Theoretical study of the thermal interconversion mechanism between the norbornadiene and quadricyclane radical cations

Geometry optimizations at the UHF/6-31G^* and UMP2/6-31G^* levels of theory were performed to find the transition state in the interconversion between norbornadiene (N) and quadricyclane (Q) radical cations. Two transition structures, TS^+·₁ and TS^+·₂, were obtained which have C₁ and C₂ symmetry, respectively. Vibrational analysis at the UHF and UMP2 levels of theory and IRC calculation showed that TS^+·₁ is the true transition state connecting N^+· and Q^+·, while TS^+·₂ is a second order saddle point.     

Solid formation behavior during the conditioning of simulated high level liquid waste for transuranic elements extraction

The acidity change and solid formation in a simulated high level liquid waste (HLLW) containing precipitate were experimentally examined, when the acidity was reduced from 2M to 0.5M by denitration or simple dilution. The acidity of the simulated HLLW containing precipitate could be adjusted from 2M to around 0.5M by means of denitration or dilution, as well as the case of simulated HLLW without precipitate. The precipitation fractions of Zr, Mo and Te during denitration decreased with increasing amount of the precipitate already contained in the simulated HLLW. The amount of solid formed in the dilute simulated HLLW also decreased with increasing amount of precipitate in the simulated HLLW. Two process flow sheets for preparing HLLW for transuranic elements extraction were developed. One was a denitration process and the other a dilution process.     

Stereoselective synthesis of tetrasubstituted (Z)-alkenes from aryl alkyl ketones utilizing the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction

Tetrasubstituted (Z)-alkenes were readily prepared through the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions of methyl 2-[bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)phosphono]propionate with aryl alkyl ketones by employing Sn(OSO(2)CF(3))(2) and N-ethylpiperidine.     

Stimulatory effect of red light on starch accumulation in a marine green alga,chlamydomonas sp. strain MGA161

A marine green alga,Chlamydomonas sp. strain MGA161 was cultivated under illumination of red and white lights. The growth rate under red light illumination was almost the same as that in the basic conditions under white light illumination, but red light-grown cells accumulated almost twice as much starch as white light-grown cells. Although there was a slight decrease in carbonic anhydrase activity, red light-illuminated cells had almost 2.3 times the fructose-l,6-diphos-phatase activity of white light-illuminated cells. Red light might stimulate starch accumulation by increasing the amounts of enzymes related to carbon fixation through the phytochrome system. Cells grown under red light degraded 1.6 times as much starch and produced 1.7 times as much hydrogen and 1.6 times as much ethanol compared with cells grown under white light during 12 h of dark anaerobic fermentation.     

Anion-exchange behaviour of various metals on DEAE-cellulose in mixed acetic acid-nitric acid media

A number of nitrato complexes of metals have been found to be adsorbed on DEAE-cellulose from mixed acetic acid-nitric acid media, although none can be adsorbed from aqueous nitric acid solutions. The distribution coefficients of Sc, Mo, La, Sm, W, Re, Bi, Th and U are given as functions of acetic acid and nitric acid concentrations (sometimes in the presence of hydrogen peroxide to prevent hydrolytic precipitation). For 25 other metals column adsorption behaviour is described for a 90% acetic acid-10% 7.6M nitric acid mixture. Favourable differences in the distribution coefficients allow useful separations such as FeMoW and USmMoBiTh, to be achieved.     

Synthesis of all of the four possible stereoisomers of pestalotin,a gibberellin synergist isolated from pestalotia cryptomeriaecola sawada

(-)-Pestalotin [(6S, l'S)-6-(1'-hydroxypentyl)-4-methoxy-5,6-d dihydro-2-pyrone 1a]and its three other stereoisomers were synthesized either by utilizing the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation as the keystep or by derivation from D-(+)-glyceraldehyde acetonide.     

Recent progress of high-power negative ion beam development for fusion plasma heating

A negative-ion-based neutral beam injector (N-NBI) has been constructed for JT-60U. The N-NBI is designed to inject 500 keV, 10 MW neutral beams using two ion sources, each producing a 500 keV, 22 A D⁻ ion beam. In the preliminary experiment using one ion source, a D⁻ ion beam of 13.5 A has been successfully accelerated with an energy of 400 keV (5.4 MW) for 0.12 s at an operating pressure of 0.22 Pa. This is the highest D⁻ beam current and power in the world. Co-extracted electron current was effectively suppressed to the ratio of Ie/I_D⁻ < 1. The highest energy beam of 460 keV, 2.4 A, 0.44 s has also been obtained. To realize 1 MeV class NBI system for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), demonstration of ampere class negative ion beam acceleration up to 1 MeV is an important mile stone. To achieve the mile stone, a prototype accelerator and a 1 MV, 1 A test facility called MeV Test Facility (MTF) were constructed. Up to now, an H⁻ ion beam was accelerated up to the energy of 805 keV with an acceleration drain current of 150 mA for 1 s in a five stage electrostatic multi-aperture accelerator.     

High pressure FTIR study of intramolecular hydrogen bonding and conformation of a small peptide in solution

Effect of pressure on conformational equilibria of a small peptide N-acetyl-l-Pro-l-Leu-Gly-NH₂ in a chloroform solution has been studied by FTIR spectroscopy. Absorption in the NH stretching region was measured at pressures in the 1–1080 bar range and at 296 K, and decomposed into component bands by least-squares fitting. Intensity ratios of bands which were assigned to a hydrogen-bond-free conformer and intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded conformers with 10- and 13-membered hydrogen bonded rings, respectively, were examined as a function of pressure. It was found that the conformer with the 13-membered ring has definitely smaller partial molar volume than the other two conformers which have nearly the same volume with each other. On the basis of a simple dielectric model, we have shown that the conformer with the 13-membered hydrogen-bonded ring has a considerably large dipole moment which is consistent with the α-helical structure suggested by the previous variable-temperature FTIR study.     

A New Approach to the Construction of BEDT-TTF Derivatives Condensed with Heterocycles via BF3-promoted Reactions of Organotin Thiolates

The synthesis of BEDT-TTF derivatives fused with heterocycles (3–7) has been accomplished via the BF₃-promoted reaction of organotin thiolates (8 and 9) with electrophiles (10 and 11). Electrical conductivities of radical cation salts derived from some of them were also investigated.     

Stark and Zeeman spectroscopies of 4f 66s6p 7G1-6 levels in Sm I under external electric and magnetic fields

Systematic study of hyperfine structures, Zeeman and Stark effects in Sm I is performed for the lowest ⁷G_1-6 levels belonging to the configuration 4f ⁶6s6p by atomic-beam laser spectroscopy with fluorescence detection. The hyperfine coupling constants of ⁷G_2-6 levels are determined. From the Zeeman splittings for the 4f ⁶6s ^{2 7}F_2-6 ? 4f ⁶6s6p ⁷G_2-6 transitions, g-values are determined for the ⁷G_2.6 levels and the precision is improved by several orders of magnitude. From the Stark splittings for the ⁷F_0-3 ? ⁷G_1-3 transitions, tensor polarizabilities α ₂(J) are determined for the upper ⁷G_1-3 levels. Particularly for the ⁷G₁ level (15 650.55 cm^?1) which has close-lying opposite-parity level, the isotope dependence of α ₂(J) is clearly observed for the first time.