An efficient protocol for the synthesis of quinoxaline derivatives at room temperature using molecular iodine as the catalyst

The use of molecular iodine as the catalyst for a one-pot synthesis of quinoxaline derivatives at room temperature is reported.     

Green synthesis of Cu/zirconium silicate nanocomposite by using Rubia tinctorum leaf extract and its application in the preparation of N‐benzyl‐N‐arylcyanamides

A simple and convenient protocol was established for the synthesis of the N‐benzyl‐N‐arylcyanamides through N‐benzylation of a wide variety of arylcyanamides using copper nanoparticles immobilized on natural zirconium silicate as a novel and green heterogeneous catalyst. In this study, we showed a novel, cost efficient, convenient and simple method for green synthesis of Cu/zirconium silicate nanocomposite by using Rubia tinctorum leaf extract as capping and reducing agent. The structure of the novel catalyst was successfully characterized using a number of micro/spectroscopic techniques such as XRD, FESEM, BET, EDS, TEM, FT‐IR and elemental mapping. TEM micrographs of obtaining biocatalyst revealed mostly spherical particles with an average diameter of about 15–25 nm on the surface of natural support. The prepared catalyst was used in the N‐benzylation of a variety of arylcyanamides with benzyl bromide and showed high activity and stability for the efficient synthesis of N‐benzylarylcyanamides in good yields. Remarkably, the catalyst can be easily recovered from the reaction medium and reused up to five runs without losing its catalytic activity.     

Distinguishing yy‐G tautomers by their spectroscopic signatures: A theoretical investigation

A comprehensive theoretical study of electronic transitions of naphtho‐homologated yyG and its five possible tautomers (yyG‐AO7, yyG‐AEc, yyG‐AEt, yyG‐IcO17, and yyG‐ItO17) was performed. The nature of the low‐lying excited states is discussed, and the results are compared to that of y‐bases. Geometry optimizations were performed on the lowest excited singlet ππ* states. Finally, the effects of methanol solution and hydrogen bonding with cytosine on the absorption and emission spectra were examined. The ground state structures were optimized using both the DFT and ab initio HF methods, whereas the excited‐state structures were optimized using the CIS method. The methanol solution was found to red‐shifts both the absorption and emission maxima of the studied bases except for yyG, for which the absorption and emission maxima were blue‐shifted after solvation. In addition, hydrogen bonding with cytosine was found to blue‐shifts both the absorption and emission maxima of yyG, yyG‐AO7, yyG‐IcO17, and yyG‐ItO17. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A green approach for the synthesis of 2‐oxazolidinones using gold(I) complex immobilized on KCC‐1 as nanocatalyst at room temperature

A novel gold(I)‐containing ionic liquid‐based KCC‐1 catalyst was applied for the cyclization of propargylic amines with CO₂ to provide 2‐oxazolidinones. High catalytic activity and ease of recovery from the reaction mixture using an external magnet, and several recycle runs without significant loss in performance are additional eco‐friendly attributes of this catalytic system. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A cyanide‐bridged FeIII–MnII heterobimetallic one‐dimensional coordination polymer: synthesis,crystal structure,experimental and theoretical magnetism investigation

A new cyanide‐bridged Fe^III–Mn^II heterobimetallic coordination polymer (CP), namely catena‐poly[[[N,N′‐(1,2‐phenylene)bis(pyridine‐2‐carboxamidato)‐κ⁴N,N′,N′′,N′′′]iron(III)]‐μ‐cyanido‐κ²C:N‐[bis(4,4′‐bipyridine‐κN)bis(methanol‐κO)manganese(II)]‐μ‐cyanido‐κ²N:C], {[FeMn(C₁₈H₁₂N₄O₂)(CN)₂(C₁₀H₈N₂)₂(CH₃OH)₂]ClO₄}_n, ( 1 ), was prepared by the self‐assembly of the trans‐dicyanidoiron(III)‐containing building block [Fe(bpb)(CN)₂]^? [bpb^2? = N,N′‐(1,2‐phenylene)bis(pyridine‐2‐carboxamidate)], [Mn(ClO₄)₂]·6H₂O and 4,4′‐bipyridine, and was structurally characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography and powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD). Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis shows that CP 1 possesses a cationic linear chain structure consisting of alternating cyanide‐bridged Fe–Mn units, with free perchlorate as the charge‐balancing anion, which can be further extended into a two‐dimensional supramolecular sheet structure via inter‐chain π–π interactions between the 4,4′‐bipyridine ligands. Within the chain, each Mn^II ion is six‐coordinated by an N₆ unit and is involved in a slightly distorted octahedral coordination geometry. Investigation of the magnetic properties of 1 reveals an antiferromagnetic coupling between the cyanide‐bridged Fe^III and Mn^II ions. A best fit of the magnetic susceptibility based on the one‐dimensional alternating chain model leads to the magnetic coupling constants J₁ = ?1.35 and J₂ = ?1.05 cm^?1, and the antiferromagnetic coupling was further confirmed by spin Hamiltonian‐based density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations.     

Application of Si‐doped graphene as a metal‐free catalyst for decomposition of formic acid: A theoretical study

Using density functional theory calculations, the adsorption and catalytic decomposition of formic acid (HCOOH) over Si‐doped graphene are investigated. For the stable adsorption geometries of HCOOH over Si‐doped graphene, the electronic structure properties are analyzed by adsorption energy, density of states, and charge density difference. A comparison of the reaction pathways reveals that both dehydration and dehydrogenation of HCOOH can occur over Si‐doped graphene. The estimated reaction energies and the activation barriers suggest that for the dehydration of HCOOH on the Si‐doped graphene, the rate‐controlling step is H + OH → H₂O reaction. For the dehydrogenation of HCOOH, the rate‐determining step is the breaking of the C? H bond of the HCOO group to form the CO₂ molecule and the atomic H. Our results reveal that the low cost Si‐doped graphene can be used as an efficient nonmetal catalyst for O? H bond cleavage of HCOOH. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Highly efficient and stable blue‐light‐emitting binaphthol‐fluorene copolymers: A joint experimental and theoretical study of the main‐chain chirality

In a quest for the main‐chain chiral and highly stable blue‐light‐emitting π‐conjugated polymers, a novel series of soluble conjugated random and alternating copolymers (PF‐BN) derived from fluorene and axially chiral 1,1′‐binaphthol (BINOL) were successfully synthesized by Suzuki coupling polymerization. The polymer structures, optical properties, and their electrochemical properties were investigated by ¹H NMR, TGA/DSC, UV‐Vis absorption, photoluminescence, cyclic voltammetry, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. The blue‐light‐emitting BINOL‐containing copolymers with proper content of BINOL show highly efficient photoluminescence and ultra highly stable light‐emission with almost unchanged fluorescent spectra after annealing at 200 °C in air for 10 h. The joint experimental and theoretical study of the main‐chain chirality reveals that (1) the chirality of BINOL can be transferred to the polymer backbone, (2) the effective conjugation length is about one BINOL and three fluorenes, (3) the main active chiral block in the copolymers is probably composed by one BINOL with the other two or three fluorenes, and (4) the dihedral angle in the PF‐BN copolymers should be larger than 105°. The incorporation of BINOL into the polyfluorene backbone is an effective way to produce highly efficient and stable blue‐light‐emitting main‐chain chiral conjugated polymer with interesting optoelectronic properties. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3868–3879, 2010     

Imidazole‐coordinated monodentate NHC–Pd(II) complex derived from proline and its application to the coupling reaction of arylboronic acids with carboxylic acid anhydrides in water at room temperature

Cleavage of a C N bond of imidazolium salt derived from N‐phenyl‐substituted proline was observed in this laboratory. A novel imidazole‐coordinated monodentate NHC–Pd(II) complex 5 was obtained as the sole product in good yield in the reaction of imidazolium salt 4 with Pd(OAc)₂ in refluxing THF. The structure of complex 5 was determined unambiguously by an X‐ray diffraction. The complex was found to be a good catalyst in the cross‐coupling reaction of arylboronic acids with carboxylic acid anhydrides in water at room temperature. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Second‐harmonic response of a series of chiral polyesters: A joint experimental and theoretical study

A series of polyesters with π‐conjugated donor–acceptor segments was synthesized by the condensation of azobenzene‐4,4′‐dicarbonylchloride with 1,4:3,6‐dianhydro‐D‐sorbitol ([α] = + 42.5°) and biphenolic chromophores, bis(4‐hydroxyphenylazo)‐2,2′‐dinitrodiphenylmethane and bis(4‐hydroxyphenylazo)‐2,2′‐dinitrodiphenylsulfone. The polymers were characterized by spectral methods (IR, ultraviolet–visible, and NMR), thermal methods (thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry), wide‐angle X‐ray scattering, and polarimetry. The polymers containing isosorbide units were optically active and crystalline. They exhibited glass‐transition temperature values between 100 and 160 °C and were stable up to 400 °C. The second‐harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of the polymers was experimentally verified by a powder‐reflection technique with 2‐methyl‐4‐nitroaniline as a reference. The SHG efficiencies of the polymers were compared to those of the chromophores and explained as a function of the percentage of chiral composition. The hyperpolarizability β values were also determined by a two‐level model solvatochromic method and computational methods. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2868–2877, 2002     

The effect of temperature on the stability of compounds used as UV‐MALDI‐MS matrix: 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2,4,6‐trihydroxyacetophenone, α‐cyano‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid, 3,5‐dimethoxy‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid,nor‐harmane and harmane

The thermal stability of several commonly used crystalline matrix‐assisted ultraviolet laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (UV‐MALDI‐MS) matrices, 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (gentisic acid; GA), 2,4,6‐trihydroxyacetophenone (THA), α‐cyano‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid (CHC), 3,5‐dimethoxy‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid (sinapinic acid; SA), 9H‐pirido[3,4‐b]indole (nor‐harmane; nor‐Ho), 1‐methyl‐9H‐pirido[3,4‐b]indole (harmane; Ho), perchlorate of nor‐harmanonium ([nor‐Ho + H]⁺) and perchlorate of harmanonium ([Ho + H]⁺) was studied by heating them at their melting point and characterizing the remaining material by using different MS techniques [electron ionization mass spectrometry (EI‐MS), ultraviolet laserdesorption/ionization‐time‐of‐flight‐mass spectrometry (UV‐LDI‐TOF‐MS) and electrospray ionization‐time‐of‐flight‐mass spectrometry (ESI‐TOF‐MS)] as well as by thin layer chromatography analysis (TLC), electronic spectroscopy (UV‐absorption, fluorescence emission and excitation spectroscopy) and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H‐NMR). In general, all compounds, except for CHC and SA, remained unchanged after fusion. CHC showed loss of CO₂, yielding the trans‐/cis‐4‐hydroxyphenylacrilonitrile mixture. This mixture was unambiguously characterized by MS and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, and its sublimation capability was demonstrated. These results explain the well‐known cluster formation, fading (vanishing) and further recovering of CHC when used as a matrix in UV‐MALDI‐MS. Commercial SA (SA 98%; trans‐SA/cis‐SA 5 : 1) showed mainly cis‐ to‐trans thermal isomerization and, with very poor yield, loss of CO₂, yielding (3′,5′‐dimethoxy‐4′‐hydroxyphenyl)‐1‐ethene as the decarboxilated product. These thermal conversions would not drastically affect its behavior as a UV‐MALDI matrix as happens in the case of CHC. Complementary studies of the photochemical stability of these matrices in solid state were also conducted. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An efficient,mild and selective Ullmann‐type N‐arylation of indoles catalysed by Pd immobilized on amidoxime‐functionalized mesoporous SBA‐15 as heterogeneous and recyclable nanocatalyst

A wide range of N‐arylated indoles were selectively synthesized through intermolecular C(aryl)? N bond formation from the corresponding aryl iodides and indoles through Ullmann‐type coupling reactions in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd immobilized on amidoxime‐functionalized mesoporous SBA‐15 (SBA‐15/AO/Pd(0)) under mild reaction conditions. These cross‐coupled products were obtained in excellent yields under mild conditions at extremely low palladium loading (ca 0.3 mol%), and the heterogeneous catalyst can be readily recovered by simple filtration and reused seven times with loss in its activity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vitamin C: an experimental and theoretical study on the gas‐phase structure and ion energetics of protonated ascorbic acid

In order to investigate the gas‐phase mechanisms of the acid catalyzed degradation of ascorbic acid (AA) to furan, we undertook a mass spectrometric (ESI/TQ/MS) and theoretical investigation at the B3LYP/6‐31 + G(d,p) level of theory. The gaseous reactant species, the protonated AA, [C₆H₈O₆]H⁺, were generated by electrospray ionization of a 10^?3 M H₂O/CH₃OH (1 : 1) AA solution. In order to structurally characterize the gaseous [C₆H₈O₆]H⁺ ionic reactants, we estimated the proton affinity and the gas‐phase basicity of AA by the extended Cooks's kinetic method and by computational methods at the B3LYP/6‐31 + G(d,p) level of theory. As expected, computational results identify the carbonyl oxygen atom (O2) of AA as the preferred protonation site. From the experimental proton affinity of 875.0 ± 12 kJ mol^?1 and protonation entropy ΔS_p 108.9 ± 2 J mol^?1 K^?1, a gas‐phase basicity value of AA of 842.5 ± 12 kJ mol^?1 at 298 K was obtained, which is in agreement with the value issuing from quantum mechanical computations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Single‐ and double‐electron reductions of CO2 by using superalkalis: An ab initio study

CO₂, a major contributor to global warming, can be balanced by converting it into fuels. The reduction of CO₂ has been difficult due to its extremely high stability. Recently, single‐electron reduction of CO₂ by superalkalis has been proposed using quantum chemical methods. Herein, we report a systematic study on the single‐reduction of CO₂ by using typical superalkalis. Superalkalis are hypervalent species possessing lower ionization energies than alkali atoms. We have studied the interaction of CO₂ with FLi₂, OLi₃, and NLi₄ superalkalis using ab initio MP2 calculations. We notice that this interaction leads to stable superalkali‐CO₂ complexes in which the structure of CO₂ is bent due to electron transfer from superalkalis. This clearly reveals that the CO₂ can successfully be reduced to the anion. It has been also noticed that the size of superalkalis plays a crucial in the single‐electron reduction of CO₂. For instance, the binding energy of superalkali‐CO₂ complex and charge transfer to CO₂ decreases monotonically with the increase in the size of superalkali. We have also proposed that CO₂ can be further reduced to in case of the anionic complex such as (FLi₂ CO₂)‾. Thus, FLi₂ superalkali is also capable of double‐electron reduction of CO₂. These findings should provide new insights into CO₂‐activation as well as motivate further research in this direction.     

Normal human mitral valve proteome: A preliminary investigation by gel‐based and gel‐free proteomic approaches

The mitral valve is a highly complex structure which regulates blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle (LV) avoiding a significant forward gradient during diastole or regurgitation during systole. The integrity of the mitral valve is also essential for the maintenance of normal LV size, geometry, and function. Significant advances in the comprehension of the biological, functional, and mechanical behavior of the mitral valve have recently been made. However, current knowledge of protein components in the normal human mitral valve is still limited and complicated by the low cellularity of this tissue and the presence of high abundant proteins from the extracellular matrix. We employed here an integrated proteomic approach to analyse the protein composition of the normal human mitral valve and reported confident identification of 422 proteins, some of which have not been previously described in this tissue. In particular, we described the ability of pre‐MS separation technique based on liquid‐phase IEF and SDS‐PAGE to identify the largest number of proteins. We also demonstrated that some of these proteins, e.g. αB‐Crystallin, septin‐11, four‐and‐a‐half LIM domains protein 1, and dermatopontin, are synthesised by interstitial cells isolated from human mitral valves. These initial results provide a valuable basis for future studies aimed at analysing in depth the mitral valve protein composition and at investigating potential pathogenetic molecular mechanisms. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD004397.     

The efficient direct synthesis of N,O-acetal compounds as key intermediates of discorhabdin A: oxidative fragmentation reaction of alpha-amino acids or beta-amino alcohols by using hypervalent iodine(III) reagents

Hypervalent iodine(III) reagents are readily available, easy to handle, and have a low toxicity and similar reactivities to those of heavy metal reagents, and hence they are used for various oxidative reactions. The oxidative cleavage of alkynes or carbonyl compounds by using bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo(III) pentafluorobenzene (C(6)F(5)I(OCOCF(3))(2)) has been reported. Herein, the efficient direct synthesis of N,O-acetal compounds as key intermediates of discorhabdin A, by the oxidative fragmentation reaction of alpha-amino acids or beta-amino alcohols by using C(6)F(5)I(OCOCF(3))(2), is described.     

Palladium nanoparticles immobilized on magnetic methionine‐functionalized chitosan: A versatile catalyst for Suzuki and copper‐free Sonogashira reactions of aryl halides at room temperature in water as only solvent

The preparation of an efficient heterogeneous catalyst system based on the immobilization of palladium nanoparticles on a magnetic nanoparticle core (ImmPd(0)‐MNPs) is described. The new catalytic system was characterized using transmission and scanning electron microscopies, X‐ray diffraction, energy‐dispersive X‐ray and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis, vibrating sample magnetometry and inductively coupled plasma analysis. We have demonstrated that ImmPd(0)‐MNPs is an efficient and reusable catalyst for the Suzuki–Miyaura and Sonogashira coupling reactions of various types of aryl halides in water as a green and environmentally acceptable solvent. Moreover, the reactions were carried out efficiently at room temperature. The catalyst was easily separated using an external magnet from the reaction mixture and recycled ten times without significant loss of activity.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of the molecular and electronic structure of N′‐benzylidene‐N‐[4‐(3‐methyl‐3‐phenyl‐cyclobutyl)‐thiazol‐2‐yl]‐chloro‐acetic acid hydrazide

The title compound, N′‐benzylidene‐N‐[4‐(3‐methyl‐3‐phenyl‐cyclobutyl)‐thiazol‐2‐yl]‐chloro‐acetic acid hydrazide, has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and X‐ray single crystal diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P 21 21 21 with a = 5.8671 (3) Å, b = 17.7182 (9) Å, and c = 20.6373 (8) Å. Moreover, the molecular geometry from X‐ray experiment, the molecular geometry, vibrational frequencies, and gauge‐including atomic orbital ¹H and ¹³C chemical shift values of the title compound in the ground state have been calculated by using the Hartree–Fock and density functional methods (B3LYP) with 6‐31G(d) and 6‐31G(d,p) basis sets. The results of the optimized molecular structure are exhibited and compared with the experimental X‐ray diffraction. Besides, molecular electrostatic potential, Frontier molecular orbitals, and thermodynamic properties of the title compound were determined at B3LYP/6‐31G(d) levels of theory. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

An experimental and theoretical study of molecular structure and vibrational spectra of 2-chloronicotinic acid by density functional theory and ab initio Hartree–Fock calculations

In this work, the Fourier transform Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectra of 2-chloronicotinic acid (2-CNA) are recorded in the solid phase. The molecular geometry, vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities and Raman scattering activities of 2-CNA in ground state have been calculated by using ab initio Hartree–Fock (HF) and density functional (B3LYP and B3PW91) methods with 6-31G(d) and 6-311G(d) basis sets level. On the basis of the comparison between calculated and experimental results and the comparison with related molecule, assignments of fundamental vibrational modes are examined. The optimized geometric parameters (bond lengths and bond angles) obtained by using HF show the best agreement with the experimental values of 2-CNA. Comparison of the observed fundamental vibrational frequencies of 2-CNA and calculated results by density functional (B3LYP and B3PW91) and Hartree–Fock methods indicates that B3LYP is superior to the scaled Hartree–Fock and B3PW91 approach for molecular vibrational problems.     

An experimental and theoretical approach to the molecular structure of 3‐{[4‐(3‐Methyl‐3‐phenyl‐cyclobutyl)‐thiazol‐2‐yl]‐hydrazono}‐1,3‐dihydro‐ indol‐2‐one

The title molecule, 3‐{[4‐(3‐methyl‐3‐phenyl‐cyclobutyl)‐thiazol‐2‐yl]‐hydrazono}‐1,3‐dihydro‐indol‐2‐one (C₂₂H₂₀N₄O₁S₁), was prepared and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR, UV–visible, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21 with a = 8.3401(5), b = 5.6976(3), c = 20.8155(14) Å, and β = 95.144(5)°. Molecular geometry from X‐ray experiment and vibrational frequencies of the title compound in the ground state has been calculated using the Hartree–Fock with 6‐31G(d, p) and density functional method (B3LYP) with 6‐31G(d, p) and 6‐311G(d, p) basis sets, and compared with the experimental data. The calculated results show that optimized geometries can well reproduce the crystal structural parameters, and the theoretical vibrational frequencies values show good agreement with experimental data. Density functional theory calculations of the title compound and thermodynamic properties were performed at B3LYP/6‐31G(d, p) level of theory. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012