Dianions of Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids in Synthesis. Synthesis of Juvocimene I

Juvocimene I is prepared by a non ambiguous synthesis based on the regioselective alkylation of 4-methylhexa-2,4-dienoic acid, and Wittig olefination of the aldehyde corresponding to the alkylated acid.     

Vortex lattice of a Bose-Einstein condensate as a photonic band gap material

Photonic crystal behavior of a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate with a triangular vortex lattice is reviewed and a scheme for getting much wider band gaps is proposed. It is shown that photonic band gaps can be widened an order of magnitude more by using a Raman scheme of index enhancement, in comparison to previously considered upper level microwave scheme.     

Modified electrode with reduced graphene oxide/poly(3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid): a new platform for oligonucleotide hybridization

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - This paper reports a new platform for oligonucleotide hybridization, prepared by electropolymerization of 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid onto gold electrode...     

In situ studies of microbial inactivation during high pressure processing

High pressure processing (HPP) has been shown to reduce microbial concentration in foods. The mechanisms of microbial inactivation by HPP have been associated with damage to cell membranes. The real-time response of bacteria to HPP was measured to elucidate the mechanisms of inactivation, which can aid in designing more effective processes. Different pressure cycling conditions were used to expose Enterobacter aerogenes cells to HPP. Propidium iodide (PI) was used as a probe, which fluoresces after penetrating cells with damaged membranes and binding with nucleic acids. A HPP vessel with sapphire windows was used for measuring fluorescence in situ. Membrane damage was detected during pressurization and hold time, but not during depressurization. The drop in fluorescence was larger than expected after pressure cycles at higher pressure and longer times. This indicated possible reversible disassociation of ribosomes resulting in additional binding of PI to exposed RNA under pressure and its release after depressurization.     

Straightforward synthesis of [(2S,4R)-1-cyclohexyl-4-methylpiperidin-2-yl]methanol and [(2S,4R)-1-cyclohexyl-4-methylpiperidin-2-yl](diphenyl)methanol: novel chiral ligands for the catalytic addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde to give rise to an extensive turn in the sense of asymmetric induction

Enantiopure [(2S,4R)-1-cyclohexyl-4-methylpiperidin-2-yl]methanol 5a and [(2S,4R)-1-cyclohexyl-4-methylpiperidin-2-yl]-(diphenyl)methanol 5b, new β-amino alcohols based on l-pipecolinic acid (homoproline), have been prepared straightforwardly from rac-alaninol and rac-2-amino-1,1-diphenylpropan-1-ol, respectively. The described route constitutes as a model procedure for the preparation of other related C(4) or/and C(3)-substituted 2-piperidinylmethanols.The new chiral ligands have shown a singular behaviour on the stereocontrol of the benchmark reaction of benzaldehyde and diethylzinc compared with other C(4)-unsubstituted analogues prepared by ourselves from l-pipecolinic acid (compounds 5c, 5d, 5e and 5f). The catalytic activity, the sense of asymmetric induction and the degree of the enantioselectivity depend on the appropriate combination of the substituents on the structural scaffold, but also on the metal-alkoxide involved in the catalysis (zinc or lithium alkoxides). The enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde mediated by ligands 5a and 5c has been studied with DFT methods. The theoretical evaluation was performed in connection with a working hypothesis based on the different loadings of cis- and trans-catalysts in the reaction medium.     

Properties of In situ polymerized poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/alumina composites for energy storage applications

Composites formed by poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) and alumina (PEDOT/Al₂O₃) have been prepared by in situ anodic polymerization. For this purpose, the stability of 1:1 and 4:1 monomer:alumina aqueous solutions has been examined as a function of the pH (2.3, 4.0, 7.0, 8.8, or 10.8). Results indicate that the monomer behaves as a dispersant that remains stable at the studied basic pHs despite they are close to the isoelectric point of alumina. Although the thermal stability of the composites is considerably affected by the pH of the reaction medium, its influence on the surface morphology is very small. Independently, of the synthetic conditions, the electrochemical properties were better for PEDOT/Al₂O₃ than for pure PEDOT, reflecting that alumina particles promote the charge mobility. The highest specific capacitance (SC; 141 F/g), which was 55% higher than that obtained for pure PEDOT, was achieved for the composite prepared at pH = 8.8 using a 4:1 monomer:alumina ratio. These conditions favor the participation of OH^– groups as secondary doping agents without degrading the polymer matrix and enhance the specific surface of the films, facilitating the ionic mobility. On the other hand, application of a multi‐step polymerization strategy has shown that interfaces originated by consecutive steps enhance the SC. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1131–1141     

Stereoselective syntheses of polyhydroxylated azepane derivatives from sugar-based epoxyamides. Part 1: synthesis from d-mannose

An approach to the synthesis of polyhydroxyazepane derivatives from sugar-based epoxyamides or epoxyalcohols, in which the total regioselective epoxide opening by nitrogen nucleophiles is the key step, is described. Thus, novel polyhydroxyazepane carboxamides and aminomethyl polyhydroxyazepanes, with potential pharmacological interest, are synthesized from diacetone d-mannose. Configurational assignments of the obtained products were determined.