Efficient photocleavage of DNA utilising water-soluble lipid membrane-incorporated [60]fullerenes prepared using a [60]fullerene exchange method

Various types of lipid membrane-incorporated C60 with high C60 concentrations can be prepared easily in several hours using the C60 exchange method and the photocleaving activity of cationic lipid membrane-incorporated C60 was appreciably higher than that of the C60.gamma-CDx complex.     

Titania supported copper catalysts for methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide

The effect of co-catalyst (ZnO or ZrO₂) has been tested for hydrogenation of CO₂ on CuO/TiO₂ and CuO/Al₂O₃. CuO−ZnO/TiO₂ catalyst showed the highest activity for methanol synthesis. Kinetic parameters were also determined.     

Nanostructural characterization of the dehydrated (NIPA/SA+additive ion) gels

In the present study, the authors have investigated ion-absorption effects on a nanoscopic structure of a dehydrated N-isopropylacrylamide/sodium acrylate (NIPA/SA) gel.

First of all, the authors compared small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) profile of a dehydrated NIPA/SA gel with that dehydrated after absorbing Cu²⁺ ion. Then, in order to examine copper-ion distribution structure in the NIPA/SA gel dehydrated after absorption of copper-ion, an incident-X-ray energy-dependence of a small-angle X-ray scattering profile was observed, in which the anomalous dispersion effect was clearly perceived especially around a distinct SAXS-peak. Because the SAXS-peak is thought to come from a dehydration-induced microphase separation between hydrophilic and hydrophobic network-polymers in the NIPA/SA gel, such a feature indicates that the copper-ions gather in the dehydration-induced hydrophilic domains.

In addition to this interesting copper-ion nanostructure in the dehydrated NIPA/SA gel, a difference in the SAXS-peak position between the dehydrated NIPA/SA gels with and without absorbing the copper-ion has shown a possibility of a controlling method of the nanostructure in relatively gentle conditions without special instruments. Along this line, in order to get further information on the ion-absorption effects on the nanostructure, the authors have compared the SAXS profiles of the several NIPA/SA gels which were dehydrated after absorbing respectively different kinds of ions. In the observation, the SAXS-peak positions have shown characteristic features which are different with the kind of the absorbed ions and found to be classified into several kinds according to the periodic-table group of the absorbed ion.     

Atom formation processes for cadmium in the presence of sulphur in electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry with a molybdenum tube atomizer

The atom formation process that occurs during elimination by sulphur of interferences on cadmium in electrothermal atomization was studied by using a thermodynamic-kinetic equation and measuring x-ray diffraction patterns. Activation energies for cadmium in the presence of Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Na or Pb were obtained in argon-hydrogen in the presence and absence of sulphur. The atom formation process for cadmium in the presence of sulphur was CdS(g) → Cd(g) in the presence of each interferent.     

Room-temperature polycondensation of β-amino acid derivatives,I. Polyamide from amino alcohols and acrylates

Acrylates, such as ethyl acrylate, add with amino alcohol to form N-(hydroxyalkyl) β-alanine ester and room-temperature polycondensation follows, forming polyamide in the presence of a basic catalysts, such as alkali metal alkoxide. The reaction medium has an influence on the course of the polycondensation; that is, N-(hydroxyalkyl) polyamide is formed in methanol solution and polyamide ether in other solvents, such as tetrahydrofuran. These two courses of the room-temperature polycondensation have been studied, and the reaction mechanism is discussed in this paper.     

Determination of the equilibrium structure of the charge-transfer state of (p-Cyanophenyl)pentamethyldisilane by means of transient infrared spectroscopy

An equilibrium structure of the charge-transfer (CT) state of (p-cyanophenyl)pentamethyldisilane was determined by transient infrared absorption spectroscopy of its CH stretching vibration region, and by the spectral simulation with quantum chemical calculations. It was found that a pattern of the CH stretching vibration bands of the CT state is substantially different from that of the S0 state. This band feature of the CT state was well reproduced assuming the planar sigma(Si-Si)pi* state, where the disilanyl group and the phenyl ring lie in the same plane. Considering that the disilanyl group in the S0 and the locally excited pipi* states lie in the plane perpendicular to the phenyl ring, an occurrence of a twisting-type structural change during the ICT process was experimentally identified in the present study.     

Role of stress in the self-limiting oxidation of copper nanoparticles

The oxidation process of Cu nanoparticles has been investigated by means of an in-situ X-ray diffraction method. A self-limiting oxidation process involving an unusually drastic decrease (about 4 orders in magnitude) in the oxidation rate was observed at 298 K, whereas a non-self-limiting oxidation emerged at 323 K with a rate of at least 4 orders in magnitude faster than 298 K. The drastic slowing at 298 K and the big differences between the two close temperatures in the oxidation kinetics were found to be directly correlated to whether the compressive stress in the Cu(2)O(111) layers that commensurately formed on the Cu(111) surface is relaxed or not.     

Ytterbium triflate-assisted catalytic oxidative cross-coupling of 2-naphthol derivatives

The oxidative coupling of 2-naphthol and 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoate derivatives with a copper catalyst under an O₂ atmosphere was carried out. The reaction in the presence of a catalytic amount of the Lewis acid, Yb(OTf)₃, proceeded in a cross-coupling specific manner.