Conversion of Nitroalkenes into β-(Trichloromethyl) Nitroalkanes

The cesium fluoride-catalyzed reaction of (trichloromethyl) - trimethylsilane with conjugated nitroalkenes affords β-(trichloromethyl)nitroalkanes.     

The interactome of CCT complex – A computational analysis

The eukaryotic chaperonin, CCT (Chaperonin Containing TCP1 or TriC-TCP-1 Ring Complex) has been subjected to physical and genetic analyses in S. cerevisiae which can be extrapolated to human CCT (hCCT), owing to its structural and functional similarities with yeast CCT (yCCT). Studies on hCCT and its interactome acquire an additional dimension, as it has been implicated in several disease conditions like neurodegeneration and cancer. We attempt to study its stress response role in general, which will be reflected in the aspects of human diseases and yeast physiology, through computational analysis of the interactome. Towards consolidating and analysing the interactome data, we prepared and compared the unique CCT-interacting protein lists for S. cerevisiae and H. sapiens, performed GO term classification and enrichment studies which provide information on the diversity in CCT interactome, in terms of protein classes in the data set. Enrichment with disease-associated proteins and pathways highlight the medical importance of CCT. Different analyses converge, suggesting the significance of WD-repeat proteins, protein kinases and cytoskeletal proteins in the interactome. The prevalence of proteasomal subunits and ribosomal proteins suggest a possible cross-talk between protein-synthesis, folding and degradation machinery. A network of chaperones and chaperonins that function in combination can also be envisaged from the CCT interactome-Hsp70 interactome analysis.     

The Photosensitizer Temoporfin (mTHPC) – Chemical,Pre-clinical and Clinical Developments in the Last Decade†‡

This review follows the research, development and clinical applications of the photosensitizer 5,10,15,20-tetra(m-hydroxyphenyl)chlorin (mTHPC, temoporfin) in photodynamic (cancer) therapy (PDT) and other medical applications. Temoporfin is the active substance in the medicinal product Foscan® authorized in the EU for the palliative treatment of head and neck cancer. Chemistry, biochemistry and pharmacology, as well as clinical and other applications of temoporfin are addressed, including the extensive work that has been done on formulation development including liposomal formulations. The literature has been covered from 2009 to early 2022, thereby connecting it to the previous extensive review on this photosensitizer published in this journal [Senge, M. O. and J. C. Brandt (2011) Photochem. Photobiol. 87, 1240–1296] which followed its way from initial development to approval and clinical application.     

The physicochemical properties and solubility of pharmaceuticals – Methyl xanthines

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physio-chemical properties and solubility of three pharmaceuticals (Phs): theophylline, 7-(β-hydroxyethyl) theophylline, and theobromine in binary systems in different solvents. The solvents used were water, ethanol, and 1-octanol. Score of the solubility of these substances is being important for their dissolution effect inside the cell, the transportation by body fluids and the penetration possibility of lipid membranes.The Phs were classified to the group of methyl xanthines, which contain purine in their structure. Although they are mainly obtained via chemical synthesis, they can be also found in natural ingredients such as cocoa beans and tea leaves. These drugs are mainly acting on the central nervous system but are also used in the treatment of asthma or blood vessels.Solubility of 7 (β-hydroxyethyl) theophylline and theophylline were tested using synthetic method. In case of theobromine, which solubility is very small in the solvents noted, the spectrophotometric method has been used to measure its solubility. After designating phase diagrams of each of the solubility in the bipolar system, the experimental points have been correlated with the equations: Wilson, NRTL, UNIQUAC. Results show that theophylline and its derivatives show the best solubility from all tested Phs.Another method also used during this study was the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which allowed designation of the thermal properties of Phs. The fusion temperature and the enthalpy of melting were measured. Unfortunately, it was not possible to determine the fusion temperature and enthalpy of melting of theobromine, because of the decomposition of Ph at high temperature.The important property tested was the constant acidity, to this end, the spectrophotometric method of Bates–Schwarzenbach was used. Unfortunately, with this method it was not possible to determine the value of pK_a 7-(β-hydroxyethyl) theophylline. For other Phs, these values do not differ significantly from those proposed in the literature.Both awareness and knowledge of values of the drug pK_a and solubility are important in Phs production. This allows the selection of a suitable solvent and allows estimation of the correct dose and its capacity to absorb in human body.     

Interaction of charged particles with insulating capillary targets – The guiding effect

The guiding of charged particles through microscopic and, more recently, also macroscopic capillaries is a remarkable effect discovered in 2002 by Stolterfoht and coworkers. After an initial charge-up phase, a beam of charged particles entering an insulating capillary can be effectively steered along the tilted capillary axis. The effect results from self-organized charge-up of the capillary wall which subsequently deflects ions electrostatically thereby inhibiting close collisions with the capillary walls. Indeed, in the case of multiply charged projectile ions the projectiles transmitted through the capillary keep their initial charge state indicating that the ions never touched the inner walls. We will review both the existing experimental data as well as theoretical models for this phenomenon and similar guiding processes for energetic charged particles collected over the past 10 years.     

Density Functional Calculations of C–NO_2 Bond Dissociation Energies for Nitroalkanes Molecules

Bond dissociation energies for the removal of nitrogen dioxide group in some nit- roalkane energetic materials have been calculated by using the three hybrid density functional theory (DFT) methods B3LYP, B3PW91 and B3P86 with 6-31g** and 6-311g** basis sets. The computed BDEs have been compared with the available experimental results. It is found that the B3P86 method with 6-31g** and 6-311g** basis sets can obtain satisfactory bond dissociation energies (BDEs), which are in extraordinary agreement with the experimental data. Considering the smaller mean absolute deviation and maximum difference, the reliable B3P86/6-311g** method was recommended to compute the BDEs for the removal of nitrogen dioxide group in the nitroalkane energetic materials. Using the method, the BDEs of 8 other nitroalkane energetic materials have been calculated and the maximum difference from experimental value is 1.76 kcal·mol-1 (for the BDE of tC4H9–NO2), which further proves the reliability of B3P86/6-311g** method. In addition, it is noted that the BDEs of C–NO2 bond change slightly for main chain nitroalkane compounds with the maximum difference of only 3.43 kcal mol-1.     

The Dimroth Rearrangement in the Synthesis of Condensed Pyrimidines – Structural Analogs of Antiviral Compounds

Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds - The review discusses the use of the Dimroth rearrangement in the synthesis of condensed pyrimidines which are key structural fragments of antiviral agents. The...     

The Revival of Enantioselective Perfluoroalkylation – Update of New Synthetic Approaches from 2015–2022

Over the last years, methods devoted to the synthesis of asymmetric molecules bearing a perfluoroalkylated chain have been limited in number. Among them, only a few can be used on a large variety of scaffolds. This microreview aims at summarizing these recent advances in enantioselective perfluoroalkylation (−CF₃, −CF₂H, −C_nF_2n+1) and highlights the need for new enantioselective methods to easily synthesize chiral fluorinated molecules which would be useful for the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Some perspectives are also mentioned.     

The ILAC Arrangement – Part I

As of August 2001, 38 laboratory accreditation bodies of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) have signed the multi-lateral, mutual recognition arrangement (the ”ILAC Arrangement”) to promote the acceptance of accredited test and calibration data. This Arrangement provides significant technical underpinning to international trade. Until now, there has been no international mutual recognition agreement in laboratory accreditation, which has been a hindrance for some types of international trade. The key to the Arrangement is the developing global network of accredited testing and calibration laboratories that are assessed and recognised as being competent by ILAC Arrangement signatory accreditation bodies. The signatories have, in turn, been peer-reviewed and shown to meet ILAC’s criteria for competence. Now that the ILAC Arrangement is in place, governments can take advantage of it to further develop or enhance trade agreements. The ultimate aim is increased use and acceptance by industry, as well as government, of the results from accredited laboratories, including results from laboratories in other countries. In this way, the free-trade goal of ”a product tested once and accepted everywhere” can be realised.     

The Conversion of Paper Mill Sludge into Absorbent for Oil Spill Sanitation – The Life Cycle Assessment

Summary: A production of a sorbent material from papermill sludge positively effects the environment instead of landfilling it and replacing an expanded polypropylene absorbent with papermill sludge sorbent for oil spill sanitations. The life cycle's assessment study shows a reduction of carbon footprint for more than 14 times and reduction of water consumption for 372 kg, based on the production of sorbent material for cleaning 1,000 kg of oil spill.A conversion of the papermill sludge into sorbent material prolongs paper products' life cycle for additional two cycles. A controlled incineration converts the used sorbent into inert meta-kaolin product which can be further used as hydrophilic sorbent material. In this way the papermill sludge's life cycle is efficiently closed.     

The Crystal Structure of the 2 : 1 Cholic Acid – Benzophenone Clathrate

The 2 : 1 cholic acid – benzophenone clathratecrystallizes in the space group P2_1 withthe unit-cell parameters a = 25.498(6),b = 7.942(1), c = 28.309(6) Å, = 101.85(2)°. There are four symmetricallyindependent host molecules in the unit cell: two ofthem with the steroidal side chain assuminggauche and the remaining two with the side chain in thetrans conformation. Pairs of the host moleculesadopting similar conformations alternate along the[201] direction of the bilayer. The guestmolecules are accommodated in two crystallographicallyindependent but topologically similar channelsrunning parallel to [010]. Benzophenone molecules aredisordered and included in each channel in twodifferent conformations.     

Isotope dilution – high efficiency nebulization-ICP-MS: The coupling of accuracy and sensitivity

If sample pretreatment, nebulization and method of calibration are suitably adapted to each other the performance of inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry ICP-MS can be greatly increased. High accuracy is obtained by high precision and low bias. For a given concentration higher sensitivity means higher count rates and therefore higher precision. Systematic errors are minimized by employing a definitive method of calibration. Increased sensitivity is obtained by introducing higher amounts of sample into the measurement system via high efficiency nebulizers (ultrasonic nebulizer, hydraulic-high pressure nebulizer according to Berndt and concentric high efficiency nebulizer according to Meinhard). Because this means also higher matrix effects a combination of ion chromatographic (IC-TMS) and thermal trace-matrix-separation by aerosol desolvation (T-TMS) is introduced. Isotope dilution (ID) proves to be the calibration most suitable to achieve the highest accuracy. First applications on the analysis of refractory metals (e.g. Ti, V, Nb, Ta) and non-metals (e.g. P, S, As, Se) showed recoveries of 60-105%, an imprecision of the recoveries of 2-50%, but an overall inaccuracy of only 0.1 to 4%.     

Electronic and vibrational spectra of tourmaline – The impact of electron beam irradiation and heat treatment

Irradiation and heat treatment were performed on tourmalines of various colors from Antandrokomby, Madagascar. The samples were irradiated with 10 MeV electrons to fluencies of 2 ×10¹⁷ cm⁻² for 1 h and were heated at 550 °C for 3 h in air. Their electronic and vibrational spectra were investigated by UV–vis, mid-infrared, and WD-XRF spectroscopy for comparison to pristine samples. Changes in the Mn³⁺ ions after irradiation resulted in darker pink tourmalines, which had absorption peaks at 390 and 520 nm. These samples became colorless after subsequent heat treatment. After irradiation, colorless, light blue and yellow tourmalines displayed a new absorption band at 365 nm. Alteration of the stretching absorption bands and wavenumber after irradiation could be explained by the following reactions:OH⁻ + e⁻ beam irradiation → O⁻ + H°,Mn²⁺ + e⁻ beam irradiation → Mn³⁺ + e⁻ andFe²⁺ + e⁻ beam irradiation → Fe³⁺ + e⁻.Stretching vibration of the BO₃ structure occurred at 1330 cm⁻¹, while the SiO vibration absorption bands were assigned to around 1100 cm⁻¹. Colorless, green, and yellow tourmalines showed high-intensity peaks around 3608 and 3505 cm⁻¹ after irradiation. Pink and dark green tourmalines showed low-intensity peaks at 3605 and 3585 cm⁻¹, respectively. The combination modes of stretching and bending in the range of 4600–4300 cm⁻¹ were split after irradiation and heat treatment, and different color changes occurred after irradiation.     

A Facile and Efficient Synthesis of Substituted Pyrroles by Three Component Coupling Reaction of Amines, Aldehydes and Nitroalkanes

A facile and efficient synthesis of highly substituted pyrroles has been achieved by a one-pot three-component coupling reaction of aldehyde, amine and nitroalkane by triethyl orthoformate.     

Metal-Free Deoxygenation of Chiral Nitroalkanes: An Easy Entry to α-Substituted Enantiomerically Enriched Nitriles

A metal-free, mild and chemodivergent transformation involving nitroalkanes has been developed. Under optimized reaction conditions, in the presence of trichlorosilane and a tertiary amine, aliphatic nitroalkanes were selectively converted into amines or nitriles. Furthermore, when chiral β-substituted nitro compounds were reacted, the stereochemical integrity of the stereocenter was maintained and α-functionalized nitriles were obtained with no loss of enantiomeric excess. The methodology was successfully applied to the synthesis of chiral β-cyano esters, α-aryl alkylnitriles, and TBS-protected cyanohydrins, including direct precursors of four active pharmaceutical ingredients (ibuprofen, tembamide, aegeline and denopamine).     

The Use of Bone Substitutes in the Treatment of Bone Defects – the Clinical View and History

Summary: Bone has the ability to regenerate and remodel itself. In the clinic circumstances appear when bone defects do not heal spontaneously. These situations frequently result from trauma, congenital abnormities, infection or tumor resection. Hence, filling of the resulting defect by bone transplantation is a common practise with an increasing value in the re-establishment of the musculoskeletal system to promote bone healing. Since decades, efforts have been put to improve the effectiveness of bone substitutes. Conventional approaches with the use of ivory, animal and also human bone were not satisfactory. Negative effects like allergic reactions, rejection reactions, inflammations and other problems occurred. These led to implant failure, non union and amputation, to only mention a few. The introduction of bone banks and the development of standards in bone transplantation brought up the false hope to find a final solution for the treatment of bone loss. Disease transmissions (HIV) by allografts caused critical discussions. Despite all efforts, transplantation of autogenous cancellous bone is still the “gold standard” to induce bone healing. However, autografts are only limited available and are accompanied with high morbidity and mortality during the harvest. The problems associated with autologous and allogenous bone grafts promoted the development of multiple organic and inorganic bone substitutes. Well established substitutes at the present are demineralised bone matrix (DBM), composites and calcium phosphates (hydroxyl apatite and tri-calcium phosphate). These osteoconductive substances have shown to improve new bone formation. Nevertheless, clinical application of these materials is merely successful in a good bony environment but does not induce large progress in critical bone defects.