The electrocatalytic reduction of molecular oxygen was investigated with a Co(II)-glyoxal bis(2-hydroxyanil) complex coated-glassy carbon (GC) electrode in aqueous media. The reduction of $O_2$ at the modified electrode was an irreversible and diffusion-controlled reaction. The complex coated-GC electrode demonstrated an excellent electrocatalytic effect for $O_2$ reduction in an acetate buffer solution of pH 3.2. The coated electrode made the $O_2$ reduction potential shift of 60-510 mV in a positive direction compared to the bare GC electrode depending on pH. The Co(II)-glyoxal bis(2-hydroxyanil) coated electrode converted about 51% of the $O_2$ to $H_2O_2$ via a two-electron reduction pathway, with the balance converted to H_2O$.

In the present paper, we report a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of non-rigid zeolite-A framework only as the base case for a consistent study of the role of intraframework interaction on several zeolite-A systems using the same technique in our previous studies of rigid zeolite-A frameworks. Usual bond stretching, bond angle bending, torsional rotational, and non-bonded Lennard-Jones and electrostatic interactions are considered as intraframework interaction potentials. The comparison of experimental and calculated structural parameters confirms the validity of our MD simulation for zeolite-A framework. The radial distribution functions of non-rigid zeolite-A framework atoms characterize the vibrational motion of the framework atoms. Mean square displacements are all periodic with a short period of 0.08 ps and a slow change in the amplitude of the vibration with a long period of 0.53 ps. The displacement auto-correlation (DAC) and neighbor-correlation (DNC) functions describe the up-and-down motion of the framework atoms from the center of α-cage and the back-and-forth motion on each ring window from the center of each window. The DAC and DNC functions of the framework atoms from the center of α-cage at the 8-ring windows have the same period of the up-and-down motion, but those functions from the center of 8-ring window at the 8-ring windows are of different periods of the back-and-forth motion.

The mechanism of nucleophilic displacement was studied by using three variable systems of ${\rho}_X,\; {\rho}_Y,\; and {\rho}_Z$ obtained from the change of substituent X, Y, and Z for the reaction of (Z)-substituted benzyl (X)-benzensulfonates with (Y)-substituted thiobenzamides in acetone at 45 ℃. The results ${\rho}_Z$<0 and ${\rho}_YZ$>${\rho}_XZ$ indicate that this reaction series proceeded via a dissociative $S_N2$ mechanism. The prediction of the movement of TS by using the sign of ${\rho}_XZ{\cdot}{\rho}_{YZ}$ accorded with the Hammond postulate.

An efficient synthetic method applicable for the preparation of symmetrical as well as unsymmetrical terdentates, and 2-aryl-2,2'-bipyridines was developed, in which a Michael addition of enamine onto enaminone was employed as a key step.

The protonation of tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) in acidic organic solutions was analyzed by acid titrimetric and temperature-dependent absorption measurements. Competition between the protonation of free base TPP $(TPPH_2)$ and the solvation of proton by near solvent molecules determines the equilibrium of the diprotonated TPP $(TPPH_4^{2+})$ formation. The diprotonated TPP exists as an ion pair complex with the acid counterions, which are found to affect the degree of red shift of the Soret band. The rotation of the phenyl rings also plays an important role in the diprotonation, as suggested by the decrease in the degree of diprotonation for the fluorophenyl TPP derivatives whose phenyl ring rotation is significantly hindered relative to normal TPP. The difference of fluorescence lifetime between $TPPH_2 \;({\pi}_{FL}=19.6\;ns)\; and\; TPPH_4^{2+} \;({\pi}_{FL}=2.1 \;ns)$ was used advantageously to measure the rate of protonation in the excited state. The protonation of TPPH2 are found to occur much slower than the diffusion of protons from bulk solution to the porphyrin ring. The monoprotonated TPP is suggested to be the transient species for the diprotonation process.

The kinetics of the formation of triplex $poly(dA){\cdot}[poly(dT)]_2$ from poly(dA)·poly(dT) and poly(dT) is examined by various optical spectroscopic methods, including absorption, circular and linear dichroism (LD) spectroscopy. In the pseudo first order condition, where the poly(dT) concentration is kept lower than that of duplex, the association of the poly(dT) is enhanced by the presence of ethidium; the rate constant is proportional to the amount of ethidium in the mixture. When the concentration of the duplex and the single strand is the same, a spectral change is explained by double exponential curves, indicating that at least two steps are involved, the fast association and slow rearrangement steps. In contrast to the pseudo first order kinetics, the association step in an equimolar condition is not affected by the presence of ethidium. In the rearrangement step, the magnitude of LD decreases with an increase in ethidium concentration, suggesting that the bending of polynucleotide around the intercalation site occurs in the rearrangement step.

We compared various spectroscopic properties of a norfloxacin-single stranded DNA complex with those of norfloxacin-double stranded DNA complex. Norfloxacin binds to both double-and single stranded DNA, and we observed the following spectroscopic changes for both complexes: hypochromism in the norfloxacin absorption region in the absorption spectrum, the characteristic induced CD spectrum consisting of a weak positive band at 323 nm and a strong positive band at 280-300 nm followed by a negative band in the 260 nm region, a strong decrease in the fluorescence intensity and a red-shift in the fluorescence emission spectrum, and shorter fluorescence decay times. These results indicate that the environments of the bound norfloxacin in both DNAs are similar, although the equilibrium constant of the norfloxacin-single stranded DNA was twice as high as the norfloxacin-double stranded DNA complex. Both complexes were thermodynamically favored with similar negative Δ$G^o$. Negative Δ$H^o$ terms contribute to these spontaneous reactions; Δ$S^o$ term was unfavorable.

A chiral pentadentate bis-amide ligand, 1,9-bis(S)-pyrrolidinyl-2,5,8-triazanonane-1,9-dio ne$(S,S-prodienH_2)$ has been synthesized from the reaction of bis(2-aminoethyl)amine(dien) and S-proline, and the structure of $[Co(S,S-prodien)H_2O]ClO_4$ has be en determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The geometrical structure of the Co(III) complex has been an αβ -form, where the dien moiety of ligand chelates to a facial in metal center, and the aqua ligand coordinates a cis site to the secondary nitrogen of dien. The Co-N(1), Co-N(3) distances of two amide moiety in S,S-prodien are shorter than the other Co-N(2), Co-N(4), and Co-N(5) distances because of the increased basicity of nitrogen in amide. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group $P2_1$(#4), with a=7.838(1), b=12.675(1), c=9.710(1) Å, β=100.39(1) and z=2. Refinement gives the final R and $R_w$ values of 0.045 and 0.057, respectively for 2130 observed reflections. Based upon the CD and X-ray data, it is identified that the absolute configuration of the αβ -$[Co(S,S-prodien)H_2O]ClO_4$ has a Λ-form.

The homobimetallic anion, $({\eta}^5-MeCp)Mn(CO)_2Mn(CO)_5-M^+\; (M^+=Na^+, PPN^+$) was disrupted by $PR_3\;(R=C_6H_5,\;C_2H_5,\;OCH_3)$ in THF at various temperatures (r.t. ∼65℃) under the pseudo first order reaction conditions where excess of $PR_3$ was employed under a nitrogen atmosphere. For the reaction involving $PPN^+$ analog, Mn-Mn heterolytic cleavage occurred, leading to $PPN^+Mn(CO)_5^-\; and \;({\eta}^5-MeCp)Mn(CO)_2PR_3$ as products; however, in case of $Na^+\; analog,\; Na^+$ seems to play a novel counter ion effect on the disruption reaction by transferring one terminal CO from the $Mn(CO)_5$ moiety on to the $({\eta}^5-MeCp)Mn(CO)_2$ of the corresponding homobimetallic complex, eventually resulting in $Na^+Mn(CO)_4PR_3^-\;and\;({\eta}^5-MeCp)Mn(CO)_3$. This reaction is of overall first order with respect to [homobimetallic complex] with the activation parameters (ΔH≠=23.0±0.7 kcal/mol, ΔS≠= - 8.7±0.8 e.u. for $Na^+$ analog; ΔH≠=28.8±0.4 kcal/mol, ΔS≠=15.7±0.6 e.u. for $PPN^+$ analog reaction).

Catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide for the simultaneous synthesis of methanol and dimethyl ether (together called oxygenates) over a combination of methanol synthesis and methanol dehydration catalysts has been studied. Various methanol synthesis and methanol dehydration catalysts were examined for this reaction. The addition of promotors like $Ga_2O_3\; and\; Cr_2O_3$ to Cu/ZnO catalyst gave much more enhanced yield on the formation of oxygenates. From the results, the promotional effect of $Cr_2O_3$ has been explained in terms of increase in the intrinsic activity of Cu while that of $Ga_2O_3$ being increase in the dispersion of Cu. Among the methanol dehydration catalysts examined, the solid acids bearing high population of intermediate-strength acid sites were found to be very effective for the production of oxygenates. HY zeolite which contains strong acid sites produce small amount of hydrocarbons as by-products. However, CuNaY zeolite in which the presence of strong acid sites are minimum gives very high oxygenates yield without the formation of hydrocarbons.

Phase shift spectroscopy is applied to Eu(Ⅲ) luminescence from $Eu^{3+}$-exchanged Y zeolite. The phase shift and intensity modulation of luminescence following intensity-modulated excitation are measured as a function of modulation frequency and they are fitted into a double exponential decay. The fast decay component, compared with the slow one, has narrower spectral bandwidth and is emitted from the $Eu^{3+}$ that has more polar and definite environment with higher symmetry and that interacts more easily with hydrated water molecules. The fast decay component is attributed to $Eu^{3+}$ at site Ⅱ' while the slow one to $Eu^{3+}$ at sites Ⅰ' and Ⅰ.

Details of various equilibria involved in the reactions of oxaza- and thiazazincolidine catalysts, generated from either β-amino alcohol or β-amino thiol, with aldehyde were studied by colligative measurements. The results indicated that the coordination of diethylzinc prior to the coordination of aldehyde is essential for high enantioselectivity of the thiol catalyzed reaction. The probable origin of asymmetric nonlinearity is also presented.