Enantioselective organocatalytic asymmetric allylic alkylation. Bis(phenylsulfonyl)methane addition to MBH carbonates

The highly enantioselective asymmetric allylic alkylation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates with bis(phenylsulfonyl)methane is presented. The reaction is simply catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid derivatives affording the final alkylated products in good yields and enantioselectivities.     

Recent advances in the application of chiral phosphine ligands in Pd-catalysed asymmetric allylic alkylation

One of the most powerful approaches for the formation of simple and complex chiral molecules is the metal-catalysed asymmetric allylic alkylation. This reaction has been broadly studied with a great variety of substrates and nucleophiles under different reaction conditions and it has promoted the synthesis of new chiral ligands to be evaluated as asymmetric inductors. Although the mechanism as well as the active species equilibria are known, the performance of the catalytic system depends on the fine tuning of factors such as type of substrate, nucleophile nature, reaction medium, catalytic precursor and type of ligand used. Particularly interesting are chiral phosphines which have proved to be effective asymmetric inductors in several such reactions. The present review covers the application of phosphine-donor ligands in Pd-catalysed asymmetric allylic alkylation in the last decade.     

Catalytic asymmetric aziridination of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

The development, scope, and application of the highly enantioselective organocatalytic aziridination of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes is presented. The aminocatalytic azirdination of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes enables the asymmetric formation of β-formyl aziridines with up to >19:1 d.r. and 99% ee. The aminocatalytic aziridination of α-monosubstituted enals gives access to terminal α-substituted-α-formyl aziridines in high yields and up to 99% ee. In the case of the organocatalytic aziridination of disubstituted α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, the transformations were highly diastereo- and enantioselective and give nearly enantiomerically pure β-formyl-functionalized aziridine products (99% ee). A highly enantioselective one-pot cascade sequence based on the combination of asymmetric amine and N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis (AHCC) is also disclosed. This one-pot three-component co-catalytic transformation between α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, hydroxylamine derivatives, and alcohols gives the corresponding N-tert-butoxycarbonyl and N-carbobenzyloxy-protected β-amino acid esters with ee values ranging from 92-99%. The mechanisms and stereochemistry of all these catalytic transformations are also discussed.     

Hematite from a mining area in the east border of Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Iron oxides are dominant minerals in many geo-domains of economical interest, as iron ore mines. Knowing the main mineral transformation pathways is a fundamental step to plan prospecting new mineral deposits. This study aimed at contributing to a better understanding of the chemical and mineralogical processes related to the genesis and transformations of iron oxides involving hematite in an iron-ore mine of the east border of Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Two representative geo-samples were analyzed with synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (XRD), ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence and saturation magnetization (σ) measurements. The iron content varied from 65 to 69 mass% Fe. From XRD data, hematite is indeed the major mineral for all samples but characteristic reflections of goethite and magnetite also appear. For the magnetic sample, σ = 6.9 J T^???1 kg^???1. 298 K- and 110 K-Mössbauer data allow characterizing hematite in these iron-rich geo-materials.     

Enantiomeric β-sheet peptides from Aβ form homochiral pleated β-sheets rather than heterochiral rippled β-sheets

In 1953, Pauling and Corey postulated “rippled” β-sheets, composed of a mixture of d- and l-peptide strands, as a hypothetical alternative to the now well-established structures of “pleated” β-sheets, which they proposed as a component of all-l-proteins. Growing interest in rippled β-sheets over the past decade has led to the development of mixtures of d- and l-peptides for biomedical applications, and a theory has emerged that mixtures of enantiomeric β-sheet peptides prefer to co-assemble in a heterochiral fashion to form rippled β-sheets. Intrigued by conflicting reports that enantiomeric β-sheet peptides prefer to self-assemble in a homochiral fashion to form pleated β-sheets, we set out address this controversy using two β-sheet peptides derived from Aβ_17–23 and Aβ_30–36, peptides 1a and 1b. Each of these peptides self-assembles to form tetramers comprising sandwiches of β-sheet dimers in aqueous solution. Through solution-phase NMR spectroscopy, we characterize the different species formed when peptides 1a and 1b are mixed with their respective d-enantiomers, peptides ent-1a and ent-1b. ¹H NMR, DOSY, and ¹H,¹⁵N-HSQC experiments reveal that mixing peptides 1a and ent-1a results in the predominant formation of homochiral tetramers, with a smaller fraction of a new heterochiral tetramer, and mixing peptides 1b and ent-1b does not result in any detectable heterochiral assembly. ¹⁵N-edited NOESY reveals that the heterochiral tetramer formed by peptides 1a and ent-1a is composed of two homochiral dimers. Collectively, these NMR studies of Aβ-derived peptides provide compelling evidence that enantiomeric β-sheet peptides prefer to self-assemble in a homochiral fashion in aqueous solution.

In aqueous solution, mixtures of l- and d- macrocyclic β-sheet peptides derived from Aβ self-assemble to form homochiral pleated β-sheets but do not co-assemble to form heterochiral rippled β-sheets.     

Some statistical challenges in automated driving systems

Automated driving systems are rapidly developing. However, numerous open problems remain to be resolved to ensure this technology progresses before its widespread adoption. A large subset of these problems are, or can be framed as, statistical decision problems. Therefore, we present herein several important statistical challenges that emerge when designing and operating automated driving systems. In particular, we focus on those that relate to request-to-intervene decisions, ethical decision support, operations in heterogeneous traffic, and algorithmic robustification. For each of these problems, earlier solution approaches are reviewed and alternative solutions are provided with accompanying empirical testing. We also highlight open avenues of inquiry for which applied statistical investigation can help ensure the maturation of automated driving systems. In so doing, we showcase the relevance of statistical research and practice within the context of this revolutionary technology.