Synthesis and Diels-Alder Reactions of a New Kind of Chiral Dienophiles: Cyclic Vinyl-p-tolylsulfilimines

A new kind of chiral dienophiles, cyclic vinyl-p-tolylsulfilimines (2a and 2b), were obtained from the corresponding (Z)-sulfinylacrylonitriles with HBF(4) and methanol. The asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction of optically pure 2a with cyclopentadiene under mild thermal or catalyzed conditions afforded only the endo-4a adduct with complete endo and pi-facial selectivities. The ability of the sulfilimine moiety to enhance the dienophilic reactivity of the double bond is similar to that of the sulfinyl group.     

Phase diagrams of lyotropic cholesteric fluids

Experimental investigations of lyotropic cholesterics fluids are presented which show that changes in the shape anisotropy and chirality of the micellar population determine the topology of the temperature-concentration phase diagrams. For given amounts of the substances which induce the chirality and modify the shape anisotropy of the micelles, two distinct biaxial cholesteric phases are disclosed in the phase diagrams. This is interpreted in the framework of the catastrophe theory of phase transitions.     

Investigation of nonequilibrium phases of Ti−Fe alloys at low content of iron by Mössbauer spectroscopy

An investigaition of the Mossbauer spectra of quenched Ti_1−xFe_x alloys in the region of concentrations 0.0005=x=0.142 has been performed. The analysis of the Mossbauer spectra measured at the 4.2, 78, 100, and 295 K temperatures of the sample allowed the concentration dependence of appearence of the α-, β-, and ω-phases to be established. The dynamical and electronic properties of the revealed phases are discussed.     

Impulsive fracture of silicon by elastic surface pulses with shocks

During nonlinear evolution of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) stress increases with propagation, and may cause fracture of brittle materials. This effect was used to evaluate the strength of crystalline silicon with respect to impulsive load in the nanosecond time scale without using seed cracks. Short SAW pulses propagating in the [11(macro)2] direction on the Si(111) plane induce fracture at significantly lower SAW amplitudes than the mirror symmetric wave propagating in the [112(macro)] direction. This effect is explained by the differences in elastic nonlinearity of the two propagation directions.