On the Inverse Resonance Problem

A new technique is presented which gives conditions under whichperturbations of certain base potentials are uniquely determinedfrom the location of eigenvalues and resonances in the contextof a Schrödinger operator on a half line. The method extendsto complex-valued potentials and certain potentials whose firstmoment is not integrable.     

The synthesis of (-)-isodomoic acid C

The neuroactive algal metabolite (-)-isodomoic acid C, a kainoid amino acid, has been synthesized for the first time. Asymmetric dearomatizing cyclization of an aromatic amide using a chiral lithium amide base generates a bicyclic enone containing a pyrrolidinone ring with the relative and absolute stereochemistry of the target. A further 15 synthetic steps, including conjugate cuprate addition to the enone of a side chain precursor, a Ru-promoted oxidation of the phenyl ring to the C2-carboxylic acid substituent, a regioselective Baeyer-Villiger reaction, and an E-selective Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction, elaborate the cyclization product into the target molecule.     

Asymmetric Hydrogenations (Nobel Lecture)

The start of the development of catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation was the concept of replacing the triphenylphosphane ligand of the Wilkinson catalyst with a chiral ligand. With the new catalysts, it should be possible to hydrogenate prochiral olefins. Knowles and his co‐workers were convinced that the phosphorus atom played a central role in this selectivity, as only chiral phosphorus ligands such as (R,R)‐DIPAMP, whose stereogenic center lies directly on the phosphorus atom, lead to high enantiomeric excesses when used as catalysts in asymmetric hydrogenation reactions. This hypothesis was disproven by the development of ligands with chiral carbon backbones. Although the exact mechanism of action of the phosphane ligands is not incontrovertibly determined to this day, they provide a simple entry to a large number of chiral compounds.     

Gas-solid reactions of single crystals: a study of reactions of NH3 and NO2 with single crystalline organic substrates by infrared microspectroscopy

Reaction of single crystals of benzoic and trans-cinnamic acids with 200 Torr pressure of ammonia gas in a sealed glass bulb at 20 degrees C generates the corresponding ammonium salts; there is no sign of any 1:2 adduct as has been reported previously for related systems. Isotopic substitution using ND3 has been used to aid identification of the products. Adipic acid likewise reacts with NH3 gas to form a product in which ammonium salts are formed at both carboxylic acid groups. Reaction of 0.5 Torr pressure of NO2 gas with single crystals of 9-methylanthracene and 9-anthracenemethanol in a flow system generates nitrated products where the nitro group appears to be attached at the 10-position, i.e. the position trans to the methyl or methoxy substituent on the central ring. Isotopic substitution using 15NO2 has been used to confirm the identity of the bands arising from the coordinated NO2 group. The products formed when single crystals of hydantoin are reacted with NO2 gas under similar conditions depend on the temperature of the reaction. At 20 degrees C, a nitrated product is formed, but at 65 degrees C this gives way to a product containing no nitro groups. The findings show the general applicability of infrared microspectroscopy to a study of gas-solid reactions of organic single crystals.     

Measurement of the branching fraction and polarization for the decay B--->D*0K*-

We present a study of the decay B--->D(*0)K(*-) based on a sample of 86 x 10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BBmacr; decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory at SLAC. We measure the branching fraction B(B--->D(*0)K(*-))=(8.3+/-1.1(stat)+/-1.0(syst)) x 10(-4), and the fraction of longitudinal polarization in this decay to be Gamma(L)/Gamma=0.86+/-0.06(stat)+/-0.03(syst).     

Measurements of branching fractions and CP-violating asymmetries in B0-->rho(+/-)h(-/+) decays

We present measurements of branching fractions and CP-violating asymmetries in B0-->rho(+/-)pi(-/+) and B0-->rho-K+ decays. The results are obtained from a data sample of 88.9 x 10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB decays collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory. From a time-dependent maximum likelihood fit we measure the branching fractions B(B0-->rho(+/-)pi(-/+))=[22.6+/-1.8 (stat)+/-2.2 (syst)]x10(-6) and B(B0-->rho-K+)=(7.3 -1.2( +1.3)+/-1.3)x10(-6), and the CP-violating charge asymmetries A(rhopi)(CP)=-0.18+/-0.08+/-0.03 and A(rhoK)(CP)=0.28+/-0.17+/-0.08, the direct CP violation parameter C(rhopi)=0.36+/-0.18+/-0.04 and the mixing-induced CP violation parameter S(rhopi)=0.19+/-0.24+/-0.03, and the dilution parameters DeltaC(rhopi)=0.28 -0.19( +0.18)+/-0.04 and DeltaS(rhopi)=0.15+/-0.25+/-0.03.     

Observation of a narrow meson state decaying to D(+)(s)pi(0) at a mass of 2.32 GeV/c(2)

We have observed a narrow state near 2.32 GeV/c(2) in the inclusive D(+)(s)pi(0) invariant mass distribution from e(+)e(-) annihilation data at energies near 10.6 GeV. The observed width is consistent with the experimental resolution. The small intrinsic width and the quantum numbers of the final state indicate that the decay violates isospin conservation. The state has natural spin-parity and the low mass suggests a J(P)=0(+) assignment. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 91 fb(-1) recorded by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) storage ring.