Simultaneous Control of pH and Ionic Strength during Interfacial Rheology of β-Lactoglobulin Fibrils Adsorbed at Liquid/Liquid Interfaces

Proteins can aggregate as amyloid fibrils under denaturing and destabilizing conditions such as low pH (2) and high temperature (90 °C). Fibrils of β-lactoglobulin are surface active and form adsorption layers at fluid-fluid interfaces. In this study, β-lactoglobulin fibrils were adsorbed at the oil-water interface at pH 2. A shear rheometer with a bicone geometry set up was modified to allow subphase exchange without disrupting the interface, enabling the investigation of rheological properties after adsorption of the fibrils, as a function of time, different pH, and ionic strength conditions. It is shown that an increase in pH (2 to 6) leads to an increase of both the interfacial storage and loss moduli. At the isoelectric point (pH 5-6) of β-lactoglobulin fibrils, the maximum storage and loss moduli are reached. Beyond the isoelectric point, by further increasing the pH, a decrease in viscoelastic properties can be observed. Amplitude sweeps at different pH reveal a weak strain overshoot around the isoelectric point. With increasing ionic strength, the moduli increase without a strain overshoot. The method developed in this study allows in situ subphase exchange during interfacial rheological measurements and the investigation of interfacial ordering.     

An efficient synthesis of β-ketoesters via transesterification and its application in Biginelli reaction under solvent-free,catalyst-free conditions

A simple and efficient transesterification process for the synthesis of β-ketoester derivatives has been achieved by the reaction of methyl β-ketoester with higher alcohols at 110 °C under solvent-free, catalyst-free conditions and its application in synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones C-5 ester derivatives via Biginelli reaction has been described.     

Fabrication and Characterization of Micro-Pattern Dandelion-like and Nanobelts of β-SrV2O6 via Hydrothermal Process

"Dandelion-like micro-crystallites and long belt-like nanostructures of Sr-V-O materials were synthesized under mild hydrothermal reaction conditions in the presence of mineralizer adipic acid at 220 oC for 60 h and 180 oC for 60 h, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy measurements show that the Sr-V-O micro-crystallites in general consist of well-arranged microrods with the average length of a few hundred micrometers and diameters ranging from 1 1m to 5 1m. The long belt-like nanostructures around 100 nm in width exhibit visible twist and waving in shapes, showing high flexibility in nature. Powder X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction measurements both revealed that these micro-/nanometer materials have an orthorhombic structure with the lattice parameter a=9.694 ?, b=3.687 ?, and c=12.570 ? (space group of Pnma) as reported for fi-SrV2O6 phase. The electron diffraction patterns also indicate that the micro-/nanometer fi-SrV2O6 crystallites preferentially grow along the h010i crystallographic direction. The effects of the hydrothermal treating temperature and chemical compositions ratio of Sr to V on the morphologies of the final products are extensively investigated. A possible crystallite growth mechanism for the micro-pattern formation is proposed based on the systematic analysis of the experiental results."     

Synthesis of 2-oxazolones and α-aminoketones via palladium-catalyzed reaction of β,β-dibromoenamides

β,β-Dibromoenamides show two different interesting reactivities based on the choice of R group under the reaction conditions. On the basis of mechanistic studies, both reactions proceed via an intermolecular Suzuki-Miyaura C-C coupling and an intramolecular C-O coupling.     

Synthesis of new β- and γ-aminopyrrolidinephosphonates via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of substituted vinylphosphonates

Synthesis of α- and β-(aminomethyl)vinylphosphonates was achieved from vinyl bromide via a cross-coupling reaction with triethyl phosphite and by cross-metathesis of allyl bromide and vinylphosphonate, respectively. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of these vinylphosphonates with a dipole in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid afforded selectively the β-aminopyrrolidinephosphonates. Syntheses of cis- and trans-γ-aminopyrrolidinephosphonates are also described.     

Highly efficient synthesis of β-amino esters via Mannich-type reaction under solvent-free conditions using ZnCl_2 catalyst

β-Amino esters were synthesized via ZnCl_2-catalyzed Mannich-type reaction of imines and malonate esters under solvent-free conditions in 6 min.Theβ-amino ester was converted into the corresponding aspartic acid derivatives.     

Effect of end groups on the raman spectra of lycopene and β-carotene under high pressure

The Raman spectra of all-trans-lycopene in n-hexane were measured under high pressure, and the results compared with those of β-carotene. The different pressure effects on Raman spectra are analyzed taking into account the different structures of lycopene and β-carotene molecules. It is concluded that: (a) the vibronic coupling between the S? and S? states of β-carotene is stronger than that of lycopene, (b) the diabatic frequency increment of the ν? mode is more susceptible to pressure than that of the ν? mode for lycopene, and (c) β-rings rotation can relieve the pressure effect on the C=C bond length in β-carotene. This work provides some insights for elucidating the structural and environmental effects on Raman spectra of carotenoids.     

Formation of β-nickel hydroxide plate-like structures under mild conditions and their optical properties

Nanostructural β-nickel hydroxide (β-Ni(OH)₂) plates were prepared using the microwave–hydrothermal (MH) method at a low temperature and short reaction times. An ammonia solution was employed as the coordinating agent, which reacts with [Ni(H₂O)₆]²⁺ to control the growth of β-Ni(OH)₂ nuclei. A trigonal β-Ni(OH)₂ single phase was observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, and the crystal cell was constructed with structural parameters and atomic coordinates obtained from Rietveld refinement. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images revealed that the samples consisted of hexagonal-shaped nanoplates with a different particle size distribution. Broad absorption bands assigned as transitions of Ni²⁺ in oxygen octahedral sites were revealed by UV–vis spectra. Photoluminescence (PL) properties observed with a maximum peak centered in the blue-green region were attributed to different defects, which were produced during the nucleation process. We present a growth process scheme of the β-Ni(OH)₂ nanoplates.     

Simultaneous Determination of Deltamethrin and Permethrin in Water Samples Using Homogeneous Liquid–Liquid Microextraction via Flotation Assistance and GC-FID

A new method was developed for the simultaneous determination of deltamethrin and permethrin in water samples with homogeneous liquid–liquid microextraction via flotation assistance and gas chromatography–flame ionization detection. A special extraction cell was designed to facilitate collection of the low density solvent extracts. The sample solution was added into the extraction cell, which contained an appropriate mixture of n-hexane (as an extraction solvent) and acetone (as a homogeneous solvent). Air flotation allowed the extraction solvent to be collected from the top of the solution. Under the optimum conditions, good linearity was observed in the range of 1.0–200 μg L^?1 with a correlation coefficient (r ²) greater than 0.9980 for both of the analytes. The limits of detection were 0.2 and 0.3 μg L^?1 for deltamethrin and permethrin, respectively (S/N = 3). The developed method was successfully applied to determine the two pesticides in three different water samples.     

Enhancement of morphological and emission stability of deep-blue small molecular emitter via a universal side-chain coupling strategy for optoelectronic device

Film morphology of emissive layers is crucial to the performance and stability of solution-processable organic light-emitting diodes(OLEDs). Compared to the interpenetration of conjugated polymer chain,small molecular emitter with a flexible side chain always presents easily aggregation upon external treatment, and caused π-electronic coupling, which is undesirable for the efficiency and stability of deep-blue OLEDs. Herein, we proposed a side-chain coupling strategy to enhance the film morpholo...     

Catalytic decarboxylative alkylation of β-keto acids with sulfonamides via the cleavage of carbon-nitrogen and carbon-carbon bonds

An efficient decarboxylative alkylation reaction of β-keto acids with N-benzylic or N-allylic sulfonamides has been developed, for the first time, through sequential cleavage of carbon-nitrogen and carbon-carbon bonds in the presence of 10 mol% of FeCl(3).     

Diastereochemical differentiation of some cyclic and bicyclic β-amino acids, via the kinetic method

Stereochemical differentiation of five diastereomeric pairs of β-amino acids, di-endo- and di-exo-2,3-disubstituted norbornane and norbornene amino acids, cis- and trans-2-aminocyclohexane-, 2-amino-4-cyclohexene-, and 2-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acids, was investigated via the kinetic method with metal-bound trimeric complexes. This is the first time that diastereomers (di-endo/di-exo and cis/trans) have been differentiated with metal-bound trimeric complexes and the kinetic method. Moreover, determination of diastereochemical excess by the kinetic method was applied to norbornane β-amino acids and cyclopentane β-amino acids. Experiments showed that a remarkable differentiation of the studied diastereomers was achieved. It was observed that better selectivity values correlated to more rigid structures. The reference compounds for the studied β-amino acids varied from α-amino acids to some β-amino acids. In addition, variation of the metal ion (Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺) had some role in the selectivity values obtained. Ab initio and hybrid density functional theory calculations were performed to clarify the results obtained by mass spectrometry.     

Rapid and convenient synthesis of aryl- and heteroaryl-α-hydroxy-α-trifluoromethyl acetate via Friedel-Crafts alkylation under solvent- and catalyst-free conditions

Solvent- and catalyst-free Friedel-Crafts alkylation reactions of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds with methyl trifluoropyruvate (2) were carried out at room temperature and finished in several minutes with good to excellent yields of the addition products (69→99%), which provided a rapid and convenient method to synthesize aryl- and heteroaryl-α-hydroxy-α-triflouromethyl acetates.     

Ultrasonic and Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of β-Nitro Styrenes and Nitro Phenols with Tertiary Butyl Nitrite under Acid-Free Conditions

Tertiary butyl nitrite (TBN) is an acid-free and safe nitrating agent that provides preferentially β-nitrostyrenes with cinnamic acids and corresponding nitro derivatives with phenols in good yields under classical conditions. However, ultrasonic and microwave-assisted reactions reduced the reaction times substantially and enhanced the yields from good to excellent.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® to view the free supplemental file.     

Syntheses of chiral β- and γ-amino ethers, morpholines, and their homologues via nucleophilic ring-opening of chiral activated aziridines and azetidines

Lewis acid catalyzed quaternary ammonium salt mediated highly regioselective ring-opening of chiral activated aziridines and azetidines with alcohols to nonracemic β- and γ-amino ethers has been developed. The reaction mainly proceeds via an S(N)2 pathway, and the partial racemization of the starting substrate was effectively controlled by using quaternary ammonium salts. β- and γ-amino ethers are obtained with high enantio- and diastereospecificity (ee up to >99%, de up to 99%). The methodology was further extended to synthesize morpholines and their homologues with high enantiospecificity (ee up to 90%) when halo alcohols were employed as the nucleophiles.     

Rhenium-catalyzed regioselective synthesis of multisubstituted pyridines from β-enamino ketones and alkynes via C-C bond cleavage

A new method is described for the regioselective synthesis of multisubstituted pyridine derivatives. Treatment of N-acetyl β-enamino ketones with alkynes in the presence of the rhenium catalyst, Re(2)(CO)(10), gives multisubstituted pyridines regioselectively. In this reaction, the N-acetyl moieties are important for the selective formation of the multisubstituted pyridines. This reaction proceeds via insertion of alkynes into a carbon-carbon single bond of β-enamino ketones, intramolecular nucleophilic cyclization, and elimination of acetic acid.     

Enantioselective synthesis of syn- and anti-1,3-aminoalcohols via β-aminoketones and subsequent reduction/dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation

β-Aminoketones obtained from imines in an organocatalytic Mannich reaction were transformed to enantio- and diastereomerically pure 1,3-aminoalcohols with two stereogenic centers via a combined reduction/dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation. Both syn and anti diastereomers were obtained in high yield, dr, and ee.     

Efficient calculation of α- and β-nitrogen free energies and coexistence conditions via overlap sampling with targeted perturbation

A recently introduced solid-phase free-energy calculation method that is based upon overlap sampling with targeted free-energy perturbation is further developed and extended to systems with orientational degrees of freedom. Specifically we calculate the absolute free energy of the linear-molecular nitrogen model of Etter et al., examining both the low-temperature low-pressure α-N(2) structure and the orientationally disordered β-N(2) phase. In each perturbation (for the α-N(2) phase) to determine the free-energy difference between systems at adjacent temperatures, harmonic coordinate scaling is applied to both the translational and rotational degrees of freedom in the nitrogen molecule to increase the phase-space overlap of the two perturbing systems and consequently, improve the free-energy difference results. For the plastic β-N(2) phase, a novel method that requires several perturbation paths is introduced to calculate its absolute free energy. Through these methods, the absolute free energies for both the α-N(2) and β-N(2) phase can be accurately and precisely determined. We find again that the anharmonic contribution to the free energy has weak dependence on system size. The transition properties for the α-N(2) and β-N(2) phase are also investigated. The α-β phase transition for the model at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa) is found to occur at 40.35 ± 0.01 K with volumetric and entropy changes of 0.44 ± 0.01 cm(3)/mol and 1.99 ± 0.01 cal/mol.K respectively.     

Simultaneous Ring-Opened THF and insertion of diazoketone derived carbene into carbonyl O-H: Synthesis for β-keto enol ethers

A novel tandem synthesis of β-keto enol ethers was developed via the reaction of α-diazoketones, 1,3-diketones and THF catalyzed by cheap and available CuI under extremely simple conditions. During the course of the reaction, the ring-opened THF and diazocarbonyl derived carbene simultaneously inserted into O-H of 1,3-diketones.     

Beyond-thermal-equilibrium" conversion of methane to acetylene and hydrogen under pulsed corona discharge

At ambient temperature and pressure, C2H2 and H2 are the dominating products from pure methane conversion under pulsed corona discharge (PCD). When the energy density of 194-1788 kJ/mol was applied, 7%-30% of C2H2 yield and 6%-35% of H2 yield per pass have been obtained. These results are higher than the maximum thermodynamic yield of C2H2 (5.1%) and H2 (3.8%) at 100 kPa and 1100 K, respectively. Thereby, pulsed corona discharge is a very effective tool for "beyond-thermal-equilibrium" conversion of methane to C2H2 and H2 at ambient temperature and pressure. In the PCD energy density range of 339-822 kJ/mol, the carbon distribution of the methane conversion products is found to be: C2H2 86%-89%, C2H6 4%-6%, C2H4 4%-6%, C3 -2%, C4 -1%. Through comparison of the product from pure methane, ethane and ethylene conversion at the same discharge conditions, it can be concluded that three pathways may be responsible for the C2H2 formation via CHx radicals produced from the collisions of CH4 molecules with energi