Synthesis and properties of photochromic liquid‐crystalline copolymers containing both spironaphthoxazine and cholesteryl groups

Photochromic liquid‐crystalline copolymers consisting of a photochromic monomeric unit containing both a spironaphthoxazine group and an undecamethylene spacer, and a liquid‐crystalline monomeric unit containing both a cholesteryl group and a decamethylene spacer were prepared to investigate the effect of the thermal properties of the photochromic monomeric unit on the mesomorphic order of the side chain of the related copolymers. The photochromic liquid‐crystalline copolymers containing a photochromic liquid‐crystalline monomeric unit showed only a smectic phase. On the other hand, the photochromic liquid‐crystalline copolymers containing a photochromic non‐liquid‐crystalline monomeric unit showed a chiral nematic phase (cholesteric phase). The photochromic chiral nematic liquid‐crystalline copolymer containing 14 mol % photochromic monomeric unit reflected visible light around 104 °C. To lower the temperature range of reflection of visible light, cholesteryl oleyl carbonate was used as a chiral nematic plasticizer for the photochromic chiral liquid‐crystalline polymer systems. Photo‐induced pitch change of the mixture by means of UV irradiation was investigated and it was concluded that the pitch change observed under UV irradiation was mainly induced by thermal effect in the case of our system. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 887–894, 2000     

Synthesis and properties of photochromic liquid-crystalline polyacrylates containing a spirooxazine group

The novel photochromic liquid-crystalline polyacrylates containing a spirooxazine group were synthesized. The photochromic polymer containing (4-penta- methyleneoxy)biphenylene moiety at the 5-position of spironaphthoxazine showed nematic phase from 122.9 to 133.8°C. The photochromic polymer containing undeca- methylene instead of pentamethylene showed smectic phase from 93.1 to 169.7°C. On the other hand, the photochromic polymer containing both undecamethylene as a spacer and spironaphthoxazine-bound biphenylene moiety at 9′-position did not show any liquid crystallinity. All spirooxazine-containing liquid-crystalline polymers showed photochromism in the solid state at room temperature. Because the shape of the absorption spectra of the photochromic quenched liquid-crystalline polymer films was almost the same as those of the photochromic amorphous polymer films, the photochromic properties did not depend on the mesophase in the polymers examined. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3513–3522, 1999     

Enhanced transmission of light through periodic and chirped lattices of nanoholes

We study experimentally the transmission of light through periodic and chirped lattices of nanoholes perforated in an optically-thick gold film. We observe that the periodicity of the structure enhances the light transmission for specific wavelengths, and we analyze this effect theoretically by employing finite-difference time-domain numerical simulations. Furthermore, we demonstrate experimentally the possibilities for manipulation of the spectral transmission in quasi-periodic and chirped lattices consisting of square nanoholes with varying hole size or lattice periodicity.     

Enhancement of optical birefringence in tellurite glasses containing silver nanoparticles induced via thermal poling

Wavelength-selective enhancement of optical birefringence has been observed in a tellurite glass containing silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) induced via thermal poling. The birefringence appears as an optical rotation of linearly polarized light; a large optical rotation is observed at around the wavelength of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Ag NPs. The optic axis is oriented along the electric field applied during the thermal poling, suggesting that birefringence induced in the glass matrix through the thermal poling is drastically enhanced by the NPs at around the LSPR. Because of the birefringence of the matrix, the wavelength of LSPR shifts depending on the polarization state of the incident light, which in turn induces the polarization dependence of the real part of the refractive index via the Kramers–Kronig relation.     

Experimental probe for hyperconjugative resonance contribution in stabilizing the singlet state of 2,2-dialkoxy-1,3-diyls: Regioselective 1,2-oxygen migration

A detailed study of the regioselectivity of 1,2-oxygen migration was conducted using the unsymmetrically substituted singlet 2,2-dialkoxy-1,3-diarylcyclopentane-1,3-diyls 5. The alkoxy group selectively migrates to the electron-donating p-methoxyphenyl-substituted carbon. The regioselective migration of oxygen clearly indicates a hyperconjugative resonance structure, that is, zwitterionic characteristics, in singlet 2,2-dialkoxy-1,3-diyls. This represents the first attempt to experimentally probe the contribution of hyperconjugation to stabilizing the singlet state.     

Visual detection of anions by a novel isothiourea-based chromophore.

S-Methyl-N-methyl-N'-(4-(N",N"-dimethylamino)phenyl)isothiourea, a novel isothiourea-based chromoionophore for anions, was synthesized. The reactivity for several anions was estimated by a visual method and UV-vis spectroscopy. By the addition of acetate ion, a blue shift in the absorption spectrum was observed in CHCl3, and the solvent color changed from yellow to colorless. These changes indicated that bound acetate ion interfered with the intramolecular charge transfer from the nitrogen atom of the diethylamino group to the isothiourea moiety. The addition of chloride ion caused a red shift of the chromophore and solvent color remained yellow. By the addition of dihydrogenphosphate ion, the precipitate was formed immediately. These anion-dependent natures of the chromoionophore allowed us to detect acetate and phosphate ions easily.     

Sensitive analysis of aconitine, hypaconitine, mesaconitine and jesaconitine in human body fluids and Aconitum tubers by LC/ESI-TOF-MS

The Aconitum species (Ranunculaceae) are widely distributed in northern Asia and North America. Their roots are popularly used in herbal medicines in China and Japan. Many cases of accidental, suicidal and homicidal intoxication with this plant have been reported; some of these were fatal because the toxicity of Aconitum is very high. It is thus important to detect and quantify Aconitum alkaloids in body fluids, with high sensitivity. We have developed a simple and sensitive method for measuring four kinds of Aconitum alkaloids (aconitine, hypaconitine, jesaconitine and mesaconitine) by LC/electrospray (ESI)-time-of-flight (TOF)-MS. For all of them, only molecular ions were observed at an orifice voltage of 75 V; at 135 V, base peaks corresponding to [M - 60 + H]+ ions were observed. These four compounds and methyllycaconitine (internal standard) in human plasma samples were purified by solid-phase extraction. The four extracted compounds were completely separated in mass chromatograms; the calibration curves showed good linearity in the range 10-300 ng/ml, and the detection limits were estimated to be 0.2-0.5 ng/ml. Using our method, we also determined the amounts of these compounds in tuber samples. The present method is applicable in clinical and forensic toxicology.     

Tumescenamide C,an antimicrobial cyclic lipodepsipeptide from Streptomyces sp.

Tumescenamide C, a new cyclic lipodepsipeptide, was isolated from a culture broth of an actinomycete Streptomyces sp. KUSC_F05. Tumescenamide C was a congener of tumescenamides A and B, representing a sixteen-membered ring system, consisting of two proteinogenic and three non-proteinogenic amino acids, to which a methyl-branched fatty acid was attached. The planar structure was determined by spectroscopic analysis, while its absolute stereochemistry was determined by chemical degradation and asymmetric synthesis. Tumescenamide C exhibited antimicrobial activity with high selectivity against Streptomyces species.     

Rapid additions of bulky tert-butyldimethylsilyl cyanide to hindered ketones promoted by heterogeneous tin ion-exchanged montmorillonite catalyst

Tin ion-exchanged montmorillonite (Sn-Mont) was found to be a powerful heterogeneous catalyst for the cyanosilylation of various ketones including congested ones with a bulky cyanide source, tert-butyldimethylsilyl cyanide (TBDMSCN), giving the corresponding cyanohydrin tert-butyldimethylsilyl ethers in good (85%) to excellent (>98%) yields at room temperature. Compared to the previously reported catalysts, Sn-Mont is easy to prepare, environmentally benign, nontoxic, noncorrosive, and recyclable.     

Triviality of Hierarchical Ising Model¶in Four Dimensions

Existence of critical renormalization group trajectory for a hierarchical Ising model in 4 dimensions is shown. After 70 iterations of renormalization group transformations, the critical Ising model is mapped into a vicinity of the Gaussian fixed point. Convergence of the subsequent trajectory to the Gaussian fixed point is shown by power decay of the effective coupling constant. The analysis in the strong coupling regime is computer-aided and Newman's inequalities on truncated correlations are used to give mathematical rigor to the numerical bounds. In order to obtain a criterion for convergence to the Gaussian fixed point, characteristic functions and Newman's inequalities are systematically used. Received: 27 April 2000 / Accepted: 5 January 2001