Differences in the yields of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by pressurized liquid extraction and the Japanese official method

To improve the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from sediment samples, we optimized the conditions of pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The yields increased as the extraction temperature increased from 100 to 190 degrees C, but the effect of increasing pressure (from 15 to 20 MPa) was small. Parameters of 190 degrees C and 20 MPa, near the maximum of the equipment, gave the highest yield. Under these conditions, the yields of 17 PAHs were 1.5 - 34 times those obtained by the Japanese official method (shaking and ultrasonic extraction with acetone at room temperature).     

Skeletal modification of a non-planar phthalocyanine analogue under very mild conditions

A sterically congested tetraphenyl-substituted dibenzo-tetraaza-isobacteriochlorinato nickel derivative unexpectedly reacts with methanol at room temperature to release internal molecular strains, leading to the formation of a ligand having a skeleton bearing two cis-methoxy substituents.     

Rich-club network topology to minimize synchronization cost due to phase difference among frequency-synchronized oscillators

As exemplified by power grids and large-scale brain networks, some functions of networks consisting of phase oscillators rely on not only frequency synchronization, but also phase synchronization among the oscillators. Nevertheless, even after the oscillators reach frequency-synchronized status, the phase synchronization is not always accomplished because the phase difference among the oscillators is often trapped at non-zero constant values. Such phase difference potentially results in inefficient transfer of power or information among the oscillators, and avoids proper and efficient functioning of the networks. In the present study, we newly define synchronization cost by using the phase difference among the frequency-synchronized oscillators, and investigate the optimal network structure with the minimum synchronization cost through rewiring-based optimization. By using the Kuramoto model, we demonstrate that the cost is minimized in a network with a rich-club topology, which comprises the densely-connected center nodes and low-degree peripheral nodes connecting with the center module. We also show that the network topology is characterized by its bimodal degree distribution, which is quantified by Wolfson’s polarization index.     

Hydrogenated tetraazaporphyrins--old but new core-modified phthalocyanine analogues

The synthesis, and spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of hydrogenated tetraazaporphyrins (TAPs), namely tetraazachlorins (TACs), tetraazabacteriochlorins (TABCs) and tetraazaisobacteriochlorins (TAiBCs), have been reviewed. While the first synthesis of this type of hydrogenated aromatic macrocycle was achieved as early as 1958 by Linstead et al. (G. E. Ficken, R. P. Linstead, E. Stephen and M. Whalley, J. Chem. Soc., 1958, 3879), the development of modern synthetic strategies enables us to isolate stable forms of the hydrogenated TAP derivatives. Benzo-, 2,3-naphtho- and 1,2-naphtho-fused derivatives were synthesized extensively, and all structural isomers have been elucidated. The chemical structures have been characterized using a variety of techniques, including mass spectrometry, (1)H and (13)C NMR, X-ray crystallography and IR spectroscopy. The spectroscopic properties (e.g., electronic absorption, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), and fluorescence) of these compounds differ significantly from those of the original TAPs, or phthalocyanines (Pcs), due to the symmetry-lowering effects of the core aromatic macrocycles. The experimentally observed properties have been rationalized on the basis of electrochemical studies and quantum chemical calculations. As an application of the TAC skeleton, the synthesis and electronic structures of tribenzo TAC (TBTAC)-C(60) conjugates, in which both components are covalently connected directly and thus show remarkable molecular orbital (MO) mixing between the constituting moieties, have also been reviewed.     

11C-Cyanation of Aryl Fluorides via Nickel and Lithium Chloride-Mediated C−F Bond Activation

Aryl fluorides are expected to be useful as radiolabeling precursors due to their chemical stability and ready availability. However, direct radiolabeling via carbon-fluorine (C−F) bond cleavage is a challenging issue due to its significant inertness. Herein, we report a two-phase radiosynthetic method for the ipso-¹¹C-cyanation of aryl fluorides to obtain [¹¹C]aryl nitriles via nickel-mediated C−F bond activation. We also established a practical protocol that avoids the use of a glovebox, except for the initial preparation of a nickel/phosphine mixture, rendering the method applicable for general PET centers. This method enabled the efficient synthesis of diverse [¹¹C]aryl nitriles from the corresponding aryl fluorides, including pharmaceutical drugs. Stoichiometric reactions and theoretical studies indicated a significant promotion effect of lithium chloride on the oxidative addition, affording an aryl(chloro)nickel(II) complex, which serves as a precursor for rapid ¹¹C-cyanation.     

Cutoff radius effect of isotropic periodic sum method for transport coefficients of Lennard-Jones liquid

Molecular dynamics simulations of a Lennard-Jones (LJ) liquid were applied to compare the isotropic periodic sum (IPS) method [X. Wu and B. R. Brooks, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 044107 (2005)], which can reduce the calculation cost of long-range interactions, such as the Lennard-Jones and Coulombic ones, with the cutoff method for the transport coefficients which includes the self-diffusion coefficient, bulk viscosity, and thermal conductivity. The self-diffusion coefficient, bulk viscosity, and thermal conductivity were estimated with reasonable accuracy if the cutoff distance of the LJ potential for the IPS method was greater than 3sigma. The IPS method is an effective technique for estimating the transport coefficients of the Lennard-Jones liquid in a homogeneous system.     

Formation of fractal porous silica by hydrolysis of TEOS in a bicontinuous microemulsion

Mesoporous silica particles have been prepared by hydrolysis of TEOS (Si(OC₂H₅)₄) in bicontinuous microemulsions containing polyoxyethylene (POE) dodecylether, isooctane and water. TEOS was dissolved in a continuous water phase and hydrolyzed by the dispersed water at around the phase inversion temperature (60°C). Undulating solid materials with layered mesostructures were produced from middle-phase microemulsions in the three phase region (o/w=0.2–0.7). On the other hand, the solids obtained from the lower aqueous phase in the three phase region were found to have a heterogeneous disordered structure. Measurements of the fractal dimensions were performed in the macropore region using a box-counting method for the outline of the SEM texture. We found that the macropore size distribution in the particles prepared from the middle-phase microemulsion follows the fractal rule with a dimension of 1.7. From the results of nitrogen adsorption/desorption curves on the silica, a steep increase in the adsorption amounts was observed at a relative pressure below 0.2, and adsorption/desorption hysteresis was also observed at a relative pressure between 0.3 and 0.5. These studies suggest that the silica synthesized in the bicontinuous microemulsion mesostructure has a very broad size range from micro to macropores with a fractal distribution.     

Predicting the wind noise from the pantograph cover of a train

Finite element and boundary element calculations are combined to predict the flow noise radiated from a 1/10th-scale model of an aerodynamic cover used around the pantograph on a train at 250 km h⁻¹. The solutions of the unsteady air flow over the cover and the resulting sound propagation are divided into two parts in order to keep the problem tractable. First the unsteady fluid flow is solved using large-eddy simulation (LES). The pressure histories on the cover are then used to predict the radiated sound, using a boundary element method to solve the Helmholtz equation. The result thus leans heavily on assumptions about the coupling of the two solutions, the propagation of sound in a disturbed medium and the efficacy of LES. The predicted sound pressure levels are compared with experimental measurements made in an anechoic wind tunnel. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of Aggregation‐Induced Emission for Selective Detection of Phase Transformation during Evaporative Crystallization of Hexaphenylsilole

Crystallization of organic molecules is quite complicated because the crystallization process is governed by weak intermolecular interactions. By exploiting aggregation‐induced emission (AIE), we attempted to realize the selective detection of phase transformation during the evaporative crystallization of hexaphenylsilole (HPS), which shows different fluorescent colors in the amorphous and crystalline phases. No fluorescence emission was observed in the HPS solution immediately after dropping on the glass substrate due to the non‐radiative deactivation induced by intramolecular rotational or vibrational motion, suggesting that HPS exists as a monomer in solution. As time elapsed after dropping, green emission first appeared, which changed to blue after solvent evaporation, because of phase transformation from the amorphous state to the crystalline state. This phenomenon supports not only the two‐step nucleation model involving an intermediate such as a liquid‐like cluster prior to nucleation but also the real‐time detection of Ostwald's rule of stages during evaporative crystallization.