Cu(I)-catalyzed α-alkylation of ketones with styrene derivatives

α-Alkylation of ketones with styrene derivatives was developed using a mesitylcopper-dppp complex as a soft Brønsted base catalyst. No waste derived from the alkylating reagent was produced in this catalytic alkylation reaction. The bisphosphine ligand structure, as well as the reaction solvent, had profound effects on catalyst activity. The reaction proceeded under mild conditions from a range of ketones and styrene derivatives. The present catalysis is especially useful for the selective mono-alkylation of ketones.     

Kinetic studies on Brook-type isomerization of acylpolysilanes to silenes

First-order rate constants of Brook-type isomerization of acylpolysilanes (Me₃Si)₃SiCOR (R = iso-Pr, tert-Bu, Ad, 2,6-xylyl, and Mes) leading to silenes (Me₃Si)₂SiC(OSiMe₃)R at various temperatures were determined. Their Eyring plots gave kinetic parameters of ΔH^‡ = 26.6-29.4 kcal mol⁻¹ and ΔS^‡ = −11.5 to −14.6 cal mol⁻¹ K⁻¹. The isomerization was accelerated by introducing an electron-donating alkyl substituent on the carbonyl carbon. These results are in accordance with a concerted mechanism involving a four-centered transition state.     

Singlet energy migration along an alternating block copolymer of oligothiophene and oligosilylene in solution

The singlet excited-state properties of the block copolymers of oligothiophene and oligosilylene in solution were investigated with several fast spectroscopic methods. Time-resolved fluorescence measurements at room temperature and in a glassy matrix revealed that the singlet excited states of the block copolymers are deactivated accompanying structural changes of the polymer. It became clear from the transient absorption spectroscopy that the absorption peak of the singlet excited state shifted to the longer wavelength side compared to that of the corresponding oligothiophenes because of the sigma-pi conjugation of the oligothiophene and oligosilylene. The intersystem crossing process generating the triplet excited state was also revealed by the transient absorption spectroscopy. Energy migration along the polymer chain was revealed by the fluorescence anisotropy measurements. The time constant for the energy migration became faster as the size of the oligothiophene in the polymer repeating unit became shorter. From comparison with the F?rster theory, the energy migration process was attributed to an incoherent hopping mechanism.     

Palladium-catalyzed distannylation of ortho-quinodimethanes

An exo-diene moiety of various ortho-quinodimethanes, regardless of its transient character, was inserted into a Sn-Sn sigma-bond of hexabutyldistannane in the presence of a palladium catalyst, giving alpha,alpha'-bis(tributylstannyl)-o-xylenes straightforwardly.     

Novel catalyst system for the synthesis of poly(alkylene oxide) with controlled molecular weight

An organoaluminum compound with bulky phenoxide groups as a Lewis acid can accelerate much the living polymerization of alkylene oxide initiated with aluminum porphyrin by the coordinative activation of the monomer. This concept can be extented to the polymerization initiated with aluminum Schiff base and tetraazaannulene complexes.     

Controlled polymerization reaction with new catalyst: Design of metalloporphyrin-acid systems for monomer activation

Metalloporphyrin initiator coupled with an appropriate organometallic Lewis acid catalyst could make possible the first example of living anionic polymerization of oxetane. Lewis acid built-in metalloporphyrins were designed as a new highly active catalyst/initiator system. The concept of monomer activation by Lewis acid was extended to the use of appropriate protonic acid.