Structural Changes in Drawn Poly(L-lactide)/Clay Hybrid Films

The films composed of poly(L-lactide)(PLLA)/organoclay hybrids (PLACHs) have been prepared via a melt-compounding process, in which the organoclay paticles are uniformly dispersed in the PLLA matrix. The changes in PLLA crystal orientation for the uniaxially drawn films were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, temperature dependence of the mechanical properties for these drawn films were examined by a dynamic viscoelastometer. After drawing the quenched PLACHs film at 90 °C, the orientation and crystallinity of PLLA crystal increased rapidly with increasing drawing ratio (λ) in the range more than 3 times. At the higher λ, the organoclay platelet particles in the PLACHs became parallel to the draw direction. The mechanical properties of drawn PLACHs were strongly dependent on both clay concentration and λ.     

Generation of carbamoyl- and thiocarbamoyllithium synthons having a hydrogen(s) or an aryl group on the nitrogen and their trapping with carbonyl electrophiles

Dimetalated amides 1 (Y = O) were generated as the synthons of carbamoyllithiums 2 (Y = O) by the reaction of isocyanates with iBu2AlTenBu and a subsequent tellurium-lithium exchange reaction. A series of amide derivatives 3 (Y = O) were obtained by the trapping of dianion 1 with electrophiles. This transformation can be successfully applied to the generation and trapping of thiocarbamoyllithium synthons 1 (Y = S) as well as to the nucleophilic introduction of the parent carbamoyl moiety H2NC(O).     

Current-induced metallic state in an organic (EDT-TSF)2GaCl4 conductor

A newly prepared organic conductor, (EDT-TSF)(2)GaCl(4), shows considerable nonlinear conductance in the insulating state below 20 K, and a metallic state is restored by the application of moderate currents. This conductor has a stacking structure with a quasi-one-dimensional open Fermi surface, similar to the sulfur analogues. Since the interchain interaction is enhanced by the selenium substitution, the static magnetic susceptibility as well as ESR does not show any anomaly around 20 K, and low-temperature X-ray investigation does not show any extra spots. Isostructural (EDT-TSF)(2)FeCl(4) shows similar conducting properties, although the magnetic interaction of the anion is weak. Like this, nonlinear conductance is a versatile tool to restore a metallic state when the metal-insulator transition is almost suppressed.     

Structural basis for the phase switching of bisaminecopper(II) cations at the thermal limits of lattice stability

The structural grounds of the decrease of point and lattice symmetries coupled with switching of the exchange interaction in single crystals of a highly strained, coordinationally unsaturated bisdiaminecopper(II) cation are described. The combined magnetic susceptibility and X-ray diffraction results indicate that the interplay between the inherent vibronic instability and ligand-field strain imposed by moderately flexible, coordinationally shielding ligands enables effective switching of the pseudo-Jahn-Teller d9 centers between states with different exchange interaction in the low-temperature regime and valence orbital orientation and coordination geometry in the high-temperature regime. Within the low-temperature hysteresis region, the phase transition can also be induced by excitation of the ligand-to-metal charge-transfer bands, resulting in overall shrinkage of the lattice. The compound is a prototype of weakly electronically coupled one-dimensional Jahn-Teller systems, which can undergo phase transitions induced by light, in addition to heating, cooling, and change of pressure, and it represents a prospective basis for the design of switching materials capable of multimode external control.     

UNO DMRG CASCI calculations of effective exchange integrals for m-phenylene-bis-methylene spin clusters

ABSTRACT

Theoretical examinations of the ferromagnetic coupling in the m-phenylene-bis-methylene molecule and its oligomer were carried out. These systems are good candidates for exchange-coupled systems to investigate strong electronic correlations. We studied effective exchange integrals (J), which indicated magnetic coupling between interacting spins in these species. First, theoretical calculations based on a broken-symmetry single-reference procedure, i.e. the UHF, UMP2, UMP4, UCCSD(T) and UB3LYP methods, were carried out with a GAUSSIAN program code under an SR wave function. From these results, the J value by the UHF method was largely positive because of the strong ferromagnetic spin polarisation effect. The J value by the UCCSD(T) and UB3LYP methods improved an overestimation problem by correcting the dynamical electronic correlation. Next, magnetic coupling among these spins was studied using the CAS-based method of the symmetry-adapted multireference methods procedure. Thus, the UNO DMRG CASCI (UNO, unrestricted natural orbital; DMRG, density matrix renormalised group; CASCI, complete active space configuration interaction) method was mainly employed with a combination of ORCA and BLOCK program codes. DMRG CASCI calculations in valence electron counting, which included all orbitals to full valence CI, provided the most reliable result, and support the UB3LYP method for extended systems.     

Water-soluble constituents of caraway: carvone derivatives and their glucosides

Nine monoterpenoids related to carvone and seven glucosides were isolated from the water-soluble portion of the methanolic extract of the caraway (fruit of Carum carvi L.), and their structures were clarified by spectral investigation. Among them, eight monoterpenoids and six glucosides were new.     

Ultrasonic cavitation in microspace

Ultrasound was irradiated to a micro-1D and -2D space having a characteristic length of 200 microm, and the presence of cavitation was confirmed from video images, and the generation of OH radicals, which was quantitatively evaluated with fluorometry.     

Arithmetic of Rikuna’s generic cyclic polynomial and generalization of Kummer theory

In this paper we study the arithmetic of the Rikunas generic polynomial for the cyclic group of order n and obtain a generalized Kummer theory. It is useful under the condition that and k where is a primitive n-th root of unity and =+^–1. In particular, this result with k implies the classical Kummer theory.Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 11R20, 12E10, 12G05