Fluoreno[4,3-c]fluorene: a closed-shell, fully conjugated hydrocarbon

The synthesis and optoelectronic properties of 24 π-electron, formally antiaromatic 4,11-di-t-butyl-1,8-dimesitylfluoreno[4,3-c]fluorene (FF) are presented. The solid-state structure shows that the outer rings are aromatic, while the central four rings possess a bond-localized 2,6-naphthoquinone dimethide motif (in red). The biradical character of FF is assessed experimentally and computationally; the results of which implicate a closed-shell ground state.     

Coarctate cyclization reactions: a primer

The cleavage of five-membered heterocycles possessing an exocyclic carbene or nitrene to form conjugated ene-ene-yne systems has been documented for over 40 years; however, the reverse reaction, using a conjugated "ene-ene-yne" precursor to form a heterocycle is a relatively new approach. Over the past decade, the Haley and Herges groups have studied computationally and experimentally the cyclization of the "hetero-ene-ene-yne" motif via an unusual class of concerted reactions known as coarctate reactions. This feature article details our synthetic and mechanistic work involving triazene-arene-alkynes and structurally-related systems to generate heterocycles using coarctate chemistry.     

Increased glucose concentration in the hippocampus in early Alzheimer's disease following oral glucose ingestion

Glucose is the primary source of energy for brain cells. Because energy storage in the brain is limited, an uninterrupted supply of glucose and its rapid metabolism are essential for normal cognitive function. This study utilized an oral glucose load to examine hippocampal glucose metabolism in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) - a disease characterized by progressive deterioration of cognitive function and glucose hypometabolism. Short echo time 1H MR spectra (20 ms) from the right hippocampus of 8 patients with probable AD, 14 healthy elderly and 14 healthy young adults were compared pre- and post-glucose loading. In contrast to the healthy adults, the AD patients exhibited significantly elevated hippocampal glucose concentrations post-glucose ingestion relative to baseline (P < .01). These results suggest that cerebral glucose hypometabolism in AD leads to an increased steady-state concentration of cerebral glucose. This research demonstrates the feasibility of studying cerebral glucose metabolism in AD with 1H MR spectroscopy.     

Taming the Highly Reactive Oxonium Ion

'Onium rings : Incorporation of the trivalent oxygen atom as a structural element within the tricyclic core of 1 – 3 imparts unprecedented stability to this “extraordinary” class of tertiary oxonium ions. Cation 1 is the least reactive and can be refluxed in water for 72 hours with no noticeable decomposition.

     

Large cation model of dissociative reduction of electrochromic WO3−x films

Studies of dissociative reduction processes of electrochromic WO_3−x films were conducted to: (i) evaluate their utility for electroetching and (ii) determine their fundamental mechanistic features to reduce or eliminate their occurrence in normal optical switching and modulation operation of WO_3−x films. We have found that while the small intercalating cations stabilize WO_3−x structure, the large nonintercalating surfactant cations (Et₄N+, CtMe₃N+) contribute to the dissociative reduction. While these cations do not affect WO_3−x structure of anodically protected films (E > 0.2 V), they cause surface lattice polarization on electron injection to the conduction band of WO_3−x at lower electrode potentials, in the absence of intercalating cations. We have found that this process is limited to the surface and no structural damage occurs to the underlying film. The mechanistic aspects of the process have been discussed on the basis of experimental voltammetric and electrochemical quartz crystal nanogravimetric (EQCN) measurements and ab initio quantum mechanical calculations.      

Analysis of DNA methylation markers for tissue identification in individuals with different clinical phenotypes

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation patterns can be used to identify the type of tissue or body fluid found at a crime scene. However, tissue-related methylation levels have not been analyzed in individuals with different illnesses and medical conditions in forensic-specific studies. The primary goal of this study was to investigate if certain clinical phenotypes can alter the methylation levels of CpG sites in genes involved in tissue typing. Four studies with focus on DNA methylation analysis on individuals with different clinical conditions were selected from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Then, a list of 137 CpG sites was compiled for further investigation. Statistical tests were performed to compare the beta-values results obtained for the control groups and the individuals affected by medical conditions. For each study, CpG sites that presented significant statistical differences between patients and control group were identified and it was possible to notice that DNA methylation levels can be affected in sites with potential forensic use. Although the observed DNA methylation variation (less than 10% difference) in this study would likely not cause any issues in body fluid identification, the results are important to show that this type of analysis should be taken into consideration when investigating and further validating body fluid markers. The CpG sites identified in this study should be further investigated by future studies on body fluids identification, and due to the significant difference in methylation levels in samples from affected individuals, caution must be taken before including these sites in tissue identification investigations.     

Tetra-tert-butyl-s-indacene is a Bond-Localized C2h Structure and a Challenge for Computational Chemistry

Whether tetra-tert-butyl-s-indacene is a symmetric D_2h structure or a bond-alternating C_2h structure remains a standing puzzle. Close agreement between experimental and computed proton chemical shifts based on minima structures optimized at the M06-2X, ωB97X-D, and M11 levels confirm a bond-localized C_2h symmetry, which is consistent with the expected strong antiaromaticity of TtB-s-indacene.