Michael addition of N-isobutylidene-t-butylamine to dimethyl methoxymethylenemalonate and a new synthesis of some fused pyrazole derivatives from the adduct

N-Isobutylidenemethylamine reacted with dimethyl methoxymethylenemalonate to afford the N-alkylation product 3a exclusively. Exchanging the N-substituent of the Schiff's base from methyl to t-butyl altered the course of the reaction, allowing Michael addition to take place predominantly. The Michael adduct 4c on reaction with hydrazinoalkanols 6a,b, 6c,d and 6e gave tetrahydropyrazolo[5,1-b]oxazoles 9a,b , tetrahydro-pyrazolo[5,1-b][1,3]oxazines 9c,d and hexahydropyrazolo[5,1-b][1,3]oxazepine 9e , respectively.     

A convenient synthesis of olefins via deacylation reaction

A convenient and environmentally-friendly synthetic method of olefins via deacylation reaction is described. The reaction gives olefins by condensation of aldehydes with a variety of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in the presence of anhydrous potassium carbonate at room temperature in high yields (70-90%) in one step. The synthetic potential of this strategy can be used as an alternative procedure to the Wittig, Wittig-Horner reactions. The stereochemistry of the resulted olefins was determined by NOE experiment with correct radio frequency and X-ray analysis. The E/Z selectivity of the deacylation reaction depends on the α-substituents of the 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds.     

Photocrosslinking system based on a poly(vinyl phenol)/thermally degradable diepoxy crosslinker blend

Photocrosslinkable systems with thermally cleavable properties based on blends of poly(vinyl phenol) (PVP) and diepoxides were investigated. Thermally cleavable diepoxides as crosslinkers were prepared and characterized. As a thermally cleavable linkage, a tertiary ester moiety was incorporated into the crosslinker molecule. PVP/crosslinker blended films containing photoacid generators (PAGs) became insoluble in solvents after UV irradiation and subsequent post‐exposure‐bake (PEB) treatment. With a rise in the PEB temperature, the insoluble fraction of the irradiated films increased, passed through a maximum value, decreased, and increased again at elevated baking temperatures. The insolubilization profiles of the irradiated films were complicated and strongly dependent on the type of PAG used, the structure of the crosslinkers, and the PVP/crosslinker ratio. A mechanism for the thermal degradation was studied with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3055–3062, 2002     

Roles of hydrophobic interaction in a volume phase transition of alkylacrylamide gel induced by the hydrogen-bond-driving alkylphenol binding

It was found that a degree of the binding of alkylphenols to N-alkylacrylamide gel increased transitionally to induce the volume phase transition of gel. Binding isotherms of nonylphenol (n-Ph), propylphenol (p-Ph), ethylphenol (e-Ph), methylphenol (m-Ph), and phenol (Ph) to N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA), N,N-diethylacrylamide (DEA), N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), and acrylamide (AM) gels were examined. Two types of binding, the site binding at beta < 1 and the multimolecular binding at beta > 1, were observed, where beta was a degree of binding to a monomeric unit of the chain. The former binding was analyzed with the Hill equation applicable to the cooperative binding and the latter binding with the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) equation applicable to the multilayer adsorption. The binding constant, K, and the Hill coefficient, N, decreased and increased, respectively, in the order of DEA, NIPA, and DMA gels in the case where the binding alkylphenol was the same. The K value increased in the order of Ph, m-Ph, e-Ph, p-Ph, and n-Ph that bound to the same type of gel. The N value was found to change little with the type of binding alkylphenol. The complexes of N-alkylamide with alkylphenol were condensed to form the ordered nanostructures that were observed as broad scattering peaks in small-angle X-ray scattering experiments. The fluorescence excimer emission was observed for the phenol-binding DMA gel, which corresponded to the condensed state of phenol.     

Photoredox- and Nickel-Catalyzed Hydroalkylation of Alkynes with 4-Alkyl-1,4-dihydropyridines: Ligand-Controlled Regioselectivity

Dual photoredox- and nickel-catalyzed hydroalkylation of terminal alkynes with 4-alkyl-1,4-dihydropyridines under visible light irradiation to afford Markovnikov- or anti-Markovnikov-type alkylated alkenes in good-to-high yields has been achieved, in which the regioselectivity of the products was effectively controlled by coordination ligands for nickel species. Using [NiCl₂(dtbbpy)] as a catalyst led to the formation of Markovnikov-type products, whereas using NiCl₂ ⋅ 6 H₂O led to the formation of anti-Markovnikov-type products.     

Multidimensional angle sensing method using guided-mode resonance

Optical Review - A waveguide grating on a transparent substrate can serve as an optical notch filter owing to guided-mode resonance. The filtering wavelength is highly sensitive to an incidence...     

Catalytic Reduction of Dinitrogen into Ammonia and Hydrazine by Using Chromium Complexes Bearing PCP-Type Pincer Ligands**

A series of chromium-halide, -nitride, and -dinitrogen complexes bearing carbene- and phosphine-based PCP-type pincer ligands has been newly prepared, and some of them are found to work as effective catalysts to reduce dinitrogen under atmospheric pressure, whereby up to 11.60 equiv. of ammonia and 2.52 equiv. of hydrazine (16.6 equiv. of fixed N atom) are produced based on the chromium atom. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first successful example of chromium-catalyzed conversion of dinitrogen to ammonia and hydrazine under mild reaction conditions.     

Alterations of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid glutamate levels in rats treated with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, ketamine

It has been reported that the repeated administration of a sub-anesthetic dose of an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, ketamine, can produce an animal model of schizophrenia. Since no information is available on the alterations of the amino acid levels in ketamine-treated rats, we investigated the amino acid composition in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of rats that were repeatedly administered with ketamine for 5 consecutive days (30 mg/kg/day). The plasma and cerebrospinal fluid amino acid compositions in the fifth week after cessation of repeated ketamine administration were determined by highperformance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection using a pre-column fluorescence reagent, i.e. 4-fluoro-7nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole. Among the amino acids investigated in the present study, the level of plasma glutamic acid increased significantly (p < 0.05), while that of the cerebrospinal fluid glutamic acid decreased significantly in the ketamine-treated rats as compared with these levels in control rats injected with saline (p < 0.05, n = 7). These alterations in the glutamic acid level in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid resemble those in schizophrenic patients, suggesting that ketamine-treated rats may be a useful model for performing research on the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.