Surface reconstruction of clean bcc-Fe{1 1 0}: A quasi-hexagonal top-layer with periodic height modulation

Hexagonal-pillar shaped pure Fe single crystal whiskers with six {1 1 0} side planes were obtained by means of chemical vapor deposition. Atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy images obtained on the {1 1 0} surface showed a quasi-hexagonal atomic array with mesoscopic-range periodic height modulation of about 1/3 of an atomic step. This height modulation was found to be a result of an interference between the quasi-hexagonal top-layer and the sub-surface bcc-Fe{1 1 0} layer. Unit vectors of the mesoscopic-range modulation turned out to be expressed as , where and are the primitive vectors of the two-dimensional atomic array in the top-layer and those in the sub-surface layer, respectively. The two-dimensional density of atoms in the top-layer is slightly higher by 0.46% than that in the sub-surface layer.     

Aromaticity on the pancake-bonded dimer of neutral phenalenyl radical as studied by MS and NMR spectroscopies and NICS analysis

We have demonstrated the first MS and NMR observation of a face-to-face pi-bonded dimer of an organic radical (pancake-bonded dimer coined by R. S. Mulliken) in solution, using tri-tert-butylated phenalenyl radical 1, a 3-fold symmetric neutral hydrocarbon. In addition to the direct detection of the dimer signal by cold-spray ionization mass spectrometry (CSI-MS), 1H and 13C NMR spectra in solution gave definitive evidence of a well-defined D3d dimer structure with a 12-center-2-electron-long C-C bond formation, which is the same symmetry as seen in the crystalline state. On the basis of the NMR peaks of the dimer in the aromatic region (6.47 ppm for 1H NMR and 120-143 ppm for 13C NMR), we carried out nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) analysis, which showed that the ring center of the dimer became more aromatic (-7.1 ppm) than that of the monomer (-3.8 ppm). The trend of aromaticity generation was more pronounced in the interior of the dimer, which has been interpreted by the negative electron density induced in the bonding region as seen in the electrostatic potential surface.     

Synthesis of hydrosilylboronates via the monoborylation of a dihydrosilane Si–H bond and their application for the generation of dialkylhydrosilyl anions

The synthesis of a series of hydrosilylboronates via the selective iridium- or nickel-catalyzed monoborylation of dihydrosilane Si–H bonds is described. The synthesized silylboronates, which bear a single Si–H bond, can be used as novel silicon nucleophiles in the presence of transition-metal catalysts or bases. The first ²⁹Si{¹H} NMR spectroscopic evidence for the formation of (t-Bu)₂HSiLi, generated by the reaction of (t-Bu)₂HSi–B(pin) with MeLi, is reported as the first example of a dialkylhydorosilyl lithium species.

Monoborylation of a dihydrosilane Si–H bond can be achieved in the presence of iridium- or nickel-based catalysts, yielding novel hydrosilylboronates that bear a hydrogen atom at the silicon center.     

In situ time-resolved DXAFS study of Rh nanoparticle formation mechanism in ethylene glycol at elevated temperature

A combination of in situ time-resolved DXAFS and ICP-MS techniques reveals that the formation process of Rh nanoparticles (NPs) from rhodium trichloride trihydrate (RhCl(3)·3H(2)O) in ethylene glycol with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) at elevated temperature is a first-order reaction, which indicates that uniform size Rh NPs appear consecutively and these Rh NPs do not aggregate with each other.     

Cyclotron Resonance in the Hidden-Order Phase of URu_{2}Si_{2}

We report the first observation of cyclotron resonance in the hidden-order phase of ultraclean URu_{2}Si_{2} crystals, which allows the full determination of angle-dependent electron-mass structure of the main Fermi-surface sheets. We find an anomalous splitting of the sharpest resonance line under in-plane magnetic-field rotation. This is most naturally explained by the domain formation, which breaks the fourfold rotational symmetry of the underlying tetragonal lattice. The results reveal the emergence of an in-plane mass anisotropy with hot spots along the [110] direction, which can account for the anisotropic in-plane magnetic susceptibility reported recently. This is consistent with the "nematic" Fermi liquid state, in which itinerant electrons have unidirectional correlations.     

Desulfurization of N,N-dimethylthioformamide by hydrosilane with the help of an iron complex. Isolation and characterization of an iron-carbene complex as an intermediate of C=double bond cleavage

Desulfurization of N,N-dimethylthioformamide (Me(2)NCHS) by hydrosilane has been achieved under photo irradiation in the presence of a methyl iron complex. The reaction sequences have been proposed, in which silyl migration from Fe to S of thioformamide triggers the cleavage of a C=S bond to give a carbene-iron complex. This intermediate was isolated and characterized by X-ray analysis.     

Relationship between diffusivity of water molecules inside hydrating tablets and their drug release behavior elucidated by magnetic resonance imaging

We reported previously that sustained release matrix tablets showed zero-order drug release without being affected by pH change. To understand drug release mechanisms more fully, we monitored the swelling and erosion of hydrating tablets using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Three different types of tablets comprised of polyion complex-forming materials and a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) were used. Proton density- and diffusion-weighted images of the hydrating tablets were acquired at intervals. Furthermore, apparent self-diffusion coefficient maps were generated from diffusion-weighted imaging to evaluate the state of hydrating tablets. Our findings indicated that water penetration into polyion complex tablets was faster than that into HPMC matrix tablets. In polyion complex tablets, water molecules were dispersed homogeneously and their diffusivity was relatively high, whereas in HPMC matrix tablets, water molecule movement was tightly restricted within the gel. An optimal tablet formulation determined in a previous study had water molecule penetration and diffusivity properties that appeared intermediate to those of polyion complex and HPMC matrix tablets; water molecules were capable of penetrating throughout the tablets and relatively high diffusivity was similar to that in the polyion complex tablet, whereas like the HPMC matrix tablet, it was well swollen. This study succeeded in characterizing the tablet hydration process. MRI provides profound insight into the state of water molecules in hydrating tablets; thus, it is a useful tool for understanding drug release mechanisms at a molecular level.     

Novel method for constructing a large-scale design space in lubrication process by using bayesian estimation based on the reliability of a scale-up rule

A reliable large-scale design space was constructed by integrating the reliability of a scale-up rule into the Bayesian estimation without enforcing a large-scale design of experiments (DoE). A small-scale DoE was conducted using various Froude numbers (X(1)) and blending times (X(2)) in the lubricant blending process for theophylline tablets. The response surfaces, design space, and their reliability of the compression rate of the powder mixture (Y(1)), tablet hardness (Y(2)), and dissolution rate (Y(3)) on a small scale were calculated using multivariate spline interpolation, a bootstrap resampling technique, and self-organizing map clustering. A constant Froude number was applied as a scale-up rule. Experiments were conducted at four different small scales with the same Froude number and blending time in order to determine the discrepancies in the response variables between the scales so as to indicate the reliability of the scale-up rule. Three experiments under an optimal condition and two experiments under other conditions were performed on a large scale. The response surfaces on the small scale were corrected to those on the large scale by Bayesian estimation using the large-scale results and the reliability of the scale-up rule. Large-scale experiments performed under three additional sets of conditions showed that the corrected design space was more reliable than the small-scale design space even when there was some discrepancy in the pharmaceutical quality between the manufacturing scales. This approach is useful for setting up a design space in pharmaceutical development when a DoE cannot be performed at a commercial large manufacturing scale.     

Structures and dissociation channels of protonated mixed clusters around a small magic number: infrared spectroscopy of ((CH3)3N)n-H(+)-H2O (n = 1-3)

The magic number behavior of ((CH(3))(3)N)(n)-H(+)-H(2)O clusters at n = 3 is investigated by applying infrared spectroscopy to the clusters of n = 1-3. Structures of these clusters are determined in conjunction with density functional theory calculations. Dissociation channels upon infrared excitation are also measured, and their correlation with the cluster structures is examined. It is demonstrated that the magic number cluster has a closed-shell structure, in which the water moiety is surrounded by three (CH(3))(3)N molecules. The ion core (protonated site) of the clusters is found to be (CH(3))(3)NH(+) for n = 1-3, but coexistence of an isomer of the H(3)O(+) ion core cannot be ruled out for n = 3. Large rearrangement of the cluster structures of n = 2 and 3 before dissociation, which has been suggested in the mass spectrometric studies, is confirmed on the basis of the structure determination by infrared spectroscopy.