An All‐solid‐state Polymeric Membrane Ca2+‐selective Electrode Based on Hydrophobic Alkyl‐chain‐functionalized Graphene Oxide

An all‐solid‐state polymeric membrane Ca²⁺‐selective electrode based on hydrophobic octadecylamine‐functionalized graphene oxide has been developed. The hydrophobic composite in the ion‐selective membrane not only acts as a transduction element to improve the potential stability for the all‐solid‐state Ca²⁺‐selective electrode, but also is used to immobilize Ca²⁺ ionophore with lipophilic side chains through hydrophobic interactions. The developed all‐solid‐state Ca²⁺‐selective electrode shows a stable potential response in the linear range of 3.0×10⁻⁷–1.0×10⁻³ M with a slope of 24.7±0.3 mV/dec, and the detection limit is (1.6±0.2 )×10⁻⁷ M (n =3). Additionally, due to the hydrophobicity and electrical conductivity of the composite, the proposed all‐solid‐state ion‐selective electrode exhibits an improved stability with the absence of water layer between the ion‐selective membrane and the underlying glassy carbon electrode. This work provides a simple, efficient and low‐cost methodology for developing stable and robust all‐solid‐state ion‐selective electrode with ionophore immobilization.     

Ruthenium‐Catalyzed para‐Selective C−H Alkylation of Aniline Derivatives

The para ‐selective C−H alkylation of aniline derivatives furnished with a pyrimidine auxiliary is herein reported. This reaction is proposed to take place via an N−H‐activated cyclometalate formed in situ. Experimental and DFT mechanistic studies elucidate a dual role of the ruthenium catalyst. Here the ruthenium catalyst can undergo cyclometalation by N−H metalation (as opposed to C−H metalation in meta ‐selective processes) and form a redox active ruthenium species, to enable site‐selective radical addition at the para position.     

A new selective ‘turn-on’ small fluorescent cationic probe for recognition of RNA in cells

Fluorescent imaging probes have revolutionised cell biology by monitoring cellular objects. However, the lack of fluorescent probes with high selectivity for RNA has been a drawback. Thus, selective RNA binding for fluorescent sensors is essential. Here, we report the selective fluorescence enhancement upon addition of RNA. By exploiting a selective recognition of small tetra-cationic probe 1 for RNA, we also explain the possible binding mode for RNA. As a membrane-permeant fluorescence probe, 1 provides selective imaging of RNA not only in human neuroblastoma tumour SH-SY5Y cell line used for Parkinson's disease but also in the unicellular green alga cells. Further exploitation could open new opportunities in neurotoxin and cancer biology.     

Production of enantiopure β-amino-γ-hydroxyesters from benzoic acid by a selective formal aminohydroxylation

The enantioselective preparation of three protected β-amino-γ-hydroxyesters from benzoic acid is described. The employed synthetic methodology involves the ipso, ortho cis-dihydroxylation of benzoic acid by the mutant strain Ralstonia eutropha B9, followed by a selective halonium induced beta lactamization. Modification of this novel β-lactam structure by the appropriate sequence of reactions allows for the selective preparation of the aforementioned β-amino-γ-hydroxyesters in a diastereodivergent manner. The overall transformation results in a selective formal aminohydroxylation of the diene moiety of the initial cis-cyclohexadienediol. The synthesized products are important building blocks and will allow for the selective preparation of aminoacids, inosamines and alkaloids from benzoic acid.     

Selective INEPT,a new technique for the 13C NMR assignment of methylene carbons with non-equivalent protons,and its application to the analysis of the 13C NMR spectrum of monensin

A new method based on the combination of selective proton decoupling and INEPT is explained in detail. This technique, named selective INEPT (SEL-INEPT), is a useful and sensitive method for the ¹³C NMR assignment of methylene carbons with non-equivalent protons. The ¹³C NMR spectrum of monensin has been analysed by the application of this technique.     

CO2 Reduction Mechanism on the Cu2O(110) Surface: A First-Principles Study

Cu₂O is an attractive catalyst for the selective reduction of CO₂ to methanol. However, the mechanism of the reaction and the role of the Cu species in different oxidation states are not well understood yet. In this work, by first-principles calculations, we investigate the mechanism of the reaction on the Cu₂O(110) surface, which is the most selective for methanol, in different degrees of reduction: ideal surface, slightly reduced surface (SRS), and partially reduced surface (PRS). The most favorable reaction pathways on the three surfaces were identified. We found that Cu(I) on the ideal surface is not capable of chemisorbing CO₂, but surface oxygen serves as the active site which selectively converts CO₂ to CH₃OH with a limiting potential of −0.77 V. The Cu(0) on the SRS and PRS promotes the adsorption and reduction of CO₂, while the removal of the residue O* becomes potential/rate limiting with a more negative limiting potential than the ideal surface. The SRS is selective to methanol while the PRS becomes selective to methane. The result suggests that the key to high methanol selectivity is to avoid the reduction of Cu(I), which provides a new strategy for the design of more efficient catalysts for selective CO₂ reduction to methanol.     

Ligand‐Controlled Regiodivergent Nickel‐Catalyzed Annulation of Pyridones

The 1,6‐annulated 2‐pyridone motif is found in many biologically active compounds and its close relation to the indolizidine and quinolizidine alkaloid core makes it an attractive building block. A nickel‐catalyzed C? H functionalization of 2‐pyridones and subsequent cyclization affords 1,6‐annulated 2‐pyridones by selective intramolecular olefin hydroarylation. The switch between the exo‐ and endo‐cyclization modes is controlled by two complementary sets of ligands. Irrespective of the ring size, the regioselectivity during the cyclization is under full catalyst control. Simple cyclooctadiene promotes an exo‐selective cyclization, whereas a bulky N‐heterocyclic carbene ligand results in an endo‐selective mode. The method was further applied in the synthesis of the lupin alkaloid cytisine.     

Accurate measurement of JHH in overlapped signals by a TOCSY‐edited SERF Experiment

Selective refocusing (GSERF or the recent PSYCHEDELIC) experiments were originally designed to determine all proton–proton coupling constants (J_HH) for a selected proton resonance. They work for isolated signals on which selective excitation can be successfully applied but, as it happens in other selective experiments, fail for overlapped signals. To circumvent this limitation, a doubly‐selective TOCSY‐GSERF scheme is presented for the measurement of J_HH in protons resonating in crowded regions. This new experiment takes advantage of the editing features of an initial TOCSY transfer to uncover hidden resonances that become accessible to perform the subsequent frequency‐selective refocusing. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design and Development of Zeolite-Based Catalytic Processes for Aromatics Production

Processes for the production of xylenes, which occur in an integrated aromatic complex, are discussed. A brief overview of the work carried out at Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited for the development of zeolite-based catalytic processes for the production of aromatics is presented. This includes xylene isomerization, transalkylation and disproportionation of C₇ and C₉ aromatics for maximization of xylenes, selective disproportionation of toluene and selective alkylation of mono-alkylaromatics to p-dialkylbenzene. Achievements in the commercialization of zeolite-based catalysts and processes for isomerization of m-xylene to p- and o-xylene along with dealkylation of ethylbenzene, and for selective ethylation of ethylbenzene to produce p-diethylbenzene are highlighted.     

A Practical Synthesis of SDZ WAG 994 by Selective Methylation of N6-Cyclohexyladenosine

A selective 2′-O-methylation of N⁶-cyclohexyladenosine (2) under phase-transfer catalysis conditions and a preferential crystallization of N⁶-cyclohexyl-2′-O-methyladenosine (1, SDZ WAG 994) from a mixture of by-products is described. A plausible explanation for the selective crystallization of 1 as a hydrate is presented.     

Controlling Gas Selectivity in Molecular Porous Liquids by Tuning the Cage Window Size

Control of pore window size is the standard approach for tuning gas selectivity in porous solids. Here, we present the first example where this is translated into a molecular porous liquid formed from organic cage molecules. Reduction of the cage window size by chemical synthesis switches the selectivity from Xe‐selective to CH₄‐selective, which is understood using ¹²⁹Xe, ¹H, and pulsed‐field gradient NMR spectroscopy.     

Application of an Hg selective imprinted polymer as a new modifying agent for the preparation of a novel highly selective and sensitive electrochemical sensor for the determination of ultratrace mercury ions

A simple and very selective electrode, based on a mercury ion imprinted polymer (IIP), and its application for the determination of Hg²⁺ ions in the real samples is introduced. Mercury ion selective cavities were created in the vinyl pyridine based cross-linked polymer. In order to fabricate the sensor carbon particles and polymer powder were mixed with melted n-eicosane. An explicit difference was observed between the responses of the electrodes modified with IIP and non imprinted polymer (NIP), indicating proper performance of the recognition sites of the IIP. Various factors, known to affect the response behavior of selective electrode, were investigated and optimized. The interference of different ionic species with the response of the electrode was also studied. The results revealed that, compared to previously developed mercury selective sensors, the proposed sensor was more selective, regarding the common potential interferer. This sensor showed a linear response range of 2.5 × 10⁻⁹–5.0 × 10⁻⁷ M and lower detection limit of 5.2 × 10⁻¹⁰ M (S/N). The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of mercury in real samples.     

A general strategy for selective detection of hypochlorous acid based on triazolopyridine formation

Triazolopyridines are an important kind of fused-ring compounds. A HOCl-promoted triazolopyridine formation strategy is reported here for the first time in which hypochlorous acid (HOCl) mildly and efficiently promotes the formation of 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridines NT1-NT6 from various 2-pyridylhydrazones N1-N6. N6, a rhodol-pyridylhydrazone hybrid, was developed into a fluorescent probe for the selective detection of HOCl, and successfully applied to probe endogenous HOCl in living cells and zebrafish in situ and in real time. The present intramolecular cyclization reaction is selective and atom-economical, thereby not only providing an important approach for the convenient synthesis of triazolopyridines, but also offering a general strategy for sensitive, selective and biocompatible detection of endogenous HOCl in complex biosystems.     

Crystal‐Plane‐Controlled Selectivity of Cu2O Catalysts in Propylene Oxidation with Molecular Oxygen

The selective oxidation of propylene with O₂ to propylene oxide and acrolein is of great interest and importance. We report the crystal‐plane‐controlled selectivity of uniform capping‐ligand‐free Cu₂O octahedra, cubes, and rhombic dodecahedra in catalyzing propylene oxidation with O₂: Cu₂O octahedra exposing {111} crystal planes are most selective for acrolein; Cu₂O cubes exposing {100} crystal planes are most selective for CO₂; Cu₂O rhombic dodecahedra exposing {110} crystal planes are most selective for propylene oxide. One‐coordinated Cu on Cu₂O(111), three‐coordinated O on Cu₂O(110), and two‐coordinated O on Cu₂O(100) were identified as the catalytically active sites for the production of acrolein, propylene oxide, and CO₂, respectively. These results reveal that crystal‐plane engineering of oxide catalysts could be a useful strategy for developing selective catalysts and for gaining fundamental understanding of complex heterogeneous catalytic reactions at the molecular level.     

BiMo 基复合氧化物催化剂晶格氧性质与丙烷选择氧化性能

研究了不同组成、结构的BiMo基复合氧化物催化剂的丙烷选择氧化至丙烯醛的性能.X射线衍射(XRD)、X光电子能谱(XPS)、原位傅里叶变换激光拉曼光谱(FT-LRS)、电子顺磁共振(ESR)等多种表征结果表明,BiMo基复合氧化物催化剂上丙烷经由中间物丙烯选择氧化至丙烯醛,催化剂的晶格氧为选择性活性氧物种.丙烷直接氧化下丙烷至丙烯醛的选择性和收率与催化剂的Mo=O物种的氧化-还原性质密切关联,而Mo=O物种的性质又取决于Mo离子的配位环境,Mo=O物种的选择性转化丙烷经由丙烯至丙烯醛活性随畸变MoO6八面体、共顶点八面体、共边八面体、MoO4四面体配位环境递增.组成、结构优化调变的催化剂上丙烷选择氧化至丙烯醛选择性和收率可达45%和13.5%,催化剂中具有选择氧化活性的晶格氧物种数可达258 μmol/g.     

Asymmetric anti‐Selective Michael Reaction of Imidazole‐Modified Ketones with trans‐β‐Nitroalkenes

The successful application of imidazole‐modified ketones in asymmetric anti‐selective Michael reactions with trans‐β‐nitroalkenes is presented by employing a newly developed 3‐bromothiophene‐modified chiral diamine ligand. The corresponding conjugate adduct was submitted to further transformations with Grignard reagents to solve the problem of α‐site selectivity of simple linear ketones. Additionally, the syn‐selective product was obtained by treating the anti‐selective adduct with a simple base. In this way, the site‐specific products for both diastereomers in the asymmetric conjugate addition of simple ketones to nitroalkenes can be obtained.     

Fluorescein-based fluorescent and colorimetric chemosensors for copper in aqueous media

Two new fluorescein-based chemosensors for Cu²⁺ were designed with highly selective “off-on” behavior, one of them working in both absorption and emission, the other only in absorption. Binding to Cu²⁺ binding is reversible, as indicated by the bleaching of the color when the metal is extracted. The compounds form the basis for rapid, selective and sensitive Cu²⁺ chemosensors in aqueous media.     

Selective Metal‐vapor Deposition on Organic Surfaces

Selective metal‐vapor deposition signifies that metal‐vapor atoms are deposited on a hard organic surface, but not on a soft (low glass transition temperature, low T_g) surface. In this paper, we introduce the origin, extension, and applications of selective metal‐vapor deposition. An amorphous photochromic diarylethene film shows light‐controlled selective metal‐vapor deposition, which is caused by a large T_g change based on photoisomerization, but various organic surfaces, including organic crystal and polymers, can be utilized for achieving selective metal‐vapor deposition. Various applications of selective metal‐vapor deposition, including cathode patterning of organic light‐emitting devices, micro‐thin‐film fuses, multifunctional diffraction gratings, in‐plane electrical bistability for memory devices, and metal‐vapor integration, have been demonstrated.     

Effect of binary block‐selective solvents on self‐assembly of ABA triblock copolymer in dilute solution

We have studied the self‐assembly of the ABA triblock copolymer (P4VP‐b‐PS‐b‐P4VP) in dilute solution by using binary block‐selective solvents, that is, water and methanol. The triblock copolymer was first dissolved in dioxane to form a homogeneous solution. Subsequently, a given volume of selective solvent was added slowly to the solution to induce self‐assembly of the copolymer. It was found that the copolymer (P4VP₄₃‐b‐PS₃₆₆‐b‐P4VP₄₃) tended to form spherical aggregate or bilayer structure when we used methanol or water as the single selective solvent, respectively. However, the aggregates with various nanostructures were obtained by using mixtures of water and methanol as the block‐selective solvents. The aggregate structure changed from sphere to rod, vesicle, and then to bilayer by changing water content in the block‐selective solvent from 0 to 100%. Moreover, it was found that the vesicle size could be well controlled by changing the copolymer content in the solution. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1536–1545, 2008     

Lanthanoids in organic syntheses 7. selective reductions of carbonyl groups in aqueous ethanol solution.

Trivalent lanthanoid ions were shown to permit the selective reductions of conjugated aldehydes in the presence of non-conjugated ones. CrCl₃ is also effective in selective ketone reduction in the presence of aldehydes.