A liquid solar thermal fuel is developed; a low-molecular weight liquid trans-azobenzene derivative shows facile photoisomerization to the higher-energy cis-isomer in neat condition so that a high volumetric energy density is achieved. Shear viscosity measurements for each isomer liquid unveiled transitions from non-Newtonian to Newtonian fluids.

The first example of near-infrared (NIR, λ > 700 nm)-to-violet (λ < 450 nm) photon upconversion based on triplet–triplet annihilation is achieved by developing a silyl-substituted anthracene violet emitter with a low triplet energy level.

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Aerobic oxidative cyclization of 2,2′-dihydroxystilbenes via oxygen cation radical to give cis-4b,9b-dihydrobenzofuro[3,2-b]benzofurans was carried out in an enantioselective manner (up to 89% ee) by using (nitrosyl)Ru(salen) 10 as the catalyst under photo-irradiated conditions.

Cyanation of various alcohols by a new type of oxidation–reduction condensation is described. Primary alkyl diphenylphosphinites, 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone (DMBQ), and diethyl cyanophosphonate gave the corresponding nitriles in high yields. During the above experiment on cyanation of 4-phenylbutan-2-ol, the unexpected formation of a mixture of nitrile and isocyanide was observed. After careful examination of the reaction conditions, selective synthesis of isocyanides from secondary alcohols was successfully accomplished by the use of zinc oxide (ZnO) as an additive. Reaction of tertiary alcohols provided the corresponding isocyanides exclusively in the absence of an additive. Cyanation of optically active alcohols was tried in order to clarify the stereochemistry of this reaction, and the reaction was thus proved to proceed with the inversion of configuration.