New sesquiterpene lactones from water extract of the root of Lindera strychnifolia with cytotoxicity against the human small cell lung cancer cell, SBC-3

In the present study, new sesquiterpene lactones (1) and (2) were isolated from the EtOAc soluble fraction of the water extract of Linderae Radix through bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation methods. The structure of these compounds was elucidated by spectroscopic analysis of their 2D NMR spectra, including COSY, HMBC, and HMQC techniques. Two isolates showed significant cytotoxicity against the human small cell lung cancer cell SBC-3, and lesser cytotoxicity against mouse fibroblast cell 3T3-L1.     

Syntheses and properties of emissive iridium(III) complexes with tridentate benzimidazole derivatives

A series of novel emissive Ir(III) complexes having the coordination environments of [Ir(N--N--N)2]3+, [Ir(N--N--N)(N--N)Cl]2+, and [Ir(N--N--N)(N--C--N)]2+ with 2,6-bis(1-methyl-benzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine (L1, N--N--N), 1,3-bis(1-methyl-benzimidazol-2-yl)benzene (L2H, N--C--N), 4'-(4-methylphenyl)-2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine (ttpy, N--N--N), and 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy, N--N) have been synthesized and their photophysical and electrochemical properties studied. The Ir(III) complexes exhibited phosphorescent emissions in the 500-600 nm region, with lifetimes ranging from approximately 1-10 micros at 295 K. Analysis of the 0-0 energies and the redox potentials indicated that the lowest excited state of [Ir(L1)(L2)]2+ possessed the highest contribution of 3MLCT (MLCT = metal-to-ligand charge transfer) among the Ir(III) complexes, reflecting the sigma-donating ability of the tridentate ligand, ttpy < L1 < L2. The emission quantum yields (phi) of the Ir(III) complexes ranged from 0.037 to 0.19, and the highest phi value (0.19) was obtained for [Ir(L1)(bpy)Cl]2+. Radiative rate constants (k(r)) were 1.2 x 10(4) s(-1) for [Ir(ttpy)2]3+, 3.7 x 10(4) s(-1) for [Ir(L1)(bpy)Cl]2+, 3.8 x 10(4) s(-1) for [Ir(ttpy)(bpy)Cl]2+, 3.9 x 10(4) s(-1) for [Ir(L1)2]3+, and 6.6 x 10(4) s(-1) for [Ir(L1)(L2)]2+. The highest radiative rate for [Ir(L1)(L2)]2+ with the highest contribution of 3MLCT could be explained in terms of the singlet-triplet mixing induced by spin-orbit coupling of 5d electrons in the MLCT electronic configurations.     

Freeze-dried cellulose acetate membrane fine structure observation

A freeze-dried cellulose acetate membrane fine structure was observed with an ultrathin sectioning electron microscope. The fine structure for the top surface in this membrane could be seen by lead citrate staining ultrathin sectioning. This network structure was observed among pores, which existed in porous substrate. The pore diameter in the top surface was about 50 Å, a value that agrees approximately with the value estimated by gas permeation.     

X-ray crystal structure of a thiabenzene derivative

The first success of an X-ray analysis of a thiabenzene derivative, 1-benzoyl-2-methyl-2-thianaphthalene is described.     

A study of Franck—Condon envelopes of the photoelectron bands of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Franck—Condon envelopes of photoelectron bands of polycyclic aromatics are studied on the basis of MO and normal coordinate calculations. A simple ap This indicates that the present approach holds promise for predicting geometries of ionized molecules as well as vibrational envelopes of PE spectra. T The vibrational bandshapes and the geometry changes on ionization are discussed in connection with the types of normal modes and molecular orbitals. Ba Molecular deformations on ionization for a particular type of PE band are found to be distinct from those for the other types; for the Kekulé-bands t the short-axis bands and the long-axis bands ionized molecules are expanded preferentially along the corresponding molecular axis, and for the M-bands     

Crystal structure and radiation-induced solid-state polymerization of 1,3,5,7,9,11-hexoxecane

One of the cyclic oligomers of formaldehyde, 1,3,5,7,9,11-hexoxecane, was found to undergo polymerization in the solid state to form polyoxymethylene both during and subsequent to x- or γ-irradiation. The polymer yield increases with polymerization temperature but decreases drastically near the melting point of the hexoxecane crystal. In order to clarify the specificity of the solid-state polymerization, the crystal structure of hexoxecane was first analyzed; hexoxecane forms a trigonal crystal with cell dimensions of a = b = 7.917 Å, c = 11.345 Å, space group R3 –C_3i², three molecules of 3 symmetry per unit cell. The polyoxymethylene as polymerized from a single crystal of hexoxecane is highly crystalline and the crystallites are definitely oriented with respect to the original crystal. There are three kinds of oriented trigonal polyoxymethylene: i.e., with the polymer chains oriented along the 〈100〉, 〈001〉, and 〈210〉 axes of the hexoxecane crystal. The relative yields of these crystallites depend upon the polymerization temperature. In addition to the ordinary trigonal polyoxymethylene, oriented orthorhombic polyoxymethylene was also found in the case of polymerization during treatment with x-rays.     

Use of enzymes in peptide synthesis

Recent experiments in several laboratories have emphasized the benefits of proteolytic enzymes as effective catalysts for the formation of peptide bonds for synthesis and semisynthesis. This review summarizes successful applications in both stepwise synthesis for small peptides and fragment condensation to produce large polypeptides and proteins.     

Effects of substrate microstructure on the magnetic anisotropy of sputtered cobalt alloy film

The magnetic properties and crystalline structure of Co alloy film deposited on a regularly corrugated substrate have been studied. Microscopic grooves are lithographically fabricated on InP substrates. In-plane anisotropy energy is 4–5×10⁴J/m³. The magnetic anisotropy is affected by the crystallographic orientation and the microscopic shape of the corrugated Co alloy film.