Synthesis of 6,7-disubstituted-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazines via palladium-catalyzed heteroannulation

A concise and efficient method for the preparation of 6,7-disubstituted-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazines via a palladium-catalyzed heteroannulation is reported. Both conventional and microwave heating were used to perform the reactions, with the latter showing dramatically improved results.     

6-Substituted-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazines via palladium-catalyzed heteroannulation from N-(3-chloropyrazin-2-yl)-methanesulfonamide and alkynes

We herein report the efficient and convenient synthesis of 6-substituted-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazines. The reaction is a palladium-catalyzed heteroannulation process followed by deprotection to yield the desired pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazine substrates. The reaction starts with readily accessible N-(3-chloropyrazin-2-yl)-methanesulfonamide and commercially available terminal alkynes and works with aryl- and alkylalkynes.     

Ablation of poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) by 308, 222 and 193 nm excimer-laser radiation

Data on the ablation of Poly(Methyl MetAcylate) (PMMA) and Poly(2-Hydroxyethyl MetAcylate) (PHEMA) with 0%, 1% and 20% of Ethylene Glycol DiMethAcrylate (EGDMA) as crosslinking monomer by 193, 222 and 308 nm laser radiation are presented. Direct photoetching of PMMA at 308 nm is demonstrated for laser fluences ranging from 2 to 18 J/cm². The ablation rate of PHEMA is lower than the corresponding to PMMA and decreases when the amount of EGDMA increases. The determination of the absorbed energy density required to initiate significant ablation suggests that the photoetching mechanism is similar for all the polymers studied and is a function of the irradiation wavelength. The Beer-Lambert law, the Srinivasan, Smrtic and Babu (SSB) theory and the kinetic model of the moving interface are used to analyze the experimental results. It is shown that only the moving interface theory fits well the etch rate for all the selected polymers at the three radiation wavelengths.     

Search for sub-eV mass solar axions by the CERN Axion Solar Telescope with 3He buffer gas

The CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) has extended its search for solar axions by using (3)He as a buffer gas. At T=1.8 K this allows for larger pressure settings and hence sensitivity to higher axion masses than our previous measurements with (4)He. With about 1 h of data taking at each of 252 different pressure settings we have scanned the axion mass range 0.39 eV?m(a)?0.64 eV. From the absence of excess x rays when the magnet was pointing to the Sun we set a typical upper limit on the axion-photon coupling of g(aγ)?2.3×10(-10) GeV(-1) at 95% C.L., the exact value depending on the pressure setting. Kim-Shifman-Vainshtein-Zakharov axions are excluded at the upper end of our mass range, the first time ever for any solar axion search. In the future we will extend our search to m(a)?1.15 eV, comfortably overlapping with cosmological hot dark matter bounds.     

Experimental search for solar axions

A new technique has been used to search for solar axions using a single crystal germanium detector. It exploits the coherent conversion of axions into photons when their angle of incidence satisfies a Bragg condition with a crystalline plane. The analysis of approximately 1.94 kg.yr of data from the 1 kg DEMOS detector in Sierra Grande, Argentina, yields a new laboratory bound on axion-photon coupling of g_αγγ < 2.7 × 10⁻⁹GeV⁻¹, independent of axion mass up to 1 keV.     

Biological effects of stellar collapse neutrinos

Massive stars in their final stages of collapse radiate most of their binding energy in the form of MeV neutrinos. The recoil atoms that they produce in elastic scattering off nuclei in organic tissue create radiation damage which is highly effective in the production of irreparable DNA harm, leading to cellular mutation, neoplasia, and oncogenesis. Using a conventional model of the galaxy and of the collapse mechanism, the periodicity of nearby stellar collapses and the radiation dose are calculated. The possible contribution of this process to the paleontological record of mass extinctions is examined.