An asymmetric N-rim partially substituted calix[4]pyrrole: Its affinity for Ag(I) and its destruction by Hg(II)

A new partially substituted calix[4] pyrrole derivative obtained by the introduction of three thioamide functionalities in the N-rim has been synthesised and fully characterised by ¹H, ¹³C, HSQC, ROESY NMR and mass spectroscopy. Computer modelling suggested an alternate conformation which was confirmed through ROESY ¹H NMR. The receptor interacts only with the silver cation as shown by ¹H NMR. The strength of interaction is quantitatively assessed by titration calorimetry. N-rim modification eliminates the possibility of interaction with anions. Unlike calix[4] pyrrole derivatives obtained by the introduction of functionalities through the meso-position, addition of Hg(NO₃)₂ leads to the degeneration of the receptor as demonstrated by ¹H NMR, FTIR and XPS analyses. This is for the first time reported. Molecular simulation studies show significant strain in the mercury bound ligand in bonds, angles, torsions leading to the destruction of the receptor. Given the negative environmental impact produced by the availability of silver ions in aquatic organisms, the fundamental studies indicate that this receptor offers potential applications for monitoring silver (ion selective electrode) or indeed as a decontaminating material for removing silver ions from water.     

A WO3 nanorod-Cr2O3 nanoparticle composite for selective gas sensing of 2-butanone

The sensor based on WO₃-Cr₂O₃ nanocomposites show good selectivity to 2-butanone.     

密度泛函理论计算研究表面应力对钯催化乙炔选择性加氢活性与选择性的影响（英文）

在石油催化裂解过程中,除了生成乙烯、丙烯及丁烯等烯烃,还会产生部分炔烃.目前工业上通常采用炔烃选择性加氢转化为对应的单烯烃,以除去其中炔烃.由于产品烯烃中的炔烃等杂质含量需极低,这就对用于加氢催化剂的活性和选择性提出了很高的要求,即催化剂需要选择性吸附炔烃并加氢,而不损失其中的烯烃.经过前期大量的基础研究工作,目前工业中炔烃选择性加氢应用最广泛的催化剂是负载型钯基催化剂.然而,单独的钯金属选择性并不理想,因而对其选择性以及活性进行调控成为了当前关注的研究课题.本文采用密度泛函理论计算结合微观反应动力学模拟手段,研究了钯金属表面应力存在条件下的活性与选择性,以及形成次表层物种的可能性和形成后的活性与选择性.研究发现,改变钯金属的晶格参数与表面应力,反应物、表面反应中间体和产物的吸附能都会产生相应的变化,且吸附能与晶格参数的变化存在线性关系,晶格参数越大,吸附越强.利用表面反应过渡态能量与初始态能量之间的线性关系,相应的乙炔加氢生成乙烯的反应速率可以通过微观反应动力学模拟得到.结果显示,不同晶格参数的钯催化剂催化乙炔加氢生成乙烯的反应活性位于相应火山型曲线的强吸附侧,即减弱乙炔和氢的吸附强度可提高乙烯的生成速率.在此基础上,本文研究了不同表面应力的钯催化剂在次表面吸附不同覆盖度碳原子和氢原子的情况,发现晶格参数越大越有利于碳原子和氢原子在次表面的吸附.同时,研究发现在次表面碳掺杂的条件下,不同表面应力条件下的钯催化剂的活性均有所增强.此外,由于乙烯在所有研究的钯催化剂表面脱附比进一步加氢容易,因而乙烯都可以选择性生成.     

Recent advances in Garratt-Braverman cyclization: Mechanistic and synthetic explorations

Garratt-Braverman cyclization has emerged as one of the simplest synthetic tool to construct two consecutive CC bonds leading to the formation of various important structural scaffolds having significance in the field of therapeutics and material science. The strategic design of suitable precursor for this cycloaromatization reaction involves the deep understanding of reaction pathways involving diradicals and ions. On the other hand, the reaction offers an unprecedented mechanistic paradox for the chemists to solve. This report aims at outlining the recent mechanistic and synthetic developments with special emphasis on the research outcomes from our laboratory.     

Influences of the concentration and the molar ratio of mixed surfactants on the performance of vesicle pseudostationary phase

In our previous work, it was found that the vesicles were formed spontaneously by mixing octyltriethylammonium bromide (C₈NE₃Br) with sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), and the vesicles have been developed as a pseudostationary phase (PSP) in EKC. In the present work, the effects of the concentration and the molar ratio of cationic to anionic surfactant on the vesicle properties and the performances of vesicle PSP in EKC have been investigated. The aggregates at all mixing ratio were negatively charged regardless of which surfactant surplus. As C₈NE₃Br proportion increased, the microviscosity of the vesicle became larger. With the increase in the total surfactant concentration, the migration time window broadened at the molar ratio of C₈NE₃Br to SDBS of 3:7. Unexpectedly, the window became narrowed at molar ratio of 5:5 and 6:4. However, the methylene selectivity of vesicle PSP at all above‐mentioned molar ratios enhanced as the total surfactant concentration increased, no matter whether the migration time window enlarged or narrowed. It implied that the vesicle PSP at molar ratio of 5:5 and 6:4 made it possible to obtain a better separation in a shorter time. When the total surfactant concentration was fixed at 20 mM, the methylene selectivity of the vesicle PSP of molar ratio of 5:5 was comparable to that of 3:7, but the migration time shortened by a half.     

Merging lithium carbenoid homologation and enzymatic reduction: A combinative approach to the HIV-protease inhibitor Nelfinavir

An effective stereocontrolled synthesis of the HIV protease inhibitor Nelfinavir is reported. Two transformations were identified crucial for achieving success: the formation of a densely functionalized α-chloroketone via the homologation of a Weinreb amide with chloromethyllithium (LiCH₂Cl), followed by its erythro selective reduction into the corresponding chiral chlorohydrin. A commercially available enzyme P2-C02 was particularly well suited for this purpose, affording the key alcohol (in an excellent 99% de), which was then smoothly converted into the active biologically active agent.     

Fe–Co/sulfonated polystyrene as an efficient and selective catalyst in heterogeneous Baeyer–Villiger oxidation reaction of cyclic ketones

A highly efficient catalyst Fe–Co/sulfonated polystyrene (Fe–Co/SPS) was introduced and synthesized, which catalyzed BV oxidation of ketones with aqueous hydrogen peroxide to give the corresponding lactones in high yield and selectivity. Solid acid catalyst of Fe–Co/SPS has been prepared by using the 98-wt% sulfuric acid as the sulfonating agent and CoCl₂ combined FeCl₃ as sources of metal ions. Various physical–chemical characterizations including FT-IR, XRD, SEM and TGA, revealed that bimetallic ions Fe³⁺–Co²⁺ species in the sulfonated polystyrene framework were responsible for the catalytic activities. The BV reaction catalyzed by Fe–Co/SPS highlighted the special effects between metal ions and protonic acids as well as solvent-free heterogeneous catalytic oxidation with excellent conversion.     

Selectivity of the cyclic carbonate formation by fixation of carbon dioxide into epoxides catalyzed by Lewis bases

Cyclic carbonate and polycarbonate have been selectively obtained with good conversion by coupling carbon dioxide with diglycidylether of bisphenol A. The ruthenium trichloride supported on tetraethylammonium bromide and polyphosphotungstic acid has been found active and selective to produce the corresponding monomeric and polymeric carbonates. These catalysts can be recycled keeping their high product conversion and selectivity. The heteropolyacid itself showed high activity also under supercritical CO₂ conditions to yield polycarbonate.     

Study of ferrocenyl-substituted Co2(CO)6-bispropargylic alcohol complexes as substrates for the formation of chains and macrocycles

Treatment of [Fc-1-R¹-1′-R²] (R¹ = H, R² = CH(O); R¹ = H, R² = CMe(O); R¹ = R² = CMe(O)) with LiCCCH₂OLi (prepared in situ from HCCCH₂OH and n-BuLi) affords the ferrocenyl-substituted but-2-yne-1,4-diol compounds of general formula [Fc-1-R¹-1′-{CR(OH)CCCH₂OH}] (R¹ = R = H (1a); R¹ = H, R = Me (1b); R¹ = CMe(O), R = Me (1c)) in low to high yields, respectively (where Fc = Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)₂). In the case of the reactions of [Fc-1-R¹-1′-R²] (R¹ = H, R² = CH(O); R¹ = R² = CMe(O)), the by-products [Fc-1-R¹-1′-{CR(OH)(CH₂)₃CH₃}] (R¹ = R = H (2a); R¹ = CMe(O), R = Me (2c)) along with minor quantities of [Fc-1,1′-{CMe(OH)(CH₂)₃CH₃}₂] (3) are also isolated; a hydrazide derivative of dehydrated 2c, [1-(CMeCHCH₂CH₂CH₃)-1′-(CMeNNH-2,4-(NO₂)₂C₆H₃)] (2c′), has been crystallographically characterised. Interaction of 1 with Co₂(CO)₈ smoothly generates the alkyne-bridged complexes [Fc-1-R¹-1′-{Co₂(CO)₆-μ-η²-CR(OH)CCCH₂OH}] (R¹ = R = H (4a); R¹ = H, R = Me(4b); R¹ = CMe(O), R = Me (4c)) in good yield. Reaction of 4a with PhSH, in the presence of catalytic quantities of HBF₄ · OEt₂, gives the mono- [Fc-1-H-1′-{Co₂(CO)₆-μ-η²-CH(SPh)CCCH₂OH}] (5) and bis-substituted [Fc-1-H-1′-{Co₂(CO)₆-μ-η²-CH(SPh)CCCH₂SPh}] (6) straight chain species, while with HS(CH₂)_nSH (n = 2,3) the eight- and nine-membered dithiomacrocylic complexes [Fc-1-H-1′-{cyclo-Co₂(CO)₆-μ-η²-CH(S(CH₂)_n-)CCCH₂S-}] [n = 2 (7a), n = 3 (7b)] are afforded. By contrast, during attempted macrocyclic formation using 4b and HSCH₂CH₂OCH₂CH₂SH dehydration occurs to give [Fc-1-H-1′-{Co₂(CO)₆-μ-η²-C(CH₂)CCCH₂OH}] (8). Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies have been reported on 2c′, 4b, 4c, 7b and 8.     

Selectivity in micellar catalysed reactions: The role of interfacial dipole,compartmentalisation, and specific interactions with the surfactants

Micellar catalysis is playing a major role in green chemistry with ever increasing applications in the efficient and sustainable preparation of natural compounds, drugs, and more recently organic semiconductors for printed electronics. Most of the contributions in the field focus on the developments of surfactants and suitable formulative conditions capable of reproducing – and often improving – the yield of reactions commonly performed in organic solvents. The real ambition of the micellar catalysis approach goes beyond the improvement in the sustainability of existing methods and aims at mimicking not only the efficiency but also the selectivity of enzymatic catalysis. This review summarizes relevant examples of micellar catalysis enabled, efficient, and selective transformations, and discusses the different kind of processes impacting on the product distribution depending on the details of the formulative state achieved.