Facile Microwave‐Assisted Solid‐Phase Synthesis of Highly Fluorescent Nitrogen–Sulfur‐Codoped Carbon Quantum Dots for Cellular Imaging Applications

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have recently attracted significant attention for both their fundamental science and technological applications as a new class of fluorescent zero‐dimensional nanomaterials with a size below 10 nm. However, the reported methods of synthesis were generally less suitable for the large‐scale production of the CQDs with high‐fluorescent quantum yield (QY). In the paper, a novel one‐pot microwave‐assisted drying synthesis approach was presented to prepare CQDs with high QY of 61.3 % for the first time. The production yield of CQDs was 35±3 % in weight. The as‐prepared CQDs were characterized by various techniques such as TEM, AFM, XRD, XPS, FTIR spectroscopy, UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the high QY of CQDs was largely attributed to the dual doping of nitrogen and sulphur into CQDs. Such CQDs were then used as live‐cell imaging reagents due to their high QY, good water dispersibility, fine biocompatibility, high photostability, and low cytotoxicity.     

In Situ Synthesis of Porous Carbons by Using Room‐Temperature,Atmospheric‐Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma as High‐Performance Adsorbents for Solid‐Phase Microextraction

A one‐step, template‐free method is described to synthesize porous carbons (PCs) in situ on a metal surface by using a room‐temperature, atmospheric‐pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. This method not only features high efficiency, environmentally friendliness, and low cost and simple equipment, but also can conveniently realize large‐area synthesis of PCs by only changing the design of the DBD reactor. The synthesized PCs have a regulated nestlike morphology, and thus, provide a high specific surface area and high pore volume, which result in excellent adsorption properties. Its applicability was demonstrated by using a PC‐coated stainless‐steel fiber as a solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) fiber to preconcentrate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) prior to analysis by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC‐FID). The results showed that the fiber exhibited excellent enrichment factors (4.1×10⁴ to 3.1×10⁵) toward all tested PAHs. Thus, the PC‐based SPME‐GC‐FID provides low limits of detection (2 to 20 ng L ^?1), good precision (<7.8 %), and good recoveries (80–115 %) for ultra‐sensitive determination of PAHs in real water samples. In addition, the PC‐coated fiber could be stable enough for more than 500 replicate extraction cycles.     

Electrochemical Detection of Guanine‐methylation Using Glassy Carbon Electrode

This work presents a study of the electrochemical oxidation of 7‐methylguanine (7‐mGua) in aqueous solution at glassy carbon electrode by cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, square wave voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectrometry. The anodic behaviour of 7‐mGua was compared with the electro‐oxidation of guanine and 7‐methylguanosine. The results demonstrated that the methyl and ribose groups are not electroactive but strongly influence the oxidation mechanism of these species. The oxidation of 7‐mGua occurred in a single pH‐dependent step, with the withdrawal of two electrons and two protons of C8, to form 8‐oxo‐7‐methylguanine, while the electro‐oxidation of 7‐methylguanosine also occurred in a single pH‐dependent step, however, with the withdrawal of one electron and one proton of C8 to form a hydroxylated product, since its oxidation to 8‐oxo‐7‐methylguanosine is hindered by the presence of the pendant groups. In addition, the oxidation of 7‐mGua was investigated in the presence of DNA and DNA‐bases, leading to the conclusion that the formation of 7‐mGua, from an interaction of DNA with an alkylating agent, would cause an increase on the deoxyguanosine peak current of the DNA‐biosensor, with no interference of any free DNA bases, which demonstrated that DNA‐electrochemical biosensors find application on detecting DNA methylation, opening a new avenue for applications of DNA biosensors.     

Microwave‐Assisted Solid‐Phase Synthesis of Antifreeze Glycopeptides

Microwave‐assisted solid‐phase synthesis allows for the rapid and large‐scale preparation and structure–activity characterization of tandem repeating glycopeptides, namely monodispersed synthetic antifreeze glycopeptides (syAFGPs, H‐[Ala‐Thr(Galβ1,3GalNAcα1→)‐Ala]_n‐OH, n=2–6). By employing novel AFGP analogues, we have demonstrated that of the monodispersed syAFGP_n (n=2–6, degree of polymerization, DP=2–6, M_w=1257–3690 Da), syAFGP₅ (DP=5, M_w=3082 Da) and syAFGP₆ (DP=6, M_w=3690 Da) exhibit the ability to form typical hexagonal bipyramidal ice crystals and satisfactory thermal hysteresis activity. Structural characterization by NMR and CD spectroscopy revealed that syAFGP₆ forms a typical poly‐L ‐proline type II helix‐like structure in aqueous solution whereas enzymatic modification by sialic acid of the residues at the C‐3 positions of the nonreducing Gal residues disturbs this conformation and eliminates the antifreeze activity.     

Electrochemical Detection of Steroid Hormones Using a Nickel‐Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

This paper demonstrates the development of an analytical method for detecting steroid hormones by coupling HPLC to electrochemical detection, using a nickel‐modified glassy carbon electrode. The method was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, linear dynamic range, limit of detection, and response stability. The developed method exhibited good figures of merit for the steroid hormones studied with no evidence of electrode fouling. As an example, the limit of detection (S/N=3) for E3 was 0.10 µM and the response precision (n=5) was 0.6 %. The application of the method for the analysis of a real river water sample is demonstrated.     

Covalent tethering of organic functionality to the surface of glassy carbon electrodes by using electrochemical and solid-phase synthesis methodologies

Organic linkers such as (N-Boc-aminomethyl)phenyl (BocNHCH2C6H4) and N-Boc-ethylenediamine (Boc-EDA) have been covalently tethered onto a glassy carbon surface by employing electrochemical reduction of BocNHCH2C6H4 diazonium salt or oxidation of Boc-EDA. After removal of the Boc group, anthraquinone as a redox model was attached to the linker by a solid-phase coupling reaction. Grafting of anthraquinone to electrodes bearing a second spacer such as 4-(N-Boc-aminomethyl)benzoic acid or N-Boc-beta-alanine was also performed by following this methodology. The surface coverage, stability and electron transfer to/from the tethered anthraquinone redox group through the linkers were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The effects of pH and scan rate were studied, and the electron-transfer coefficient and rate constant were determined by using Laviron's equation for the different types of linker. The combination of electrochemical attachment of protected linkers and subsequent modifications under the conditions of solid-phase synthesis provides a very versatile methodology for tailoring a wide range of organic functional arrangements on a glassy carbon surface.     

Solid‐Phase Synthesis of (Poly)phosphorylated Nucleosides and Conjugates

Succinyl‐cycloSal‐phosphate triesters of ribo‐ and 2′‐deoxyribonucleosides were attached to aminomethyl polystyrene as an insoluble solid support and reacted with phosphate‐containing nucleophiles yielding nucleoside di‐ and triphosphates, nucleoside diphosphate sugars, and dinucleoside polyphosphates in high purity after cleavage from the solid support. Here, reactive cycloSal‐phosphate triesters were used as immobilized reagents that led to a generally applicable method for the efficient synthesis of phosphorylated biomolecules and phosphate‐bridged bioconjugates.