Asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reaction of nonactivated ketones catalyzed by allo-threonine-derived oxazaborolidinone

Asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reaction of nonactivated ketones is realized for the first time by using an oxazaborolidinone catalyst derived from O-benzoyl-N-tosyl-allo-threonine. By employing a dimethylsilyl ketene S,O-acetal as a nucleophile, a variety of acetophenone derivatives afford the corresponding tertiary beta-hydroxy carbonyl compounds with high enantioselectivity up to 98% ee.     

LDA-catalyzed cycloisomerization of 2-(2-propynyloxy)ethyl iodides leading to 3-(iodomethylene)tetrahydrofurans

LDA catalyzes cycloisomerization of 2-(2-propynyloxy)ethyl iodides to give 3-(iodomethylene)tetrahydrofurans. The reaction is proposed to proceed through a mechanism involving exo-cyclization of an alkynyllithium intermediate and protonation of the resulting alkylidene carbenoid by the starting iodide. [reaction: see text]     

High-pressure synthesis and transport properties of a new binary germanide, SrGe6-delta (delta congruent with 0.5), with a cagelike structure

A new germanide, SrGe6-delta (delta congruent with 0.5), was synthesized by the reaction of Sr and Ge mixtures under a pressure of 5 GPa at 1200 degrees C. It crystallized in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm (No. 63) with a = 4.0981(6) A, b = 11.159(1) A, c = 12.6825(8) A, V = 580.0(1) A3, and Z = 4. SrGe6-delta is composed of a Ge covalent network having a cagelike structure and Sr atoms situated in the cages. Each Ge atom is coordinated by four neighboring Ge atoms. The coordination polyhedra are fairly distorted from an ideal tetrahedron, and the Ge network contains vacancies and disordering. The resistivity shows metallic behavior down to 2 K, and the positive thermoelectric power indicates the dominant carriers to be holes.     

The network structure of amorphous silicon-carbon alloy

The network structure of amorphous silicon-carbon alloy (a-Si_1−xC_x) has been studied over a wide range of x. The a-Si_1−xC_x thin films were prepared by sputtering silicon and carbon target with argon in radio-frequency magnetron sputtering equipment. The films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, optical absorption, infrared absorption, and mechanical measurements. The results showed that the network structure could be classified neither as the random covalent network nor as the chemically ordered covalent network. The structure as a whole was close to the random covalent network, but the Si-Si combination at x>0.5 showed a feature of the chemically ordered covalent network. The film at 0.6<x<0.8 was hard and showed a high energy gap, due to the sp³ configuration in Si-C combinations.     

Plasma Processing Based Synthesis of Functional Nanocarbons

Our recent research has shown that plasma processing techniques, which allow versatile control of both chemical and physical aspects, have considerable potential for the innovative synthesis and functionalization of three varieties of low-dimensional nanocarbons, which show great promise in the development of nanoscience and its applications. In the case of 0-D fullerenes, the mission is the high-yield production of atom (X) encapsulated fullerenes (X@C₆₀). The formation of macro-quantities of charge-exploited Li@C₆₀ and overwhelmingly-high purity spin-exploited N@C₆₀ are realized for the first time by the control of alkali-fullerene and nitrogen double plasmas, respectively. In the case of 1-D carbon nanotubes the challenge is precise structure control, i.e., chirality control of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The extremely narrow-chirality distributed growth of SWNTs is realized with time-programmed and nonmagnetic-catalyzed plasma CVD. As for functionalization of SWNTs, the enhanced p-type C₆₀@SWNTs created under the substrate-bias control in collisionless plasmas are found to be effective for harvesting solar energy in the infrared wavelength range and adapted to the use for multiple exciton generation in solar cells. Concerning 2-D graphene, our aim is to overcome two serious issues for electronics applications. One is the realization of the direct growth of graphene on an insulating (SiO₂) substrate by adjusting the growth parameters using non-equilibrium diffusion plasma CVD. The other is the direct fabrication of field-effect transistor device of a narrow-width (≥20 nm) graphene nanoribbon using a new, simple, and scalable method based on rapid heating plasma CVD, which shows a clear transport gap and a high on/off ratio. Finally the prospects for the above-mentioned results are discussed together with ripple effects of the nanocarbon research on the progress of nanoscience and its applications.     

1,2,4-Triazoles. V. Nuclear magnetic resonance study of N-Methyl derivatives of 1,2,4-triazoles

The chemical shifts of the N-methyl protons of a number of N-methylated-1,2,4-triazoles were studied. Substitution of methyl and methylthio groups in position 3 causes upfield shifts of the N-methyl signals, while substitution of α-pyridyl, γ-pyridyl, and phenyl groups causes downfield shifts. In 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazoles, substituents in positions 3 and 5 have additive effects on the chemical shifts of N-methyl groups, so that the chemical shifts of the N-methyl groups of such compounds can be calculated. In this way, it was possible to assign the peaks of mixtures of N-monomethylated derivatives obtained by methylation of 1,2,4-triazoles.     

Measurement of a transparent object by using an automated Talbot interferometer

It is reported that the first partial derivative of the phase distribution for a transparent object can be measured automatically by a personal computer with an image processor. The moire pattern is formed by superimposing the Fourier image distorted by the transparent object on the master grating. But if only the moire patterns are observed, it is not shown if the fringe order numbers increase or decrease. The fringe scanning method is presented to overcome the fringe order numbers. The four-step method is used to calculate the first partial derivative. By a simple experiment, the first partial derivative can be shown in the three dimensional graphics.     

Selective ethylene formation by pulse-mode electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide using copper and copper-oxide electrodes

Although the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) with a copper electrode produces hydrocarbons, the activity toward the conversion of CO₂ is lost for several 10 min by the deposition of poisoning species on the electrode. To solve the poisoning species problem, the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ was carried out using a copper electrode with a pulse electrolysis mode with anodic as well as cathodic polarization. The anodic polarization intervals suppressed the deposition of poisoning species on the electrode, and the amount of two hydrocarbons, CH₄ and C₂H₄, barely decreased even after an hour. By choosing appropriate anodic potential and time duration, the selectivity for the C₂H₄ formation was greatly enhanced. The enhancement was found to be due to the copper oxide formed on the copper electrode. The selectivity was further improved when the electrochemical reduction was made with the copper-oxide electrode. The highest efficiency of about 28% is obtained at −3.15 V.