Structural Changes in Sol-Gel Derived SiO2 and TiO2 Films by Exposure to Water Vapor

Structural changes in sol-gel derived thin films by exposure to water vapor were investigated using Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy, ellipsometry and x-ray diffraction. We found that SiO₂ gel films were densified with a decrease in OH groups by the exposure at 60°–180°C. The shrinkage and the peak frequency of ₄ (TO) for the exposed films were comparable to those heated in a dry atmosphere at temperatures above 500°C. However, OH groups in the films were not completely removed by the water exposure. A subsequent annealing above 300°C changed the structure of the water-exposed SiO₂ films with condensation of the remaining OH groups. Although the exposed SiO₂ gel films were amorphous, TiO₂ gel films were transformed to anatase with a decrease in OH groups by the treatments at 80°–180°C.     

Synthesis of 3-Diaminomethylene-2(3 H )-furanones by Reaction of 2-Amino-4,5-dihydro-3-furancarboxamides with Amines

 The reaction of 2-amino-4,5-dihydro-3-furancarboxamides with morpholine in the presence of acetic acid in pyridine or under the influence of ammonium acetate gave the corresponding 3-diaminomethylene-4,5-dihydro-2(3H )-furanones; 4,5-dihydro-2-morpholino-3-furancarboxamides were not isolated. One of the former reacted with benzylamine to give (E )- and (Z )-3-(amino-(benzylamino)-methylene)-4,5-dihydro-4-phenyl-2(3H )-furanones and 2-benzylamino-4,5-dihydro-4-phenyl-3-furancarboxamide.     

Preparation and physical properties of amorphous V2O5 containing TiO2, Na2O or Li2O

V₂O₅ gels containing up to 18 mol% of TiO₂ were obtained through the simultaneous hydrolysis of alkoxides in ethanol solution. V₂O₅ gels containing Na₂O or Li₂O were obtained through the ion exchange method. The crystallization temperature, T_cr, of the gels increased and the H₂O content of the gels decreased by the addition of TiO₂ or Na₂O. These additives seem to stabilize the amorphous state of the gels. On the other hand, T_cr and the H₂O-content slightly varied with the addition of Li₂O. No ionic polarization was observed in coating films of the gels dried at temperatures below T_cr. The dc conductivity of the films was anisotropic, and increased with the addition of Li₂O or Na₂O. However, it decreased with increasing TiO₂ content. The fiber-like structure of gels was observed by TEM. The gels obtained from alkoxides were thin and short in comparison with the gels obtained through the ion exchange method.     

Facile synthesis of urea derivatives under mild conditions

Urea derivatives were readily synthesized in good yields under quite mild conditions, i.e., at ambient pressure and room temperature by sulfur-assisted carbonylation of primary amines with carbon monoxide followed by oxidation of the resulting ammonium thiocarbamates with molecular oxygen.     

Synthesis of 2H-Thiopyrans by Rhodium(II) Acetate-Catalyzed Reaction of 4-Amino-2,5-dihydro-3-thiophenecarbonitriles with a-Diazocarbonyl Compounds II [1]

Summary.  The reaction of 4-amino-2,5-dihydro-2- and -5-methyl-3-thiophenecarbonitriles with α-diazocarbonyl compounds in the presence of rhodium(II) acetate gave regioselectively 4-cyano-2H-thiopyrans (C₂-S insertion) in moderate to good yields; 5-cyano-2H-thiopyrans (C₅-S insertion) were not isolated. The starting compounds were synthesized by reaction of tetrahydro-2- and -5-methyl-4-oxo-3-thiophenecarbonitriles with morpholine, piperidine, and pyrrolidine in the presence of formic acid in ethanol. Received November 13, 2000. Accepted December 12, 2000     

Design and synthesis of artificial phospholipid for selective cleavage of integral membrane protein

An artificial phospholipid, possessing saturated alkyl chains as a membrane anchor and protein recognition site as well as an Fe(III)-EDTA moiety as a protein cleavable polar head group, was designed and synthesized based on the amidite method for the purpose of examination of cleavage of integral membrane proteins.     

Elliptic cavity in a three-dimensional anisotropic body with inclined strata deformed by line loads and dislocations

Summary Analytical solutions are proposed for the stress and displacement fields in a quasi three-dimensional elastic anisotropic body containing an elliptic cavity or rigid inclusion. The directions of the principal elastic axes are allowed to be inclined arbitrarily with respect to the axes of the elliptic cavity. As an application, expressions for the stress intensity factors are formulated when the cavity reduces to a colinear crack.     

Pyrrolidine-diaminomethylenemalononitrile organocatalyst for Michael additions of carbonyl compounds to nitroalkenes under solvent-free conditions

The novel pyrrolidine-diaminomethylenemalononitrile organocatalyst 7 promotes the asymmetric conjugate addition of a carbonyl compound to a nitroalkene to afford the corresponding adduct in high yield with up to 99% ee, under solvent-free conditions.     

Two‐dimensional correlation gel permeation chromatography study of aggregate–aggregate interactions during acid‐catalyzed polymerization of triethoxysilyl‐terminated polystyrene

The three‐step polymerization of a well‐defined polymeric silane coupling agent, triethoxysilyl‐terminated polystyrene, catalyzed by acid (H₃PO₄), was traced as a function of the reaction time with gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Time‐resolved GPC traces collected during the polymerization process were then used to construct two‐dimensional (2D) correlation maps via generalized 2D correlation analysis. The results demonstrated that the synchronous and asynchronous 2D correlation GPC spectra directly reflected the dynamic variation of aggregate–aggregate interactions during each step of the polymerization. In particular, it was found that the formation of aggregates among the cyclic trimers (or tetramers) and monomers was critical for the preferential production of pentamers in the reaction system. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3447–3460, 2004