Labile Base-Stabilized Silyliumylidene Ions. Non-Metallic Species Capable of Activating Multiple Small Molecules

Several base-stabilized silyliumylidene ions ( 2 and 3 ) with different ligands were synthesized. Their behaviour appeared strongly dependent on the nature of ligand. Indeed, in contrast to the poorly reactive silyliumylidene ions 3 c,d stabilized by strongly donating ligands (DMAP, NHC), the silylene- and sulfide-supported one ( 2-H and 3 a ) exhibits higher reactivity toward various small molecules. Furthermore, their capability to successively activate multiple small molecules was clearly demonstrated by processes involving successive reactions with silane/formamide, CO₂ and H₂. Moreover, HBPin adduct of 3 a ( 8-C ) catalyzes the hydroboration of pyridine. Of particular interest, silylene-supported silyliumylidene complex 2-H is one of the rare species able to activate two H₂ molecules.     

Lipid-Based Nanostructures for the Delivery of Natural Antimicrobials

Encapsulation can be a suitable strategy to protect natural antimicrobial substances against some harsh conditions of processing and storage and to provide efficient formulations for antimicrobial delivery. Lipid-based nanostructures, including liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), and nanostructured lipid nanocarriers (NLCs), are valuable systems for the delivery and controlled release of natural antimicrobial substances. These nanostructures have been used as carriers for bacteriocins and other antimicrobial peptides, antimicrobial enzymes, essential oils, and antimicrobial phytochemicals. Most studies are conducted with liposomes, although the potential of SLNs and NLCs as antimicrobial nanocarriers is not yet fully established. Some studies reveal that lipid-based formulations can be used for co-encapsulation of natural antimicrobials, improving their potential to control microbial pathogens.     

Complexes of Dichlorogermylene with Phosphine/Sulfoxide-Supported Carbone as Ligand

Due to their remarkable electronic features, recent years have witnessed the emergence of carbones L₂C, which consist in two donating L ligands coordinating a central carbon atom bearing two lone pairs. In this context, the phosphine/sulfoxide-supported carbone 4 exhibits a strong nucleophilic character, and here, we describe its ability to coordinate dichlorogermylene. Two original stable coordination complexes were obtained and fully characterized in solution and in the solid state by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis, respectively. At 60 °C, in the presence of 4, the Ge(II)-complex 5 undergoes a slow isomerization that transforms the bis-ylide ligand into an yldiide.     

Screening of Wood/Forest and Vine By-Products as Sources of New Drugs for Sustainable Strategies to Control Fusarium graminearum and the Production of Mycotoxins

Fusarium graminearum is a fungal pathogen that can colonize small-grain cereals and maize and secrete type B trichothecene (TCTB) mycotoxins. The development of environmental-friendly strategies guaranteeing the safety of food and feed is a key challenge facing agriculture today. One of these strategies lies on the promising capacity of products issued from natural sources to counteract crop pests. In this work, the in vitro efficiency of sixteen extracts obtained from eight natural sources using subcritical water extraction at two temperatures was assessed against fungal growth and TCTB production by F. graminearum. Maritime pine sawdust extract was shown to be extremely efficient, leading to a significant inhibition of up to 89% of the fungal growth and up to 65% reduction of the mycotoxin production by F. graminearum. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of this active extract revealed the presence of three families of phenolics with a predominance of methylated compounds and suggested that the abundance of methylated structures, and therefore of hydrophobic compounds, could be a primary factor underpinning the activity of the maritime pine sawdust extract. Altogether, our data support that wood/forest by-products could be promising sources of bioactive compounds for controlling F. graminearum and its production of mycotoxins.     

Mitigating heat dissipation in Raman lasers using coherent anti-stokes Raman scattering

We present a novel technique that intrinsically mitigates the quantum-defect heating in Raman lasers. The basic principle of this so-called "coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS)-based heat mitigation" is to suppress the phonon creation in the Raman medium by increasing the number of out-coupled anti-Stokes photons with respect to the number of out-coupled Stokes photons. We demonstrate with the aid of numerical simulations that for a hydrogen and a silicon Raman laser, CARS-based heat mitigation efficiencies of at least 30% and 35%, respectively, can be obtained.     

Ab initio method for calculating electron-phonon scattering times in semiconductors: application to GaAs and GaP

We propose a fully ab initio approach to calculate electron-phonon scattering times for excited electrons interacting with short-wavelength (intervalley) phonons in semiconductors. Our approach is based on density functional perturbation theory and on the direct integration of electronic scattering probabilities over all possible final states with no ad hoc assumptions. We apply it to the deexcitation of hot electrons in GaAs, and calculate the lifetime of the direct exciton in GaP, both in excellent agreement with experiments. Matrix elements of the electron-phonon coupling, and their dependence on the wave vector of the final state and on the phonon modes, are shown to be crucial ingredients of the evaluation of electron-phonon scattering times.     

Chemical Behaviour of a Prototype Boryl(phosphino)carbene

We recently disclosed the synthesis of a novel “push–pull” boryl(phosphino)carbene. To determine the influence of this substitution pattern on the chemical behaviour, a study into the reactivity of the prototype ( 1 ) of this new family of B(sp²)‐substituted phosphinocarbenes was undertaken. Carbene 1 exhibits one of the most common intramolecular rearrangements of singlet carbenes, involving a 1,2‐mesityl shift, and typical [2+1] cycloaddition reactions with electron‐poor acrylonitrile. A pronounced α,β‐ambiphilic character was also shown by the reaction of 1 with benzaldehyde, leading to phosphorylalkene 4 . Due to its specific electronic properties, carbene 1 also exhibits unprecedented reactivity with chloroacrylonitrile, enabling the formation of bicyclo[1.1.0]phosphetanium salt 6 and borylcyclopropene 9 , which have been fully characterised by NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography.     

1,10‐Phenanthroline and Non‐Symmetrical 1,3,5‐Triazine Dipicolinamide‐Based Ligands For Group Actinide Extraction

The synthesis and evaluation of new extractants for spent nuclear fuel reprocessing are described. New bitopic ligands constituted of phenanthroline and 1,3,5‐triazine cores functionalized by picolinamide groups were designed. Synthetic routes were investigated and optimized to obtain twelve new polyaza‐heterocyclic ligands. In particular, an efficient and versatile methodology was developed to access non‐symmetric 2‐substituted‐4,6‐di(6‐picolin‐2‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazines from the 1,3,5‐triazapentadiene precursor in the presence of anhydride reagents. Extraction studies showed the ability of both ligand series to extract and separate actinides selectively at different oxidation states (U^VI, Np^V,VI, Am^III, Cm^III, and Pu^IV) from an acidic solution (3 M HNO₃). Phenanthroline‐based ligands show the most promising efficiency for use in the group actinide extraction (GANEX) process due to a higher number of donor nitrogen atoms and a suitable pre‐organization of the dipicolinamide‐1,10‐phenanthroline architecture.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Torgov Cyclization: A Concise Total Synthesis of (+)‐Estrone

An asymmetric Torgov cyclization, catalyzed by a novel, highly Brønsted acidic dinitro‐substituted disulfonimide, is described. The reaction delivers the Torgov diene and various analogues with excellent yields and enantioselectivity. This method was applied in a very short synthesis of (+)‐estrone.