Selective Functionalization of Fullerenes with N,N-Dihalosulfonamides as an N(1) Unit: Versatile Syntheses of Aza[60]fulleroids and Aziridino[60]fullerenes and their Application to Photovoltaic Cells

Highly selective and versatile methods for the synthesis of aza[60]fulleroids and aziridino[60]fullerenes from C(60) have been developed. The reactions utilized N,N-dihalosulfonamides as an N(1) source. The photophysical, electrochemical, and thermal properties of the iminofullerenes were investigated by means of UV/Vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and thermogravimetry, respectively. Furthermore, photovoltaic cells based on the synthesized iminofullerenes were fabricated. The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the devices showed moderate values ranging from 1.33 to 2.35?%.     

An Air-Stable Low-Bandgap n-Type Organic Polymer Semiconductor Exhibiting Selective Solubility in Perfluorinated Solvents

A thin-film transistor: An n-type polymer semiconductor, poly(2,3-bis(perfluorohexyl)thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine), was synthesized through a Pd-catalyzed polycondensation employing a perfluorinated multiphase solvent system. This is the first example of an n-type polymer semiconductor with exclusive solubility in fluorinated solvents. The fabrication of organic field effect transistors containing this new n-type polymer semiconductor is shown.     

exo-selective asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction catalyzed by diamine salts as organocatalysts

[reaction: see text] A novel binaphthyl-based diamine (R)-2 was designed and synthesized. A protonic acid-(R)-2 salt catalyst has the advantage of exhibiting unprecedented high exo selectivity in the asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes. For instance, the reaction between cinnamaldehyde and cyclopentadiene in the presence of 12 mol % of binaphthyl-based diamine (R)-2 and 10 mol % of p-TsOH.H(2)O in alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluorotoluene at -20 degrees C gave the corresponding exo cycloadduct with 92% ee as a major diastereomer (exo/endo = 13/1).     

Phase-crossing algorithm for white-light fringes analysis

The phase-crossing algorithm is proposed for white-light interferometry, which uses the multi-color phase information of spectrally decomposed interferograms recorded simultaneously with color-sensitive image sensors. The location of zero optical path difference is identified as the singular point at which the phase becomes color invariant, and is determined accurately with a sub-sampling-interval resolution from the crossing point of the multi-color phase distributions obtained by the Fourier transform method. An experimental result is presented that demonstrates the performance of the phase-crossing algorithm.     

Estimation of error variance in ANOVA model and order restricted scale parameters

We consider the estimation of error variance in the analysis of experiments using two level orthogonal arrays. We address the estimator which is the minimum of all the estimators which we obtain by pooling some sums of squares for factorial effects. Under squared error loss, we discuss whether or not this estimator uniformly improves upon the best positive multiple of error sum of squares. We show that when we have two factorial effects, we obtain uniform improvement. However, we show that when we have more than two factorial effects, we cannot necessarily obtain uniform improvement. Further, the above results are applied to the problem of estimating the smallest scale parameter of chi-square distributions.     

Synthesis and Structure of 1,8-Dimethoxy-10-methyl-9-methylene-9H-thioxanthenium Salt—Possibility of Hypervalent Bonding Through O─C─O (?)

Abstract

1,8-dimethoxy-10-methyl-9-methylene-9H-thioxanthenium salt (4) was prepared and the structure was determined by X-ray analysis to show the bond length between O─C is 2.80 A. This is too long to effect a hypervalent bonding. Bis[(1,8-dimethoxy) thioxanthylidene]allene (5) was prepared to be a symmetric compound in solution. Methylation of 5 with Meerwein reagent afforded S-monomethylated product (6) in solution and 6 gradually decomposed to C (or S)-monoprotonated allene (7), which was separately prepared as stable compound.     

Characterization of a d-Stereoselective Aminopeptidase (DamA) Exhibiting Aminolytic Activity and Halophilicity from Aspergillus oryzae

β-Aminopeptidases exhibit both hydrolytic and aminolytic (peptide bond formation) activities and have only been reported in bacteria. We identified a gene encoding the β-aminopeptidase homolog from a genome database of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae. The gene was overexpressed in A. oryzae, and the resulting recombinant enzyme was purified. Apart from bacterial homologs [β-Ala-para-nitroanilide (pNA)], the enzyme preferred d-Leu-pNA and d-Phe-pNA as substrates. Therefore, we designated this gene as d-stereoselective aminopeptidase A (damA). The purified recombinant DamA was estimated to be a hexamer and was composed of two subunits with molecular masses of 29.5 and 11.5 kDa, respectively. Optimal hydrolytic activity of DamA toward d-Leu-pNA was observed at 50 °C and pH 8.0. The enzyme was stable up to 60 °C and from pH 4.0–11.0. DamA also exhibited aminolytic activity, producing d-Leu-d-Leu-NH₂ from d-Leu-NH₂ as a substrate. In the presence of 3.0 M NaCl, the amount of pNA liberated from d-Leu-pNA by DamA was 3.1-fold higher than that in the absence of NaCl. Thus, DamA is a halophilic enzyme. The enzyme was utilized to synthesize several hetero-dipeptides containing a d-amino acid at the N-terminus as well as physiologically active peptides.     

exo‐Selective Asymmetric Diels–Alder Reaction Catalyzed by Diamine Salts as Organocatalysts

An organocatalyst formed from a binaphthyl‐substituted diamine and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid exhibited unprecedented levels of exo selectivity in the Diels–Alder reaction of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes with cyclopentadiene. A novel axially chiral diamine was also designed as an organocatalyst for an asymmetric variant of this reaction, in which the desired cycloadducts were formed with high diastereo‐ and enantioselectivities. The highest diastereoselectivity observed was greater than 20:1 in favor of the exo cycloadduct in the asymmetric Diels–Alder reaction of crotonaldehyde with cyclopentadiene.     

Diastereoselective aziridination of chiral electron-deficient olefins with N-chloro-N-sodiocarbamates catalyzed by chiral quaternary ammonium salts

Chiral quaternary ammonium salt-catalyzed diastereoselective aziridination of electron-deficient olefins that possess a chiral auxiliary with N-chloro-N-sodiocarbamates was developed. The key to high stereoselectivity was found to be the employment of the "matching" stereochemical combination of chiral auxiliary/ammonium salt. For example, when 3-phenyl-(4R,7S)-4-methyl-7-isopropyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindazole (L-menthopyrazole) as a chiral auxiliary and a cinchonidine-derived chiral ammonium salt as a catalyst were applied to the reaction system, perfect diastereoselectivity was realized. Furthermore, the preparation of enantiomerically pure aziridines by removal of the chiral auxiliary was demonstrated.     

Ion-selective Marangoni instability coupled with the nonlinear adsorption/desorption rate

An oil/water interface containing bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate and Ca(2+) or Fe(3+) exhibits spontaneous Marangoni instability associated with the fluctuation in interfacial tension. This instability rarely appears for oil/water systems with Mg(2+), Sr(2+), Ba(2+), Cu(2+), or Co(2+). The same ion selectivity is observed for n-heptane and nitrobenzene despite their significant differences in density, viscosity, and the dielectric constant of oil. We studied this instability under acidic pH conditions to avoid the neutralization reaction effects. The result of the equilibrium interfacial tension and the extraction ratio of cations indicates that a large number of oil-soluble complexes form at the interfaces of Ca(2+)-containing systems and probably for Fe(3+)-containing systems. The results obtained by oscillating drop tensiometry and Brewster angle microscopy indicate that desorption, rather than adsorption, is more significant to the onset of instability and that the resulting complex tends to form aggregates in the interface. This aggregation gives the nonlinear desorption rate of the oil-soluble complex. Then, exfoliation of the aggregating matter occurs, which triggers the Marangoni instability. The induced convection removes the oil-soluble complex accumulated at the interface, creating a renewed interface, which is necessary for the successive occurrence of the Marangoni instability. For the other cations, the oil-soluble compounds are insignificant, and they rarely form aggregates. In such cases, adsorption/desorption proceeds without instability.