Selective Demethylations in 2, 3, 4-Trimethoxyaryl Carbonyl Compounds

2, 3, 4-Trimethoxybenzaldehyde, -acetophenone and -benzoic acid give the corresponding 2, 3-dihydroxy-4-methoxy compounds in good yield on treatment with BCl₃.     

Aggressive dereplication using UHPLC–DAD–QTOF: screening extracts for up to 3000 fungal secondary metabolites

In natural-product drug discovery, finding new compounds is the main task, and thus fast dereplication of known compounds is essential. This is usually performed by manual liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (LC-UV) or visible light-mass spectroscopy (Vis-MS) interpretation of detected peaks, often assisted by automated identification of previously identified compounds. We used a 15 min high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection (UHPLC–DAD)–high-resolution MS method (electrospray ionization (ESI)⁺ or ESI^?), followed by 10–60 s of automated data analysis for up to 3000 relevant elemental compositions. By overlaying automatically generated extracted-ion chromatograms from detected compounds on the base peak chromatogram, all major potentially novel peaks could be visualized. Peaks corresponding to compounds available as reference standards, previously identified compounds, and major contaminants from solvents, media, filters etc. were labeled to differentiate these from compounds only identified by elemental composition. This enabled fast manual evaluation of both known peaks and potential novel-compound peaks, by manual verification of: the adduct pattern, UV–Vis, retention time compared with log D, co-identified biosynthetic related compounds, and elution order. System performance, including adduct patterns, in-source fragmentation, and ion-cooler bias, was investigated on reference standards, and the overall method was used on extracts of Aspergillus carbonarius and Penicillium melanoconidium, revealing new nitrogen-containing biomarkers for both species.     

Electrochemical production, characterization, and application of MWCNTs

The subject of this study is production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using an original procedure of reduction of lithium molten salts onto graphite cathode; their structural characterization and application as support material for electrocatalysts aimed for hydrogen evolution. As-produced CNTs were characterized by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (DTA). SEM and TEM images have shown that nanotubes are mostly of curved shape with length of 1–20 μm and diameter of 20–40 nm. Raman peaks indicate that the crystallinity of produced nanotubes is rather low. The obtained results suggest that formed product contains up to 80 % multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), while the rest being non-reacted graphite and fullerenes. DTA curves show that combustion process of the nanotubes takes place in two stages, i.e., at 450 and 720 °C. At the lower temperature, combustion of MWCNTs occurs, while at higher one, fullerenes and non-reacted graphite particles burn. As-produced MWCNTs were used as electrocatalyst’s support materials and their performance was compared with that of traditional carbon support material Vulcan XC-72. MWNTs have shown almost twice higher real surface area, and electrocatalyst deposited on them showed better catalytic activity than corresponding one deposited on Vulcan XC-72.     

An improved SPE method for fractionation and identification of phospholipids

This work reports an efficient and universal SPE method developed for separation and identification of phospholipids derived from complex biological samples. For the separation step, sequential combination of silica gel‐aminopropyl‐silica gel SPE cartridges is applied. This setup enables separation of phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, cardiolipin, and sphingomyelin into four fractions according to the polarity of their headgroups. Sample acquisition of the SPE fractions is performed by a high‐resolution LC‐MS system consisting of a hybrid linear IT Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer coupled to RP‐HPLC. The unequivocal advantage of our SPE sample preparation setup is avoidance of analyte peak overlapping in the determination step done by RP‐HPLC. Overlapping phospholipid signals would otherwise exert adverse ion suppression effects. An additional benefit of this method is the elimination of polar and nonpolar (e.g. neutral lipids) contaminants from the phospholipid fractions, which highly reduces contamination of the LC‐MS system. The method was validated with fermentation samples of organic waste, where 78 distinct phospholipid and sphingomyelin species belonging to six lipid classes were successfully identified.     

Improved Procedure for the Synthesis of DAMGO

A short and straightforward synthesis of DAMGO is described.     

Para Substituted Benzaldehydes as Expedient Reagents for the Oxidative Aromatization of Hydroquinoline

A Cannizzaro‐type reaction of tetrahydro‐5(1H)‐quinolinones with para substituted benzaldehydes in the presence of a base formed the corresponding quinoline and aryl methanol rather than arylidene derivatives because of the oxidation of tetrahydroquinoline and reduction of benzaldehydes as a result of unprecedented hydride transfer from tetrahydroquinoline to arylaldehydes. The reaction proceeds best with the participation of substituents with +M effect in substrate molecule.     

Heteropoly Acids as Heterogeneous and Reusable Catalyst for α-Thiocyanation of Ketones

Simple, efficient, and mild method for α-thiocyanation of ketones in presence of heteropolyacid has been developed. This methodology offered α-oxothiocyanates in good to excellent yields at room temperature in a highly selective manner. The catalyst could be efficiently recovered from the reaction and reused.     

Synthesis of 1,4,5-trisubstituted-1,2,3-triazoles via coupling reaction of diaminomaleonitrile with aromatic diazonium salts

A mild procedure for the preparation of 2-(5-amino-1-aryl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-2-iminoacetonitriles and 2-(5-amino-1-aryl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-2-oxoacetonitriles was achieved by the reaction of diaminomaleonitrile and phenyl/substituted phenyl diazonium chlorides. 4-Nitrophenyl diazonium chloride afforded 2-amino-3-(3-(4-nitrophenyl)triaz-1-en-1-yl)maleonitrile. Triazole iminoacetonitrile and maleonitrile derivatives were reacted further with excess acetone and benzaldehyde with a catalytic amount of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene to yield 5-(5-imino-2,2-dimethyl-2,5-dihydrooxazol-4-yl)-3-aryl-3H-1,2,3-triazol-4-amine and (E)-N-benzylidene-5-(5-imino-2-aryl-2,5-dihydrooxazol-4-yl)-3-aryl-3H-1,2,3-triazol-4-amine, respectively. Two competitive reactions, i.e., nucleophilic substitution and nucleophilic addition, were observed when triazole oxoacetonitrile and maleonitrile derivatives were reacted with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in the presence of sodium acetate.     

Investigation of steric and electronic effects in the copper-catalysed asymmetric oxidation of sulfides

Steric and electronic effects in the copper-catalysed asymmetric oxidation of aryl benzyl, aryl alkyl and alkyl benzyl sulfides have been investigated. The presence of an aryl group directly attached to the sulfur is essential to afford sulfoxides with high enantioselectivities, with up to 97% ee for 2-naphthyl benzyl sulfoxide, the highest enantioselectivity achieved to date for copper-catalysed asymmetric sulfoxidation. In contrast, the benzyl substituent can be replaced by sterically comparable groups with no effect on enantioselectivity. Copper-mediated oxidation of substituted aryl benzyl sulfides display modest steric and electronic effects resulting in comparable or lower enantioselectivities to those obtained with the unsubstituted benzyl phenyl sulfide.     

Effect of Botanical Extracts on the Growth and Nutritional Quality of Field-Grown White Head Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)

Nutraceuticals and functional foods are gaining more attention amongst consumers interested in nutritious food. The consumption of foodstuffs with a high content of phytochemicals has been proven to provide various health benefits. The application of biostimulants is a potential strategy to fortify cultivated plants with beneficial bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, it has not yet been established whether the proposed higher plants (St. John’s wort, giant goldenrod, common dandelion, red clover, nettle, and valerian) are appropriate for the production of potential bio-products enhancing the nutritional value of white cabbage. Therefore, this research examines the impact of botanical extracts on the growth and nutritional quality of cabbage grown under field conditions. Two extraction methods were used for the production of water-based bio-products, namely: ultrasound-assisted extraction and mechanical homogenisation. Bio-products were applied as foliar sprays to evaluate their impact on total yield, dry weight, photosynthetic pigments, polyphenols, antioxidant activity, vitamin C, nitrates, micro- and macroelements, volatile compounds, fatty acids, sterols, and sugars. Botanical extracts showed different effects on the examined parameters. The best results in terms of physiological and biochemical properties of cabbage were obtained for extracts from common dandelion, valerian, nettle, and giant goldenrod. When enriched with nutrients, vegetables can constitute a valuable component of functional food.