Socket with built-in valves for the interconnection of microfluidic chips to macro constituents

This paper reports a prototype for a standard connector between a microfluidic chip and the macro world. This prototype demonstrate a fully functioning socket for a microchip to access the outside world by means of fluids, data signals and energy supply. It supports up to 10 channels for the input and output of liquids or gases, as well as compressed air or vacuum lines for pneumatic power lines. The socket has built-in valves for each flow channel. It also contains 28 pins for the connection of electrical signals and power. Built-in valves make it possible to control the flow in each channel independently. A chip ( 11.0 x 11.0 x 0.9 mm) can be mounted into or dismounted from the socket with one touch. The fluidic connectors of the socket are designed to contact vertically on the top of chip. And the electrical connectors (the spring array) of that physically support the chip and contact lead pads at the bottom of chip. No adhesives or solders are used at any contact points. The pressure limit for the connection of working fluids was 0.2 MPa and the current limit for the electrical connections was 1 A. This socket supports both serial and parallel processing applications. It exhibits great potential for developing microfluidic systems efficiently.     

Preparation,stability, reactivity and synthetic utility of a cadmium stabilized complex of difluoromethylene phosphonic acid ester

Diethyl bromodifluoromethyl phosphonate reacts readily with cadmium metal to form a stable cadmium complex. Depending on solvent, this functionalized organocadmium reagent exhibits stability for days to months. It reacts with a variety of electrophiles and serves as a synthetically useful source for the introduction of the difluoromethylene phosphonate group into organic compounds.The synthetic utility of a wide variety of fluoromethylene phosphonium ylides has been a major effort in our laboratory over the past several years [1]. The generation and capture of difluoromethylene ylides ($\text{1}$) as a general route to difluoromethylene olefins has been of especial interest to us [2]. In an effort to increase the nucleophilicity of the ylide, we have attempted to prepare the analogous phosphonate ylide ($\text{2}$). Although we have achieved modest success [3] by $\text{insitu}$ capture of ($\text{2}$) in the reaction of

sodium dialkyl phosphites with diethyl bromodifluoromethylphosphonate ($\text{3}$), attempts to pregenerate ($\text{2}$), either from diethyl difluoromethylphosphonate ($\text{4}$) or ($\text{3}$), have met with little success. ($\text{2}$) appears to have minimal stability even at low temperatures, and scale up processes of synthetic value would seem to be difficult.     

Probing surface properties and glass-liquid transition of amorphous solid water: temperature-programmed TOF-SIMS and TPD studies of adsorption/desorption of hexane

The interaction of hexane with amorphous solid water has been investigated in terms of the surface diffusion, hydrogen bond imperfections, hydrophobic hydration, crystallization, and glass-liquid transition. The hexane exhibits two main peaks in temperature-programmed desorption: one is ascribed to a complex formed at the surface or subsurface sites (135 K) and the other is caused by a bulk complex (165 K). The latter is associated with the presence of frozen-in imperfections in hydrogen bonds and formed provided that the annealing temperature of the film is below 130 K, whereas the former is created even when the film is annealed up to 150 K. Thus, the hexane-water interaction is hardly characterized by simple physisorption. The hexane is incorporated in the bulk during reorganization of hydrogen bonds due to rotational and translational diffusions of water molecules above 120-140 K, whereas the surface complex is formed even below 120 K due to the surface diffusion of molecules. The film undergoes abrupt dewetting at 165 K as a consequence of the glass-liquid transition. The slow evolution of the fluidity in the supercooled liquid phase may be responsible for the delay of the structural relaxation (165 K) relative to the onset of the translational molecular diffusion (135-140 K).     

Radical cyclization by ipso substitution of the methoxy group: considerable effect of HMPA on samarium-mediated cyclization

Alkyl radicals generated by treatment of thiocarbamates of conformationally favorable 3-alkyl-3-arylpropan-1-ols with tris(trimethylsilyl)silane and AIBN efficiently undergo intramolecular ipso substitution of the methoxy group, yielding the corresponding cyclized products. In contrast, either conformationally favorable or flexible 1-arylalkan-3- or 4-ones easily cyclize into five- or six-membered condensed rings by treatment with SmI(2) via ketyl radical intermediates. The addition of HMPA as cosolvent dramatically changes the cyclization mode of the SmI(2)-induced reaction, and the para-cyclization products are exclusively formed. This "HMPA effect" can be rationalized by the strong chelating ability of HMPA with the samarium atom.     

Estimation of the total population moving into and out of the 20 km evacuation zone during the Fukushima NPP accident as calculated using “Auto-GPS” mobile phone data

The first objective data showing the geographical locations of people in Fukushima after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident, obtained by an analysis of GPS (Global Positioning System)-enabled mobile phone logs, are presented. The method of estimation is explained, and the flow of people into and out of the 20 km evacuation zone during the accident is visualized.     

Dehydration‐fragmentation mechanism of cathinones and their metabolites in ESI‐CID

Various cathinone‐derived designer drugs (CATs) have recently appeared on the drug market. This study examined the mechanism for the generation of dehydrated ions for CATs during electrospray ionization collision‐induced dissociation (ESI‐CID). The generation mechanism of dehydrated ions is dependent on the amine classification in the cathinone skeleton, which is used in the identification of CATs. The two hydrogen atoms eliminated during the dehydration of cathinone (primary amine) and methcathinone (secondary amine) were determined, and the reaction mechanism was elucidated through the deuterium labeling experiments. The hydrogen atom bonded to the amine nitrogen was eliminated with the proton added during ESI, in both of the tested compounds. This provided evidence that CATs with tertiary amine structures (such as dimethylcathinone and α‐pyrrolidinophenones [α‐PPs]) do not undergo dehydration. However, it was shown that the two major tertiary amine metabolites (1‐OH and 2″‐oxo) of CATs generate dehydrated ions in ESI‐CID. The dehydration mechanisms of the metabolites of α‐pyrrolidinobutiophenone (α‐PBP) belongs to α‐PPs were also investigated. Stable‐isotope labeling showed the dehydration of the 1‐OH metabolite following a simple mechanism where the hydroxy group was eliminated together with the proton added during ESI. In contrast, the dehydration mechanism of the 2″‐oxo metabolite involved hydrogen atoms in three or more locations along with the carbonyl group oxygen, indicating that dehydration occurred via multiple mechanisms likely including the rearrangement reaction of hydrogen atoms. These findings presented herein indicate that the dehydrated ions in ESI‐CID can be used for the structural identification of CATs.     

Surface diffusion and entrapment of simple molecules on porous silica

Interactions of simple molecules with the surface of porous silica have been investigated using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and temperature programmed desorption. A monolayer of water diffuses into pores at temperatures higher than 110 K. Multilayers of water are also incorporated in pores via sequential surface diffusion. In contrast, a methanol monolayer tends to stay on the surface up to 150 K, and carbon dioxide diffuses into pores rather gradually. Results can be explained as the contribution of hydrogen bonds between the adsorbate–substrate and adsorbate–adsorbate interactions. The predominance of the former (latter) might be responsible for single-molecule migration of methanol and carbon-dioxide (collective diffusion of water molecules) on the surface. These molecules are entrapped at higher coordination sites in pores, as revealed from thermal desorption peaks appearing at higher temperatures than those from non-porous silica. However, no significant difference is observed in desorption kinetics of CF₂Cl₂, Kr, CH₄, and N₂ molecules between the porous and non-porous silica substrates.     

Surface and interface effects on structural transformation of vapor-deposited ethylbenzene films

We have investigated how the structures of vapor-deposited glassy films change with increasing temperature by using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and ion scattering spectroscopy. It is found that intermixing of the topmost layer of an ethylbenzene film occur at temperature (~ 80 K) considerably lower than the glass transition temperature (T_g = 118 K) when the film is deposited at 20 K. This phenomenon can be interpreted as the occurrence of a two-dimensional liquid that diffuses into pores of the film, which is evidenced from comparison with surface diffusivity measurements using a porous silicon layer. For nonporous films deposited at higher temperatures, the molecules intermix gradually prior to the abrupt film morphology change at T_g. This phenomenon can be interpreted as decoupling between translational diffusivity and viscosity in the bulk. The film thickness has no significant effects on the evolution of supercooled liquid at T_g except for the monolayer film, whereas crystallization is quenched for the films thinner than 8 monolayers. The roles of the 2D liquid on the surface and an immobilized layer formed at the interface are discussed in finite-size effects on the glass-liquid transition and crystallization.     

Wavelength dependence of polyyne preparation by liquid-phase laser ablation using pellet targets

The amount of polyynes produced by Nd:YAG laser (355, 532, and 1064 nm) ablation of fullerene and graphite pellet targets was the largest for 1064 nm ablation, contrary to the powder target in the previous report. This result is believed to come from the difference in the main polyyne-production area in liquids in the optical cell, depending on the pellet and powder targets.     

Studies on heat transfer and flow characteristics in subcooled flow boiling—Part 1. Boiling characteristics

Measurement of wall temperature profile and photographic observation are performed for R-113 subcooled boiling flow in a channel with heat fluxes up to the CHF. The incipient boiling superheats measured are little affected by mass velocity and liquid subcooling. Hysteresis in boiling observed by increasing and decreasing heat flux seems to be ascribed to variation in size of active nucleation cavities on the wall. Increasing heat flux up to the CHF, the bubble density on the heated surface increases and remarkably large coalescent bubbles appear periodically near the heating section outlet.