Ultra-small cobalt nanoparticles from molecularly-defined Co–salen complexes for catalytic synthesis of amines

We report the synthesis of in situ generated cobalt nanoparticles from molecularly defined complexes as efficient and selective catalysts for reductive amination reactions. In the presence of ammonia and hydrogen, cobalt–salen complexes such as cobalt(ii)–N,N′-bis(salicylidene)-1,2-phenylenediamine produce ultra-small (2–4 nm) cobalt-nanoparticles embedded in a carbon–nitrogen framework. The resulting materials constitute stable, reusable and magnetically separable catalysts, which enable the synthesis of linear and branched benzylic, heterocyclic and aliphatic primary amines from carbonyl compounds and ammonia. The isolated nanoparticles also represent excellent catalysts for the synthesis of primary, secondary as well as tertiary amines including biologically relevant N-methyl amines.

We report the synthesis of in situ generated cobalt nanoparticles from molecularly defined complexes as efficient and selective catalysts for reductive amination reactions.     

An efficient molecular orbital approach for a simultaneous evaluation of the vibrational circular dichroism and absorption intensities

We present a procedure for evaluating vibrational circular dichroism and absorption intensities simultaneously, using finite electric field perturbation theory. In this procedure seven SCF calculations are sufficient to obtain all vibrational intensities. Preliminary calculations using CNDO wavefnctions are used to test the soundness of this procedure.     

A green chemistry approach towards synthesizing hydrogel for sustained ocular delivery of brinzolamide: In vitro and ex vivo evaluation

Brinzolamide is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor used in the eye drop form for the treatment of glaucoma. It requires frequent dosing to attain therapeutic concentration. Therefore, this study aimed to prepare sustained ocular drug delivery of brinzolamide. The objective of the study was to prepare a hydrogel loaded with a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) of brinzolamide. The hydrogel was prepared by a green synthesis approach using genipin as a natural crosslinking agent and polymers such as carboxymethyl chitosan and poloxamer 407. The melt emulsification-ultra sonication method was used to prepare a nanostructured lipid carrier of brinzolamide, which was loaded into a hydrogel using a swelling and loading method. The NLC formulation has shown small particle sizes of 111.20 ?± ?2.15 ?nm, polydispersity index of 0.280 ?± ?0.005 and % entrapment efficiency of 82.16% ?± ?0.14%. The NLC-loaded hydrogels of brinzolamide formulations were studied for swelling properties and showed temperature and pH-responsive swelling behavior. The optimized hydrogel formulation has been studied for in vitro drug release and showed drug release for a longer duration (24 ?h) than marketed eye drops (8 ?h). In an ex vivo study, hydrogel formulations showed transcorneal permeability 4.54 times greater than marketed eye drops. The hydrogel formulation of brinzolamide produced by the green synthesis method has shown sustained-release properties with no sign of ocular irritation. Hence, the hydrogel of brinzolamide-loaded NLC would be the potential drug delivery approach in the near future for sustained ocular drug delivery in glaucoma management.     

Facile synthesis of N‐α‐boc‐1,2‐dialkyl‐l‐histidines: Utility in the synthesis of thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (trh) analogs and evaluation of the cns activity

A facile synthesis of N‐α‐Boc‐1,2‐dialkyl‐L‐histidines starting from N‐α‐trifluoroacetyl‐L‐histidine methyl ester is reported. The key steps involve direct and regiospecific N‐1(τ) ring‐alkylation of the N‐α‐trifluoroacetyl‐L‐histidine‐methyl ester by suitable alkyl iodide in the presence of NaH in DMF at ?15 °C followed by homolytic free radical C‐2 alkylation via a silver catalyzed oxidative decarboxylation of alkylcarboxylic acid in the presence of ammonium persulfate under acidic conditions. The application of newly synthesized bioimidazoles was illustrated by their incorporation into thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (TRH). The synthesized TRH analogs were evaluated in vivo for analeptic activity. We report discovery of a TRH analog, which was found to potentiate the pentobarbital‐induced sleep in vivo.     

Gadolinium-Based Paramagnetic Relaxation Enhancement Agent Enhances Sensitivity for NUS Multidimensional NMR-Based Metabolomics

Gadolinium is a paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) agent that accelerates the relaxation of metabolite nuclei. In this study, we noted the ability of gadolinium to improve the sensitivity of two-dimensional, non-uniform sampled NMR spectral data collected from metabolomics samples. In time-equivalent experiments, the addition of gadolinium increased the mean signal intensity measurement and the signal-to-noise ratio for metabolite resonances in both standard and plasma samples. Gadolinium led to highly linear intensity measurements that correlated with metabolite concentrations. In the presence of gadolinium, we were able to detect a broad array of metabolites with a lower limit of detection and quantification in the low micromolar range. We also observed an increase in the repeatability of intensity measurements upon the addition of gadolinium. The results of this study suggest that the addition of a gadolinium-based PRE agent to metabolite samples can improve NMR-based metabolomics.     

Entropy and Entropic Forces to Model Biological Fluids

Living cells are complex systems characterized by fluids crowded by hundreds of different elements, including, in particular, a high density of polymers. They are an excellent and challenging laboratory to study exotic emerging physical phenomena, where entropic forces emerge from the organization processes of many-body interactions. The competition between microscopic and entropic forces may generate complex behaviors, such as phase transitions, which living cells may use to accomplish their functions. In the era of big data, where biological information abounds, but general principles and precise understanding of the microscopic interactions is scarce, entropy methods may offer significant information. In this work, we developed a model where a complex thermodynamic equilibrium resulted from the competition between an effective electrostatic short-range interaction and the entropic forces emerging in a fluid crowded by different sized polymers. The target audience for this article are interdisciplinary researchers in complex systems, particularly in thermodynamics and biophysics modeling.     

Screening of Rubiaceae and Apocynaceae extracts for mosquito larvicidal potential

Rubiaceae and Apocynaceae families are well known for the expression of cyclotides having insecticidal properties. Leaves and flowers extracts of plants from the families Rubiaceae (Ixora coccinea) and Apocynaceae (Allamanda violacea) were evaluated for mosquito larvicidal effect against early IVth instars of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi. Two forms of plant extracts, one untreated and the other treated with heat and proteolytic enzyme were used for assay. After primary assay, the extract showing more than 50% inhibition was further used for quantification purpose. LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values of all the extracts were found to be reduced with the treated form. Phytochemical analysis of plant extracts was performed. Primary confirmation for the presence of cyclotides was done by Lowry test, thin layer chromatography and haemolytic assay. This novel approach merits use of plant extracts in mosquito control programmes.     

Thermodynamic and optical studies of some ethylene glycol ethers in aqueous solutions at T = 298.15 K

Experimental results of density (ρ), speed of sound (u), and refractive index (n_D) have been obtained for aqueous solutions of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGMME), ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (EGMEE), diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (DEGMME), and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (DEGMEE) over the entire concentration range at T = 298.15 K. From these measurements, the derived parameters, apparent molar volume of solute (?_V), excess molar volume (V^E), isentropic compressibility of solution (β_S), apparent molar isentropic compressibility of solute (?_KS), deviation in isentropic compressibility (Δβ_S), molar refraction [R]_1,2 and deviation in refractive index of solution (Δn_D) have been calculated. The Redlich–Kister equation has been fitted to the calculated values of V^E, Δβ_S and Δn_D for the solution. The results obtained are interpreted in terms of hydrogen bonding and various interactions among solute and solvent molecules.