Dual-mode of assembly of anthracene-based imidazolium salts both in non-polar organic solvents and in aqueous solution

Amphiphilic anthracene derivatives showed solvent-polarity-dependent fluorescence. Monomer emission and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) were observed in polar and non-polar organic solvents, respectively. AIE became predominant in aqueous solution in the case of hexafluorophosphate as a counter anion.     

Gold-catalysed alkenyl- and arylsilylation reactions forming 1-silaindenes

In the presence of gold(I)-phosphine catalysts, alkenyl- and arylsilanes undergo intramolecular cyclisation reactions onto appendant alkyne moieties to afford 1-silaindene derivatives. The reaction pathways vary depending on the substituent on silicon.     

Conversion of MT-sulfone to a trifluoromethyl group by IF5: the application of an MT-sulfone anion as a trifluoromethyl anion equivalent

An MT-sulfone group was converted to a trifluoromethyl group by treatment with IF(5) after an alkylation reaction. Therefore, an MT-sulfone anion can be used as a trifluoromethyl anion equivalent. The formal asymmetric Michael-addition of a trifluoromethyl anion to crotonaldehyde was also performed.     

Transfer hydrogenation of cellulose to sugar alcohols over supported ruthenium catalysts

Ru/C catalysts are active for the conversion of cellulose using 2-propanol or H(2) of 0.8 MPa as sources of hydrogen, whereas the Ru/Al(2)O(3) catalyst is inactive in both reactions, indicating that the Ru/C catalysts are remarkably effective for the cellulose conversion.     

A microfluidic in situ analyzer for ATP quantification in ocean environments

We have developed and tested a functionally integrated in situ analyzer, the IISA-ATP system, for microbial activity assays based on a quantitative determination of the total (particulate and dissolved) ATP in ocean environments. The IISA-ATP utilizes a PDMS-glass hybrid microfluidic device as its core functional element, which can perform cell lysis and total ATP quantification by a luciferin-luciferase bioluminescence assay in situ. Transparent heaters and a temperature sensor fabricated on a glass substrate provide temperature control. As a result of the evaluation using the microfluidic device with ATP standard solutions, the bioluminescence intensity was linearly correlated with 2 × 10(-12) to 2 × 10(-8) M of ATP. A detection limit of 1.1 × 10(-11) M was determined using the completed IISA-ATP system, which includes a miniature pumping module and a control module. As a result of the evaluation using the environmental seawater sample collected from Tokyo Bay, Japan, 2.7 × 10(-10) M of total ATP was successfully determined in the laboratory by the IISA-ATP. The system was operated at a shallow submarine hot spring area in Okinawa, Japan for an in situ trial. The result shows the system was successfully operated in situ and the total ATP was determined to be 3.4 × 10(-10) M.     

Synthesis of the C7-26 fragment of amphidinolides G and H

A new approach to the synthesis of the C7-26 fragment of amphidinolides G and H was developed. In the sequence, the C7-18 portion of this fragment was synthesized using an acetylide coupling protocol, while an Evans alkylation and Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation were employed as key steps in construction of the C19-26 subfragment. Finally, both of these units were joined by utilizing an aldol coupling reaction to produce the target C7-26 fragment in good yield.     

Magnetic sponge prepared with an alkanedithiol-bridged network of nanomagnets

The magnetic dipole-dipole interaction between nanomagnets having huge magnetic moments can have a strength comparable to that of the van der Waals interaction between them, and it can be manipulated by applying an external magnetic field of conventional strength. Therefore, the cooperation between the dipole-dipole interaction and the applied magnetic field allows the magnetic moments of nanomagnets to be aligned and organized in an ordered manner. In this work, a network of magnetic nanoparticles connected with flexible long-alkyl-chain linkers was designed to develop a "magnetic sponge" capable of absorbing and desorbing guest molecules with changes in the applied magnetic field. The magnetization of the sponge with long-alkyl-chain bridges (30 C atoms) exhibited a 500% increase after cooling in the presence of an applied field of 7 T relative to that in the absence of a magnetic field. Cooling in a magnetic field leads to anisotropic stretching in the sponge due to reorganization of the nanomagnets along the applied field, in contrast to the isotropic organization under zero-field conditions. Such magnetic-responsive organization and reorganization of the magnetic particle network significantly influences the gas absorption capacity of the nanopores inside the material. The absorption and desorption of guests in an applied magnetic field at low temperature can be regarded as a fascinating "breathing feature" of our magnetic sponge.     

Anion recognition by 2,2′-binaphthalene derivatives bearing urea and thiourea groups at 8- and 8′-positions by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies

Synthesis and anion recognition properties of 2,2′-binaphthalene derivatives bearing two thiourea (1) and urea (2) groups at 8- and 8′-positions were studied. The structure of receptor 1 was determined by X-ray crystallography. UV-vis spectra of the receptors showed characteristic changes around 300-400 nm through isosbestic points upon the addition of biologically relevant anions such as acetate, dihydrogenphosphate, and chloride in MeCN and DMSO due to restriction of the rotation around the single bond connecting two naphthyl moieties by cooperative guest binding of two recognition sites. Job’s plots showed 1:1 complexation for guest anions. The fluorescence quantum yields of free form of 1 and 2 in MeCN were determined to be 0.021 and 0.57, respectively. The fluorescence intensities of the receptors diminished upon the addition of anions in MeCN. The association constants of receptors 1 and 2 were one or two orders of magnitude greater than the corresponding monothiourea and urea receptors 3 and 4 indicating cooperative hydrogen bonding with guest anions. The selectivity trends of association of anions were F⁻>AcO⁻>H₂PO₄⁻>Cl⁻>>HSO₄⁻≈NO₃⁻≈Br⁻≈I⁻ for 1, and F⁻>AcO⁻≈Cl⁻>H₂PO₄⁻>Br⁻>HSO₄⁻>I⁻≈NO₃⁻ for 2. Receptor 2 showed remarkable Cl⁻ selectivity presumably owing to suitable orientation for effective hydrogen bond formation with Cl⁻.     

Controlled self-assembly of hydrophobic quantum dots through silanization

We demonstrate the formation of one-, two-, and three-dimensional nanocomposites through the self-assembly of silanized CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) by using a controlled sol-gel process. The self-assembly behavior of the QDs was created when partially hydrolyzed silicon alkoxide monomers replaced hydrophobic ligands on the QDs. We examined systematically self-assembly conditions such as solvent components and QD sizes in order to elucidate the formation mechanism of various QD nanocomposites. The QD nanocomposites were assembled in water phase or on the interface of water and oil phase in emulsions. The partially hydrolyzed silicon alkoxides act as intermolecules to assemble the QDs. The QD nanocomposites with well-defined solid or hollow spherical, fiber-like, sheet-like, and pearl-like morphologies were prepared by adjusting the experimental conditions. The high photoluminescence efficiency of the prepared QD nanocomposites suggests partially hydrolyzed silicon alkoxides reduced the surface deterioration of QDs during self-assembly. These techniques are applicable to other hydrophobic QDs for fabricating complex QD nanocomposites.