Ni(0)-promoted hydroxycarboxylation of 1,2-dienes by reaction with CO2 and O2

[structure: see text]. A novel method for the preparation of hydroxy carboxylic acid derivatives has been developed by O2-oxidation of pi-allylnickel intermediates generated by Ni(0)-mediated coupling of 1,2-dienes with CO2.     

N-fused carbazole-zinc porphyrin-free-base porphyrin triad for efficient near-IR dye-sensitized solar cells

N-fused carbazole-zinc porphyrin-free-base porphyrin triad featuring an ethynyl-linkage was synthesized; efficient sensitization as long as 900 nm was demonstrated and an overall light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 5.21% was achieved under AM 1.5 G one sun illumination.     

Metal array fabrication through self-assembly of Pt-complex-bound amino acids

A new type of Pt-complex-bound amino acid was synthesized by condensation of a cyclometalated Pt complex with the side-chain residue of N- and C-alkylated glutamic acid. Self-assembly of the Pt-bound lipophilic amino acid afforded a supramolecular gel in organic solvents, which comprised fibrous lamellar aggregates that supported a highly oriented Pt array.     

Synthesis and structure of bidentate NHC-metal complexes with xanthene skeleton: the formation of cis and trans complexes

We synthesized new bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene Ag and Rh complexes with xanthene skeleton. The structural of the complexes were analyzed by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The complexes adopted cis or trans configuration, depending on the structure of the ligand.     

Synthesis of Hydrogels from Polyallylamine with Carbon Dioxide as Gellant: Development of Reversible CO2 Absorbent

Hydrogels were successfully synthesized utilizing CO₂ as a gellant. A cross‐linking reaction of polyallylamine (PAA) with CO₂ in the presence of 1,8‐Diazabicyclo[5,4,0]‐undec‐7‐ene (DBU) provided hydrogels bearing urea cross‐linking points and residual amino groups in the side chains. The obtained hydrogels absorbed CO₂ at 25 °C and gave a maximum absorption four times larger than that of PAA aqueous solution and 2.8 times larger than that of the most commonly used absorbent, monoethanolamine. The PAA hydrogels desorbed the absorbed CO₂ completely under a N₂ atmosphere at 120 °C, and could be repeatedly recycled without loss of efficiency, indicating their potential application as recyclable CO₂ absorption materials.

     

Development of an energy‐domain 57Fe‐Mössbauer spectrometer using synchrotron radiation and its application to ultrahigh‐pressure studies with a diamond anvil cell

An energy‐domain ⁵⁷Fe‐Mössbauer spectrometer using synchrotron radiation (SR) with a diamond anvil cell (DAC) has been developed for ultrahigh‐pressure measurements. The main optical system consists of a single‐line pure nuclear Bragg reflection from an oscillating ⁵⁷FeBO₃ single crystal near the Néel temperature and an X‐ray focusing device. The developed spectrometer can filter the Doppler‐shifted single‐line ⁵⁷Fe‐Mössbauer radiation with a narrow bandwidth of neV order from a broadband SR source. The focused incident X‐rays make it easy to measure a small specimen in the DAC. The present paper introduces the design and performance of the SR ⁵⁷Fe‐Mössbauer spectrometer and its demonstrative applications including the newly discovered result of a pressure‐induced magnetic phase transition of polycrystalline ⁵⁷Fe₃BO₆ and an unknown high‐pressure phase of Gd⁵⁷Fe₂ alloy placed in a DAC under high pressures up to 302 GPa. The achievement of Mössbauer spectroscopy in the multimegabar range is of particular interest to researchers studying the nature of the Earth's core.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed C−H Activation Enabled by an Indium Metalloligand

Rhodium complexes with an indium metalloligand were successfully synthesized by utilizing a pyridine‐tethered cyclopentadienyl ligand as a support for an In?Rh bond. The indium metalloligand dramatically changes the electronic and redox properties of the rhodium metal, thereby enabling catalysis of sp²C?H bond activation.     

Dynamic behavior of temperature field in a buoyancy-driven turbulent fire

We study the dynamic behavior of temperature field in a buoyancy-driven turbulent fire from the viewpoints of symbolic dynamics, complex networks, and statistical complexity. The permutation entropy and the horizontal visibility network entropy allow us to capture the subtle changes in temperature fluctuations. The possible existence of deterministic chaos in temperature fluctuations, as well as in streamwise flow velocity fluctuations [Takagi et al., Phys. Rev. E 96 (2017) 052223], is clearly verified using the multiscale complexity-entropy causality plane.     

A new approach for preventing charging up of soft material samples by coating with conducting polymers in SIMS analysis

Dynamic secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis of soft materials such as polymer or biomaterial is one of challenging subjects due to the charge up effect brought from the irradiation of a primary ion beam, hampering the collection of secondary ions. Conventional methods against the charging up are the electron beam irradiation for charge compensation and surface coating with metal, normally gold. Those methods require a compromise analytical condition, reducing the primary ion beam current to suppress the range of the charging, which degrading the performances of the SIMS analyses. We have proposed that a thicker conductive layer, capable of delocalizing the charge onto the surface, should be put on a soft insulator sample to avoid charging up. The depth profile of the hair sample coated wholly with a polythiophen-based conducting polymer was successfully measured in longer time without any charging up even in the maximum current of the oxygen primary ion beam (O₂⁺: 7.5 keV, 400 nA) or using an electron beam compensation system. Thus, the proposed method coating with a conductive organic polymer against the charging issue would be expected as a breakthrough on SIMS analysis.