Oxidation of Thiols to the Corresponding Symmetric Disulfides with Benzyltriphenylphosphonium Peroxodisulfate (BTPPD) Under Nonaqueous Conditions

This article describes the preparation of benzyltriphenylphosphonium peroxodisulfate (BTPPD), an efficient and mild reagent for oxidation of a variety of aromatic and aliphatic thiols to the corresponding disulfides in refluxing acetonitrile. The experimental procedure is simple and the products are easily isolated in excellent yields.     

Nonparametric identification of asymmetric nonlinear vibration systems with the Hilbert transform

The objective of the paper is presenting a simple and more accurate technique for precise identification of nonlinear elastic force functions acting in asymmetric vibration systems. The identification procedure based on the Hilbert transform is a nonparametric one; it does not require a priori information about the system structure or its parameters. The examples of the identification of asymmetric classic vibration nonlinear models – the Helmholtz and the double-well Duffing oscillators – are investigated.     

Marinocyanins,cytotoxic bromo-phenazinone meroterpenoids from a marine bacterium from the streptomycete clade MAR4

Six cytotoxic and antimicrobial metabolites of a new bromo-phenazinone class, the marinocyanins A-F (1–6), were isolated together with the known bacterial metabolites 2-bromo-1-hydroxyphenazine (7), lavanducyanin (8, WS-9659A) and its chlorinated analog WS-9659B (9). These metabolites were purified by bioassay-guided fractionation of the extracts of our MAR4 marine actinomycete strains CNS-284 and CNY-960. The structures of the new compounds were determined by detailed spectroscopic methods and marinocyanin A (1) was confirmed by crystallographic methods. The marinocyanins represent the first bromo-phenazinones with an N-isoprenoid substituent in the skeleton. Marinocyanins A-F show strong to weak cytotoxicity against HCT-116 human colon carcinoma and possess modest antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and amphotericin-resistant Candida albicans.     

Mass spectrometry imaging as a tool for surgical decision‐making

Despite significant advances in image‐guided therapy, surgeons are still too often left with uncertainty when deciding to remove tissue. This binary decision between removing and leaving tissue during surgery implies that the surgeon should be able to distinguish tumor from healthy tissue. In neurosurgery, current image‐guidance approaches such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with neuronavigation offer a map as to where the tumor should be, but the only definitive method to characterize the tissue at stake is histopathology. Although extremely valuable information is derived from this gold standard approach, it is limited to very few samples during surgery and is not practically used for the delineation of tumor margins. The development and implementation of faster, comprehensive, and complementary approaches for tissue characterization are required to support surgical decision‐making – an incremental and iterative process with tumor removed in multiple and often minute biopsies. The development of atmospheric pressure ionization sources makes it possible to analyze tissue specimens with little to no sample preparation. Here, we highlight the value of desorption electrospray ionization as one of many available approaches for the analysis of surgical tissue. Twelve surgical samples resected from a patient during surgery were analyzed and diagnosed as glioblastoma tumor or necrotic tissue by standard histopathology, and mass spectrometry results were further correlated to histopathology for critical validation of the approach. The use of a robust statistical approach reiterated results from the qualitative detection of potential biomarkers of these tissue types. The correlation of the mass spectrometry and histopathology results to MRI brings significant insight into tumor presentation that could not only serve to guide tumor resection, but that is also worthy of more detailed studies on our understanding of tumor presentation on MRI. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preface

In life sciences,molecules are categorized into biological macromolecules(protein,DNA,RNA etc.)and small molecules(neurotransmitters,vitamins,drugs,natural products,water etc.).The main methodology of chemistry for life sciences is using chemical techniques and tools to explore and manipulate the functions of biological macromolecules.This methodology can be traced back to W hler’s synthesis of urea from"inorganic"compounds in 1828.Today,we realize that chemistry can advance a molecular understanding of biology,and the harnessing of biology can advance chemical knowledge as well[1–4].Chemicals are widely used as probes to investigate biological functions[5–7].     

Simple and Efficient Procedure for the Friedel–Crafts Acylation of Aromatic Compounds with Carboxylic Acids in the Presence of P2O5/AL2O3 Under Heterogeneous Conditions

An efficient and chemoselective method for the Friedel–Crafts acylation of aromatic compounds using P₂O₅/Al₂O₃ and carboxylic acids. Both aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acids reacted easily to afford the corresponding aromatic ketones in good yields.     

Reduction of Phenyl-Substituted Pyridinium Methoiodides with Sodium Borohydride. Formation of Amine-Borane Complexes in Water

Reduction of phenyl-substituted pyridinium methoiodides with sodium borohydride in water afforded besides the desired tetrahydropyridines substantial amounts of amine-borane complexes. Reduction in methanol afforded tetrahydropyridines in high yield, with almost no amine-boranes formed.     

DI-(2,2,2-Trichloroethyl)-Carbonate: Byproduct in Reactions with 2,2,2-Trichloroethyl Chloroformate

2,2,2-Trichloroethyl chloroformate (1) in higher boiling solvents, particularly in the presence of potassium carbonate and potassium bicarbonate, affords undesired di-(2,2,2-trichloroethyl)-carbonate (2) as a byproduct. When chemically pure chloroformate was used, addition of carbonates was found to be unnecessary in N-demethylation reactions.     

Chemoselective and Solvent‐Free Thioacetalization of Aldehydes by a Catalytic Amount of NBS

A chemoselective, straightforward, and rapid method for thioacetalization of aldehydes by use of 1,2‐ethandithiol and a catalytic amount of N‐bromosuccinimide under solvent‐free conditions is reported. The reaction takes place in excellent yields and short reaction times.