Continuous chemoselective methylation of functionalized amines and diols with supercritical methanol over solid acid and acid-base bifunctional catalysts

The selective N-methylation of bifunctionalized amines with supercritical methanol (scCH(3)OH) promoted by the conventional solid acids (H-mordenite, beta-zeolite, amorphous silica-alumina) and acid-base bifunctional catalysts (Cs-P-Si mixed oxide and gamma-alumina) was investigated in a continuous-flow, fixed-bed reactor. The use of scCH(3)OH in the reaction of 2-aminoethanol with methanol (amine/CH(3)OH = 1/10.8) over the solid catalysts led to a significant improvement in the chemoselectivity of the N-methylation. Among the catalysts examined, the Cs-P-Si mixed oxide provided the most efficient catalyst performance in terms of selectivity and reactivity at 300 degrees C and 8.2 MPa; the N-methylation selectivity in the products reaching up to 94% at 86% conversion. The present selective methylation was successfully applied to the synthesis of N-methylated amino alcohols and diamines as well as O-methylated ethylene glycol. Noticeably, ethoxyethylamine was less reactive, suggesting that the hydroxy group of the amino alcohols is a crucial structural factor in determining high reactivity and selectivity, possibly because of the tethering effect of another terminus, a hydroxo group, to the catalyst surface. The magic-angle-spinning NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis of the Cs-P-Si mixed oxide catalyst revealed that the acidic and basic sites originate from P(2)O(5)/SiO(2) and Cs/SiO(2), respectively, and the weak acid-base paired sites are attributed to three kinds of cesium phosphates on SiO(2). The weak acid-base sites on the catalyst surface might be responsible for the selective dehydrative methylation.     

Observation of electrostatically released DNA from gold electrodes with controlled threshold voltages

DNA oligo-nucleotides, localized at Au metal electrodes in aqueous solution, are found to be released when applying a negative bias voltage to the electrode. The release was confirmed by monitoring the intensity of the fluorescence of cyanine dyes (Cy3) linked to the 5' end of the DNA. The threshold voltage of the release changes depending on the kind of linker added to the DNA 3'-terminal. The amount of released DNA depends on the duration of the voltage pulse. Using this technique, we can retain DNA at Au electrodes or Au needles, and release the desired amount of DNA at a precise location in a target. The results suggest that DNA injection into living cells is possible with this method.     

Diastereoselective photochromism of a bisbenzothienylethene governed by steric as well as electronic interactions

Introduction of an asymmetric center to C-2 of one of the benzothiophene rings of bisbenzothienylperfluorocyclopentene results in a highly diastereoselective photochromic system. The stereogenic center bears a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, and a methoxymethoxy group. The steric as well as the electronic repulsions gave an 87-88% diastereomer excess in various solvents at room temperature with 80-85% conversion to the colored form. The enantioselective synthesis was also carried out. Upon photoirradiation in hexane, a change in optical rotation at 820 nm, where neither the open form nor the colored form absorbs light, was observed repeatedly.     

Three-Quark Potential in SU(3) Lattice QCD

The static three-quark ( 3Q) potential is studied in SU(3) lattice QCD with 12(3)x24 and beta = 5.7 at the quenched level. From the 3Q Wilson loop, 3Q ground-state potential V(3Q) is extracted using the smearing technique for ground-state enhancement. With accuracy better than a few percent, V(3Q) is well described by a sum of a constant, the two-body Coulomb term, and the three-body linear confinement term sigma(3Q)L(min), with L(min) the minimal value of total length of color flux tubes linking the three quarks. Comparing with the Q-&Qmacr; potential, we find a universal feature of the string tension, sigma(3Q) approximately sigma(Q&Qmacr;), and the OGE result for Coulomb coefficients, A(3Q) approximately 1 / 2A(Q&Qmacr;).     

Second-harmonic generation and wave-front correction of a terawatt laser system

By combining second-harmonic generation and wave-front correction of a hybrid Ti:sapphire-Nd:glass terawatt laser chain, we were able to generate a focused intensity above 10(19) W/cm(2), with an estimated 10(9):1 intensity contrast ratio. The frequency of the laser is doubled by use of a type I KDP crystal, and wave-front correction is achieved with a deformable mirror coupled to a wave-front sensor.     

Validity of retinal oxygen saturation analysis: Hyperspectral imaging in visible wavelength with fundus camera and liquid crystal wavelength tunable filter

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the feasibility of a newly developed hyperspectral fundus imaging camera with a liquid crystal tunable filter. The intensities of different wavelengths of light transmitted through an artery, vein, and the area surrounding these vessels and reflected out were measured, and the differential spectral absorptions were analyzed. Measurements were made from 16 normal eyes and from two artificial capillaries. The ratios of absorption (ROA) of arteries to veins from 500 to 580 nm (range 1) and from 600 to 720 nm (range 2) were calculated. For all eyes, the ROA_range1 was larger than ROA_range2. The ROA obtained from the artificial capillary filled with blood saturated with oxygen or nitrogen was similar to that of simulated data of oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin extinction rate. Most ROAs of human eyes were lower than those of the simulated data and the artificial capillaries. Oxygen saturation analysis by hyperspectral fundus imaging of retinal vessels were qualitatively in agreement with thein vitro analysis or simulated values. However, further improvements are necessary to evaluate the oxygen saturation quantitatively in the retinal blood vessels.     

Intramolecular conjugate addition of γ- and δ-trichloroacetimidoyloxy-α,β-unsaturated esters in an acyclic system

An intramolecular conjugate addition of γ- and δ-trichloroacetimidoyloxy-α,β-unsaturated esters, a new way to construct 1,2-amino or 1,3-amino alcohol moieties in an acyclic system, is described. Very concise synthesis of d-vancosamine and 3-epi-d-vancosamine derivatives was also achieved utilizing this methodology.