Versatile Near-Infrared Super-Resolution Imaging of Amyloid Fibrils with the Fluorogenic Probe CRANAD-2

CRANAD-2 is a fluorogenic curcumin derivative used for near-infrared detection and imaging in vivo of amyloid aggregates, which are involved in neurodegenerative diseases. We explore the performance of CRANAD-2 in two super-resolution imaging techniques, namely stimulated emission depletion (STED) and single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), with markedly different fluorophore requirements. By conveniently adapting the concentration of CRANAD-2, which transiently binds to amyloid fibrils, we show that it performs well in both techniques, achieving a resolution in the range of 45–55 nm. Correlation of SMLM with atomic force microscopy (AFM) validates the resolution of fine features in the reconstructed super-resolved image. The good performance and versatility of CRANAD-2 provides a powerful tool for near-infrared nanoscopic imaging of amyloids in vitro and in vivo.     

四方体MgO的制备及对有机染料的吸附

以六水氯化镁和六次甲基四胺为原料,采用水热法合成四方体MgO,考察其对有机染料甲基橙和亚甲基蓝的吸附行为.通过TGA-DTA、SEM、XRD、N2-sorption和FT-IR等手段表征样品.结果表明,原料浓度、温度和表面活性剂对四方体MgO结构的形成影响较小,而反应时间的延长有助于有序结构的组装.温度170℃、时间24h、MgCl2·6H2O与C6H12N4浓度比为1∶2和表面活性剂PVP是制备四方体MgO的最佳条件.在溶液浓度10mg · L-1的单一吸附实验过程中,四方体MgO对甲基橙和亚甲基蓝的去除率分别为91.3;和22.3;,吸附过程均为单层吸附且符合Langmuir等温吸附模型和伪二级吸附动力学方程.在溶液浓度40 mg·L-1、甲基橙和亚甲基蓝浓度比3∶1的混合溶液吸附过程中,四方体MgO对甲基橙和亚甲基蓝的去除率分别为80.1;和97.9;.     

纳米CeO2吸附剂的制备及对六价铬的吸附性能

吸附法是去除水中重金属离子的重要方法,开发新型吸附剂一直是研究热点.利用浸渍法和水热法制备了片状和无定形的纳米CeO2吸附剂,探讨其对六价铬的吸附性能,分析pH、吸附时间、六价铬初始浓度等因素对其吸附性能的影响,并通过循环吸附实验考察纳米CeO2吸附剂的再生能力.结果表明:厚度30 nm、直径大小约为400 nm的片状CeO2吸附剂具有更强的吸附能力和更快的吸附速率,80 min时基本达到吸附平衡;两种吸附剂的最佳吸附pH为3;吸附动力学均符合伪二级动力学方程,Langmuir模型和Freundlich模型均能很好地拟合等温吸附过程,表明纳米CeO2对六价铬的吸附以单层吸附为主.片状CeO2四次吸附-解吸实验之后吸附率稍有下降,表明片状CeO2吸附剂有较好的再生能力,因而,该片状CeO2吸附剂适用于与酸性Cr(Ⅵ)废水的处理.     

Influence of Polarity and Activation Energy in Microwave–Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS)

The aim of this work was to determine the parameters that have decisive roles in microwave-assisted reactions and to develop a model, using computational chemistry, to predict a priori the type of reactions that can be improved under microwaves. For this purpose, a computational study was carried out on a variety of reactions, which have been reported to be improved under microwave irradiation. This comprises six types of reactions. The outcomes obtained in this study indicate that the most influential parameters are activation energy, enthalpy, and the polarity of all the species that participate. In addition to this, in most cases, slower reacting systems observe a much greater improvement under microwave irradiation. Furthermore, for these reactions, the presence of a polar component in the reaction (solvent, reagent, susceptor, etc.) is necessary for strong coupling with the electromagnetic radiation. We also quantified that an activation energy of 20–30 kcal mol⁻¹ and a polarity (μ) between 7–20 D of the species involved in the process is required to obtain significant improvements under microwave irradiation.     

Experimental and Theoretical Studies on the Rearrangement of 2‐Oxoazepane α,α‐Amino Acids into 2′‐Oxopiperidine β2,3,3‐Amino Acids: An Example of Intramolecular Catalysis

Enantiopure β‐amino acids represent interesting scaffolds for peptidomimetics, foldamers and bioactive compounds. However, the synthesis of highly substituted analogues is still a major challenge. Herein, we describe the spontaneous rearrangement of 4‐carboxy‐2‐oxoazepane α,α‐amino acids to lead to 2′‐oxopiperidine‐containing β^2,3,3‐amino acids, upon basic or acid hydrolysis of the 2‐oxoazepane α,α‐amino acid ester. Under acidic conditions, a totally stereoselective synthetic route has been developed. The reordering process involved the spontaneous breakdown of an amide bond, which typically requires strong conditions, and the formation of a new bond leading to the six‐membered heterocycle. A quantum mechanical study was carried out to obtain insight into the remarkable ease of this rearrangement, which occurs at room temperature, either in solution or upon storage of the 4‐carboxylic acid substituted 2‐oxoazepane derivatives. This theoretical study suggests that the rearrangement process occurs through a concerted mechanism, in which the energy of the transition states can be lowered by the participation of a catalytic water molecule. Interestingly, it also suggested a role for the carboxylic acid at position 4 of the 2‐oxoazepane ring, which facilitates this rearrangement, participating directly in the intramolecular catalysis.