Synthesis of azaheterocycles from aryl ketone O-acetyl oximes and internal alkynes by Cu-Rh bimetallic relay catalysts

A synthetic method for azaheterocycles from aryl ketone O-acetyl oximes and internal alkynes has been developed by using the Cu(OAc)(2)-[Cp*RhCl(2)](2) bimetallic catalytic system. The reactions proceeded with both of anti- and syn-isomers of oximes with a wide scope of substituents. The Cu-Rh bimetallic system could be applied for the synthesis of isoquinolines as well as β-carboline, furo[2.3-c]pyridine, pyrrolo[2,3-c]pyridine, and thieno[2,3-c]pyridine derivatives.     

Concise Synthesis of Well‐Defined Linear and Branched Oligothiophenes with Nickel‐Catalyzed Regiocontrolled Cross‐Coupling of 3‐Substituted Thiophenes by Catalytically Generated Magnesium Amide

The synthesis of linear and branched oligothiophenes of well‐defined structures is performed with regioselective deprotonation of 3‐substituted thiophenes and nickel‐catalyzed cross‐coupling of the thus formed metalated species with a bromothiophene. The reaction of 3‐hexylthiophene with EtMgCl and 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine (TMP‐H, 10 mol %) induces the metalation selectively at the 5‐position by use of the catalytically generated hindered magnesium amide (TMPMgCl) and the subsequent reaction of a 2‐halo‐3‐hexylthiophene (bromide or chloride) in the presence of a nickel catalyst affords a head‐to‐tail (HT)‐type dimer. By repeating the same sequence, the linear oligothiophene up to a 4‐mer is synthesized in good yield. The reaction of 3‐hexylthiophene with 2,3‐dibromothiophene also takes place to afford a branched oligothiophene 3‐mer in quantitative yield. The obtained 3‐mer is also metalated at the sterically less‐hindered position in a regioselective manner furnishing a 7‐mer in >99 % yield after a further coupling reaction with 2,3‐dibromothiophene. These dendrimers react with several multifunctionalized organic electrophiles, leading to a variety of branched oligothiophenes.     

Development of Glassy Step‐Growth Thiol‐Vinyl Sulfone Polymer Networks

Thermomechanical properties of neat phosphine‐catalyzed thiol‐Michael networks fabricated in a controlled manner are reported, and a comparison between thiol‐acrylate and thiol‐vinyl sulfone step‐growth networks is performed. When highly reactive vinyl sulfone monomers are used as Michael acceptors, glassy polymer networks are obtained with glass transition temperatures ranging from 30 to 80 °C. Also, the effect of side‐chain functionality on the mechanical properties of thiol‐vinyl sulfone networks is investigated. It is found that the inclusion of thiourethane functionalities, aryl structures, and most importantly the elimination of interchain ester linkages in the networks significantly elevate the network's glass transition temperature as compared with neat ester‐based thiol‐Michael networks.

     

Periodic nanostructures self-formed on silicon and silicon carbide by femtosecond laser irradiation

Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) were formed on Si and SiC surfaces by irradiations with femtosecond laser pulses in air. Different kinds of self-organized structures appeared on Si and SiC at laser fluences slightly higher than the damage threshold, which was measured by confocal laser scanning microscope. The characteristic spatial periodicity of every observed structure was estimated reading the peak values of the 2D Fourier transform power spectra obtained from SEM images. The evolution of the spatial periodicity was finally studied with respect to both the laser fluence and the number of laser pulses. As already observed for metals, the behavior of the spatial periodicity on laser fluence can be related to the parametric decay of laser light into surface plasma waves. Our results suggest a wide applicability of the parametric decay model on different materials, making the model a useful tool in view of different applications of LIPSS.     

Power spectrum and blood flow velocity images obtained by dual-beam backscatter laser Doppler velocimetry

We developed a micro multipoint laser Doppler velocimeter (μ-MLDV) for noninvasive in-vivo measurements of blood flow and we presented the results of demonstrations performed on experimental animals. In this paper, we investigate the validity of power spectrum analysis for determining the flow velocity and the minimum power of the semiconductor laser in the μ-MLDV. Although average velocity is generally estimated from a peak position (f _peak) in the power spectrum, the power spectrum of blood flow included an additional component in the high-frequency region. The conventional method for determining the average velocity of flows of transparent artificial fluids, which involves determining the average velocity from f _peak, is unsuitable for in-vivo measurements of blood flow. The laser power was reduced from 140 to 30mW since 30mW was the minimum power at which images of blood flow velocity in microvessels could be obtained. About 30mW (power density of 15mW/mm²) is the maximum power which can be irradiated to humans. Further reduction in the laser power is necessary before this technique can be applied to humans.     

Imino ene-type reaction of enamines with N-sulfonylimines and application to diastereoselective synthesis of N-sulfonyl-1,3-diamines

Enamines react rapidly with N-sulfonylimines to afford imino ene-type adducts. The reaction proceeds even at −78 °C in the presence of acetic acid and shows high diastereoselectivity. Acid hydrolysis of imino ene-type products affords β-amino ketones, and reduction with NaBH₃CN furnishes N-sulfonyl-1,3-diamines with high diastereoselectivities. The stereochemistry of these transformations is considered based on transition state models.     

Discovery of the Last Remaining Binary Platinum‐Group Pernitride RuN2

The last remaining marcasite‐type RuN₂ was successfully synthesized by direct chemical reaction between ruthenium and molecular nitrogen above the pressure of 32 GPa. For the first time, we found that Ru 4d is weakly hybridized with N 2p in the structure by using transmission electron microscopy equipped with electron‐energy‐loss spectroscopy. Our finding give important knowledge about the platinum‐group pernitride with respect to the chemical bonding between platinum‐group element and nitrogen.     

Effective methods for the measurement of CsI cluster ions using MALDI‐MS with suitable solvent combinations and additives

A method to measure CsI cluster ions ((CsI)_nCs⁺, (CsI)_nI^?) from CsI samples in matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI‐MS) was developed with a 2‐[(2E)‐3‐(4‐tert‐butylphenyl)‐2‐methylprop‐2‐enylidene] malononitrile (DCTB) matrix and additives. Solvent combinations in which the CsI and DCTB solutions were miscible were effective in detecting CsI cluster ions at a mass range of over m/z 2000 and are associated with a characteristic spread of DCTB within the CsI/DCTB mixture. The addition of saccharides or sugar alcohols to the CsI/DCTB mixture improved the DCTB distribution and widened the mass distribution of CsI cluster ions up to m/z 10 000 in the linear mode. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

PhI(OAc)2‐Mediated Radical Trifluoromethylation of Vinyl Azides with Me3SiCF3

The fluorine‐containing organic motif is becoming privileged in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional materials, owing to its unique properties such as electron‐withdrawing character, metabolic stability, and lipophilicity. Described herein is the PhI(OAc)₂‐mediated radical trifluoromethylation of vinyl azides with Me₃SiCF₃ to efficiently generate α‐trifluoromethyl azines. The resulting α‐trifluoromethyl azines were successfully transformed to valuable fluorine‐containing molecules such as α‐trifluoromethyl ketones, β‐trifluoromethyl amines, 5‐fluoropyrazoles, and trifluoroethyl isoquinolines.