CO2 Hydrogenation on Cu/Al2O3: Role of the Metal/Support Interface in Driving Activity and Selectivity of a Bifunctional Catalyst

Selective hydrogenation of CO₂ into methanol is a key sustainable technology, where Cu/Al₂O₃ prepared by surface organometallic chemistry displays high activity towards CO₂ hydrogenation compared to Cu/SiO₂, yielding CH₃OH, dimethyl ether (DME), and CO. CH₃OH formation rate increases due to the metal–oxide interface and involves formate intermediates according to advanced spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Al₂O₃ promotes the subsequent conversion of CH₃OH to DME, showing bifunctional catalysis, but also increases the rate of CO formation. The latter takes place 1) directly by activation of CO₂ at the metal–oxide interface, and 2) indirectly by the conversion of formate surface species and CH₃OH to methyl formate, which is further decomposed into CH₃OH and CO. This study shows how Al₂O₃, a Lewis acidic and non‐reducible support, can promote CO₂ hydrogenation by enabling multiple competitive reaction pathways on the oxide and metal–oxide interface.     

Raman spectroscopic study of hydrogen ordered ice XIII and of its reversible phase transition to disordered ice V

Raman spectra of recovered ordered H(2)O (D(2)O) ice XIII doped with 0.01 M HCl (DCl) recorded in vacuo at 80 K are reported in the range 3600-200 cm(-1). The bands are assigned to the various types of modes on the basis of isotope ratios. On thermal cycling between 80 and 120 K, the reversible phase transition to disordered ice V is observed. The remarkable effect of HCl (DCl) on orientational ordering in ice V and its phase transition to ordered ice XIII, first reported in a powder neutron diffraction study of DCl doped D(2)O ice V (C. G. Salzmann, P. G. Radaelli, A. Hallbrucker, E. Mayer, J. L. Finney, Science, 2006, 311, 1758), is demonstrated by Raman spectroscopy and discussed. The dopants KOH and HF have only a minor effect on hydrogen ordering in ice V, as shown by the Raman spectra.     

Reactions of synthetic [2Fe-2S] and [4Fe-4S] clusters with nitric oxide and nitrosothiols

The interaction of nitric oxide (NO) with iron-sulfur cluster proteins results in degradation and breakdown of the cluster to generate dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs). In some cases the formation of DNICs from such cluster systems can lead to activation of a regulatory pathway or the loss of enzyme activity. In order to understand the basic chemistry underlying these processes, we have investigated the reactions of NO with synthetic [2Fe-2S] and [4Fe-4S] clusters. Reaction of excess NO(g) with solutions of [Fe2S2(SR)4](2-) (R = Ph, p-tolyl (4-MeC6H4), or 1/2 (CH2)2-o-C6H4) cleanly affords the respective DNIC, [Fe(NO)2(SR)2](-), with concomitant reductive elimination of the bridging sulfide ligands as elemental sulfur. The structure of (Et4N)[Fe(NO)2(S-p-tolyl)2] was verified by X-ray crystallography. Reactions of the [4Fe-4S] clusters, [Fe4S4(SR)4](2-) (R = Ph, CH2Ph, (t)Bu, or 1/2 (CH2)-m-C6H4) proceed in the absence of added thiolate to yield Roussin's black salt, [Fe4S3(NO)7](-). In contrast, (Et4N)2[Fe4S4(SPh)4] reacts with NO(g) in the presence of 4 equiv of (Et4N)(SPh) to yield the expected DNIC. For all reactions, we could reproduce the chemistry effected by NO(g) with the use of trityl-S-nitrosothiol (Ph3CSNO) as the nitric oxide source. These results demonstrate possible pathways for the reaction of iron-sulfur clusters with nitric oxide in biological systems and highlight the importance of thiolate-to-iron ratios in stabilizing DNICs.     

Degradation of the pesticide fenitrothion as mediated by cationic surfactants and alpha-nucleophilic reagents

The reaction of fenitrothion with a series of alpha-nucleophile oximates having pK(a) values in the range of 7.7-11.8 was studied both in the absence and presence of cetyltrimethylammonium (CTA(+)) surfactants. Reaction with CTA-oximates was found to proceed through two pathways: S(N)2(P) and S(N)2(C); an S(N)Ar pathway was not observed. Accordingly, the observed rate constants were dissected into the two corresponding S(N)2(P) and S(N)2(C) pathways. Use of the pseudophase ion exchange (PPIE) model for micellar catalysis in the CTA(+) system allowed evaluation of micellar second-order rate constant (k(2m)) parameters and binding constants, (K(S)). K(S) values for CTA-oximates were found to vary with the counterion, and the rate enhancement depended on a combination of K(S) and k(2m) values. k(2m)/k(2w) values ranged from 0.0025 to 0.64, suggesting that a concentration effect is mainly responsible for the rate enhancement. In the absence of surfactant, an alpha-effect (i.e., k(alpha)/k(normal)) varying from 8 to 450 was observed for the oximate reaction, decreasing with increasing pK(a). It is proposed that differential solvation (transition-state imbalance) is a cause of the alpha-effect in this system.     

Acceptor Reactivity in the Total Synthesis of Alginate Fragments Containing α‐L‐Guluronic Acid and β‐D‐Mannuronic Acid

The total synthesis of mixed‐sequence alginate oligosaccharides, featuring both β‐D ‐mannuronic acid (M) and α‐L ‐guluronic acid (G), is reported for the first time. A set of GM, GMG, GMGM, GMGMG, GMGMGM, GMGMGMG, and GMGGMG alginates was assembled using GM building blocks, having a guluronic acid acceptor part and a mannuronic acid donor side to allow the fully stereoselective construction of the cis‐glycosidic linkages. It was found that the nature of the reducing‐end anomeric center, which is ten atoms away from the reacting alcohol group in the key disaccharide acceptor, had a tremendous effect on the efficiency with which the building blocks were united. This chiral center determines the overall shape of the acceptor and it is revealed that the conformational flexibility of the acceptor is an all‐important factor in determining the outcome of a glycosylation reaction.     

Synthetic Active Site Model of the [NiFeSe] Hydrogenase

A dinuclear synthetic model of the [NiFeSe] hydrogenase active site and a structural, spectroscopic and electrochemical analysis of this complex is reported. [NiFe(‘S₂Se₂’)(CO)₃] (H₂‘S₂Se₂’=1,2‐bis(2‐thiabutyl‐3,3‐dimethyl‐4‐selenol)benzene) has been synthesized by reacting the nickel selenolate complex [Ni(‘S₂Se₂’)] with [Fe(CO)₃bda] (bda=benzylideneacetone). X‐ray crystal structure analysis confirms that [NiFe(‘S₂Se₂’)(CO)₃] mimics the key structural features of the enzyme active site, including a doubly bridged heterobimetallic nickel and iron center with a selenolate terminally coordinated to the nickel center. Comparison of [NiFe(‘S₂Se₂’)(CO)₃] with the previously reported thiolate analogue [NiFe(‘S₄’)(CO)₃] (H₂‘S₄’=H₂xbsms=1,2‐bis(4‐mercapto‐3,3‐dimethyl‐2‐thiabutyl)benzene) showed that the selenolate groups in [NiFe(‘S₂Se₂’)(CO)₃] give lower carbonyl stretching frequencies in the IR spectrum. Electrochemical studies of [NiFe(‘S₂Se₂’)(CO)₃] and [NiFe(‘S₄’)(CO)₃] demonstrated that both complexes do not operate as homogenous H₂ evolution catalysts, but are precursors to a solid deposit on an electrode surface for H₂ evolution catalysis in organic and aqueous solution.     

Effects on the Reactivity by Changing the Electrophilic Center from CO to CS: Contrasting Reactivity of Hydroxide,p‐Chlorophenoxide,and Butan‐2,3‐dione Monoximate in DMSO/H2O Mixtures

Second‐order rate constants have been measured spectrophotometrically for the reactions of O‐p‐nitrophenyl thionobenzoate ( 1 , PNPTB) with HO^?, butan‐2,3‐dione monoximate (Ox^?, α‐nucleophile), and p‐chlorophenoxide (p‐ClPhO^?, normal nucleophile) in DMSO/H₂O of varying mixtures at (25.0±0.1) °C. Reactivity of these nucleophiles significantly increases with increasing DMSO content. HO^? is less reactive than p‐ClPhO^? toward 1 up to 70 mol % DMSO although HO^? is over six pK_a units more basic in these media. Ox^? is more reactive than p‐ClPhO^? in all media studied, indicating that the α‐effect is in effect. The magnitude of the α‐effect (i.e., k/k_p) increases with the DMSO content up to 50 mol % DMSO and decreases beyond that point. However, the dependency of the α‐effect profile on the solvent for reactions of 1 contrasts to that reported previously for the corresponding reactions of p‐nitrophenyl benzoate ( 2 , PNPB); reactions of 1 result in much smaller α‐effects than those of 2 . Breakdown of the α‐effect into ground‐state (GS) and transition‐state (TS) effects shows that the GS effect is not responsible for the α‐effect across the solvent mixtures. The role of the solvent has been discussed on the basis of the bell‐shaped α‐effect profiles found in the current study as well as in our previous studies, that is, a GS effect in the H₂O‐rich region through H‐bonding interactions and a TS effect in the DMSO‐rich media through mutual polarizability interactions.     

Mapping Polyamide–DNA Interactions in Human Cells Reveals a New Design Strategy for Effective Targeting of Genomic Sites

Targeting the genome with sequence‐specific synthetic molecules is a major goal at the interface of chemistry, biology, and personalized medicine. Pyrrole/imidazole‐based polyamides can be rationally designed to target specific DNA sequences with exquisite precision in vitro; yet, the biological outcomes are often difficult to interpret using current models of binding energetics. To directly identify the binding sites of polyamides across the genome, we designed, synthesized, and tested polyamide derivatives that enabled covalent crosslinking and localization of polyamide–DNA interaction sites in live human cells. Bioinformatic analysis of the data reveals that clustered binding sites, spanning a broad range of affinities, best predict occupancy in cells. In contrast to the prevailing paradigm of targeting single high‐affinity sites, our results point to a new design principle to deploy polyamides and perhaps other synthetic molecules to effectively target desired genomic sites in vivo.     

Development of a CD‐MEKC method for investigating the metabolism of tamoxifen by flavin‐containing monooxygenases and the inhibitory effects of methimazole,nicotine and DMXAA

A selective and low‐cost CD‐MEKC method under acidic conditions was developed for investigating the N‐oxygenation of tamoxifen (TAM) by flavin‐containing monooxygenases (FMOs). The inhibitory effects of methimazole (MMI), nicotine and 5,6‐dimethylxanthenone‐4‐acetic acid (DMXAA) on the given FMO reaction were also evaluated; 100 mM phosphate buffer (pH 8.6) was used for performing the enzymatic reaction and the separation of TAM and its metabolite tamoxifen N‐oxide (TNO) was obtained with a BGE consisting of 100 mM phosphoric acid solution adjusted to pH 2.5 with triethanolamine containing 50 mM sodium taurodeoxycholate, 20 mM carboxymethyl β‐CD and 20% ACN. The proposed method was applied for the kinetics study of FMO1 using TAM as a substrate probe. A Michaelis–Menten constant (K_m) of 164.1 μM was estimated from the corrected peak area of the product, TNO. The calculated value of the maximum reaction velocity (V_max) was 3.61 μmol/min/μmol FMO1; 50% inhibitory concentration and inhibition constant (K_i) of MMI, the most common alternate substrate FMO inhibitor, were evaluated and the inhibitory effects of two other important FMO substrates, nicotine and DMXAA, a novel anti‐tumour agent, were investigated.     

ON THE ADSORPTION OF HYDROPHOBIC POLLUTANTS ON SURFACTANT/CLAY COMPLEXES: COMPARISON OF THE INFLUENCE OF A CATIONIC AND A NONIONIC SURFACTANT

The adsorption of the cationic surfactant dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) and of the nonionic surfactant dodecyl octaethylene glycol ether (C₁₂E₈) on four different layer silicates and their influence on the sorption processes of the fungizide biphenyl were studied. Unexpectedly, no great differences were found in comparing the adsorption of the two surfactants on the basis of physicochemical investigations, although the adsorption mechanism up to monolayer formation is fundamentally different (ion exchange and physisorption). Thus, the plateau values of the adsorption isotherms and the molar enthalpies of displacement Δ ₂₁h are of the same order of magnitude for both surfactants and the same basal spacing by intercalation is observed in the case of swelling clays. The isotherms of the hydrophobic contaminant biphenyl are of the linear Cl-type at all layer silicates and very low adsorption takes place approximately proportionally to the BET (N₂) surface area. If the surface is weakly hydrophobized by surfactants (c_surfactant<< critical;micelle concentration (CMC)), biphenyl adsorption is clearly increased. These processes can be adequately described using the distribution coefficients K and K_OC (Henry coefficient related to the organic carbon content). K_OC is hardly influenced by the type of layer silicate for DTA⁺-layer silicates, whereas the C₁₂E₈ layer silicate complexes generally show higher, but also different K_OC values. If the surfactant concentrations are above the CMC, solubilization and adsorption compete for the pollutant molecules, which leads to a significant decrease in biphenyl adsorption.