Highly Chemoselective and Versatile Method for Direct Conversion of Carboxylic Acids to Ketones Utilizing Zinc Ate Complexes

Various carboxylic acids were directly transformed into the corresponding ketones by utilizing organozinc ate complexes, which provide high chemoselectivity without any overreaction to the undesired tertiary carbinol, owing to formation of a stable tetrahedral zincioketal intermediate. This method offers good overall atom/step/pot economy and operational simplicity.     

Laplace transform impedance analysis in the two-phase coexistence reaction of spinel Li1 + x Mn2O4 positive electrode

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - We demonstrate the Laplace transform (LT) impedance technique for measuring electrochemical lithiation and delithiation in the two-phase system of spinel...     

Effect of preparative conditions on crystallinity of apatite particles obtained from simulated body fluids

Preparation of colloidal hydroxyapatite (HAp) particles under body fluid conditions was investigated with focusing on the effect of preparative conditions on crystallinity of the resulting particles. Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane was added to 1.5SBF (a solution having 1.5 times higher ion concentrations than those of a simulated body fluid, SBF) to increase the solution pH, which resulted in induction of homogeneous nucleation of HAp in the solution. Colloidal HAp particles having diameters about 300 nm were obtained. When the reaction was proceeded at 70°C and the sample was dried by heating, it was effective to obtain HAp particles having high crystallinity. Experimental results support that remaining water in the sample contributed to increase HAp crystallinity.     

Generation of functionalized asymmetric benzynes with TMP-zincates. Effects of ligands on selectivity and reactivity of zincates

We have developed new methods for preparing functionalized benzynes through deprotonative zincation as a key reaction using R2Zn(TMP)Li, and we also describes dramatic ligand effects on the benzyne formation. Deprotonative zincation of various meta-substituted bromobenzenes with Me2Zn(TMP)Li proved effective for the one-pot generation of various 3-functionalized benzynes, particularly those electrophilic substituents such as ester, amide, and cyano. On the other hand, zincation with tBu2Zn(TMP)Li, followed by electrophilic trapping (with I2) proved a powerful tool for the preparation of 1,2,3-trisubstituted aromatic compounds.8 The resultant 1,2,3-trisubstituted benzenes are available as precursors for generation of 3-substituted benzynes by halogen-zinc exchange reactions with Me3ZnLi. These methods offer far greater generality than previous methods for the synthesis of functionalized asymmetric benzynes, and should be of value in new syntheses of various natural products and functional materials. In addition, these results underline the utility of spectator ligands on the central metal of ate complexes as a tunable functionality in the development of new ate complex-promoted reactions.     

The site distribution of Ti and V and the metal-metal interaction in the ternary system (V,Ti)5S8

The phase relations of the ternary system V_1?xTi_xS_1.57 are presented on the basis of X-ray diffractometry. The site distribution of Ti and V atoms in the structure is clarified through an NMR absorption study at room temperature. The phase relations and the site distribution of Ti and V, which appear to be closely related to each other, are discussed in terms of the metal-metal interaction of the face-shared octahedra in the metal-deficient distorted NiAs structure.     

Cp2TiCl2-catalyzed regio- and chemoselective one-step synthesis of gamma-substituted allylsilanes from terminal alkenes using dianion-type zincate (SiSiNOL-Zn-ate)

A regio-/chemoselective silylation reaction of various functionalized terminal alkenes in the presence of titanocene dichloride, based on a newly designed dianion-type zincate, was developed. The present silylation of terminal alkenes is a powerful tool for the one-pot generation of regiocontrolled functionalized allysilanes, which are available for various transformation reactions, such as hydroxyalkylation, epoxidation, and hydroboration.     

Inductive effect-assisted chain-growth polycondensation. synthetic development from para- to meta-substituted aromatic polyamides with low polydispersities

The polycondensation of m-(octylamino)benzoic acid esters (1) with base was investigated in order to extend the synthesis of well-defined condensation polymers from para-substituted polymers to meta-substituted ones. We expected that the aminyl anion of 2 would deactivate the ester moiety at the meta position of 2 owing to the strong inductive effect of the anion, resulting in, not self-polycondensation, but chain-growth polycondensation. The methyl ester monomer 1a polymerized with lithium hexamethyldisilazide (LiHMDS) in the presence of phenyl benzoate (3a) as an initiator at 0 degrees C to afford a polymer with a low polydispersity, but the product contained a small amount of self-condensation polymer. On the other hand, the polymerization of the ethyl ester monomer (1b) with phenyl 4-methylbenzoate (3b) proceeded through chain polymerization without self-polycondensation. The Mn values of the polymers increased linearly in proportion to the [1b]0/[3b]0 ratio, and the Mw/Mn ratios remained narrow over the entire [1b]0/[3b]0 range. Furthermore, a block copolymer of N-alkylated poly(m-benzamide) and poly(p-benzamide) with a low polydispersity was synthesized by the monomer addition method under this polymerization condition.     

Photocatalytic activity of R3MO7 and R2Ti2O7 (R=Y, Gd, La; M=Nb, Ta) for water splitting into H2 and O2

The photocatalytic activities of R3MO7 and R2Ti2O7 (R=Y, Gd, La; M=Nb, Ta) strongly depended on the crystal structure. Overall, photocatalytic water splitting into H2 and O2 proceeded over La3TaO7 and La3NbO7, which have an orthorhombic weberite structure, Y2Ti2O7 and Gd2Ti2O7, which have a cubic pyrochlore structure, and La2Ti2O7, which has a monoclinic perovskite structure. All of these materials are composed of a network of corner-shared octahedral units of metal cations (TaO6, NbO6, or TiO6); materials without such a network were inactive. The octahedral network certainly increased the mobility of electrons and holes, thereby enhancing photocatalytic activity.     

Regiocontrolled intramolecular cyclizations of carboxylic acids to carbon-carbon triple bonds promoted by acid or base catalyst

We systematically investigated, for the first time, the relationship between regioselectivity and acid/base effects in the cyclization reactions between carboxylic acids and carbon-carbon triple bonds. We found novel acid- and base-promoted cyclizations to selectively give isocoumarin or pyran-2(2H)-one and phthalide or furan-2(5H)-one skeletons, respectively, and established a catalytic version of regioselective heterocyclic ring synthesis. Density functional theory calculations and application to a short route to thunberginol A were also described. [reaction: see text].