Tristimulus colorimetry using a digital still camera and its application to determination of iron and residual chlorine in water samples.

Tristimulus colorimetry using a digital still camera (DSC) as a colorimeter has been developed. A photograph of a sample and standard solutions was taken simultaneously with the DSC, and it was transferred to a PC. On the PC, the colors of the sample and of the standard solutions were analyzed and L* (brightness), a* (red-green component), and b* (yellow-blue component) values were determined with laboratory-made software. A dedicated light-box containing white-color LEDs as light source was made of white acrylic to make constant exposure at each photograph. Various settings of the DSC, such as exposure mode, white balance, and so on, that affect analytical figures, were studied with determination of iron with 1,10-phenanthroline. This method was successfully applied to the determinations of iron in a river water sample and of residual chlorine in tap water samples with N,N-diethylphenylenediamine (DPD).     

Bioelectronic detector with monoamine oxidase for halitosis monitoring

Methyl mercaptan (MM) is known as one of the major chemicals of halitosis (bad breath). In this study, a bioelectronic gas sensor (bio-detector) for gaseous MM was developed and was applied to measure halitosis in breath. The bio-detector consisted of a Clark-type dissolved oxygen electrode, a monoamine oxidase type-A (MAO-A) immobilized membrane and a reaction unit that had liquid and gaseous compartments separated by a hydrophobic porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) diaphragm membrane. The tip of the electrode covered with MAO-A membrane was placed into the liquid compartment as touching to the PTFE diaphragm membrane. In order to amplify the bio-detector output, a substrate regeneration cycle caused by coupling the monooxygenase with l-ascorbic acid as reducing reaction with reagent system, was applied. The results of MM vapor measurements showed the calibration range of the bio-detector for MM vapor was from 0.087 to 11.5 ppm (correlation coefficient: 0.993) and included the human sense of smell level 5 (0.2 ppm). The bio-detector had good selectivity being attributed to enzyme specificity was obtained for several substances (trimethyl amine, ammonia, dimethyl sulfide, etc.). The bio-detector was applied for halitosis measurement. Expired gases in five subjects were sampled every hour and the concentrations of MM in the expired gases were monitored. The output of bio-detector showed behaviour of halitosis level changes in a day such as increasing with passage of time and decreasing after eating.     

Crystal structures and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies of oxo-centered trinuclear chloroacetate complexes

The crystal structures of oxo-centered trineclear cobalt-iron chloroacetate complex [Co^IIFe ₂ ^III O(CH₂ClCO₂)₆(H₂O)₃]·3H₂O (1) was compared with that of previously reported trinuclear iron complex [Fe^IIFe ₂ ^III O(CH₂ClCO₂)₆(H₂O)₃]·3H₂O (2) which has an isomorphous structure to 1. Compound 1 crystallizes in space group P2₁/n with Z=4 in a unit cell of a=14.826 (4) Å, b=4.536 (8) Å, c=14.000 (4) Å, =100.32 (2)⁰ and V=2968 (11) ų. The structure was refined to R=0.75 and R_w=0.82. The coordination geometries of the three iron atoms are observed equivalent in 1 indicating a static disorder of the position among cobalt and iron atoms. Two distinct Fe^III doublets observed in Mössbauer spectra of 1 become an indistinguishable broad doublet by dehydration of crystal water. On the other hand, no significant line-broadening is observed after the dehydration in complex 2. The results indicate that the dehydration in 2 induces a local environmental change reordering of an electronic configuration around iron atoms, whereas the remaining disordering is reflected in Mössbauer spectrum after the dehydration in 1.     

Synthesis of 3-substituted 4H-1-benzothiopyran-4-ones

3-Substituted 2-phenyl-4H-1-benzothiopyran-4-ones (thioflavones) were prepared to test antimicrobial activity. It was found that 3-(phenyl)thiochromone derivatives (isothioflavones) were prepared by the Meerwein reaction of thiochromone with p-nitrobenzenediazonium ion. 3-(Formyl)thioflavone exhibits weak antimicrobial activity against Trichophytons and Candida.     

Condensed thienopyrimidines. II. Synthesis and gastric antisecretory activity of thiazole and polymethylene condensed thienopyrimidine derivatives

Thiazolo[3,2-a]thieno[3,2-d]-, [3,4-d]- and [2,3-d]pyrimidin-5-one derivatives (6, 11 and 16), and polymethylene condensed thieno[3,2-d]-, [3,4-d]- and [2,3-d]pyrimidin-5-one derivatives (19-21), in which the oxygen atom of the oxazolidine moiety in 3 was replaced by a sulfur atom or methylene groups, were synthesized and evaluated for gastric antisecretory activity in pylorus-ligated rats. The structure-activity relationships of these compounds are discussed.     

Pd(0)‐catalyzed polyaddition of bifunctional vinyloxiranes with 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds: The synthesis of polymers containing hydroxy and carbonyl groups

The palladium(0)‐catalyzed polyaddition of bifunctional vinyloxiranes [1,4‐bis(2‐vinylepoxyethyl)benzene ( 1a ) and 1,4‐bis(1‐methyl‐2‐vinylepoxyethyl)benzene ( 1b )] with 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds [methyl acetoacetate ( 4 ), dimethyl malonate ( 6 ), and Meldrum's acid ( 8 )] was investigated under various conditions. The polyaddition of 1 with 4 was carried out in tetrahydrofuran with phosphine ligands such as PPh₃ and 1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (dppe). Polymers having hydroxy, ketone, and ester groups in the side groups ( 5 ) were obtained in good yields despite the kinds of ligands employed. The number‐average molecular weight value of 5b was higher than that of 5a . The polyaddition of 1b and 6 was affected by the kinds of ligands employed. The corresponding polymer 7b was not obtained when PPh₃ and 1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene were used. The polyaddition was carried out with dppe as the ligand and gave polymer 7b in a good yield. The molecular weight of the polymer obtained from 1b and 8 was much higher than those of polymers 5b and 7b . The polyaddition with Pd₂(dba)₃ · CHCl₃/dppe as a catalyst (where dba is dibenzylideneacetone) produced polymer 9b in a 92% yield (number‐average molecular weight = 45,600). The stereochemistries of all the obtained polymers were confirmed as an E configuration by the coupling constant of the vinyl proton. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2487–2494, 2002     

Radical ring-opening polymerization behavior of vinylcyclopropanes derived from dienes and chloroform

1,1-Dichloro-2-vinylcyclopropane ( Ia ), 1,1-dichloro-2-methyl-2-vinylcyclopropane ( Ib ), 1,1,2-trichloro-2-vinylcyclopropane ( Ic ) were prepared from the corresponding dienes and chloroform in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst (PTC), R₄N⁺Cl^?. Monomers Ia – Ic underwent a clean 1,5-type radical ring-opening process to afford the corresponding polymers in good yield. Further, the relative rate of polymerization and reaction of ( I ) with thiophenol were studied.     

High-Pressure Synthesis and Crystal Structure of B2S3

Two new high-pressure phases of binary boron-sulfur compounds, B₂S₃-II and B₂S₃-III, were synthesized at 3-6.2 GPa. A single crystal of B₂S₃-III was grown and the structure was determined (tetragonal, space group I4₁/a, a=16.086(2) Å, c=30.488(4) Å; V=7888(1) ų, Z=100, R=3.0% and R_w=2.8% for 3047 observed data [I>3.00σ(I)]. The structure of B₂S₃-III consists of two kinds of macrotetrahedra built up from 20 and 34 BS₄-tetrahedra. These macrotetrahedra connect each other to form an interpenetrating zincblende-type structure by sharing BS₄-tetrahedra at the corners of those. B₂S₃-III is anticipated having a rather disordered structure. From the UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrum, the optical band gap of B₂S₃-III was estimated to be 3.7 eV.