Direct Oxidative Coupling of N‐Acetyl Indoles and Phenols for the Synthesis of Benzofuroindolines Related to Phalarine

Inspired by the biogenetic synthesis of benzofuroindoline‐containing natural products, we designed an oxidative coupling between phenol and N‐acetyl indoles. This straightforward and direct radical process, mediated by 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐1,4‐benzoquinone and FeCl₃ allowed the regioselective synthesis of benzofuro[3,2‐b]indolines, whose structure is found in the natural product phalarine.     

Improved thromboresistance and analytical performance of intravascular amperometric glucose sensors using optimized nitric oxide release coatings

In this work, nitric oxide (NO) release coatings designed for intravenous amperometric glucose sensors are optimized through the use of a polylactic acid (PLA) layer doped with a lipophilic diazeniumdiolated species that releases NO through a proton-driven mechanism. An Elast-Eon E2As polyurethane coating is used to both moderate NO release from the sensor surface and increase the sensor''s linear detection range toward glucose. These sensors were evaluated for thromboresistance and in vivo glucose performance through implantation in rabbit veins. By maintaining NO flux on a similar scale to endogenous endothelial cells, implanted glucose sensors exhibited reduced surface clot formation which enables more accurate quantitative glucose measurements continuously. An in vivo time trace of implanted venous sensors demonstrated glucose values that correlated well with the discrete measurements of blood samples on a benchtop point-of-care sensor-based instrument. The raw measured currents from the implanted glucose sensors over 7 h time periods were converted to glucose concentration through use of both a one-point in vivo calibration and a calibration curve obtained in vitro within a bovine serum solution. Control sensors, assembled without NO release functionality, exhibit distinctive surface clotting over the 7 h in vivo implantation period.     

Role of superheated water in the dissolution and perturbation of hydrogen bonding in the crystalline lattice of polyamide 4,6

Here, we demonstrate that water, in the superheated state, is a solvent for polyamide 4,6 (PA4,6) and that the water molecules can strongly influence hydrogen bonding. In the presence of superheated water, the melting temperature of PA4,6 can be suppressed by nearly 100 degrees C. The depression in the melting temperature follows the Flory-Huggins principle. The instantaneous dissolution of the polymer hardly influences the molar mass of the polymer. However, if the polymer is retained in solution above the dissolution temperature for more than 10 min, hydrolysis occurs. These findings suggest that the dissolution of the aliphatic polymer in superheated water is mainly a physical process as opposed to a chemical process. Time resolved X-ray studies show that the dissolution occurs prior to the Brill transition temperature, as reported earlier. Crystals grown from the water solution show a lath-like morphology with interchain and intersheet distances that are similar to the distances obtained for crystals grown from other known solvents. Electron diffraction further confirmed that the crystals grown from superheated water are single crystals, where the chains are perpendicular to the ab-plane. SAXS performed on dried sedimented water grown single crystals showed a lamellar thickness of 6 nm. The lamellar thickness is in accordance with other reported studies on PA4,6, confirming that the single crystals incorporate four repeat units between re-entrant folds with an amide group incorporated in the tight fold. Solid state NMR studies performed on mats of these single crystals showed two different mobilities of the proton associated with the amide groups: a higher mobility linked to the amide protons in the fold and a reduced mobility of the hydrogen bonded amide protons within the crystal. Additionally, the solid state NMR studies on the dried water crystallized single crystals show the presence of water molecule(s) in the vicinity of the amide groups. This was confirmed by infrared studies that conclusively demonstrated the appearance of two new bands arising due to the binding of a water molecule in the vicinity of the amide group (i.e., NH3(+) and COO(-) bands that disappear upon heating at approximately 200 degrees C). Additionally, DSC traces of the water crystallized PA4,6 show an exothermic event in the same temperature region (i.e., in the vicinity of the Brill transition temperature, where the bound water exits from the lattice). Furthermore, this event was corroborated by TGA data.     

Determination of diisopropylfluorophosphate in rat plasma and brain tissue by headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

A simple, sensitive and rapid method for the determination of diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) in rat plasma and brain tissue using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is presented. A 65 microm polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fiber was selected for sampling. The main parameters affecting the SPME process such as extraction and desorption temperature, extraction and desorption time, salt addition, and fiber preheating time were optimized in each matrix to enhance the extraction efficiency of the method. The lower limits of quantitation for DFP in plasma and brain tissue were 1 ng/mL and 3 ng/g, respectively. The method showed good linearity over the range from 1-100 ng/mL in plasma and 3-300 ng/g in brain tissue with correlation coefficient (R(2)) values higher than 0.995. The precision and accuracy for intra-day and inter-day were less than 10%. The relative recoveries in plasma and brain for DFP were greater than 50%. Stability tests including autosampler and freeze and thaw were also investigated. This validated method was successfully applied to study the neurobehavioral effects of low-level organophosphate exposures. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reactions of actinide metal atoms with ethane: computation and observation of new Th and U ethylidene dihydride, metallacyclopropane dihydride, and vinyl metal trihydride complexes

A combined computational and experimental investigation provides evidence that excited thorium and uranium atoms activate ethane to form the vinyl metal trihydride, metallacyclopropane dihydride, and ethylidene metal dihydride for thorium and the latter complex and the inserted ethyl metal hydride for uranium. These products are trapped in solid argon and identified through deuterium isotopic substitution and vibrational frequencies calculated by density functional theory. Comparisons are made with group 4 and methane reaction products. Numerous calculations using several methods show that these simple ethylidene complexes are more distorted by the agostic interaction than the corresponding methylidene species. This enhanced agostic interaction probably arises from methyl hydrogen to alpha-H repulsions, which leads to a substantial decrease in the alpha-H to Th agostic interaction distance, and contributes to our understanding of agostic distortion in organometallic complexes.     

Metal ion reactive thin films using spray electrostatic LbL assembly

By using the spray-layer-by-layer (Spray-LbL) technique, the number of metal counterions trapped within LbL coatings is significantly increased by kinetically freezing the film short of equilibrium, potentially limiting interchain penetration and forcing chains to remain extrinsically compensated to a much greater degree than observed in the traditional dipped LbL technique. The basis for the enhanced entrapment of metal ions such as Cu2+, Fe2+, and Ag+ is addressed, including the equilibrium driving force for extrinsic compensation by soft versus hard metal ions and the impact of Spray-LbL on the kinetics of polymer-ion complexation. These polymer-bound metal-ion coatings are also demonstrated to be effective treatments for air filtration, functionalizing existing filters with the ability to strongly bind toxic industrial compounds such as ammonia or cyanide gases, as well as chemical warfare agent simulants such as chloroethyl ethyl sulfide. On the basis of results reported here, future work could extend this method to include other toxic soft-base ligands such as carbon monoxide, benzene, or organophosphate nerve agents.