Structure of Plastic Crystalline Succinonitrile: High‐Resolution in situ Powder Diffraction

The temperature dependent (150–290 K) crystal structure of the low‐temperature α‐phase, and high temperature β‐phase, of succinonitrile has been determined by high resolution in situ powder diffraction. The α‐phase has a monoclinic unit cell that contains four gauche molecules and belongs to the P2₁/a space group. The crystal undergoes a reversible first‐order phase transition at 233 K into the high temperature β‐phase. The lattice parameters increase with temperature and the phase transition leads to an abrupt 6.7 % increase in volume. The β‐phase crystallizes into a bcc‐structure that belongs to the space group. The high temperature phase; however, is a highly disordered plastic crystal at room temperature that contains both gauche and trans molecules. The non‐linearity in the overall isotropic temperature‐factor indicates other possible phase transitions in the temperature range of 233–250 K.     

Water splits epitaxial graphene and intercalates

The adsorption and reactions of small molecules, such as water and oxygen, with graphene films is an area of active research, as graphene may hold the key to unique applications in electronics, batteries, and other technologies. Since the graphene films produced so far are typically polycrystalline, with point and line defects that can strongly affect gas adsorption, there is a need to understand their reactivity with environmentally abundant molecules that can adsorb and alter their properties. Here we report a study of the adsorption and reactions of water, oxygen, hydrogen, and ammonia on epitaxial graphene grown on Ru and Cu substrates using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We found that on Ru(0001) graphene line defects are extremely fragile toward chemical attack by water, which splits the graphene film into numerous fragments at temperatures as low as 90 K, followed by water intercalation under the graphene. On Cu(111) water can also split graphene but far less effectively, indicating that the chemical nature of the substrate strongly affects the reactivity of the C-C bonds in epitaxial graphene. Interestingly, no such effects were observed with other molecules, including oxygen, hydrogen, and ammonia also studied here.     

Electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometric analysis of the recombinant human macrophage colony stimulating factor β and derivatives

The potential of electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) to assist in the structural characterization of monomeric and dimeric derivatives of the macrophage colony stimulating factor beta (rhM-CSF beta) was assessed. Mass spectrometric analysis of the 49 kDa protein required the use of sustained off-resonance irradiation (SORI) in-trap cleanup to reduce adduction. High resolution mass spectra were acquired for a fully reduced and a fully S-cyanylated monomeric derivative (approximately 25 kDa). Mass accuracy for monomeric derivatives was better than 5 ppm, after applying a new calibration method (i.e., DeCAL) which eliminates space charge effects upon high accuracy mass measurements. This high mass accuracy allowed the direct determination of the exact number of incorporated cyanyl groups. Collisionally induced dissociation using SORI yielded b- and y-fragment ions within the N- and C-terminal regions for the monomeric derivatives, but obtaining information on other regions required proteolytic digestion, or potentially the use of alternative dissociation methods.     

Synthesis of chimeric oligonucleotides containing phosphodiester, phosphorothioate, and phosphoramidate linkages

[reaction: see text] H-Phosphonate monomers of 2'-O-(2-methoxyethyl) ribonucleosides have been synthesized. Oxidation of oligonucleotide H-phosphonates has been optimized to allow the synthesis of oligonucleotides containing either 2'-deoxy or 2'-O-(2-methoxyethyl) ribonucleoside residues combined with three different phosphate modifications in the backbone, i.e., phosphodiester (PO), phosphorothioate (PS), and phosphoramidate (PN). Phosphodiester linkages were introduced by oxidation with a cocktail of 0.1 M Et(3)N in CCl(4)/Pyr/H(2)O (5:9:1) without affecting phosphorothioate or phosphoramidate linkages. For the synthesis of phosphoramidate-modified oligonucleotides, N(4)-acetyl deoxycytidine-3'-H-phosphonate monomers were used to avoid transamination during the oxidation step.     

Nucleophilic substitution approach towards 1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid derivatives—new synthetic routes and crystal structures

We describe simple, convenient and high-yielding nucleophilic substitution reactions to synthesize new derivatives of 1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid (1a). Based on its active C5 position, condensing 1a with sulfuryl chloride gives the corresponding 5,5-dichloro-1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid (13). The latter was reacted with silver nitrite and potassium cyanide to afford 5-chloro-5-nitro-1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid (14) and 5-cyano-1,3-dimethylbarbiturate (17), respectively. Furthermore, by employing the nucleophilic character of 2,3-dihydro-1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene (8) the obtained compounds 13 and 14 have been converted to 2-chloro-1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium-1,3-dimethyl-5-nitro-1,3-dimethylbarbiturate (18) and 1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid trimer (21), respectively. X-ray structures for compounds 13, 14, 17, 18 and 21 were determined.     

Single‐Layered Ultrasmall Nanoplates of MoS2 Embedded in Carbon Nanofibers with Excellent Electrochemical Performance for Lithium and Sodium Storage

The preparation and electrochemical storage behavior of MoS₂ nanodots—more precisely single‐layered ultrasmall nanoplates—embedded in carbon nanowires has been studied. The preparation is achieved by an electrospinning process that can be easily scaled up. The rate performance and cycling stability of both lithium and sodium storage were found to be outstanding. The storage behavior is, moreover, highly exciting from a fundamental point of view, as the differences between the usual storage modes—insertion, conversion, interfacial storage—are beneficially blurred. The restriction to ultrasmall reaction domains allows for an almost diffusion‐less and nucleation‐free “conversion”, thereby resulting in a high capacity and a remarkable cycling performance.     

Selector‐Induced Dynamic Deracemization of a Selectand‐Modified Tropos BIPHEPO‐Ligand: Application in the Organocatalyzed Asymmetric Double‐Aldol‐Reaction

Stereolabile interconverting catalysts open up the possibility of directing enantioselectivity in asymmetric synthesis by formation of diastereomeric complexes with chiral auxiliaries and deracemization. However, the stoichiometrically used auxilliaries can significantly limit the potential applications of such systems. We synthesized a new BIPHEPO tropos ligand containing achiral selectands in the backbone, which forms transient diastereomeric associates with amylose‐tris‐3,5‐dimethylphenyl carbamate as a selector and thus deracemizes. The enantiomerically enriched BIPHEPO obtained was successfully used in the organocatalytic asymmetric double aldol addition of substituted methyl ketones to form benzaldehyde. This strategy combines an on‐column deracemization with the high stereoinduction of chiral biarylphosphineoxides and opens up new possibilities in the field of self‐amplified asymmetric syntheses.     

Experimental and Computational Study of the Thermal Decomposition of 3‐Methyl‐3‐buten‐1‐ol in m‐Xylene Solution

An experimental study of the thermal decomposition of a β‐hydroxy alkene, 3‐methyl‐3‐buten‐1‐ol, in m‐xylene solution, has been carried out at five different temperatures in the range of 513.15–563.15 K. The temperature dependence of the rate constants for the decomposition of this compound in the corresponding Arrhenius equation is given by ln k (s^?1) = (25.65 ± 1.52) ? (17,944 ± 814) (kJ·mol^?1)·T^?1. A computational study has been carried out at the M05–2X/6–31+G(d,p) level of theory to calculate the rate constants and the activation parameters by the classical transition state theory. There is a good agreement between the experimental and calculated rate constants and activation Gibbs energies. The bonding characteristics of reactant, transition state, and products have been investigated by the natural bond orbital analysis, which provides the natural atomic charges and the Wiberg bond indices. Based on the results obtained, the mechanism proposed is a one‐step process proceeding through a six‐membered cyclic transition state, being a concerted and slightly asynchronous process. The results have been compared with those obtained previously by us (Struct Chem 2013, 24, 1811–1816) for the thermal decomposition of 3‐buten‐1‐ol, in m‐xylene solution. We can conclude that in the compound studied in this work, 3‐methyl‐3‐buten‐1‐ol, the effect of substitution at position 3 by a weakly activating CH₃ group is the stabilization of the transition state formed in the reaction and therefore a small increase in the rate of thermal decomposition.