Pt–S Bond-Mediated Nanoflares for High-Fidelity Intracellular Applications by Avoiding Thiol Cleavage

The Au−S bond is the classic way to functionalize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). However, cleavage of the bond by biothiols and other chemicals is a long-standing problem hindering practical applications, especially in cells. Instead of replacing the thiol by a carbene or selenol for stronger adsorption, it is now shown that the Pt−S bond is much more stable, fully avoiding cleavage by biothiols. AuNPs were deposited with a thin layer of platinum, and an AuNP@Pt-S nanoflare was constructed to detect the miRNA-21 microRNA in living cells. This design retained the optical and cellular uptake properties of DNA-functionalized AuNPs, while showing high-fidelity signaling. It discriminated target cancer cells even in a mixed-cell culture system, where the Au-S based nanoflare was less sensitive. Compared to previous methods of changing the ligand chemistry, coating a Pt shell is more accessible, and previously developed methods for AuNPs can be directly adapted.     

Adsorption of polyfunctional 5‐fluorouracil and 2,4‐dithio‐5‐fluorouracil on Au(111) surface: Structure,energy, and electronic transmission

Adsorption of 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) and 2,4‐dithio‐5‐fluorouracil (2,4‐DT‐5‐FU) on Au(111) surface at low coverage is studied by using periodic‐slab‐density functional theory calculation. Isolated 5‐FU molecule adsorbs preferentially at bridge site in a vertical configuration via N? H group by forming the N? H···Au nonconventional H‐bond. The formation of the anchor Au? O bond is not observed. Substitution of oxygen atoms of 5‐FU with sulfur strongly influences the nature of adsorption and leads to the Au? S anchor bond and the N? H···Au nonconventional H‐bond of single 2,4‐DT‐5‐FU molecule on Au(111) surface. The adsorption site and orientation of 2,4‐DT‐5‐FU molecule on the surface are similar to those of 5‐FU. The metal–molecule coupling effects at asymmetric Au/S(N? H)S/mol/C? H/Au and Au/N? H/mol/O/Au transport junctions and symmetric Au/S(N? H)S/mol/mol/S(N? H)S/Au and Au/O/mol/mol/O/Au transport junctions are also investigated. The electronic structure is analyzed in detail, and the obtained results are used for illustrating the electron transmission in metal–molecule–metal systems. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Dissociation of disulfide‐intact somatostatin ions: the roles of ion type and dissociation method

The dissociation chemistry of somatostatin‐14 was examined using various tandem mass spectrometry techniques including low‐energy beam‐type and ion trap collision‐induced dissociation (CID) of protonated and deprotonated forms of the peptide, CID of peptide‐gold complexes, and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) of cations. Most of the sequence of somatostatin‐14 is present within a loop defined by the disulfide linkage between Cys‐3 and Cys‐14. The generation of readily interpretable sequence‐related ions from within the loop requires the cleavage of at least one of the bonds of the disulfide linkage and the cleavage of one polypeptide backbone bond. CID of the protonated forms of somatostatin did not appear to give rise to an appreciable degree of dissociation of the disulfide linkage. Sequential fragmentation via multiple alternative pathways tended to generate very complex spectra. CID of the anions proceeded through CH₂? S cleavages extensively but relatively few structurally diagnostic ions were generated. The incorporation of Au(I) into the molecule via ion/ion reactions followed by CID gave rise to many structurally relevant dissociation products, particularly for the [M+Au+H]²⁺ species. The products were generated by a combination of S? S bond cleavage and amide bond cleavage. ETD of the [M+3H]³⁺ ion generated rich sequence information, as did CID of the electron transfer products that did not fragment directly upon electron transfer. The electron transfer results suggest that both the S? S bond and an N? C_α bond can be cleaved following a single electron transfer reaction. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Facile Synthesis of Quasi‐One‐Dimensional Au/PtAu Heterojunction Nanotubes and Their Application as Catalysts in an Oxygen‐Reduction Reaction

An intermediate‐template‐directed method has been developed for the synthesis of quasi‐one‐dimensional Au/PtAu heterojunction nanotubes by the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of Au on Te/Pt core–shell nanostructures in aqueous solution. The synthesized porous Au/PtAu bimetallic nanotubes (PABNTs) consist of porous tubular framework and attached Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). The reaction intermediates played an important role in the preparation, which fabricated the framework and provided a localized reducing agent for the reduction of the Au and Pt precursors. The Pt₇Au PABNTs showed higher electrocatalytic activity and durability in the oxygen‐reduction reaction (ORR) in 0.1 M HClO₄ than porous Pt nanotubes (PtNTs) and commercially available Pt/C. The mass activity of PABNTs was 218 % that of commercial Pt/C after an accelerated durability test. This study demonstrates the potential of PABNTs as highly efficient electrocatalysts. In addition, this method provides a facile strategy for the synthesis of desirable hetero‐nanostructures with controlled size and shape by utilizing an intermediate template.     

Transition‐Metal‐Free Activation of Amides by N−C Bond Cleavage

The amide bond N?C activation represents a powerful strategy in organic synthesis to functionalize the historically inert amide linkage. This personal account highlights recent remarkable advances in transition‐metal‐free activation of amides by N?C bond cleavage, focusing on both (1) mechanistic aspects of ground‐state‐destabilization of the amide bond enabling formation of tetrahedral intermediates directly from amides with unprecedented selectivity, and (2) synthetic utility of the developed transformations. Direct nucleophilic addition to amides enables a myriad of powerful methods for the formation of C?C, C?N, C?O and C?S bonds, providing a straightforward and more synthetically useful alternative to acyl‐metals.     

C−C Bond‐Forming Strategy by Manganese‐Catalyzed Oxidative Ring‐Opening Cyanation and Ethynylation of Cyclobutanol Derivatives

A novel C?C bond‐forming strategy employing manganese‐catalyzed ring‐opening of cyclobutanol substrates, followed by cyanation or ethynylation, is described. A cyano C1 unit and ethynyl C2 unit are regiospecifically introduced to the γ‐position of ketones at room temperature, providing a mild yet powerful method for production of elusive aliphatic nitriles and alkynes. All transformations described are based on a common sequence: 1) oxidative ring‐opening of cyclobutanol substrates by C?C bond cleavage; 2) radical addition to triple bonds bearing an arylsulfonyl group; and 3) radical‐mediated C?S bond cleavage.     

Luminescent Gold Nanoparticles with Size‐Independent Emission

Size‐independent emission has been widely observed for ultrasmall thiolated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) but our understanding of the photoluminescence mechanisms of noble metals on the nanoscale has remained limited. Herein, we report how the emission wavelength of a AuNP and the local binding geometry of a thiolate ligand (glutathione) on the AuNP are correlated, as these AuNPs emit at different wavelengths in spite of their identical size (ca. 2.5 nm). By using circular dichroism, X‐ray absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy, we found that a high Au?S coordination number (CN) and a high surface coverage resulted in strong Au^I–ligand charge transfer, a chiral conformation, and 600 nm emission, whereas a low Au?S CN and a low surface coverage led to weak charge transfer, an achiral conformation, and 810 nm emission. These two size‐independent emissions can be integrated into one single 2.5 nm AuNP by fine‐tuning of the surface coverage; a ratiometric pH response was then observed owing to strong energy transfer between two emission centers, opening up new possibilities for the design of ultrasmall ratiometric pH nanoindicators.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Oxidative Reaction of β‐Keto Sulfones with Alcohols via C−S Bond Cleavage: Reaction Development and Mechanism Study

A Cu‐catalyzed cascade oxidative radical process of β‐keto sulfones with alcohols has been achieved by using oxygen as an oxidant. In this reaction, β‐keto sulfones were converted into sulfinate esters under the oxidative conditions via cleavage of C?S bond. Experimental and computational studies demonstrate that a new pathway is involved in this reaction, which proceeds through the formation of the key four‐coordinated Cu^II intermediate, O?O bond homolysis induced C?S bond cleavage and Cu‐catalyzed esterification to form the final products. This reaction provides a new strategy to sulfonate esters and enriches the research content of C?S bond cleavage and transformations.     

Synthesis and investigation of dual pH‐ and temperature‐responsive behaviour of poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]‐grafted gold nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized by reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl₄) aqueous solution with hydrazine monohydrate. The AuNPs were immediately treated with cysteamine to obtain amine‐functionalized nanoparticles (Au‐NH₂). The reaction of Au‐NH₂ with epichlorohydrin and subsequent treatment with sodium hydroxide gave epoxidized AuNPs (Au‐EP). Then, thiol‐capped AuNPs (Au‐SH) were synthesized by reaction of Au‐EP with cysteamine. A ‘grafting to’ approach was utilized to graft bromine‐terminated poly(N ,N ′‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate), synthesized via aqueous atom transfer radical polymerization, with various molecular weights (6280, 25 800, 64 200 and 87 600 g mol⁻¹) onto Au‐SH to obtain Au‐P1, Au‐P2, Au‐P3 and Au‐P4 samples, respectively. All samples were exposed to temperature and pH variations, and Z‐average diameter was monitored using dynamic light scattering. According to the results, polymer‐grafted nanoparticles collapsed at lower temperatures with increasing solution pH for all molecular weight ranges due to deprotonation of tertiary amine groups. However, higher molecular weight polymers were more sensitive to pH variation especially in alkaline media. Also, a high degree of agglomeration was observed for Au‐P4 nanoparticles in alkaline media on increasing the temperature to 55 and 65 °C.     

Gold‐catalyzed Reactions of 3‐Alkynyloxireno[2, 3‐b]chromenones to Form 3(2H)‐Furanones via a Domino Pathway

3(2H)‐Furanones are efficiently generated from 3‐alkynyl oxireno[2,3‐b]chromenones by an Au/DDQ‐catalyzed domino reaction through a pathway composed of cyclization, C? C cleavage, nucleophilic addition, oxidation, and nucleophilic addition. It was found that stoichiometric AuCl₃ or catalytic Au with stoichiometric DDQ can oxidize the benzylic sp³ C? H bond to facilitate nucleophilic addition.     

5‐(2‐Mercaptoethyl)‐1H‐tetrazole: Facile Synthesis and Application for the Preparation of Water Soluble Nanocrystals and Their Gels

A facile method for the preparation of the novel capping ligand 5‐(2‐mercaptoethyl)‐1H‐tetrazole for the stabilization of water‐soluble nanocrystals was developed. This effective synthetic procedure is based on the cycloaddition of sodium azide to 3,3′‐dithiobis(propionitrile) followed by the reductive cleavage of a S?S bond with triphenylphosphine. The structure of the synthesized compound was confirmed by single‐crystal X‐ray analysis. A target tetrazole was successfully applied for the direct aqueous synthesis of CdTe and Au nanocrystals. CdTe nanocrystals capped with 5‐(2‐mercaptoethyl)‐1H‐tetrazole were found to reveal high photoluminescence efficiencies (up to 77 %). Nanocrystals capped with this tetrazole ligand are able to build 3D structures in a metal‐ion‐assisted gelation process in aqueous solution. Critical point drying of the as‐formed hydrogels allowed the preparation of the corresponding aerogels, while preserving the mesoporous structure.     

Construction and Electrochemical Property Studies of DNA Duplexes Tethered to Gold Electrode via Au−C Bond

Effective linkage of DNA onto metal surfaces plays a crucial role in the applications of DNA as electrochemical recognition, signal output and amplification devices for gene and protein detections, specific analyte recognitions, catalysis, and so on. Here we report a promising and operationally simple approach for the construction of double‐stranded DNA‐linked Au interface via Au?C bond (RdsDNA‐C?Au), upon efficient in situ cleavage of trimethylsilyl end group of 4‐[(trimethylsilyl) ethynyl] benzoic acid and subsequent dehydration condensation between NH₂‐modified DNA and benzoic acid. Due to the introduction of large conjugated π group (4‐carboxyphenylethynyl) as the “bridge bond”, the conductivity of the RdsDNA‐C?Au interface is greatly improved. As a result, under commonly used DNA packing density (>0.5 pmol cm^?2), the surface‐confined electron transfer at the interface is simply mediated by the stacked‐bases of dsDNA, independent of the orientation of dsDNA (tethered to the electrode at 5′‐ or 3′‐end). Also, compared to the traditional RdsDNA‐S?Au interface via alkanethiol linker, the RdsDNA‐C?Au interface displays more sensitive electrochemical response and excellent stability. Due to the better stability, conductivity and simple electron transfer mechanism, the RdsDNA‐C?Au interface is anticipated to be widely used in electrochemistry‐involved molecular recognitions, gene and protein detections with higher sensitivity and accuracy.     

Linear Alkane CC Bond Chemistry Mediated by Metal Surfaces

Linear alkanes undergo different C?C bond chemistry (coupling or dissociation) thermally activated on anisotropic metal surfaces depending on the choice of the substrate material. Owing to the one‐dimensional geometrical constraint, selective dehydrogenation and C?C coupling (polymerization) of linear alkanes take place on Au(110) surfaces with missing‐row reconstruction. However, the case is dramatically different on Pt(110) surfaces, which exhibit similar reconstruction as Au(110). Instead of dehydrogenative polymerization, alkanes tend to dehydrogenative pyrolysis, resulting in hydrocarbon fragments. Density functional theory calculations reveal that dehydrogenation of alkanes on Au(110) surfaces is an endothermic process, but further C?C coupling between alkyl intermediates is exothermic. On the contrary, due to the much stronger C?Pt bonds, dehydrogenation on Pt(110) surfaces is energetically favorable, resulting in multiple hydrogen loss followed by C?C bond dissociation.     

Thermo‐triggered Release of CRISPR‐Cas9 System by Lipid‐Encapsulated Gold Nanoparticles for Tumor Therapy

CRISPR/Cas9 system is a powerful toolbox for gene editing. However, the low delivery efficiency is still a big hurdle impeding its applications. Herein, we report a strategy to deliver Cas9‐sgPlk‐1 plasmids (CP) by a multifunctional vehicle for tumor therapy. We condensed CPs on TAT peptide‐modified Au nanoparticles (AuNPs/CP, ACP) via electrostatic interactions, and coated lipids (DOTAP, DOPE, cholesterol, PEG2000‐DSPE) on the ACP to form lipid‐encapsulated, AuNPs‐condensed CP (LACP). LACP can enter tumor cells and release CP into the cytosol by laser‐triggered thermo‐effects of the AuNPs; the CP can enter nuclei by TAT guidance, enabling effective knock‐outs of target gene (Plk‐1) of tumor (melanoma) and inhibition of the tumor both in vitro and in vivo. This AuNPs‐condensed, lipid‐encapsulated, and laser‐controlled delivery system provides a versatile method for high efficiency CRISPR/Cas9 delivery and targeted gene editing for treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases.     

Dual Amplified Electrochemical Immunosensor for Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen Detection Using Hemin/G‐Quadruplex Immobilized onto Fe3O4‐AuNPs or (Hemin‐Amino‐rGO‐Au) Nanohybrid

A sensitive electrochemical immunosensor for Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) detection was fabricated based on hemin/G‐quadruplex interlaced onto Fe₃O₄‐AuNPs or hemin ‐amino‐reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite (H‐amino‐rGO‐Au). G‐quadruplex DNAzyme, which is composed of hemin and guanine‐rich nucleic acid, is an effective signal amplified tool for its outstanding peroxidase activity and Fe₃O₄‐AuNPs or (H‐amino‐rGO‐Au) nanocomposites with quasi‐enzyme activity provide appropriate support for the immobilization of hemin/G‐quadruplex. The target protein was sandwiched between the primary antibody immobilized on the GO and secondary antibody immobilized on the Fe₃O₄‐AuNPs or (H‐amino‐rGO‐Au) nanocomposites and glutaraldehyde was used as linking agent for the immobilization of primary antibody on the surface of GO. Both Fe₃O₄‐AuNPs and H‐amino‐rGO‐Au nanocomposite and also hemin/G‐quadruplex can cooperate the electrocatalytic reduction of H₂O₂ in the presence of methylene blue as mediator. The proposed immunosensor has a wide linear dynamic range of 0.1 pg/ml to 300 pg/ml with a detection limit of 60 fg/ml when Fe₃O₄‐AuNPs was used for immobilization of hemin/G‐quadruplex, while the dynamic range and DL were 0. 1–1000 pg/mL and 10 fg/mL, respectively in the presence of H‐amino‐rGO‐ Au nanocomposite as platform for immobilizing of hemin/G‐quadruplex. The proposed immunosensor was also used for analysis of HBsAg in spiked human serum samples with satisfactory results.     

Direct N‐Methylation Reaction Using DMSO as One‐Carbon Bridge: Convenient Access to Heterocycle‐Containing β‐Amino Ketones

A novel oxidative C? S bond cleavage reaction of DMSO for dual C? C and C? N bond formation is described. A series of acetyl heteroarenes could be selectively converted into the corresponding β‐amino ketones, which are frequently found in biologically active compounds and pharmaceuticals. DMSO acted in this reaction not only as the solvent but also as a one‐carbon bridge.     

Real‐Space Observation of Atomic Site‐Specific Electronic Properties of a Pt Nanoisland/Au(111) Bimetallic Surface by Tip‐Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Resolving atomic site‐specific electronic properties and correlated substrate–molecule interactions is challenging in real space. Now, mapping of sub‐10 nm sized Pt nanoislands on a Au(111) surface was achieved by tip‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy, using the distinct Raman fingerprints of adsorbed 4‐chlorophenyl isocyanide molecules. A spatial resolution better than 2.5 nm allows the electronic properties of the terrace, step edge, kink, and corner sites with varying coordination environments to be resolved in real space in one Pt nanoisland. Calculations suggest that low‐coordinate atomic sites have a higher d‐band electronic profile and thus stronger metal–molecule interactions, leading to the observed blue‐shift of Raman frequency of the N≡C bond of adsorbed molecules. An experimental and theoretical study on Pt(111) and mono‐ and bi‐atomic layer Pt nanoislands on a Au(111) surface reveals the bimetallic effect that weakens with the increasing number of deposited Pt adlayer.     

Copper‐Catalyzed S−C/S−N Bond Interconversions

Under an atmosphere of dioxygen, copper‐catalyzed de‐alkylation/amination sequences provide sulfonimidamides from unprotected sulfoximines in moderate to good yields. Mechanistic studies suggest the involvement of radicals in both the C?S bond cleavage and the formation of the new N?S bond.     

Heterobimetallic Catalysis: Platinum‐Gold‐Catalyzed Tandem Cyclization/C−X Coupling Reaction of (Hetero)Arylallenes with Nucleophiles

Heterobimetallic catalysis offers new opportunities for reactivity and selectivity but still presents challenges, and only a few metal combinations have been explored so far. Reported here is a Pt‐Au heterobimetallic catalyst system for the synthesis of a family of multi‐heteroaromatic structures through tandem cyclization/C?X coupling reaction. Au‐catalyzed 6‐endo‐cyclization takes place as the first fast step. Pt‐Au clusters are proposed to be responsible for the increased reactivity in the second step, that is, the intermolecular nucleophilic addition which occurs through an outer‐sphere mechanism by hybrid homogeneous‐heterogeneous catalysis.     

Assembly of Preformed Gold Nanoparticles onto Thermoresponsive Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐Based Microgels on the Basis of Au‐thiol Chemistry

The assembly of preformed gold nanoparticles (AuNPs ) onto the thermoresponsive poly(N ‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM )‐based microgels was achieved on the basis of the driving force of Au‐thiol chemistry. The loading amount of AuNPs can be controlled by varying the ratio of AuNPs relative to PNIPAM ‐based microgels. The as‐prepared PNIPAM /Au hybrid microgels showed well‐defined reversible swelling/deswelling transition in response to temperature, which can be employed to tune the plasmonic property of hybrid microgels. As the temperature was increased, the position of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR ) band red‐shifted to some extent mainly due to the increase in the local refractive index around AuNPs .