Stable and efficient silver substrates for SERS spectroscopy

Silver substrates have been obtained, by depositing silver colloidal nanoparticles on a roughened silver plate treated with 1,10-phenanthroline, and checked by means of AFM microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The ligand molecules are located between two silver substrates and undergo the SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering) enhancement of both the roughened silver plate and the silver colloidal layer deposited on it. These SERS-active substrates, which show the advantages of being stable with respect to the metal colloidal suspensions, along with an easy and reproducible preparation, can be very useful for catalytic and analytical applications of the SERS spectroscopy.     

Highly efficient light-harvesting organofullerenes

Diphenylmethanofullerene-perylenebisimide dyads and triads have been prepared as light harvesters and electron acceptors for the preparation of efficient organic solar cells. The presence of swallowtail chains on the perylene unit provides enhanced solubility and allows its complete characterization. [Structure: see text]     

Highly efficient glucosylation of flavonoids

Abstract  

A highly efficient procedure for glucosylation of flavonoids by acetobromoglucose is described. Glucosylation is carried out in a two-phase system CHCl₃/H₂O over 96 h using tetrabutylammonium bromide as phase-transfer catalyst. A purification procedure can be performed without column chromatography, and the yields of the glucosylated flavonoids are mostly quantitative. Acetylated glucosides were deprotected with sodium methanolate to afford the desired glucosides of flavonoids.     

Highly efficient synthesis of ketoheptoses

A reliable, facile, high overall yielding and diastereoselective synthesis of ketoheptoses was developed and applied for preparation of the two most diabetogenic ketoheptoses as well as in a modified version for the synthesis of kamusol.     

Highly efficient synthesis of trimethylarsine

A convenient, highly efficient, and environmentally safe procedure for the preparation of trimethylarsine was proposed. A quantitative yield of this compound in the reaction of As₂O₃ with AIMe₃ was attained for the first time by using mechanochemical activation of the process.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 2122–2123, August, 1996.     

Highly efficient one-pot synthesis of tetrahydropyridines

The combination of aromatic aldehydes, and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in the presence of a catalytic amount of poly(N,N′-dibromo-N-ethyl-benzene-1,3-disulfonamide) [PBBS] and N,N,N′,N′-tetrabromobenzene-1,3-disulfonamide [TBBDA] leads to the formation of highly substituted tetrahydropyridines. In this way, a series of pharmacologically interesting substituted piperidine derivatives were obtained in moderate to high yields at room temperature.     

Highly efficient methods for metacyclophane synthesis

Highly efficient methods for synthesizing metacyclophanes such as 2,6-bridged pyrones and pyridines are described. 4-Hydroxy-2-pyrone derivative 3 bridged at the 3 and 6-positions is readily available. This compound was transformed into 2,6-bridged 4-pyrone 4 on heating in ethanol or in hydrochloric acid. Heating 4 with ammonia or methylamine afforded the corresponding 2,6-bridged 4-pyrone 7 or 8. These pyridones were synthesized directly from 3 by treatment with ammonia or methylamine. These methods have a wide applicability to the bridge length of metacyclophane; compounds with a short bridge (n=8) as well as long bridge (n=18) are synthesized in satisfactory yields.     

Highly sensitive SERS monitoring of catalytic reaction by bifunctional Ag-Pd triangular nanoplates

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can attain the “fingerprint” information of molecules from their vibrational transitions for detecting chemical species and thus displays extraordinary application value in studying chemical reaction mechanism catalyzed by noble metal nanoparticles in recent years. Herein, we successfully fabricated bifunctional Ag-Pd triangular nanoplates with integration of catalytic and SERS activities, using Ag triangular nanoplates as templates and Na₂PdCl₄ as Pd precursor in the presence of ascorbic acid acting as reducing agent and polyvinylpyrrolidone serving as stabilizing agent. We found slowly titrating Na₂PdCl₄ solution, compared with the one-shot injection during reaction, can strongly restrain the galvanic replacement reaction and maintain the Ag content, therefore retaining the plasmonic and SERS properties of Ag-Pd triangular nanoplates. By easily adjusting the amount of Na₂PdCl₄, we can optimize the SERS and catalytic activities of Ag-Pd triangular nanoplates. The optimal Ag-Pd triangular nanoplates with dual functionalities are used to follow the catalytic reduction process of 4-nitrothiophenol in the presence of NaBH₄ by SERS. The results reveal 4-nitrothiophenol is directly transformed to 4-aminothiophenol through a one-step route. Thereby, the prepared Ag-Pd triangular nanoplates are effective and suitable for sensitively investigating the catalytic reaction process by in situ SERS.     

3D SERS Imaging Using Chemically Synthesized Highly Symmetric Nanoporous Silver Microparticles

3D surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) imaging with highly symmetric 3D silver microparticles as a SERS substrate was developed. Although the synthesis method is purely chemical and does not involve lithography, the synthesized nanoporous silver microparticles possess a regular hexapod shape and octahedral symmetry. By using p‐aminothiophenol (PATP) as a probe molecule, the 3D enhancement patterns of the particles were shown to be very regular and predictable, resembling the particle shape and exhibiting symmetry. An application to the detection of 3D inhomogeneity in a polymer blend, which relies on the predictable enhancement pattern of the substrate, is presented. 3D SERS imaging using the substrate also provides an improvement in spatial resolution along the Z axis, which is a challenge for Raman measurement in polymers, especially layered polymeric systems.     

Highly efficient induction of chirality in intramolecular

Highly stereocontrolled, intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloadditions between ketenimines and imines leading to 1,2-dihydroazeto[2, 1-b]quinazolines have been achieved. The source of stereocontrol is a chiral carbon atom adjacent either to the iminic carbon or nitrogen atom. In the first case, the stereocontrol stems from the preference for the axial conformer in the first transition structure. In the second case, the origin of the stereocontrol lies on the two-electron stabilizing interaction between the C-C bond being formed and the sigma orbital corresponding to the polar C-X bond, X being an electronegative atom. These models can be extended to other related systems for predicting the stereochemical outcome in this intramolecular reaction.     

Highly efficient microwave-accelerated preparation of β-ketoimines

We present here a new and efficient methodology for the β-ketoimine ligand with microwave heating system. The new method showed faster reaction rates, higher yields, and selectivities of the desired compounds in the absence of solvents.     

Highly efficient magnesium initiators for lactide polymerization

Two monomeric, six-coordinated magnesium complexes with bulky aminophenolate ligands [(Htbpoa)2Mg] (1) and [(Htbpca)2Mg(THF)2] (2), where Htbpoa =N-[methyl(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)]-N-methyl-N-methyl-1,3-dioxolaneamine and Htbpca =N-[methyl(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)]-N-methyl-N-cyclohexylamine have been prepared, characterized and employed as initiators for lactide polymerization. The crystal structure of the homoleptic compound 1 has been determined and shows that the six-coordinate magnesium atom in 1 is surrounded by two tridendate tbpoa ligands. In the solution, however, complex 1 exists in equilibrium with a five-coordinate species 1a having one oxolane fragment dangling. The tbpoa and tbpca ligands in 1 and 2 play a dual role, as the ancillary ligand stabilizing the monomeric magnesium species and as the initiating polymerization group.     

Highly efficient catalytic routes to spiroketal motifs

The versatile and efficient synthesis of a variety of spiroketal motifs via the double intramolecular hydroalkoxylation of aliphatic and aromatic alkyne diols was achieved using simple and readily accessible Ir(I) and Rh(I) cyclooctadiene complexes as catalysts.     

Highly efficient dendrimer-based mimic of glutathione peroxidase

In this communication, we report the synthesis of the three generations of Fréchet-type poly(aryl ether) dendrimers with a diselenide core that demonstrate generation-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity with initial reduction rates as high as 2431.20 muM min-1 for the third-generation product, around 1400 times faster than Ebselen. It represents a successful example of using a dendrimer as a model for a GPx mimic.     

Highly efficient syntheses of hyaluronic acid oligosaccharides

Highly efficient syntheses of hyaluronic acid oligosaccharides have been accomplished through the pre-activation based iterative one-pot strategy. A series of oligosaccharides ranging from di- to hexasaccharides were rapidly assembled using only near stoichiometric amounts of the building blocks without aglycon adjustment or purifications of intermediate oligosaccharides. Deprotection and oxidation protocols were developed for protective group removal and oxidation-state adjustment. The availability of such structurally well defined synthetic hyaluronic acid oligosaccharides will greatly facilitate the establishment of detailed structure-function relationships.     

Highly efficient template-based preparation of shape-persistent macrocyclics

The synthesis of shape-persistent macrocycles via oxidative dimerization or trimerization of rigid bisacetylenes (via Glaser coupling) is described. To enhance the yield of the desired target structures, the precursors are temporarily covalently bound to a template resulting in an intramolecular coupling instead of an intermolecular coupling. As a result, product yields up to over 90 % are observed.