A 3.5-nm coordination nanotube

A 3.5-nm coordination nanotube was self-assembled from 12 Pd(II) ions and four tape-shaped ligands with the aid of a 3.0-nm template. This tubular structure was unambiguously determined by the single-crystal X-ray analysis. Being cooperatively sustained by 24 Pd(II)-pyridine interactions, the framework was kinetically stable even when the template was removed. The empty tube was, of course, capable of binding other molecules in the cavity.     

Total synthesis of (-)-20-epiuleine via stereocontrolled one-pot asymmetric azaelectrocyclization followed by novel 1,4-addition reaction

The first asymmetric total synthesis of an indole alkaloid, (-)-20-epiuleine, containing the 2,3,4-trisubstituted piperidine core, was achieved using a stereocontrolled one-pot asymmetric 6π-azaelectrocyclization followed by a stereoselective 1,4-addition reaction of the unsaturated ester with a Grignard reagent resulting from the novel neighboring participation of the hydroxyl group in cis-aminoindanol as a chiral nitrogen source.     

Palladium-catalyzed highly regio- and stereoselective synthesis of 4-alkylidene-4H-3,1-benzoxazines from N-acyl-o-alkynylanilines

The highly regio- and stereoselective 6-exo-dig mode cyclization of N-acyl-o-alkynylanilines producing 4-alkylidene-3,1-benzoxazines occurred unpredictably by use of a proper catalyst [Pd(OAc)(2)] and an effective additive (acetic acid) under suitable reaction conditions.     

Total synthesis of broussonetine F: the orthoamide Overman rearrangement of an allylic diol

A first total synthesis of broussonetine F from diethyl L-tartrate was achieved. The cornerstone of our synthesis was an orthoamide Overman rearrangement, which provided an allylic amino alcohol with complete diastereoselectivity.     

Development of dispersive XAFS system for analysis of time‐resolved spatial distribution of electrode reaction

Apparatus for a technique based on the dispersive optics of X‐ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) has been developed at beamline BL‐5 of the Synchrotron Radiation Center of Ritsumeikan University. The vertical axis of the cross section of the synchrotron light is used to disperse the X‐ray energy using a cylindrical polychromator and the horizontal axis is used for the spatially resolved analysis with a pixel array detector. The vertically dispersive XAFS (VDXAFS) instrument was designed to analyze the dynamic changeover of the inhomogeneous electrode reaction of secondary batteries. The line‐shaped X‐ray beam is transmitted through the electrode sample, and then the dispersed transmitted X‐rays are detected by a two‐dimensional detector. An array of XAFS spectra in the linear footprint of the transmitted X‐ray on the sample is obtained with the time resolution of the repetition frequency of the detector. Sequential measurements of the space‐resolved XAFS data are possible with the VDXAFS instrument. The time and spatial resolutions of the VDXAFS instrument depend on the flux density of the available X‐ray beam and the size of the light source, and they were estimated as 1 s and 100 µm, respectively. The electrode reaction of the LiFePO₄ lithium ion battery was analyzed during the constant current charging process and during the charging process after potential jumping.     

Nonradiative decay mechanisms of the biologically relevant tautomer of guanine

We present the excited-state potential energy profiles of the biologically relevant 9H-keto-amino tautomer of guanine with respect to the radiationless decay via the out-of-plane deformation of the six-membered ring as well as the dissociation of NH bonds. The CASPT2//CASSCF method is employed for the reaction-path calculations. The reaction path for the out-of-plane deformation in the (1)pi pi* state leads in a barrierless way to a conical intersection with the electronic ground state. For the NH dissociation via the (1)pi sigma* state, the 9H-keto-amino tautomer is shown to have lower energy barriers than the 7H tautomers which we have studied recently. These two radiationless decay mechanisms explain the unexpected missing of the biologically relevant form in the resonant two-photon ionization spectrum of guanine in a supersonic jet. It is suggested that these ultrafast deactivation processes provide the biologically relevant tautomer of guanine with a high degree of photostability.     

Solvent effect on conical intersections in excited-state 9H-adenine: radiationless decay mechanism in polar solvent

The ground- and excited-state free energy minima and the conical intersections among these states of 9H-adenine in aqueous and acetonitrile solutions are studied theoretically to elucidate the mechanism of radiationless decay. We employ the recently proposed linear-response free energy (LRFE) to locate the energy minima and conical intersections in solution. The LRFE is calculated by using the reference interaction site model self-consistent field method. The geometry optimizations are carried out at the complete active space self-consistent field level, and the dynamic electron correlation energies are estimated by the multireference M?ller-Plesset method. We find that the conical intersection between the (1)L(a) and (1)L(b) states in aqueous solution occurs at a wide area of the free energy surface, indicating a strong vibronic coupling between them. On the other hand, the (1)npi(*) state is largely blue-shifted at planar geometries in solution, which suggests that the nonadiabatic transition to this state is suppressed. The importance of the (1)pisigma(*) channel is also examined in both the gas phase and solution. Based on the free energy characteristics obtained by the calculations, we intend to explain the experimental observations that the excited state of 9H-adenine decays monoexponentially with shorter lifetimes in polar solvents than that in the gas phase.     

Molecular mechanisms of the photostability of indigo

The photophysics of indigo as well as of bispyrroleindigo, the basic chromophore of indigo, has been investigated with ab initio electronic-structure calculations. Vertical electronic excitation energies and excited-state potential-energy profiles have been calculated with the CASSCF, CASPT2 and CC2 methods. The calculations reveal that indigo and bispyrroleindigo undergo intramolecular single-proton transfer between adjacent N-H and C=O groups in the (1)ππ* excited state. The nearly barrierless proton transfer provides the pathway for a very efficient deactivation of the (1)ππ* state via a conical intersection with the ground state. While a low-lying S(1)-S(0) conical intersection exists also after double-proton transfer, the latter reaction path exhibits a much higher barrier. The reaction path for trans→cis photoisomerization via the twisting of the central C=C bond has been investigated for bispyrroleindigo. It has been found that the twisting of the central C=C bond is unlikely to play a role in the photochemistry of indigo, because of a large potential-energy barrier and a rather high energy of the S(1)-S(0) conical intersection of the twisted structure. These findings indicate that the exceptional photostability of indigo is the result of rapid internal conversion via intramolecular single-proton transfer, combined with the absence of a low-barrier reaction path for the generation of the cis isomer via trans→cis photoisomerization.