Solvent-Free Synthesis of Core-Functionalised Naphthalene Diimides by Using a Vibratory Ball Mill: Suzuki,Sonogashira and Buchwald–Hartwig Reactions

Solvent-free synthesis by using a vibratory ball mill (VBM) offers the chance to access new chemical reactivity, whilst reducing solvent waste and minimising reaction times. Herein, we report the core functionalisation of N,N’-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-2,6-dibromo-1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic acid (Br₂-NDI) by using Suzuki, Sonogashira and Buchwald–Hartwig coupling reactions. The products of these reactions are important building blocks in many areas of organic electronics including organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic photovoltaic cells (OPVCs). The reactions proceed in as little as 1 h, use commercially available palladium sources (frequently Pd(OAc)₂) and are tolerant to air and atmospheric moisture. Furthermore, the real-world potential of this green VBM protocol is demonstrated by the double Suzuki coupling of a monobromo(NDI) residue to a bis(thiophene) pinacol ester. The resulting dimeric NDI species has been demonstrated to behave as an electron acceptor in functioning OPVCs.     

Chemical investigation of three plutonium–beryllium neutron sources

Thorough physical and chemical characterization of plutonium–beryllium (PuBe) neutron sources is an important capability with applications ranging from material accountancy to nuclear forensics. Characterization of PuBe sources is not trivial owing to range of existing source designs and the need for adequate infrastructure to deal with radiation and protect the analyst. This study demonstrates a method for characterization of three PuBe sources that includes physical inspection and imaging followed by controlled disassembly and destructive analysis.     

Towards stable analogues of inositol phosphates: stereoselective syntheses of (alpha,alpha-difluoromethyl)phosphonic acid (DFMPA)-containing cyclohexanes

Diels-Alder and conjugate addition reactions were used to prepare precursors to a range of fully functionalized and deoxy inositol phosphate analogues.     

Long-term neprilysin gene transfer is associated with reduced levels of intracellular Abeta and behavioral improvement in APP transgenic mice

Background  

Proteolytic degradation has emerged as a key pathway involved in controlling levels of the Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in the brain. The endopeptidase, neprilysin, has been implicated as a major Aβ degrading enzyme in mice and humans. Previous short and intermediate term studies have shown the potential therapeutic application of neprilysin by delivering this enzyme into the brain of APP transgenic mice using gene transfer with viral vectors. However the effects of long-term neprilysin gene transfer on other aspects of Aβ associated pathology have not been explored yet in APP transgenic mice.     

Practical scheme for polarization-insensitive and frequency-conversion interval independent four-wave mixing in semiconductor optical amplifiers

A practical scheme for polarization-insensitive and frequency-conversion interval-independent four-wave mixing in an optical loop configuration is proposed that uses one conventional semiconductor optical amplifier device and two perpendicular polarized pump sources. The significant advantages of this technique are simplicity of configuration, efficient conjugate power generation, effective suppression of the signal and one pump wave at the output port, and reduction in noise.     

Hydrophobic hydration of thymine

The solubilities of adenine in water, thymine in methanol, and uracil in methanol were determined over the temperature range 15–40°C. From these and previously reported data the thermodynamic functions for the transfer of the solute from water to methanol were calculated. The differences in transfer functions for uracil and thymine are due to hydrophobic hydration of the methyl group of thymine.     

Evaluation of ligand field stablization in spinels using mössbauer determined cation distributions

The Mössbauer determined cation distributions of FeV₂O₄, FeCr₂O₄, FeMn₂O₄, Fe₃O₄, FeCo₂O₄, CoV₂O₄, CoCr₂O₄, CoMn₂O₄, CoFe₂O₄ and Co₃O₄ are compared with the quantitative d-orbital stablization energies of McClure and of Dunitz and Orgel. They are also compared with the qualitative ligand field stabilization energies of Cotton. These theories do not account for observation in the cases of FeMn₂O₄, FeCo₂O₄ and CoFe₂O₄.     

Balancing families of sets

Given k finite sets S₁,…,S_k, to what extent is it possible to partition their union into two parts A and B in such a way that, for each j, S_j ∩ A and S_j ∩ B contain approximately the same number of elements? Bounds are found for this and similar questions.