We have demonstrated that TPyPA can be used as an efficient multi-functional material for OLEDs; hole transporting material (HTL), blue and white-light emitter. The device based on TPyPA as the HTL exhibited an external quantum efficiency of 1.7% and a luminance efficiency of 4.2 cd/A; these values are 40% higher than the external quantum efficiency and luminance efficiency of the NPD-based reference device. The device based on TPyPA as a blue-light emitter exhibited an external quantum efficiency of 4.2% and a luminance efficiency of 5.3 $cdA^{-1}$ with CIE coordinates at (0.16, 0.14), the device based on TPyPA as a white-light emitter exhibited an external quantum efficiency of 3.2% and a luminance efficiency of 7.7 $cdA^{-1}$ with CIE coordinates at (0.33, 0.39). Also, TPyPA-based organic solar cell (OSC) exhibited a maximum power conversion efficiency of 0.35%. TPyPA-based organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) exhibited highly efficient field-effect mobility (${\mu}_{FET}$) of $1.7{\times}10^{-4}cm^2V^{-1}s^{-1}$, a threshold voltage ($V_{th}$) of -15.9 V, and an on/off current ratio of $8.6{\times}10^3$.

A fluorescent nucleoside analogue, $^AC$, featuring two non-complementary nucleobases linked through an ethynyl group, was synthesized. The extended ${\pi}$-conjugation imparts $^AC$ with red-shifted absorbance (relative to adenine and cytosine) and pale-blue fluorescence. It spontaneously forms nanoparticles, which exhibit considerably enhanced fluorescence, without the help of any additional stabilizing agent. The DMSO/water ratio was an important factor influencing the construction of the NPs. X-ray crystallography confirmed the structure of $^AC$; dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy confirmed the existence of the nanoparticles.

Efficient synthetic method for the preparation of ethyl 2-aryl-2,3-alkadienoates through Pd-catalyzed selective allenyl cross-coupling reactions of aryl iodides with organoindiums generated in situ from indium and ethyl 4-bromo-2-alkynoate was developed. The cyclization reaction of ethyl 2-aryl-2,3-alkadienoates catalyzed by $AuCl_3$ and AgOTf in the presence of AcOH or TfOH produced various ${\alpha}$-aryl ${\gamma}$-butenolides or ${\gamma}$-substituted ${\alpha}$-aryl ${\gamma}$-butenolides.

Synthesis of halicylindramide A mimetics via solid-phase peptide synthesis is described. The N-Me-Gly-Thr residues in halicyclindramide A has been replaced by N-Me-Gly-Dpr, Lys, or N-Me-Gly-allo-Thr. Solution structures of the mimetics were compared by CD spectroscopy in an aqueous buffer and in TFE.

This paper describes efficient synthetic approaches for isolating biologically interesting natural pyranochalcones and their unnatural derivatives from Mallotus Philippensis. The key strategies involve ethylenediamine diacetate-catalyzed benzopyran formation reactions and base-catalyzed aldol reactions.

A chemosensor based on a rhodamine-hydroxamate platform containing a pyridine and a cyclen binding units has been developed for the detection of $Cd^{2+}$ in aqueous solutions. The probe responds selectively toward $Cd^{2+}$ over other biologically relevant metal ions. The fluorescent probe shows 1:1 binding stoichiometry and the detection limit for $Cd^{2+}$ in water proved to be as low as 25 nM.

A new highly selective receptor (3) based on an acridine-imidazolium functionalized cholestane for anion sensing was designed and synthesized. A binding study of 3 with various anions was assessed by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies in dry CH3CN. Receptor 3 showed the highest selectivity toward hydrogen pyrophosphate (Ka = $1.5{\times}10^4M^{-1}$).

Novel C-aryl glucoside SGLT2 inhibitors containing triazine motif were designed and synthesized for biological evaluation. Among the compounds assayed, triazine containing methoxy moiety 18 demonstrated the best in vitro inhibitory activity against hSGLT2 in this series to date ($IC_{50}$ = 24.9 nM).

A nanogap formed by a metal nanoparticle and a flat metal substrate is one kind of "hot site" for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The characteristics of a typical nanogap formed by a planar Au and either an Au and Ag nanoparticle have been well studied using 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) as a probe. 4-ABT is, however, an unusual molecule in the sense that its SERS spectral feature is dependent not only on the kinds of SERS substrates but also on the measurement conditions; thus further characterization is required using other adsorbate molecules such as 1,4-phenylenediisocyanide (1,4-PDI). In fact, no Raman signal was observable when 1,4-PDI was selfassembled on a flat Au substrate, but a distinct spectrum was obtained when 60 nm-sized Au or Ag nanoparticles were adsorbed on the pendent -NC groups of 1,4-PDI. This is definitely due to the electromagnetic coupling between the localized surface plasmon of Au or Ag nanoparticle with the surface plasmon polariton of the planar Au substrate, allowing an intense electric field to be induced in the gap between them. A higher Raman signal was observed when Ag nanoparticles were attached to 1,4-PDI, irrespective of the excitation wavelength, and especially the highest Raman signal was measured at the 632.8 nm excitation (with the enhancement factor on the order of ${\sim}10^3$), followed by the excitation at 568 and 514.5 nm, in agreement with the finite-difference timedomain calculation. From a separate potential-dependent SERS study, the voltage applied to the planar Au appeared to be transmitted without loss to the Au or Ag nanoparticles, and from the study of the effect of volatile organics, the voltage transmission from Au or Ag nanoparticles to the planar Au also appeared as equally probable to that from the planar Au to the Au or Ag nanoparticles in a nanogap electrode. The response of the Au-Ag nanogap to the external stimuli was, however, not the same as that of the Au-Au nanogap.

This paper describes a concise and efficient synthetic route for the biologically interesting pyranoxanthones, dihydropyranoxanthones, and their derivatives. The key strategies involve pyranyl ring formation, methylation, catalytic hydrogenation, and catalytic dihydroxylation starting from 1,3-dihydroxyxanthen-9-one.

Second-order rate constants for nucleophilic substitution reactions of 2,4-dinitrophenyl benzenesulfonate 1a with a series of alicyclic secondary amines in MeCN have been measured spectrophotometrically and compared with those reported previously for the corresponding reactions performed in aqueous medium to investigate the effect of medium on reactivity and reaction mechanism. The amines employed in this study are found to be more reactive in the aprotic solvent than in $H_2O$. The reactions of 1a in MeCN result in a linear Br${\o}$nsted-type plot with ${\beta}_{nuc}$ = 0.58, which contrasts to the curved Br${\o}$nsted-type plot reported previously for the corresponding reactions performed in the aqueous medium (i.e., ${\beta}_2$ = 0.86 and ${\beta}_1$ = 0.38). Accordingly, it has been concluded that the reaction mechanism changes from a stepwise mechanism to a concerted pathway upon changing the medium from $H_2O$ to MeCN. Reactions of Y-substituted phenyl benzenesulfonates 1a-c with piperidine in MeCN result in a linear Br${\o}$nsted-type plot with ${\beta}_{lg}$ = -1.31, indicating that expulsion of the leaving group is significantly more advanced than bond formation in the transition state. The trigonal bipyramidal intermediate ($TBPy^{\pm}$) proposed previously for the reactions in $H_2O$ would be highly unstable in MeCN due to strong repulsion between the negative charge in $TBPy^{\pm}$ and the negative dipole end of MeCN. Thus, destabilization of $TBPy^{\pm}$ in MeCN has been concluded to change the reaction mechanism from a stepwise mechanism to a concerted pathway.

The efficient asymmetric hydrosilylation of imines in the presence of polymethylhydrosiloxane has been investigated by screening chiral diamine-zinc complexes. A series of chiral diamine ligands were prepared from optically pure 1,2-diphenyl-1,2-ethanediamine and screened for effectiveness. N-Benzylic substituents were required for high enantioselectivity; ligands with bulky groups or extra coordinating groups such as OH and S lowered the catalytic activity. The level of asymmetric induction was usually in >90% ee range for aromatic imine substrates. A linear correlation between the ee of the ligand and that of the product was observed, indicating the presence of a 1:1 ratio of ligand to metal coordination in the active catalytic complex.

Highly efficient and rapid aminolysis of epoxides with various amines in water under microwave irradiation in the absence of catalyst was developed. Chiral ${\beta}$-amino alcohols were formed in a short time with excellent yields.

One-pot homo- and cross-coupling reactions of arenediazonium tosylate salts bearing a halogen group have been exploited for the synthesis of biaryls and polyaryls under mild conditions. $Pd(OAc)_2$ has proven to be an efficient catalyst for the successful dual transformation of diazonium salts into p-quaterphenyl (3).

It has been known that the inertial dynamics has a little effect on the reaction rate in solutions. In this work, however, we find that for diffusion-controlled reactions between a ligand and a receptor on the cell surface there is a noticeable inertial dynamic effect on the reaction rate. We estimate the magnitude of the inertial dynamic effect by comparing the approximate analytic results obtained with and without the inertial dynamic effect included. The magnitude of the inertial dynamic effect depends on the friction coefficient of the ligand as well as on the relative scale of the receptor size to the distance traveled by the ligand during its velocity relaxation time.

Enynals bearing an olefinic pendant were successfully cyclized via Huisgen-type [3+2] cycloaddition to the tetracyclic Pt-carbene complexes which would undergo insertion into a C-H bond of the ${\beta}$-position to afford the fused cyclopropane intermediates. Their tandem rearrangement afforded diverse types of spiranes depending on the tethered alkenes of the enynals.

A comparative study of the photodynamic and antioxidant activities of methyl pheophorbide-a (MPa, 1) and its transition metal(II) complexes (2-5) is described. Four transition metal complexes (palladium(II): 2, zinc(II): 3, cobalt(II): 4 and copper(II): 5) of MPa were prepared by reaction between the corresponding transition metal and 1, respectively, and were characterized by $^1H$-NMR and UV-vis spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analyses. In vitro results show a photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy with A549 cells might be attributed to a heavy atom effect of the transition metal complexes of MPa. Among them, 4 and 5 showed higher photodynamic activity than that of 1 at the concentration of 5 ${\mu}M$ at 24 h incubation after photoirradiation. The images of morphological change for 2-5 show evidence for the PDT effect with A549 cells. And the all transition metal complexes of MPa showed higher antioxidant activity than that of MPa, in which 4 showed the highest antioxidant activity.

Shape memory polyurethane (SMPU), grafted with a fluorescent dye (Rhodamine, Mehylene violet, or Fluorescein) through an allophanate linking, was tested for the fluorescence and the shape recovery effect. The main chain of SMPU was composed of 4,4'-methylenebis(phenylisocyanate) (MDI), poly(tetramethyleneglycol) (PTMG), and 1,4-butanediol (BD), and a fluorescent dye was connected through a second MDI linked to the carbamate moiety of the main chain. Three series of SMPU, differing according to their dye content, were prepared to compare their shape recovery and fluorescence properties. In tensile mechanical property, maximum stress increased up to 350% compared to the linear SMPU, and strain remained above 2000%. Shape recovery went to as high as 97%, and remained almost same after repetitive shape recovery test cycles. Finally, the fluorescence emission of SMPU was demonstrated in the luminescence spectrum and fluorescent light emission pictures. In addition, the response of SMPU to external stimuli such as metal ions was investigated.

A series of hybrid molecules between (R)-lipoic acid (ALA) and the acetylated or methylated polyphenol compounds were synthesized and their in vitro cholinesterase [acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE)] inhibition activities were checked. The $IC_{50}$ values of all hybrid molecules for a BuChE inhibition were lower than those of the single parent compounds. Specifically, ALA-acetyl protected caffeic acid (11, ALA-AcCA) was shown as an effective inhibitor of BuChE ($IC_{50}=0.5{\pm}0.2\;{\mu}M$) and also had a great selectivity for BuChE over AChE (more than 800 fold). Inhibition kinetic study indicated that 11 is a mixed inhibition type. Its binding affinity ($K_i$) value to BuChE is $1.52{\pm}0.18\;{\mu}M$.

Reactions of benzyl alcohol and its derivatives by [Ru$^{IV}$(tpy)(dcbpy)(O)]$^{2+}$ (tpy = 2,2':6',2"-terpyridine; dcbpy = 4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridine) leading to the corresponding benzaldehydes in acetonitrile and water have been studied. Kinetic studies show that the reaction is first-order in both alcohol and oxidant, with k = 1.65 (${\pm}$ 0.1) $M^{-1}s^{-1}$ at $20^{\circ}C$, ${\Delta}H^{\ddag}$ = 4.3 (${\pm}$ 0.1) kcal/mol, ${\Delta}S^{\ddag}$ = -22 (${\pm}$ 1) eu, and $E_a$ = 4.9 (${\pm}$ 0.1) kcal/mol. High ${\alpha}$ C-H kinetic isotope effects are observed, but O-H solvent isotope effects are negligible. Spectral evidences with the isotope effects suggest that oxidation of benzyl alcohols occurs by a two-electron, hydride transfer. The catalytic cycles of aerobic benzyl alcohol oxidation are employed.

To investigate the possible isosteric replacement of imidazolidinone moiety in 4-phenyl-N-arylsulfonylimidazolidinone for broad and potent anticancer agents, a series of 4-phenyl-l(N)-arylsulfonylimidazolidinones 6a-k, imidazolidinethione analogs 7a-i, and imidazolidine oxime analogs 8a-c were prepared and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against four human cancer cell lines (human lung A549, human colon COLO205, human leukemia K562, human ovary SK-OV-3). Among all the derivatives of N-arylsulfonylimidazolidinone 6a-k, compounds 6f and 6g showed the best inhibition comparable to doxorubicin against all cancer cell lines. Increasing the carbon chain on alkyl moieties of carbamates as shown in 6c-g did not alter the activity. The imidazolidinethione analogs 7a-i and imidazolidin-2-one oxime derivatives 8a-c did not possess any good activity. Therefore, imidazolidinone moiety is the best pharmacophore among the 4-phenyl-Narylsulfonylimidazolidinone derivatives.

Two chiral stationary phases (CSPs) based on (3,3'-diphenyl-1,1'-binaphthyl)-20-crown-6 bonded covalently to silica gel were applied for the first time to the resolution of racemic vigabatrin and its analogue ${\gamma}$-amino acids and the resolution results were compared to those on the commercially available Crownpak CR(+) based on (3,3'-diphenyl-1,1'-binaphthyl)-20-crown-6 coated dynamically onto octadecylsilica gel. While vigabatrin was not resolved at all on Crownpak CR(+), it was resolved quite well on the two CSPs. Among four vigabatrin analogue ${\gamma}$-amino acids, only two were resolved on Crownpak CR(+), but three were resolved on the CSP (CSP 1) containing residual silanol groups and all of four were resolved on the CSP (CSP 2) containing residual silanol group-protecting n-octyl groups. The improved lipophilicity in CSP 2 was proposed to be responsible for its superiority to CSP 1 for the resolution of vigabatrin and analogue ${\gamma}$-amino acids. In addition, the composition of aqueous mobile phase was found to affect the chiral recognition behaviors for the resolution of vigabatrin and analogue ${\gamma}$-amino acids on CSP 2.

Since the discovery of the fact that compounds bearing a vinylic fluoride moiety often exhibit remarkable biological activities such as enzyme inhibitors, many synthetic methods for fluorine-substituted vinylic compounds have been developed. The synthesis of selectively fluorinated building blocks, such as arylsubstituted fluoro-alkenes, also has become an area of interest in recent years. Herein we describe a novel and practical method for the synthesis of 1,1-difluoro- and 1-fluoroalkenes starting from easily accessible trifluoroacetophenone derivatives. Various 1,1-difluoro- and 1-fluoroalkenes were prepared by the reaction of the corresponding tosyl hydrazones that were derived from trifluoroacetophenone derivatives by treating with alkyl or aryllithium reagents via addition-elimination and single electron transfer (SET) mechanism.

Ion-coordinating ruthenium complexes [cis-Ru(dcbpy)(L)(NCS)$_2$, where dcbpy is 4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine and L is 1,4,7,10-tetraoxa-13-azacyclopentadecane, JK-121, or bis(2-(2-methoxy-ethoxy)ethyl) amine, JK-122] have been synthesized and characterized using $^1H$ NMR, Fourier transform IR, UV/vis spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The effect of $Li^+$ in the electrolyte on the photovoltaic performance was investigated. With the stepwise addition of $Li^+$ to a liquid electrolyte, the device shows significant increase in the photo-current density, but a small decrease in the open circuit voltage. The solar cell with a hole conductor, the addition of $Li^+$ resulted in a 30% improvement in efficiency. The JK-121 sensitized cells in the liquid and solid-state electrolyte give power conversion efficiencies of 6.95% and 2.59%, respectively, under the simulated sunlight.

This study suggests the prediction model for the concentration variation of $NO_2{^-}$ and $NO_3{^-}$ along with the rate constants of all reactions during ozonation under UV radiation ($O_3$/UV process). While $NO_2{^-}$ was completely converted into $NO_3{^-}$ during the $O_3$-only process, the production of $NO_2$ radical or $N_2O_4$ was expected in the $O_3$/UV process. In addition, the quenching of OH radicals, by $NO_2$ radical in the $O_3$/UV process, resulted in regeneration of $NO_2{^-}$. However, the regeneration of $NO_2{^-}$ was not observed in the $O_3$/UV process in the presence of $C_6H_6$ where the concentrations of $NO_2{^-}$ and $NO_3{^-}$ were significantly reduced compared to in the process without $C_6H_6$. The pseudo-first order rate constants of all species were calculated with and without the presence of $C_6H_6$ to predict the variation of concentrations of all species during the $O_3$/UV process. It was suggested that $NO_2{^-}$ and $NO_3{^-}$ in the $O_3$/UV process can be more effectively removed from an aqueous system with an OH radical scavenger such as $C_6H_6$.

The synthesis of copolymers containing thiophene and benzimidazole unit by Stille polymerization is reported. The polymers with many unsubstituted thiophene units in the backbone have been reported to show low solubility, which has been a problem for spin-coating for the device fabrication. In dihexyl-2H-benzimidazole, the sulfur at 2-position of BT unit was replaced with dialkyl substituted carbon, while keeping the 1,2-quinoid form, to improve the solubility of the polymers. The PL emission spectra of the PHBIT1, PHBIT2 and PHBIT3 in chloroform solutions show maximum peaks at 500~561 nm. In thin films, maximum peaks of the PHBITs appeared at 529, 562 and 569 nm, respectively. The EL emission maxima of the PHBIT1 and PHBIT2 appear at around 588 and 576 nm, respectively. The current density and maximum luminescence of the LED with the configuration of ITO/PEDOT/ PHBIT2/Ca/Al are 552 mA/$cm^2$ and 46 cd/$m^2$, respectively.

We calculate the free energy surfaces for two small proteins and a protein-RNA complex system by using a lattice model approach. In particular, we employ the Munoz-Eaton model, which is a native-structure based statistical mechanical model for studying protein folding problem. The model can provide very useful insights into the folding mechanisms by allowing one to calculate the free energy surfaces efficiently. We first calculate the free energy surfaces of ubiquitin and BBL, using both approximate and recently developed exact solutions of the model. Ubiquitin exhibits a typical two-state folding behavior, while BBL downhill folding in our study. We then extend the method to study of a protein-RNA complex. In particular, we focus on PAZ-siRNA complex. In order to elucidate the interplay between folding and binding kinetics for this system we perform comparative studies of PAZ only, PAZ-siRNA complex and two mutated complexes. We find that folding and binding are strongly coupled with each other and the bound PAZ is more stable than the unbound PAZ. Our results also suggest that the binding sites of the siRNA may serve act as a nucleus in the folding process.

We have synthesized and characterized the first cyclic co-oligomeric ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) based on cyclic siloxanes and found that the co-oligomer containing two different mesogenic units exhibits $SmC^*$ mesophase over a wide temperature range from $65^{\circ}C$ to $135^{\circ}C$, much wider than those of the monomer counterparts and the cyclic homo-oligomers. The cyclic co-oligomeric liquid crystal readily filled the display cell and exhibited fast switching times in the range of 4 ms to 6 ms over the entire $SmC^*$ phase. Moreover, the practical absence of layer shrinkage, attributed to de Vries-type transition, shows an additional significant advanage for cyclic co-oligomeric FLCs in LCD applications.

The synthesis and biological evaluation of 1-heteroarylmethyl 1,4-diazepane derivatives as potential T-type calcium channel blockers is described. In this study, we have identified the compound 21i exhibiting the most potent T-type calcium channel blocking activity with $IC_{50}$ value of 0.20 ${\mu}M$, which is superior to that of mibefradil.

We synthesized three novel poly(norbornene bisimide)s by ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) and subsequent hydrogenation. Their thermal, mechanical and optical properties were investigated with TGA, DMA, UV-Vis spectrometer, and optical reflectometer. The new polymers showed high glass transition temperatures over $260^{\circ}C$ and good thermal stability with 5% wt-loss temperature higher than $390^{\circ}C$. When solvent casted, they yielded optically transparent and dimensionally stable films with a relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion of about 50 ppm $K^{-1}$. Therefore, the bisimide moieties substantially enhanced thermal and dimensional stabilities, as compared with normal ROMP-prepared polynorbornene films. Though the water uptake was increased to 0.6 wt-%, this water uptake is still considerably lower than that for polyethersulfones (1.4 wt-%) or polyimides (2.0 wt-%). Hence, the new poly(norbornene bisimide)s may become attractive candidates for flexible substrates of optoelectronic devices such as displays and photovoltaic solar cells.

A series of new bis-thienylanthracene derivatives D1~D5 containing 9,10-antharcene moiety in the center and 2-methylenemalonotitrile or 2-cyanoacrylic acid functional group on the terminal thiophenes were synthesized and characterized by $^1H$-NMR and high-resolution mass spectroscopy. Their optical, electrochemical, and thermal properties were measured. They have absorption ${\lambda}_{max}$ in the range of 437~480 nm and max of $7.4{\times}10^3{\sim}2.0{\times}10^4M^{-1}cm^{-1}$. The substitution of 2-cyanoacrylic acid group allows greater value of ${\varepsilon}_{max}$ than that of 2-methylenemalonotitrile. TGA curves showed that D4 and D5 which have 2-cyanoacrylic acid functional group on the terminal thiophene(s) exhibit good thermal stability and D4 was thermally stable up to $400^{\circ}C$. Their optical properties and LUMO energy levels measured suggest that they can serve as potential candidates for electron donor materials of organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) or D4 and D5 which contain 2-cyanoacrylic acid group can be used as organic dyes of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).

Curcumin is a natural product with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antifungal functions. As it is known that the excited state intramolecular hydrogen transfer of curcumin are related to its medicinal antioxidant mechanism, we investigated its excited state dynamics by using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in an effort to understand the molecule's therapeutic effect in terms of its photophysics and photochemistry. We found that stronger intermolecular hydrogen bonding with solvents weakens the intramolecular hydrogen bonding and decelerates the dynamical process of the enolic hydrogen. Exceptions are found in methanol and ethylene glycol due to their nature as simultaneous hydrogen bonding donor-acceptor and high viscosity solvent, respectively.