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl]-2-phenyltetrahydro-1H-imidazo[1,5-a]indole-1-one anchored on polystyrene-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer resin to give the corresponding cycloalkenylamines with high enantiomeric selectivity (90-98% ee).     

Tetra-hydrides of the third-row transition elements: spin–orbit coupling effects on geometrical deformation in WH4 and OsH4

The dissociation energies of MH₄ (M =  La, Hf–Hg) were computed using full optimized reaction space (FORS) multi-configuration self-consistent field (MCSCF) and second-order multi-reference Møller–Plesset perturbation methods with the SBKJC basis sets augmented by a set of polarization functions (SBKJC(f,p)). It was shown that of the molecules examined, only four tetra-hydrides HfH₄, TaH₄, WH₄, and OsH₄ with T_d symmetry are lower in energy than the corresponding dissociation limits. For WH₄ and OsH₄, the potential energy surfaces from the D_4h to the T_d structure were explored from both theoretical calculations and symmetry arguments based on the pseudo-Jahn- Teller effect. As for WH₄, it is found that the ground state could be ³E_g, ³A_2g, or ³B_2g at the D_4h structure. The present calculations suggest that the ground state is ³E_g, and that this state is stabilized by the e_u deformation into a C_2v structure (³B₁) and then sequentially to the most stable T_d structure (³A₂). If the molecular system is promoted to the lowest ³B_2g state, the D_4h structure can directly deform into the most stable T_d structure along the b_2u vibrational mode. For OsH₄, the ground state (⁵B_1g) at the D_4h structure deforms into a D_2d structure and the resulting ⁵B₂ state strongly interacts with the lowest ³E and ¹A₁ states due to the spin-orbit couplings (SOCs). As a result, it was shown that the relativistic potential energy of the lowest spin-mixed state (ground state) monotonically decreases along the D_2d deformation path from the D_4h to the T_d structure.     

Catalytic fluorination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds using iodoarene catalysts

Catalytic fluorination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with aqueous hydrofluoric acid proceeded efficiently with the aid of iodoarene catalysts in the presence of m-CPBA as a terminal oxidant. o-Iodotoluene, o-iodoanisole, and o-ethyliodobenzene showed a high catalytic efficiency to give 2-fluoro-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in good yields.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed Stereospecific C−H Coupling of Benzamides with Epoxides

A Ni(OAc)₂‐catalyzed C?H coupling of 8‐aminoquinoline‐derived benzamides with epoxides has been developed. The reaction proceeds with concomitant removal of the 8‐aminoquinoline auxiliary to form the corresponding 3,4‐dihydroisocoumarins directly. Additionally, the nickel catalysis is stereospecific, and the cis‐ and trans‐epoxides are converted into the corresponding cis‐ and trans‐dihydroisocoumarins with retention of configuration, which is complementary to previously reported palladium catalysis. Moreover, while still preliminary, the C ?H functionalization is also achieved in the presence of modified NiCl₂ catalysts.     

Optical measurement of interference color of pearls and its relation to subjective quality

Quality evaluation of pearls has been traditionally performed by well-trained experts with the naked eye. Among several characteristics, interference color is a key factor for determining pearl quality. The interference color largely stems from the structure of the pearl’s nacre. In the present study, a method for the optical measurement of the interference color and the determination of its relation to the subjective quality of pearl from the spectral characteristics of light transmitted through the pearl is proposed. The spectral characteristics of the interference colors showed a clear dependence on the subjective quality. To quantify and visualize pearl quality, the wavelength of the interference color that shows a high correlation with subjective quality was selected. A validation test with another set of pearls confirmed that the results of the proposed method were highly correlated with those of expert visual evaluation.     

New bitter-tasting hemiterpene glycosides from the Japanese fern Hymenophyllum barbatum.

Hymenosides G--J were newly isolated from the Japanese fern Hymenophyllum barbatum, in addition to hymenosides A--F. The structures of hymenosides were elucidated by extensive two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance and/or chemical evidence. The structures of those aglycones were divided into three types, 1,4-dihydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-but-2-ene, 1,4-dihydroxy-2-methyl-but-2-ene, and 3-hydroxy-5-hexanolide. The sugar moieties were also established by chemical and spectroscopic methods, which were acylated by phenylacetic acid derivatives. These glycosides had a bitter or weakly pungent taste.     

Experimental and numerical study on formability of friction stir welded TWB sheets based on hemispherical dome stretch tests

In order to investigate formability performance and also to obtain guidelines for the stamping process design of friction stir welded TWB (tailor welded blank) sheets, the hemispherical dome stretching test was experimentally performed and the results of the base and friction stir welded samples were compared. Also, in order to better understand the experimental results, numerical analysis was performed. In this work, five automotive sheets, 6111-T4, 5083-H18, 5083-O aluminum alloy, dual-phase steel (DP590) and AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets were considered by (friction stir) welding the same materials. To represent mechanical properties for the numerical analysis, the non-quadratic orthotropic yield function, Yld2000-2d, was utilized for the aluminum alloy and DP590 sheets, while the Cazacu anisotropic/asymmetric yield function was applied for the AZ31 sheet considering different hardening behavior in tension and compression.     

Effect of accelerating voltage on crystallization of self-standing W-nanodendrites fabricated on SiO2 substrate with electron-beam-induced deposition

Self-standing W-nanodendrite structures were grown on SiO₂ substrate using an electron-beam-induced deposition (EBID) process with various accelerating voltages from 400 to 1000 kV. Effect of accelerating voltage on crystallization of the nanodendrites was investigated. The nanodendrites consisted of nano-sized grains and amorphous structures. The nano-sized grains were determined to be W crystal in BCC structure. The higher was electron beam accelerating voltage, the higher was crystallinity of the as-fabricated nanodendrites. It is suggested that high-energy electron irradiation enhances diffusion of W atoms in the nanodendrites, promotes crystallization of W grains.