Ru(II)‐based antineoplastic: A “wingtip” N‐heterocyclic carbene facilitates access to a new class of organometallics that are cytotoxic to common cancer cell lines

The syntheses, structures, and chemotherapeutic activities of Ag(I)‐, Au(I)‐, and Ru(II)‐complexes ligated to a novel N‐heterocyclic carbene ligand, 2‐(4‐nitrophenyl)imidazo[1,5‐a]pyridin‐2‐ylidene ( 1 ), are described. The corresponding complexes, [Ag( 1 )₂][PF₆], [Au( 1 )₂][PF₆] ( 3 ), and [Ru( 1 )(p‐cymene)Cl][PF₆] ( 4 ), were prepared using convenient transmetallation chemistry and characterized using a range of spectroscopic and analytical techniques. X‐ray crystallography revealed that complexes 2 and 3 adopted linear structures whereas 4 exhibited a prototypical “piano‐stool”‐like geometry; the structural assignments were further supported by DFT calculations. A series of in vitro studies revealed that while the aforementioned Ag(I), Au(I) and Ru(II) complexes exhibited significant cytotoxicities against the human colon adenocarcinoma (HCT 116), lung cancer (A549), and breast cancer (MCF7) cell lines, the Ru derivative was most prominent.     

Rational design of methacrylate monomers containing oxadiazole moieties for single‐layer organic light emitting devices

Methacrylate derived monomers functionalized with pendant oxadiazole moieties were synthesized and copolymerized with carbazole containing monomers to form polymers with electron and hole transporting fragments in the same molecule. Substituents on the oxidazole moiety were varied with the purpose of bandgap tuning and performance optimization when employed in single‐layer organic light emitting devices (OLED). Quantum mechanical calculations of the HOMO‐LUMO levels of the oxidazole derivatives were used to down‐select promising candidates for chemical synthesis and testing in single‐layer OLEDs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1663–1673     

Flexible,dicationic imidazolium salts for in situ application in palladium‐catalysed Mizoroki–Heck coupling of acrylates under aerobic conditions

The synthesis, characterization and in situ catalytic performance of new unsymmetric N,N′‐disubstituted imidazolium‐based dicationic salts in Mizoroki–Heck coupling of acrylates with aryl bromides under aerobic conditions are described. A series of flexible dicationic salts with varying steric and electronic properties were synthesized in good to excellent yields. All the salts were well characterized using spectroscopic techniques. X‐ray diffraction analysis of two salts with the same dicationic backbone and different counter anions shows that the ligand adopts two different conformations which are influenced by the nature of the anion. Thus, the ligand is capable of changing its conformation according to the change in environment due to its flexible nature. All the synthesized imidazolium salts were found to be active in in situ palladium‐catalysed Mizoroki–Heck coupling under aerobic conditions. Amongst the salts, the hydroxyl‐functionalized imidazolium salt, incorporating the features of both bidentate chelating O,O ligand and carbene, shows the maximum catalytic activity. A variety of aryl and heteroaryl methyl and ethyl cinnamates were synthesized using these imidazolium salts as preligands. In addition, NMR studies confirm in situ generation of normal N‐heterocyclic carbenes from the C‐2 position of imidazol‐2‐ylidene ring. The mercury poisoning test was also performed to ascertain the nature of catalytically active palladium species. Aerobic conditions, low catalytic loading (0.5 mol%), shorter reaction times, broad functional group tolerance and good to excellent isolated yields are some of the significant features of the novel catalytic systems described here. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Catalytic Behaviour of Silica Supported Zinc Salicylaldimine Complex

Zinc salicylaldimine complex immobilized on silica gel was used as a promising catalyst for the transesterification reaction of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and ethylene glycol (EG).The catalyst was characterized by Fourier transform infra‐red spectroscopy (FT‐IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The product bis‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET)was confirmed by mass and ¹H‐NMR studies. In comparison to zinc acetate i.e., homogeneous catalyst, a polymer supported catalyst showed better stability, catalytic activity and ease of separation from the reaction product. The catalyst can be reutilized during successive catalytic cycles.     

Langmuir–Blodgett films of stearic acid deposited on substrates at different orientations relative to compression direction: alignment layer for nematic liquid crystal

The Langmuir monolayer at an air–water interface shows remarkably different surface pressure (π)–area (A) isotherm, when measured with the surface normal of a Wilhelmy plate parallel or perpendicular to the direction of compression of the monolayer. Such difference arises due to difference in stress exerted by the monolayer on the plate in different direction. In this article, we report the effect of changing the direction of substrate normal with respect to the compression of the monolayer during Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) film deposition on the morphology of the films. The morphology of the LB film of stearic acid is studied using an atomic force microscope. The morphology of the LB films is found to be different due to difference in the stress in different directions. The role of such surface morphology on the alignment of a nematic liquid crystal (LC) in LC cells is studied. The granular texture of LB films of stearic acid supports the homogeneous alignment of the LC whereas the uniform texture supports the homeotropic alignment of the LC.     

Differential ordering of the protein backbone and side chains during protein folding revealed by site-specific recombinant infrared probes

The time scale for ordering of the polypeptide backbone relative to the side chains is a critical issue in protein folding. The interplay between ordering of the backbone and ordering of the side chains is particularly important for the formation of β-sheet structures, as the polypeptide chain searches for the native stabilizing cross-strand interactions. We have studied these issues in the N-terminal domain of protein L9 (NTL9), a model protein with mixed α/β structure. We have developed a general approach for introducing site-specific IR probes for the side chains (azide) and backbone ((13)C═(18)O) using recombinant protein expression. Temperature-jump time-resolved IR spectroscopy combined with site-specific labeling enables independent measurement of the respective backbone and side-chain dynamics with single residue resolution. We have found that side-chain ordering in a key region of the β-sheet structure occurs on a slower time scale than ordering of the backbone during the folding of NTL9, likely as a result of the transient formation of non-native side-chain interactions.     

A ruled residue theorem for function fields of conics

The ruled residue theorem characterises residue field extensions for valuations on a rational function field. Under the assumption that the characteristic of the residue field is different from 2 this theorem is extended here to function fields of conics. The main result is that there is at most one extension of a valuation on the base field to the function field of a conic for which the residue field extension is transcendental but not ruled. Furthermore the situation when this valuation is present is characterised.     

A microwave-assisted microassay for lipases

A quick and efficient two-step assay for monitoring and screening lipase activity that uses a microtitre plate is described.