Alternative method for fabricating chemically functionalized AFM tips: silane modification of HF-treated Si3N4 probes

An alternative method for fabricating functionalized, atomic force microscopy (AFM) tips is presented. This technique is simple and requires only minimal preparation and tip modification to generate chemically sensitive probes that have a robust organic monolayer of flexible terminal chemistry attached to the surface. Specifically, commercially microfabricated Si3N4 AFM tips were modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of octadecyltrichlorosilane and (11-bromoundecyl)trichlorosilane after removing the native silicon oxide surface layer with concentrated hydrofluoric acid. The structure of these SAM films on solid silicon nitride surfaces was studied using contact angle goniometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Pull-off force measurements on various bare (mica, graphite, and silicon) and SAM-functionalized substrates confirm that mechanically robust, long-chain organic silane SAMs can be formed on HF-treated Si3N4 tips without the presence of an intervening oxide layer. Adhesion experiments show that the integrity of the organic film on the chemically modified tips is maintained over repeated measurements and that the functionalized tips can be used for chemical sensing experiments since strong discrimination between different surface chemistries is possible.     

Chemoselective deacylation of functionalized esters catalyzed by dioxomolybdenum dichloride

Among five different oxidometallic species and two Lewis acids investigated, MoO₂Cl₂ shows the best catalytic and chemoselective activity for the deacylation of esters in methanol at ambient or elevated temperature. Both high efficiency and chemoselectivity were achieved for substrates bearing different ether or ester groups. Acylated mono and disaccharides can also be selectively deacetylated in good yields, leading to useful carbohydrate templates for further synthetic manipulations.     

功能化离子液体催化二苯甲酮的合成工艺

二苯甲酮是有机合成的重要中间体和精细化工重要的添加剂,广泛应用于有机涂料、医药、农药、塑料、香料、日用化工、电子化学品及其它特殊化学合成行业和领域.目前,二苯甲酮在工业上的合成工艺路线很多,大体上可以分为以下几种[3-6]:(1)光气法:苯与光气催化反应,收率90%;但光气剧毒,需要投资较大的处理装置.(2)四氯化碳法:苯与四氯化碳缩合水解,原料价格高,有副反应,产率容易下降,且有废液产生.(3)二苯甲烷稀硝酸氧化法:有污染环境的氮氧化合物产生.(4)Friedel-Crafts酰化反应法:以苯和苯甲酰氯为原料,原料易得,操作简单,产率也较高,工业上多采用这种方法.但最古老最成熟的制备过程中需要大量的AlCl3,具有很强的腐蚀性;产物的获得需用酸性溶液水解且产生大量含铝盐的废酸,造成了严重的环境污染和经济浪费.韦长梅[7]用FeCl3替代AlCl3,反应8h,收率82.1%,但需要加压下进行.因此,开发二苯甲酮绿色合成新工艺有着重要的现实意义和工业价值.     

Aldol reactions catalyzed by l-proline functionalized polymeric nanoreactors in water

The use of functional core-shell micelles as asymmetric catalytic nanoreactors for organic reactions in water is presented. An unprecedented increase in rate of reaction was achieved, which is proposed to be associated with the ability of the nanostructures to effectively concentrate the reagents in the catalytically active micelle core.     

Enantioselective hydrogenation of functionalized olefins catalyzed by Rh-chiral bidentatephosphite complexes

A novel catalytic system for the hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate has been developed by using rhodium–diphosphite complexes. These chiral diphosphite ligands were derived from glucopyranoside, d-mannitol derivatives, and binaphthyl or H₈-binaphthyl phosphochloridites. The ligands based on the methyl 3,6-anhydro-α-d-glucopyranoside backbone and (R)- and (S)-binaphthol and/or (R)- and (S)-2,2′-dihydroxy-5,5′,6,6′,7,7′,8,8′-octahydro-1,1′-binaphthol gave almost complete conversion of the dimethyl itaconate and both enantiomers of dimethyl 2-methylsuccinate with excellent enantioselectivities. The stereochemically matched combination of methyl 3,6-anhydro-α-d-glucopyranoside and H₈-(S)-binaphthyl in ligand 2,4-bis{[(S)-1,1′-H₈-binaphthyl-2,2′-diyl]-phosphite} methyl 3,6-anhydro-α-d-glucopyranoside was essential to afford dimethyl 2-methylsuccinate with up to 98% ee. The sense of the enantioselectivity of products was predominantly determined by the configuration of the biaryl moieties of the ligands. An initial screening of [Rh(cod)₂]BF₄ with these ligands in the hydrogenation of (E)-2-(3-butoxy-4-methoxybenzylidene)-3-methylbutanoic acid was carried out. Good enantioselectivity (75% ee) and low yield for (R)-2-(3-butoxy-4-methoxybenzyl)-3-methylbutanoic acid were obtained.     

Chemical force titration of plasma polymer-modified PDMS substrates by using plasma polymer-modified AFM tips

Plasma polymerization has gained increasing attention in surface functionalization. We use here chemical force titration to characterize PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) substrates modified by maleic anhydride-pulsed plasma polymerization. The coating is hydrolyzed to promote the formation of dicarboxylic acid groups. To enhance the variation of the adhesion forces as a function of pH, we use AFM tips modified in the same way as the substrates. The pH-dependent adhesion measurements are performed at different KCl concentrations. The dicarboxylic nature of the maleic acid groups clearly emerges from the force titration curves. The surface pK(a) values (pK(a1) = 3.5 +/- 0.5 and pK(a2) = 9.5 +/- 0.5) of the dicarboxylic acids are evaluated from low electrolyte concentration solutions. The values are shifted toward higher pK(a) values when compared to maleic acid in solution. The first pK(a) appears in the titration force curve for low salt concentration as a peak. This peak changes to a sigmoidal shape at higher salt concentrations. The appearance of a peak is attributed to the formation of strong hydrogen bonds between the tip and the substrate as reported in the literature. The effect of the ionic strength on the force curves is explained by the condensation of counterions on the carboxylate groups. At high pH, the adhesion force almost vanishes. On the approach, at high pH, one first observes repulsion between the tip and the substrate, which varies exponentially with the tip/substrate distance. The decay length of this repulsion force is in good agreement with theoretical predictions of the Debye length, attesting to the electrostatic nature of the interactions. We also find that the replacement of monovalent cation K(+) by the divalent cation Ca(2+) leads to significant changes in the force titration curve at high pH where the dicarboxylic groups are fully ionized. We observe that the adhesion force no longer vanishes at high pH but even slightly increases with pH, an effect that is explained by Ca(2+) ions bridging between two carboxylate groups.     

Asymmetric synthesis of functionalized diarylmethanols catalyzed by a new gamma-amino thiol

[reaction: see text] A mild asymmetric arylation of aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by gamma-amino thiol 5 gave the corresponding diarylmethanols with 95 to >99.5% ee.     

Dimethyl carbonate synthesis via transesterification catalyzed by quaternary ammonium salt functionalized chitosan

A quaternary ammonium salt covalently linked to chitosan was first used as a catalyst for dimethyl carbonate （DMC） synthesis by the transesterification of propylene carbonate （PC） with methanol. The effects of various reaction variables like reaction time, temperature and pressure on the catalytic performance were also investigated. 54% DMC yield and 71% PC conversion were obtained under the optimal reaction conditions. Notably, the catalyst was able to be reused with retention of high catalytic activity and selectivity. Consequently, the process presented here has great potential for industrial application due to its advantages such as stability, easy preparation from renewable biopolymer, and simple separation from products.     

Synthesis of functionalized 4H-Chromenes catalyzed by lipase immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles

In the work, mucor miehei lipase (MML) was covalently immobilized on the 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine (TCT)-modified magnetite nanoparticles. Then, the immobilized MML was utilized in the synthesis of functionalized 4H-Chromenes via a multicomponent reaction firstly. Under the optimized reaction conditions, immobilized MML displayed high catalytic performance (Yield: 81–96%) and excellent reusability, indicating a high potential for practical operation.     

Synthesis of benzodiazepines catalyzed by chitosan functionalized by triacid imide as a superior catalyst

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Chitosan functionalized by triacid imide has been applied as an effective catalyst for the synthesis of benzodiazepines by one-pot reactions of...     

Chemical modifications of AFM tips for the study of molecular recognition events

The use of AFM to study molecular recognition events at an incredible level of sensitivity is currently a very active field of research. In order to get information at the single molecule level, it is mandatory to modify in a precise manner the AFM tip to anchor either ligand or receptor molecules. In the following lines, we review the achievements in tip modifications and illustrate the scope and limitations of the different strategies that have been reported.     

Multicomponent reaction for the synthesis of highly functionalized piperidine scaffolds catalyzed by TMSI

Research on Chemical Intermediates - An efficient method for the synthesis of highly functionalized piperidines via one-pot domino reaction of β-ketoesters, aromatic aldehydes, and aromatic...     

Environmentally benign chemical fixation of CO2 catalyzed by the functionalized ion-exchange resins

Basic ion-exchange resins, one kind of polystyryl-supported tertiary amine, were demonstrated to be highly efficient and recyclable catalysts for the fixation of carbon dioxide with aziridines under mild conditions, leading to the formation of 5-aryl-2-oxazolidinone with excellent regio-selectivities. Notably, neither solvents nor any additives were required, and the catalyst could be recovered by simple filtration and directly reused at least five times without significant loss of catalytic activity and selectivity. The present protocol has been applied to reactions of epoxides/propargyl amines with CO₂/CS₂. This solvent-free process thus represents environmentally friendly catalytic conversion of CO₂ into value-added chemicals and may have potential in various continuous flow reactors in industry.     

Hydrosilylation reactions catalyzed by rhodium complexes with phosphine ligands functionalized with imidazolium salts

Hydrosilylation reactions of styrene with triethoxysilane catalyzed by rhodium complexes with phosphine ligands functionalized with imidazolium salts are reported. In comparison with Wilkinson’s catalyst, Rh(PPh₃)₃Cl, all of the present rhodium complexes with phosphines functionalized with imidazolium salts exhibit higher catalytic activity and selectivity.     

Efficient cross-coupling of functionalized arylzinc halides catalyzed by a nickel chloride-diethyl phosphite system

[reaction: see text] The combination of diethyl phosphite and DMAP as ligands for nickel in an 8:1 THF-N-ethylpyrrolidinone (NEP) mixture allows a very efficient cross-coupling reaction to be performed between various functionalized arylzinc halides and aryl bromides, triflates and activated chlorides. The reaction proceeds at 25 degrees C within 1-48 h and requires only 0.05 mol % of the nickel catalyst.