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.     

Orientation control of perovskite thin films on glass substrates by the application of a seed layer prepared from oxide nanosheets

Orientation control of perovskite compounds was investigated by the application of a seed layer prepared from oxide nanosheets. An aqueous suspension of oxide nanosheets was prepared by the exfoliation of a layered compound of KCa₂Nb₃O₁₀ oxide grains. A seed layer composed of (TBA)Ca₂Nb₃O₁₀ nanosheets (TBA = tetrabutylammonium) was formed on a glass substrate by simply dip coating it in the suspension. Two kinds of perovskite compounds, LaNiO₃ (LNO) and Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) with a preferred orientation of (00l) were successfully grown on this seeded glass substrate. In this study, the relation between lattice mismatch and electrical properties is investigated. A large, oriented PZT film with a size of 5 ×4 cm shows an improved P-E hysteresis behavior by use of this orientation control.     

Asymmetric Diels–Alder reactions in supercritical carbon dioxide catalyzed by rare earth complexes

The rare earth(III) salt catalysed asymmetric Diels–Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene with a chiral dienophile in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) proceeded rapidly to give the adduct with a higher diastereoselectivity than that in dichloromethane; Yb(ClO₄)₃ gave the endo adduct with value up to 77% de at 40°C, 8 MPa. The chiral rare earth diketonate catalyzed hetero Diels–Alder reaction of the Danishefsky's diene with benzaldehyde gave a higher yield and an enantioselectivity in scCO₂ than that in dichloromethane. Scandium/pybox 8a complex catalysed asymmetric Diels–Alder reaction of 3-crotonoyl-2-oxazolidinone with cyclopentadiene in the presence of MS4A proceeded smoothly in scCO₂ to give the endo adduct 10 in a good yield with up to 88% ee.     

New odorless method for the Corey-Kim and Swern oxidations utilizing dodecyl methyl sulfide (Dod-S-Me)

Development of the odorless dodecyl methyl sulfide (Dod-S-Me, 1) as an alternative for dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and new odorless methods for the Corey-Kim and Swern oxidations are described. These reactions have been developed with a view toward green chemistry, utilizing Dod-S-Me (1) and common solvents instead of dichloromethane.     

Fluorimetric determination of isatin in human urine and serum by liquid chromatography postcolumn photoirradiation

For the fluorimetric determination of isatin in human urine and serum, HPLC-postcolumn photoirradiation using a mobile phase has been developed. Isatin in the urine or serum sample was separated on a Capcell Pak C1 column (250 x 4.6 mm id). The mobile phase consisted of 70 mmol l-1 phosphate buffer (pH 7.2)-tetrahydrofuran (85 + 15% v/v) containing 5 mmol l-1 hydrogen peroxide, which was irradiated with germicidal light to induce fluorescence (lambda ex 302 nm, lambda em 418 nm). The addition of tetrahydrofuran to the mobile phase led to the peaks showing good separation as well as increased sensitivity. The calibration graph for isatin was linear over the range of 0.16-10.7 ng. The pretreatment of the acidified urine or serum samples consisted of diluting steps or deproteinizing steps using perchloric acid, respectively. The mean recovery of isatin from urine and serum was greater than 94%.     

A new synthesis of 1,3-dienes from allyl sulfides and allyl sulfones using tri-n-butylstannylmethyl iodide

Allyl 2-pyridyl sulfide $\text{6}$ or allyl phenyl sulfone $\text{7}$ on treatment with n-butyllithium in tetrahyrofuran followed by tri-n-butylstannylmethyl iodide ($\text{4}$) afforded directly the 1,3-diene $\text{8}$ in good yield.     

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.     

Synthesis and properties of bis(heteroazulen-3-yl)methyl cations and bis(heteroazulen-3-yl)ketones

The synthesis and properties of a novel type of bis(heteroazulen-3-yl)methyl cations, bis(2-oxo-2H-cyclohepta[b]furan-3-yl)methyl cation salt and nitrogen analogues, (9a-c·PF₆⁻) and (9a-c·BF₄⁻), as well as bis(heteroazulen-3-yl)ketones (12a-d) are studied. The synthetic method was based on a TFA-catalyzed electrophilic aromatic substitution on the heteroazulenes (6a-d) with paraformaldehyde to afford the corresponding disubstituted methane derivatives 7a-d, followed by oxidative hydrogen abstraction with DDQ, and subsequent exchange of the counter-anion by using aq. HPF₆ or aq. HBF₄. In addition, the reaction of 7a-d with 2.2 equiv. amounts of DDQ afforded carbonyl compounds 12a-d. The delocalization of the positive charge of 9a-c was evaluated by the ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectral data. The thermodynamic stability of cations 9a-c was evaluated to be in the order 9a<9b<9c on the basis of their reduction potentials measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and pK_R+ values (2.6-10.3) obtained spectrophotometrically. The reduction waves of cations 9a-c were irreversible, suggesting the dimerization of the radical species generated by one-electron reduction. This was demonstrated by the reduction of 9a·BF₄⁻ with Zn powder to give dimerized product 14a. In addition, the quenching of 9a·BF₄⁻ with MeOH/NaHCO₃ gives ether derivative 15a, which is proposed for the precursor for synthesizing tris(heteroazulene)-substituted methyl cations bearing two different heteroazulene-units.     

Reducing ability of supramolecular C60 dianion toward C=O, C=C and N-N bonds

Different from C60 dianion which readily reacts with electrophiles, supramolecular C60 dianion (2) generated from gamma-cyclodextrin-bicapped C60 (1) and NaBH4 (or diborate) in DMSO-H2O (9:1, v/v) is able to reduce N-N+, C=C-EWG and C=O bonds to provide the respective dihydro derivatives; 1-mediated reduction of acetophenone with NaBH4 in the presence of (Me2N)2CH2 and EtONa gives turn over frequency (TOF)/h of 400.     

Control of charge-transfer-induced spin transition temperature on cobalt-iron Prussian blue analogues

The electronic and spin states of a series of Co-Fe Prussian blue analogues containing Na(+) ion in the lattice, Na(x)()Co(y)()Fe(CN)(6) x zH(2)O, strongly depended on the atomic composition ratio of Co to Fe (Co/Fe) and temperature. Compounds of Co/Fe = 1.5 and 1.15 consisted mostly of the Fe(III)(t(2g)(5)e(g)(0), LS, S = 1/2)-CN-Co(II)(t(2g)(5)e(g)(2), HS, S = 3/2) site and the Fe(II)(t(2g)(6)e(g)(0), LS, S = 0)-CN-Co(III)(t(2g)(6)e(g)(0), LS, S = 0) site, respectively, over the entire temperature region from 5 to 350 K. Conversely, compounds of Co/Fe = 1.37, 1.32, and 1.26 showed a change in their electronic and spin states depending on the temperature. These compounds consisted mainly of the Fe(III)-CN-Co(II) site (HT phase) around room temperature but turned to the state consisting mainly of the Fe(II)-CN-Co(III) site (LT phase) at low temperatures. This charge-transfer-induced spin transition (CTIST) phenomenon occurred reversibly with a large thermal hysteresis of about 40 K. The CTIST temperature (T(1/2) = (T(1/2) descending + T(1/2) ascending)/2) increased from 200 to 280 K with decreasing Co/Fe from 1.37 to 1.26. Furthermore, by light illumination at 5 K, the LT phase of compounds of Co/Fe = 1.37, 1.32, and 1.26 was converted to the HT phase, and the relaxation temperature from this photoproduced HT phase also strongly depended on the Co/Fe ratio; 145 K for Co/Fe = 1.37, 125 K for Co/Fe = 1.32, and 110 K for Co/Fe = 1.26. All these phenomena are explained by a simple model using potential energy curves of the LT and HT phases. The energy difference of two phases is determined by the ligand field strength around Co(II) ions, which can be controlled by Co/Fe.