New egg-shaped fullerenes: non-isolated pentagon structures of Tm3N@C(s)(51 365)-C84 and Gd3N@C(s)(51 365)-C84

Although there are 51 568 non-IPR and 24 IPR structures for C84, the egg-shaped endohedral fullerenes Tm3N@C(s)(51 365)-C84 and Gd3N@C(s)(51 365)-C84 utilize the same non-IPR cage structure as found initially for Tb3N@C(s)(51 365)-C84.     

Synthesis, and two photon absorption properties of 7,7'-(iminundecahydro-closo-dodecaborate)-9,9'-(dihexyl)-2,2'-bifluorene

Hybrid organic-inorganic bis-tetrabutylammonium-7,7'-(iminundecahydro-closo-dodecaborate)-9,9'-(dihexyl)-2,2'-bifluorene (5) was prepared, and the influence of the closo-dodecaborate cluster on the two-photon absorption properties of bi-fluorene derivatives was demonstrated.     

Spongy gel-like layered double hydroxide-alkaline phosphatase nanohybrid as a biosensing material

Formation of new bio-nanohybrid material was obtained by immobilization of alkaline phosphatase within a Mg(2)Al LDH by "soft chemistry" coprecipitation synthesis, resulting in an original spongy gel-like morphology allowing the preservation of the enzyme structure and activity even at low pH values thanks to the buffering property of the basic host structure.     

N-heterocyclic phosphenium cations: syntheses and cycloaddition reactions

A series of trifluoromethanesulfonate (OTf) salts of N-heterocyclic phospheniums (NHP) bearing phenyl (1a), para-methoxyphenyl (1b), 2,6-diisopropylphenyl (1c) and mesityl (1d) substituents is reported. The compounds are made by a modification to a literature procedure that improves the overall yields for and by 15 and 23%, respectively. Two unwanted side-products in the synthesis of , the diammonium salt, [(2,6-iPr-C6H3)N(H)2CH2CH2N(H)2(2,6-iPr-C6H3)]Cl2 (4) and the bisphosphine (2,6-iPr-C6H3)N(PCl2)CH2CH2N(PCl2)(2,6-iPr-C6H3) (5), are crystallographically characterized, as is the intermediate cyclic chlorophosphine, C1PN(4-OMe-C6H4)CH2CH2N(4-OMe-C6H4) (3b). The phenyl-substituted NHP is fully characterized, including by X-ray crystallography, for the first time; this compound contains a short P-O contact of 2.1850(14) A. Cycloaddition reactions of with 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene give the expected spirocyclic phospholeniums, 7,8-dimethyl-1,4-diaryl-1,4-diaza-5-phopshoniaspiro[4.4]non-7-ene, as their OTf salts (6a-d), while reactions with N,N'-dimesityl-1,4-diaza-1,3-butadiene give, except in the case of , which is too bulky to react, the aza analogues, 1,4-dimesityl-6,9-diaryl-1,4,6,9-tetraaza-5-phosphoniaspiro[4.4]non-2-ene (7a, 7b and 7d). The sterically congested is in thermal equilibrium with and free diazadiene, and undergoes a substitution reaction with 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene to give .     

Temperature dependence of electron transfer to the M-side bacteriopheophytin in rhodobacter capsulatus reaction centers

Subpicosecond time-resolved absorption measurements at 77 K on two reaction center (RC) mutants of Rhodobacter capsulatus are reported. In the D(LL) mutant the D helix of the M subunit has been substituted with the D helix from the L subunit, and in the D(LL)-FY(L)F(M) mutant, three additional mutations are incorporated that facilitate electron transfer to the M side of the RC. In both cases the helix swap has been shown to yield isolated RCs that are devoid of the native bacteriopheophytin electron carrier HL (Chuang, J. I.; Boxer, S. G.; Holten, D.; Kirmaier, C. Biochemistry 2006, 45, 3845-3851). For D(LL), depending whether the detergent Deriphat 160-C or N-lauryl-N,N-dimethylamine-N-oxide (LDAO) is used to suspend the RCs, the excited state of the primary electron donor (P*) decays to the ground state with an average lifetime at 77 K of 330 or 170 ps, respectively; however, in both cases the time constant obtained from single-exponential fits varies markedly as a function of the probe wavelength. These findings on the D(LL) RC are most easily explained in terms of a heterogeneous population of RCs. Similarly, the complex results for D(LL)-FY(L)F(M) in Deriphat-glycerol glass at 77 K are most simply explained using a model that involves (minimally) two distinct populations of RCs with very different photochemistry. Within this framework, in 50% of the D(LL)-FY(L)F(M) RCs in Deriphat-glycerol glass at 77 K, P* deactivates to the ground state with a time constant of approximately 400 ps, similar to the deactivation of P* in the D(LL) mutant at 77 K. In the other 50% of D(LL)-FY(L)F(M) RCs, P* has a 35 ps lifetime and decays via electron transfer to the M branch, giving P+HM- in high yield (> or =80%). This result indicates that P* --> P(+)H(M)(-) is roughly a factor of 2 faster at 77 K than at 295 K. In alternative homogeneous models the rate of this M-side electron-transfer process is the same or up to 2-fold slower at low temperature. A 2-fold increase in rate with a reduction in temperature is the same behavior found for the overall L-side process P* --> P(+)H(L)(-) in wild-type RCs. Our results suggest that, as for electron transfer on the L side, the M-side electron-transfer reaction P* --> P(+)H(M)(-) is an activationless process.     

A direct stereoselective approach to trans-2,3-disubstituted piperidines: application in the synthesis of 2-Epi-CP-99,994 and (+)-epilupinine

A simple synthesis of enantiomerically pure piperidine esters is described, offering a straightforward access to the trans-2,3-disubstituted piperidine skeleton which is present in a broad range of biologically active compounds.     

L-selectride-mediated highly diastereoselective asymmetric reductive aldol reaction: access to an important subunit for bioactive molecules

L-selectride reduction of a chiral or achiral enone followed by reaction of the resulting enolate with optically active alpha-alkoxy aldehydes proceeded with excellent diastereoselectivity. The resulting alpha,alpha-dimethyl-beta-hydroxy ketones are inherent to a variety of biologically active natural products.     

Simple and rapid extraction, separation, and detection of alkaloids in beverages

Implementation of an uncomplicated SPE process for the rapid extraction and preconcentration of the alkaloids, colchicine, strychnine, aconitine, and nicotine, from water, apple juice, and nonfat milk samples is presented. When coupled to analysis via micellar EKC (MEKC), the total analysis time per sample was less than 15 min for the water and juice samples and less than 20 min for the milk. The SPE process allowed for anywhere from a three to a fourteen-fold improvement in the LOD for each alkaloid when compared to detecting the alkaloids in a nontreated water sample matrix. Following SPE, the LODs for colchicine, strychnine, and nicotine were sufficient to meet levels from 150 to 5000 times more dilute than the LD(50) for a 50 kg individual drinking 12 oz of a contaminated beverage. Aconitine, on the other hand, was detected at approximately the LD(50) level. The percent recoveries for the SPE ranged from 37% to as high as 99%. Nicotine attained the highest recovery efficiencies, followed by colchicine, and finally, aconitine and strychnine, which were nearly identical. The greatest recovery efficiencies were achieved from apple juice and water, whereas nonfat milk yielded the lowest.     

Fast, noninvasive and simultaneous near-infrared spectroscopic characterisation of physicochemical stationary phases' properties: from silica particles towards monoliths

The design of novel stationary phases is a permanent demanding challenge in chromatographic separation science to enable analysis with enhanced selectivity, specificity and speed. Therefore, the characterisation of chemical and physical properties is next to calculation of chromatographic parameters essential. Conventionally, chemical parameters including surface coverage are determined by burning combustion or frontal analysis, physical parameters including particle size, pore size, pore volume and surface area are determined by SEM, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). All these methods are time consuming, invasive and require besides special equipment some special trained laboratory staff. Therefore, we introduced near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a noninvasive, easy-to-handle technology with wavenumber ranging from 4000 to 10,000 cm(-1) enabling analysis within only a few seconds at higher precision than the conventional methods. Investigated materials comprise porous and nonporous silica gel, carbon-based nanomaterials (fullerenes), polymer beads and monoliths. Different carriers themselves and their kind of derivatisations (RP, normal-phase, ion-exchanger, IMAC (immobilised metal affinity chromatography), affinity) can be determined by applying principal component analysis (PCA) of recorded spectra. Partial least square regression (PLSR) enables the determination of particle size, pore size, pore volume, porosity, total porosity and surface area with one single measurement. For the optimised design of well-defined polymer beads and monoliths, real-time in situ monitoring to control, e. g. particle and pore sizes as well as monomer content during the polymerisation process, can be extremely helpful. In this article, the advantages of this fast, noninvasive high-throughput NIRS methods are summarised, discussed in detail and different applications of the individual characterised materials are shown.