In Situ Generated Gold Nanoparticles on Active Carbon as Reusable Highly Efficient Catalysts for a C −C Stille Coupling

Gold nanoparticle catalysts are important in many industrial production processes. Nevertheless, for traditional C ?C cross‐coupling reactions they have been rarely used and Pd catalysts usually give a superior performance. Herein we report that in situ formed gold metal nanoparticles are highly active catalysts for the cross coupling of allylstannanes and activated alkylbromides to form C ?C bonds. Turnover numbers up to 29 000 could be achieved in the presence of active carbon as solid support, which allowed for convenient catalyst recovery and reuse. The present study is a rare case where a gold metal catalyst is superior to Pd catalysts in a cross‐coupling reaction of an organic halide and an organometallic reagent.     

Helical Ullazine-Quinoxaline-Based Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic azomethine ylides (PAMYs) are powerful building blocks in the bottom-up synthesis of internally nitrogen-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (N-PAHs) through 1,3-cycloaddition reactions. In this work, the cycloaddition reaction of PAMYs to asymmetric ortho-quinones is presented, which, in contrast to the addition to symmetric para-quinones, facilitates subsequent condensation reactions and allows the synthesis of three helical N-PAHs with ullazine-quinoxaline ( UQ - 1 – 3 ) backbones. UQ - 1 and UQ - 2 possess two helical centers; however, single-crystal X-ray analysis together with the computational modeling of UQ - 3 elucidate the formation of only the thermodynamically most stable geometry with four helical centers in a (P,P,M,M) configuration. For the series UQ - 1 – 3 , the number of redox steps is directly correlated with the number of ullazine or quinoxaline units incorporated into the targeted molecular backbones. A detailed investigation of the spectroscopic and magnetic properties of the radical cation and anion as well as the dication and dianion species by in situ EPR/UV/Vis-NIR spectroelectrochemistry is provided. The excellent optical and redox properties combined with helical geometries render them possibly applicable as chiral emitter or ambipolar charge transport material in organic electronics.     

Gas‐Phase Infrared Spectra of Three Compounds of Astrochemical Interest: Vinyl,Allenyl, and Propargyl Isocyanides

Isocyanides, isomers of the cyanides detected in the interstellar medium, are also possible components of this medium. The infrared spectra (5000–500 cm^?1) of gaseous vinyl isocyanide, allenyl isocyanide, and propargyl isocyanide have been recorded at 0.1 cm^?1 resolution. When prepared on a gram scale to produce a partial pressure of 10 mbar after evaporation in the cell, these three isocyanides, which have previously been reported to be kinetically unstable, do not display any sign of decomposition when recording the spectra. Geometry optimizations and harmonic and anharmonic vibrational frequencies were calculated using the LCCSD(T) method with the cc‐pVTZ basis set. Anharmonic frequencies of fundamental, overtone, and combination transitions were calculated using a variational approach implemented in the P Anhar.v2.0 code, to assign the experimental data for each compound. These results improve our knowledge of these under‐investigated compounds and pave the way for other physicochemical studies on functionalized isocyanides.     

Cosmetic Formulations with Melaleuca alternifolia Essential Oil for the Improvement of Photoaged Skin: A Double-Blind,Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study

This aim of this study was to evaluate the penetration depth, antioxidant capacity and the clinical efficacy of Melaleuca alternifolia pure essential oil and in a nanoemulsion to prevent skin photoaging. For this, 2% of pure essential oil or 2% of this essential oil in a nanoemulsion were vehiculated in a formulation. The skin penetration was evaluated using confocal Raman microspectroscopy. The radical protection factor was evaluated using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. For a clinical study, 40 male participants, aged 18–28 years, were enrolled, being divided into three groups: vehicle formulation, M. alternifolia pure essential oil and M. alternifolia Nanoemulsion. All the participants also received a sunscreen SPF 50 to use during the day. Before and after 90 days of study, skin hydrolipidics and morphological characteristics were performed by skin imaging and biophysical techniques. The nanoemulsion presented a lower antioxidant capacity and a higher penetration through the stratum corneum, reaching the viable epidermis, improving the stratum granulosum morphology. The groups presented an increase in the papillary depth, improving in the dermis echogenicity and the collagen fibers. Melaleuca alternifolia essential provides the potential to improve photoaged skin, being the application of nanoemulsion able to reach deeper skin layers.     

On-Surface Formation of Cyano-Vinylene Linked Chains by Knoevenagel Condensation

The rapid development of on-surface synthesis provides a unique approach toward the formation of carbon-based nanostructures with designed properties. Herein, we present the on-surface formation of CN-substituted phenylene vinylene chains on the Au(111) surface, thermally induced by annealing the substrate stepwise at temperatures between 220 °C and 240 °C. The reaction is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory. Supported by the calculated reaction pathway, we assign the observed chain formation to a Knoevenagel condensation between an aldehyde and a methylene nitrile substituent.