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Reduction of carbon dioxide is desired as an environmental problem of global warming. The study of generation of formic acid from carbon dioxide was performed under irradiation of ultra violet to photocatalyst. Ta2O5 could reduce carbon dioxide, but the band gap of Ta2O5 was 4.0 voltage. In this research, it was found that tantalum oxide / tantalum plate responds to visible radiation. Therefore, the reason of visible light response was examined. It was studied to make efficient tantalum oxide / tantalum plate.

Nowadays, the most of waste materials are incinerated and generated the toxic gases in 日本. On the other hand, the Hydrogen gas (H2) has attracted attention as clean energy due to no emissions of toxic gases. In this work, we investigated that the new hydrogen evolution system using waste materials, such as aluminum (Al) foil and lime desiccant, and also investigated their reaction mechanism. The grinded desiccant was added to Erlenmeyer flask containing 300 mL of water. After dissolution the desiccant, the Al foil was added to the solution to begin the reaction. Generated gas was determined by water displacement method. The gas components are identified by gas chromatography. We found that the waste material reaction combined with waste lime desiccant and Al foil could be used for one of the hydrogen evolution system. This reaction is depended on solubility of lime desiccant, thus mean solubility of CaO in water. The Al foil is reacted with the desiccant more than 20 times of reaction stoichiometry. The calcium ion or calcium complex ions are involved with the excess reaction of Al foil.

The purpose of this research is to prevent the desertification by using my original “agar sheets”. The dry regions, in other words, the desert has already occupied about forty percent of the surface of the earth (Figure 1). In addition, it is said that land of seven million hectares turn into desert every year. However, we can reproduce the green-bosomed earth by using appropriate means, because this desertification originated in excessive farming, excessive pasturing, and deforestation caused by human beings. I learned “Cape Erimo’s Green Construction Method”, which has succeeded in planting trees in the coast of Japan by using seaweed, and this method led me to use the agar to prevent the desertification, which is a familiar Japanese food made from seaweed. I think that it is possible to prevent the desertification of any conditioned lands by using my original “agar sheets.”

Because of the presence of an activated multiple carbon-carbon bond, α,β-unsaturated sulfones are high-reactive compounds which are widely used in organic synthesis. These compounds readily undergo the reactions of nucleophilic addition and pericyclic processes. At the current moment, a wide range of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions with α,β-unsaturated sulfones as dipolarophilic systems is known. However the interaction of α,β-unsaturated sulfones with azinium ylides is less studied and limited to only a few examples. In the present study, the interaction between a number of stable isoquinolinium and pyridinium ylides with aliphatic and aromatic vinylsulfones has been investigated. We considered the regioselectivity of these reactions. Mostly cycloadditions of isoquinolinium ylides to α,β-unsaturated sulfones led to the mixtures of isomeric sulfonyltetrahydroindolizines in different ratios. Also we found several examples of high-regioselective addition. The stereochemical result of the cycloaddition was examined by methods of 2D correlational 1H-NOESY NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallographic analysis. The process of formation of major regioisomer of cycloaddition N-phenacylisoqunolinium ylide to ethylvinylsulfone was highly stereoselective. The series of new sulfonyltetrahydroindolizines with potential bioactivity were obtained. The structure of all products was proved by IR and 1H NMR

The Briggs Rauscher reaction, i. e., BR reaction, which is one of the oscillation reactions, produces iodide ion and iodine repeatedly. Continual color changes of the solution from colorless to deep blue, and vice versa, are observed during the reaction due to the so-called “iodine test” reaction. In this work, we studied the effects of the presence of the redox active indicators on the oscillation behavior of the BR reaction. To the reaction mixture of KIO3, H2SO4, H2O2, C3H4O4, MnSO4, and starch, which are used for the general BR reaction as added a redox active reagent (indicator). Then, the changes in color and voltage of the reaction solution were recorded by a photosensor of the LEGO MINDSTORMS and a voltmeter using Pt electrodes. Under general reaction conditions, the oscillation reaction continued for ca. 5 minutes, including 18 times of oscillations. When an indicator, such as BTB, was added instead of starch to the reaction solution, splits of the voltage wave were observed, which should be a kind of new oscillation. Moreover, we found that the addition of K3[Fe(CN)6], which exhibits high redox activity, in the reaction solution instead of starch made the life-time and the numbers of the oscillation in the reaction greater by 3 times (14 min.) in time and more than 4 times (81 times) in the frequency. It’s also a kind of new oscillation. These results suggested that the oxidation-reduction reactions by the addition of ferricyanate ion effectively promotes the redox process of iodine and iodide ion. The experiments we wrote above were conducted without starch. Thus, as a reference, we conducted the same experiments under the presence of starch and got interesting results. We also studied the effects of K4[Fe(CN)6], suggeting that not only redox reaction between ferricyanide and ferrocyanide ion, but also the redox reaction with BR solution should occur in these reactions.

When adding 2% or 4% sodium polyacrylate as habit modifier, standard milky-white octahedral NaCl crystals grew gradually in saturated NaCl solution on the bottom of the container. [1] [2] Sodium polyacrylate is well known as a highly water-absorbable polymer with many carboxylate anions. In the case of low concentration (0.01%, 0.02%, 0.05%, 0.1% and 0.5%) sodium polyacrylate many small or microscopic crystals whose shapes were nearly octahedrons and had {111} faces were observed with an optical microscope on the bottoms of the solution containers. In low concentration sodium polyacrylate, octahedral NaCl crystals made up of electrostatically unstable {111} faces grew similarly to crystals in high concentrations of 2% or 4% NaCl. Therefore, by adding sodium polyacrylate to saturated NaCl solution, cleaved rock salt crystals in this sol were observed to find out whether or not a change in crystal morphology from cuboids of {100} faces to octahedrons of {111} faces would occur. Regardless of the sodium polyacrylate concentrations of 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5% and 2%, all cuboid crystals changed into a pyramidal shape in which four of the side surfaces formed an equilateral triangle. When one side of each equilateral triangle face was rotated so the square face of the crystal was soaked in the NaCl sol, all crystals grew into octahedrons of high transparency. Sodium polyacrylate, even under a low concentration, caused morphological change in the NaCl crystals. Many carboxylate anions in the sodium polyacrylate attracted sodium ions and the repulsive force between the carboxylate anions became weak, excluding the water in the internal space of the polymer. We considered that the stabilizing {111} faces of gathered sodium ions attached to carboxylate anions. Chloride and sodium ions coordinated continuously to minimize the NaCl surface area, growing into an octahedral and lowering the surface energy of the NaCl crystal. [3]

We are conducting research for the purpose of treating contaminated water generated by the nuclear accident with C.moliniferum. In previous research, the school seniors examined whether there is a difference in absorption by changing the wavelength of the LED to establish efficient Sr2+ absorption conditions. As a result, the red wavelength was found to be effective for the efficient Sr2+ absorption of C. moniliferum. Therefore, in this study, in order to verify how much Sr is actually absorbed into the cell, the amount of Sr absorption using an atomic absorption photometer is quantified, and the previous research has shown that red is effective for the efficient Sr2+ absorption. The wavelength was considered to be effective because of photosynthesis, and was observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) using the photosynthesis inhibitor (DCMU). As a result, it was clarified that C. moniliferum absorbs Sr intracellularly, and photosynthesis was related to absorption.

It is known that copper foil undergoes a color change in heating by oxide thin layer formation. Therefore, we focused on the color change by the oxidation of brass foil. Brass foil (Akaguchi (Cu87%Zn13% alloy) and Aoguchi (Cu85%Zn15% alloy)) also undergoes color change by oxidation, and it shows heating time and temperature dependence. Brass foil need longer heating time to appear color change than copper foil, and we can visually confirm that the brass has corrosion resistant. In addition, color change of brass foil depends on the percentage of copper in the brass, and Aoguchi shows rapidly color change in same heating condition. We show that brass has different physical properties than copper, even with a high percentage of copper in brass, and this was verified through comparison using diffusion length and RGB data in Aoguchi and Akaguchi. We demonstrate these colored brass foils are used as art materials, and our results expanded material using possibility of brass foil.

Nine years ago, the Great East 日本 Earthquake caused the spread of a large amount of radioactive materials. Even now, the amount of contaminated water is increasing at a rate of 180 tons per day, and it is said that the storage tanks for the contaminated water will run out of space in the next two years (Fig. 1). If the contaminated water is discharged into the ocean, it will cause reputational damage to the fishing industry, and the environmental pollution. We are conducting to research to prevent it from happening. In the wake of the nuclear accident, the senior started water quality surveys at Chaya Marsh near the school. During the survey, they found (Chara braunii, Fig. 2), (Nitella axilliformis, Fig. 3), Closterium moniliferum (Fig. 4), and (Nostoc commune, Fig. 5).

The Briggs Rauscher reaction (BR reaction) is one of the famous oscillating reactions; the aqueous mixture of KIO3, H2SO4, H2O2, C3H4O4, MnSO4, and starch exhibit color change between yellow and blue-purple repeatedly. The blue-purple color formation is due to the iodine test reaction caused by inclusions of polyiodides such as I3- and I5- in the helical structure of starch. Therefore, starch has been regarded as only an indicator in the BR reaction. But our seniors have found that the oscillation did not last without starch. They hypothesized that starch’s linear helical framework is necessary to elongate the lifetime of the oscillating reaction. If this hypothesis is correct, similar BR-type oscillations must be observed when other polymers with helical structures are used instead of starch. We found the literature which reports that polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) forms a helical structure and indicates the iodine test reaction. In our research, we studied the BR reactions using PVA, with different saponification degrees and viscosities. First, we studied the correlation between the structural features of PVA and the iodine color reaction by spectroscopic approach, exhibiting that PVA with low saponification form helical structures and show the iodine color reactions, which gives red color solutions. Second, we found that additions of the helical-structured PVA to the reaction solution instead of starch induces the BR-type oscillating reactions, while PVA without helical structure induces only a few numbers of oscillations. This is the world-first example of the oscillating reaction using PVA. The oscillation that lasted for 6 minutes with 23 oscillations was almost the same as that of the general BR reaction using starch. We concluded that the polymers with helical structures are intrinsic to elongate the lifetime of the BR reaction. Furthermore, we found that the addition of K3[Fe(CN)6], which has a high redox activity, in the reaction solution with PVA drastically elongated the lifetime (50 min) and increased the numbers of the oscillations (nearly 100 times). This result suggests that the oxidation-reduction reactions by the ferricyanide ion promotes the redox process of iodine and iodide ions.