Efficient synthesis of water-soluble calix[4]arenes via thiol-ene “click” chemistry

Several water-soluble calix[4]arenes were synthesized via radical addition reaction between thiols and alkenes under UV lamp irradiation (λ= 365 nm) in good yields. The structures of these compounds synthesized herein were fully confirmed by 1H NMR, ESI-MS and elemental analysis.     

Theoretical studies on the interaction mechanisms between tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone and hydrogen peroxide

A detailed knowledge of the initial complexes is crucial for the better understanding of the reaction mechanisms between tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone (TCBQ) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). In the present study, the interaction modes and interaction mechanisms between TCBQ and H₂O₂ in the absence and presence of one, two, and three water molecules have been systematically investigated employing the B3LYP/6-311++G** level of theory in combination with the atoms in molecules theory and natural bond orbital (NBO) method. It was found that the introduction of water molecules can influence the original interaction modes between TCBQ and H₂O₂ through the formation of the intermolecular H-bonds. The interaction energies between TCBQ and H₂O₂ range from ?0.37 to ?2.75 kcal/mol for four stable complexes, which are smaller than that of the interaction between H₂O₂ and water molecule. Further energy decomposition analyses suggest that the coupling interactions between TCBQ and H₂O₂ are predominated by the electrostatic interactions regardless of the presence or absence of water molecules. In addition, the significant heat released from the interaction process in the presence of water molecules is expected to be favorable for the following reactions involving the production of the hydroxyl radical.     

Hydrogen‐bonding network of N,N′‐bis[2‐(tert‐butyldimethylsiloxy)ethyl]ethylenediammonium dichloride

The title salt, C₁₈H₄₆N₂O₂Si₂²⁺·2Cl⁻, has been synthesized by reaction of N,N′‐bis(2‐hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine with tert‐butyldimethylsilyl chloride. The zigzag backbone dication is located across an inversion centre and the two chloride anions are related by inversion symmetry. The ionic components form a supramolecular two‐dimensional network via N—H...Cl hydrogen bonding, which is responsible for the high melting point compared with the oily compound N,N′‐bis[2‐(tert‐butyldimethylsiloxy)ethyl]ethylenediamine.     

Separation and pre‐concentration of glucocorticoids in water samples by ionic liquid supported vortex‐assisted synergic microextraction and HPLC determination

We have developed a synergic microextraction procedure based on ionic liquid for the pre‐concentration and determination of glucocorticoids in water samples. Using nonionic surfactant Triton X‐100 (TX‐100) as synergic reagent, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexa‐fluorophosphate accomplished extraction rapidly without heating in water bath. One key property of ionic liquids that highlights their potential is their wide liquid temperature range. The improved extraction was named as ionic liquid supported vortex‐assisted synergic microextraction. Compared with the traditional liquid–liquid extraction and cloud point extraction, ionic liquid supported vortex‐assisted synergic microextraction was accomplished in 8 min with considerably high recovery. The proposed method greatly improved the sensitivity of HPLC for the determination of glucocorticoids. The results obtained indicated a good linearity with the correlation coefficient of 0.997 over the range of 0.6–300 ng/mL and high sensitivity with LODs of 4.11, 9.19, and 7.50 ng/mL for hydrocortisone butyrate, beclomethasone dipropionate, and nandrolone phenylpropionate, respectively. The RSD of the method was 1.57–1.81% (n = 6) with enrichment factor of 99.85, and good recovery (≥97.24%). The method was successfully applied to the determination of glucocorticoids in mineral water, water of Dianchi lake, and tap water samples.     

A fast,sensitive, and high‐throughput method for the simultaneous quantitation of three ellagitannins from Euphorbiae pekinensis Radix in rat plasma by ultra‐HPLC–MS/MS

A fast, sensitive, and high‐throughput ultra‐HPLC–MS/MS method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of three main active constituents of Euphorbiae pekinensis Radix in rat plasma. After addition of the internal standard, plasma samples were extracted by liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate/isopropanol (1:1, v/v) and separated on a CAPCELL PAK C₁₈ column (100 × 2.0 mm, 2 μm, Shiseido, Japan), using a gradient mobile phase system of methanol/water. The detection of the analytes was performed on a 4000Q UHPLC–MS/MS system with turbo ion spray source in the negative ion and multiple reaction‐monitoring mode. The linear range was 1.0–1000 ng/mL for 3,3′‐di‐O‐methyl ellagic acid‐4′‐O‐β‐d ‐glucopyranoside (i), 1.5–1500 ng/mL for 3,3′‐di‐O‐methyl ellagic acid‐4′‐O‐β‐d ‐xylopyranoside (ii), and 5.0–5000 ng/mL for 3,3′‐di‐O‐methyl ellagic acid (iii). The intra‐ and interday precision and accuracy of all the analytes were within 15%. The extraction recoveries of the three analytes and internal standard from plasma were all more than 80%. The validated method was first successfully applied to the evaluation of pharmacokinetic parameters of compounds 1 , 2 , and 3 in rat plasma after intragastric administration of the Euphorbiae pekinensis Radix extract.     

Optimization of harvesting, extraction, and analytical protocols for UPLC-ESI-MS-based metabolomic analysis of adherent mammalian cancer cells

In this study, a liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS)-based metabolomics protocol was optimized for quenching, harvesting, and extraction of metabolites from the human pancreatic cancer cell line Panc-1. Trypsin/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) treatment and cell scraping in water were compared for sample harvesting. Four different extraction methods were compared to investigate the efficiency of intracellular metabolite extraction, including pure acetonitrile, methanol, methanol/chloroform/H₂O, and methanol/chloroform/acetonitrile. The separation efficiencies of hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) with UPLC-QTOF-MS were also evaluated. Global metabolomics profiles were compared; the number of total detected features and the recovery and relative extraction efficiencies of target metabolites were assessed. Trypsin/EDTA treatment caused substantial metabolite leakage proving it inadequate for metabolomics studies. Direct scraping after flash quenching with liquid nitrogen was chosen to harvest Panc-1 cells which allowed for samples to be stored before extraction. Methanol/chloroform/H₂O was chosen as the optimal extraction solvent to recover the highest number of intracellular features with the best reproducibility. HILIC had better resolution for intracellular metabolites of Panc-1 cells. This optimized method therefore provides high sensitivity and reproducibility for a variety of cellular metabolites and can be applicable to further LC/MS-based global metabolomics study on Panc-1 cell lines and possibly other cancer cell lines with similar chemical and physical properties.

In Vitro Evaluation of Combined Sulfated Silk Fibroin Scaffolds for Vascular Cell Growth

A combined sulfated silk fibroin scaffold is fabricated by modifying a knitted silk scaffold with sulfated silk fibroin sponges. In vitro hemocompatibility evaluation reveals that the combined sulfated silk fibroin scaffolds reduce platelet adhesion and activation, and prolong the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), and prothrombin time (PT). The response of porcine endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) on the scaffolds is studied to evaluate the cytocompatibility of the scaffolds. Vascular cells are seeded on the scaffolds and cultured for 2 weeks. The scaffolds demonstrate enhanced EC adhesion, proliferation, and maintenance of cellular functions. Moreover, the scaffolds inhibit SMC proliferation and induce expression of contractile SMC marker genes.

     

Aromatic Heterocycle 1,3,4‐Oxadiazole‐Substituted Thieno[3,4‐b]thiophene to Build Low‐Bandgap Polymer for Photovoltaic Application

Electron‐deficient heterocycle 1,3,4‐oxadiazole is first introduced to the 2‐position of thieno[3,4‐b]thiophene (TT) to construct a new building block 2‐(thieno[3,4‐b]thiophen‐2‐yl)‐5‐(alkylthio)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole (TTSO) with alkylthio chain. The polymer PBDT–TTSO based on TTSO and benzodithiophene (BDT) exhibits a deep lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of −5.32 eV and low‐bandgap of 1.62 eV. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.86% is obtained with a relatively high V _OC of 0.74 V, a J _SC of 13.1 mA cm⁻², and FF of 60.5%. Furthermore, as S atom in thioether can be oxidized easily, the optoelectronic properties of PBDT–TTSO treated with different oxidants are preliminary investigated. Interestingly, the oxidation products still maintain high PCE with reduction less than 30%. This work demonstrates a new method to regulate HOMO energy levels by introducing electron‐deficient aromatic heterocyclic moiety.

     

Oxirane synthesis from diazocarbonyl compounds via NHC-Ag catalysis

A new method was developed to synthesize oxirane products from the reaction of diazocarbonyl substrates with aryl aldehydes by using Ag(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complex as the catalyst. A combination of N-heterocyclic carbene silver complex (IPrAgCl) with another silver salt (AgOTf) generated the catalytic active IPr-Ag⁺ intermediate, which then catalyzed the epoxidation reaction.