Selective detection of polyaromatic hydrocarbons on diesel exhaust particles using sputtered neutral mass spectrometry

Aiming for the highly sensitive analysis of aromatic hydrocarbons in organic mixtures, selective ionization using an ultraviolet laser ionization technique was examined for the determination of sputtered neutral species on organic surfaces. The mass spectrum of a model mixture containing pyrene and n‐alkane showed that only pyrene was ionized and detected, whereas a mass spectrum without laser irradiation, i.e. in the case of secondary ion mass spectrometry, was dominated by many n‐alkane fragment peaks. This technique was applied for the detection of polyaromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed on diesel exhaust particles. Two kinds of polyaromatic hydrocarbons were clearly detected because many aliphatic fragment signals were suppressed by means of ultraviolet laser ionization. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photoinduced alignment of polymer liquid crystals containing azobenzene moieties in the side group VII. On He-Ne laser beam irradiation

Photoinduced alignment in a polymer liquid crystal prepared from 6-{1-[4-(2-cyano-4-nitrophenylazo)phenyl]piperazino}hexyl acrylate and 4'-[6-(methacryloyloxy)hexyloxy]-4-cyanobiphenyl was investigated for the first time on irradiation with a polarized He-Ne laser beam at 633 nm. The azobenzene moieties as well as the inert cyanobiphenyl mesogenic units were aligned with the molecular long axis perpendicular to the polarization direction of the irradiation light. Alignment induced on short irradiation was reversible, while that induced under prolonged irradiation was irreversible due to the occurrence of crosslinking which might be caused by photoinduced decomposition of the azobenzene moieties during the photoirradiation process.     

Electro-optic effect,propagation loss,and switching speed in polymers containing nano-sized droplets of liquid crystal

Polymers containing droplets of liquid crystal smaller than 100 nm, which have good transparency and easily form films, were prepared under various conditions to evaluate their potential as electro-optic materials for waveguide-type devices. By varying the liquid crystal concentration and the strength of the UV irradiation causing photo-induced phase separation of the droplets, we were able to control the droplet size and density. We have clarified how the birefringence generated in an applied electric field, switching speed, and optical loss of light propagating in the film depend on droplet size and density. Polymer materials having a large electro-optic effect (δn = 0.001 at 8 V μm^-1), low propagation loss (~2.5 dB cm^-1), and fast response time (~10 μs) have been developed.     

Synthetic Studies on Sialoglycoconjugates 40: Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Sialyl Lewis X Epitope and Its Ceramide Derivative

Abstract

Stereocontrolled synthesis of sialyl Le^x epitope and its ceramide derivative with regard to the introduction of galactose or β-D-galactosyl ceramide into the terminal N-acetylglucosamine residue of sialyl Le^x determinant is described. Königs-Knorr condensation of 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl 2, 4, 6-tri-O-benzyl-β-D-galactopyranoside (4) with 3, 4, 6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-D-glucopyranosyl bromide (5) gave the desired β-glycoside 6, which was converted into 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl O-(2-acetamido-4, 6-O-benzylidene-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-(l→3)-2, 4, 6-tri-O-benzyl-β-D-galactopyranoside (8) via removal of the phthaloyl and O-acetyl groups, followed by N-acetylation and 4, 6-O-benzylidenation. Glycosylation of 8 with methyl 2, 3, 4-tri-O-benzyl-1-thio-β-L-fucopyranoside (9) gave the α-glycoside (10), which was transformed by reductive ring-opening of the benzyliderie acetal into the acceptor (11). Dimethyl(methylthio)sulfonium triflate (DMTST)-promoted coupling of 11 with methyl O-(methyl 5-acetamido-4, 7, 8, 9-tetra-O-acetyl-3, 5-dideoxy-D-glycero-α-D-galacto-2-nonulopyranosylonate)-(2→3)-2, 4, 6-tri-O-benzoyl-l-thio-β-D-galactopyra-noside (12) afforded the desired pentasaccharide (13), which was converted into the α-trichloroacetimidate 16 via reductive removal of the benzyl groups, then O-acetylation, removal of the 2-(trimethyIsilyl)ethyl group and treatment with trichloroacetonitrile. Condensation of 16 with (2S, 3R, 4E)-2-azido-3-O-benzoyl-4-octadecene-l, 3-diol (18) gave the β-glycoside 19, which was transformed into the title compound 21, via reduction of the azido group, coupling with octadecanoic acid, O-deacylation and hydrolysis of the methyl ester group. On the other hand, O-deacylation of 13 and subsequent hydrolysis of the methyl ester group gave the pentasaccharide epitope 17.     

Synthetic Studies on Sialoglycoconjugates 12: Total Synthesis of Sialyl Neolactotetraosyl Ceramide

Abstract

Sialoglycoconjugates such as glycoproteins and glycolipids are present as components of cell memberanes and play important roles^1,2 in biological systems. Sialyl neolactotetrasyl ceramide (IV³NeuAcnLc₄Cer), a complex type of ganglioside, was isolated as the major ganglioside of human erythrocytes³ and was shown to be a receptor of that this glycolipid induces granulocytic differentiation of human premyelocytic leukemia cell.     

Partial crystalline transformation of solvated cellulose IIII crystals, reproduced by theoretical calculations

In hot-water molecular dynamics simulation at 370 K, four cellulose III_I crystal models, with different lattice planes and dimensions, exhibited partial crystalline transformations of (1 ?1 0) chain sheets, in which hydroxymethyl groups were irreversibly rotated from gt into tg conformations, accompanied by hydrogen-bond exchange from the original O3–O6 to cellulose-I-like O2–O6 bonds. The final hydrogen-bond exchange ratio was about 95 % for some of the crystal models after 50 ns simulation. The corrugated (1 ?1 0) chain sheet was converted to a cellulose-I-like flat chain sheet with a slightly right-handed twist. The 3D structures of the three types of isolated chain sheet models were optimized using density functional theory calculations to compare their stabilities without crystal packing forces. The cellulose Iβ (1 0 0) models were more stable than the cellulose III_I (1 ?1 0) models. The optimized structure of cellulose III_I (1 0 0) models deviated largely from the initial sheet form. It was proposed to the crystalline transformation from cellulose III_I to Iβ that conversion of the chain sheet structure first take place, followed by sliding of the chain sheet along the fiber axis.     

Enormously extended π-electronic conjugation system of dimeric octaethylporphyrin transmitted with anthracene

Based on the fact that anthracene (Anth) possesses much higher similarity in electron-releasing ability to porphyrin nucleus than the other polyacenes, the dimeric octaethylporphyrin (OEP) derivatives 4 and 5 (OEP–Anth–OEP) were synthesized and their structure–property relationships were examined, as compared with related OEP dimers 1–3. Among them, the derivative 4 showed enormously high electronic communication between two terminal OEP rings, potentially providing a suitable unit of the electronic structure for molecular design of the OEP devices operating with less energy and with higher sensitivity to outside stimuli.     

Recognition of caffeine by a water-soluble acyclic phane compound

Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) is a chemical substance associated with everyday human life. In order to recognize caffeine in water, six water-soluble acyclic phane compounds composed of three aromatic rings were examined as artificial receptors. ¹H NMR titration experiments revealed that 6,6′-[1,3-phenylenebis(carbonylimino)]bis-1,3-naphthalenedisulfonate had the highest binding ability for caffeine, with a binding constant (K_b) of 127±5 M⁻¹ at 300 K. While this phane compound also formed a complex with theophylline (1,3-dimethylxanthine) at around half the value of the binding constant for caffeine (K_b=64±4 M⁻¹), it showed weak or little complexation for adenosine, guanosine, inosine, and their 5′-phosphates (sodium salts of adenylic acid, guanylic acid, and inosinic acid).     

Polymeric saturable-absorber mirror for passive Q-switching of a laser-diode-pumped Nd3+:YVO4 microchip laser

A polymeric multilayered mirror doped with a saturable dye worked as a passive Q-switch of a laser-diode-pumped Nd(3+):YVO4 microchip laser. The multilayered mirror consisted of alternately spin-coated layers of polyvinylcarbazole (PVK) and cellulose acetate on a glass substrate. A dye of bis-(dimethylaminodithiobenzil)-nickel was doped in one of the layers of PVK, providing the repetitively Q-switched pulses. The pulse width and repetition rate were 4 ns and 68 kHz, respectively, for a laser-cavity length of 5 mm, and the average and the peak power were 40 mW and 156 W, respectively, for the highest pump power of 435 mW. The dependence of the Q-switched characteristics on the pump power and on the concentration of the doped dye is described.