Electrolytic reduction of Tc(VII) in nitric acid solution using glassy carbon electrode

Electroreduction of Tc(VII) was studied in nitric acid solution using glassy carbon electrode. The electroreduction was conducted at a constant potential –300 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) with a potentiostat. It was found that the difference of the Tc concentration in the solutions before and after the electrolysis was negligibly small. This means that there were almost no TcO₂ or Tc deposited on the carbon fiber electrode during the electroreduction. Absorption spectra and distribution coefficients obtained by ion-exchange analysis indicated that Tc(VII) was reduced to Tc(IV).This work was financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) under the framework of The Development of Innovative Nuclear Technologies.     

Preferential CO oxidation promoted by the presence of H2 over K-Pt/Al2O3

In preferential CO oxidation in H2-rich gas, K-Pt/Al2O3(K/Pt = 10) was very effective in decreasing CO concentration below 10 ppm in the 375-410 K range, and the turnover frequency of the K-Pt/Al2O3 was 20 times as high as that of Pt/Al2O3 at 353 K; furthermore, the activity of CO oxidation was promoted drastically by the presence of H2.     

Ni-catalyzed, ZnCl(2)-assisted domino coupling of enones, alkynes, and alkenes

A Ni(0)/ZnCl(2) system effectively promotes the coupling of enones and alkene-tethered alkynes. In the reaction with 1,6-enynes, the oxidative cyclization of Ni(0) species on enones across the alkyne part followed by ZnCl(2)-promoted cleavage generates alkenylnickel intermediates. Subsequent migratory insertion of the tethered alkene occurs with 5-exo-cyclization. When the resulting sigma-alkylnickel intermediates have beta-hydrogen atoms, the reaction terminates by beta-hydrogen elimination to provide cyclopentane derivatives. On the other hand, a sigma-alkylnickel intermediate that does not have beta-hydrogen atoms undergoes the insertion of a second alkene unit to cause a domino effect via a three-fold C-C bond formation process with and without the cleavage of one C-C bond.     

Development of Odorless Thiols and Sulfides and Their Applications to Organic Synthesis

Summary. Development of new odorless thiols (dodecanethiol, 4-n-heptylphenylmethanethiol, 4-trimethylsilylphenylmethanethiol, 4-trimethylsilylbenzenethiol) and an odorless sulfide (1-methylsulfanyldodecane) and their applications to dealkylation, Michael addition, Swern oxidation, and Corey-Kim oxidation are described.     

Recovery and refining of au by gold-cyanide ion biosorption using animal fibrous proteins

Animal fibrous proteins (AFPs) such as egg-shell membrane (ESM), chicken feather (CF), wool, silk, or elastin are an intricate network of stable and water-insoluble fibers with high surface area and are abundant bioresources. Every AFP tested was found to accumulate gold-cyanide ion from aqueous solutions in high yield, depending on pH and some other parameters. Gold-cyanide ion is adsorbed by AFP at low pH range, with maximum binding observed at approx pH 2.0. Under the certain conditions, gold-cyanide ion was accumulated up to 8.6, 7.1, 9.8, 2.4, and 3.9% of dry weight on ESM, CF, wool, silk, and elastin, respectively. In the case of ESM, it was found that ESM removed gold-cyanide ion almost quantitatively and almost all the gold uptake by ESM was easily desorbed with 0.1M NaOH. ESM can be used repeatedly for the process of gold adsorption-desorption. The gold-biosorptive capacity of ESM that was chemically modified with glutaraldehyde was higher than that of control. In column procedure, ESM packed on column removed gold-cyanide ion from the dilute aqueous solution to extremely low concentrations (nondetectable concentration of below 1 ppb)     

J-aggregation and its characterization in Langmuir-Blodgett films of merocyanine dyes

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films are constructed by successively transferring monomolecular layers formed at the air-water interface onto solid substrates. One of the advantages of the LB technique in fabricating molecular aggregates lies in the fact that it can employ various kinds of molecules by mixing them at the air-water interface. The mixed system may exhibit new properties that are not observed for individual components. This method would be useful, for example, in the studies of the formation and control of the J-aggregates of functional dyes that attract attention both in science and technology. In this paper, I review this subject mainly based on our recent results in merocyanines. LB films of merocyanine dyes, mixed with arachidic acid (C(20)), exhibit J-aggregate formation and have been serving as typical systems in revealing the physical and structural aspects of nanosized molecular aggregates constructed as monolayers. In the case of LB films of a merocyanine dye having benzothiazole as donor nucleus (abbreviated as DS), electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy has been successful in determining the characteristic in-plane orientation of dye molecules with respect to the dipping direction, which led to the discovery of the flow orientation effect during the dipping process of LB films as the origin of optical dichroism often observed in LB films. In this article, after an introduction of ESR spectroscopy, three major topics on the merocyanine J-aggregation and its characterization in mixed films are discussed. The first topic is the observation and control of the size of J-aggregates in the dilution limit of dyes in arachidic acid matrix for a methyl-substituted DS (6-Me-DS). Dependence of atomic force microscopy (AFM) patterns on the molar ratio allows the identification of dye domains. J-band optical peak analysis based on the Kuhn's extended dipole model, supplemented by a novel application of femtosecond pump-probe optical spectroscopy, yields the size of the J-aggregates of 10(3). The second topic is the control of the J-band peak wavelengths by mixing two different kinds of dye molecules. The first case is the mixture of a J-forming 6-Me-DS and non-J-forming merocyanine analog, DO with benzo-oxazole instead of benzothiazole of DS. The second case is the mixture of both J-forming dyes but with different J-band peak positions, 6-Me-DS and another analog of 5-Cl-DS. The optical peak shifts depending on the molar mixing ratio will be presented. The last topic is related to the elucidation of electronic states of dye molecules in the J-aggregates. Light-induced ESR (LESR) of DS films with stable isotope ((15)N or (13)C)-substituted dyes provide clear evidence for the photoinduced charge transfer by the detection of hyperfine structures. Moreover, infrared (IR) spectroscopy of (13)C-enriched dye identifies the IR absorption peak of the relevant carbon in the chromophore. The results give evidence for the enhanced intramolecular charge transfer of dyes in the J-aggregates compared with an isolated merocyanine composed of donor and acceptor moiety. Lastly, the Cl attachment in 5-Cl-DS leads to a significant enhancement of the nitrogen hyperfine coupling in the LESR spectra. These examples and others demonstrate the potential of LB films of merocyanines in the studies of the nanosized molecular aggregates in monolayer assemblies.     

Crystalline inclusion compounds constructed through self-assembly of isonicotinic acid and thiocyanato coordination bridges

The synthesis, crystal structures, inclusion ability, and structural robustness of novel crystalline inclusion compounds of [Ni(SCN)2(isoH)2].xG (isoH = isonicotinic acid; G = aromatic guest) are described. The inclusion compounds are constructed by stacking identical 2D host layers that consist of SCN-, isoH, and Ni2+ with van der Waals contact separation. In the layer, two types of rectangular cavities (A-type and B-type) are formed, and the guests are included in the former cavity. The inclusion compounds were categorized into four stacking modes according to the difference in the stacking mode of the layers. A systematic investigation of the crystal structures of the 21 inclusion compounds clarified the close relationship between the molecular structure of the guest and the resultant stacking mode of the layers.     

Novel synthesis, static and dynamic properties, and structural characteristics of 5-cyano[n](2,4)pyridinophane-6-ones (n= 9-6) and their chemical transformations

A novel synthesis of 5-cyano[n](2,4)pyridinophane-6-ones 12a-d (n= 9, 8, 7, and 6) consists of allowing cyanoacetatoamide to react with cycloalk-2-enones. Their static and dynamic properties as well as structural characteristics are studied on the basis of their spectroscopic properties, cyclic voltammetry, and theoretical calculations. The (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra at various temperatures have clarified the dynamic behavior of the methylene chains for [7](2,4)- and [6](2,4)pyridinophane-6-one derivatives 12c and 12d. The energy barrier (Delta G(++)) of the bridge flipping of 12c is estimated to be 12.0 kcal mol(-1)(T(c)= 0 degree C). On the other hand, compound 12d undergoes pseudorotation (conformational change of the methylene chain) at room temperature, and does not undergo bridge flipping even at 150 degree C in DMSO-d(6). The energy barrier (Delta G(++)) of the pseudorotation of the methylene chain 12d of is found to be 10.5 kcal mol(-1)(T(c)=-25 degree C), and thus, two stable conformers of the hexamethylene bridge of 12d are determined as predicted by theoretical calculations. Deformation of the pyridone ring of 12d is also determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Furthermore, chemical transformations of 12a-c leading to 5-carbamoyl[n](2,4)pyridinophanes 15a-c are also accomplished successfully in moderate to good yields.