Enantioselectivity in Ruthenium-Catalyzed Propargylic Substitution Reactions of Propargylic Alcohols with Acetone: A DFT Study

The enantioselectivity in the propargylic substitution reactions of propargylic alcohols with acetone catalyzed by optically active thiolate-bridged diruthenium complexes was examined via ωB97X-D level DFT calculations. Some structures with intramolecular dispersion interactions between ligands were found for the ruthenium-allenylidene complex, which is the key intermediate in the catalytic reaction, and it was determined that the structure corresponding to the X-ray crystal structure, which had provided the transition state model for the enantioselectivity in previous studies, was not the most stable among the obtained structures. Then, a variety of transition-state structures for the nucleophilic attack of prop-1-ene-2-ol, which is the enol isomer of acetone, on the γ-carbon of the ruthenium-allenylidene complex were explored. Among the transition-state structures with lower energies, the number of structures leading to the major (R) product was found to be larger than that of structures leading to the minor (S) product, providing enantioselectivity in terms of probability distributions. The introduction of a phenyl group in the thiolate ligand was suggested to increase the selectivity. Thus, we propose the novel transition state model for the asymmetric catalytic reaction system.     

Dual selective nitration in Arabidopsis: Almost exclusive nitration of PsbO and PsbP,and highly susceptible nitration of four non‐PSII proteins,including peroxiredoxin II E

Protein tyrosine nitration is a selective process, as revealed in studies of animals. However, evidence for selective protein nitration in plants is scarce. In this study, Arabidopsis plants were exposed to air with or without nitrogen dioxide at 40 ppm for 8 h in light. Proteins extracted from whole leaves or isolated chloroplasts were subjected to 2D PAGE followed by SYPRO Ruby staining and immunoblotting using an anti‐3‐nitrotyrosine antibody. We determined the relative intensity of a spot on an immunoblot (designated RISI), and relative intensity of the corresponding spot on SYPRO Ruby gel (designated RISS). Proteins that exhibited a high RISI value and/or a high RISI/RISS ratio were considered selectively nitrated. In whole leaf proteins from exposed plants, all immunopositive spots were identified as PsbO1, PsbO2 or PsbP1 by PMF. Thus, nitration was exclusive to PsbO and PsbP, extrinsic proteins of photosystem II (PSII). Their RISI/RISS ratio was ≤1.5. Non‐exposed plants showed very faint nitration. In purified chloroplast proteins, PsbO and PsbP accounted for >80% of the total RISI values, while four non‐PSII proteins, including peroxiredoxin II E, exhibited high RISI/RISS ratios (2.5～6.6). Tyr⁹ of PsbO1 was identified as a nitration site. Thus, nitration is selective for two PSII and four non‐PSII proteins in Arabidopsis.     

Double-armed and tetra-armed cyclen-based cryptands

Double-armed and tetra-armed cyclen-based cryptands (1a–1d and 2) that bridge two aromatic rings by diethyleneoxy and triethyleneoxy units were prepared. The CSI-MS of 1:1 mixtures ([Ag⁺]/[ligand]) indicated that these new cryptands form 1:1 complexes with Ag⁺. The log K values for the interaction between Ag⁺ and 2 was greater than those of 1a–1d, double-armed cyclens (3a–3c and 4), and tetra-armed cyclen (5). The Ag⁺-ion-induced ¹H NMR spectral changes suggest that the Ag⁺–π interactions of the Ag⁺ complexes with the cryptands (1a–1d and 2) are stronger than those in Ag⁺/double-armed and tetra-armed cyclens. To visualise the Ag⁺?π interactions, the isosurfaces of the LUMO and HOMOs of the Ag⁺ complexes were calculated at the B3LYP/3–21G(*) theoretical level. The LUMO of the Ag⁺ ion is distorted by interaction with the HOMOs of the aromatic side arms. The calculations reveal Ag⁺?π interactions between the Ag⁺ ion and the aromatic side arms, and these are shown graphically.     

Optically Active Nanostructured ZnO Films

Inorganic nanomaterials endowed with hierarchical chirality could open new horizons in physical theory and applications because of their fascinating properties. Here, we report chiral ZnO films coated on quartz substrates with a hierarchical nanostructure ranging from atomic to micrometer scale. Three levels of hierarchical chirality exist in the ZnO films: helical ZnO crystalline structures that form primary helically coiled nanoplates, secondary helical stacking of these nanoplates, and tertiary nanoscale circinate aggregates formed by several stacked nanoplates. These films exhibited optical activity (OA) at 380 nm and in the range of 200–800 nm and created circularly polarized luminescence centered at 510 nm and Raman OA at 50–1400 cm^?1, which was attributed to electronic transitions, scattering, photoluminescent emission, and Raman scattering in a dissymmetric electric field. The unprecedented strong OA could be attributed to multiple light scattering and absorption‐enhanced light harvesting in the hierarchical structures.     

Striking Differences in Properties of Geometric Isomers of [Ir(tpy)(ppy)H]+: Experimental and Computational Studies of their Hydricities,Interaction with CO2, and Photochemistry

We prepared two geometric isomers of [Ir(tpy)(ppy)H]⁺, previously proposed as a key intermediate in the photochemical reduction of CO₂ to CO, and characterized their notably different ground‐ and excited‐state interactions with CO₂ and their hydricities using experimental and computational methods. Only one isomer, C‐trans‐[Ir(tpy)(ppy)H]⁺, reacts with CO₂ to generate the formato complex in the ground state, consistent with its calculated hydricity. Under photocatalytic conditions in CH₃CN/TEOA, a common reactive C‐trans‐[Ir(tpy)(ppy)]⁰ species, irrespective of the starting isomer or monodentate ligand (such as hydride or Cl), reacts with CO₂ and produces CO with the same catalytic efficiency.     

A Redox‐Dependent Electrochromic Material: Tetri‐EDOT Substituted Thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene

Organic electrochromic materials change color rapidly under applied potential. A butterfly‐shaped compound, 5,5′,‐5″,‐5′″‐(thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene‐2,3,5,6‐tetrayl) tetrakis‐(2,3‐dihydrothieno[3,4‐b][1,4]dioxine) (t‐EDOT‐TT) is synthesized for the first time and polymerized at different potentials via electropolymerization technique. By applying different polymerization potentials, the optical and electrochromic properties of this newly synthesized polymer can be tuned. Owing to the dependence of functional group position in the polymer structure on the redox potential, this polymer can be utilized in very interesting organic optoelectronic applications.

     

Rhenium-Catalyzed Construction of Polycyclic Hydrocarbon Frameworks by a Unique Cyclization of 1,n-Diynes Initiated by 1,1-Difunctionalization with Carbon Nucleophiles

A regioselective cyclization of 1,n-diynes under rhenium catalysis was developed on the basis of a rare type of 1,1-difunctionalization of terminal alkynes with carbon nucleophiles, followed by sequential addition reactions of the resulting alkenylrhenium species. The reaction provides an efficient approach to the synthesis of complex cyclopentane-fused bi- and tricycles and spirocycles, which are useful building blocks for the construction of essential frameworks of biologically active compounds as well as functional materials, from simple starting materials by the formation of up to six new carbon–carbon bonds in a single step. The reaction proceeds under neutral conditions and does not require external ligands or additives. The key to this reactivity is the unique activation mode of the rhenium carbonyl complex, which prefers to interact with heteroatoms in polar carbon–heteroatom bonds as well as nonpolar carbon–carbon unsaturated π bonds.     

Doping-dedoping-driven optic effect of pi-conjugated polymers prepared in cholesteric-liquid-crystal electrolytes

Chiral conjugated polymers were synthesized by electrochemical polymerization in a cholesteric-liquid-crystal (CLC) electrolyte. The polymers display a characteristic finger print texture similar to that of CLC. The natural optical activity of the polymers was successfully controlled by the electrochemical doping-dedoping procedure. The finding of this unprecedented mechanism, involving doping of pi-conjugated systems, can be an important advance in the development of plastic optoelectronics based on conductive polymers.     

Stiffness evaluation of contacting surfaces by bulk and interface waves

This paper describes ultrasonic measurements of normal and tangential stiffnesses of the contacting interface between polished aluminum blocks subjected to nominal contact pressures up to about 3.8 MPa. These stiffnesses were evaluated by ultrasonic spectroscopy methods for the bulk (longitudinal and transverse) wave reflection coefficients and the anti-symmetric mode interface wave velocity. The measurements revealed the interfacial stiffnesses as functions of the frequency as well as the applied contact pressure. The ratio of the tangential and normal stiffnesses is discussed in the light of foregoing theoretical and experimental findings. Furthermore, possible explanations for the frequency dependence of the measured stiffnesses are reviewed, invoking the spatial inhomogeneity of the interfacial stiffness as well as its lossy nature.