Efficient Synthesis of Spirooxindole Pyrrolones by a Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed C−H Activation/Carbene Insertion/Lossen Rearrangement Sequence

A rhodium(III)‐catalyzed domino annulation of simple olefins with diazo oxindoles to give spirooxindole pyrrolone products is described. This reaction can be formally viewed as the result of an anomalous tandem C?H activation, carbene insertion, Lossen rearrangement, and a nucleophilic addition process. The potential utility of this reaction was further demonstrated by the late‐stage diversification of drug molecules.     

Existence and boundary behavior of solutions of Hessian equations with singular right-hand sides

In this paper, we establish the existence of viscosity solutions of Hessian equations with singular right-hand sides and obtain the asymptotic boundary behavior of solutions. The asymptotic results generalize those for Poisson equations and Monge-Ampère equations, and are more precise than obtained from Hopf lemma.     

Resolving quantum dots and peptide assembly and disassembly using bending capillary electrophoresis

Despite the numerous techniques developed for the studying nanoparticle and peptide interaction nowadays, sensitive and convenient assay in the process of flow, especially to simulate the self‐assembly of quantum dots (QDs) and peptide inflow in blood vessels, still remains big challenges. Here, we report a novel assay for studying the self‐assembly of QDs and peptide, based on CE using a bending capillary. We demonstrate that the semicircles numbers of the bending capillary affect the self‐assembly kinetics of CdSe/ZnS QDs and ATTO‐D₃LVPRGSGP₉G₂H₆ peptide. Moreover, benefitting from this novel assay, the effect of the position on the self‐assembly has also been realized. More importantly, we also demonstrate that this novel assay can be used for studying the stability of the QDs–peptide complex inflow. We believe that our novel assay proposed in this work could be further used as a general strategy for the studying nanoparticle–biomolecule interaction or biomolecule–biomolecule interaction.     

Biomimetic Mineralization of Protein Nanogels for Enzyme Protection

Protein nanogels have found a wide variety of applications, ranging from biocatalysis to drug/protein delivery. However, in practical applications, proteins in nanogels may suffer from enzymic hydrolysis and denaturation. Inspired by the structure and functionalities of the fowl eggshells, biomimetic mineralization of protein nanogels was studied in this research. Protein nanogels with embedded porcine pancreas lipase (PPL) in the cross-linked nanostructures were synthesized through the thiol–disulfide reaction between thiol-functionalized PPL and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) with pendant pyridyl disulfide groups. The nanogels were further reacted with reduced bovine serum albumin (BSA) and BSA molecules were coated on the nanogels. Mineralization of BSA leads to the synthesis of biomineralized shells on the nanogels. With the growth of CaCO₃ on the shells, the nanogels aggregate into suprastructures. Thermogravimetric analysis, XRD, dynamic light scattering, and TEM were employed to study the mechanism of the biomineralization process and analyze the structures of the mineralized nanogels. The biomineralized shells can effectively protect the PPL molecules from hydrolysis by trypsin; meanwhile, the nanosized channels on the mineralized shells allow the transport of small-molecule substrates across the shells. Bioactivity measurements indicate that PPL in the nanogels maintains more than 80 % bioactivity after biomineralization.     

Synthesis and properties of sulfur‐contained poly(silylene arylacetylene)s

Poly(silylene arylacetylene) (PSA) is a kind of poly(arylacetylene) silicon‐containing resins with excellent heat resistance and good mechanical performances. In this article, the sulfur atom is introduced into the main chain of the PSA molecule to obtain a sulfur‐containing poly(silylene arylacetylene), named S‐PSA. By Williamson and Sonogashira reactions, bis(4‐ethynylphenyl)sulfide and bis(4‐ethynylphenyl)sulfone were synthesized. Thereafter, through Grignard reagent way, the poly(silylene ethynylene phenylene sulfide phenylene ethynylene) (PSESE) and poly(silylene ethynylene phenylene sulfone phenylene ethynylene) (PSESO₂E) were synthesized from bis(4‐ethynylphenyl)sulfide, bis(4‐ethynylphenyl)sulfone, and methylphenyl dichlorosilane. Poly(silylene ethynylene phenylene sulfoxide phenylene ethynylene) (PSESOE) was synthesized by the oxidation of PSESE. The structures and properties of these resins were characterized and the mechanical properties of the T300 reinforced composites were tested. The results show that the novel S‐PSA resins have excellent heat resistance and good mechanical properties, and could be used as resin matrices for high‐performance composites in high‐tech fields. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 2324–2332     

A New Insight into the Stereoelectronic Control of the Pd0-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution: Application for the Synthesis of Multisubstituted Pyran-2-ones via an Unusual 1,3-Transposition

Pyran-2-ones 3 undergo a novel Pd⁰-catalyzed 1,3-rearrangement to afford isomers 6 . The reaction proceeds via an η²-Pd complex, the pyramidalization of which (confirmed by quantum chemistry calculations) offers a favorable antiperiplanar alignment of the Pd−C and allylic C−O bonds ( C ), thus allowing the formation of an η³-Pd intermediate. Subsequent rotation and rate-limiting recombination with the carboxylate arm then gives isomeric pyran-2-ones 6 . The calculated free energies reproduce the observed kinetics semi-quantitatively.     

Environmentally Stable Polymer Gels with Super Deformability and High Recoverability Enhanced by Sub‐5 nm Particles in the Nonvolatile Solvent

It remains challenging to satisfy the combined performances for hydrogels with excellent mechanical behavior, high deformability, and super recoverability under harsh environmental conditions. In this study, we first established a strong polymer network via the crosslinking of polymer chains on the surfaces of sub‐5‐nm calcium hydroxide nanospherulites in ethylene glycol solvent. The organic gel expressed excellent mechanical properties such as a recoverable compressive engineering stress of 249 MPa and an elongation stress of 402 KPa, which was attributed to the uniform nanosized crosslinking structure as characterized by SEM. Moreover, the nonvolatile solvent remained in the gel, meaning that the sample can resist a wide temperature range of ?56 to 100 °C without losing the elastic properties. This novel organic gel could provide promising routes to develop the ideal elastic carriers for wearable devices, smart skin sensors, and damping materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 713–721