Hybridorubrins A–D: Azaphilone Heterodimers from Stromata of Hypoxylon fragiforme and Insights into the Biosynthetic Machinery for Azaphilone Diversification

The diversity of azaphilones in stromatal extracts of the fungus Hypoxylon fragiforme was investigated and linked to their biosynthetic machineries by using bioinformatics. Nineteen azaphilone-type compounds were isolated and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, and their absolute stereoconfigurations were assigned by using Mosher ester analysis and electronic circular dichroism spectroscopy. Four unprecedented bis-azaphilones, named hybridorubrins A–D, were elucidated, in addition to new fragirubrins F and G and various known mitorubrin derivatives. Only the hybridorubrins, which are composed of mitorubrin and fragirubrin moieties, exhibited strong inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation. Analysis of the genome of H. fragiforme revealed the presence of two separate biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) hfaza1 and hfaza2 responsible for azaphilone formation. While the hfaza1 BGC likely encodes the assembly of the backbone and addition of fatty acid moieties to yield the (R)-configured series of fragirubrins, the hfaza2 BGC contains the necessary genes to synthesise the widely distributed (S)-mitorubrins. This study is the first example of two distant cross-acting fungal BGCs collaborating to produce two families of azaphilones and bis-azaphilones derived therefrom.     

Trioxatriangulenium (TOTA+) as a robust carbon-based Lewis acid in frustrated Lewis pair chemistry

We report the reactivity between the water stable Lewis acidic trioxatriangulenium ion (TOTA⁺) and a series of Lewis bases such as phosphines and N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC). The nature of the Lewis acid–base interaction was analyzed via variable temperature (VT) NMR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. While small and strongly nucleophilic phosphines, such as PMe₃, led to the formation of a Lewis acid–base adduct, frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) were observed for sterically hindered bases such as P(^tBu)₃. The TOTA⁺–P(^tBu)₃ FLP was characterized as an encounter complex, and found to promote the heterolytic cleavage of disulfide bonds, formaldehyde fixation, dehydrogenation of 1,4-cyclohexadiene, heterolytic cleavage of the C–Br bonds, and interception of Staudinger reaction intermediates. Moreover, TOTA⁺ and NHC were found to first undergo single-electron transfer (SET) to form [TOTA]·[NHC]˙⁺, which was confirmed via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and subsequently form a [TOTA–NHC]⁺ adduct or a mixture of products depending the reaction conditions used.

Frustration at carbon! Herein, we present a frustrated Lewis pair system derived from a water stable carbon-based Lewis acid, trioxatriangulene (TOTA⁺), and a variety of Lewis bases, which successfully promotes bond cleavage and molecule fixation.     

Quantification of Volatile Aldehydes Deriving from In Vitro Lipid Peroxidation in the Breath of Ventilated Patients

Exhaled aliphatic aldehydes were proposed as non-invasive biomarkers to detect increased lipid peroxidation in various diseases. As a prelude to clinical application of the multicapillary column–ion mobility spectrometry for the evaluation of aldehyde exhalation, we, therefore: (1) identified the most abundant volatile aliphatic aldehydes originating from in vitro oxidation of various polyunsaturated fatty acids; (2) evaluated emittance of aldehydes from plastic parts of the breathing circuit; (3) conducted a pilot study for in vivo quantification of exhaled aldehydes in mechanically ventilated patients. Pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, and nonanal were quantifiable in the headspace of oxidizing polyunsaturated fatty acids, with pentanal and hexanal predominating. Plastic parts of the breathing circuit emitted hexanal, octanal, nonanal, and decanal, whereby nonanal and decanal were ubiquitous and pentanal or heptanal not being detected. Only pentanal was quantifiable in breath of mechanically ventilated surgical patients with a mean exhaled concentration of 13 ± 5 ppb. An explorative analysis suggested that pentanal exhalation is associated with mechanical power—a measure for the invasiveness of mechanical ventilation. In conclusion, exhaled pentanal is a promising non-invasive biomarker for lipid peroxidation inducing pathologies, and should be evaluated in future clinical studies, particularly for detection of lung injury.     

Platinum Indolylphosphine Fluorido and Polyfluorido Complexes: An Interplay between Cyclometallation,Fluoride Migration,and Hydrogen Bonding

The reaction of [PtCl₂(COD)] (COD=1,5-cyclooctadiene) with diisopropyl-2-(3-methyl)indolylphosphine (iPr₂P(C₉H₈N)) led to the formation of the platinum(ii ) chlorido complexes, cis-[PtCl₂{iPr₂P(C₉H₈N)}₂] ( 1 ) and trans-[PtCl₂{iPr₂P(C₉H₈N)}₂] ( 2 ). The cis-complex 1 reacted with NEt₃ yielding the complex cis-[PtCl{κ²-(P,N)-iPr₂P(C₉H₇N)}{iPr₂P(C₉H₈N)}] ( 3 ) bearing a cyclometalated κ²-(P,N)-phosphine ligand, while the isomer 2 with a trans-configuration did not show any reactivity towards NEt₃. Treatment of 1 or 3 with (CH₃)₄NF (TMAF) resulted in the formation of the twofold cyclometalated complex cis-[Pt{κ²-(P,N)-iPr₂P(C₉H₇N)}₂] ( 4 ). The molecular structures of the complexes 1–4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The fluorido complex cis-[PtF{κ²-(P,N)-iPr₂P(C₉H₇N)}{iPr₂P(C₉H₈N)}] ⋅ (HF)₄ ( 5 ⋅ (HF)₄) was formed when complex 4 was treated with different hydrogen fluoride sources. The Pt(ii ) fluorido complex 5 ⋅ (HF)₄ exhibits intramolecular hydrogen bonding in its outer coordination sphere between the fluorido ligand and the NH group of the 3-methylindolyl moiety. In contrast to its chlorido analogue 3 , complex 5 ⋅ (HF)₄ reacted with CO or the ynamide 1-(2-phenylethynyl)-2-pyrrolidinone to yield the complexes trans-[Pt(CO){κ²-(P,C)-iPr₂P(C₉H₇NCO)}{iPr₂P(C₉H₈N)}][F(HF)₄] ( 7 ) and a complex, which we suggest to be cis-[Pt{C=C(Ph)OCN(C₃H₆)}{κ²-(P,N)-iPr₂P(C₉H₇N)}{iPr₂P(C₉H₈N)}][F(HF)₄] ( 9 ), respectively. The structure of 9 was assigned on the basis of DFT calculations as well as NMR and IR data. Hydrogen bonding of HF and NH to fluoride was proven to be crucial for the existence of 7 and 9 .     

A Versatile Compact Parahydrogen Membrane Reactor

We introduce a Spin Transfer Automated Reactor (STAR) that produces continuous parahydrogen induced polarization (PHIP), which is stable for hours to days. We use the PHIP variant called signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE), which is particularly well suited to produce continuous hyperpolarization. The STAR is operated in conjunction with benchtop (1.1 T) and high field (9.4 T) NMR magnets, highlighting the versatility of this system to operate with any NMR or MRI system. The STAR uses semipermeable membranes to efficiently deliver parahydrogen into solutions at nano to milli Tesla fields, which enables ¹H, ¹³C, and ¹⁵N hyperpolarization on a large range of substrates including drugs and metabolites. The unique features of the STAR are leveraged for important applications, including continuous hyperpolarization of metabolites, desirable for examining steady-state metabolism in vivo, as well as for continuous RASER signals suitable for the investigation of new physics.     

Expanding the 0D Rb7M3X16 (M=Sb,Bi; X=Br,I) Family: Dual-Band Luminescence in Rb7Sb3Br16

Inorganic, lead-free metal halides are widely sought after following the rise of the halide perovskites as outstanding optoelectronic materials, due to their enhanced stability and reduced toxicity. Herein, we report on the solvothermal synthesis of Rb₇Sb₃Br₁₆, which exhibits a 0D structure comprised of [SbBr₆]³⁻ octahedra and edge-sharing bioctahedra [Sb₂Br₁₀]⁴⁻ dimers that order into layers along the c-axis. This all-inorganic material is air-stable and exhibits weak orange photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature. Low-temperature PL and PL excitation (PLE) measurements reveal the presence of two distinct emission bands that originate from these structural units, with the high-energy emission quenching as temperature rises beyond 150 K. We are also able to obtain Rb₇Bi₃Br₁₆ and Rb₇Bi₃I₁₆ which both crystallize in orthorhombic symmetry, with Rb₇Bi₃Br₁₆ presenting weak low-temperature luminescence while Rb₇Bi₃I₁₆ is non-luminescent. This work expands the library of emissive inorganic metal halides and provides further evidence for the efficacy of low-dimensional Sb−X luminescent centers based on octahedral and edge-sharing [Sb₂X₁₀]⁴⁻ dimers.     

Engaging thieno[2,3-b]indole-2,3-dione for the efficient synthesis of spiro[indoline-3,4′-thiopyrano[2,3-b]indole] by reaction with N-substituted isatilidenes

A simple and efficient method, proceeding through a new mechanistic pathway, for the synthesis of spiro[indoline-3,4-thiopyrano[2.3-b]indole derivatives have been developed by exploiting the reaction of thieno[2,3-b]indole-2,3-dione with N-substituted isatilidenes. The compounds synthesized have been screened for antibacterial activity. The generality of the reaction and mechanistic rationale are presented.     

On the swelling behavior of poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels exposed to perfluoroalkyl acids

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have rapidly accumulated in the environment due to their widespread use prior to commercial discussion in the early 21st century, and their slow degradation has magnified concerns of their potential toxicity. Monitoring their distribution is, therefore, necessary to evaluate and control their impact on the health of exposed populations. This investigation evaluates the capability of a simple polymeric detection scheme for PFAS based on crosslinked, thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogels. Surveying swelling perturbations induced by several hydrotropes and comparable hydrocarbon analogs, tetraethylammonium perfluorooctane sulfonate (TPFOS) showed a significantly higher swelling ratio on a mass basis (65.5 ± 8.8 at 15°C) than any of the other analytes tested. Combining swelling with the fluorimetric response of a solvachromatic dye, nile red, revealed the fluorosurfactant to initiate observable aggregation (i.e., its critical aggregation concentration) at 0.05 mM and reach saturation (i.e., its charge neutralization concentration) at 0.5 mM. The fluorosurfactant was found to homogeneously distribute throughout the polymer matrix with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, marking the swelling response as a peculiar nexus of fluorinated interfacial positioning and delocalized electrostatic repulsion. Results from the current study hold promise for exploiting the physiochemical response of PNIPAM to assess TPFOS's concentration.     

New Quinoxaline Derivatives as Dual Pim-1/2 Kinase Inhibitors: Design,Synthesis and Biological Evaluation

Proviral integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus (Pim)-1/2 kinase overexpression has been identified in a variety of hematologic (e.g., multiple myeloma or acute myeloid leukemia (AML)) and solid (e.g., colorectal carcinoma) tumors, playing a key role in cancer progression, metastasis, and drug resistance, and is linked to poor prognosis. These kinases are thus considered interesting targets in oncology. We report herein the design, synthesis, structure–activity relationships (SAR) and in vitro evaluations of new quinoxaline derivatives, acting as dual Pim1/2 inhibitors. Two lead compounds (5c and 5e) were then identified, as potent submicromolar Pim-1 and Pim-2 inhibitors. These molecules were also able to inhibit the growth of the two human cell lines, MV4-11 (AML) and HCT-116 (colorectal carcinoma), expressing high endogenous levels of Pim-1/2 kinases.     

Tannin-Mordant Coloration with Matcha (camelia sinensis) and Iron(II)-Lactate on Human Hair Tresses

The aim of this work was to optimize our natural hair dyeing system which we described in our previous work and to compare with other dyeing systems. Therefore, we investigated concentration limits of matcha and mordant and compared this new dyeing method with commercial permanent systems on the market. Completely unpigmented hair tresses were dyed with matcha powder (camelia sinensis) and iron(II)-lactate. To investigate the wash fastness and concentration limits, the differently dyed hair tresses were spectrophotometrically measured. The comparison of the damage potential for which cysteic acid is an indicator was measured by NIR. The concentration of matcha and mordant are responsible for the intensity of the color results. The higher the matcha or the mordant concentration, the darker the color results of the dyed hair tresses. Hair damage of matcha mordant dyeing is comparable with results of commercial permanent hair coloration systems. Moreover, the results of wash fastness of matcha mordant dyed hair tresses is comparable and even better by tendency to permanent colored hair tresses.