Detailed structural examinations of covalently immobilized gold nanoparticles onto hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces

The modification of flat semiconductor surfaces with nanoscale materials has been the subject of considerable interest. This paper provides detailed structural examinations of gold nanoparticles covalently immobilized onto hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces by a convenient thermal hydrosilylation to form Si-C bonds. Gold nanoparticles stabilized by omega-alkene-1-thiols with different alkyl chain lengths (C3, C6, and C11), with average diameters of 2-3 nm and a narrow size distribution were used. The thermal hydrosilylation reactions of these nanoparticles with hydrogen-terminated Si(111) surfaces were carried out in toluene at various conditions under N2. The obtained modified surfaces were observed by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM). The obtained images indicate considerable changes in morphology with reaction time, reaction temperature, as well as the length of the stabilizing omega-alkene-1-thiol molecules. These surfaces are stable and can be stored under ambient conditions for several weeks without measurable decomposition. It was also found that the aggregation of immobilized particles on a silicon surface occurred at high temperature (> 100 degrees C). Precise XPS measurements of modified surfaces were carried out by using a Au-S ligand-exchange technique. The spectrum clearly showed the existence of Si-C bonds. Cross-sectional HR-TEM images also directly indicate that the particles were covalently attached to the silicon surface through Si-C bonds.     

PHOTOLUMINESCENT PROPERTIES OF OCTADECYLRHODAMINE B IN WATER, IN ALCOHOLS AND IN MIXED WATER-ALCOHOL SOLUTIONS

Abstract Fluorescence, excitation and absorption spectra of octadecylrhodamine B (ORB) have been observed in solutions of water, methanol, ethanol and other simple alcohols. A remarkable increase in the ORB fluorescence intensity occurs when the probe is transferred from water to the alcohols. This effect is ascribed to the release of ORB fluorescent monomers from nonfluorescent multimers, which exist predominantly in water. The dependence of the fluorescence intensity on the composition of water-alcohol binary solvent systems shows that hydrophobic interactions play an important role in the monomer = multimer equilibrium of ORB in these solutions. The fluorescence lifetimes of ORB in the alcohols are also reported.     

A synthesis of (±)-Δ2-α-Lycoren-7-one,the key intermediate for the total synthesis of (±)-lycorine

(±)-α-Lycoran-3,5-dione (14a) was prepared from octahydrophenanthridin-3-one (8b) obtained by two methods starting from 5-aryl-4-nitrocyclohexene (2) and 1-hydroxyl-2-aryl-5-oxo-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (10), both of which were prepared by the Diels-Alder reaction of 3,4-methylenedioxy - ω - nitrostyrene with butadiene and the Robinson annelation of 3,4-methyl- enedioxy - phenylpyruvic acid (9) with methyl vinyl ketone, respectively, 14a was converted into (±)Δ²-α-lycoren-7-one (22b), which has been transformed into (±)-lycorine (1) by Torssell     

2H-1,2,4,6-thiatriazin-3(4H)-one 1-oxides and their regioselective N4-methylation and -amination

The syntheses of 2H-1,2,4,6-thiatriazin-3(4H)-one 1-oxides and 1,1-dioxides is described. The reaction of 1-carbamoyl-2-methylisothioureas 2 with thionyl chloride gave 2H-1,2,4,6-thiatriazin-3(4H)-one 1-oxides 3 in high yields. The treatment of 3 with either diazomethane or O-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)hydroxylamine furnished regioselectively N⁴-methylated and N⁴-aminated 2H-1,2,4,6-thiatriazin-3(4H)-one 1-oxides, respectively. Subsequent dimethylamination of 4 followed by oxidation with m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid led to 2H-1,2,4,6-thiatriazin-3(4H)-one 1,1-dioxides 6a-c .     

π-π Chelation controlled chemoselective conjugate addition of lithium dimethylcuprate

The conjugate addition of Me₂CuLi to ethyl cinnamate derivatives bearing an alkynyl group at the ortho-position, took place preferentially in the presence of the corresponding α,β-unsaturated esters bearing an alkynyl group at the distal position or having no alkynyl groups. The observed chemoselectivity is most probably a reflection of the π-π chelation between π-electrons of the olefinic moiety of the enoates and those of the C-C triple bond located at the proximal position.     

Palladium-catalyzed selective synthesis of 2-allyltetrazoles

The palladium-catalyzed three-component coupling (TCC) reaction of cyano compounds, allyl methyl carbonate, and trimethylsilyl azide under a catalytic amount of Pd2(dba)3.CHCl3 (2.5 mol %) and tri(2-furyl)phosphine (10 mol %) gave various kinds of 2-allyltetrazoles in good to excellent yields. A pi-allylpalladium azide complex is proposed as a key intermediate in the TCC reaction.     

Biotransformation of citrus aromatics nootkatone and valencene by microorganisms

Biotransformations of the sesquiterpene ketone nootkatone from the crude drug Alpiniae Fructus and grapefruit oil, and the sesquiterpene hydrocarbon valencene from Valencia orange oil were carried out with microorganisms such as Aspergillus niger, Botryosphaeria dothidea, and Fusarium culmorum to afford structurally interesting metabolites. Their stereostructures were established by a combination of high-resolution NMR spectral and X-ray crystallographic analysis and chemical reaction. Metabolic pathways of compounds and by A. niger are proposed.     

Formulation study for lansoprazole fast-disintegrating tablet. III. Design of rapidly disintegrating tablets

Lansoprazole fast-disintegrating tablets (LFDT) are a patient-friendly formulation that rapidly disintegrates in the mouth. LFDT consist of enteric-coated microgranules (mean particle size, approximately 300 microm) and inactive granules. In the design of the inactive granules, mannitol was used as a basic excipient. Microcrystalline cellulose, low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose (L-HPC), and crospovidone were used as binders and disintegrants. A new grade of L-HPC (L-HPC-33), with a hydroxypropoxy group content of 5.0-6.9%, was developed and it has no rough texture due to a decrease in water absorption. It was clarified that L-HPC-33 could be useful as a binder and disintegrant in rapidly disintegrating tablets. LFDT contain enteric-coated microgranules in tablet form. The enteric-coated microgranule content in LFDT affect qualities such as tensile strength, disintegration time in the mouth, and dissolution behavior in the acid stage and in the buffer stage of LFDT. The 47.4% content of the enteric-coated microgranules was selected to give sufficient tensile strength (not less than 30 N/cm(2)), rapid disintegration time in the mouth (not more than 30 s), and dissolution behavior in the acid stage and buffer stage similar to current lansoprazole capsules. Compression force affected the tensile strength and the disintegration time in the mouth, but did not affect the dissolution behavior in the acid and buffer stages.     

Generation and reactions of 3-alkylidene-1-pyrazoline radical cations by photoinduced electron transfer

The behavior of the 3-alkylidene-1-pyrazoline radical cations generated by photoinduced electron transfer reactions was examined. The nitrogen-retained radical cations have been detected using laser flash photolysis. The photochemical products indicate that E/Z isomerization, intramolecular cyclization, and solvent addition (acetonitrile) occurred.     

Constraints of opsin structure on the ligand-binding site: studies with ring-fused retinals

Ring-fused retinal analogs were designed to examine the hula-twist mode of the photoisomerization of the 9-cis retinylidene chromophore. Two 9-cis retinal analogs, the C11-C13 five-membered ring-fused and the C12-C14 five-membered ring-fused retinal derivatives, formed the pigments with opsin. The C11-C13 ring-fused analog was isomerized to a relaxed all-trans chromophore (lambda(max) > 400 nm) at even -269 degrees C and the Schiff base was kept protonated at 0 degrees C. The C12-C14 ring-fused analog was converted photochemically to a bathorhodopsin-like chromophore (lambda(max) = 583 nm) at -196 degrees C, which was further converted to the deprotonated Schiff base at 0 degrees C. The model-building study suggested that the analogs do not form pigments in the retinal-binding site of rhodopsin but form pigments with opsin structures, which have larger binding space generated by the movement of transmembrane helices. The molecular dynamics simulation of the isomerization of the analog chromophores provided a twisted C11-C12 double bond for the C12-C14 ring-fused analog and all relaxed double bonds with a highly twisted C10-C11 bond for the C11-C13 ring-fused analog. The structural model of the C11-C13 ring-fused analog chromophore showed a characteristic flip of the cyclohexenyl moiety toward transmembrane segments 3 and 4. The structural models suggested that hula twist is a primary process for the photoisomerization of the analog chromophores.