Lewis acid-catalyzed formation of Ugi four-component reaction product from Passerini three-component reaction system without an added amine

In the presence of a Lewis acid the phenol-Passerini three-component reaction (phenol-P-3CR) system is found to deliver a product of the phenol-Ugi four-component reaction (phenol-U-4CR). It is the first demonstration of an isocyanide as an amine equivalent in isocyanide-based multicomponent reactions (IMCRs). In general, by using Ti(O-i-Pr)₄ in MeOH both phenol-U-4CR and U-4CR products are synthesized from an aromatic aldehyde, a phenolic or carboxylic acid, and an isocyanide. Moreover, by using MeCN as the solvent, the phenol-P-3CR products can be obtained in good yields without contamination of the phenol-U-4CR products.     

Synthesis and cytotoxicity of novel cholesterol–cobalt bis(dicarbollide) conjugates

The novel conjugates of cholesterol with cobalt – bis(dicarbollide) were synthesized by the ring-opening reactions of the cyclic oxonium derivatives of [3,3′-Co(C₂B₉H₁₁)₂]^– with the OH group of cholesterol 2-hydroxyethyl ether. The compounds obtained were tested for toxicity to glioblastoma U-87 MG cells and human embryo fibroblasts FECH-15 cells     

Effective strategy for polymer synthesis: multicomponent reactions and click polymerization

The rational selection of organic reactions in polymer synthesis is an important research content of polymer science. In recent years, multicomponent reaction as an efficient and green synthesis method has attracted the wide attention of researchers, injecting new and powerful vitality into the field of polymer synthesis. In the study of multicomponent reaction, researchers found the intersection of multicomponent reaction and click chemistry and put forward the concept of Multicomponent Click Reaction (MCR-Click), which is a kind of Multicomponent Reaction with high activity, atomic economy, and some green chemical properties. The application of MCR in polymer chemistry is reviewed in this paper. It is expected that this reaction will arouse the attention of polymer chemists and play a new role in polymer science.     

Photocatalytic and superhydrophilicity properties of N-doped TiO2 nanothin films

Pure TiO₂ and nitrogen doped titanium dioxide (N-TiO₂) thin films were prepared by sol-gel method through spin coating on soda lime glass substrates. TiCl₄ and urea were used as Ti and N sources in the sol. XRD results showed nitrogen doping has retarded anatase to rutile phase transformation. The doping also leads to a decrease in roughness of the samples from 4 nm (TiO₂) to 1 nm (N-TiO₂). However, surface analysis by statistical methods reveals that both surfaces have self-affine structure. Optical band gap of thin films was shifted from 3.65 eV (TiO₂) to 3.47 eV (N-TiO₂). Hydrophilic conversion and photocatalytic degradation properties of thin films were investigated and exhibited that N-TiO₂ thin film has more preferable hydrophilicity and photocatalytic properties under UV illumination.     

Microwave-assisted one-pot U-4CR and intramolecular O-alkylation toward heterocyclic scaffolds

The one-pot U-4CR and intramolecular O-alkylation sequence starting from 2-aminophenols in combination with α-bromoalkanoic acids, aldehydes, and isocyanides under controlled microwave heating has been established for a rapid access to highly functionalized 3,4-dihydro-3-oxo-2H-1,4-benzoxazines. With appropriate substitutions on the 1,4-benzoxazines, a microwave-assisted Cu-catalyzed intramolecular amidation was performed to furnish a novel class of heterocyclic conjugates of 1,4-benzoxazines with a 2-oxindole linked through a C-N single bond.     

Lebbeckoside C,a new triterpenoid saponin from the stem barks of Albizia lebbeck inhibits the growth of human glioblastoma cells

One new acacic acid-type saponin, named lebbeckoside C (1), was isolated from the stem barks of Albizia lebbeck. Its structure was established on the basis of extensive analysis of 1D and 2D NMR (¹H, ¹³C NMR, DEPT, COSY, TOCSY, ROESY, HSQC and HMBC) experiments, HRESIMS studies, and by chemical evidence as 3-O-[β-d-xylopyranosyl-(l→2)-β-d-fucopyranosyl-(1→6)-[β-d-glucopyranosyl(1→2)]-β-d-glucopyranosyl]-21-O-{(2E,6S)-6-O-{4-O-[(2E,6S)-2,6-dimethyl-6-O-(β-d-quinovopyranosyl)octa-2,7-dienoyl]-4-O-[(2E,6S)-2,6-dimethyl-6-O-(β-d-quinovopyranosyl)octa-2,7-dienoyl]-β-d-quinovopyranosyl}-2,6-dimethylocta-2,7-dienoyl}acacic acid 28 O-[β-d-quinovopyranosyl-(l→3)-[α-l-arabinofuranosyl-(l→4)]-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(l→2)-β-d-glucopyranosyl] ester. The isolated saponin (1) displayed significant cytotoxic activity against the human glioblastoma cell line U-87 MG and TG1 stem-like glioma cells isolated from a patient tumor with IC₅₀ values of 1.69 and 1.44 μM, respectively.     

Solid-phase Synthesis of PNA Monomer by Ugi Four-component Condensation Reaction

Peptide nucleic acids (PNA) oligomers were synthesized in most cases by peptide a peptide synthesis from N-protected monomers. In this work a new method of obtaining PNA monomer by Ugi four-component condensation reaction was tested by solid-phase synthesis. The Fmoc protected PNA monomer was build up with thymin-l-yl acetic acid, 3-methylbutyl aldehyde, Fmoc protected aminoethyl isocyanide and Gly-Wang resin.     

Altered Phase Interactions between Spontaneous Blood Pressure and Flow Fluctuations in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Nonlinear Assessment of Cerebral Autoregulation

Cerebral autoregulation is an important mechanism that involves dilatation and constriction in arterioles to maintain relatively stable cerebral blood flow in response to changes of systemic blood pressure. Traditional assessments of autoregulation focus on the changes of cerebral blood flow velocity in response to large blood pressure fluctuations induced by interventions. This approach is not feasible for patients with impaired autoregulation or cardiovascular regulation. Here we propose a newly developed technique—the multimodal pressure-flow (MMPF) analysis, which assesses autoregulation by quantifying nonlinear phase interactions between spontaneous oscillations in blood pressure and flow velocity during resting conditions. We show that cerebral autoregulation in healthy subjects can be characterized by specific phase shifts between spontaneous blood pressure and flow velocity oscillations, and the phase shifts are significantly reduced in diabetic subjects. Smaller phase shifts between oscillations in the two variables indicate more passive dependence of blood flow velocity on blood pressure, thus suggesting impaired cerebral autoregulation. Moreover, the reduction of the phase shifts in diabetes is observed not only in previously-recognized effective region of cerebral autoregulation (<0.1 Hz), but also over the higher frequency range from ∼0.1 to 0.4 Hz. These findings indicate that type 2 diabetes mellitus alters cerebral blood flow regulation over a wide frequency range and that this alteration can be reliably assessed from spontaneous oscillations in blood pressure and blood flow velocity during resting conditions. We also show that the MMPF method has better performance than traditional approaches based on Fourier transform, and is more suitable for the quantification of nonlinear phase interactions between nonstationary biological signals such as blood pressure and blood flow.     

New cleavable isocyanides for the combinatorial synthesis of α-amino acid analogue tetrazoles

3-Substituted 3-isocyano propionates as new cleavable isocyanides in combinatorial tetrazole synthesis via Ugi-reaction are introduced. The obtained 5-substituted tetrazoles are transformed into carboxylic acid isosteric 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles under basic cleavage conditions.     

Terahertz pulse shaping via birefringence in lithium niobate crystal

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is employed to study the spectral response of lithium niobate crystal. A giant birefringence occurs in lithium niobate crystal in the THz frequency region. We demonstrate that the waveform of the THz wave is controllable by use of the birefringence property of the crystal. We also show experimentally that one THz pulse can be separated into two coherent sub-pulses; the separation as well as the relative intensity of the two sub-pulses are adjustable by changing the crystal orientation with respect to the polarization of the THz beam.