Impact of the Oxygen Defects and the Hydrogen Concentration on the Surface of Tetragonal and Monoclinic ZrO2 on the Reduction Rates of Stearic Acid on Ni/ZrO2

The role of the specific physicochemical properties of ZrO₂ phases on Ni/ZrO₂ has been explored with respect to the reduction of stearic acid. Conversion on pure m‐ZrO₂ is 1.3 times more active than on t‐ZrO₂, whereas Ni/m‐ZrO₂ is three times more active than Ni/t‐ZrO₂. Although the hydrodeoxygenation of stearic acid can be catalyzed solely by Ni, the synergistic interaction between Ni and the ZrO₂ support causes the variations in the reaction rates. Adsorption of the carboxylic acid group on an oxygen vacancy of ZrO₂ and the abstraction of the α‐hydrogen atom with the elimination of the oxygen atom to produce a ketene is the key to enhance the overall rate. The hydrogenated intermediate 1‐octadecanol is in turn decarbonylated to heptadecane with identical rates on all catalysts. Decarbonylation of 1‐octadecanol is concluded to be limited by the competitive adsorption of reactants and intermediate. The substantially higher adsorption of propionic acid demonstrated by IR spectroscopy and the higher reactivity to O₂ exchange reactions with the more active catalyst indicate that the higher concentration of active oxygen defects on m‐ZrO₂ compared to t‐ZrO₂ causes the higher activity of Ni/m‐ZrO₂.     

Living ring-opening metathesis polymerization of norbornenes bay-functionalized perylene diimides

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)-derived poly(oxanorbornene imide)s bearing bay-linked mono - alkoxy -M1 and 1,7-di-alkoxy M2 functionalized perylene diimides (PDIs) were synthesized using Grubb's third ( G3 ) and Hoveyda-Grubbs second generation ( HG2 ) ruthenium-alkylidene metathesis initiators. The mono-alkoxy-derived PDI-based non-ladderphane polymer poly M1 displayed 67% to 77% of the trans olefin content in the polymer chain depending on the initiator used for the polymerization. When using the symmetrical 1,7-di-alkoxy-derived PDI-based polymer poly M2 having the ladderphane type-structure, this displayed a significant amount of cis and trans olefin contents in the polymer chains, irrespective of the type of initiators used for the polymerization. ROMP of both monomers M1 and M2 proceeded in a well-controlled manner with a linear dependence of molecular weight on the monomer/initiator ratio using G3 as initiator. Optical properties of the ladderphane-based poly M2 and non-ladderphane-based poly M1 were characterized in both solution and the film state. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis for all the polymers showed significant π-stacking in the thin film state with ordered molecular packing and closer values of d-spacing for both poly M1 and poly M2 . Film morphology examined by AFM elucidated homogenous smooth polymer surface for both polymers in general, but with some irregularities observed for poly M1 . In addition, CV analysis revealed both polymers could be good candidates as electron-accepting materials, with excellent film-forming ability, and thermal stability.     

Synthesis of potential inhibitors of glycosyltransferases representing UDP-GlcNAc

Based on rational design of the transition state analog inhibitors of glycosyltransferases, four model glycomimetics of this type, viz. benzyl 2-thio-α-dfructofuranoside 1-diethylphosphate (XIa), its β-anomer (XIb), and their ethyl 2-thio analogs — α-anomer (XIIa) and β-anomer (XIIb), were synthesized. In addition, fourteen precursors arising during the synthesis of the desired final model compounds (XI and XII), partially or fully acetylated benzyl and/or ethyl 2-thiofructofuranoside 1-diethyl phosphates, were isolated and characterized with the aim to prepare complete series of glycomimetics, representing donor UDP-GlcNAc designated for biological assays on human GnT’s, viz. GnT-I, Core2GnT, and GnT-V.     

Coating Platinum Nanoparticles with Methyl Radicals: Effects on Properties and Catalytic Implications

It was recently reported that the reaction of methyl radicals with Pt⁰ nanoparticles (NPs), prepared by the reduction of Pt(SO₄)₂ with NaBH₄, is fast and yields as the major product stable (Pt⁰‐NPs)?(CH₃)_n and as side products, in low yields, C₂H₆, C₂H₄, and some oligomers. We decided to study the effect of this coating on the properties of the Pt⁰‐NPs. The results show that the coating can cover up to 75 % of the surface Pt⁰ atoms. The rate constant of the reaction, k( ^. CH₃+Pt⁰‐NPs), decreases with the increase in the surface coverage, leading to competing reaction paths in the solution, which gradually become dominant, affecting the composition of the products. The methyl coating also affects the zeta potential, the UV spectra, and the electrocatalytic reduction of water in the presence of the NPs. Thus, the results suggest that binding alkyl radicals to Pt⁰ surfaces might poison the NPs catalytic activity. When the Pt⁰‐NPs are prepared by the reduction of a different precursor salt, PtCl₆^2?, nearly no C₂H₄ and oligomers are formed and the methyl coating covers a larger percentage of the surface Pt⁰ atoms. The difference is attributed to the morphology of the Pt⁰‐NPs: those prepared from Pt(SO₄)₂ are twinned nanocrystals, whereas those prepared from PtCl₆^2? consist mostly of single crystals. Thus, the results indicate that the side products, or most of them at least, are formed on the twinned Pt⁰ nanocrystal edges created between (111) facets. In addition, the results show that Pt⁰‐NPs react very differently compared with other noble metals, for example, Au⁰ and Ag⁰; this difference is attributed in part to the difference in the bond strength, (M⁰‐NP)?CH₃, and should be considered in heterogeneous catalytic processes involving alkyl radicals as intermediates.     

Multiplex Detection of Enzymatic Activity with Responsive Lanthanide‐Based Luminescent Probes

Multiplex analyte detection in complex dynamic systems is desirable for the investigation of cellular communication networks as well as in medical diagnostics. A family of lanthanide‐based responsive luminescent probes for multiplex detection is reported. The high modularity of the probe design enabled the rapid assembly of both green and red emitters for a large variety of analytes by the simple exchange of the lanthanide or an analyte‐cleavable caging group, respectively. The real‐time three‐color detection of up to three analytes was demonstrated, thus setting the stage for the non‐invasive investigation of interconnected biological processes.     

Synthesis of alkyl α‐aminomethyl‐phenylphosphinates and N,N‐bis(alkoxyphenylphosphinylmethyl)amines by the microwave‐assisted Kabachnik–Fields reaction

As a novel extension, the Kabachnik–Fields reaction was applied to the synthesis of alkyl α‐aminomethyl‐phenylphosphinates, and the double phospha‐Mannich reaction was utilized in the preparation of bis(alkoxyphenylphosphinylmethyl)amines. A total of 27 new aminophosphinate derivatives were synthesized by the microwave‐assisted solvent‐free condensation of alkyl phenyl‐H‐phosphinates, paraformaldehyde, and primary or secondary amines. The starting P‐species were also prepared under microwave conditions. The formation of the N‐methylated aminomethyl‐phenylphosphinate by‐products was also investigated.     

Three‐Component Self‐Assembly of a Series of Triply Interlocked Pd12 Coordination Prisms and Their Non‐Interlocked Pd6 Analogues

Template‐assisted formation of multicomponent Pd₆ coordination prisms and formation of their self‐templated triply interlocked Pd₁₂ analogues in the absence of an external template have been established in a single step through Pd? N/Pd? O coordination. Treatment of cis‐[Pd(en)(NO₃)₂] with K₃tma and linear pillar 4,4′‐bpy (en=ethylenediamine, H₃tma=benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxylic acid, 4,4′‐bpy=4,4′‐bipyridine) gave intercalated coordination cage [{Pd(en)}₆(bpy)₃(tma)₂]₂[NO₃]₁₂ ( 1 ) exclusively, whereas the same reaction in the presence of H₃tma as an aromatic guest gave a H₃tma‐encapsulating non‐interlocked discrete Pd₆ molecular prism [{Pd(en)}₆(bpy)₃(tma)₂(H₃tma)₂][NO₃]₆ ( 2 ). Though the same reaction using cis‐[Pd(NO₃)₂(pn)] (pn=propane‐1,2‐diamine) instead of cis‐[Pd(en)(NO₃)₂] gave triply interlocked coordination cage [{Pd(pn)}₆(bpy)₃(tma)₂]₂[NO₃]₁₂ ( 3 ) along with non‐interlocked Pd₆ analogue [{Pd(pn)}₆(bpy)₃(tma)₂](NO₃)₆ ( 3′ ), and the presence of H₃tma as a guest gave H₃tma‐encapsulating molecular prism [{Pd(pn)}₆(bpy)₃(tma)₂(H₃tma)₂][NO₃]₆ ( 4 ) exclusively. In solution, the amount of 3′ decreases as the temperature is decreased, and in the solid state 3 is the sole product. Notably, an analogous reaction using the relatively short pillar pz (pz=pyrazine) instead of 4,4′‐bpy gave triply interlocked coordination cage [{Pd(pn)}₆(pz)₃(tma)₂]₂[NO₃]₁₂ ( 5 ) as the single product. Interestingly, the same reaction using slightly more bulky cis‐[Pd(NO₃)₂(tmen)] (tmen=N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylene diamine) instead of cis‐[Pd(NO₃)₂(pn)] gave non‐interlocked [{Pd(tmen)}₆(pz)₃(tma)₂][NO₃]₆ ( 6 ) exclusively. Complexes 1 , 3 , and 5 represent the first examples of template‐free triply interlocked molecular prisms obtained through multicomponent self‐assembly. Formation of the complexes was supported by IR and multinuclear NMR (¹H and ¹³C) spectroscopy. Formation of guest‐encapsulating complexes ( 2 and 4 ) was confirmed by 2D DOSY and ROESY NMR spectroscopic analyses, whereas for complexes 1 , 3 , 5 , and 6 single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction techniques unambiguously confirmed their formation. The gross geometries of H₃tma‐encapsulating complexes 2 and 4 were obtained by universal force field (UFF) simulations.     

Coordination Complexes to Combat Bacterial Infections: Recent Developments,Current Directions and Future Opportunities

Drug discovery aimed at the efficient eradication of life-threatening bacterial infections, especially in light of the emergence of multi-drug resistance of pathogenic bacteria, has remained a challenge for medicinal chemists over the past several decades. As nutrient acquisition and metabolism at the host-pathogen interface become better elucidated, new drug targets continue to emerge. Metal homeostasis is among these processes, and thus provides opportunities for medicinal inorganic chemists to alter or disrupt these processes selectively to impart bacteriostatic or bacteriotoxic effects. In this minireview, we showcase some of the recent work from the field of metal-based antibacterial agents and highlight divergent strategies and mechanisms of action.