Haruo OGAWA's Lab. (S205)

　The application of solid surface of alumina and silica gel as solid supports for the substrate in organic synthesis afford a new method (Adsorption method) for selective reactions. Milder reaction conditions and easier work-up are additional advantage of the adsorption method. The selective reactions by this method are classified into six types which depend on the change of reactivity of a certain functional group by adsorption.

　Type A: Introduction of the unstable substrates into the reaction system.

　Type B: Decrease in the reactivity of the functional group adsorbed on a solid support.

　Type C: Increase in the reactivity of the functional group adsorbed on a solid support.

　Type D: Decrease in the reactivity of the functional group not adsorbed on a solid support.

　Type E: Increase in the reactivity of the functional group not adsorbed on a solid support.

　Type F: A new reactivity of the functional group by adsorbing and aligning the reactant molecules aggregating on a surface of solid support. Examples are seen below; (1) Selective monomethyl esterification of dicarboxylic acids by use of monocarboxylate chemisorption on alumina; type B, (2) Acetylation by ketene of phenols and alcohols supported on solid adsorbents; type C, (3) Methylation on alcohols and phenols on silica gel with diazomethane; type C, (4) Methylation of alcohols, phenols and carboxylic acids, and selective monomethylation of diols and dicarboxylic acids with dimethyl sulfate by use of alumina; Type A and Type E, (5) Selective esterification preferring longer carbon chain-dicarboxylic acids by adsorbing and aligning the reactants on alumina; type D, a new type of selectivity of type F.

　We Japanese are anxious about our own education that school education in this early part of the 21^st century faces many challenges, such as bullying, truancy, and disordered classes apparently, in which students are kindled with placing too much emphasis on knowledge and competition in a class.  These are basically attributed to 1^st student’s receding from intellect (learning science) in calm education and to lack of teaching of 2^nd morality (ethics) and 3^rd highly motivated creativity. International evaluation of PISA (OECD) shows Japan places still high level in education concerning about the competence of student. However, it simultaneously demonstrates some weak points; 1^st quite little number of students in excellence, 2^nd poor logical thinking, and 3^rd meager creativity.

　Special interest of mine is devoted to this project in research concerning about making curriculum for science in school grades from class 1 to class 12. Images of class lesson undergoing the curriculum are demonstrated below. In the first step through dialogue the lesson puts a special emphasis on operation in brain such as discussion, brainstorming, and recitation under teacher’s initiative without competition in a class where students use only their own brain and normally nothing is on their desks. Students become necessarily to have some images accompanying organization in brain about its subject because of their concentration in their own thinking spending enough time. Their obligation in next process of the operation by themselves helps this concentration. In the next step, student-initiative-operation proceeds under teacher’s support, where the lesson puts a special emphasis on operation mainly on hand. These processes are able for students to have some images and some creativity with essential skills, where students think themselves through comparing with different opinions of others by their own intentions.