Enantioselective Darzens reaction using organoselenide-lithium hydroxide complexes

Asymmetric Darzens reaction catalyzed by chiral selenides is described. A novel Lewis acid/Brønsted base catalyst formed by C₂ symmetric chiral selenide-bearing isoborneol skeletons, which were readily prepared from (1S)-10-camphorsulfonic acid, and LiOH promoted the reaction of phenacyl bromide with aldehydes to afford the desired trans oxiranes with up to 62% ee.     

Electrochemical genosensors for the detection of Bonamia parasite. Selection of single strand-DNA (ssDNA) probes by simulation of the secondary structure folding

A post-PCR nucleic acid work by comparing experimental data, from electrochemical genosensors, and bioinformatics data, derived from the simulation of the secondary structure folding and prediction of hybridisation reaction, was carried out in order to rationalize the selection of ssDNA probes for the detection of two Bonamia species, B. exitiosa and B. ostreae, parasites of Ostrea edulis.Six ssDNA probes (from 11 to 25 bases in length, 2 thiolated and 4 biotinylated) were selected within different regions of B. ostreae and B. exitiosa PCR amplicons (300 and 304 bases, respectively) with the aim to discriminate between these parasite species. ssDNA amplicons and probes were analyzed separately using the “Mfold Web Server” simulating the secondary structure folding behaviour. The hybridisation of amplicon-probe was predicted by means of “Dinamelt Web Server”. The results were evaluated considering the number of hydrogen bonds broken and formed in the simulated folding and hybridisation process, variance in gaps for each sequence and number of available bases. In the experimental part, thermally denatured PCR products were captured at the sensor interface via sandwich hybridisation with surface-tethered probes (thiolated probes) and biotinylated signalling probes. A convergence between analytical signals and simulated results was observed, indicating the possibility to use bioinformatic data for ssDNA probes selection to be incorporated in genosensors.     

Dehydrogenation of methanol to methyl formate over supported Ni, Pd and Pt catalysts. Anomalous catalytic functions of PdZn and PtZn alloys

Pd/ZnO and Pt/ZnO exhibited high catalytic performance for the dehydrogenation of methanol to methyl formate upon the formation of PdZn and PtZn alloys.     

Spectroscopic studies of 4-substituted pyridinium 2-pyridylcarbonylmethylide-rhodium(I) complexes and x-ray molecular structure of (1,5-cyclooctadiene) (4-methylpyridinium 2-pyridylcarbonylmethylide)rhodium(I) perchlorate

(1,5-Cyclooctadiene) (4-substituted pyridinium 2-pyridylcarbonylmethylide)- rhodium(I) perchlorates, [Rh(COD)(C₅H₄NC(O)C?H₊C₅H₄X-4)]ClO₄ [COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene; X = CH₃C(O), CH₃OC(O), C₆H₅, CH₃, and H], have been prepared. They are shown to have the geometry with coordination by the pyridyl nitrogen and carbonyl oxygen atoms of the ylide ligands and to exhibit intramolecular rearrangement of coordinated COD in chloroform, methanol, and dimethyl sulphoxide based on IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopies. Although the ylides have exhibited fluorescence bands due to an intramolecular charge-transfer transition and phosphorescence bands due to a carbonyl ³(n?π^*) transition, the complexes have given emission bands due to the metal-to-ylide ligand charge-transfer transition. A.single crystal X-ray crystal structure has been determined for [Rh(COD)(C₅H₄NC(O)C?H₊C₅H₄CH₃-4)]ClO₄. The crystals are monoclinic, space group P2₁/n with cell dimensions a = 14.887(3), b = 20.274(4), c = 6.966(1) Å, β = 96.13(1)°, and Z = 4. The structure has been refined by a block-diagonal least-squares method to final R = 0.060 for 2997 independent reflections with |F_o| > 3σ(F). The ylide carbon-pyridinium nitrogen bond distance is 1.420(10) Å. The bonded distances from rhodium to the midpoints of the double bonds of COD are 1.982(11) and 2.014(12) Å.     

A dual pathway in the solid-state photoreaction of nitrobenzaldehydes with indole

The solid-state photoreaction of the mixed crystals between nitrobenzaldehydes and indole was found to give nitrophenyl-(bis-3-indolyl)methane ( 3 ) and nitrophenyl-(3-indolyl)methanol ( 4 ). The structure of the ortho isomer 4c was established by X-ray crystallographic analysis. A dual pathway from an oxetane intermediate 5 is proposed for the formation of 3 and 4 .     

Enantioselective synthesis mediated by chiral crystal of achiral hippuric acid in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis

Enantiomorphous crystals composed of achiral hippuric acid, i.e., naturally occurring N-benzoylglycine, have been used successfully as chiral inducers in enantioselective synthesis in combination with asymmetric autocatalysis to afford the product with extremely high enantiomeric excess.     

Interface models and processing technologies for surface passivation and interface control in III-V semiconductor nanoelectronics

Interface models and processing technologies are reviewed for successful establishment of surface passivation, interface control and MIS gate stack formation in III-V nanoelectronics. First, basic considerations on successful surface passivation and interface control are given, including review of interface models for the band alignment at interfaces, and effects of interface states in nanoscale devices. Then, a brief review is given on currently available surface passivation technologies for III-V materials, including the Si interface control layer (ICL)-based passivation scheme by the authors’ group. The Si-ICL technique has been successfully applied to surface passivation of nanowires and to formation of a HfO₂ high-k dielectric/GaAs interfaces with low values of the interface state density.     

Single-crystal-to-single-crystal photocyclization of 4-(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)benzoic acid in the salt crystal with (S)-phenylethylamine

Ultraviolet irradiation of a salt crystal of 4-(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)benzoic acid with (S)-phenylethylamine promoted single-crystal-to-single-crystal photocyclization to give an enantiopure (R,R)-cyclopentenol and almost racemic cyclobutenol. The reaction paths were elucidated by X-ray crystallographic analysis of the crystal before and after irradiation.