Evaluation of education scenarios for acquiring digital competences of secondary school students in Slovenia

Central European Journal of Operations Research - Digital competences are among the most important competences in modern society, with the education system playing a key role in the acquisition of...     

Synthesis and Transformation of Methyl 2‐(6‐Hydroxy‐2‐phenylpyrimidin‐4‐yl)acetate: Simple Preparation of Pyrimidines with Heterocyclic Substituents

A simple and efficient synthesis of four new substituted pyrimidines, compounds 9a – d , from the title compound 3 is described. Conversion of 3 to methyl (E)‐3‐(dimethylamino)‐2‐(6‐methoxy‐2‐phenylpyrimidin‐4‐yl)prop‐2‐enoate ( 4 ), followed by condensation with various dinucleophiles according to the ‘enaminone methodology’, afforded the target compounds 9 in medium‐to‐good yields.     

An unequivocal synthesis of some substituted 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines

An unequivocal synthesis of 5-chloro-7-methyl- (8) and 7-methyl-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine (10) from 2-amino-4-chloro-6-methylpyrimidine (5) through the corresponding amidine6 and formamide oxime7 was developed. It was unambigously shown by comparison of the chemical shifts and the magnitude of coupling constants that the compounds obtained by condensation of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (12) and ethyl acetoacetate (13) and some further transformations are isomeric 5-methyl substituted 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines1,9, and11.

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Eine eindeutige Synthese einiger substituierter 1,2,4-Triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine

Zusammenfassung Es wurde ein eindeutiger Syntheseweg für 5-Chlor-7-methyl- (8) und 7-Methyl-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin (10) ausgehend von 2-Amino-4-chlor-6-methylpyrimidin (5) über das entsprechende Amidin6 und das Formamidoxim7 entwickelt. Durch Vergleich von chemischen Verschiebungen und Kopplungskonstanten konnte eindeutig gezeigt werden, daß die Verbindungen, die bei der Kondensation von 3-Amino-1,2,4-triazol (12) and Ethylacetoacetat (13), sowie einige weitere Transformationsprodukte, isomere 5-Methylsubstituierte 1,2,4-Triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine sind (1,9,11).

     

Studies towards the Synthesis of Alkyl N‐(4‐Nitrophenyl)‐3/2‐oxomorpholine‐2/3‐carboxylates

The syntheses of methyl 4‐(4‐nitrophenyl)‐3‐oxomorpholine‐2‐carboxylate ( 3a ) and ethyl 4‐(4‐nitrophenyl)‐2‐oxomorpholine‐3‐carboxylate ( 5b ), important building blocks for the synthesis of factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban analogs with potential dual antithrombotic activity, via Rh₂(OAc)₄‐catalyzed O? H and N? H carbene insertion reactions are described.     

Blue phase III widening in CE6-dispersed surface-functionalised CdSe nanoparticles

The phase transition behaviour of the chiral liquid crystal CE6 doped with spherical surface-functionalised CdSe nanoparticles has been examined by means of high-resolution adiabatic scanning calorimetry and polarising microscopy. The addition of nanoparticles results in an essentially stabilised blue phase III. The phase diagram is displayed upon heating and cooling and the enthalpy changes involved in the conversion between the blue phases are determined. The dispersion of functionalised nanoparticles is prominent for the stabilisation of blue phase III, which is potentially useful for applications, especially if applied on liquid crystals that exhibit blue phases close to room temperature.     

Zinc-phosphate nanoparticles with reversibly attached TNF-α analogs: an interesting concept for potential use in active immunotherapy

The authors’ intention was to prepare nanometer-sized zinc-phosphate nanoparticles that would be capable of binding histidine-rich TNF-α analogs onto their surface via a coordinative bond. Zinc-phosphate nanoparticles with a size of around 60 nm were prepared by a wet precipitation method and characterized using SEM, EDX, XRD, and DLS. First, BSA was bound as a testing protein, afterward two TNF-α analogs with decreased activity were bound to the described nanoparticles. The efficiency of binding and the existence of coordinative bond were confirmed with SDS-PAGE analysis. During binding, particle storage, and release experiments, the prepared TNF-α analogs retained their biological activity—hence the epitopes necessary for formation of antibodies stayed intact. The particle size did not change within a period of 2 weeks. No significant agglomeration was observed, the particles could be quickly dispersed in ultrasound. The present nanoparticles and the general approach of coordinative binding are widely applicable for natural and engineered histidine-rich proteins. The nanoparticles bearing appropriate TNF-α analogs could also be potentially used for active immunotherapy to tackle the chronic inflammatory diseases associated with pathogenically elevated levels of TNF-α.     

Structures of the Reactive Intermediates in Organocatalysis with Diarylprolinol Ethers

Structures of the reactive intermediates (enamines and iminium ions) of organocatalysis with diarylprolinol derivatives have been determined. To this end, diarylprolinol methyl and silyl ethers, 1 , and aldehydes, Ph? CH₂? CHO, ^tBu? CH₂? CHO, Ph? CH=CH? CHO, are condensed to the corresponding enamines, A and 3 (Scheme 2), and cinnamoylidene iminium salts, B and 4 (Scheme 3). These are isolated and fully characterized by melting/decomposition points, [α]_D, elemental analysis, IR and NMR spectroscopy, and high‐resolution mass spectrometry (HR‐MS). Salts with BF₄, PF₆, SbF₆, and the weakly coordinating Al[OC(CF₃)₃]₄ anion were prepared. X‐Ray crystal structures of an enamine and of six iminium salts have been obtained and are described herein (Figs. 2 and 4–8, and Tables 2 and 7) and in a previous preliminary communication (Helv. Chim. Acta 2008 , 91, 1999). According to the NMR spectra (in CDCl₃, (D₆)DMSO, (D₆)acetone, or CD₃OD; Table 1), the major isomers 4 of the iminium salts have (E)‐configuration of the exocyclic N?C(1′) bond, but there are up to 11% of the (Z)‐isomer present in these solutions (Fig. 1). In all crystal structures, the iminium ions have (E)‐configuration, and the conformation around the exocyclic N‐C? C‐O bond is synclinal‐exo (cf. C and L ), with one of the phenyl groups over the pyrrolidine ring, and the RO group over the π‐system. One of the meta‐substituents (Me in 4b , CF₃ in 4c and 4e ) on a 3,5‐disubstituted phenyl group is also located in the space above the π‐system. DFT Calculations at various levels of theory (Tables 3–6) confirm that the experimentally determined structures (cf. Fig. 10) are by far (up to 8.3 kcal/mol) the most stable ones. Implications of the results with respect to the mechanism of organocatalysis by diarylprolinol derivatives are discussed.     

Simple Explicit Formulas for the Frame-Stewart Numbers

Several different approaches to the multi-peg Tower of Hanoi problem are equivalent. One of them is Stewart's recursive formula ¶¶ S (n, p) = min {2S (n₁, p) + S (n-n₁, p-1) | n₁, n-n₁ ? \mathbbZ⁺}. S (n, p) = min \{2S (n_1, p) + S (n-n_1, p-1)\mid n_1, n-n_1 \in \mathbb{Z}^+\}. ¶¶In the present paper we significantly simplify the explicit calculation of the Frame-Stewart's numbers S(n, p) and give a short proof of the domain theorem that describes the set of all pairs (n, n₁), such that the above minima are achieved at n₁.     

A new,simple, green,and one-pot four-component synthesis of bare and poly(α,γ,<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-glutamic acid)-capped silver nanoparticles

A simple and green chemical method has been developed to synthesize stable bare and capped silver nanoparticles based on the reduction of silver ions by glucose and capping by poly(α,γ,l-glutamic acid) (PGA). The use of ammonia during synthesis was avoided. PGA has had a dual role in the synthesis and was used as a capping agent to make the silver nanoparticle more biocompatible and to protect the nanoparticles from agglomerating in the liquid medium. The synthesized PGA-capped silver nanoparticles in the size range 5–45 nm were stable over long periods of time, without signs of precipitation. Morphological examination has shown that the silver nanoparticles had a nearly spherical, multiply twinned structure. The effects of the reaction temperature and the reaction time during the synthesis were investigated too. The biocompatibility of the PGA-capped silver nanoparticles is discussed in terms of in vitro toxicity with human intestinal Caco-2 cells. The samples were characterized by UV–Visible spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and zeta potential measurements.