High Performance Nonvolatile Transistor Memories Utilizing Functional Polyimide‐Based Supramolecular Electrets

We report pentacene‐based organic field‐effect transistor memory devices utilizing supramolecular electrets, consisting of a polyimide, PI(6FOH‐ODPA), containing hydroxyl groups for hydrogen bonding with amine functionalized aromatic rings (AM) of 1‐aniline (AM1), 2‐naphthylamine (AM2), 2‐aminoanthracene (AM3), and 1‐aminopyrene (AM4). The effect of the phenyl ring size and composition of AM1–AM4 on the hole‐trapping capability of the fabricated devices was investigated systematically. Under an operating voltage under ±40 V, the prepared devices using the electrets of 100 % AM1–AM4/PI ratios exhibited a memory window of 0, 8.59, 25.97, and 29.95 V, respectively, suggesting that the hole‐trapping capability increased with enhancing phenyl ring size. The memory window was enhanced as the amount of AM in PI increased. Furthermore, the devices showed a long charge‐retention time of 10⁴ s with an ON/OFF current ratio of around 10³–10⁴ and multiple switching stability over 100 cycles. This study demonstrated that the electrical characteristics of the OFET memory devices could be manipulated through the chemical compositions of the supramolecular electrets.     

Straightforward access to new vinca-alkaloids via selective reduction of a nitrile containing anhydrovinblastine derivative

A procedure to exclusively obtain 3′S-cyanoanhydrovinblastine 12 from two naturally occurring vinca-alkaloids (catharanthine and vindoline) in one step with good yield is described. Stereoselective reductions of 12, providing straightforward access to three new vinca-alkaloids, including two diastereomers 3′S-cyano-(4′R,5′-dihydro)-anhydrovinblastine and 3′S-cyano-(4′S,5′-dihydro)-anhydrovinblastine as well as (3′S-aminomethyl)-(4′S,5′-dihydro)-anhydrovinblastine in good yields is also reported.     

Transesterification of Soybean Oil Catalyzed by Calcium Hydroxide which Obtained from Hydrolysis Reaction of Calcium Carbide

Calcium carbide residue (CCR) was investigated in transesterification reaction of triglycerides to determine its viability as a solid catalyst for biodiesel synthesis. Literature survey showed that CCR has never been studied as a solid catalyst in the transesterification of triglyceride. The scope of the study includes the effects of CCR calcination temperature, calcination time, the alcohol/oil molar ratio, the catalyst amount (wt % of oil) and the reaction time. The relationship between chemical composition and catalytic activity of waste cement was also investigated. These CCR catalysts, thermally activated at 600 °C, can give rise to fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) purity higher than 99.5%, after 3 h of reaction, when oil/methanol molar ratio of 1/12 and 1 wt % of the catalyst were employed. Application of CCR as catalyst for biodiesel production in this study may not only provide a cost‐effective and environment friendly way of recycling CCR waste but also reduce hopefully the cost of biodiesel production.     

Selective Transport of Alkali—Metal Cations through Liquid Membranes by Non—Cyclic Carriers

The emission spectra of a series of naphthalene end-labeled oligo-oxyethylene(N-Pn-N) and their facilitated transport of cations across liquid membranes have been investigated.Alkali-metal cations enhance or inhibit the intramolecular excimer formation of N-Pn-N remarkably,suggesting that the polyether chain of N-Pn-N in solution complexes with the cations,and the orientation of the terminal chromophores depends on the cation size and the length of the polyether chain. These compounds are able to act as carriers to facilitate transport of alkali-metal cations through organic liquid membranes.The transport efficiencies are comparable with those of cyclic carriers such as crown ethers,and show remarkable selectivity.     

Asymmetric Synthesis of a Fused Tricyclic Hydronaphthofuran Scaffold by Desymmetric [2+2+2] Cycloaddition

A rhodium(I)‐BINAP‐catalyzed highly enantioselective [2+2+2] cycloaddition of enynes with alkynes has been developed. Diverse fused tricyclic hydronaphthofuran scaffolds with three consecutive stereogenic centers were constructed in one step from easily available materials with excellent chemo‐, regio‐, diastereo‐, and enantioselectivity. Notable features of these reactions include 100 % atom economy, very broad scope, and mild reaction conditions.     

A first eigenvalue estimate for embedded hypersurfaces

Suppose that M is a compact orientable hypersurface embedded in a compact n-dimensional orientable Riemannian manifold N. Suppose that the Ricci curvature of N is bounded below by a positive constant k. We show that 2λ₁>k−(n−1)maxM|H| where λ₁ is the first eigenvalue of the Laplacian of M and H is the mean curvature of M.     

Saccharomyces cerevisiae oxidosqualene‐lanosterol cyclase: A chemistry–biology interdisciplinary study of the protein's structure–function–reaction mechanism relationships

The oxidosqualene cyclases (EC 5.4.99‐) constitute a family of enzymes that catalyze diverse cyclization/rearrangement reactions of (3S)‐2,3‐oxidosqualene into a distinct array of sterols and triterpenes. The relationship between the cyclization mechanism and the enzymatic structure is extremely complex and compelling. This review covers the historical achievements of biomimetic studies and current progress in structural biology, molecular genetics, and bioinformatics studies to elucidate the mechanistic and structure–function relationships of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae oxidosqualene‐lanosterol cyclase‐catalyzed cyclization/rearrangement reaction. © 2008 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 8: 302–325; 2008: Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ) DOI 10.1002/tcr.20157     

Copper ferrite superparamagnetic nanoparticles as a heterogeneous catalyst for directed phenol/formamide coupling

The copper ferrite-catalyzed, directed coupling of ortho-arylated phenols and dialkylformamides in the presence of a peroxide oxidant is described. Acyclic and cyclic amides were compatible with the reaction conditions. The copper ferrite catalyst is heterogeneous since substantial leaching was not detected and re-use of the catalyst for 9 consecutive reactions proceeded without a significant decrease in yield. To the best of our knowledge, this transformation has not been previously performed under heterogeneous catalysis conditions.     

A molecular dynamics simulation of a homogeneous organic-inorganic hybrid silica membrane

A new molecular dynamics simulation method was successfully applied to construct a homogeneous organic-inorganic hybrid silica membrane using the hybrid-pcff (h-pcff) potential function. Analysis suggested that the hybrid BTESE silica membrane provided a looser network and larger cavity size for the enhancement of gas permeability and selectivity.