Electro-Mechanochemical Atom Transfer Radical Cyclizations using Piezoelectric BaTiO3

The formation and regeneration of active Cu^I species is a fundamental mechanistic step in copper-catalyzed atom transfer radical cyclizations (ATRC). Typically, the presence of the catalytically active Cu^I species in the reaction mixture is secured by using high Cu^I catalyst loadings or the addition of complementary reducing agents. In this study it is demonstrated how the piezoelectric properties of barium titanate (BaTiO₃) can be harnessed by mechanical ball milling to induce electrical polarization in the strained piezomaterial. This strategy enables the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy, leading to the reduction of a Cu^II precatalyst into the active Cu^I species in copper-catalyzed mechanochemical solvent-free ATRC reactions.     

Diels-Alder reaction mechanisms of substituted chiral anthracene: A theoretical study based on the reaction force and reaction electronic flux

Quantum chemical calculations were used to study the mechanism of Diels-Alder reactions involving chiral anthracenes as dienes and a series of dienophiles. The reaction force analysis was employed to obtain a detailed scrutiny of the reaction mechanisms, it has been found that thermodynamics and kinetics of the reactions are quite consistent: the lower the activation energy, the lower the reaction energy, thus following the Bell-Evans-Polanyi principle. It has been found that activation energies are mostly due to structural rearrangements that in most cases represented more than 70% of the activation energy. Electronic activity mostly due to changes in σ and π bonding were revealed by the reaction electronic flux (REF), this property helps identify whether changes on σ or π bonding drive the reaction. Additionally, new global indexes describing the behavior of the electronic activity were introduced and then used to classify the reactions in terms of the spontaneity of their electronic activity. Local natural bond order electronic population analysis was used to check consistency with global REF through the characterization of specific changes in the electronic density that might be responsible for the activity already detected by the REF. Results show that reactions involving acetoxy lactones are driven by spontaneous electronic activity coming from bond forming/strengthening processes; in the case of maleic anhydrides and maleimides it appears that both spontaneous and non-spontaneous electronic activity are quite active in driving the reactions.     

Multi-scale simulation reveals that an amino acid substitution increases photosensitizing reaction inputs in Rhodopsins

Evaluating the availability of molecular oxygen (O₂) and energy of excited states in the retinal binding site of rhodopsin is a crucial challenging first step to understand photosensitizing reactions in wild-type (WT) and mutant rhodopsins by absorbing visible light. In the present work, energies of the ground and excited states related to 11-cis-retinal and the O₂ accessibility to the β-ionone ring are evaluated inside WT and human M207R mutant rhodopsins. Putative O₂ pathways within rhodopsins are identified by using molecular dynamics simulations, Voronoi-diagram analysis, and implicit ligand sampling while retinal energetic properties are investigated through density functional theory, and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical methods. Here, the predictions reveal that an amino acid substitution can lead to enough energy and O₂ accessibility in the core hosting retinal of mutant rhodopsins to favor the photosensitized singlet oxygen generation, which can be useful in understanding retinal degeneration mechanisms and in designing blue-lighting-absorbing proteic photosensitizers.     

Enthalpic characterization of activated carbons with different surface chemistry with organic solvents and water

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Immersion enthalpies of activated carbons modified on their chemical surface were determined in benzene, cyclohexane, hexane, ethanol and water. Three...     

Orlicz function spaces without complemented copies ofl p

This paper proves the existence of Orlicz function spaces Lφ (0, 1) containing no complemented subspaces isomorphic tol ^p for anyp ≠ 2. Some properties of minimal Orlicz function spaces Lφ (0, 1) are also given. Supported in part by CAICYT grant 0338-84.     

An unexpected Pummerer rearrangement in the synthetic route to ethyl (2′-hydroxy-4′,5′-methylenedioxyphenyl)acetate: An alternative approach to 2,3-dimethylthio benzofurans

The synthesis of ethyl (2′-hydroxy-4′,5′-methylendioxophenyl)acetate, a fragment of the antihyperglycemic natural coumarin subcoriacin, is reported. We found an expeditious route to the title compound in five steps. Final metal catalyzed acid ethanolysis of the vinylic 1,1-methylthio methylsulfoxide derivative afforded the required aryl acetic ester, but in the absence of metal catalyst, an unexpected Pummerer rearrangement produced the 2,3-dimethylthiofuran derivative as the major product. This last result provides an alternative entry to 2,3-dimethlythiobenzofurans.     

Liquid chromatographic separation of fluoroquinolone antibacterials used as veterinary drugs

Summary A liquid chromatographic method has been developed to separate a series of quinolones which are widely used as veterinary drugs: danofloxacin, difloxacin, enrofloxacin (and its metabolite ciprofloxacin), marbofloxacin, norfloxacin and sarafloxacin. Separation was performed by using an end-capped high-purity silica-based C₈ column and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-aqueous oxalic acid buffer solution. In order to establish the optimal conditions for an isocratic separation, a three-factor Doehlert experimental design was applied. Gradient elution was applied which reduced analysis time. Figures of merit of the method proposed, with fluorimetric detection, were evaluated.     

Photophysical characterization of a highly conjugated bipyridyl-based dye synthesized by a unique two-step approach

In this article, we present a new and simple, yet efficient, two-step approach to synthesize 4,4'-bis(dibutylaminostyrylstyryl)-2,2'-bipyridine with high yield, as well as its linear and nonlinear optical characterizations in THF and toluene solutions. We show that its one- and two-photon absorption spectra are similar in both solvents. Nevertheless, the relaxation processes of this compound exhibit dependence on the solvent polarity. The one- and two-photon induced fluorescence signal of this molecule in solution reveals that its excited state is highly stabilized in THF solution rather than in toluene. Analysis of the fluorescence quantum yield, lifetime, and radiative and nonradiative decay rates are in agreement with Lippert's model for solute-solvent interactions. The optical measurements demonstrate that this dye is a promising candidate for multiphoton fluorescence imaging, optical limiting, and dye lasers.     

Capillary electrophoresis for the detection of PMP22 gene duplication: study in Mexican patients

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is the most common inherited disorder of the human peripheral nerve, with an estimated overall prevalence of 17-40/10 000 [1]. The typical phenotype presents peroneal muscular atrophy and pes cavus [2]. CMT is usually divided into two large types, about two-thirds of the patients have CMT type 1 (CMT1), that affects the layer of myelin (demyelination). In type 2 (CMT2) the nerve fibers are affected (axonal). CMT diseases have autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and X-linked inheritance [1]. The most frequent subtype is 1A (CMT1A) with autosomal dominant transmission, secondary in most cases to a tandem duplication of a 1.5 Mb DNA fragment on chromosome 17p11.2-p12 [4-7]. In this region, the codification of the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) takes place. The severity of the disease varies among patients, even within the same family, from almost no symptoms to severe foot-drop and sensory loss. The PMP22 gene has four exons and is regulated by two promoters located toward the extreme 5'. The origin of the duplication that causes the disease is an uneven exchange of the chromatids during the meiosis. This unequal recombination occurs between two regions that limit the PMP22 gene, described as REP places of 24 kb, proximal and distal [3, 4].     

Quantification and confirmation of anionic, cationic and neutral pesticides and transformation products in water by on-line solid phase extraction-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Two on-line SPE-LC-ESI-MS/MS methods have been developed for the rapid determination and confirmation of 18 polar pesticides and nine transformation products (TPs) in water samples. Given the very different physico-chemical characteristics of the analytes, it was not feasible the simultaneous determination of all selected compounds in only one method. Thus, it was necessary to use heptafluorobutyric acid and formic acid in order to obtain good retention in the SPE cartridge for basic and acidic analytes, respectively. The developed analytical methodology based on the direct injection of 2 mL of water sample in the system allowed the quantification of all analytes at the 25 ng/L level (LOQ) with limits of detection normally lower than 5 ng/L. Satisfactory recoveries (70-110%) were obtained for most compounds in ground and surface water samples. Some exceptions were found mainly in surface water, due to the ion suppression produced by the higher amount of matrix interferents in these samples. The acquisition of two MS/MS transitions for each compound allowed the reliable confirmation of positive findings even at the LOQ level. The developed methodology was applied to real ground and surface water samples showing the interest of including TPs in monitoring methods, as several of them were found at concentrations higher than that of parent compounds.