Facile hydrothermal synthesis of zinc sulfide nanowires for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitor

A facile, single-step hydrothermal route is followed to prepare ZnS nanowires with large aspect ratios. The obtained ZnS nanowires deposited on nickel foam (ZnS/Ni-foam) exhibit a specific capacitance of 781 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g. An asymmetric supercapacitor fabricated from ZnS/Ni-foam as a positive electrode and jute derived activated carbon coated on Ni-foam (JAC/Ni-foam) as a negative electrode attains a high specific capacitance of 573 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g, with an accompanying high energy density of 51 Wh/kg at a power density of 200 W/kg in an extensive operating potential window of 1.2 V. In addition, the ZnS//JAC asymmetric supercapacitor reveals long-term cyclic stability, after 10,000 GCD cycles the device sustain around ～87 % of the initial specific capacitance. These results shed enlighten a new opportunity for promising electrode materials in supercapacitors.     

Effect of polyborazine additive on thermolysis of polyphenylsilane and polyvinylsilane

To improve the ceramic residue yields and processabilities of polyphenylsilane (PPS) and polyvinylsilane (PVS), polyborazine (PBN) was employed as an additive. The ceramic residue yield of PPS increased from an original 39wt% to 65wt%, and of PVS from an original 26wt% to 64wt% by simply heating with 1wt% PBN at 70 °C. Furthermore, low viscous PPS and PVS were transformed into highly viscous polymers, which were found to be suitable for hand drawing into green fibers. The enhanced properties were attributed to an increased molecular weight, as analyzed by GPC. ¹H-NMR and ²⁹Si-NMR spectra suggested that dehydrocoupling of SiH₃ in PVS and SiH in PPS by PBN was responsible for the improved ceramic yields.     

环氧水解酶在不对称合成中的应用

环氧水解酶是一种普遍存在于生物体内的酶,它能选择性水解环氧生成相应的手性二醇。这种酶在催化反应中通常显示出十分高的对映立体选择性,生成高光学活性的环氧和二醇。近年来国际上采用微生物来源的环氧水解酶对环氧底物进行不对称水解,然后再通过酸处理未开环的环氧化物“一锅法”高产率、高选择性的生成单一构型的手性二醇。这一新发展为这种酶在精细合成工业上的运用开辟了广阔的前景。     

Studies directed towards asymmetric synthesis of levobupivacaine

We report herein the first catalytic asymmetric synthesis of levobupivacaine. The key step involves the asymmetric alkylation of N-benzylimine glycinamide (2b).     

Enantioselective synthesis induced by chiral organic-inorganic hybrid silsesquioxane in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis

5-Pyrimidyl alkanol with up to 96% ee was formed using chiral organic-inorganic hybrid silsesquioxane in the enantioselective addition of diisopropylzinc to pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde, in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis.     

The synthesis and applications of asymmetric phase-transfer catalysts derived from isomannide and isosorbide

We report herein the synthesis of various derivatives of isomannide and isosorbide. Alkylation on N-(diphenylmethylene)glycine tert-butyl ester show the new catalysts to be effective phase-transfer catalysts with moderately good enantioselectivity. The effect of exo and endo substituents on the enantioselectivity of alkylation reaction have also been studied.     

First asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-curcutetraol

The first asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-curcutetraol, a marine phenolic bisabolane-type sesquiterpene, was achieved in eight steps in ca. 50% overall yield. The chiral tertiary benzylic alcohol moiety in the o-position of a phenol was constructed in high optical yield (99% ee) by an asymmetric synthesis using a chiral aminal, (2R,5S)-2-methoxycarbonyl-3-phenyl-1,3-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]octane.     

Studies toward asymmetric synthesis of leiodelide A

An enantioselective route for oxazoline 4, a key fragment toward the asymmetric synthesis of leiodelide A, is described. We synthesized northern subunit 6 through a Julia–Lythgoe olefination and subsequent Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation. Moreover, a highly diastereoselective method using well-established Evans’ asymmetric aldol condensation was developed for preparation of southern fragment 5. The additional feature of this synthetic route is the formation of oxazoline 4 through DAST-promoted cyclization of the amidation product from subunits 5 and 6.     

Recent advances in organocatalytic asymmetric synthesis of polysubstituted pyrrolidines

Chiral substituted pyrrolidines are important N-heterocyclic structural motifs, existing in many natural products, drug candidates, ligands and organocatalysts. We summarise herein the recent (between January 2010 and July 2013) developments on synthesising the chiral polysubstituted pyrrolidines through asymmetric organocatalysis. The organocatalytic strategies for constructing the pyrrolidine scaffolds can be divided into one-step and sequential approaches, respectively. The straightforward one-step approach is mainly the [3+2] cycloaddition based on the iminium activation, chiral Brønsted acid catalysis, bifunctional organocatalysis and SOMO activation. In the sequential approach (multi-step or one-pot reactions), the primary construction of chiral linear precursors is followed by the sequential cyclisation. Other important strategies, such as the organocatalytic bromoaminocyclisation were also described. These organocatalytic strategies have enriched the synthetic chemistry of chiral pyrrolidines, especially towards the target-, diversity- and application-oriented synthesis. New organocatalytic approaches are thus expected for the facile construction of polysubstituted pyrrolidines with well-controlled stereochemistry and for the practical synthesis of pyrrolidine-related natural alkaloids, drug candidates and functional proline derivatives.     

A convenient asymmetric synthesis of the octalactin lactone

A facile asymmetric synthesis of the octalactin lactone was developed staring from (R)-cyclohexylideneglyceraldehyde (1). The key step of the synthesis is an In-mediated diastereoselective crotylation of 1 in water, which furnished the building blocks with the required stereochemistry under operationally simple conditions. Their conversion to the appropriate intermediates, invertive esterification and a ring closing metathesis reaction furnished the target compound.     

Organocatalytic asymmetric synthesis of quinine and quinidine

Quinine and quinidine were synthesized by a highly enantio- and stereoselective approach starting from a proline-catalyzed asymmetric cycloaldolization of benzyl bis(2-formylethyl)carbamate which gave a 70:30 mixture of (3R,4R)-N-Cbz-3-hydroxymethyl-4-hydroxypiperidine (96% ee) and its 4S-epimer (92% ee) in 94% yield after in situ NaBH₄ reduction.     

First asymmetric synthesis of β-amino-β-trifluoromethylated aldehyde

The first asymmetric synthesis of the β-trifluoromethylated β-amino aldehyde, which is one of the most promising precursors for the synthesis of trifluoromethylated bioactive compounds, is described.     

Facile asymmetric synthesis of spongianone analogue through biomimetic cyclization

Facile synthesis of (+)-tetracyclic-homoditerpene lactone has been achieved from sclareol through [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement followed by biomimetic cyclization.     

Mechanistic approaches to asymmetric synthesis of aziridines from guanidinium ylides and aryl aldehydes

To approach more realistic mechanisms for asymmetric aziridine synthesis from guanidinium ylides and aryl aldehydes, reactions were systematically carried out by using a variety of p-substituted benzaldehydes under modified conditions. Two kinds of reaction mechanisms controlled by the nature of the p-substituents of aryl aldehydes is proposed for the two-steps aziridine synthesis composed of a C-C bond formation by nucleophilic addition of guanidinium ylides to aryl aldehydes (step 1) and the fragmentation of intermediate adducts to aziridine products by intramolecular nucleophilic substitution (step 2). A S_Ni-like mechanism via cationic-like transition state is proposed for step 2 in the asymmetric synthesis using EDG-substituted benzaldehydes, whereas with EWG-substituted benzaldehydes, a S_N2-like mechanism is proposed. Hammett analysis, based on the diastereomeric ratio in the aziridine products, is consistent with the proposed rate-determining steps in these two mechanisms. A second Hammett analysis, based on the enantiomeric ratio of the aziridine products, clearly reveals the difference in the susceptibilities to the electronic substituents effect between step 1 and step 2.     

Efficient asymmetric synthesis of α-alkylated benzylic methyl sulfonates

The first highly efficient auxiliary-controlled synthesis of various α-substituted sulfonic acid derivatives is described. Alkyl or aryl halides were reacted with lithiated benzylic sulfonic esters bearing 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-allofuranose as a removable enantiopure alcohol auxiliary to give the alkylated products in excellent diastereomeric excesses. The racemization-free cleavage conditions provided highly enantioenriched sulfonic acid derivatives (ee≥98%).     

Facile access to chiral 4-substituted chromanes through Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation

Rh/ZhaoPhos-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of a series of (E)-2-(chroman-4-ylidene)acetates was successfully developed to prepare various chiral 4-substituted chromanes with high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% yield, 98% ee). Moreover, the gram-scale hydrogenation could be performed well in the presence of 0.02 mol% catalyst loading (TON = 5000), the hydrogenation product was easily converted to access other important compounds, which demonstrated the synthetic utility of this asymmetric catalytic methodology.     

An asymmetric nickel-chromium coupling toward the synthesis of Baylis-Hillman adducts

An asymmetric nickel-chromium coupling strategy has been employed in the generation of enantioenriched Baylis-Hillman adducts with selectivities reaching >90% ee and in fair to moderate yields (up to 65%) using a chiral sulfonamide ligand. The reaction conditions appear to show reasonable generality and are compatible with both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. Utilizing such a strategy not only allows for the preparation of products which contain substitution at the β-position on the olefin but also allows for the separation of olefin isomers in this transformation.     

First asymmetric synthesis of both enantiomers of andirolactone

We have achieved the first asymmetric synthesis of (+)- and (−)-andirolactone. The key steps were separation of limonene oxide diastereomers, asymmetric oxidation induced by the chiral intermediate and ring-closing metathesis in the presence of catalytic amounts of Lewis acid to form the spirocyclic butenolides.     

An asymmetric synthesis of (+)-desoxoprosophylline

An efficient synthesis of (+)-desoxoprosophylline is described. The key steps in the reaction sequence include the preparation of an N-Cbz-sulfilimine from the corresponding sulfoxide using the Burgess reagent, regio- and stereoselective hetero-functionalization of an alkene using the pendant sulfilimine as the nucleophile and a stereoselective amidomercuration to form the cis-2,6-disubstituted piperidine ring.     

Facile one-pot synthesis of BINOL- and H8-BINOL-based aryl phosphites and their use in palladium catalysed asymmetric allylation

Novel P-monodentate aryl phosphite ligands have been synthesised in one step from (R)-BINOL, (R)-H₈-BINOL and (R)-H₈-3,3′-dibromo-BINOL. With the new aryl phosphites, up to 86% ee was observed in the asymmetric Pd-catalysed amination of 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate with sodium diformylamide. In the enantioselective alkylation of 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate with dimethyl malonate, up to 97% enantioselectivity was achieved.