Terthiophene radical cations end-capped by bicyclo[2.2.2]octene units: formation of bent pi-dimers mutually attracted at the central position

A terthiophene fused with bicyclo[2.2.2]octene units only at both ends was newly synthesized. Since there is no steric hindrance at the central position, this terthiophene has a possibility to interact only at the central position. One-electron oxidation of this terthiophene afforded a highly stable radical-cation salt as deep blue crystals. The result of X-ray crystal structural analysis demonstrated a characteristically bent pi-dimereric structure, which is formed by mutual attraction of single radical-cation species at the central position to minimize the steric repulsion. Remarkably short intermolecular distances between the central thiophene rings of each unit of the dimeric pair, that is, 2.976(10) A for Cbeta-Cbeta, 3.091(10) A for Calpha-Calpha, and 3.779(3) A for S-S, are good indication of the existence of attracting interaction, which was confirmed by theoretical calculations. This interaction was experimentally demonstrated by the reversible formation of the pi-dimer in CH2Cl2 solution using ESR and UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy. The crystal of the pi-dimer is in its singlet state and ESR silent in the solid state at 300 K, but the signal of a triplet state of the pi-dimer was observed by heating the solid at 400 K. This indicates that this pi-dimer has a quite small triplet-singlet enegy gap and the triplet state is thermally accessible.     

Bond fluctuation of S/Se anchoring observed in single-molecule conductance measurements using the point contact method with scanning tunneling microscopy

Conductance was measured for the single molecules with S/Se anchoring on a Au surface using the point contact method with scanning tunneling microscopy that enables us to selectively perform a repeated analysis of a chosen target molecule. Apparent conductance changes observed in sequential measurements suggest the existence of bond fluctuation among the adsorption sites.     

Scanning electrochemical microscope observation of defects in a hexadecanethiol monolayer on gold with shear force-based tip-substrate positioning

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was used for imaging of n-hexadecanethiol-modified Au surfaces. In these studies, small defects were observed in the monolayer when a submicrometer electrode was used as an SECM tip, although a cyclic voltammogram of a Au disk electrode showed that the surface of the Au was completely covered with n-hexadecanethiol. The dependence of the SECM images on the potential of the Au electrode was also examined. A comparison of the current at the Au electrode and the tip current in the SECM images showed that direct electron transfer through the monolayer was dominant, rather than electron transfer at the defects. The size of the defects was estimated from the tip current to be 1-100 nm, under the assumption that the defects were small compared to the SECM probe.     

Absolute configurations of endoperoxides determined by vibrational circular dichroism (VCD)

Diastereomeric mixture on the peroxide portion of an endoperoxide acetylmajapolene A (1) was efficiently separated by HPLC on a chiral column, submitting to vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) investigation. The ab initio theoretical VCD and IR calculations of 1a and 1b were performed by density functional theory (DFT) using the B3PW91/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. Focusing on an isolated characteristic peroxide vibrational band, absolute configurations of 1a and 1b were unambiguously determined as (1R,4R,7S,10S) and (1S,4S,7S,10S), respectively. This is the first VCD application to endoperoxides which exist abundantly in nature.     

Experimental and theoretical evaluation of the charge distribution over the ruthenium and dioxolene framework of [Ru(OAc)(dioxolene)(terpy)] (terpy = 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine) depending on the substituents

A series of ruthenium complexes [Ru(OAc)(dioxolene)(terpy)] having various substituents on the dioxolene ligand (dioxolene = 3,5-t-Bu2C6H2O2 (1), 4-t-BuC6H3O2 (2), 4-ClC6H3O2 (3), 3,5-Cl2C6H2O2 (4), Cl4C6O2 (5); terpy = 2,2':6'2' '-terpyridine) were prepared. EPR spectra of these complexes in glassy frozen solutions (CH2Cl2:MeOH = 95:5, v/v) at 20 K showed anisotropic signals with g tensor components 2.242 > g1 > 2.104, 2.097 > g2 > 2.042, and 1.951 > g3 > 1.846. An anisotropic value, Deltag = g1 - g3, and an isotropic g value, g = [(g1(2) + g2(2) + g3(2))/3]1/2, increase in the order 1 < 2 < 3 < 4 < 5. The resonance between the Ru(II)(sq) (sq = semiquinone) and Ru(III)(cat) (cat = catecholato) frameworks shifts to the latter with an increase of the number of electron-withdrawing substituents on the dioxolene ligand. DFT calculations of 1, 2, 3, and 5 also support the increase of the Ru spin density (Ru(III) character) with an increase of the number of Cl atoms on the dioxolene ligand. The singly occupied molecular orbitals (SOMOs) of 1 and 5 are very similar to each other and stretch out the Ru-dioxolene frameworks, whereas the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of 5 is localized on Ru and two oxygen atoms of dioxolene in comparison with that of 1. Electron-withdrawing groups decrease the energy levels of both the SOMO and LUMO. In other words, an increase in the number of Cl atoms in the dioxolene ligand results in an increase of the positive charge on Ru. Successive shifts in the electronic structure between the Ru(II)(sq) and Ru(III)(cat) frameworks caused by the variation of the substituents are compatible with the experimental data.     

Cationic amylopectin derivatives as additives for analysis of proteins in capillary electrophoresis

Positively charged amylopectin, which is a major constituent of cationic starch, was used to modify the inner surface of fused-silica capillaries by addition to the running solution, which was subsequently employed in CE. Capillaries filled with cationic amylopectin derivatives were shown to generate a stable reversed EOF in the investigated range of pH 4-8. Among the additives studied, quaternary ammonium amylopectin derivatives with high amino and low hydroxypropyl groups showed fast electroosmotic mobility and very effectively suppressed the adsorption of proteins. The run-to-run and batch-to-batch repeatability of the procedures were satisfactory with RSDs of 0.5% and 2.4%, respectively. A basic protein, alpha-chymotrypsinogen, migrated within 6 min and the theoretical plate number of it reached 560 000 plates/m.     

Helical Mechanoclinic Deformation of Main‐Chain Chiral Smectic Elastomers

The helical mechanoclinic deformation of a main‐chain chiral smectic elastomer, which is prepared by a crosslinking reaction under twist deformation, is investigated. The twist deformation induces a layer tilt angle that depends on the handedness of twist. The layer tilt angle in the right‐handedly twisted elastomer, of which the handedness is consistent with that of the helix in the SmC* phase of the non‐crosslinked backbone polymer, is estimated to be up to 16° at room temperature, although that in the left‐handedly twisted elastomer is less than several degrees. The experiments provide evidence of chiral coupling between tilt and twist for helical mechanoclinic deformation in the chiral smectic system.

     

A practical preparation of highly versatile N-acylpyrroles from 2,4,4-trimethoxybutan-1-amine

A novel method for the preparation of N-acylpyrrole is described. The method involves condensation of carboxylic acids with 2,4,4-trimethoxybutan-1-amine, followed by acid-mediated cyclization to form the pyrrole ring. The preparative procedure is highly tolerant of a variety of functional groups.     

Synthetic studies on chartelline C: stereoselective construction of the core skeleton

What a core-ker! The title synthesis was achieved using a route featuring an intramolecular Mitsunobu reaction of a nosyl amide, stereoselective construction of the β-lactam, and formation of an enamide moiety by selenoxide elimination. The stereochemistry of the alkylation for the formation of the β-lactam was controlled by a secondary hydroxy group on the ten-membered ring. SEM=2-(trimethylsilyl)ethoxymethyl; TBS=tert-butyldimethylsilyl.     

Gravitational compression dynamics of charged colloidal crystals

We examine the compression of charged colloidal crystals under the influence of gravitational force by monitoring the spatiotemporal variations of Bragg diffraction from the crystal lattice. We use the dilute aqueous dispersions of colloidal silica particles (diameter=216 nm, charge number=733, a particle volume fraction φ=0.06) in the presence of 5-15 μM sodium chloride. The sedimentation profiles of the colloidal crystals along the crystal height are determined by in situ fiber optics reflection spectroscopy. The time evolutions of the sedimentation profiles are calculated by numerical simulations based on a phenomenological continuum model that explicitly incorporates the electrostatic interparticle interactions. The simulation results correctly describe the experiments at sufficiently high ionic strength.