Silicon-based liquid-crystal cell for self-branching of optical packets

Self-controlled photonic switching was achieved by combining the photoconductivity of a semiconductor and the electrical tunability of a liquid crystal (LC). Pulse packets of 1.06 μm wavelength created free carriers in a silicon electrode of an LC cell, which triggered voltage application for LC reorientation. Consequently, polarization direction of the succeeding packets became perpendicular to that of the preceding packets, and they progressed in different directions after passing through a polarization beam splitter. The cascade LC cells divided a series of packets one by one in a self-controlled manner.     

Effect of cross-diffusion on the stationary problem of a prey-predator model with a protection zone

This paper is concerned with the stationary problem of a prey-predator cross-diffusion system with a protection zone for the prey. We discuss the existence and non-existence of coexistence states of the two species by using the bifurcation theory. As a result, it is shown that the cross-diffusion for the prey has beneficial effects on the survival of the prey when the intrinsic growth rate of the predator is positive. We also study the asymptotic behavior of positive stationary solutions as the cross-diffusion coefficient of the prey tends to infinity.     

Enhanced visible-light activity of titania via confinement inside carbon nanotubes

Titania confined inside carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was synthesized using a restrained hydrolysis method. Raman spectra and magnetic measurements using a SQUID magnetometer suggested the formation of remarkable oxygen vacancies over the encapsulated TiO(2) in comparison with nanoparticles dispersed on the outer surface of CNTs, extending the photoresponse of TiO(2) from the UV to the visible-light region. The CNT-confined TiO(2) exhibited improved visible-light activity in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) relative to the outside titania and commercial P25, which is attributed to the modification of the electronic structure of TiO(2) induced by the unique confinement inside CNTs. These results provide further insight into the effect of confinement within CNTs, and the composites are expected to be promising for applications in visible-light photocatalysis.     

Determination of bismuth in open ocean waters by inductively coupled plasma sector-field mass spectrometry after chelating resin column preconcentration

A novel low-blank method is described for the analysis of bismuth in seawater based on preconcentration using an ethylenediaminetriacetic acid chelating resin column followed by determination with inductively coupled plasma sector-field mass spectrometry (ICPSFMS). A sample is siphoned into and drains through the column with the flow rate being kept constant by using a flotation device. Bi in 250 mL of acidified seawater is extracted onto the column in this process and eluted with 2 mL of 3 M HNO₃ followed by 3 mL of ultra-high purity water. The concentration of Bi in the eluate is measured by ICPMS. The benefits of the method compared to others are its simplicity, a smaller amount of seawater, and lower procedural blanks and detection limits at pg kg⁻¹ levels. Data on dissolved Bi in open ocean reference samples of SAFe and GEOTRACES programs are presented for the first time.     

One‐Pot Synthesis of 1,4‐Dihydro‐2‐thioxo‐2H‐3,1‐benzoxazine‐4‐acetic Acid Derivatives by the Reaction of 2‐Isothiocyanatophenyl Ketones with Lithium Enolates of Acetates and Tertiary Acetamides

The one‐pot synthesis of 4‐aryl‐1,4‐dihydro‐2‐thioxo‐2H‐3,1‐benzoxazine‐4‐acetic acid derivatives 2 was achieved in good yields by the reaction of aryl(2‐isothiocyanatophenyl)methanones 1 with lithium enolates of acetates and tertiary acetamides. (2E)‐1‐(2‐Isothiocyanatophenyl)‐3‐phenylprop‐2‐en‐1‐one ( 3 ) gave 1,4‐dihydro‐4‐[(1E)‐2‐phenylethenyl]‐2‐thioxo‐2H‐3,1‐benzoxazine‐4‐acetic acid derivatives 4 in good yields as well.     

Synthesis and extension/contraction motion of spiroborate-based double-stranded helicates consisting of substituted oligophenol strands

A new class of ortho- and meta-substituted tetraphenols at the terminal phenyl residues with a biphenylene unit in the middle were synthesized and the effect of the substitution position on the spiroborate-based double-stranded helicate formation with sodium borohydride was investigated. The ortho-substitution considerably hampered the spiroborate formation between the terminal biphenol units and the boron atoms, whereas the meta-substituted oligomers formed a double-stranded helicate bridged by spiroborate groups accommodating a sodium cation in the center, which displayed an extension and contraction motion triggered by the removal and addition of sodium ions in solution.     

Concise total synthesis of (-)-myxalamide A

The MIDA touch: A concise and highly convergent protecting-group-free total synthesis of (-)-myxalamide?A involves a stereoselective vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction of a vinylketene silyl N,O-acetal, together with a one-pot Stille/Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction using Burke's N-methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronate to connect left- and right-hand fragments of the molecule (see scheme).     

Micro fluorescent analysis system integrating GaN-light-emitting-diode on a silicon platform

A micro fluorescent analysis system is proposed using silicon micromachining. GaN blue light-emitting diode (LED) monolithically integrated on a silicon substrate is used as a light source for the fluorescent analysis system. The blue light suits the excitation of several dyes used commonly in fluorescent analysis. Silicon photodiode (Si-PD) that matches the visible and near infrared fluorescent wavelengths of dyes is integrated on a silicon substrate. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-channels are also stacked for flowing dye-sensitized liquid. Therefore, the proposed system is an integrated system that can be composed on a silicon platform, i.e. a bottom layer of Si-PD, a middle layer of GaN-LED on silicon substrate and a top layer of micro PDMS channel. An aperture is opened into the GaN-LED layer by deep reactive ion etching to create a ring-shaped GaN-LED and a through-hole for detection. The light from the ring-shaped GaN-LED in the middle layer excites the dye-sensitized liquid in the top micro-channel layer. The fluorescence emitted from dye is detected by the Si-PD on the bottom layer at an angle larger than 90 degrees from the direction of excitation. Therefore, the detection optics consist basically of a dark-field illumination optical system. In order to evaluate the performance of the integrated system, fluorescence of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) solution flowing in the micro channel is measured. From the measurement, the noise, sensitivity and limit of detection in the fabricated system are evaluated for FITC dye to be 0.57 pA, 1.21 pA μM(-1) and 469 nM, respectively. From these results, a compact fluorescence analysis system is demonstrated.     

Rigid P-chiral phosphine ligands with tert-butylmethylphosphino groups for rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of functionalized alkenes

Both enantiomers of 2,3-bis(tert-butylmethylphosphino)quinoxaline (QuinoxP*), 1,2-bis(tert-butylmethylphosphino)benzene (BenzP*), and 1,2-bis(tert-butylmethylphosphino)-4,5-(methylenedioxy)benzene (DioxyBenzP*) were prepared in short steps from enantiopure (S)- and (R)-tert-butylmethylphosphine-boranes as the key intermediates. All of these ligands were crystalline solids and were not readily oxidized on exposure to air. Their rhodium complexes exhibited excellent enantioselectivities and high catalytic activities in the asymmetric hydrogenation of functionalized alkenes, such as dehydroamino acid derivatives and enamides. The practical utility of these catalysts was demonstrated by the efficient preparation of several chiral pharmaceutical ingredients having an amino acid or a secondary amine component. A rhodium complex of the structurally simple ligand BenzP* was used for the mechanistic study of asymmetric hydrogenation. Low-temperature NMR studies together with DFT calculations using methyl α-acetamidocinnamate as the standard model substrate revealed new aspects of the reaction pathways and the enantioselection mechanism.     

Palladium(II) containing γ-Keggin silicodecatungstate that efficiently catalyzes hydration of nitriles

A mixture of Pd(OAc)(2) and TBA(4)[γ-SiW(10)O(34)(H(2)O)(2)] (TBA-SiW10, TBA = [(n-C(4)H(9))(4)N](+)) showed high catalytic activities for hydration of various kinds of structurally diverse nitriles including aromatic, aliphatic, heteroaromatic, and double bond-containing ones. For hydration of 3-cyanopyridine, the turnover frequency was 860 h(-1), and the turnover number reached up to 670. A dipalladium-substituted γ-Keggin silicodecatungstate, [γ-H(2)SiW(10)O(36)Pd(2)(OAc)(2)](4-) (I), was successfully synthesized by the reaction of [γ-SiW(10)O(34)(H(2)O)(2)](4-) with Pd(OAc)(2) in a mixed solvent of acetone and water. The crystal structure of I was a monomeric, dipalladium-substituted, γ-Keggin silicodecatungstate with bidentate acetate ligands. Compound I showed similar activities and selectivities to those of a simple mixture of Pd(OAc)(2) and TBA-SiW10. The kinetic, mechanistic, and density functional theory calculation studies show that the dipalladium site plays an important role in the present hydration, and the nucleophilic attack of a hydroxide or water to the nitrile carbon atom is included in the rate-determining step.