Diastereoselective synthesis of cularine alkaloids via enium ions and an easy entry to isoquinolines by aza-Wittig electrocyclic ring closure

In preliminary communications, we reported the diastereoselective synthesis of cularine and sarcocapnine via the intramolecular ring closure of nitrenium and oxenium ions, a new highly diastereoselective reductive methylation with (+)-8-phenylmenthyl chloroacetate followed by reduction with sodium borohydride, and a facile entry to the isoquinoline precursors by aza-Wittig electrocyclic ring closure. We now report the full details of the syntheses of (+)-O-demethylcularine, (+)-cularine, (+)-sarcocapnidine, (+)-sarcocapnine, and (+)-crassifoline and describe different methods of synthesis of their precursors.     

Supercritical fluid extraction and gas chromatography or electroanalysis of metal chelates from different sample matrices

The supercritical fluid extraction of Pb(DDC)2 and MoO2(acac)2 complexes is performed. The previously formed complexes are used in order to simplify the extraction process. In the extraction cell, 9.0 mg of Pb(DDC)2 or 30.0 mg of MoO2(acac)2 is added. With these two complexes, a study of static and dynamic extraction as a function of pressure (1000-2500 psi), temperature (40-160 degrees C), and presence of modifier (methanol) is performed. Under the best conditions, 5.6 mg of Pb(DDC)2 (2.3 mg of Pb2+) is recovered. The parameters are 2500 psi of pressure, 160 degrees C of temperature, 0.5 mL methanol (placed in a 10-mL extraction cell), 60.0 min of static extraction, and 2.0 min of dynamic extraction. It is necessary to add 3.0 mL of methanol to enhance efficiency on the MoO2(acac)2 complex recovery. Quantitative extractions of MoO2(acac)2 (9.0 mg of MoVI) are obtained when the experiments are carried out under 1000-2500 psi of pressure, 140 degrees C, and times no longer than 10.0 min. Then, the study is carried out forming the in situ complexes. For this purpose, metallic ion and ligand are added. Under these conditions, the Pb2+ recovery decreases from 2.3 to 1.9 mg, and the MoVI recovery decreases from 9.0 to 1.0 mg. When 1.9 mg of Pb2+ and 1.0 mg of MoVI or less is placed in the extraction cell, the recoveries are always 100%. The Pb2+ extracts are directly accomplished using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID), and the MoVI extracts are analyzed using GC-FID and catalytic adsorption voltammetry. The quantitation of pure extracts is carried out by constructing calibration curves with complex solutions and sample solutions using the standard addition method. This method is applied by determination of Pb2+ in sodium alginate extracted from algae and blood, urine, and human milk from patients with diagnosed plumbunemy. MoVI is determined in irrigation water and pasture of animal intake.     

Assessment of a new approach for the two-electron cumulant in natural-orbital-functional theory

The Piris natural orbital functional (PNOF) based on a new approach for the two-electron cumulant has been used to predict adiabatic ionization potentials, equilibrium bond distances, and harmonic vibrational frequencies of 18 diatomic molecules. Vertical ionization potentials have been calculated for the same set of diatomic molecules and another set of 20 polyatomic molecules using energy-difference methods as well as the extended Koopman theorem. The PNOF properties compare favorably with the coupled-cluster-doubles results. The calculated PNOF values are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental data, considering the basis sets used (6-31G**).     

An interview with Sam C. Saunders

Sam C. Saunders, the son of Elizabeth Cundiff and Winston E. Saunders, was born in Richland, OR, on February 24, 1931. The family moved to La Grande, OR, in 1944, where Sam completed high school and two years at Eastern Oregon College. He then received the BSc degree in Mathematics from the University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, in 1952, and he attended the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, receiving a PhD degree under Z. W. Birnbaum. After graduating, he accepted employment at the Boeing Company in its Mathematical Services Unit and, in 1972, a position as a Full Professor at Washington State University, Pullman, WA, from which he retired in 1996.     

Sodiation Of Hard Carbon: How Separating Enthalpy And Entropy Contributions Can Find Transitions Hidden In The Voltage Profile

Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) utilize cheaper materials than lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and can thus be used in larger scale applications. The preferred anode material is hard carbon, because sodium cannot be inserted into graphite. We apply experimental entropy profiling (EP), where the cell temperature is changed under open circuit conditions. EP has been used to characterize LIBs; here, we demonstrate the first application of EP to any NIB material. The voltage versus sodiation fraction curves (voltage profiles) of hard carbon lack clear features, consisting only of a slope and a plateau, making it difficult to clarify the structural features of hard carbon that could optimize cell performance. We find additional features through EP that are masked in the voltage profiles. We fit lattice gas models of hard carbon sodiation to experimental EP and system enthalpy, obtaining: 1. a theoretical maximum capacity, 2. interlayer versus pore filled sodium with state of charge.     

Two definitions of exponential dichotomy for skew-product semiflow in Banach spaces

In this paper we introduce a concept of exponential dichotomy for linear skew-product semiflows (LSPS) in infinite dimensional Banach spaces, which is an extension of the classical concept of exponential dichotomy for time dependent linear differential equations in Banach spaces. We prove that the concept of exponential dichotomy used by Sacker-Sell and Magalhães in recent years is stronger than this one, but they are equivalent under suitable conditions. Using this concept we where able to find a formula for all the bounded negative continuations. After that, we characterize the stable and unstable subbundles in terms of the boundedness of the corresponding projector along (forward/backward) the LSPS and in terms of the exponential decay of the semiflow. The linear theory presented here provides a foundation for studying the nonlinear theory. Also, this concept can be used to study the existence of exponential dichotomy and the roughness property for LSPS.