N‐Phenyl‐substituted carbene precursors and their silver complexes: synthesis,characterization and antimicrobial activities

A series of unsymmetrically substituted N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors ( 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d , 1e ) were synthesized from the reaction of N‐phenylbenzimidazole with various alkyl halides. These compounds were used to synthesize NHC–silver(I) complexes ( 2a , 2b , 2c , 2d , 2e ). The five new 1‐phenyl‐3‐alkylbenzimidazolium salts ( 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d , 1e ) and their NHC–silver complexes ( 2a , 2b , 2c , 2d , 2e ) were characterized by the ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and FT‐IR spectroscopic methods and elemental analysis techniques. Also, the two NHC–silver complexes 2b and 2c were characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography, which confirmed the linear C―Ag―Cl arrangements. The antibacterial activities of the NHC precursor and NHC–silver complexes were tested against three Gram‐positive bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus) and three Gram‐negative bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) using the microdilution broth method. The NHC–silver complexes showed higher antibacterial activity than the NHC precursors. In addition, silver complexes 2a , 2b , 2c , 2d showed high antibacterial activity against the Gram‐positive bacteria L. monocytogenes and S. aureus compared to the standard, tetracycline. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

4-Vinylbenzyl-substituted silver(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes and ruthenium(II) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes: synthesis and transfer hydrogenation of ketones

4-Vinylbenzyl-substituted Ag(I) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes and Ru(II) NHC complexes have been synthesized. The Ag(I) complexes were synthesized from the imidazolium salts and Ag₂O in dichloromethane at room temperature. The Ru(II) complexes were prepared from Ag(I) NHC complexes by transmetallation. The six 4-Vinylbenzyl-substituted Ag(I) NHC complexes and six 4-Vinylbenzyl-substituted Ru(II) NHC complexes have been characterized by spectroscopic techniques and elemental analyses. The Ru(II) NHC complexes show catalytic activity for the transfer hydrogenation of ketones.     

Vapour permeation and sorption in fluoropolymer gel membrane based on ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulphonyl)imide

The emissions of hydrocarbons from fossil fuels into atmosphere entail both an economic loss and an environmental pollution. Membrane separations can be used for vapour recovery and/or vapour removal from the permanent gas stream, given that the appropriate membrane is identified. A neat poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) membrane is impermeable to both the representatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons and branched hydrocarbons, namely hexane and isooctane, whereas the permeation flux is enhanced by the presence of 80 mass % of the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulphonyl)imide in the membrane, as detailed in this work. The permeabilities of hydrocarbon vapours were determined from the binary mixture containing hydrocarbon and nitrogen to simulate the real input of an air stream containing a condensable hydrocarbon. The diffusion coefficient determined from sorption measurements was higher for hexane, as would be expected for a smaller molecule, whereas both the sorption isotherms and permeabilities of the hydrocarbons studied were found to be almost identical. It is possible that the sorption effect predominates in the transport mechanism for VOCs/N₂ separations.     

Imidazole,pyrimidine and diazepine containing heteroaryl-substituted heterocyclic salts as efficient ligand precursors for Mizoroki–Heck coupling reaction: synthesis,structural characterization and catalytic activities

The nine new heteroaryl-substituted imidazolidinium (1a–c), pyrimidinium (2a–c) and diazepinium (3a–c) salts as N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors were synthesized in good yields and entirely characterized using elemental analyses and conventional spectroscopic methods. In situ formed complexes from heterocyclic salts (1–3), Pd(OAc)₂ and in the presence of KOBu ^t as a base were tested as catalysts for the Mizoroki–Heck coupling reaction in an aqueous media and very high yields were achieved. 1,3-Di(5-methylthiophen-2-ylmethyl)pyrimidinium hexafluorophosphate salt (2b) was structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In the 2b compound (C₁₆H₂₁N₂S₂)⁺[PF₆]^?, the terminal thiophene rings are twisted with a dihedral angle of 72.8(3)°. In the pyrimidine ring, the three successive C atoms between the N atoms are disordered over two positions [occupancy ratio 0.753(12):0.247(12)]. In the crystal, neighboring molecules are linked by C–H…F hydrogen bonds, running along the b axis.     

Surface and Structural Properties of Gold Nanoparticles and Their Biofunctionalized Derivatives in Aqueous Electrolytes Solution

Gold nanoparticles reduced by sodium citrate (d ～ 10 nm) and purchased gold colloid particles (d ～ 500 nm) were examined and compared. The properties of both gold particles and their biofunctionalized derivatives with L-cysteine and L-glutathione were studied in the presence of sodium nitrate. The structural investigations indicated an aggregated inner structure.

The isoelectric points of pure gold, citrate reduced gold, and functionalized gold were measured and compared. The low isoelectric point of pure gold/water interface was explained by considering the distribution and accumulation of H⁺ and OH^? ions within the interfacial water layer, being more pronounced for OH^? ions.      

Retention behavior of a homologous series and positional isomers of aliphatic amino acids in hydrophilic interaction chromatography

The retention behavior of several series of free α‐ and ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino pentanoic acid in the hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode (HILIC) was studied. The study was carried out on three stationary phases followed by post‐column derivatization with fluorescence detection in order to describe the retention mechanism of the tested amino acids. The effect of chromatographic conditions including acetonitrile content in the mobile phase, mobile phase pH (ranging from 3.5 to 6.5) and concentration of buffer in the mobile phase was investigated. The effect of the number of carbon atoms (n_C) in aliphatic chains of the individual homologue of α‐ and ω‐amino acids and the logarithm of the partition coefficient (logD) on retention was also a part of the presented study. A good correlation (r > 0.98) between the logk and logD values of amino acids or n_C, respectively, was observed. The described linear relationships were subsequently applied to predict the retention behavior of individual members of the homologous series of amino acids and to optimize the mobile phase composition in HILIC. The obtained results confirmed that the retention mechanism of α‐amino acids, ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino acids was based on the logD values and the number of carbon atoms in the aliphatic chains of amino acids. The elution order of ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino pentanoic acid was strongly dependent on the mobile phase pH in the investigated range whereas the retention factors of all α‐amino acids remained essentially unchanged on all tested stationary phases.     

Study of the retention behavior of small polar molecules on different types of stationary phases used in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography

The retention behavior of a large group of analytes (35) with varied properties (pK_a and logP) was studied on eight hydrophilic interaction LC columns with different surfaces, stationary phase chemistries, and types of particles. The acetonitrile content (5–95%), buffer concentration (0.5–200 mM), and pH of the mobile phase (3.8 and 6.8) were evaluated for their effects on the retention behavior. The type of stationary phase had a significant impact on the selectivity and retention time of the tested analytes. Completely different selectivity was observed on the aminopropyl stationary phase. In this study, the influence of the buffer concentration was similar for all tested columns, except for the aminopropyl stationary phase. Increasing the buffer concentration led to decreased retention times for the basic compounds and increased retention times for the acidic compounds, while the inverse behavior was observed on the aminopropyl stationary phase. The selectivity of the individual stationary phases was evaluated at pH 3.8 and 6.8. Much lower selectivity differences between the stationary phases were observed at pH 6.8 than pH 3.8. Bare silica stationary phases were used in the comparison of the particles (fused‐core and fully porous particles of 3 and 1.7 μm) and the columns provided by different manufacturers.