Regioselectivity and the nature of the reaction mechanism in nucleophilic substitution reactions of 2,4-dinitrophenyl X-substituted benzenesulfonates with primary amines

Second-order rate constants have been measured for the reaction of 2,4-dinitrophenyl X-substituted benzenesulfonates with a series of primary amines. The nucleophilic substitution reaction proceeds through competitive S-O and C-O bond fission pathways. The S-O bond fission occurs dominantly for reactions with highly basic amines or with substrates having a strong electron-withdrawing group in the sulfonyl moiety. On the other hand, the C-O bond fission occurs considerably for the reactions with low basic amines or with substrates having a strong electron-donating group in the sulfonyl moiety, emphasizing that the regioselectivity is governed by both the amine basicity and the electronic effect of the sulfonyl substituent X. The apparent second-order rate constants for the S-O bond fission have resulted in a nonlinear Br?nsted-type plot for the reaction of 2,4-dinitrophenyl benzenesulfonate with 10 different primary amines, suggesting that a change in the rate-determining step occurs upon changing the amine basicity. The microscopic rate constants (k(1) and k(2)/k(-)(1) ratio) associated with the S-O bond fission pathway support the proposed mechanism. The second-order rate constants for the S-O bond fission result in good linear Yukawa-Tsuno plots for the aminolyses of 2,4-dinitrophenyl X-substituted benzenesulfonates. However, the second-order rate constants for the C-O bond fission show no correlation with the electronic nature of the sulfonyl substituent X, indicating that the C-O bond fission proceeds through an S(N)Ar mechanism in which the leaving group departure occurs rapidly after the rate-determining step.     

Three-dimensionalization via control of laser-structuring parameters for high energy and high power lithium-ion battery under various operating conditions

Laser-structuring is an effective method to promote ion diffusion and improve the performance of lithium-ion battery(LIB)electrodes.In this work,the effects of laser structuring parameters(groove pitch and depth)on the fundamental characteristics of LIB electrode,such as interfacial area,internal resistances,material loss and electrochemical performance,are investigated,LiNi_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3O₂ cathodes were structured by a femtosecond laser by varying groove depth and pitch,which resulted in a material loss of 5%-14%and an increase of 140%-260%in the in terfacial area between electrode surface and electrolyte.It is shown that the importance of groove depth and pitch on the electrochemical performance(specific capacity and areal discharge capacity)of laser-structured electrode varies with current rates.Groove pitch is more im porta nt at low current rate but groove depth is at high curre nt rate.From the mapping of lithium concentration within the electrodes of varying groove depth and pitch by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy,it is verified that the groove functions as a diffusion path for lithium ions.The ionic,electronic,and charge transfer resistances measured with symmetric and half cells showed that these internal resistances are differently affected by laser structuring parameters and the changes in porosity,ionic diffusion and electronic pathways.It is demonstrated that the laser structuring parameters for maximum electrode performance and minimum capacity loss should be determined in consideration of the main operating conditions of LIBs.     

Centrosome amplification and multinuclear phenotypes are Induced by hydrogen peroxide

Multinucleated cells resulted from mitosis defect have been noted in pathophysiological states of the cells such as inflammation, senescence and cancer. Since oxidative stress has been known to correlate with these pathophysiological conditions, we tested the effect of H2O2 on the cell cycle progression and formation of multinucleated cells. H2O2 induced a significant delay in cell cycle progression in Chang liver cells. Interestingly, H2O2 actively induced hyperamplification of centrosomes (n>or=3) and multipolar spindle formation during mitosis and subsequently increased the generation of multinucleated cells. A significant increase of the phospho-ERK level was observed upon H2O2 treatment but PD98059, an MEK1/2 inhibitor, didn't reduce the frequency of cells with hyperamplified centrosomes. On the other hand, treatment of either H2O2 or adriamycin increased intracellular ROS levels and multinucleated cells, which were significantly suppressed by antioxidants, N-acetylcysteine and PDTC. Thus, our results suggest that oxidative stress can trigger centrosome hyperamplification and multinucleated cell formation, which may promote pathophysiological progression.     

Quantum mechanical investigation of the effect of catalyst fluorination in the intermolecular asymmetric Stetter reaction

The asymmetric intermolecular Stetter reaction was investigated using the B3LYP and M06-2X functionals. Fluorination of a triazolium bicyclic catalyst had been found to significantly influence reaction yields and enantiomeric ratios. Computations indicate that the improved reactivity of the fluorinated catalyst is due to better electrostatic interactions between the nitroalkene and catalyst. Computational investigations of preferred conformations of the ground state catalyst and acyl anion equivalent, and the transition structures leading to both enantiomers of the products, are reported.     

Synchronization in interdependent networks

We explore the synchronization behavior in interdependent systems, where the one-dimensional (1D) network (the intranetwork coupling strength J(I)) is ferromagnetically intercoupled (the strength J) to the Watts-Strogatz (WS) small-world network (the intranetwork coupling strength J(II)). In the absence of the internetwork coupling (J=0), the former network is well known not to exhibit the synchronized phase at any finite coupling strength, whereas the latter displays the mean-field transition. Through an analytic approach based on the mean-field approximation, it is found that for the weakly coupled 1D network (J(I)?1) the increase of J suppresses synchrony, because the nonsynchronized 1D network becomes a heavier burden for the synchronization process of the WS network. As the coupling in the 1D network becomes stronger, it is revealed by the renormalization group (RG) argument that the synchronization is enhanced as J(I) is increased, implying that the more enhanced partial synchronization in the 1D network makes the burden lighter. Extensive numerical simulations confirm these expected behaviors, while exhibiting a reentrant behavior in the intermediate range of J(I). The nonmonotonic change of the critical value of J(II) is also compared with the result from the numerical RG calculation.     

Hydrolysis of 1-(X-substituted-benzoyl)-4-aminopyridinium ions: effect of substituent X on reactivity and reaction mechanism

A kinetic study is reported for hydrolysis of 1-(X-substituted-benzoyl)-4-aminopyridinium ions 2a-i, which were generated in situ from the nucleophilic substitution reaction of 2,4-dinitrophenyl X-substituted-benzoates 1a-i with 4-aminopyridine in 80 mol% H(2)O/20 mol% DMSO at 25.0 ± 0.1 °C. The plots of pseudo-first-order rate constants k(obsd) vs. pyridine concentration are linear with a large positive intercept, indicating that the hydrolysis of 2a-i proceeds through pyridine-catalyzed and uncatalyzed pathways with the rate constant k(cat) and k(o), respectively. The Hammett plots for k(cat) and k(o) consist of two intersecting straight lines, which might be taken as evidence for a change in the rate-determining step (RDS). However, it has been proposed that the nonlinear Hammett plots are not due to a change in the RDS but are caused by stabilization of 2a-i in the ground state through a resonance interaction between the π-electron-donor substituent X and the carbonyl functionality. This is because the corresponding Yukawa-Tsuno plots exhibit excellent linear correlations with ρ(X) = 1.45 and r = 0.76 for k(cat) while ρ(X) = 1.39 and r = 0.72 for k(o). A possibility that the hydrolysis of 2a-i proceeds through a concerted mechanism has been ruled out on the basis of the large ρ(X) values. Thus, the reaction has been concluded to proceed through a stepwise mechanism in which the leaving group departs after the RDS since OH(-) is more basic and a poorer nucleofuge than 4-aminopyridine.     

Plastoquinones from Sargassum yezoense; chemical structures and effects on the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma

Four new plastoquinones, together with two known compounds, sargahydroquinoic acid and sargaquinoic acid, were isolated from the brown alga, Sargassum yezoense collected from the eastern coast of Korea. The structures of these compounds were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses including NMR and MS. Their structures designated as meroterphenol A (1), B (2), C (3) and D (4) were characterized by a 6-methyl-1,4-benzohydroquinone moiety with an oxygenated diterpenoic acid chain. Meroterphenols A-D showed potent activation effects on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ).     

In Situ Biphasic Extractive Fermentation for Hexanoic Acid Production from Sucrose by Megasphaera elsdenii NCIMB 702410

Hexanoic acid production by a bacterium using sucrose as an economic carbon source was studied under conditions in which hexanoic acid was continuously extracted by liquid–liquid extraction. Megasphaera elsdenii NCIMB 702410, selected from five M. elsdenii strains, produced 4.69 g l^?1 hexanoic acid in a basal medium containing sucrose. Production increased to 8.19 g l^?1 when the medium was supplemented by 5 g l^?1 sodium butyrate. A biphasic liquid–liquid extraction system with 10 % (v/v) alamine 336 in oleyl alcohol as a solvent was evaluated in a continuous stirred-tank reactor held at pH 6. Over 90 % (w/w) of the hexanoic acid in a 0.5 M aqueous solution was transferred to the extraction solvent within 10 h. Cell growth was not significantly inhibited by direct contact of the fermentation broth with the extraction solvent. The system produced 28.42 g l^?1 of hexanoic acid from 54.85 g l^?1 of sucrose during 144 h of culture, and 26.52 and 1.90 g l^?1 of hexanoic acid was accumulated in the extraction solvent and the aqueous fermentation broth, respectively. The productivity and yield of hexanoic acid were 0.20 g l^?1 h^?1 and 0.50 g g^?1 sucrose, respectively.     

Alkali metal ion catalysis and inhibition in nucleophilic displacement reactions at phosphorus centers: ethyl and methyl paraoxon and ethyl and methyl parathion

We report on the ethanolysis of the P=O and P=S compounds ethyl and methyl paraoxon (1a and 1b) and ethyl and methyl parathion (2a and 2b). Plots of spectrophotometrically measured rate constants, kobsd versus [MOEt], the alkali ethoxide concentration, show distinct upward and downward curvatures, pointing to the importance of ion-pairing phenomena and a differential reactivity of free ions and ion pairs. Three types of reactivity and selectivity patterns have been discerned: (1) For the P=O compounds 1a and 1b, LiOEt > NaOEt > KOEt > EtO-; (2) for the P=S compound 2a, KOEt > EtO- > NaOEt > LiOEt; (3) for P=S, 2b, 18C6-crown-complexed KOEt > KOEt = EtO(-) > NaOEt > LiOEt. These selectivity patterns are characteristic of both catalysis and inhibition by alkali-metal cations depending on the nature of the electrophilic center, P=O vs P=S, and the metal cation. Ground-state (GS) vs transition-state (TS) stabilization energies shed light on the catalytic and inhibitory tendencies. The unprecedented catalytic behavior of crowned-K(+) for the reaction of 2b is noteworthy. Modeling reveals an extreme steric interaction for the reaction of 2a with crowned-K(+), which is responsible for the absence of catalysis in this system. Overall, P=O exhibits greater reactivity than P=S, increasing from 50- to 60-fold with free EtO(-) and up to 2000-fold with LiOEt, reflecting an intrinsic P=O vs P=S reactivity difference (thio effect). The origin of reactivity and selectivity differences in these systems is discussed on the basis of competing electrostatic effects and solvational requirements as function of anionic electric field strength and cation size (Eisenman's theory).