Channel-selective independent sorption and collection of hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules by Cs2[Cr3O(OOCC2H5)6(H2O)3]2[alpha-SiW12O40] ionic crystal

An ionic crystal of Cs2[Cr3O(OOCC2H5)6(H2O)3]2[alpha-SiW12O40].4H2O 1a with hydrophilic and hydrophobic channels has been designed and successfully synthesized. The guest-free phase 1b sorbs dichloromethane and water in the hydrophobic and hydrophilic channels, respectively. The rate and equilibrium amount of the dichloromethane sorption into the hydrophobic channel and those of water into the hydrophilic channel were independent of each other. The sorption properties can be applied to the channel-selective sorption and collection of hydrophobic (dichloromethane) and hydrophilic (water) molecules from the mixture.     

Design of Ratiometric Fluorescent Probes Based on Arene–Metal‐Ion Interactions and Their Application to CdII and Hydrogen Sulfide Imaging in Living Cells

Non‐coordinative interactions between a metal ion and the aromatic ring of a fluorophore can act as a versatile sensing mechanism for the detection of metal ions with a large emission change of fluorophores. We report the design of fluorescent probes based on arene–metal‐ion interactions and their biological applications. This study found that various probes having different fluorophores and metal binding units displayed significant emission redshift upon complexation with metal ions, such as Ag^I, Cd^II, Hg^II, and Pb^II. X‐ray crystallography of the complexes confirmed that the metal ions were held in close proximity to the fluorophore to form an arene–metal‐ion interaction. Electronic structure calculations based on TDDFT offered a theoretical basis for the sensing mechanism, thus showing that metal ions electrostatically modulate the energy levels of the molecular orbitals of the fluorophore. A fluorescent probe was successfully applied to the ratiometric detection of the uptake of Cd^II ions and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in living cells. These results highlight the utility of interactions between arene groups and metal ions in biological analyses.     

2‐Oxazoline Formation for Selective Chemical Labeling of 5‐Hydroxylysine

Hydroxylation of lysine, one of posttranslational modifications of proteins, generates 5‐hydroxylysine (Koh) and plays a crucial role in regulating protein functions in cellular activity. We have developed a chemical labeling method of Koh. The 1,2‐aminoalcohol moiety of Koh in synthetic peptide sequences was trapped by an alkyne‐containing benzimidate to form a 2‐oxazoline ring. An additional ammonia treatment process removed the undesirable amidine residue formed between benzimidate and lysine. During the ammonia treatment, the oxazoline residue formed at Koh mainly remained intact, and the ring opening to the amide form was observed for only part of oxazoline, indicating that the chemical labeling is amino acid selective. Azide‐substituted biotin or fluorescent dye was attached to the peptide through Huisgen cycloaddition at Koh and converted into an alkyne‐labeled oxazoline form. The Koh‐labeling assay could provide a platform to enhance proteomic research of lysine hydroxylation.     

Investigation of Mizoroki‐Heck coupling polymerization as a catalyst‐transfer condensation polymerization for synthesis of poly(p‐phenylenevinylene)

Mizoroki‐Heck coupling polymerization of 1,4‐bis[(2‐ethylhexyl)oxy]‐2‐iodo‐5‐vinylbenzene ( 1 ) and its bromo counterpart 2 with a Pd initiator for the synthesis of poly(phenylenevinylene) (PPV) was investigated to see whether the polymerization proceeds in a chain‐growth polymerization manner. The polymerization of 1 with ^tBu₃PPd(Tolyl)Br ( 10 ) proceeded even at room temperature when 5.5 equiv of Cy₂NMe (Cy = cyclohexyl) was used as a base, but the molecular weight distribution of PPV was broad. The polymerization of 2 hardly proceeded at room temperature under the same conditions. In the polymerization of 1 , PPV with H at one end and I at the other was formed until the middle stage, and the polymer end groups were converted into tolyl and H in the final stage. The number‐average molecular weight (M_n) did not increase until about 90% monomer conversion and then sharply increased after that, indicating conventional step‐growth polymerization. The occurrence of step‐growth polymerization, not catalyst‐transfer chain‐growth polymerization, may be interpreted in terms of low coordination ability of H‐Pd(II)‐X(^tBu₃P) (X = Br or I), formed in the catalytic cycle of the Mizoroki‐Heck coupling reaction, to π‐electrons of the PPV backbone; reductive elimination of H‐X from this Pd species with base would take place after diffusion into the reaction mixture. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 543–551     

Guest-encapsulation behavior in a self-assembled heterodimeric capsule

Tetra(4-pyridyl)-cavitand 1 and tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-cavitand 2 self-assemble into a heterodimeric capsule 1·2 via four PhOH?pyridyl hydrogen bonds in CDCl₃, wherein one molecule of 1,4-disubstituted-benzene as a guest is encapsulated to form a ternary complex, guest@(1·2). The X-ray crystallographic analysis of (methyl p-ethoxybenzoate)@(1·2) confirmed that the methyl ester and ethoxy groups of the encapsulated guest are oriented to the cavity ends of the 1 and 2 units, respectively. The scope and limitation of guest encapsulation in 1·2, including guest-binding selectivity and orientational isomeric selectivity, are described from the viewpoint of size complementarity and CH-π, CH-halogen, and halogen-π interactions between guest and the cavity of 1·2.     

An efficient procedure for preparation of 2-monoalkyl or 2-monoaryl-3-ethoxycyclobutanones

Optimized reaction conditions for the preparation of various 2-monosubstituted 3-ethoxycyclobutanones are described. 2-Monoalkyl 3-ethoxycyclobutanones were efficiently prepared by the reaction of the corresponding carboxylic acid chlorides and an excess amount of ethyl vinyl ether in the presence of diisopropylethylamine at 90 °C in a sealed tube. 2-Monoaryl 3-ethoxycyclobutanones were prepared by using 2,6-lutidine as a base in the above-mentioned procedure.     

Influences of Si pillar geometry on SiN-stressor induced local strain

The local strains in Si pillars induced by SiN stressors were quantitatively investigated as a function of geometry by micro-Raman scattering spectroscopy. Raman shifts of a cantilever microstructure were twice as large as those of a bridge microstructure. This difference was due to the different dimensions of the strains, i.e., biaxial strains in the cantilever type and uniaxial strains in bridge type. The thermal stability of the SiN stressor was also investigated. The results showed induced strains were stable after post-annealing at high temperature (∼1000 °C).     

Metallocene bis(perfluoroalkanesulfonate)s as air-stable cationic Lewis acids

Zirconocene and titanocene bis(perfluorooctanesulfonate)s were synthesized. In contrast to the corresponding triflates and perchlorates, these compounds are air- and water-stable. They were proved to be ionic on the basis of conductivity measurements and X-ray analysis, allowing these complexes to be stored for months. The strong Lewis acidity of these cationic metallocene species, which was proved by ESR study, enabled catalytic glycosylation.