High-throughput characterization of local conductivity of Nd0.9Ca0.1Ba2Cu3O7−δ thin film by the low-temperature scanning microwave microscope

We developed a scanning microwave microscope (SμM) designed for high-throughput electric-property screening as well as for rapid construction of electronic phase diagrams at low temperatures. As a sensor probe, we used a high-Qλ/4 coaxial cavity resonator to which a thin needle with ball-tip end was attached. The sensor module was mounted on the low-temperature XYZ stage, which allowed us to map out the change of resonance frequency and quality factor due to the local tip-sample interaction at low temperatures. From the measurements of combinatorial thin films, such as Ti_1−xCo_xO_2−δ and Nd_0.9Ca_0.1Ba₂Cu₃O_7−δ (NCBCO), it was demonstrated that this SμM system has enough performance for the high-throughput characterization of sample conductance under variable temperature conditions.     

Investigation of the drying conditions for amidosulfuric acid.

The drying conditions for primary standards of volumetric analysis have a significant effect on the titration results due to changes in the purity, stability and homogeneity. Amidosulfuric acid, a strong acid used as a reference material for volumetric analysis in Japan, was dried in a vacuum desiccator or heated at different temperatures, and then measured by Karl-Fischer titration, thermogravimetry/mass spectroscopy (TG-MS), ion chromatography and coulometric titration. The optimum drying conditions were at 50 degrees C for 24 h with crushing.     

Pressure and temperature effects on the excess deuteron and proton conductance

The limiting molar conductances ° of deuterium chloride DCl in D₂O were determined as a function of pressure and temperature in order to examine the proton-jump mechanism in detail. The excess deuteron conductances °_E(D ⁺), as estimated by the equation [°_E(D ⁺) = °(DCl/D ₂ O) – °(KCl/D ₂ O)], increases with an increase in the pressure and temperature as well as the excess proton conductance [°_E(H ⁺) = °(HCl/H ₂ O) – °(KCl/H ₂ O)]. The isotope effect on the excess conductances, however, depends on the pressure and temperature contrary to the model proposed by Conway et al.: °_E(H ⁺)/°_E(D ⁺) decreases with increasing pressure and temperature. The magnitude of the decrease with pressure becomes more prominent at lower temperature. These results are discussed in terms of the pre-rotation of adjacent water molecules, the bending of hydrogen bonds with pressure, and the difference in strength of hydrogen bonds between D₂O and H₂O.     

Inhibitory effects of 3-O-acyl-(+)-catechins on Epstein-Barr virus activation

In the course of an exploratory investigation of antitumor-promoting catechins, 3-O-acyl-(+)-catechins of varying carbon lengths from C(4) to C(18) were assessed for inhibitory effects on the activation of the Epstein-Barr virus early antigen. Like 3-O-acyl-(-)-epigallocatechins, the (+)-catechin derivatives showed promising effects with the C-3 acyl chain of C(8)-C(11) carbon atoms.     

Synthesis,crystal structure and charge transport characteristics of stable peri-tetracene analogues

peri-Acenes have shown great potential for use as functional materials because of their open-shell singlet biradical character. However, only a limited number of peri-acene derivatives larger than peri-tetracene have been synthesized to date, presumably owing to the low stability of the target compounds in addition to the complicated synthesis scheme. Here, a very simple synthesis route for the tetrabenzo[a,f,j,o]perylene (TBP) structure enables the development of highly stable peri-tetracene analogues. Despite a high degree of singlet biradical character, the compounds with four substituents at the zigzag edge show a remarkable stability in solution under ambient conditions, which is better than that of acene derivatives with a closed-shell electronic configuration. The crystal structures of the TBP derivatives were obtained for the first time; these are valuable to understand the relationship between the structure and biradical character of peri-acenes. The application of peri-acenes in electronic devices should also be investigated. Therefore, the semiconducting properties of the TBP derivative were investigated by fabricating the field-effect transistors.

Highly stable peri-tetracene analogues with a high degree of singlet biradical character were synthesized in a very simple route, and their crystal structures and semiconducting properties were investigated.     

Total Synthesis of Natural PI-091, a New Platelet Aggregation Inhibitor of Microbial Origin

The total synthesis of a new platelet aggregation-inhibiting gamma-lactam PI-091 (1) gave a 1:1 diastereomeric mixture at the gamma-ketal carbon. The high-yielding aldol reaction of an appropriately protected 1,3,4-trihydroxy-4-methyldecan-2-one 42, prepared from D-glucose, with the kinetically generated enolate of 3-methyl-2-butanone provided 43. The resulting diastereomeric mixture of the aldol adduct 43 was converted to a 2,4-alkylated furan 45 via an intramolecular ketalization followed by dehydration. The addition of a singlet oxygen to the alpha-trimethylsilylated furan 48derived from 45 under photochemical conditions efficiently provided an alpha,gamma-dialkylated gamma-hydroxy gamma-lactone 47. The transformation of methyl ketal 52 prepared from 47 into gamma-hydroxy gamma-lactam 53 was achieved by exposure to liquid ammonia in MeOH. The total synthesis of 1 was achieved from 52 through the Dess-Martin periodinane oxidation of the secondary hydroxy group in the side chain. The present total synthesis revealed that the stereogenic carbon center in the side chain in natural 1 is S.     

Optical microscopy and in situ Raman scattering of single crystalline ethylene hydrate and binary methane-ethylene hydrate at high pressures

Visual observations through a microscope and in situ Raman measurements have been made for single crystalline ethylene hydrate (EH) and binary methane-ethylene hydrate (MEH) at pressures up to 3.7 GPa and room temperature. Both hydrates showed pressure-induced phase transitions at 1.6, 2.0, and 3.0 GPa for EH and at 1.7, 2.1, and 3.3 GPa for MEH. The cubic sI phase of EH and MEH remains stable up to 1.6 and 1.7 GPa, respectively, which are more widely ranging values than the values for the methane hydrate sI phase. In this sI phase of binary MEH, the cage occupancies by methane and ethylene molecules are investigated from Raman spectra. Above P = 3.0 GPa for EH and 3.3 GPa for MEH, they decomposed by associating with the formation of the polyethylene.     

Enantiodifferentiating photoaddition of alcohols to 1,1-diphenylpropene in supercritical carbon dioxide: sudden jump of optical yield at the critical density

In the enantiodifferentiating photoaddition of ROH (R = Me, Et, i-Pr) to 1,1-diphenylpropene sensitized by fructosyl 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylate in supercritical carbon dioxide, the enantiomeric excess of photoadduct increased with increasing bulkiness of the alcohol at all pressures used, with an accompanying sudden jump at the critical density, for which the enhanced clustering of alcohol, particularly in the subcritical pressure region, was revealed to be responsible from the fluorescence spectral examinations.     

Expansion of Photostable Luminescent Radicals by Meta-Substitution

Polychlorinated pyridyldiphenylmethyl radicals having substituents meta to the position bearing the carbon-centered radical (α-carbon) are synthesized. All of them are stable in ambient conditions in solutions and fluorescent in cyclohexane. The fluorescence of the radicals with bromo, phenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, or 2-pyridyl substituents are enhanced in chloroform, while the emission of the radicals with 2-thienyl or 2-furyl substituents are quenched in chloroform. DFT and TD-DFT calculations indicate that the first doublet excited states of the former are locally excited, while the first doublet excited states of the latter are charge transfer states from the π-electron-donating substituent to the accepting radical. The latter also show much higher photostability under 370-nm light irradiation compared with the first reported photostable fluorescent radical, (3,5-dichloro-4-pyridyl)bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl radical (PyBTM), with pronounced bathochromic shifts of the fluorescence.     

Development of health monitoring method for pecan nut trees using side video data and computer vision

Optical Review - Increasing efficiency and productivity in the field of agriculture is important to provide sufficient food to the world’s increasing population. It is important to monitor...