Base-catalyzed homo-brook rearrangement of diastereomeric 7,8- epoxy-7(trimethylsilyl)-6-tridecanols

Semi-quantitative rate measurement of base-catalyzed 1,3-migration of a silyl group from carbon to oxygen (homo-Brook rearrangement) using four diastereomerically pure title compounds revealed that the aptitude for the migration depends markedly on the configurational environment around the trimethylsilyl group of the respective substrate.     

Electrochemical control of CO/NO ligand exchange in a triruthenium cluster monolayer assembled on a gold electrode surface

A highly selective ligand exchange reaction is realized in the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of a triruthenium cluster on a gold electrode surface under precise electrochemical potential control. CO as well as NO molecules, which are known to play key roles in many chemical, biological, and environmental systems, can be efficiently introduced into the SAM by electrochemically tuning the electronic state of the Ru site. These unique surface reactions are more convenient and efficient than conventional ligand exchange reactions in solution and could be used for the elucidation of the electron-transfer mechanism in a biological system as well as in the development of molecular sensors and devices.     

Oxidation of allylic alcohols, amines, and sulfides mediated by assembled triphase catalyst of phosphotungstate and non-cross-linked amphiphilic copolymer

A novel catalyst PWAA, an assembled complex of phosphotungstic acid (H₃PW₁₂O₄₀) and a non-cross-linked copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide with an ammonium, was developed. It is an amphiphilic, cross-linked, and supramolecular insoluble complex and showed catalytic activity on oxidation with aqueous hydrogen peroxide. PWAA, used in 2.7×10⁻⁵-2.0×10⁻³ mol equiv., catalyzed oxidation of allylic alcohols, amines, and sulfides efficiently. The turnover number (TON) of PWAA reached up to 35,000. PWAA showed a good stability in organic/aqueous media and was reused three to five times.     

Chemical and genetic diversity of Ligularia virgaurea collected in northern Sichuan and adjacent areas of China. Isolation of 13 new compounds

Root chemicals and DNA sequences were analyzed for Ligularia virgaurea collected in the northern Sichuan Province and adjacent areas of China. Thirty-eight samples were found to contain five chemotypes, two known and three new ones. From samples of the new chemotypes, 13 new compounds were isolated, including 3 sesquiterpene dimers and some rearranged eremophilanes. The DNA sequences suggested that the chemotype differentiation had a genetic origin.     

Adenopeptin, a new apoptosis inducer in transformed cells from Chrysosporium sp.

A new antitumor antibiotic, adenopeptin (1), was isolated from the culture broth of Chrysosporium sp. PF1201. The planar structure, which includes a tridecapeptide and a hexahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrimidinium, was elucidated by mass spectrometric and NMR experiments. Adenopeptin (1) induced apoptotic cell death in cells transformed with the adenovirus oncogenes.     

Smectic A and smectic C materials: partially deuteriated chiral liquid crystals (S)-(-)-2-methylbuty 4-(4-(d13)-hexyloxyphenyl)benzoate and (S)-(-)-2-methylbutyl 4-(4-(d17)-octyloxyphenyl)benzoate

In order to study the difference in microscopic orientation of ferro- and antiferroelectric liquid crystalline molecules, we synthesized the partially deuteriated chiral compounds, (S)-(^-)-2-methylbutyl 4-(4-(d₁₃)-hexyloxy- and (S)-(^-)-2-methylbutyl 4-(4-(d₁₇)-octyloxy-phenyl)benzoates. Fundamental physical properties such as phase transition temperatures, spontaneous polarization and tilt angle were determined. Polarized FTIR measurements were also made to provide information on molecular structure and orientation.     

X-ray characterisation of local molecular orientation in the electroclinic effect of surface-stabilised SmA liquid crystals

The local molecular orientation in the electroclinic effect of the chiral smectic A phase in a surface-stabilised cell has been determined using a time-resolved synchrotron X-ray microbeam diffraction technique. Space- and time-resolved X-ray wide-angle halo scattering under an electric field reveals the static and dynamic intralayer molecular orientation. The molecular orientation varies spatially in accordance with the stripe texture and is dependent on the applied voltage. It has been found that the deviation of the molecular orientation from the rubbing direction depends strongly on the sample history. The relation between the apparent molecular orientation and the layer structure is discussed.     

Flexible taper-shaped liquid crystal trimer exhibiting a modulated smectic phase

We prepared some taper-shaped liquid-crystalline trimers in which two phenylpyrimidine units and a 1,4-diphenyl-2,3-difluorobenzene unit are connected to 2,4-dihdroxy benzoic acid via flexible spacers. We then investigated their liquid-crystalline properties using polarised optical microscopy, differential scanning microscopy and X-ray diffraction. 6-[4–(5-Octylpyrimidin-2-yl)phenyloxy]hexyl 2-{7-{4-[4–(4-hexylphenyl)-2,3-difluorophenyl]phenyloxy}heptanoyloxy}-4-{6-[4–(5-octylpyrimidin-2-yl)phenyloxy]hexyloxy}benzoate (1) was found to exhibit a phase sequence of isotropic liquid – nematic – intercalated smectic A – intercalated anticlinic smectic C – modulated smectic C. The structure–property relation in the taper-shaped trimers reveals that the modulated phase is induced by competition between an intercalated structure stabilised by dipole–dipole interaction and a monolayer structure by packing entropy effects. Conformational change of compound 1 induced by intermolecular interactions plays an important role in the phase transition behaviour.