Glycosylated Quantum Dots for the Selective Labelling of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kluyveromyces bulgaricus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> Yeast Strains

Highly fluorescent CdTe quantum dots (QDs) stabilized by thioglycolic acid (TGA) were prepared by an aqueous solution approach and used as fluorescent labels in detecting yeast cells. Sugars (mannose, galactose or glucose) were adsorbed on CdTe@TGA QDs and the interaction of these nanoparticles with yeast cells was studied by fluorescence microscopy. Results obtained demonstrate that galactose and mannose functionalized QDs associate respectively with Kluyveromyces bulgaricus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains due to saccharide/lectin specific recognition. Glucose-functionalized CdTe QDs, which are not recognized by cell lectins, preferentially localize in the bud scars of S. cerevisiae.     

Characterization and Authentication of “Ricotta” Whey Cheeses through GC-FID Analysis of Fatty Acid Profile and Chemometrics

The fatty acid (FA) profiles of 240 samples of ricotta whey cheese made from sheep, goat, cow, or water buffalo milk were analyzed by gas-chromatography (GC). Then, sequential preprocessing through orthogonalization (SPORT) was used in order to classify samples according to the nature of the milk they were made from. This strategy achieved excellent results, correctly classifying 77 (out of 80) validation samples. Eventually, since 36 (over 114) sheep ricotta whey cheeses were PDO products, a second classification problem, finalizing the discrimination of PDO and Non-PDO dairies, was faced. In this case, two classifiers were used, SPORT and soft independent modelling by class analogy (SIMCA). Both approaches provided more than satisfying results; in fact, SPORT properly assigned 63 (of 65) test samples, whereas the SIMCA model accepted 14 PDO individuals over 15 (93.3% sensitivity) and correctly rejected all the other samples (100.0% specificity). In conclusion, all the tested approaches resulted as suitable for the two fixed purposes. Eventually, variable importance in projection (VIP) analysis was used to understand which FAs characterize the different categories of ricotta. Among the 22 analyzed compounds, about 10 are considered the most relevant for the solution of the investigated problems.     

Supramolecular oxidation of anilines using hydrogen peroxide as stoichiometric oxidant

6A,6D-Di-O-(propan-2-on-1,3-diyl) alpha-cyclodextrin-6A,6D-dicarboxylate (2alpha) and 6A,6D-di-O-(propan-2-on-1,3-diyl) beta-cyclodextrin-6A,6D-dicarboxylate (2beta) were found to catalyze the oxidation of aromatic amines in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The products were the corresponding nitro compounds or in some cases azo-, azoxy-, or other dimerization products. The catalysis was found to follow enzyme kinetics giving a rate increase (kcat/kuncat) of up to 1100 in the best case.     

ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SINGLE AND MIXED AMMONIUM AND PHOSPHONIUM SALTS GRAFTED ON "GEL-TYPE" STYRENE-DIVINYLBENZENE COPOLYMERS*

1.INTRODUCTIONThesynthesisofpolymer-supported"onium"salts(ammoniumandphosphonium)(1~5(wasdiscussedindetailduetothewidefieldofutilizationas:polarstationaryphasesforanionchromatography(6(,polymericreagentsfortrans-quaternizationreactions(7,8(,phase-transfercatalysts(9~13(andpolycationicbiocides(14~17(.Manychemicalmaterialssuchasozone,liquidchlorine,sodiumhydrochloride,s.a.,havebeenlargelyusedtosterilizeairandwater.Suchmaterialsrequirespecialequipmentandcarelessusemaycauseenvironmentalpolluti…     

Radical substitution with azide: TMSN3-PhI(OAc)2 as a substitute of IN3

TMSN3 and PhI(OAc)2 were found to promote high-yield azide substitution of ethers, aldehydes and benzal acetals. The reaction is fast and occurs at zero to ambient temperature in acetonitrile. However, it is essential for the reaction that TMSN3 is added subsequent to the mixture of PhI(OAc)2 and the substrate. A primary deuterium kinetic isotope effect was found for the azidonation of benzyl ethers both with TMSN3-PhI(OAc)2 and with IN3. Also a Hammett free energy relationship study of this reaction showed good correlation with sigma+ constants giving with rho-values of -0.47 for TMSN3-PhI(OAc)2 and -0.39 for IN3. On this basis a radical mechanism of the reaction was proposed.     

Evidence for a nucleophilic anti-attack on the cleaved C(2)-oxygen bond in Cl2AlH-catalyzed ring-opening of 2-substituted 1,3-dioxolanes

The Cl₂AlH-mediated ring-opening of 2-substituted cis-4-methyl-5-trifluoromethyl-1,3-dioxolanes was found to occur with regioselective cleavage of the O1-C2 bond by attack of the aluminum hydride from the direction anti to the departing oxygen. This stereochemical outcome, which appears to be unprecedented in the reductive cleavage of chiral acetals by aluminum reagents, is interpreted on the basis of theoretical calculations.     

Radical azidonation of aldehydes

Aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes can be converted to acyl azides by treatment with iodine azide at 0-25 degrees C. If the reaction is performed at reflux Curtius rearrangement occurs and carbamoyl azides are obtained in 70-97% yield from the aldehyde. The reaction was shown to have a radical mechanism.     

[Ge2]4− Dumbbells with Very Short Ge−Ge Distances in the Zintl Phase Li3NaGe2: A Solid‐State Equivalent to Molecular O2

The novel ternary Zintl phase Li₃NaGe₂ comprises alkali‐metal cations and [Ge₂]^4? dumbbells. The diatomic [Ge₂]^4? unit is characterized by the shortest Ge?Ge distance (2.390(1) Å) ever observed in a Zintl phase and thus represents the first Ge=Ge double bond under such conditions, as also suggested by the (8?N) rule. Raman measurements support these findings. The multiple‐bond character is confirmed by electronic‐structure calculations, and an upfield ⁶Li NMR shift of ?10.0 ppm, which was assigned to the Li cations surrounded by the π systems of three Ge dumbbells, further underlines this interpretation. For the unperturbed, ligand‐free dumbbell in Li₃NaGe₂, the π‐ bonding p_y and p_z orbitals are degenerate as in molecular oxygen, which has singly occupied orbitals. The partially filled π‐type bands of the neat solid Li₃NaGe₂ cross the Fermi level, resulting in metallic properties. Li₃NaGe₂ was synthesized from the elements as well as from binary reactants and subsequently characterized crystallographically.     

The role of segregation in the polarized emission from polyfluorene embedded in a liquid crystal

Polyfluorene (PFO) embedded in a nematic liquid crystal (LC) matrix is investigated. For low PFO weight contents, a homogeneous dispersion is obtained which displays a strong fluorescence anisotropy along the LC director, indicating a significant alignment of the polymeric chains along this direction. Besides, for relatively high PFO weight contents, phase separation takes place. Under these conditions, the sample is composed of micrometer‐sized domains, where the two species are in solution, enclosed by segregated polymeric boundaries. By polarized‐photoluminescence imaging and spectroscopy, it is found that most of the light emission originates from these boundaries and gets strongly pinned along their orientation. Since boundaries are mainly oriented orthogonal to the LC chains, this morphological alignment results in a system in which the orientation of the polarization emission can be predicted and possibly controlled. Conversely, in the homogeneous sample one can obtain a homogeneous emission polarization by controlling the alignment of the LC. These features are potentially relevant for the development of flexible polarization‐sensitive optoelectronic devices. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1558–1563