Long-term super-resolution imaging of mitochondrial dynamics

Monitoring dynamics of mitochondria has become an essential approach to explore the function of mitochondria in living cells with the emergence of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. However, long-term super-resolution imaging of mitochondria is still challenging due to the lack of photostable fluorescent probes and stable mitochondria-specific markers which are not affected by the changes of mitochondrial membrane potential. Here, we introduce a method for long-term imaging mitochondrial dynamic through the SNAP-tag fluorogenic probe based on 4-azetidinyl-naphthalimide derivatives. Using structured illumination microscopy (SIM), we observed the fusion and fission of mitochondria over a course of 16 min at 109 nm resolution. Furthermore, the interactions as well as fusion between mitochondria and lysosomes were studied during mitophagy at the nanoscale. Convincingly, the combination of SNAP-tag fluorogenic probes and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy will offer a new way to monitor dynamic mitochondria in living cells.     

Implications of Nitrogen Doping on Geometrical and Electronic Structure of the Fullerene Dimers

Because of its unsaturated bonds, C₆₀ is susceptible to polymerize into dimers. The implications of nitrogen doping on the geometrical and electronic structure of C₆₀ dimers have been ambiguous for years. A quarter‐century after the discovery of azafullerene dimer (C₅₉N)₂, we reported its single crystallographic structure in 2019. Herein, the unambiguous crystal structure information of (C₅₉N)₂ is elucidated specifically, revealing that the inter‐cage C—C single bond length of (C₅₉N)₂ is comparable with that of an ordinary C(sp³)‐C(sp³) single bond, and that the most stable conformer of (C₅₉N)₂ is gauche‐conformer with a dihedral angle of 66°. To amend the structural deviations, geometrical structure of (C₅₉N)₂ is optimized by a B3LYP‐D3BJ function, which is proved to be more consistent with its single crystal structure than those by the commonly used B3LYP function. Moreover, the calculation method is also suitable for other representative fullerene dimers, such as (C₆₀)₂ and its divalent anion. Additionally, the dissociation of (C₅₉N)₂ at 473 K under mass spectrometric conditions suggests the inter‐cage C—C bond is relatively weaker than an ordinary C—C single bond, which can be explained by the interaction energies of inter‐cages.     

Dyeing behavior and mechanism of Crocein Orange G on carboxymethyl cotton fabric

Cellulose - Traditional cotton fiber dyeing requires an abundance of salt, which leads to environmental pollution. Consequently, decreasing or eliminating the use of salt has become the primary...     

基于快速热释放功能的相变偶氮苯/织物复合材料

针对偶氮基光敏分子存在放热速率慢和温度难以控制的难点,在分子结构设计基础上,采用氧化偶合法制备了具有固-液相变功能的4,4′-对-二正己基偶氮苯(AZO-L6).由于分子间作用力较低,偶氮苯分子呈现低熔、快异构化的特点,在发生反-顺异构化转变时大幅降低分子的熔点.固-液相变过程实现了光热能和相变焓的存储,在结构回复时同时放出储存的能量(231.8 kJ/kg),并将相变偶氮苯应用于可穿戴聚合物复合织物中.结果显示储能后的相变偶氮苯分子在蓝光(440 nm)刺激下在60 s内可将材料温度提升0.8℃,获得了具有自加热功能的可穿戴复合织物,为探索多功能自保温可穿戴装置提供了研究思路.     

Organocatalytic asymmetric [3 + 3] annulation of isatin N,N'-cyclic azomethine imines with enals: Efficient approach to functionalized spiro N-heterocyclic oxindoles

An unprecedented chiral secondary amine-catalyzed [3 + 3] annulation of isatin N,N'-cyclic azomethine imines with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes was developed. This strategy allowed the construction of structurally novel spiro N-heterocyclic oxindole derivatives in good yields (up to 91%) and good to excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee), albeit with modest diastereoselectivities (up to 3.1:1 dr).