Superconductivity of metal deficient silicon clathrate compounds,Ba8-xSi46 (0< x < or = 1.4)

Single crystals of the Ba-containing silicon clathrate superconductor Ba(7.76)Si(46) were prepared using a high-pressure and high-temperature condition (3 GPa, 1300 degrees C). It crystallized in the cubic space group Pm-3n with a = 10.3141(7) A and Z = 1. There are two crystallographically different types of Ba sites, at the centers of Si dodecahederal (Ba@Si(20)) and Si tetrakaidecahedral (Ba@Si(24)) cages. On evacuation at 527 degrees C, a part of Ba atoms were removed from the Ba@Si(20) sites. The superconducting transition temperature (T(c)) decreased from 9.0 to 6.0 K with the decrease of the Ba content from 7.76 to 6.63 Ba/Si(46). The Ba deficient sites and the deficiency were determined by the structural refinement in the single-crystal X-ray analyses.     

Comparison of catalytic activity and efficiency of hydrogen peroxide utilization for di-iron-containing silicotungstate with those for iron containing complexes and the oxidation of methane and ethane

The Keggin-type di-iron-substituted γ-SiW₁₀{Fe(OH₂)}₂O₃₈ ^6- showed high efficiency of hydrogen peroxide utilization for the oxidation of cyclohexane. The efficiency and catalytic activity greatly depended on the structures of the iron centers. Such a structure dependency of the catalysis is significant and the remarkable catalytic performance of di-iron-substituted polyoxometalate may be related to the catalysis by methane monooxygenase. Not only cyclohexane but also cyclooctane, n-hexane, n-pentane, and adamantane were catalytically oxygenated with high efficiency of hydrogen peroxide utilization. Even methane and ethane were oxidized. It was also demonstrated that the potassium salt of γ-SiW₁₀{Fe(OH₂)}₂O₃₈ ^6- oxidized methane in water.     

An anomalous hydration/dehydration sequence for the mild generation of a nitrile oxide

A nitrile oxide containing a carbamoyl group is readily generated upon the treatment of 2-methyl-4-nitro-3-isoxazolin-5(2H)-one with water under mild reaction conditions, even in the absence of special reagents. The obtained nitrile oxide undergoes cycloaddition with dipolarophiles, alkynes and alkenes, to afford the corresponding isoxazol(in)es, which are useful intermediates in the synthesis of polyfunctionalized compounds. A plausible mechanism underlying the formation of the nitrile oxide is proposed, which involves an anomalous hydration/dehydration sequence. DFT calculations were also performed to support this mechanism.     

Numerical Verification of Solutions of Periodic Integral Equations with a Singular Kernel

This paper proposes the method of numerical verification of solutions of a periodic integral equation with a logarithmic singular kernel, which is typically found in some two-dimensional potential problems. The verification method utilizes a property of the singular integral for trigonometric polynomials, the periodic Sobolev space and Schauder's fixed point theorem.     

Formation of rutile-type Ta(IV)O2 by shock reduction and cation-deficient Ta0.8O2 by subsequent oxidation

Ta₂O₅ is reduced to Ta(IV)O₂ with the rutile structure by shock-loading to 50–60 GPa. Tetragonal unit cell parameters at room conditions are measured to be a = 4.7518(5)Å, c = 3.0878(4) Å, $\text{c}\text{a}\text{= 0.6498(1)}$, and V = 69.72(1) ų. The chemical composition is thermogravimetrically determined to be Ta_0.97±0.04O₂ by heating shock-reduced products in an oxygen gas flow to 1200°C. In the oxidation process a cation-deficient rutile-type compound Ta_0.8O₂ is found to be metastably formed.     

Catalytic functions of Mo/Ni/MgO in the synthesis of thin carbon nanotubes

The functions and structures of Mo/Ni/MgO catalysts in the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. Thin 2-5-walled CNTs with high purities (over 90%) have been successfully synthesized by catalytic decomposition of CH(4) over Mo/Ni/MgO catalysts at 1073 K. It has been found that the yield of CNTs as well as the outer diameter or thickness correlates well with the contents of these three elements. The three components Mo, Ni, and MgO are all necessary to synthesize the thin CNTs at high yields since no catalytic activity was observed for CNT synthesis when one of these components was not present. The outer diameter of the CNTs increases from 4 to 13 nm and the thickness of graphene layers also increases with increasing Mo content at a fixed Ni content, while the inner diameter stays at 2-3 nm regardless of their contents. Furthermore, the average outer diameter is in good agreement with the average particle size of metal catalyst. That is, the thickness or the outer diameter can be controlled by selecting the composition of the Mo/Ni/MgO catalysts. XRD analyses have shown that Mo and Ni form a Mo-Ni alloy before CNT synthesis, while the Mo-Ni alloy phase is separated into Mo carbide and Ni. These alloy particles are supported on MgO cubic particles 15-20 nm in width. It has been found that only small Mo-Ni alloy particles 2-16 nm in size catalyze CNT synthesis, with larger particles over 15 nm exhibiting no activity. Mo carbide and Ni should play different roles in the synthesis of the thin CNTs, in which Ni is responsible for the dissociation of CH(4) into carbon and Mo(2)C works as a carbon reservoir.     

Self-assembled submicron-height terrace structures of pentacene single crystals formed in liquid crystal cells

A flat-surface single crystal structure of pentacene organic semiconductor was formed, with a submicron-height terrace structure, in liquid crystal solvent cells; the formation mechanism is discussed. By cooling the pentacene solution in a heated cell until supersaturated, a variety of segregated crystal morphology was observed, including dendrite, lozenge and needle-like crystals. Segregation of lozenge crystals was promoted by the appropriate pentacene concentration combined with the rubbing process of polyimide alignment layers, and the crystal morphology was examined in detailed. As a result, based on terrace-structural growth, low-profile flat-surface crystal morphology was found in addition to conventional pyramidal morphology. The molecular alignment of the flat pentacene crystal was confirmed by anisotropy of the microscopic Raman scattering intensity of the polarized incident light used for excitation. The self-assembly of flat thin single crystal plates, whose maximum size reach 150 µm approximately, may be applicable to practical electronic devices such as organic transistors.     

Dihydroxylation of styrene by sodium chlorite with scandium triflate

Dihydroxylation of styrene by chlorite (ClO₂^?) with scandium triflate [Sc(OTf)₃] occurs efficiently to produce 1‐phenylethane‐1,2‐diol under the ambient conditions. Scandium triflate acting as a strong Lewis acid is found to accelerate the disproportionation of ClO₂^? to produce ClO^? and ClO₃^?. A scandium‐chlorine dioxide complex (Sc³⁺ClO₂^?) is generated by the reaction of ClO^? with ClO₂^? in the presence of Sc³⁺. The binding of Sc³⁺ to ClO₂^? was detected by the electron paramagnetic resonance measurements, enhancing the reactivity and selectivity of styrene hydroxylation.