Facile regiocontrolled synthesis of trialkyl-substituted pyrazines

[reaction: see text] Alpha-nitro ketones can be transformed selectively into trialkyl-substituted pyrazines via reaction with alpha-amino ketones using octyl viologen as an electron-transfer reagent. The new synthetic method, and the optimal reaction conditions that allow for the regiochemical control, are described.     

Development of adenosine sensor: effect of physiological buffers on activity and sensitivity in adenosine determinations by fast scan voltammetry

A new fast scan voltammetry (FSV) method was tested in the determinations of adenosine in physiological buffers at pH 7.4. The buffers can be used in the determinations of adenosine in vivo and include 7 x 10(-2) M phosphate, Krebs-Henseleit (K-H) and Hanks' Balanced Salts (HBSS). A new method of fabrication of carbon fiber electrodes (CFEs) by polishing, followed by electrochemical pretreatment (ECP) was developed for the determination. After the ECP of CFE, CFE background current was stable in FSV determinations even though an increase in the background current was observed after the ECP in the buffers at pH 7.4. The sensitivity in FSV determinations of adenosine at the pretreated electrodes was tested in the physiological buffers at the potential scan rate of 500 V s(-1) at pH 7.4. Buffer composition and pH was the same during the ECP of CFE and in the FSV determinations. The sensitivity in the FSV determinations of adenosine at the new CFEs was high, compared to that previously reported at CFEs prepared by other methods, and showed a limited dependence on buffer composition. However, a small increase in buffer pH above 7.4 resulted in a decrease in sensitivity in the determinations of adenosine. The decrease in sensitivity was associated with an additional increase in CFE background current at pH > 7.4. At pH 7.4 best sensitivity and limit of detection was obtained in 7 x 10(-2) M phosphate buffer, where the background current was lowest. The sensitivity was half that in K-H and HBSS. Standard deviation of measurements was ca. 1%. The results demonstrate the feasibility of sensitive FSV determinations of adenosine in physiological buffers at pH 7.4 at CFEs.     

Synthesis of polyfunctionally substituted heteroaromatic compounds via benzotriazolyl chalcones with antimicrobial and antifungal activities

The utility of both 3‐(1‐benzotriazolyl) chalcone derivatives 3a‐c and 2‐(1‐benzotriazolyl)‐1,4‐pentadien‐3‐one (18) in the synthesis of some new 2‐(1H)‐pyridone, pyridine, pyrazole and isoxazole derivatives is reported. Antimicrobial and antifungal screening of some selected examples from the synthesized products were carried out. The structure of the newly synthesized compounds was elucidated by elemental analysis, ir, ¹H and ¹³C nmr investigations.     

Tetracrystalline Tetrablock Quarterpolymers: Four Different Crystallites under the Same Roof

Multicrystalline block polymers having three or more crystalline segments are essential materials for the advancement of physics in the field of crystallinity. The challenging synthesis of multicrystalline polymers has resulted in only a limited number of tricrystalline terpolymers having been reported to date. We report, for the first time, the synthesis of polyethylene‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(?‐caprolactone)‐b‐poly(l ‐lactide) (PE‐b‐PEO‐b‐PCL‐b‐PLLA), a tetracrystalline tetrablock quarterpolymer, by combining polyhomologation, ring‐opening polymerization, and an organic/metal “catalyst switch” strategy. ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel‐permeation chromatography confirmed the formation of the tetrablock quarterpolymer, while differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction, and wide‐line separation solid‐state NMR spectroscopy revealed the existence of four different crystalline domains.     

Analytical potential energy functions and theoretical spectroscopic constants for MX/MX− (MGe,Sn, Pb; XO,S, Se,Te, Po) and LuA (AH,F) systems: Density functional theory calculations

The molecular spectroscopic constants for the chalcogenide complexes MX (M?Ge, Sn, Pb; X?O, S, Se, Te, Po) and their corresponding MX^? anions are presented with the LSDA/SDD, B1LYP/SDD, and B3LYP/SDD methods. Although many methods were attempted, only the most promising results are reported. We show that the best results are obtained by LSDA/SDD calculations, and thus this method is emphasized as an illustrative example of our methodology. The potential energy curves and physical property characterizations for X¹ ∑⁺ state of LuH and LuF are presented with a variety of density functional theory (DFT) methods. Comparisons with wave function‐based treatments (HF, MP2, CCSD, QCISD) are made in addition to experimental correlations. We show that the best results are obtained by the B3LYP/SDD method for LuH, and the MPW1PW91/SDD method for LuF. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Synthesis,characterization, and evaluation of biological activities of new 4′‐substituted ruthenium (II) terpyridine complexes: Prospective anti‐inflammatory properties

The synthesis and characterization of Ru (II) terpyridine complexes derived from 4′ functionalized 2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine (tpy) ligands are reported. The heteroleptic complexes comprise the synthesized ligands 4′‐(2‐thienyl)‐ 2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine) or (4′‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine and (dimethyl 5‐(pyrimidin‐5‐yl)isophthalate). The new complexes [Ru(4′‐(2‐thienyl)‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine)(5‐(pyrimidin‐5‐yl)‐isophthalic acid)Cl₂] ( 9 ), [Ru(4′‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine)(5‐(pyrimidin‐5‐yl)‐isophthalic acid)Cl₂] ( 10 ), and [Ru(4′‐(2‐thienyl)‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine)(5‐(pyrimidin‐5‐yl)‐isophthalic acid)(NCS)₂] ( 11 ) were characterized by ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy, C, H, N, and S elemental analysis, UPLC‐ESI‐MS, TGA, FT‐IR, and UV‐Vis spectroscopy. The biological activities of the synthesized ligands and their Ru (II) complexes as anti‐inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer agents were evaluated. Furthermore, the toxicity of the synthesized compounds was studied and compared with the standard drugs, namely, diclofenac potassium and ibuprofen, using hemolysis assay. The results indicated that the ligands and the complex 9 possess superior anti‐inflammatory activities inhibiting albumin denaturation (89.88–100%) compared with the standard drugs (51.5–88.37%) at a concentration of 500 μg g^?1. These activities were related to the presence of the chelating N‐atoms in the ligands and the exchangeable chloro‐ groups in the complex. Moreover, the chloro‐ and thiophene groups in complex 9 produce a higher anticancer activity compared with its isothiocyanate derivative in the complex 11 and the 3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl moiety in complex 10 . Considering the toxicity results, the synthesized ligands are nontoxic or far less toxic compared with the standard drugs and the metal complexes. Therefore, these newly synthesized compounds are promising anti‐inflammatory agents in addition to their moderate unique broad antimicrobial activity.     

Initial Carbon−Carbon Bond Formation during the Early Stages of Methane Dehydroaromatization

Methane dehydroaromatization (MDA) is among the most challenging processes in catalysis science owing to the inherent harsh reaction conditions and fast catalyst deactivation. To improve this process, understanding the mechanism of the initial C?C bond formation is essential. However, consensus about the actual reaction mechanism is still to be achieved. In this work, using advanced magic‐angle spinning (MAS) solid‐state NMR spectroscopy, we study in detail the early stages of the reaction over a well‐dispersed Mo/H‐ZSM‐5 catalyst. Simultaneous detection of acetylene (i.e., presumably the direct C?C bond‐forming product from methane), methylidene, allenes, acetal, and surface‐formate species, along with the typical olefinic/aromatic species, allow us to conclude the existence of at least two independent C?H activation pathways. Moreover, this study emphasizes the significance of mobility‐dependent host–guest chemistry between an inorganic zeolite and its trapped organic species during heterogeneous catalysis.     

An XPS,ISS and ESR Comparative Study of Eight-Coordination of Copper (II) Ions in the CuTho Compounds

In this study, we attempted to clarify the coordination state and the distribution of copper (II) ions in the CuThO compounds prepared by coprecipitation, by using several physico-chemical techniques in particular, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS).

For atomic ratios Cu/Th ≤ 0.25, the copper (II) species are mainly located near the thoria surface. The Cu2p_3/2 level shows a chemical shift towards the lower binding energy compared to Cu²⁺ ions in CuO and also a net decrease in the intensity of the satellite peak, characteristic of copper (11). A relation between these observations and the covalent character o f Cuzt- 02- bond i s esta- blished. Eightfold coordination of copper (11) i n the thoria lattice i s evident. These conclusions are in good agreement with Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) results.

For a higher atomic ratio (Cu/Th > 0.25), a formation o f copper oxide crystallites i s observed on the thoria surface.