Evidence of the facile hydride and enolate addition to the imine bond of an aluminum-salophen complex

The isolation of complexes 2 and 3, unambiguously characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, demonstrates that nucleophilic additions to the aluminum-coordinated imino bond of salophen complex 1 can be achieved under very mild conditions.     

Highly selective metal mediated ortho-alkylation of phenol. First platinum containing organometallic chromane analogues

We were able, for the first time, to synthesize and characterize Pt derivatives with a structural shape similar to vitamin E, having a metalla-chromane core. The formation reaction mechanism includes an unexpected highly selective ortho aromatic electrophilic substitution on phenol, operated by [PtCl(eta(1)-C(2)H(4)OR)(N-N)], R = Me or Ph, and a final cyclization step. The X-ray structure of one of the new metalla-chromane complexes [Pt(EtPh)(phen)],1a, (EtPh = 2-(ethan-2'-yl-kC(1))-1-phenolato-k0(1), phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) is reported. Cytotoxicity and Pt uptake measurements, performed on HeLa cancer cells, show an interesting structure-activity correlation for the new metalla-chromane analogues 1a and [Pt(MeOEtPh)(phen)], 1b, (MeOEtPh = 2-(ethan-2'-yl-kC(1))-4-(methoxy)-1-phenolato-k0(1)), being the structurally closest to vitamin E and also the most active.     

Extraction of Lantana camara essential oil by supercritical carbon dioxide: influence of the grinding and biological activity

The aim of this study was to produce Lantana camara essential oil by SFE and to study the effect of matrix grinding on the yield and/or composition of the extract. Experiments were carried out on grinding matrices (G) and on not grinding matrices (NG). The extracts were analyzed by GC-MS. A comparison with the oil obtained by hydrodistillation is also given. Finally, the antibacterial and antifungal activity of the various extracts has been assayed.     

High throughput screening of low temperature CO oxidation catalysts using IR thermography

The catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide is an important process used in several areas such as respiratory protection, industrial air purification, automotive emissions control, CO clean-up of flue gases and fuel cells. Research in this area has mainly focused on the improvement of catalytic activity at low temperatures. Numerous catalyst systems have been proposed, including those based on Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, Au, Ag, and Cu, supported on refractory or reducible carriers or dispersed in perovskites. Well known commercial catalyst formulations for room temperature CO oxidation are based on CuMn2O4 (hopcalite) and CuCoAgMnOx mixed oxides. We have applied high-throughput and combinatorial methodologies to the discovery of more efficient catalysts for low temperature CO oxidation. The screening approach was based on a hierarchy of qualitative and semi-quantitative primary screens for the discovery of hits, and quantitative secondary screens for hit confirmation, lead optimization and scale-up. Parallel IR thermography was the primary screen, allowing one wafer-formatted library of 256 catalysts to be screened in approximately 1 hour. Multi-channel fixed bed reactors equipped with imaging reflection FTIR spectroscopy or GC were used for secondary screening. Novel RuCoCe compositions were discovered and optimized for CO oxidation and the effect of doping was investigated for supported and bulk mixed oxide catalysts. Another family of active hits that compare favorably with the Pt/Al2O3 benchmark is based on RuSn, where Sn can be used as a dopant (e.g. RuSn/SiO2) and/or as a high surface area carrier (e.g., SnO2 or Sn containing mixed metal oxides). Also, RuCu binary compositions were found to be active after a reduction pretreatment with hydrogen.     

Copper catalysis in the construction of indole and benzo[b]furan rings

This perspective reports on some of the main copper-catalyzed routes to the construction of the pyrrole and furan rings incorporated into the indole and benzo[b]furan systems, respectively. The first part illustrates the synthesis of indoles through cyclizations of 2-alkynylanilid(n)es, preformed or generated in situ, and cyclizations via intramolecular N-arylation, N-vinylation, and C-C bond forming reactions. The second part illustrates the synthesis of benzo[b]furans through cyclizations of preformed 2-alkynylphenols, domino synthesis of 2-alkynylphenols/cyclization processes, and cyclizations via intramolecular O-arylation reactions.     

An XPS investigation on glucose oxidase and Ni/Al hydrotalcite interaction

In this work, a Ni/Al hydrotalcite (HT) was used as glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilizer. Small‐area and angle‐resolved X‐ray photoelectron spectra were recorded on HTs electrosynthesized on Pt in the absence and in the presence of GOx, and compared with those obtained for a Pt surface, modified with the electrosynthesized HT, on which a drop of GOx solution was deposited. The simultaneous electrodeposition of HT + GOx resulted in a compact deposit, thicker than the XPS sampling depth (>10 nm), that is not homogeneous in the lateral and in‐depth composition. The presence of GOx can be deduced comparing the N1s spectra of HT and HT + GOx: in the latter, the N1s component at 400 eV binding energy (BE) is predominant whilst, depending on the analyzed point, a small or no contribution from the component at 407.2 eV, due to nitrate, is revealed. Angle‐resolved XPS provides evidence on the in‐depth composition of anions, cations and GOx. The results highlight the crucial role played by nickel in GOx immobilization. On the basis of the results, it can be suggested that enzyme activity is unevenly distributed and is localized in small areas, where Ni concentration is higher. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

160 Gbit/s binary-to-quaternary amplitude shift keying encoding in the optical domain

160?Gbit/s all-optical binary-to-quaternary amplitude shift keying format conversion is carried out in a nonlinear optical fiber. This scheme, which also acts as a 2 bit digital-to-analog convertor, has been confirmed through Q-factor measurements.     

Sulfines Functionalization with Organosilanes: A Novel Access to Allylsulfoxides

Abstract

A novel and general functionalization of sulfines with organosilanes is reported, disclosing a mild methodology to obtain a regiospecific access to a wide range of different substituted sulfoxides.     

HMDST as Useful Tool in Organic Synthesis: A Further Step in the Delivery of Sulfur Functionalities

Abstract

Bis(trimethylsilyl)sulfide (HMDST) was demostrated to be a very efficient reagent in the delivery of sulfur functionalities, allowing us to synthesize a wide range of thiocarbonyl compounds. The most reactive derivatives were trapped with suitable dienes, leading to the synthesis of different heterocyclic molecules with an high degree of chemo- and regioselectivity. Recently, the mildness of this methodology also allowed us to obtain particularly reactive thiooxocompounds, such as thioformylsilanes, α,β-unsaturated thioaldehydes, thioketones, thioacylsilanes, and thioacylstannanes.