Effects of the intramolecular NH...S hydrogen bond in mononuclear platinum(II) and palladium(II) complexes with 2,2'-bipyridine and benzenethiol derivatives

A series of complexes, [M(bpy)(SAr)2] (M = platinum(II) or palladium(II), bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, SAr = 2- or 4-(acylamino)benzenethiolate, or 2-(alkylcarbamoyl)benzenethiolate), were synthesized and characterized on the basis of 1H NMR, IR, and electrochemical properties. The structures of [Pt(bpy)(S-2-Ph3CCONHC6H4)2] (1) and [Pt(bpy)(S-2-t-BuNHCOC6H4)2] (3) were determined by X-ray analysis. The complexes have intramolecular NH...S hydrogen bonds between the amide NH group and the sulfur atom. A weak NH...S hydrogen bond in these complexes and [Pd(bpy)(S-2-Ph3CCONHC6H4)2] (4) is detected from the 1H NMR spectra and the IR spectra in chloroform and in the solid state. [Pt(bpy)(S-2-Ph3CCONHC6H4)2] (1) exhibits a remarkably high-energy-shifted lowest-energy band in UV-visible spectra and has a positively shifted oxidation potential. The blue-shift of 42 nm and the positive shift of +0.24 V, as compared to those of [Pt(bpy)(SC6H5)2), are due to the effect of the NH...S hydrogen bond.     

Synthesis of functionalized hydroquinones via [Cp*RuCl2]2-catalyzed cocyclization of alkynes, alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, and carbon monoxide

[reaction: see text] Catalytic [2 + 2 + 1 + 1] cocyclization reaction of an alkyne, an alkene, and two molecules of carbon monoxide, leading to functionalized hydroquinones, was studied. Using [Cp*RuCl2]2 as a catalyst, we found that a variety of electron-deficient alkenes, such as alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones, esters, amides, and nitriles, can be employed as an alkene coupling partner to give the corresponding hydroquinones.     

Collision-energy-resolved Penning ionization electron spectroscopy of p-benzoquinone: study of electronic structure and anisotropic interaction with He(*)(2 (3)S) metastable atoms

Collision energy dependence of partial ionization cross sections (CEDPICS) of p-benzoquinone with He(*)(2 (3)S) metastable atoms indicates that interaction potentials between p-benzoquinone and He(*)(2 (3)S) are highly anisotropic in the studied collision energy range (100-250 meV). Attractive interactions were found around the C==O groups for in-plane and out-of-plane directions, while repulsive interactions were found around CH bonds and the benzenoid ring. Assignment of the first four ionic states of p-benzoquinone and an analogous methyl-substituted compound was examined with CEDPICS and anisotropic distributions of the corresponding two nonbonding oxygen orbitals (n(O) (+),n(O) (-)) and two pi(CC) orbitals (pi(CC) (+),pi(CC) (-)). An extra band that shows negative CEDPICS was observed at ca. 7.2 eV in Penning ionization electron spectrum.     

Syntheses, crystal structures and properties of novel zinc(II) complexes obtained by reactions of zinc(II) malonate with flexible multidentate ligands

Complex [Zn₂(bimb)₂(mal)₂(H₂O)₂]·4H₂O (1) (mal=⁻OCOCH₂COO⁻) was obtained by reaction of bidentate ligand 4,4′-bis(imidazole-1-ylmethyl)biphenyl (bimb) with zinc(II) salt of malonate, while the reaction of the same metal salt with 1,3,5-tris(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene (titmb) gives another novel complex [Zn₂(titmb)₂(mal)][mal]·12H₂O (2). The structures of these complexes were determined by X-ray crystallography. The results revealed that 1 is a cyclic dinuclear complex in which the malonate groups act as terminators and prevent further aggregation, while 2 is a 2D honeycomb network in which each independent 2D sheet contains two sub-layers bridged by the malonate groups and complex 2 also contains free malonate as a counteranion connected to the 2D layer by C-H?O hydrogen bonds. The entirely different structure and topology of complexes 1 and 2, on the one hand, indicates that the nature of organic ligands affected the structures of assemblies greatly, and on the other, reveals the versatility of the malonate which can act as a bridging and/or blocking ligand.     

New technology for selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen

The selective catalytic oxidation (SCO) of ammonia to N₂ was studied by using a series of noble metal-V₂O₅-WO₃ catalysts supported on titania-silica (TS) prepared by coprecipitation method. In the V₂O₅-WO₃ catalyst system, the use of TS as a support was very effective to enhance catalytic activity compared with TiO₂ or SiO₂ alone. The addition of a slight amount of Pd and Ir to V₂O₅-WO₃/TS catalyst caused also remarkable enhancement of the catalytic activity without decreasing the selectivity to N₂. The present catalysts provide remarkably high catalytic performance for SCO of ammonia to N₂ under the practical reaction conditions for an industrial application.     

Synthesis of Ultrafine SiC Powders from Carbon-Silica Hybridized Precursors with Carbothermic Reduction

Inorganic-organic hybrid gels were prepared by simultaneous condensation of the liquid mixture of ethyl silicate, ethyl borate and water soluble phenol resin with low molecular weight. The liquid mixtures were changed into lightly colored transparent gels after a catalyst addition and stirring. The obtained gels were crushed, dried and fired in controlled conditions to yield the inorganic precursors. Since the tailored inorganic precursors mainly consisted of SiO2 and carbon, silicon carbide was formed with the heat treatments in an Ar atmosphere beyond 1773 K with carbothermic reduction. The properties and morphology of the formed silicon carbide powders in terms of the starting precursor compositions and the conditions of the carbothermic reduction were investigated with SEM, XRD and TG-DTA analysis.     

Kaempferol glycosides in the flowers of carnation and their contribution to the creamy white flower color

Three flavonol glycosides were isolated from the flowers of carnation cultivars 'White Wink' and 'Honey Moon'. They were identified from their UV, MS, 1H and 13C NMR spectra as kaempferol 3-O-neohesperidoside, kaempferol 3-O-sophoroside and kaempferol 3-O-glucosyl-(1 --> 2)-[rhamnosyl-(1 --> 6)-glucoside]. Referring to previous reports, flavonols occurring in carnation flowers are characterized as kaempferol 3-O-glucosides with additional sugars binding at the 2 and/or 6-positions of the glucose. The kaempferol glycoside contents of a nearly pure white flower and some creamy white flower lines were compared. Although the major glycoside was different in each line, the total kaempferol contents of the creamy white lines were from 5.9 to 20.9 times higher than the pure white line. Thus, in carnations, kaempferol glycosides surely contribute to the creamy tone of white flowers.     

Evaluating a time-delay of hydrogen production quantitatively in photosynthetic bacteria for stabilizing intermittency

Renewable energy is regarded as a clean energy source but has some problems, one of which is intermittency. To reduce this, the time-delay of hydrogen production by photosynthetic bacteria can be effective. In this study, we qualitatively evaluated the time-delay of hydrogen production by photosynthetic bacteria under various irradiation conditions, and we also quantitatively evaluated it by fitting the experimental data and the hydrogen production model with a genetic algorithm. As a result of model fitting, we found that the relationship between the lengths of the optimized time-delay of hydrogen production by photosynthetic bacteria and the amount of light irradiation is linear. And we also found that the time-delay of hydrogen production by photosynthetic bacteria had an upper limit under low light intensity. We have suggested the existence of an energy store mechanism in photosynthetic bacteria.     

Anion and Additive Effects on the Structure of Mercury(II) Halides Complexes with Tripodal Ligand

The metal complexes [Hg₂(tbim)₂Br₄]·2DMF ( 1 ) and [Hg₂(tbim)I₄]·1.5DMF ( 2 ) were prepared by reactions of 1,3,5‐tris(benzimidazol‐1‐ylmethyl)‐2,4,6‐trimethylbenzene (tbim) with HgBr₂, HgI₂, respectively, and [Hg₂(tbim)I₄]·0.5(FeCp₂)·H₂O ( 3 ) was obtained by the same method with addition of ferrocene (FeCp₂) as additive. Their structures were determined by X‐ray crystallographic analyses. Complex 1 has a macrocyclic binuclear structure with one benzimidazole arm of the ligand free of coordination and the binuclear units are further connected by C‐H···N hydrogen bonds to give an infinite zigzag chain. Complexes 2 and 3 have a 2D network structure in which tbim serves as a tridentate ligand. The results showed that the halides of bromide and iodide have remarkable impact on the structure of the complexes. The FeCp₂ molecules are trapped in the voids of framework 3 .     

Preparation of water‐soluble pullulans bearing pendant C60 and their aqueous solubility

Water‐soluble fullerene‐bearing pullulans were successfully prepared by the addition reaction of azide‐substituted pullulans with fullerene C₆₀ . The chemical structure of the products was characterized by IR, UV, and NMR spectroscopy. It was found that the saturation solubility of the C₆₀ moiety strongly depends on the degree of substitution (DS) of the sample, indicating that an optimum DS value of the C₆₀ moiety exists for its aqueous solubility.