Benzylation of β-dicarbonyl compounds and 4-hydroxycoumarin using TMSOTf catalyst: a simple, mild, and efficient method

The direct benzylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and 4-hydroxycoumarin with a wide variety of benzylic alcohols was achieved using trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate as an efficient catalyst. The reaction proceeded under very mild conditions at room temperature providing the desired products in good to excellent yields.     

Assembly of lipophilic tetranuclear (Cu4 and Zn4) molecular metallophosphonates from 2,4,6-triisopropylphenylphosponic acid and pyrazole ligands

A sterically hindered aryl phosphonic acid ArP(O)(OH)2 (2) (Ar = 2,4,6-isopropylphenyl) was synthesized and structurally characterized. ArP(O)(OH)2 forms an interesting hydrogen-bonded corrugated sheet-type supramolecular structure in the solid-state. A three-component reaction involving ArP(O)(OH)2, 3,5-dimethylpyrazole(DMPZH), and Cu(CH3COO)2.H2O produces the tetranuclear Cu(II) compound [Cu4(mu3-OH)2{ArPO2(OH)}2(CH3CO2)2(DMPZH)4][CH3COO]2.CH2Cl2 (3). A similar three-component reaction involving ArP(O)(OH)2, 3,5-dimethylpyrazole, and Zn(CH3COO)2.2H2O yields the tetranuclear Zn(II) compound [Zn4{ArPO3}2{ArPO2(OH)}2{DMPZH}4(DMPZ)2].5MeOH (4). While 3 has been found to have an asymmetric cage structure where two dinuclear copper cores are bridged by bidentate [ArPO2(OH)]- ligands, 4 possesses an open-book tricyclic structure composed of three fused metallophosphonate rings. Magnetic studies on 3 revealed antiferromagnetic behavior.     

Multi-site coordination ligands assembled on organostannoxane supports

The reactions of bis(pyrazol-1-yl) acetic acid LCOOH (1) (L = (Pz)₂CH-) and bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)acetic acid L′COOH (2) (L = (3,5-Me₂Pz)₂CH-) with organotin oxide (hydroxide) precursors, n-BuSn(O)(OH), n-Bu₂SnO, (n-Bu₃Sn)₂O and (Ph₃Sn)₂O has led to the isolation of several organotin compounds containing bispyrazolyl unit(s) on the periphery of the stannoxane structure [n-BuSn(O)O₂CL]₆ (3), [n-BuSn(O)O₂CL′]₆ (4), [n-Bu₃SnO₂CL]_n (5), [n-Bu₃SnO₂CL′]_n (6), [Ph₃SnO₂CL]_n (7), [Ph₃SnO₂CL′]_n (8), [{n-Bu₂SnO₂CL}₂O]₂ (9) and [{n-Bu₂SnO₂CL′}₂O]₂ (10). Compounds 5, 7, 9 and 10 have been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. In the solid state, these compounds possess interesting 3-D and 2-D supramolecular networks as a result of intermolecular C-H?O, C-H?N, C-H?Cl and C-H?π interactions.     

Spontaneous Single‐Crystal‐to‐Single‐Crystal Evolution of Two Cross‐Laminated Polymers

Two cases of spontaneous evolution of monomers to linear polymers having novel cross‐laminated topology are reported. We synthesized two peptide monomers N₃‐Gly‐Gly‐NH‐CH₂‐CCH and N₃‐Gly‐Gly‐Gly‐CH₂‐CCH and solved their crystal structures by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. They adopt H‐bonded crisscrossed layered packing in their crystals such that: (a) the monomers are aligned head‐to‐tail in 1D‐chain‐like arrays and parallel arrangement of such arrays forms a layer; (b) the proximally placed azide and alkyne motifs are in an orientation apt for their regiospecific cycloaddition; (c) each monomer having x peptide bonds is H‐bonded with 2x monomers disposed in intersecting arrangement, which pre‐organize 1D‐chain‐like arrays in adjacent layers in perpendicular orientation. These crystals underwent spontaneous single‐crystal‐to‐single‐crystal (SCSC) polymerization via azide–alkyne cycloaddition reaction to form triazolyl‐polyglycines, at room temperature. The crisscrossed arrangement of monomers in adjacent layers ensured the formation of cross‐laminated polymers.     

An Unexpected Role of Hyaluronic Acid in Trafficking siRNA Across the Cellular Barrier: The First Biomimetic,Anionic, Non‐Viral Transfection Method

Circulating nucleic acids, such as short interfering RNA (siRNA), regulate many biological processes; however, the mechanism by which these molecules enter the cell is poorly understood. The role of extracellular‐matrix‐derived polymers in binding siRNAs and trafficking them across the plasma membrane is reported. Thermal melting, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and computational analysis indicate that hyaluronic acid can stabilize siRNA via hydrogen bonding and Van der Waals interactions. This stabilization facilitated HA size‐ and concentration‐dependent gene silencing in a CD44‐positive human osteosarcoma cell line (MG‐63) and in human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs). This native HA‐based siRNA transfection represents the first report on an anionic, non‐viral delivery method that resulted in approximately 60 % gene knockdown in both cell types tested, which correlated with a reduction in translation levels.     

Comparison of two different electrophoretic methods in studying the genetic diversity among plantains (Musa spp.) using ISSR markers

Inter simple sequence repeat markers were employed for the genotyping of 16 plantain ecotypes. Two different electrophoretic systems namely conventional gel electrophoresis (CVGE) and fully automated high‐resolution CGE were used to evaluate the genetic diversity. Comparative analysis indicated that all parameters related to marker informativeness were higher in CGE except polymorphic information content. But genetic diversity parameters like effective number of alleles, Nei's gene diversity (1973) and Shannon's information index showed higher values (1.52 ± 0.12, 0.34 ± 0.05 and 0.52 ± 0.05, respectively) in CVGE as against CGE (1.29 ± 0.04, 0.22 ± 0.02 and 0.38 ± 0.03, respectively) system. The unweighed pair group method with arithmetic averages was used to obtain the dendrogram for both analyses. The results of dendrogram and principal component analysis were found to be consistent in both systems except for some minor disagreements. The clone‐specific bands could be used in the identification and development of SCAR markers. Inter simple sequence repeat markers used in this study provided sufficient polymorphism and reproducible banding pattern for evaluating the genetic diversity of different plantain ecotypes. Lack of accuracy and consistency of the CVGE warrants the employment of high‐throughput CGE for diversity analysis as it provided better separation of bands with higher resolution.     

Evidence for interfacial-storage anomaly in nanocomposites for lithium batteries from first-principles simulations

We present theoretical support for a mass storage anomaly proposed for nanocomposites in the context of lithium batteries which forms the transition between an electrostatic capacitive mechanism and an electrode mechanism. Ab initio atomic and electronic structure calculations, performed on the Ti(0001)/Li2O(111) model interface, indicate the validity of the phenomenological model of interfacial Li storage and provide a deeper insight into the local situation. Beyond the specific applicability to storage devices, the possibility of a two-phase effect on mass storage generally highlights the availability of novel degrees of freedom in materials research when dealing with nanocomposites.     

Alkylation of nitroaromatics with trialkyborane

When p-dinitrobenzene is reacted with Et(3)B in t-BuOH or THF in the presence of t-BuOK, it yields p-nitroethylbenzene. In this report we examine the scope of this transformation by monitoring the effect of various parameters on the reaction. It has been found that the reaction is extremely sensitive to temperature and rather insensitive to the base-solvent combination used. It is also insensitive to the steric hindrance of the base: good yields were obtained using sodium 2,6-diisopropylphenoxide or when using NaH. Alkylation was obtained with a large variety of alkylboranes ranging from linear to polycyclic. Yields drop significantly if one of the nitro groups is replaced by another electron-withdrawing group. In all cases studied (CHO, PHCO, SO(2)Ph, and CN), it is the latter group which was preferentially displaced by the alkyl group. According to the suggested mechanism, the radical anion of the substrate combines with the alkyl radical released from the boranyl radical to form a Meisenheimer complex. The reaction takes place at the ring carbon bearing the highest spin density in accordance with ab initio calculations at the B3LYP/6-31+G level.