Synthesis of Carbonyl Compounds from Alcohols Using Electrochemically Generated Superoxide Ions in RTILs

Abstract

We show that the superoxide ion (O₂ ^??) generated electrochemically from oxygen dissolved in room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) reacts with primary and secondary alcohols to form the corresponding ketones and carboxylic acids, respectively. Specifically, we study the conversion of benzhydrol to benzophenone and benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde/benzoic acid. The kinetics (e.g., rate, selectivity, and yield) for these reactions are also determined as functions of the variations in the structure of the ionic liquids. The RTILs used here are imidazolium-based cations where the functional groups on the imidazolium ring are modified. Specifically, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [bmim][PF₆], 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [bdmim][PF₆], and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [hmim][PF₆] are used as the reaction medium. These results are compared to an ammonium-based RTIL (N-butyl-N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide). The results show that the nucleophilic attack by the O₂ ^?? of both the RTIL and the alcohol, especially that of the H atom at the R2 position of the [bmim][PF₆] and [hmim][PF₆], greatly affects the yields. No RTIL degradation products were detected for the reactions in [bdmim][PF₆] and N-butyl-N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ionic liquids. For the benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction in the RTIL, N-butyl-N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, benzaldehyde formed did not undergo further oxidation to form benzoic acid, which may be due to the greater hydrophobicity of this RTIL. The competitive reaction kinetics between the alcohol and RTIL component must be considered in the selection of the RTIL solvent system.     

Development of Biosensor for Catechol Using Electrosynthesized Poly(3‐methylthiophene) and Incorporation of LAC Simultaneously

Simultaneous electropolymerization of 3‐methylthiophene and incorporation of Laccase (LAC) was carried out in the presence of propylene carbonate as a medium by amperometric method. This enzyme modified electrode was used for the sensing of polyphenol. Catechol is taken as a model compound for the study. UV‐Vis spectral studies suggest no denaturation of LAC in presence of propylene carbonate. The SEM studies reveal the surface morphology and incorporation of LAC in P3MT with agglomerated flaky masses are observed in with and without enzyme micrographs. The cyclic voltammograms were recorded for 0.01 mM catechol on plain glassy carbon, polymer and enzyme incorporated electrodes at pH 6.0 and scan rate 50 mV s^?1. The fabricated electrochemical biosensor was used for the determination of catechol in aqueous solution by Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV) technique. The concentration linear range of 8×10^?8 to 1.4×10^?5 M a value of Michealis? Menten constant K_m=7.67 µmol dm^?3 and activation energy is 32.75 kJ mol^?1. It retains 83 % of the original activity after 60 days which is much higher than that of other biosensors. The developed biosensor was used to quantify catechol in the determination in real samples.     

Isoform specific gene auto-regulation via miRNAs: a case study on miR-128b and ARPP-21

In this study, we investigate whether miRNAs located within “host” protein-coding genes may regulate the expression of their host genes. We find that 43 of 174 miRNAs encoded within RefSeq genes are predicted to target their host genes. Statistical analysis of this phenomenon suggests that gene auto-regulation via miRNAs may be under positive selective pressure. Our analysis also indicates that several of the 43 miRNAs have a much lower expectation of targeting their host genes by chance than others. Among these examples, we identify miR-128b:ARPP-21 (cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein, 21 kD) as a case in which both the miRNA and the target site are also evolutionarily conserved. We provide experimental support for this miRNA:target interaction via reporter silencing assays, and present evidence that this isoform-specific gene auto-regulation has been preserved in vertebrate species in order to prevent detrimental consequences of ARPP-21 over-expression in brain.     

Templated synthesis and assembly with sustainable cellulose nanomaterial for functional nanostructure

Cellulose - Templated synthesis and assembly for nanostructured materials with tailored properties have received considerable attention. The powerful templates with predefined structures can guide...     

Non-topographical contrast enhancement in the olfactory bulb

Background  

Contrast enhancement within primary stimulus representations is a common feature of sensory systems that regulates the discrimination of similar stimuli. Whereas most sensory stimulus features can be mapped onto one or two dimensions of quality or location (e.g., frequency or retinotopy), the analogous similarities among odor stimuli are distributed high-dimensionally, necessarily yielding a chemotopically fragmented map upon the surface of the olfactory bulb. While olfactory contrast enhancement has been attributed to decremental lateral inhibitory processes among olfactory bulb projection neurons modeled after those in the retina, the two-dimensional topology of this mechanism is intrinsically incapable of mediating effective contrast enhancement on such fragmented maps. Consequently, current theories are unable to explain the existence of olfactory contrast enhancement.