A novel screening approach based on an oligonucleotide‐addressing enzyme assay enables multiplexed simultaneous profiling of DNA polymerases in nanoliter volumes in terms of their different properties. This approach was used to identify enzymes with altered properties out of a library of protein mutants.
Regioselective, stereoselective : The convergent coupling of allylic alcohols with imines to deliver stereodefined homoallylic amines is described (see scheme). The process proceeds with net allylic transposition without the intermediacy of allylic organometallic reagents. Two stereodefined centers and a geometrically defined di‐ or trisubstituted alkene are forged with high selectivity.
A new generation of plastic transistors consisting primarily of light and flexible organic materials requires new fabrication methods which combine low‐temperature, solution‐phase processing with precise control in the nanometer range over the component dimensions. Ultrathin silicon oxide films, which serve as gate dielectric layers in these transistors, were recently grown at room temperature from polymer precursor films by a novel layer‐by‐layer deposition/oxidation process.
“Co”axing selectivity into isomerization : Treatment of 1‐alkenes with dimethylphenylsilylmethylmagnesium chloride in the presence of a cobalt‐NHC complex in dioxane at 50 °C or higher provides the corresponding (E)‐2‐alkenes selectively. The isomerization is applicable to the stereoselective synthesis of (E)‐crotylsilanes and (E)‐1‐propenylsilanes from the corresponding homoallylsilanes and allylsilanes, respectively.
Pd 0 does the trick! Alkenyl silanes are efficiently cyclopropanated by diazoalkanes at low Pd loadings (see scheme). Clear evidence for the involvement of a Pd0 resting state for this reaction is given.
Going through the phases : The title reaction was found to proceed by an initial base‐mediated isomerization to allenyl esters and subsequent phase transfer catalyzed alkylation at the α position of the ester (see scheme).
The first ratiometric fluorescent probe for hypochlorite has been developed through regulation of the electron‐withdrawing ability of the electron acceptor in an intramolecular charge‐transfer (ICT) system by a deoximation reaction (see figure; EWG=electron‐withdrawing group).
Switching characteristics: The 633 nm wavelength of an He–Ne laser is used to fabricate holographic transmission gratings in polymer‐dispersed liquid‐crystal cells. The microstructure and diffraction efficiency (η) both improve with increasing functionality (see figure). For functionalities of 2.5 or more, η approaches 34 % and can be switched off with electric fields of about 20 MV m?1.
Molecular switches : Highly efficient acido‐ and photoswitchable frequency doublers (see scheme) based on the indolinooxazolidine core are studied by means of hyper‐Rayleigh experiments and quantum‐chemical calculations.
