Microwave spectrum of 15N16O2 in the ground state

¹⁵NO₂ (88 lines) in the ground state has been observed in the microwave spectral region up to 170 GHz. The least squares analysis gave the higher order distortion terms of rotational and spin-rotational Hamiltonian.     

Novel selective synthesis of α-chloromethyl, α,α-dichloromethyl,and α,α,α-trichloromethyl ketones from aldehyde utilizing electroreduction as key reactions

A variety of α-chloromethyl, α,α-dichloromethyl, and α,α,α-trichloromethyl ketones were synthesized from aldehyde utilizing cathodic reduction as key reactions.     

Prism-coupled multimode waveguide refractometer

A new refractometer has been developed based on changes in the effective refractive index (RI) of the highest-order TE (or TM) mode in a prism-coupled multimode planar waveguide induced by interaction between an evanescent field and a liquid sample. The waveguide was a 100-mu;m -thick quartz plate fixed on a poly(methyl methacrylate) support containing a flow cell. A pair of prism couplers contacted the quartz plate in the flow-cell region. Such an optical sensor can detect the RI of liquid in a wide range by monitoring the resonant angle of the highest-order mode that changes order number with changes in the sample's RI. When a highest-order mode corresponding to a given RI range is used as the sensor probe, a slight RI change in this range can be detected by measurement of the output light intensity. With this method the sensor was demonstrated to have a resolution of 3x10(-5) for the RI of an aqueous solution. Combining this result with theoretical calculation indicates that the sensor can detect a 0.5-nm-thick monolayer adsorbed from an aqueous solution. Therefore, the sensor is suitable for real-time detection of biomolecular interactions.     

Optical characterization of photonic crystal delay lines based on one-dimensional coupled defects

We performed optical characterizations of optical delay lines based on photonic crystal waveguides. The delay lines were composed of cylindrical air holes in silicon-on-silicon-dioxide ridge waveguides, defects were periodically created by means of increasing the separation of two neighboring air holes, and the structure was designed to have flat-transmittance impurity band. We clearly observed an impurity band with a bandwidth of ~30 nm and a maximum transmittance of ~0.5 at an operating wavelength of ~1.55 microm . A 600-fs delay was confirmed with a 20-microm -long delay line. A good agreement was confirmed between the experimental results and the calculations.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of all stereoisomers of beta-methoxytyrosine,a component of papuamides

beta-Methoxytyrosine (beta-OMeTyr) is a stereoundefined component of papuamides A and B, novel cyclodepsipeptides, with anti-HIV and cytotoxic activities. For structural determination and total synthesis of papuamides, all stereoisomers of beta-OMeTyr were stereoselectively prepared from (S)- and (R)-serine, respectively.     

Enhanced radical-scavenging activity of a planar catechin analogue

A catechin analogue in which the geometry was constrained to be planar was synthesized. The planar catechin showed excellent radical-scavenging ability, comparable to that of quercetin, and efficient protection against DNA strand breakage induced by the Fenton reaction.     

Synthesis of a new class of furan-fused tetracyclic compounds using o-quinodimethane chemistry and investigation of their antiviral Activity

The synthesis and evaluation of antiviral activity of new furan-fused tetracyclic compounds are described. The syntheses were satisfactorily achieved on the basis of o-quinodimethane chemistry, using furan-containing benzocyclobutene derivatives as a substrate, in high generality and stereoselectivity. The various derivatives thus synthesized were examined on their inhibitory activity on virus growth using a hemagglutinin (HA) method, leading to a discovery of promising candidates for new antiviral drugs having high activity and good therapeutic index.     

A high-spin and durable polyradical: poly(4-diphenylaminium-1,2-phenylenevinylene)

A purely organic, high-spin, and durable polyradical molecule was synthesized: It is based on the non-Kekulé- and non-disjoint design of a pi-conjugated poly(1,2-phenylenevinylene) backbone pendantly 4-substituted with multiple robust arylaminium radicals. 4-N,N-Bis(4-methoxy- and -tert-butylphenyl)amino-2-bromostyrene 5 were synthesized and polymerized with a palladium-phosphine catalyst to afford the head-to-tail-linked polyradical precursors (1). Oxidation of 1 with the nitrosonium ion solubilized with a crown ether gave the aminium polyradicals (1(+)()) which were durable (half-life > 1 month) at room temperature in air. A high-spin ground state with an average S = (4.5)/2 for 1a(+) was proved even at room temperature by magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, ESR, and NMR measurements.