Recognition of 1,3-Butadiene by a Porous Coordination Polymer.

The separation of 1,3-butadiene from C4 hydrocarbon mixtures is imperative for the production of synthetic rubbers, and there is a need for a more economical separation method, such as a pressure swing adsorption process. With regard to adsorbents that enable C4 gas separation, [Zn(NO2 ip)(dpe)]n (SD-65; NO2 ip=5-nitroisophthalate, dpe=1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene) is a promising porous material because of its structural flexibility and restricted voids, which provide unique guest-responsive accommodation. The 1,3-butadiene-selective sorption profile of SD-65 was elucidated by adsorption isotherms, in situ PXRD, and SSNMR studies and was further investigated by multigas separation and adsorption-desorption-cycle experiments for its application to separation technology.

Dense coordination network capable of selective CO2 capture from C1 and C2 hydrocarbons.

We elucidated the specific adsorption property of CO(2) for a densely interpenetrated coordination polymer which was a nonporous structure and observed gas separation properties of CO(2) over CH(4), C(2)H(4), and C(2)H(6), studied under both equilibrium and kinetic conditions of gases at ambient temperature and pressure.

Chromic behaviors of hexagonal columnar liquid crystalline platinum complexes with catecholato, 2-thiophenolato, and benzenedithiolato.

Liquid crystalline (LC) platinum(II) complexes with 1,2-thiophenolato and 1,2-benzendithiolato have been newly synthesized and investigated by spectroscopy together with the catecholato analogue. The variations in coordinating atoms (O or S or O/S mixed) lead to significant modulation in electrochemical properties in solution and absorption and emission properties of the complexes both in solution media and in the condensed phases. The asymmetric, polar mesogens/chromophores consisting of Pt(II), redox-active ligands, and alkyl-substituted bipyridine commonly play important roles not only in stabilizing the columnar LC phases, but also in fluctuations of the ground state energies. A key finding of the present work is the chromic properties of LC complexes induced by the interplay of self-association of the mesogens/chromophores and their fluctuating properties.

Influence of osmotic condition on secondary cell wall formation of xylem vessel cells induced by the master transcription factor VND7.

Xylem vessels, which conduct water from roots to aboveground tissues in vascular plants, are stiffened by secondary cell walls (SCWs). Protoxylem vessel cells deposit cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin as SCW components in helical and/or annular patterns. The mechanisms underlying SCW patterning in the protoxylem vessel cells are not fully understood, although VASCULAR-RERATED NAC-DOMAIN 7 (VND7) has been identified as a master transcription factor in protoxylem vessel cell differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we investigated deposition patterns of SCWs throughout the tissues of Arabidopsis seedlings using an inducible transdifferentiation system that utilizes a chimeric protein in which VND7 is fused with the activation domain of VP16 and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) (VND7-VP16-GR). In slender- and cylinder-shaped cells, such as petiole and hypocotyl cells, SCWs that were ectopically induced by the VND7-VP16-GR system were deposited linearly, resulting in helical and annular patterns similar to the endogenous patterns in protoxylem vessel cells. By contrast, concentrated linear SCW deposition was associated with unevenness on the surface of pavement cells in cotyledon leaf blades, suggesting the involvement of cell morphology in SCW patterning. When we exposed the seedlings to hypertonic conditions that induced plasmolysis, we observed aberrant deposition patterns in SCW formation. Because the turgor pressure becomes zero at the point when cells reach limiting plasmolysis, this result implies that proper turgor pressure is required for normal SCW patterning. Taken together, our results suggest that the deposition pattern of SCWs is affected by mechanical stimuli that are related to cell morphogenesis and turgor pressure.

Structural optimization of interpenetrated pillared-layer coordination polymers for ethylene/ethane separation.

With the goal of achieving effective ethylene/ethane separation, we evaluated the gas sorption properties of four pillared-layer-type porous coordination polymers with double interpenetration, [Zn2(tp)2(bpy)]n (1), [Zn2(fm)2(bpe)]n (2), [Zn2(fm)2(bpa)]n (3), and [Zn2(fm)2(bpy)]n (4) (tp = terephthalate, bpy = 4,4'-bipyridyl, fm = fumarate, bpe = 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene and bpa = 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethane). It was found that 4, which contains the narrowest pores of all of these compounds, exhibited ethylene-selective sorption profiles. The ethylene selectivity of 4 was estimated to be 4.6 at 298 K based on breakthrough experiments using ethylene/ethane gas mixtures. In addition, 4 exhibited a good regeneration ability compared with a conventional porous material.