Current-voltage characteristics of charge-ordered organic crystals

The current-voltage characteristics of layered organic crystals theta-(BEDT-TTF)2MZn(SCN)4 (M = Cs, Rb) follow the power law with a large exponent (e.g., 8.4 at 0.29 K for M = Cs) over a wide range of currents in the low-temperature insulating state. The power-law characteristics are attributed to electric field-induced unbinding of electron-hole pairs that are thermally excited in the background of the two-dimensional charge order. The magnitude of crossover electric fields from Ohmic to the power-law characteristics indicates that the electron-electron Coulomb interaction is significantly long-ranged: The screening length is greater than 10 molecule sites.     

Quasi-two-dimensional Fermi surfaces and coherent interlayer transport in KFe₂As₂

We report the results of the angular-dependent magnetoresistance oscillations (AMROs), which can determine the shape of bulk Fermi surfaces (FSs) in quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) systems, in a highly hole-doped Fe-based superconductor KFe2As2 with Tc ≈ 3.7 K. From the AMROs, we determined the two Q2D FSs with rounded-square cross sections, correspond to 12% and 17% of the first Brillouin zone. The rounded-squared shape of the FS cross section is also confirmed by the analyses of the interlayer transport under in-plane fields. From the obtained FS shape, we infer the character of the 3d orbitals that contribute to the FSs.     

Pt(II)- or Au(III)-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of metal-containing azomethine ylides: highly efficient synthesis of the mitosene skeleton

[reaction: see text] Only 1-3 mol % of PtCl(2) or AuBr(3) was sufficient to promote generation and [3+2] cycloaddition of transition-metal-containing azomethine ylides derived from N-(o-alkynylphenyl)imines bearing an internal alkyne moiety. A highly efficient method for the preparation of synthetically useful tricyclic indole derivatives having a substituent at the 3-position of the indole nucleus was established by this method.     

The effect of internal Co2 conductance on leaf carbon isotope ratio

We estimated internal CO₂ conductance (g_i ) for C₃ plant species of different life forms (annual herbs, deciduous trees and evergreen trees) grown in a variety of environments to examine the effect of g i on their leaf carbon isotope ratio (i¹³C). The purpose of this study was to test the validity of using i¹³C as an index of photosynthetic water use efficiency (WUE). When comparing deciduous tree species grown in contrasting light environments, there was a strong positive relationship between i¹³C and WUE. Similarly, i¹³C was positively correlated to WUE when comparing the different species of evergreen trees. However, the difference in WUE between evergreen and deciduous tree species did not relate to that in leaf i¹³C. In addition, WUE was similar between highland and lowland herbaceous plants, although the former had a much higher i¹³C. The positive relationship between i¹³C and WUE did not hold across different life forms and different altitudes when differences in g_i did not relate to those in stomatal conductance, resulting in independence of chloroplast CO₂ partial pressure from intercellular CO₂ partial pressure.     

Synthesis and Some Properties of Low Melting Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals of Benzylidene Anilines

A series of chiral benzylidene-aniline compounds, 4-alkoxybenzylidene 4′-(2-methylbutyloxycarbonyl)anilines, have been synthesized and their mesomorphic properties are examined. They showed a monotropic chiral smectic C phase in conjunction with enantiotropic smectic A phase, and their chiral smectic C—smectic A phase transition temperatures are around room temperatures. Their spontaneous polarization values are moderately higher than those of DOBAMBC “4-decyloxybenzylidene 4′-amino-(2-methylbutyl)cinnamate”.     

Search for Alpha Inelastic Condensed State in 24Mg

The alpha inelastic scattering from ²⁴Mg was measured to obtain the isoscalar natural-parity excitation strengths and to search for the α-condensed states. The multipole decomposition analysis for the measured cross sections was performed. The strength distributions for the ${{\Delta}L=0{-}3}$ were successfully obtained and the possible candidates for the α-condensed states around the ¹⁶O core were found.     

Switchable C- and N-bound isomers of transition-metal cyanocarbanions: synthesis and interconversions of cyclopentadienyl ruthenium complexes of phenylsulfonylacetonitrile anions

The synthesis, structure, and dynamic behavior of bistable C- and N-bound isomers of transition-metal cyanocarbanions are described. A series of C-bound cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ruthenium phosphane complexes, [Ru{CH(CN)SO2Ph}(Cp)L1L2] (3), and their N-bound isomers, [Ru+(Cp)(NCCH(-)SO2Ph)L1L2] (4), were prepared by treating [RuCl(Cp)(PR3)2] with the sodium salt of phenylsulfonylacetonitrile and performing ligand-exchange reactions with the resulting compounds. Structural characterization by X-ray diffraction indicates that the cyanocarbanion moiety of 3 has an alpha-metalated structure, whereas that of 4 has a zwitterionic, end-on structure. Heating these complexes in aprotic solvents gives rise to irreversible linkage isomerization between C- and N-bound isomers, in which the relative thermal stabilities vary greatly depending on the steric and electronic nature of the ligands. Mechanistic studies of N-to-C isomerization revealed that the reaction proceeds irreversibly in a unimolecular manner without the formation of coordinatively unsaturated species. A metal-sliding process, which occurs over the -C-C triple chemical bond N pi-conjugated surface of the cyanocarbanion moiety, was suggested by results from kinetic studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. C-to-N isomerizations proceed by the above-mentioned intramolecular process, with a temperature-dependent contribution from the formation and cleavage of mu2-C,N coordination dimers [{Ru{CH(CN)SO2Ph}(Cp)(PPh3)}2] (15 and 16).     

Synthesis and Applications of (ONO Pincer)Ruthenium‐Complex‐Bound Norvalines

Two (ONO pincer)ruthenium‐complex‐bound norvalines, Boc?[Ru(pydc)(terpy)]Nva?OMe ( 1 ; Boc=tert‐butyloxycarbonyl, terpy=terpyridyl, Nva=norvaline) and Boc?[Ru(pydc)(tBu‐terpy)]Nva?OMe ( 5 ), were successfully synthesized and their molecular structures and absolute configurations were unequivocally determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The robustness of the pincer Ru complexes and norvaline scaffolds against acidic/basic, oxidizing, and high‐temperature conditions enabled us to perform selective transformations of the N‐Boc and C?OMe termini into various functional groups, such as alkyl amide, alkyl urea, and polyether groups, without the loss of the Ru center or enantiomeric purity. The resulting dialkylated Ru‐bound norvaline, n‐C₁₁H₂₃CO?l ‐[Ru(pydc)(terpy)]Nva?NH‐n‐C₁₁H₂₃ (l ‐ 4 ) was found to have excellent self‐assembly properties in organic solvents, thereby affording the corresponding supramolecular gels. Ru‐bound norvaline l ‐ 1 exhibited a higher catalytic activity for the oxidation of alcohols by H₂O₂ than parent complex [Ru(pydc)(terpy)] ( 11 a ).