Radiocarbon dating of Fugendake Volcano in Unzen, SW Japan

This article presents new radiocarbon ages for the lavas, pyroclastic flow, and lahar deposits that originated from the Fugendake and Mayuyama volcanoes of the Younger Unzen Volcano, SW Japan. Nine charcoal samples were collected from the lavas and pyroclastic flow deposits, and 17 soil samples from the underlying volcanic-related products. This data set, together with previously published ages (thermoluminescence, K-Ar, fission track, and 14C), yielded new information about the timing of Late Pleistocene eruptions and an improved understanding of the evolution of the Fugendake and Mayuyama volcanoes. Fugendake Volcano started to build within the scar of Myokendake around 29 cal ka BP, and its eruption products spread over the flank of Myokendake. The remarkable eruptions of Fugendake Volcano included the lava and pyroclastic flow deposits around 22, 17, 12, and 4.5 cal ka BP. Subsequent historical eruptions occurred in AD 1663, 1792, and 1991–1995. Developed on the eastern extension of Fugendake Volcano, Mayuyama Volcano was active during the building stage of Fugendake at 4.5 cal ka BP. This study also identified a pumice eruption at ~10 ka and 2 volcanic-related lahar deposits around 1.6 and 0.7 ka, which need to be addressed in future research

Molecular and Crystal Structure of a Chitosan−Zinc Chloride Complex

We determined the molecular and packing structure of a chitosan–ZnCl2 complex by X-ray diffraction and linked-atom least-squares. Eight D-glucosamine residues—composed of four chitosan chains with two-fold helical symmetry, and four ZnCl2 molecules—were packed in a rectangular unit cell with dimensions a = 1.1677 nm, b = 1.7991 nm, and c = 1.0307 nm (where c is the fiber axis). We performed exhaustive structure searches by examining all of the possible chain packing modes. We also comprehensively searched the positions and spatial orientations of the ZnCl2 molecules. Chitosan chains of antiparallel polarity formed zigzag-shaped chain sheets, where N2···O6, N2···N2, and O6···O6 intermolecular hydrogen bonds connected the neighboring chains. We further refined the packing positions of the ZnCl2 molecules by theoretical calculations of the crystal models, which suggested a possible coordination scheme of Zn(II) with an O6 atom