Selective oxidation of benzylic,allylic and propargylic alcohols using dirhodium(II) tetraamidinate as catalyst and aqueous tert‐butyl hydroperoxide as oxidant

We show that the dirhodium(II) tetraamidinate complex Rh₂(Msip)₄ efficiently catalyzes the oxidation of activated secondary alcohols at only 0.1 mol% loading. In this approach, we oxidized various benzylic, allylic and propargylic alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds under mild aqueous conditions using the inexpensive oxidant T‐HYDRO® (70 wt% aqueous tert‐butyl hydroperoxide). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Lewis acid-catalyzed tandem reaction enabling 2-arylglycerol derivative as a versatile 1,3-biselectrophile for the synthesis of 4H-chromenes and 2-pyridinones

Acid-catalyzed tandem reactions were established by employing a novel class of 2-arylglycerol derivative,5-aryl-1,3-dioxan-5-ol, as versatile 1,3-biselectrophile. In the reactions, 5-aryl-1,3-dioxan-5-ol works like atropaldehydes or 2-aryl malondialdehydes, and can react with 2-naphthols and β-keto amides, allowing the synthesis of 4H-chromenes and 5-aryl-2-pyridinones. High yields, good functional group tolerance,broad substrate scope and simple reaction operation make this protocol attractive.     

Effect of spatial configuration on adhesion of 1,2-disubstituted cyclohexane derivatives

Spatial configuration has a significant effect on chemical self-assembly. However, the importance of spatial configuration in supramolecular adhesive materials has been frequently ignored. In this study, the effects of the spatial configuration on cohesion and adhesion were investigated. Owing to the diversities of the chemical structures and assembly patterns, 1,2-disubstituted cyclohexane derivatives were used in this combined experimental and theoretical investigation. The self-sorting assembly of enantiopure isomers improved cohesion but had a negative effect on adhesion. In contrast, racemic mixtures displayed stronger adhesion effects. Moreover, it was proven that the cis-configuration was more favorable for supramolecular adhesion than the trans-counterpart. In addition, the influence of the spatial configuration of 1,2-disubstituted cyclohexane derivatives could be effectively mitigated by hydrogen bond donors or acceptors. The addition of natural acids yielded three-dimensional polymeric networks, in which the spatial configuration was not the decisive factor for supramolecular adhesion.     

微波消解-ICP-MS法测定硫磺中18种微量元素

建立了用微波消解-电感耦合等离子体质谱法(ICP-MS)同时测定硫磺中18种微量元素(锂、镁、铝、钙、钒、铬、锰、铁、钴、镍、铜、锌、镉、砷、硒、钡、铅和汞)的定量分析方法。通过对消解所用试剂及条件进行研究,确定最佳的样品处理条件;为了获得最佳的信噪比并降低光谱干扰,研究采用单变量方法,对ICP-MS的射频功率和雾化气体流量等因素进行了性能优化。结果显示：该方法各元素的校准曲线线性相关系数在0.999以上,所有元素的检出限(LODs) 在0.001-0.962 mg/Kg之间,测定下限范围在0.004-3.85 mg/Kg之间,回收率在82.9 %~115 %之间,相对标准偏差均小于3 %。     

Hierarchically Ordered Porous Carbon with Atomically Dispersed FeN4 for Ultraefficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

The low catalytic activity and poor mass transport capacity of platinum group metal free (PGM-free) catalysts seriously restrict the application of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Catalysts derived from Fe-doped ZIF-8 could in theory be as active as Pt/C thanks to the high intrinsic activity of FeN₄; however, the micropores fail to meet rapid mass transfer. Herein, an ordered hierarchical porous structure is introduced into Fe-doped ZIF-8 single crystals, which were subsequently carbonized to obtain an FeN₄-doped hierarchical ordered porous carbon (FeN₄/HOPC) skeleton. The optimal catalyst FeN₄/HOPC-c-1000 shows excellent performance with a half-wave potential of 0.80 V in 0.5 m H₂SO₄ solution, only 20 mV lower than that of commercial Pt/C (0.82 V). In a real PEMFC, FeN₄/HOPC-c-1000 exhibits significantly enhanced current density and power density relative to FeN₄/C, which does not have an optimized pore structure, implying an efficient utilization of the active sites and enhanced mass transfer to promote the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).     

Synthesis of enantiomeric 4-hydroxypropranolols from 1,4-dihydroxynaphthalene

Both (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of 4-hydroxypropranolol were effectively prepared from 1,4-dihydroxynaphthalene in eight steps. The overall yields were around 30%.     

Two new quinolone alkaloids from Dianthus superbus var. superbus

Two new quinolone alkaloids, superbusines A (1) and B (2), were obtained from the whole plants of a Chinese medicinal plant, Dianthus superbus var. superbus. Their structures, featuring a glucosyl moiety linked with a rare 2-(hydroxymethyl)-5-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)phenol fragment, were determined on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analyses, and the absolute configurations were assigned by time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT)-based electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. The two alkaloids were evaluated in a series of bioassays without showing antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cytotoxic and α-glucosidase inhibitory properties, while they exhibited slight protection against amyloid-β(Aβ)-induced injury on neuron SH-SY5Y cells.     

The buffering-out effect and phase separation in aqueous solutions of EPPS buffer with 1-propanol, 2-propanol,or 2-methyl-2-propanol at T = 298.15 K

Buffering-out is a new liquid–liquid phase separation phenomenon observed in mixtures containing a buffer as a mass separating agent. The (liquid + liquid) equilibrium (LLE) and (solid + liquid + liquid) equilibrium (SLLE) data were measured for the ternary systems {3-[4-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazin-1-yl]propanesulfonic acid (EPPS) buffer + 1-propanol, 2-propanol, or 2-methyl-2-propanol + water} at T = 298.15 K under atmospheric pressure. The phase boundary data were fitted to an empirical equation relating to the concentrations of organic solvent and buffer. The effective excluded volume (EEV) values of EPPS were obtained from the phase boundary data. The phase-separation abilities of the investigated aliphatic alcohols were discussed. The reliability of the experimental tie-lines was satisfactorily confirmed by the Othmer–Tobias correlation. The experimental tie-lines data for the ternary systems have been correlated using the NRTL activity coefficient model. The separation of these aliphatic alcohols from their azeotropic aqueous mixtures is of particular interest to industrial process. The addition of the EPPS as an auxiliary agent breaks the (1-propanol + water) and (2-methyl-2-propanol + water) azeotropes. The possibility of using the new phase separation systems in the extraction process is demonstrated by using different dyestuffs.     

Synthesis of chiral nonracemic 4-trans-substituted pipecolic acid derivatives

The syntheses and resolutions of enantiomerically enriched 4-phenyl, 4-tert-butyl, and 4-isopropyl pipecolic acids are described. Optically active diastereomers were prepared by diastereomeric salt formation with the chiral base, l-tyrosine hydrazide, to provide Cbz or Boc protected 4-cis-d-pipecolic acid derivatives in >98% ee. Subsequent esterification followed by sodium methoxide catalyzed epimerization provided the isomeric 4-trans-l-pipecolic esters. In addition, an efficient synthesis of 4-phenyl-cis-pipecolic acid is described.