Elaboration of a tricyclic gibberellic acid intermediate

The synthesis of an important tricyclic intermediate for gibberellic acid synthesis is described.     

Chemical vapor deposition of scandium hydride

A method is developed for growing scandium hydride (ScH₂) crystals from the vapor phase. Nucleation and growth of the hydride occur on metallic Mo when vapors of ScCl₃ and an excessive amount of a reducing metal (Na or Mg) are mixed in a flow of H₂ gas at atmospheric pressure at temperatures in the 800–970°C range. Crystal morphology ranges over dendrites, needles, minute single crystals, rods, films, and whiskers, depending principally on the reducing metal used and the partial pressure of the ScCl₃.     

Silica glass tubes by new sol-gel method

Silica glass tubes were prepared by following a new sol-gel method. The pH of the sol containing hydrolyzed Si(OC₂H₅)₄ with HCl and colloidal silica was adjusted by adding ammonia solution. Sol was poured into a cylindrical tube and gelled while rotating cylinder at 1000 rpm to form a tube-shaped gel. Then the gel was dried carefully to be tube dry-gel and finally sintered to become a clear silica glass tube.

The effects were examined of the speed of rotation before and after gelation, to form the tubular gel, upon the shape and appearance of the derived tubes. The best speed of rotation was about 1000 rpm, and an adequate long period of rotation after gelation was necessary to maintain the tube shape. One of the large silica tubes had dimensions of 26 mm outside diameter, 13 mm internal diameter and 1000 mm length, and the ovality of the silica glass tube was 0.02%.

The derived tube can be applied in a silica glass tube for an optical fiber fabrication process or in a furnace tube for IC production.     

Palladium-catalyzed highly regio- and stereoselective synthesis of 4-alkylidene-4H-3,1-benzoxazines from N-acyl-o-alkynylanilines

The highly regio- and stereoselective 6-exo-dig mode cyclization of N-acyl-o-alkynylanilines producing 4-alkylidene-3,1-benzoxazines occurred unpredictably by use of a proper catalyst [Pd(OAc)(2)] and an effective additive (acetic acid) under suitable reaction conditions.     

Dimer Structures and Laccase-Catalyzed Polymerization Mechanism of Laccol in Fresh Rhus Succedanea Lacquer Sap

Laccase-catalyzed polymerization of laccol was promoted by a kneading process, and the molecular weight distribution and drying properties were examined. The laccol dimers were separated and purified by HPLC, and the chemical structures were characterized by IR, GC-MS, and NMR spectroscopy involving two-dimensional NMR measurements. Two sorts of C-C coupling, nuclear-nuclear (C-C) and nuclear-side chain (C-C), were found in the laccol dimer, which differ from the nuclear-side chain (C-O-C) couplings of urushiol and the only nuclear-nuclear (C-C) couplings of thitsiol. Based on these results, the properties of laccol lacquer film and the laccase-catalyzed polymerization mechanism of laccol are discussed.     

Studies on spiroborate complexes-II. Structural elucidation of biscatechol spiroborate and its analogs by NMR and MS spectroscopy

Nine spiroborate complexes (7–15) were analyzed by NMR and MS spectroscopy and the characteristic spectra and fragmentation patterns are reported. On the basis of these results, the structure of Meulenhoff's free acid is re-investigated.     

Experimental study on axial wall heat conduction for convective heat transfer in stainless steel microtube

Distilled water and nitrogen gas used as the working fluids flow through the stainless steel microtube with inner diameter 168 μm outer diameter 406 μm. Using the Joule heating, the wall temperature field photos of the microtube is acquired by employing an IR camera and the temperature and the volume flow rate of the inlet and the outlet of microtube are measured. A correlation between the axial wall heat conduction and the convective heat transfer is obtained by theoretical analysis based on the experimental results. The investigative results clearly show that the axial heat conduction can reduce the convective heat transfer in the stainless steel microtube and the decrement may reach 2% compared to the convective heat transfer when the working fluid is nitrogen gas, however, the decrement can be neglected for distilled water as the working fluid.