Electrochemical NiH-Catalyzed C(sp3)−C(sp3) Coupling of Alkyl Halides and Alkyl Alkenes

Herein, an electrochemically driven NiH-catalyzed reductive coupling of alkyl halides and alkyl alkenes for the construction of Csp³−Csp³ bonds is firstly reported. Notably, alkyl halides serve dual function as coupling substrates and as hydrogen sources to generate NiH species under electrochemical conditions. The tunable nature of this reaction is realized by introducing an intramolecular coordinating group to the substrate, where the product can be easily adjusted to give the desired branched products. The method proceeds under mild conditions, exhibits a broad substrate scope, and affords moderate to excellent yields with over 70 examples, including late-stage modification of natural products and drug derivatives. Mechanistic insights offer evidence for an electrochemically driven coupling process. The sp³-carbon-halogen bonds can be activated through single electron transfer (SET) by the nickel catalyst in its low valence state, generated by cathodic reduction, and the generation of NiH species from alkyl halides is pivotal to this transformation.     

Adsorption Behavior of U(VI) and Re(VII) on Iron Sulfide Nanoparticles Modified with Titanate Nanotubes: Mechanism and Performance Insights

A novel nanocomposite (TNTs-FeS) was developed by anchoring ferrous sulfide (FeS) nanoparticles immobilized on titanate nanotubes (TNTs) by hydrothermal method to remove U(VI) and Re(VII) from aqueous solution, and the removal mechanism and efficiency were examined. The experimental results showed that the TNTs can effectively improve the dispersibility and stability of FeS. The environmental conditions, including initial solution pH, initial concentration, equilibrium time, and dosage, played an important role in the remediation process, which can affect the immobilization efficiency significantly. The maximum quantity removal of U(VI) and Re(VII) was 291.67 and 226.23 mg/g at pH of 6.0 and 12.0. The adsorption kinetics and the equilibrium isotherms of U(VI) and Re(VII) all fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model (R²>0.99) and the Freundlich model (R²>0.99). The main mechanism of removal by TNTs-FeS was electrostatic attraction, chemical reduction, and surface complexation. Thus, TNTs-FeS composites exhibited a high potential to remove U(VI) and Re(VII) heavy metal ions from the surface and groundwater.     

An efficient strategy for large-scale preparation of low polarity gingerols directly from ginger crude extract by high-speed countercurrent chromatography with different rotation mode

This study presents an efficient strategy for large-scale preparation of low polarity gingerols directly from ginger crude extract by high-speed countercurrent chromatography with different rotation mode. The ultrasonic-assisted extraction conditions were optimized by response surface methodology and the results showed the major low polarity gingerols could be well enriched under the optimized extraction conditions. Then the crude extract without any pretreatment was directly separated by high-speed countercurrent chromatography with different rotation mode using n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (6:4:6:4, v/v/v/v) as the solvent system. In about 400 min, five major gingerols including 150 mg of [6]-gingerol, 50 mg of [8]-gingerol, 20 mg of [6]-shogaol, 43 mg of [6]-dehydrogingerdione, and 40 mg of [10]-gingerol were obtained from 1.2 g of crude extract in a single run with repeated injection. Their structures were identified by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy.     

Semilocal convergence of multi-point improved super-Halley-type methods without the second derivative under generalized weak condition

In this paper, we consider the semilocal convergence of multi-point improved super-Halley-type methods in Banach space. Different from the results of super-Halley method studied in reference Gutiérrez, J.M. and Hernández, M.A. (Comput. Math. Appl. 36,1–8, 1998) these methods do not require second derivative of an operator, the R-order is improved and the convergence condition is also relaxed. We prove a convergence theorem to show existence and uniqueness of the solution.     

Surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopic studies of adsorbed nitrate, nitric oxide, and related compounds 1: Reduction of adsorbed NO on a platinum electrode

Surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRA) was used to examine the adsorption state of nitrogen monoxide (nitric oxide, NO) and the reduction of the adsorbed species. The SEIRA spectra gave two distinct bands at 1723-1733 and 1575-1607 cm-1 with an additional weak band at 1656-1676 cm-1 at 0.20 V, the frequencies of which are slightly dependent on the surface coverage. The former two bands are attributed to the on-top and bridged NO, respectively. While the on-top NO stably remained on the surface in the potential range of 0.05 -0.60 V, the bridged NO decreased in its intensity with increasing electrode potential. The reduction of the adsorbed NO obeys first-order kinetics with respect to the adsorbed NO. The rate constants are 2.24 +/- 0.03 and 0.24 +/- 0.09 s-1 at -0.10 V for the on-top and bridged NO, respectively. Tafel slopes obtained from the potential dependence of the rate constant indicate that the rate-determining step is the first electron-transfer process.     

Superoxide Dismutase-Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles Protect Cultured Human Neurons Under Oxidative Stress

The objective of our study was to investigate the neuroprotective efficacy of superoxide dismutase (SOD), loaded in poly(D,L-lactide co-glycolide; PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs), in cultured human neurons challenged with hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-induced oxidative stress. We hypothesized that the protected and sustained intracellular delivery of SOD encapsulated in NPs would demonstrate better neuroprotection from oxidative stress than either SOD or pegylated SOD (PEG-SOD) in solution. SOD-NPs (approximately 81 +/- 4 nm in diameter, 0.9% w/w SOD loading) released the encapsulated SOD in an active form with 8.2% cumulative release during the first 24 h, followed by a slower release thereafter. The results demonstrated that PLGA-NPs are compatible with human neurons, and the neuroprotective effect of SOD-NPs is dose-dependent, with efficacy seen at >100 U SOD, and less significant effects at lower doses. Neither SOD (25-200 U) nor PEG-SOD (100 U) in solution demonstrated the neuroprotective effect under similar conditions. The neuroprotective effect of SOD-NPs was seen up to 6 h after H(2)O(2)-induced oxidative stress, but the effect diminished thereafter. Confocal microscopic studies demonstrated better intracellular neuronal uptake of the encapsulated model protein (fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled BSA) than the protein in solution. Thus, the mechanism of efficacy of SOD-NPs appears to be due to the stability of the encapsulated enzyme and its better neuronal uptake after encapsulation.     

离子液体与绿色化学：为了今天还是为了未来？

离子液体因绿色化学的兴起而成名。本文结合作者自己8年来的研究工作评述了离子液体特别是在化学合成、化学反应领域的最新进展。主要分4个方面：离子液体改变了载体/模版的概念;离子液体研究促进了液相反应的研究;离子液体推动了相分离技术的进步;离子液体推动了绿色化学的发展。     

Tunable self-assembled peptide amphiphile nanostructures

Peptide amphiphiles are capable of self-assembly into a diverse array of nanostructures including ribbons, tubes, and vesicles. However, the ability to select the morphology of the resulting structure is not well developed. We examined the influence of systematic changes in the number and type of hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acids on the self-assembly of amphiphilic peptides. Variations in the morphology of self-assembled peptides of the form X(6)K(n) (X = alanine, valine, or leucine; K = lysine; n = 1-5) are investigated using a combination of transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering measurements. The secondary structures of the peptides are determined using circular dichroism. Self-assembly is controlled through a combination of interactions between the hydrophobic segments of the peptide molecules and repulsive forces between the charged segments. Increasing the hydrophobicity of the peptide by changing X to a more lipophilic amino acid or decreasing the number of hydrophilic amino acids transforms the self-assembled nanostructures from vesicles to tubes and ribbons. Changes in the hydrophobicity of the peptides are reflected in changes in the critical micelle concentration observed using pyrene probe fluorescence analysis. Self-assembled materials formed from cationic peptide amphiphiles of this type display promise as carriers for insoluble molecules or negatively charged nucleic acids in drug or gene delivery applications.     

Synthesis and insecticidal activities of novel spin‐labeled derivatives of camptothecin

Continuing our search for natural product based compounds for the control of Brontispa longissima larvae, eight spin‐labeled camptothecin derivatives 7a–h and the intermediate 2 were first tested for their insecticidal activities against fifth‐instar larvae of Brontispa longissima. Among all the tested compounds, especially compounds 7a and 2 showed promising insecticidal activities with the corrected mortality rates of 69.55% and 74.07% against fifth‐instar larvae of B. longissima, respectively. The different insecticidal activity ranges of these compounds indicated that the variation of the structures of l ‐amino acids in these compounds markedly affected the activity profiles of this compound class, and some important SAR information has been revealed from it. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 22:687–691, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.20734