Synthesis of ene-allenes via palladium-catalyzed hydride-transfer reaction of propargylic amines under mild conditions

The palladium-catalyzed allene transformation reaction from propargylic amines proceeded in the presence of Pd₂(dba)₃·CHCl₃ (5 mol %) and (C₆F₅)₂PC₂H₄P(C₆F₅)₂ (10 mol %) in CHCl₃ at room temperature to give the corresponding allenes in good to high yields. Dicyclohexyl groups substituted on the nitrogen of propargylic amines were found to be effective for the current transformation and the conjugated ene-allenes 4 were synthesized from the corresponding propargylic amines 3 under mild conditions.     

A novel synthesis of the 2-amino-1H-imidazol-4-carbaldehyde derivatives and its application to the efficient synthesis of 2-aminoimidazole alkaloids, oroidin, hymenidin, dispacamide, monobromodispacamide, and ageladine A

A novel synthesis of 2-amino-1H-imidazol-4-carbaldehyde derivatives was achieved by the reaction of tert-butoxycarbonylguanidine with 3-bromo-1,1-dimethoxypropan-2-one as a key step. The usefulness of the derivatives as building blocks was proved by accomplishing the efficient synthesis of the representative 2-aminoimidazole alkaloids, oroidin, hymenidin, dispacamide, monobromodispacamide, and ageladine A.     

Fabrication of carbon nanotube assemblies on Ni–Mo substrates mimics law of natural forest growth

We fabricated cone-shaped carbon nanotube assemblies, which align in a densely packed geometry like a cedar tree forest, on unpatterned nanocomposite substrate of Ni and Mo by the DC plasma assisted hot filament chemical vapor deposition. Carbon nanotubes initially grew on the nickel domains created during deposition, forming cone-shaped assemblies. These assemblies grew keeping their shape with decreasing their number density by merging together. The relationship between the mean volume and the number density of conical-shaped tree-like assemblies was similar to one of natural plant forest.     

Acceleration of a QM/MM‐QMC simulation using GPU

We accelerated an ab initio molecular QMC calculation by using GPGPU. Only the bottle‐neck part of the calculation is replaced by CUDA subroutine and performed on GPU. The performance on a (single core CPU + GPU) is compared with that on a (single core CPU with double precision), getting 23.6 (11.0) times faster calculations in single (double) precision treatments on GPU. The energy deviation caused by the single precision treatment was found to be within the accuracy required in the calculation, ～10^?5 hartree. The accelerated computational nodes mounting GPU are combined to form a hybrid MPI cluster on which we confirmed the performance linearly scales to the number of nodes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011     

Phase behaviour and molecular dynamics in the binary system of sodium perchlorate and 1,2-propanediamine

The phase and glass transition behaviour in a binary mixture of sodium perchlorate and 1,2-propanediamine {(NaClO₄)_x(12PDA)_1?x, x < 0.40} was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and Raman scattering measurements. A eutectic point and a peritectic point were found at x = 0.17 and 0.19, respectively. The phase diagram indicates the existence of solvated compounds of (NaClO₄)₁(12PDA)₄ and (NaClO₄)₂(12PDA)₅. The concentration dependence of the glass transition point shows a sigmoid curve implying an underlying anomaly.     

Competing Roles of Two Kinds of Ligand during Nonclassical Crystallization of Pillared-Layer Metal-Organic Frameworks Elucidated Using Microfluidic Systems

To diversify metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), multi-component MOFs constructed from more than two kinds of bridging ligand have been actively investigated due to the high degree of design freedom afforded by the combination of multiple ligands. Predicting the synthesis conditions for such MOFs requires an understanding of the crystallization mechanism, which has so far remained elusive. In this context, microflow systems are efficient tools for capturing non-equilibrium states as they facilitate precise and efficient mixing with reaction times that correspond to the distance from the mixing point, thus enabling reliable control of non-equilibrium crystallization processes. Herein, we prepared coordination polymers with pillared-layer structures and observed the intermediates in the syntheses with an in-situ measurement system that combines microflow reaction with UV/Vis and X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopies, thereby enabling their rapid nucleation to be monitored. Based on the results, a three-step nonclassical nucleation mechanism involving two kinds of intermediate is proposed.     

Sonocatalytic degradation of methylene blue using spindle shaped cerium oxide nanoparticles

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - The industrial revolution has raised major concern of environmental pollution, due to excess release of hazardous chemical, dyes, etc. into water bodies....     

Reversible Boron-Insertion into Aromatic C−C Bonds

Formation of borabicyclo[3.2.0]heptadiene derivatives was achieved via boron-insertion into aromatic C−C bonds in the photo-promoted skeletal rearrangement reaction of triarylboranes bearing an ortho-phosphino substituent (ambiphilic phosphine-boranes). The borabicyclo[3.2.0]heptadiene derivatives were fully characterized by NMR and X-ray analyses. The dearomatized products were demonstrated to undergo the reverse reaction in the dark at room temperature, realizing photochemical and thermal interconversion between triarylboranes and boron-doped bicyclic systems. Experimental and theoretical studies revealed that sequential two electrocyclic reactions involving E/Z-isomerization of an alkene moiety proceed via a highly strained trans-borepin intermediate.