Copper‐Catalyzed Intermolecular Asymmetric Propargylic Dearomatization of Indoles

The first copper‐catalyzed intermolecular dearomatization of indoles by an asymmetric propargylic substitution reaction was developed. This method provides a highly efficient synthesis of versatile furoindoline and pyrroloindoline derivatives containing a quaternary carbon stereogenic center and a terminal alkyne moiety with up to 86 % yield and 98 % ee.     

Directed meta‐Selective Bromination of Arenes with Ruthenium Catalysts

A Ru‐catalyzed direct C? H activation/meta‐bromination of arenes bearing pyridyl, pyrimidyl, and pyrazolyl directing groups has been developed. A series of bromo aryl pyridines and pyrimidines have been synthesized, and further coupling reactions have also been demonstrated for a number of representative functionalized arenes. Preliminary mechanistic studies have revealed that this reaction may proceed through radical‐mediated bromination when NBS is utilized as the bromine source. This type of transformation has opened up a new direction for the radical non‐ipso functionalization of metal with regard to future C? H activation development that would allow the remote functionalization of aromatic systems.     

De Novo Design and Synthesis of a γ‐Turn Peptidomimetic Scaffold and Its Application as JNK3 Allosteric Ligand

As a way to develop a neuroprotective agent for the JNK3‐JIP1‐binding site, peptidomimetics of JIP‐1 as JNK3 allosteric regulators have been examined. The study consisted of in silico scaffold hopping, molecular docking, solution and solid‐phase peptide syntheses, and K_d measurements using surface plasmon resonance. As a peptidomimetic of JIP1, heptamer mimetic 16 (K_d=2.72 μm ) displayed a higher affinity than decamer JIP1 (K_d=23.6 μm ). The high affinity of 16 implies that the characteristic γ‐turn mimetic structure, “”Φ‐X‐Φ“ hydrophobic motif in 16 , increased its affinity toward the JIP‐site of JNK3.     

Mechanism of the Aerobic Homocoupling of Phenylboronic Acid on Au20−: A DFT Study

The mechanism of the gold nanocluster‐catalyzed aerobic homocoupling of arylboronic acids has been elucidated by means of DFT calculations with Au₂₀^? as a model cluster for the Au:[poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidin‐2‐one)] catalyst. We found that oxygen affects the adsorption of phenylboronic acid and, by lowering the energy barrier, a water molecule enhances dissociation of the C?B bond, which is probably the rate‐determining step. The key role of oxygen is in activating the surface of the gold cluster by generating Lewis acidic sites for adsorption and activation of the phenylboronic acid, leading to the formation of biphenyl through a superoxo‐like species. Moreover, the oxygen adsorbed on the Au nanocluster can act as an oxidant for phenylboronic acid, giving phenol as a byproduct. As shown by NBO analysis, the basic aqueous reaction medium facilitates the reductive elimination process by weakening the Au?C bond, thereby enhancing the formation of biphenyl. The coupling of phenyl and reductive elimination of biphenyl occur at the top or facet site with low‐energy‐barrier through spillover of phenyl group on Au NC. The present findings are useful for the interpretation or design of other coupling reactions with Au NC.     

Luminescent Di‐ and Trinuclear Boron Complexes Based on Aromatic Iminopyrrolyl Spacer Ligands: Synthesis,Characterization, and Application in OLEDs

New bis‐ and tris(iminopyrrole)‐functionalized linear (1,2‐(HNC₄H₃‐C(H)?N)₂‐C₆H₄ ( 2 ), 1,3‐(HNC₄H₃‐C(H)?N)₂‐C₆H₄ ( 3 ), 1,4‐(HNC₄H₃‐C(H)?N)₂‐C₆H₄ ( 4 ), 4,4′‐(HNC₄H₃‐C(H)?N)₂‐(C₆H₄‐C₆H₄) ( 5 ), 1,5‐(HNC₄H₃C‐(H)?N)₂‐C₁₀H₆ ( 6 ), 2,6‐(HNC₄H₃C‐(H)?N)₂‐C₁₀H₆ ( 7 ), 2,6‐(HNC₄H₃C‐(H)?N)₂‐C₁₄H₈ ( 8 )) and star‐shaped (1,3,5‐(HNC₄H₃‐C(H)?N‐1,4‐C₆H₄)₃‐C₆H₃ ( 9 )) π‐conjugated molecules were synthesized by the condensation reactions of 2‐formylpyrrole ( 1 ) with several aromatic di‐ and triamines. The corresponding linear diboron chelate complexes (Ph₂B[1,3‐bis(iminopyrrolyl)‐phenyl]BPh₂ ( 10 ), Ph₂B[1,4‐bis(iminopyrrolyl)‐phenyl]BPh₂ ( 11 ), Ph₂B[4,4′‐bis(iminopyrrolyl)‐biphenyl]BPh₂ ( 12 ), Ph₂B[1,5‐bis(iminopyrrolyl)‐naphthyl]BPh₂ ( 13 ), Ph₂B[2,6‐bis(iminopyrrolyl)‐naphthyl]BPh₂ ( 14 ), Ph₂B[2,6‐bis(iminopyrrolyl)‐anthracenyl]BPh₂ ( 15 )) and the star‐shaped triboron complex ([4′,4′′,4′′′‐tris(iminopyrrolyl)‐1,3,5‐triphenylbenzene](BPh₂)₃ ( 16 )) were obtained in moderate to good yields, by the treatment of 3 – 9 with B(C₆H₅)₃. The ligand precursors are non‐emissive, whereas most of their boron complexes are highly fluorescent; their emission color depends on the π‐conjugation length. The photophysical properties of the luminescent polyboron compounds were measured, showing good solution fluorescence quantum yields ranging from 0.15 to 0.69. DFT and time‐dependent DFT calculations confirmed that molecules 10 and 16 are blue emitters, because only one of the iminopyrrolyl groups becomes planar in the singlet excited state, whereas the second (and third) keeps the same geometry. Compound 13 , in which planarity is not achieved in any of the groups, is poorly emissive. In the other examples ( 11 , 12 , 14 , and 15 ), the LUMO is stabilized, narrowing the gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO–LUMO), and the two iminopyrrolyl groups become planar, extending the size of the π‐system, to afford green to yellow emissions. Organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) were fabricated by using the new polyboron complexes and their luminance was found to be in the order of 2400 cd m^?2, for single layer devices, increasing to 4400 cd m^?2 when a hole‐transporting layer is used.     

Sensitive and Multiplexed On‐chip microRNA Profiling in Oil‐Isolated Hydrogel Chambers

Although microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be excellent indicators of disease state, current profiling platforms are insufficient for clinical translation. Here, we demonstrate a versatile hydrogel‐based microfluidic approach and novel amplification scheme for entirely on‐chip, sensitive, and highly specific miRNA detection without the risk of sequence bias. A simulation‐driven approach is used to engineer the hydrogel geometry and the gel‐reaction environment is chemically optimized for robust detection performance. The assay provides 22.6 fM sensitivity over a three log range, demonstrates multiplexing across at least four targets, and requires just 10.3 ng of total RNA input in a 2 hour and 15 minutes assay.     

Interface Engineering of a CoOx/Ta3N5 Photocatalyst for Unprecedented Water Oxidation Performance under Visible‐Light‐Irradiation

Cocatalysts have been extensively used to promote water oxidation efficiency in solar‐to‐chemical energy conversion, but the influence of interface compatibility between semiconductor and cocatalyst has been rarely addressed. Here we demonstrate a feasible strategy of interface wettability modification to enhance water oxidation efficiency of the state‐of‐the‐art CoO_x/Ta₃N₅ system. When the hydrophobic feature of a Ta₃N₅ semiconductor was modulated to a hydrophilic one by in situ or ex situ surface coating with a magnesia nanolayer (2–5 nm), the interfacial contact between the hydrophilic CoO_x cocatalyst and the modified hydrophilic Ta₃N₅ semiconductor was greatly improved. Consequently, the visible‐light‐driven photocatalytic oxygen evolution rate of the resulting CoO_x/MgO(in)–Ta₃N₅ photocatalyst is ca. 23 times that of the pristine Ta₃N₅ sample, with a new record (11.3 %) of apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) under 500–600 nm illumination.     

Synthesis and Characterization of 2‐Pyridylsulfur Pentafluorides

Current approaches to prepare SF₅‐substituted heterocycles during the synthesis of targeted heterocyclic compounds require the use of SF₅‐functionalized aryl or alkyne reagents or SF₅Cl as a source of the SF₅ functional group. Herein we report that excess oxidative fluorination of 2,2′‐dipyridyl disulfide with a KF/Cl₂/MeCN system leads to the formation of thirteen new 2‐pyridylsulfur chlorotetrafluorides (2‐SF₄Cl‐pyridines). These molecules are found to undergo further chlorine–fluorine exchange reactions by treatment with silver(I) fluoride enabling ready access to a series of ten new substituted 2‐pyridylsulfur pentafluorides (2‐SF₅‐pyridines). This is the first preparatively simple and readily scalable example of the transformation of an existing heterocyclic sulfur functionality to prepare SF₅‐substituted heterocycles.     

Tuning the Reactivity of Isocyano Group: Synthesis of Imidazoles and Imidazoliums from Propargylamines and Isonitriles in the Presence of Multiple Catalysts

The reaction of propargyl amines with tert‐butylisonitrile in the presence of a catalytic amount of both Yb(OTf)₃ and AgOTf afforded imidazoles, whereas the same reaction with primary and secondary alkylisonitriles, as well as arylisonitriles, in the presence of three metal salts [Yb(OTf)₃/AgOTf/KOTf] resulted in the 1,3,4,5‐tetrasubstituted imidazoliums in excellent yields. Both chiral amines and chiral isonitriles can be used to provide corresponding chiral heterocycles without racemization. In this multiple catalytic system, Yb(OTf)₃ catalyzed the insertion of isonitriles to the N? H bond of amines, AgOTf catalyzed the 5‐exo‐dig cyclization of the resulting amidine nitrogen to the tethered triple bond, and KOTf promoted the salt metathesis, thus providing at the same time the counterion to the imidazolium. Against common knowledge, the isocyano group acted in these reactions as a polarized triple bond instead of conventional carbene‐like function.