Asymmetric synthesis of dihydro-1,3-dioxepines by Rh(ii)/Sm(iii) relay catalytic three-component tandem [4 + 3]-cycloaddition

Heterocycles have been widely used in organic synthesis, agrochemical, pharmaceutical and materials science industries. Catalytic three-component ylide formation/cycloaddition enables the assembly of complex heterocycles from simple starting materials in a highly efficient manner. However, asymmetric versions remain a yet-unsolved task. Here, we present a new bimetallic catalytic system for tackling this challenge. A combined system of Rh(ii) salt and chiral N,N′-dioxide–Sm(iii) complex was established for promoting the unprecedented tandem carbonyl ylide formation/asymmetric [4 + 3]-cycloaddition of aldehydes and α-diazoacetates with β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters smoothly, affording various chiral 4,5-dihydro-1,3-dioxepines in up to 97% yield, with 99% ee. The utility of the current method was demonstrated by conversion of products to optically active multi-substituted tetrahydrofuran derivatives. A possible reaction mechanism was provided to elucidate the origin of chiral induction based on experimental studies and X-ray structures of catalysts and products.

Catalytic asymmetric tandem carbonyl ylide formation/[4 + 3]-cycloaddition of β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters, aldehydes and α-diazoacetates was achieved by using a bimetallic rhodium(ii)/chiral N,N′-dioxide–Sm(iii) complex catalyst.     

Surmounting tumor resistance to metallodrugs by co-loading a metal complex and siRNA in nanoparticles

Copper complexes are promising anticancer agents widely studied to overcome tumor resistance to metal-based anticancer drugs. Nevertheless, copper complexes per se encounter drug resistance from time to time. Adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP)-responsive nanoparticles containing a copper complex CTND and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) small interfering RNA (siRNA) were constructed to cope with the resistance of cancer cells to the complex. CTND and siRNA can be released from the nanoparticles in cancer cells upon reacting with intracellular ATP. The resistance of B16F10 melanoma cells to CTND was terminated by silencing the cellular Bcl-2 gene via RNA interference, and the therapeutic efficacy was significantly enhanced. The nanoparticles triggered a cellular autophagy that amplified the apoptotic signals, thus revealing a novel mechanism for antagonizing the resistance of copper complexes. In view of the extensive association of Bcl-2 protein with cancer resistance to chemotherapeutics, this strategy may be universally applicable for overcoming the ubiquitous drug resistance to metallodrugs.

Bcl-2-related tumor resistance to anticancer drugs can be overcome by silencing the cellular Bcl-2 gene via RNA interference. The realization of the goal is exemplified by delivering Bcl-2 siRNA and a tumor-resistant Cu complex to cancer cells with an ATP-responsive nanocarrier.     

Scaling of electrokinetic transport in nanometer channels

Electrokinetic transport is a popular transport mechanism used in nanofluidic systems, and understanding its scaling behavior is important for the design and optimization of nanofluidic devices. In this article, we report on the scaling of electroosmotic flow and ionic conductivity in positively charged slit nanochannels by using continuum and atomistic simulations. The effects of confinement and surface charge are discussed in detail. In particular, we found that the viscosity of the interfacial water increases substantially as the surface charge density increases and the electrophoretic mobility of the interfacial ions decreases. We show that such effects can influence the scaling of the electrokinetic transport in confined nanochannels significantly.     

Langmuir monolayers of the long-chain alkyl derivatives of a nucleoside analogue and the formation of self-assembled nanoparticles

The long-chain alkyl derivatives of a nucleoside analogue-acyclovir were prepared in the paper. One is stearyl-glycero-succinyl-acyclovir (SGSA) with a single 18-carbon length (C18) alkyl chain. Another is dioctadecyl-aspartate-succinyl-acyclovir (DASA) with double C18 alkyl chains. They were prepared by the esterification of succinyl-acyclovir with the lipids, and sodium salts of them were also prepared. Guanine moieties and alkyl moieties bring the derivatives intermolecular hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction in water separately. The forces are influenced by the number of alkyl chains and the charged state, and determine the solubility and the self-assembly behavior of the derivatives. The double alkyl-chain derivatives (DASA and DASA-Na) formed rigid Langmuir monolayers on air/water surface, while the single alkyl chain derivatives (SGSA and SGSA-Na) did not. However, cholesterol (Chol) could assist SGSA to form rigid monolayers through inserting into the alkyl chains of SGSA to mimic the second alkyl chain. SGSA self-aggregates in water were prepared by the injection method with tetrahydrofuran as solvent. Cuboid-like shape and nanoscale size demonstrated that SGSA self-aggregates were self-assembled nanoparticles. Shape, particle size, zeta potential and phase transition of the nanoparticles were characterized. And they showed an average size of 83.2 nm, a negative surface charge of -31.3-mV zeta potential and a gel-liquid crystalline phase transition of 50.38 degrees C. The formation mechanism of self-assembled nanoparticles was analyzed. Hydrophobic interaction of alkyl chains improves SGSA molecules to form bilayers, and then cuboid-like nanoparticles were obtained by layer-by-layer aggregation based on inter-bilayers hydrogen bonding. However, the charged guanine moieties make SGSA-Na lose the function of hydrogen bonding so that SGSA-Na only forms vesicles in water based on hydrophobic interaction. Strong hydrophobicity and wide-open rigid double alkyl chains of DASA and DASA-Na restrict self-assembly in water media, and no homogeneous suspensions were obtained. Therefore, the molecular self-assembly behavior of the long-chain alkyl derivatives of nucleoside analogues on water surface or in water media is determined by the number of alkyl chains and the charged state.     

Storage-Reduction of NOx over Combined Catalysts of Pt/Ba/Al2O3-Mn/Ba/Al2O3： Carbon Monoxide as Reductant

Storage-reduction of NOx by carbon monoxide was investigated over combined catalysts of Mn/Ba/Al2O3-Pt/Ba/Al2O3. Combination of Mn/Ba/Al2O3 and Pt/Ba/Al2O3 catalysts in different ways showed excellent NOx storage-reduction performance and the content of Pt could be reduced by 50%. Not only the addition of 5Mn/15Ba/Al2O3 to lPt/15Ba/Al2O3 could improve its storage ability, but also enhance the NOx conversion consequently. NOx conversion over the combined catalysts (the combined catalysts I and II) was increased under dynamic lean-rich burn conditions, the maximum NOx conversion increased from 69.4% to respectively 78.8% and 75.7% over two combined catalysts.     

Synthesis of （2R,4R）—2—N—tert—Butyloxycarbonyl Amino—4,5—epoxido—valeric Acid Methyl Ester

The stereoselective synthesis of (2R,4R)-2-N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl amino-4,5-epoxido-valeric acid methyl ester 8,which is the key intermediate for the synthesis of (2′S,2R)-3-trans-nitrocyclopropyl-alanine,was first accomplished.     

健康老年人血清锌,铜,镁含量的调查

应用原子吸收分光光度法对济南市健康老年人血清中铜、锌、镁含量进行了测定。结果表明，健康老年人血液铜、锌水平低，但铜、锌比值正常，而镁的含量则较高。提示这组健康老年人未患心、脑血管疾病及糖尿病的原因可能与铜、锌、镁等微量元素有关。     

Membrane oscillator as chemical sensor

A rhythmic, sustained, stable potential oscillation was reproducibly observed for a lipid membrane supported by a micropore of a thin membrane tip micropipet. Amplitude and period of the oscillation voltage were controlled by changing the pore diameter. The smaller the hole diameter, the smaller the amplitude and the period became. We call this relationship “size effect.” We observed with an optical microscope dynamic behavior of lipids across the oil/water interface, which are formed at a micropore of 2 μm in diameter during self-excited potential oscillation. Periodical movement of a dome-shaped body on the interface is observed, and its expansion and shrinkage are quite synchronous with the potential oscillation. We also applied this self-excited potential oscillation device as a chemical sensor, and reported the effect of chemical substance added into the water phase as a model for the biological chemoreceptive membrane. The experimental results of microscopic observation show that the sensing system using the micropore can distinguish different chemical substances as well as their concentrations, suggesting its application as a chemical sensor.     

A New 18(13 → 12β)‐abeo‐Lanostadiene Triterpenoid from Ganoderma fornicatum

A new triterpenoid, fornicatin C (= (3β)‐3‐hydroxy‐18(13 → 12β)‐abeo‐lanosta‐13(17),24‐dien‐18‐oic acid; 1 ), was isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma fornicatum, together with the known compounds fornicatin A ( 2 ) and fornicatin B ( 3 ), among other constituents. The structure of 1 was elucidated by means of spectroscopic techniques, and those of 2 and 3 were identified by comparing their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature.     

无机盐对正负表面活性剂混合体系性质的影响

用滴体积法测定了四种离子强度下(μ=0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 mol·kg~(-1), 支持电解质为NaBr)C_(12)H_(25)SO_4Na/C_6H_(13)(NC_5H_5)Br混合体系在五种比例(10:1, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, 1:10)时的临界胶团活度cma(25 ℃). 提出了无机盐对正负表面活性剂混合体系临界胶团活度的影响程度的计算式.