Dinuclear Au(I), Au(II) and Au(III) Complexes with (CF2)n Chains: Insights into The Role of Aurophilic Interactions in the Au(I) Oxidation

New dinuclear Au(I), Au(II) and Au(III) complexes containing (CF₂)_n bridging chains were obtained. Metallomacrocycles [Au₂{μ-(CF₂)₄}{μ-diphosphine}] show an uncommon figure-eight structure, the helicity inversion barrier of which is influenced by aurophilic interactions and steric constraints imposed by the diphosphine. Halogenation of LAu(CF₂)₄AuL (L=PPh₃, PMe₃, (dppf)_1/2, (binap)_1/2) gave [Au(II)]₂ species, some of which display unprecedented folded structures with Au−Au bonds. Aurophilic interactions facilitate this oxidation process by preorganizing the starting [Au(I)]₂ complexes and lowering its redox potential. The obtained [Au(II)]₂ complexes undergo thermal or photochemical elimination of R₃PAuX to give Au(III) perfluorinated auracycles. Evidence of a radical mechanism for these decomposition reactions was obtained.     

Magnesium sulfate against oxidative damage of membrane lipids: A theoretical model

The role of magnesium sulfate as an inhibitor of lipid peroxidation has been poorly understood, although this salt has been intensively used in a wide range of diseases related to lipid peroxidation, for example, preeclampsia. Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a lipid bilayer in the presence of ^?OH radicals and MgSO₄ were performed to study their effects on membrane properties. Additionally, quantum chemistry (QC) calculations for MgSO₄, ^?OH, MgSO₄^?OH, [MgSO₄(H₂O)₄], and [MgSO₄(H₂O)₄^?OH] were performed to analyze the interactions between ^?OH^…Mg. The MD results showed that the Mg salt is hydrated, forming a contact ion pair (CIP) that is adsorbed on the membrane surface close to phosphate groups. Comparisons of MD calculations for Mg? O distances indicate good agreement with theoretical QC and experimental studies. MD results also reveal that MgSO₄ increases the thickness and the compressibility modulus of the membrane, indicating that it is less compressible. In contrast, DFT calculations show important ^?OH^…Mg? SO₄ interactions in hydrated systems that inhibit the radical action by resonance in the group (smearing the spin density). These results, together with the reported experimental findings of ^?OH high mobility in water and fast water exchange in Mg⁺², may explain the MgSO₄ protective effect against lipid peroxidation on cellular membranes.     

Brønsted acid-catalyzed benzylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl derivatives

The direct alkylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with benzylic alcohols is shown to be efficiently catalyzed by simple Br?nsted acids such as triflic acid (TfOH) and p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTS) to give rise to monoalkylated dicarbonyl derivatives in high yields. In the absence of the nucleophile, substituted alkenes, generated through a formal dimerization reaction, are obtained. The reactions are carried out in air using undried solvents, with water being the only side product of the process.     

Synthesis of IB-01211, a cyclic peptide containing 2,4-concatenated thia- and oxazoles, via Hantzsch macrocyclization

[structure: see text] An efficient and versatile convergent synthesis of IB-01211 based on a combination of peptide and heterocyclic chemistry is described. The key step in the synthesis is macrocyclization through intramolecular Hantzsch formation of the thiazole ring. Dehydration of a free primary alcohol to furnish the exocyclic methylidene present in the natural product was applied during the macrocyclization.     

Driving oxygen coordinated ligand exchange at nanocrystal surfaces using trialkylsilylated chalcogenides

A general, efficient method is demonstrated for exchanging native oxyanionic ligands on inorganic nanocrystals with functional trimethylsilylated (TMS) chalcogenido ligands. In addition, newly synthesized TMS mixed chalcogenides leverage preferential reactivity of TMS-S bonds over TMS-O bonds, enabling efficient transfer of luminescent nanocrystals into aqueous media with retention of their optical properties.     

Synthesis of a family of 3-alkyl- or 3-aryl-substituted 1,2-dihydroquinazolinium salts and their isomerization to 4-iminium-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines

A straightforward synthesis of substituted 1,2-dihydroquinazolinium triflates (3) is reported by reaction of 2-imino-substituted anilines with a range of carbonyl compounds in the presence of triflic acid via intermediate iminium salts. Similar reactions with di- or trialdehydes and triflic acid give bis- or tris-(1,2-dihydroquinazolinium) salts. Some 4-methyl substituted 1,2-dihydroquinazolinium salts rearrange, under various conditions, to their corresponding 4-iminium-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolinium isomers (7). Most of salts 3 derived from ketones are rather unstable, which prevents their isolation or full characterization. The crystal structures of various 3 and 7 salts have been determined.     

Coordination modes and different hapticities for fullerene organometallic complexes

The different coordination modes in fullerene organometallic complexes are reviewed. The main modes are η2 and η5, but there are some interesting studies about the other four, all of them are revised in order to show which is the state of art of this kind of compounds with the respect of the hapticity.     

Towards an engineering-oriented strategy for building microbial anodes for microbial fuel cells

The objective of the work was to give some first insight into an engineering-oriented approach to MFC design by focusing on anode optimisation. The effect of various parameters was firstly investigated in half cell set-ups under well-controlled conditions. Microbial anodes were formed from soil leachate under polarisation at -0.2 V vs. SCE with different concentrations of substrate, salt and buffer. It was shown that non-turnover CV could be used to assess the electroactive maturity of the anodes during polarisation. This first phase resulted in the definition of a set of optimal parameter values. In the second phase, an optimal anode was formed in a half-cell under the defined optimal conditions. A numerical approach was then developed to calculate the theoretical maximum power that the anode could provide in an ideal MFC. The concept of "ideal MFC" introduced here allowed the theoretical maximum power to be calculated on the sole basis of the kinetic characteristics of the anode. Finally, a MFC designed in the aim of approaching such ideal conditions generated stable power densities of 6.0 W m(-2), which were among the highest values reported so far. The discrepancy between the theoretical maximum (8.9 W m(-2)) and the experimental results pointed out some limit due to the source of inoculum and suggested possible paths to improvement.