A convenient method for the synthesis of 2,5-difunctionalized phospholes bearing ester groups

Symmetrically and unsymmetrically 2,5-difunctionalized phospholes bearing ester groups were prepared in a one-pot procedure from the corresponding diynes and dichloro(phenyl)phosphine via titanacyclopentadienes. The observed optical properties of the functionalized phospholes show that the pi-conjugative push-pull interaction between the 2- and 5-substituents plays an important role in controlling the light-emitting efficiency.     

Electrically detected electron spin resonance in a high-mobility silicon quantum well

The resistivity change due to electron spin resonance (ESR) absorption is investigated in a high-mobility two-dimensional electron system formed in a Si/SiGe heterostructure. Results for a specific Landau level configuration demonstrate that the primary cause of the ESR signal is a reduction of the spin polarization, not the effect of electron heating. The longitudinal spin relaxation time T1 is obtained to be of the order of 1 ms in an in-plane magnetic field of 3.55 T. The suppression of the effect of the Rashba fields due to high-frequency spin precession explains the very long T1.     

Hydrophilic molecularly imprinted polymers for bisphenol A prepared in aqueous solution

We have prepared a hydrophilic molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the hydrophobic compound bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution using 3-acrylamido-N,N,N-trimethylpropan-1-aminium chloride (AMTC) as the functional monomer. Under redox-polymerization conditions, BPA forms an ion-pair with AMTC, which was confirmed by ¹H-NMR titration. The imprinting effect in aqueous solution was evaluated by comparison of this material with the corresponding non-imprinted polymer (NIP) and with a control polymer (CP) bearing no AMTC. The MIP showed the highest activity among the three polymers, and the imprinting factors as calculated from the amount of BPA bound to the MIP divided by the amounts bound to NIP and CP, respectively, are 1.8 and 6.0. The MIP was selective for BPA in aqueous solution, while structurally related compounds are not recognized. Such a selectivity for a hydrophobic compound is rarely observed in aqueous medium because non-specific binding of BPA inevitably leads to hydrophobic interaction.

     

Effects of vapor‐phase‐formaldehyde treatments on thermal conductivity and diffusivity of ramie fibers in the range of low temperature

To understand the influence to thermal conductivity by bridging in the polymer fibers, the thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity of ramie fiber and those bridged by formaldehyde (HCHO) using vapor‐phase method (VP‐HCHO treatment) were investigated in the lower temperature range. The thermal conductivities of ramie fiber with and without VP‐HCHO treatments decreased with decreasing temperature. Thermal diffusivities of ramie fiber with and without VP‐HCHO treatments were almost constant in the temperature range of 250–50 K, and increased by decreasing temperature below 50 K. Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of ramie fiber decreased by VP‐HCHO treatment. The crystallinities and orientation angles of ramie fibers with and without VP‐HCHO treatment were measured using solid state NMR and X‐ray diffraction. These were almost independent of VP‐HCHO treatment. Although tensile modulus decreased slightly by VP‐HCHO treatment, the decrease could not explain the decrease in thermal conductivity and diffusivity with decreasing sound velocity. The decrease of the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity by VP‐HCHO treatment suggested the possibility of the reduction of the mean free path of phonon by HCHO in VP‐HCHO treated ramie fiber. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2754–2766, 2005     

Lyapunov Spectra of Periodic Orbits for a Many-Particle System

The Lyapunov spectrum corresponding to a periodic orbit for a two-dimensional many-particle system with hard core interactions is discussed. Noting that the matrix to describe the tangent space dynamics has the block cyclic structure, the calculation of the Lyapunov spectrum is attributed to the eigenvalue problem of 16×16 reduced matrices regardless of the number of particles. We show that there is the thermodynamic limit of the Lyapunov spectrum in this periodic orbit. The Lyapunov spectrum has a step structure, which is explained by using symmetries of the reduced matrices.     

Raman scattering study of water clusters around polyrotaxane and pseudopolyrotaxane supramolecular assemblies

We have measured Raman spectra of collective O-H stretching vibration of water clusters in polyrotaxane and pseudopolyrotaxane aqueous solutions and the aqueous solutions of their constituent molecules. The intensities of the collective bands of water clusters in the polyrotaxane and pseudopolyrotaxane solutions were approximately equal to that of their solvents. On the other hand, those in the solutions of linear polymeric chains and cyclic molecules were smaller. These results indicate that the water molecules in the solvents cannot approach to interact with the hydrophobic parts of the constituent molecules sterically when the constituent molecules form the inclusion complexes. Thus, the polyrotaxane and pseudopolyrotaxane molecules are observed as inert in terms of molecular interaction with water, although the constituent molecules have hydrophobic parts in their structure.     

Impact of binary and Fibonacci expansions of numbers on winning strategies for Nim-like games

An analysis of the successful moves for the game of solitaire, played in reverse, has resulted in the formulation of a set of rules, the observance of which leads to success. The principal rules entail symmetry properties and also the density of packing of pegs. Subsidiary rules are formulated in terms of both the current location of play and its direction. When play has proceeded for some way, a difficulty is encountered which can be surmounted by applying a modified form of the rule for density of packing.

The interesting fact emerges that within the game of solitaire there are two separate symmetrical situations which are species of mini‐solitaire.