Development of rapid plutonium analysis for environmental samples by isotope dilution/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with on-line column.

This paper describes our development of a rapid on-line column/ID-ICP-MS technique for the analysis of plutonium (Pu) in environmental samples using an UTEVA extraction chromatograph resin (UTEVA resin) column. It took only 40 min to separate and measure Pu in the sample solution, including the time for conditioning the resin column for the next analysis. In our method, Pu in a 3 M nitric acid solution was fed to the UTEVA resin, and then eluted from the resin by reducing Pu to Pu(III) with 3 M nitric acid mixed with 0.01 M ascorbic acid after washing the resin. The outflow from the resin column was directly introduced to an ICP-MS system. The low concentration of ascorbic acid and the small volume of the eluting solution (0.6 mL) made successive stable analysis possible without any skimmer cone clogging. The chemical recovery of Pu during column operation was 70%, and typical lower detection limits for 239Pu, 240Pu and 242Pu were 9.2, 4.3 and 7.5 fg (21, 36 and 1.1 microBq), respectively. We analyzed five international standard materials for Pu, and obtained good results.     

Preparation of five- and six- membered cyclic ketones by the palladium-catalyzed cyclization reaction. Application to methyl dihydrojasmonate synthesis

Methyl 3-oxo-8-phenoxy-6-octenoate ($\text{1}$) was cyclized using Pd(OAc)₂-PPh₃ as a catalyst to give 2-carbomethoxy-3-vinylcyclopentanone ($\text{2}$) and 2-carbomethoxy-4-cycloheptenone ($\text{3}$). The former was the main product in acetonitrile. 2-Alkylated 3-oxo-8-phenoxy-6-octenoates were converted mainly to the five-membered ketones. Based on this cyclization method, methyl dihydrojasmonate ($\text{8}$) was prepared from methyl 2-pentyl-3-oxo-8-phenoxy-6-octenoate ($\text{5}$). Methyl 3-oxo-9-phenoxy-7-nonenoate (10) was subjected to the palladium-catalyzed cyclization to afford 2-carbomethoxy-3-vinylcyclohexanone (11) selectively without forming the eight-membered ketone (12).     

MD simulation study of the sputtering process by high-energy gas cluster impact

We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the characteristic sputtering process with large cluster ion impact. The statistical properties of incident Ar and sputtered Si atoms were examined using 100 different MD simulations with Ar₁₀₀₀ cluster impacting on a Si(0 0 1) target at a total acceleration energy of 50 keV. The results show that the kinetic energy distribution of Ar atoms after impact obeys the high-temperature Boltzmann distribution due to thermalization through high-density multiple collisions on the target. On the other hand, the kinetic energy distribution of sputtered target atoms demonstrates a hybrid model of thermalization and collision-cascade desorption processes.     

Molecular dynamics study of particle emission by reactive cluster ion impact

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of sputtering process with fluorine cluster impact onto silicon targets were performed. By iterating collisional simulations on a same target, accumulation of incident atoms and evolution of surface morphology were examined as well as emission process of precursors. When (F₂)₃₀₀ clusters were sequentially irradiated on Si(1 0 0) target at 6 keV of total incident energy, column-like surface structure covered with F atoms was formed. As the number of incident clusters increased, sputtering yield of Si atoms also increased because the target surface was well fluoridised to provide SiF_x precursors. Size distribution of emitted particles showed that SiF₂ was the major sputtered particle, but various types of silicon-fluoride compounds such like Si₂F_x, Si₃F_x and very large molecules consists of 100 atoms were also observed. This size distribution and kinetic energy distribution of desorbed materials were studied, which showed that the sputtering mechanism with reactive cluster ions is similar to that under thermal equilibrium condition at high-temperature.     

High-intensity Si cluster ion emission from a silicon target bombarded with large Ar cluster ions

Secondary ions emitted from Si targets were measured with a quadrupole mass spectrometer under large Ar cluster and monomer ion bombardment. Incident ion beams with energies from 7.5 to 25 keV were used and the mean size of the Ar cluster ion was about 1000 atoms/cluster. Si_n⁺ ions with n values up to n = 8 were detected under Ar cluster ion bombardment, whereas Si cluster ions were scarcely detected under Ar monomer ion bombardment. These cluster ion yields showed the power law dependence on the cluster size.     

Chirality transfer from C-O to C-C in the palladium catalyzed ScN′ reaction of (E)- and (Z)-allylic carbonates with carbonucleophile

Very efficient intramolecular chirality transfer has been achieved in reactions of the (E)- and (Z)-allyl carbonates 10 and 14 by using Pd(0) and the bicyclic phosphite 11 and phosphine 13 as the catalyst. Reactions of 10 and 14 in the presence of 11 and a base gave the (3R)-lactones 12 and (3S)-12, respectively, with 96% and 94% chirality transfer. While the reactions using 13 in the absence of a base gave (3R)-12 and (3S)-12 with 90% and 65% chirality transfer.     

Synthesis of 2-decenedioic acid (royal jelly acid) by sequential carbonylation of butadiene catalyzed by a palladium—phosphine complex and dicobalt octacarbonyl

Carbonylation of butadiene in t-butyl alcohol catalyzed by a palladium complex gave t-butyl-3,8-nonadienoate (I). Further carbonylation of I in methanol with Co₂(CO)₈ afforded t-butylmethyl-3-decenedioate (II) as the main product. Hydrolysis and base-catalyzed isomerization of II produced E-2-decenedioic acid.