Synthesis of Bimetallic Copper‐Rich Nanoclusters Encapsulating a Linear Palladium Dihydride Unit

The structurally precise Cu‐rich hydride nanoclusters [PdCu₁₄H₂(dtc/dtp)₆(C≡CPh)₆] (dtc: di‐butyldithiocarbamate ( 1 ); dtp: di‐isopropyl dithiophosphate ( 2 )) were synthesized from the reaction of polyhydrido copper clusters [Cu₂₈H₁₅(S₂CNⁿBu₂)₁₂]⁺ or [Cu₂₀H₁₁{S₂P(OⁱPr)₂}₉] with phenyl acetylene in the presence of Pd(PPh₃)₂Cl₂. Their structures and compositions were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and the results supported by ESI‐mass spectrometry. Hydride positions in 1 were confirmed by single‐crystal neutron diffraction. Each hydride is connected to one Pd⁰ and four Cu^I atoms in slightly distorted trigonalbipyramidal geometry. The anatomies of clusters 1 and 2 are very similar and DFT calculations allow rationalizing the interactions between the encapsulated [PdH₂]^2? unit and its Cu₁₄ bicapped icosahedral cage. As a result, Pd has the highest coordination number (14) so far recorded.     

Comparative Study of Alkali-Cation-Based (Li+, Na+, K+) Electrolytes in Acetonitrile and Alkylcarbonates

The development of a suitable functional electrolyte is urgently required for fast-charging and high-voltage alkali-ion (Li, Na, K) batteries as well as next-generation hybrids supercapacitors. Many recent works focused on an optimal selection of electrolytes for alkali-ion based systems and their electrochemical performance but the understanding of the fundamental aspect that explains their different behaviour is rare. Herein, we report a comparative study of transport properties for LiPF₆, NaPF₆, KPF₆ in acetonitrile (AN) and a binary mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC): (EC/DMC : 1/1, weigh) through conductivities, densities and viscosities measurements in wide temperature domain. By application of the Stokes-Einstein, Nernst-Einstein, and Jones Dole equations, the effective ionic solvated radius of cation (r_eff), the ionic dissociation coefficient (α_D) and structuring Jones Dole's parameters (A, B) for salt are calculated and discussed according to solvent or cation nature as a function of temperature. From the results, we demonstrate that better mobility of potassium can be explained by the nature of the ion-ion and ion-solvent interactions due to its polarizability. In the same time, the predominance of triple ions in the case of K⁺, is a disadvantage at high concentration.     

Correlation between chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils from fifteen Eucalyptus species growing in the Korbous and Jbel Abderrahman arboreta (North East Tunisia)

The essential oils of fifteen Eucalyptus species harvested from the Jbel Abderrahman and Korbous arboreta (North East Tunisia) were screened for their antibacterial activities by the agar disc diffusion method. Eighteen major components as identified by GC/FID and GC/MS were selected for a study of the chemical and biological activity variability. The main one was 1,8-cineole, followed by spathulenol, trans-pinocarveol, α-pinene, p-cymene, globulol, cryptone, β-phellandrene, viridiflorol, borneol, limonene and isospathulenol. The chemical principal component analysis identified five species groups and subgroups, where each group constituted a chemotype, however that of the values of zone diameter of the inhibition (zdi) identified six groups of Eucalyptus oils, characterized by their antibacterial inhibition ability. The strongest activity was shown by E. platypus oil against Enterococcus faecalis and by E. lamannii oil against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. A correlation between the levels of some major components and the antibacterial activities was observed.     

Design and Synthesis of Imidazole and Triazole Pyrazoles as Mycobacterium Tuberculosis CYP121A1 Inhibitors

The emergence of untreatable drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a major public health problem worldwide, and the identification of new efficient treatments is urgently needed. Mycobacterium tuberculosis cytochrome P450 CYP121A1 is a promising drug target for the treatment of tuberculosis owing to its essential role in mycobacterial growth. Using a rational approach, which includes molecular modelling studies, three series of azole pyrazole derivatives were designed through two synthetic pathways. The synthesized compounds were biologically evaluated for their inhibitory activity towards M. tuberculosis and their protein binding affinity (K_D). Series 3 biarylpyrazole imidazole derivatives were the most effective with the isobutyl ( 10 f ) and tert-butyl ( 10 g ) compounds displaying optimal activity (MIC 1.562 μg/mL, K_D 0.22 μM ( 10 f ) and 4.81 μM ( 10 g )). The spectroscopic data showed that all the synthesised compounds produced a type II red shift of the heme Soret band indicating either direct binding to heme iron or (where less extensive Soret shifts are observed) putative indirect binding via an interstitial water molecule. Evaluation of biological and physicochemical properties identified the following as requirements for activity: LogP >4, H-bond acceptors/H-bond donors 4/0, number of rotatable bonds 5–6, molecular volume >340 ų, topological polar surface area <40 Ų.     

Determination of <Superscript>210</Superscript>Pb in human skeletal remains from Morocco: implications for time since death assessment

In forensic contexts, time since death assessment in human skeletal remains is crucial for identification, and both accuracy and reliability are required. In this paper, we present the possibilities and constraints of the use of ²¹⁰Pb in dating skeletonized human bones in Morocco. The method was tested on recent as well as archaeological bones of known dates of death. A calibration curve was obtained from the available data in the scientific literature. The ²¹⁰Pb initial activity was introduced as an increasing lineal function with time. The ²¹⁰Pb dating approach gives promising results only for recent bones. On the contrary, for archaeological bones, the technique has erroneously led to post-mortem intervals in the range of recent bones which constitute a serious limitation of the method. On the other hand, uranium isotopes content in bones is suggested in this work as a possible indicator in placing a studied bone within either a forensic or archaeological context.     

Two new alkaloids and a new polyphenolic compound from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cotula coronopifolia</Emphasis>

Two new alkaloid derivatives of the 3-benzazocine skeleton (cotuzine A and B) and a new polyphenolic substance (3-(1,3-dihydroxyprop-2-yl)-4-hydroxyanisol) (corimen) have been isolated from the aerial part (stems, leaves) of the plant Cotula coronopifolia (L.). These three new structures were established by spectroscopic procedures (¹H, ¹³C, one- and two-dimensional NMR). The stereochemistry of the new alkaloids was established based on different NOE effects revealed on the NOESY spectrum. Mass spectrometry and IR spectroscopy were used to confirm these structures.     

Efficient Method for The Synthesis of α-Amidophosphonates via the Michaelis-Arbuzov Reaction

Abstract

A new series of modified α-amidophosphonates (or β-ketophosphonate) was synthesized by an efficient method, starting from aminoesters and chloroacetyl chloride. We have established that chloroacetyl chloride is a suitable reagent allowing the introduction a halogen moiety for the Arbuzov reaction. The α-amidophosphonates were prepared in two steps (acetylation, phosphorylation).

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.     

SYNTHESIS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF NEW INDOLE DERIVATIVES CONTAINING SULFIDE AND/OR SULFONE MOIETIES. PART I

Abstract

4-Amino-halonitrodiphenyl sulfides(I) and/or 4-amino-halonitrodiphenyl sulfones have been found to react with isatin, N-acetyl isatin, isatin-N-Mannich bases, indole-3-carboxaldehyde and N-substituted indole-3-carboxaldehyde producing the corresponding indole derivatives. The biological activity of some of these products was screened against selected strains of bacteria.     

Studies on Azolylacetonitriles: The Reactivity of Thiazole-2-yl,Thiadiazol-2-yl Acetonitriles Toward Electrophilic Reagents

5-Acetyl-2-cyanomethyl-4-methylthiazole, 2-aminothiazole, and 5-N-benzoylamino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-yl-acetonitrile react with acetone, and malononitrile derivatives in the presence of sulfur to yield the corresponding thiophene derivatives. Also, 4-furylmethylene-2-phenyl-2-oxazolin-5-ones react with thiophenol, and/or thionaphthol to give the thiolester derivatives in one-pot synthesis. The structures of the products were based on IR, 1 H NMR, and elemental analysis.     

Spectrofluorometric determination of certain quinolone antibacterials using metal chelation

Simple, rapid, reliable, and sensitive spectrofluorometric methods were developed for the determination of eight quinolone antibacterials namely ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, lomefloxacin, difloxacin, amifloxacin, pefloxacin, ofloxacin, and nalidixic acid. The methods depend on the chelation of each of the studied drugs with zirconium, molybdenum, vanadium or tungsten to produce fluorescent chelates. Different factors affecting the relative fluorescence intensity of the resulting chelates were studied and optimised. At the optimum reaction conditions, the drug-metal chelates showed excitation maxima ranging from 274 to 295 nm and emission maxima ranging from 409 to 495 nm. The chelates were found to be stable at room temperature for 2 days and show good stability upon increasing temperature to 50 °C for about 1 h. Rectilinear calibration graphs were obtained in the range of 10-60 ng ml⁻¹ for each of the investigated drugs and the limits of detection and quantitation ranged from 1.214 to 2.046 and from 4.047 to 6.819 ng ml⁻¹, respectively. The molar ratios of the formed chelates were determined by Job's method and their association constants were also calculated. The developed methods were applied successfully for the determination of the studied drugs in their pharmaceutical dosage forms with a good precision and accuracy compared to official and reported methods as revealed by t- and F-tests. They were also applied for the determination of studied drugs in spiked urine and plasma samples.