A facile method for the synthesis of enantiopure α-unsubstituted β-hydroxy esters

One-pot deacylation–debromination reactions involving the transesterification of the initial chiral α-bromo-β-hydroxy thioimide aldol adducts and subsequent Al–Hg mediated reductive cleavage of the C–Br bond allow for a facile synthesis of enantiopure β-hydroxy esters.     

Influence of protein hydrolysis on the growth kinetics of β-lg fibrils

Recently it was found that protein hydrolysis is an important step in the formation of β-lactoglobulin fibrils at pH 2 and elevated temperatures. The objective of the present study was to further investigate the influence of hydrolysis on the kinetics of fibril formation. Both the hydrolysis of β-lactoglobulin and the growth of the fibrils were followed as a function of time and temperature, using SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a Thioflavin T fluorescence assay. As an essential extension to existing models, the quantification of the effect of the hydrolysis on the fibrillar growth was established by a simple polymerization model including a hydrolysis step.     

Metal-free,PTSA catalyzed facile synthesis of β-ketoacetal from β-chlorocinnamaldehyde

A toluene solution of β-chlorocinnamaldehyde and dihydroxy alcohols in the catalytic presence of para-toluenesulphonic acid (PTSA) yield the β-ketoacetal in good to outstanding amount. The catalyst (PTSA), first selectively protect the aldehydic group to form the β-chloroacetal and the subsequent dechlorination by H₂O result the β-ketoacetal. Significant transformation was achieved with electron donating substituent attached at the para-position of cinnamaldehyde. The selective formation of β-keto-1,3-acetal was also obtained with a mixture of 1, 2- and 1, 3- diol. The present reaction consists of a metal-free, economical, robustly feasible, sizeable functional group tolerance and high yield properties. Moreover, the use of different dihydroxy alcohols made this process more benign and valuable towards the metal-free development of ketones. First, of its kind, a rare and unusual multitasking nature of PTSA is observed.     

A facile stereospecific synthesis of chiral β-keto sulfoxides

A synthetic strategy has been devised for the preparation of chiral β-keto sulfoxides (actually, α-vinylsulfinyl ketones) starting from the readily available C-6 substituted 2,3-dihydro-1,4-oxathiines. The procedure, which is characterized by high yields and excellent enantiomeric excesses, represents an improvement in preparation methods for chiral β-keto sulfoxides.     

A facile process for the asymmetric synthesis of β-trifluoromethylated β-amino ketones via addition of ketone enolates to sulfinylimine

An efficient method for the asymmetric synthesis of β-trifluoromethylated β-amino ketones via addition of ketone-derivative enolates to trifluoromethylated sulfinylimine has been developed, with good chemical yields and excellent diastereoselectivities. This practical method was also proved to be suitable for large-scale preparation.     

Improved thermal oxidation stability of polypropylene films in the presence of β-nucleating agent

Thermal oxidation behavior of isotactic polypropylene (PP) films with and without nucleating agent was investigated at 100 °C in air. The crystal form of PP was modified with a specific aryl amide derivative as β-nucleating agent (β-NA). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and tensile tests were performed to determine the extent of chemical degradation and the variations of microstructure of the two kinds of PP films during thermal oxidation. It was found that the mechanism of thermal oxidation of PP films was not changed in the presence of β-NA, but the time to initiation and the rate of oxidation both declined. Moreover, during the thermal oxidation aging, the melting temperature of neat PP significantly decreased while only a slight decrease of the melting temperature occurred for β-PP. Overall, the investigation indicated that the thermal oxidative stability of β-PP was higher than that of neat PP. The underlying mechanism was further analyzed by considering the change in the physical structure, especially the crystalline and the amorphous structure, of PP in the presence of β-NA.     

SmI_2-promoted imino-Reformatsky reaction for facile synthesis of enantioenriched β-amino acid esters

A facile and efficient method for the stereoselective synthesis of β-amino acid esters via SmI2-promoted imino-Reformatsky reaction is described.Asymmetric addition of tert-butyl bromoacetate to N-tert-butanesulfinyl aldimines afforded β-amino acid esters in moderate to high yields with excellent diastereoselectivities.The synthetic utilities of the tert-butyl β-amino acid esters were expanded by the preparation of β-lactams and 3-aminoindan-1-ones derivatives.     

Effect of γ-irradiation on the growth of ZnO nanorod films for photocatalytic disinfection of contaminated water

The growth of ZnO nanorods on a flat substrate containing γ-irradiated seeds and their ability to photocatalytically eliminate bacteria in water were studied. The seed layer was obtained, by the spray pyrolysis technique, from zinc acetate solutions γ-irradiated within the range from 0 to 100 kGy. Subsequently, to grow the rods, the seeds were immersed in a basic solution of zinc nitrate maintained at 90 °C. The rate of crystal growth on the seed layer during the thermal bath treatment was kept constant. The resulting materials were characterized morphologically by scanning electron and atomic force microscopies; X-ray diffraction was used to study their morphology and structure and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy to determine their absorbance. The obtained seed films were morphologically dependent on the radiation dose and this was correlated with the ZnO nanorod films which presented a texture in the (002) direction perpendicular to the substrate. The rods have a hexagonal mean cross section between 20 and 140 nm. Using these rods, the photocatalytic degradation of Escherichia coli bacteria in water was studied; a positive influence of the crystalline texture on the degradation rate was observed.     

Effect of Co60 γ-irradiation on the optical properties of thin films from the system GeSe3–Sb2Se3–ZnSe

Optical transmittance in the range from 200 nm to 1100 nm is measured for fresh and γ-irradiated thermally evaporated chalcogenide films of GeSe₃, Sb₂Se₃, ZnSe, (GeSe₃)₈₀(Sb₂Se₃)₂₀ and (GeSe₃)₇₀(Sb₂Se₃)₁₀(ZnSe)₂₀. The effect of ZnSe incorporation with both GeSe₃, Sb₂Se₃ results in amorphous γ-radiation sensitive (GeSe₃)₇₀(Sb₂Se₃)₁₀(ZnSe)₂₀ composition as obtained from the estimated optical parameters. Optical energy gap, E_g, for (GeSe₃)₇₀(Sb₂Se₃)₁₀(ZnSe)₂₀ film shows a noticeable decrease from 1.81 eV at 0 kGy to 1.52 eV at 690 kGy and conversely the corresponding band tail width, E_e, increases from 0.123 eV at 0 kGy to 0.138 eV at 690 kGy. By contrast, the estimated values of E_g and E_e for (GeSe₃)₈₀(Sb₂Se₃)₂₀ compositions, show no change with different γ-irradiation doses in the same range. The obtained results could be explained in terms of the band edge shift into the energy gap due to either the formation of localized states at the edges or weakening in the composition cohesive energy as reformation of new weaker bonds appear.     

A facile route to growth of γ-MnOOH nanorods and electrochemical capacitance properties

Single crystal nanorods of γ-MnOOH with lengths up to hundreds of nanometers were successfully prepared employing a novel solvothermal process based on the redox reaction between potassium permanganate (KMnO(4)) and N, N-dimethyl ammonium formate (DMF) without extra surfactant or template. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The electrochemical properties of γ-MnOOH nanorods were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge performance measurements. Specific capacitance (C(s)) calculated from the galvanostatic discharge curve was 131.9 F g(-1) for γ-MnOOH nanorods at the current density of 0.5 A g(-1). The electrochemical experiment results demonstrate that γ-MnOOH nanorods should be a good candidate as electrode material for supercapacitor.     

Pd-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to 2-nitroacrylates: a facile route to β-homophenylglycines

Asymmetric conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to 2-nitroacrylamide in the presence of cationic palladium–Chiraphos complex proceeds with high yield and enantioselectivity (73–89% ee) using as low as 0.05–0.25 mol % of the catalyst. The adducts can be smoothly transformed into the corresponding β²-homophenylglycines in two simple steps.     

Single-molecule imaging reveals the stoichiometry change of epidermal growth factor receptor during transactivation by β_2-adrenergic receptor

Stimulation of G protein-coupled receptors(GPCRs) can lead to the transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptors(EGFR). The cross-communication between the two signaling pathways regulates several important physiological or pathological processes. However, the molecule mechanism underlying EGFR transactivation remains poorly understood. Here, we aim to study the GPCR-mediated EGFR transactivation process using the single-molecule fluorescence imaging and tracking approach.We found that although EGFR existed as monomers at the plasma membrane of resting cells, they became dimers and thus diffused slower following the activation of β2-adrenergic receptor(β2-AR) by isoproterenol(ISO). We further proved thatβ2-AR-mediated changes of EGFR in stoichiometry and dynamics were mediated by Src kinase. Thus, the observations obtained via the single-molecule imaging and tracking methods shed new insights into the molecular mechanism of EGFR transactivation at single molecule level.     

Characterization of fine particles of the α-Fe2O3-SnO2 system with residual SO2−4 ions on the surface

The α-Fe₂O₃-SnO₂ system in fine powder form prepared by thermal decomposition at 873 K of precursory oxide hydroxides and containing a few weight percent of residual SO²⁻₄ ions on the surface has been characterized by X-ray diffraction, by the⁵⁷Fe and¹¹⁹Sn Mo¨ssbauer effects, and by other techniques. A certain α-Fe₂O₃-rich composition of this system has been used practically as an excellent but cheap CH₄ sensor as a city gas-leak alarm. Fine particles of generally ≲10³ nm³ with intermediate compositions remain far from the equilibrium state in the aspect that the solubility is drastically widened for both α-Fe₂O₃ and SnO₂, especially for the latter: solid solutions (Fe₂O₃)_1−x(SnO₂)_x withx ≲ 0.2 crystallizing in the corundum-type structure and withx ≳ 0.7 crystallizing in the rutile-type structure seem to be formed. The SO²⁻₄ ions may be considered to form microscopic cages around fine particles which, although being thermodynamically unstable, are nevertheless practically stable for more than a few years at the operating temperature of 673 K as demonstrated by the practical use as a sensor. A rapid separation into and a rapid particle growth of α-Fe₂O₃ and SnO₂ are brought about by thermal release of the SO²⁻₄ ions at 1073 K.     

A facile and efficient method for synthesis of β-iodocarboxylates from terminal epoxides

A facile and efficient method has been developed for synthesis of β-iodocarboxylates in the presences of Ph₃P/I₂. Starting from epoxides, a series of β-iodocarboxylate compounds can be directly obtained in toluene media with excellent yields. Moreover, the method was successfully applied for the late-stage modification of natural products, such as isosteviol and vincamine derivatives, achieving the corresponding β-iodocarboxylates in good yields.     

Non-adiabatic effects on oxygen atom fine structure populations in the predissociation of the A2Σ+ state of OH

Multichannel scattering calculations are used to evaluate the role of non-adiabatic interactions and interference effect on the predissociation linewidths of several vibrational levels of the A²Σ⁺ state of OH due to coupling to three different repulsive electronic states. Oxygen atom fine structure branching ratios are calculated as a possible probe of the predissociation pathway. Non-adiabatic effects are found to be very strong for the lower vibrational predissociative A²Σ⁺ levels and to remain non-negligible even for the higher vibrational states of A ²Σ⁺.     

Crystal growth kinetics of Sb2S3 in Ge–Sb–S amorphous thin films

Sb₂S₃ crystal growth kinetics in (GeS₂) _x (Sb₂S₃)_1?Cx thin films (x?=?0.4 and 0.5) have been investigated through this study by optical microscopy in the temperature range of 575?C623?K. Relative complex crystalline structures composed of submicrometer-thin Sb₂S₃ crystal fibers develop linearly with time. The data on temperature dependence of crystal growth rate exhibit an exponential behavior. Corresponding activation energies were found to be E _G?=?279?±?7?kJ?mol^?1 for x?=?0.4 and E _G?=?255?±?5?kJ?mol^?1 for x?=?0.5. These values are similar to activation energies of crystal growth in bulk glasses of the same compositions. The crystal growth is controlled by liquid?Ccrystal interface kinetics. It seems that the 2D surface-nucleated growth is operative in this particular case. The calculated crystal growth rate for this model is in good agreement with experimental data. The crystal growth kinetic characteristic is similar for both the bulk glass and thin film for x?=?0.4 composition. However, it differs considerably for x?=?0.5 composition. Thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of crystal growth are discussed in terms of Jackson??s theory of liquid?Ccrystal interface.     

A facile synthesis of β-allenyl furanimines via Pd-catalyzed cyclization of 2,3-allenamides with propargylic carbonates

The Pd(OAc)₂/TFP-catalyzed cyclization reaction of 2,3-allenamides in the presence of propargylic carbonates provides an efficient route to β-allenyl furanimine derivatives. Preliminary mechanistic study showed that this reaction was probably initiated by Pd(0) species.     

A facile synthesis of 4-gem-difluoromethylene β-lactam and its derivatives from BrCF2CF2Br

4-Bromodifluoromethyl β-lactams 2 are prepared from the commercial available BrCF₂CF₂Br in overall five-step reaction procedure. Under the radical reaction conditions (Bu₃SnH/AIBN), compound 2 reacted with alkenes affording to the corresponding addition product difluoromethylene β-lactams 7. In the absence of alkenes, it can be converted into the corresponding difluoromethyl β-lactam 6 in almost quantitative yield. Furthermore, allylic stannic reagent Bu₃SnCH₂CHCH₂ reacted with 2 under the same reaction conditions gave the allylic addition product 8.