Flexible polyfluorinated bis-diazirines as molecular adhesives

Motivated by a desire to develop flexible covalent adhesives that afford some of the same malleability in the adhesive layer as traditional polymer-based adhesives, we designed and synthesized two flexible, highly fluorinated bis-diazirines. Both molecules are shown to function as effective crosslinkers for polymer materials, and to act as strong adhesives when painted between two polymer objects of low surface energy, prior to thermal activation. Data obtained from lap-shear experiments suggests that greater molecular flexibility is correlated with improved mechanical compliance in the adhesive layer.

Flexible, highly fluorinated covalent adhesives are synthesized, and are shown to afford comparable C–H insertion efficiency and adhesion strength relative to a rigid analogue, while providing improved mechanical compliance in the adhesion layer.     

Chemical Processes Involving 18-Crown-6-Ether in Activated Noncovalent Complexes with Protonated Peptides

These last decades, it has been widely assumed that 18-crown-6-ether (CE) plays a spectator role during the chemical processes occurring in isolated host-guest complexes between peptides or proteins and CE after activation in mass spectrometers. Our present experimental and theoretical results challenge this hypothesis by showing that CE can abstract a proton or a protonated molecule from protonated peptides after activation by collisions in argon or electron capture/transfer. Furthermore, thanks to comparison between experimental and calculated values of collision cross-sections, we demonstrate that CE can change binding site after electron transfer. We also propose detailed mechanisms for these processes.     

Reductive Hydroformylation of Isosorbide Diallyl Ether

Isosorbide and its functionalized derivatives have numerous applications as bio-sourced building blocks. In this context, the synthesis of diols from isosorbide diallyl ether by hydrohydroxymethylation reaction is of extreme interest. This hydrohydroxymethylation, which consists of carbon-carbon double bonds converting into primary alcohol functions, can be obtained by a hydroformylation reaction followed by a hydrogenation reaction. In this study, reductive hydroformylation was achieved using isosorbide diallyl ether as a substrate in a rhodium/amine catalytic system. The highest yield in bis-primary alcohols obtained was equal to 79%.     

Prenylated Flavonoids and C-15 Isoprenoid Analogues with Antibacterial Properties from the Whole Plant of Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeusch (Gramineae)

The local botanical Imperata cylindrica in Cameroon was investigated for its antibacterial potency. The methanol extract afforded a total of seven compounds, including five hitherto unreported compounds comprising three flavonoids (1–3) and two C-15 isoprenoid analogues (4 and 5) together with known derivatives (6 and 7). The novelty of the flavonoids was related to the presence of both methyl and prenyl groups. The potential origin of the methyl in the flavonoids is discussed, as well as the chemophenetic significance of our findings. Isolation was performed over repeated silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and the structures were elucidated by (NMR and MS). The crude methanol extract and isolated compounds showed considerable antibacterial potency against a panel of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial strains. The best MIC values were obtained with compound (2) against S. aureus ATCC 25923 (32 µg/mL) and MRSA1 (16 µg/mL).     

Bond dissociation energies for radical dimers derived from highly stabilized carbon-centered radicals

[reaction: see text] The temperature dependence of the dissociation of dimers formed from highly stabilized carbon-centered radicals has been examined. Analysis of the data yields the bond dissociation energy (BDE) for the central head-to-head C-C bond in these compounds. For example, for the dimer derived from 3-phenyl-2-coumaranone, BDE is 23.6 kcal/mol and the C-C bond length 1.596 A, a rather long value for a sigma bond.     

Molecular dynamics effects on luminescence properties of oligothiophene derivatives: a molecular mechanics-response theory study based on the CHARMM force field and density functional theory

CHARMM force field parameter values for a class of oligothiophene derivatives have been derived with reference to density functional theory/B3LYP potential energy surfaces. The force field parametrization of these luminescent conjugated polyelectrolytes includes the electronic ground state as well as the strongly light absorbing first excited state. In conjunction with quantum chemical response theory calculations of transition state properties, a molecular dynamical model of the Stokes shift is obtained. The theoretical model is benchmarked against experimental data recorded at room temperature which refer to sodium salts of p-HTAA and p-FTAA with distilled water as a solvent. For p-HTAA the theoretically predicted Stokes shift of 112 nm is in good agreement with the experimental result of 124 nm, given the approximations about exciton localization that were introduced to obtain a force field for the excited state.     

A slowly relaxing rigid biradical for efficient dynamic nuclear polarization surface-enhanced NMR spectroscopy: expeditious characterization of functional group manipulation in hybrid materials

A new nitroxide-based biradical having a long electron spin-lattice relaxation time (T(1e)) has been developed as an exogenous polarization source for DNP solid-state NMR experiments. The performance of this new biradical is demonstrated on hybrid silica-based mesostructured materials impregnated with 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane radical containing solutions, as well as in frozen bulk solutions, yielding DNP enhancement factors (ε) of over 100 at a magnetic field of 9.4 T and sample temperatures of ~100 K. The effects of radical concentration on the DNP enhancement factors and on the overall sensitivity enhancements (Σ(?)) are reported. The relatively high DNP efficiency of the biradical is attributed to an increased T(1e), which enables more effective saturation of the electron resonance. This new biradical is shown to outperform the polarizing agents used so far in DNP surface-enhanced NMR spectroscopy of materials, yielding a 113-fold increase in overall sensitivity for silicon-29 CPMAS spectra as compared to conventional NMR experiments at room temperature. This results in a reduction in experimental times by a factor >12,700, making the acquisition of (13)C and (15)N one- and two-dimensional NMR spectra at natural isotopic abundance rapid (hours). It has been used here to monitor a series of chemical reactions carried out on the surface functionalities of a hybrid organic-silica material.     

Concentration landscape generators for shear free dynamic chemical stimulation

In this paper we first introduce a novel fabrication process, which allows for easy integration of thin track-etched nanoporous membranes, within 2D or 3D microchannel networks. In these networks, soluble chemical compounds can diffuse out of the channels through well-defined and spatially organized microfabricated porous openings. Interestingly, multiple micron-scale porous areas can be integrated in the same device and each of these areas can be connected to a different microfluidic channel and reservoir. We then present and characterize several membrane-based microdevices and their use for the generation of stable diffusible concentration gradients and complex dynamic chemical landscapes under shear free conditions. We also demonstrate how a simple flow-focusing geometry can be used to generate "on-demand" concentration profiles. In turn, these devices should provide an ideal experimental framework for high throughput cell-based assays: long term high-resolution video microscopy experiments can be performed, under multiple spatially and temporally controlled chemical conditions, with simple protocols and in a cell-friendly environment.     

Fluorescence study of the sol-gel process in hybrid precursors: evidence of concentration fluctuations at the local scale

Hybrid sol-gel materials have been prepared by hydrolytic polycondensation of an alkoxysilane. The sol-gel process of methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTMS) has been followed by fluorescence spectroscopy with 2-naphthol as a probe. The experimental results showed that this photoprobe was dramatically sensitive to the microenvironment polarity. Spectroscopic studies revealed fluctuations of the maximum emission intensity and wavelength as a function of time. These fluctuations were attributed to the amphiphilic behavior of the hydrolyzed precursor. The maximum emission wavelength of the probe corresponding to its protonated form was higher than in pure water. All the results suggest that the presence of water molecules, tightly bonded to the polar head of the silanols, increased locally the sol polarity and induced a red-shifted emission. Fluorescence spectroscopy emphasized the reversibility of monomeric silanol aggregates and the changes in hydroxy group number of the silica network during the sol maturation. The behavior of this system upon shaking confirmed this statement.     

Hydrogen Migration and Reductive Elimination of Alkyne in Fe(CO)4 P(tBu) (C °CPh)H Induced by the Action of Co2 (CO)8

Abstract

One of the possible ways of getting phosphacumulene complexes could be the complexation of phosphinoalkynes, which might induce the migration of hydrogen from phosphorus to the β carbon of the alkynyl group.