Hole formation and charge transfer in Y1−xCaxSr2Cu2GaO7, a new oxide superconductor

The technique of transmission electron energy loss spectrometry (EELS) in parallel detection has been utilized to analyze the fine structures associated with the O K and Cu L₃ absorption edges of recently discovered Y_1−xCa_xSr₂Cu₂GaO₇ (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) series of compounds, which exhibit superconductivity when annealed under high-pressure oxygen atmosphere. We find subtle but significant changes in EELS spectral features of nonsuperconducting and superconducting specimens of these compounds. A broad pre-edge feature is observed below the O K absorption edge, at about 528.2 eV which emerges with Ca-doping alone. Evidence is presented for another O K secondary pre-edge feature, at about 1.1 eV below the first O K pre-edge feature in only those specimens which have undergone high-pressure oxygen treatment (i.e. superconducting specimens). We interpret the O K pre-edge feature as due to formation of holes on oxygen sites and propose that the first broad pre-edge feature (at 528.2 eV) is associated with holes on oxygen sites other than the CuO₂ planes, which are responsible for normal conductivity. The second smaller pre-edge feature (at 527.1 eV) is most probably associated with holes in the CuO₂ planes, which are associated with superconductivity in this system. The presence of a secondary smaller O K pre-edge feature in the superconducting specimens appears to correlate well with a broad shoulder on the high energy side of the Cu L₃ edge. The results are interpreted in terms of oxidation of CuO₂ planes through charge transfer between copper and oxygen in the CuO₂ planes, i.e. covalent mixing of O and Cu orbitals at the Fermi level as a result of high oxygen pressure annealing.     

Influence of the bisphenol structure on the direct synthesis of sulfonated poly(arylene ether) copolymers. I

New sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymers with high molecular weights were successfully synthesized with controlled degrees of disulfonation of up to 70 mol % via the direct copolymerization of sulfonated aromatic dihalides, aromatic dihalides, and one of four structurally distinct bisphenols. The disodium salts of the 3,3′‐disulfonated‐4,4′‐dichlorodiphenyl sulfone and 3,3′‐disulfonated‐4,4′‐difluorodiphenyl sulfone comonomers were synthesized via the sulfonation of 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenyl sulfone or 4,4′‐difluorodiphenyl sulfone with 30% fuming sulfuric acid at 110 °C. Four bisphenols (4,4′‐bisphenol A, 4,4′‐bisphenol AF, 4,4′‐biphenol, and hydroquinone) were investigated for the syntheses of novel copolymers with controlled degrees of sulfonation. The composition and incorporation of the sulfonated repeat unit into the copolymers were confirmed by ¹H NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Solubility tests on the sulfonated copolymers confirmed that no crosslinking and probably no branching occurred during the copolymerizations. Tough, ductile films were solvent‐cast that exhibited increased water absorption with increasing degrees of sulfonation. These copolymers are promising candidates for high temperature proton‐exchange membranes in fuel cells, which will be reported separately in part II of this series. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2264–2276, 2003     

Closing the Cycle as It Begins: Synthesis of ortho-Iodobiaryls via Catellani Reaction

Despite the advances in the field of carbon-halogen bond formation, the straightforward catalytic access to selectively functionalized iodoaryls remains a challenge. Here, we report a one-pot synthesis of ortho-iodobiaryls from aryl iodides and bromides by palladium/norbornene catalysis. This new example of Catellani reaction features the initial cleavage of a C(sp²)−I bond, followed by the key formation of a palladacycle through ortho C−H activation, the oxidative addition of an aryl bromide and the ultimate restoration of the C(sp²)−I bond. A large variety of valuable o-iodobiaryls has been synthesized in satisfactory to good yields and their derivatization have been described too. Beyond the synthetic utility of this transformation, a DFT study provides insights on the mechanism of the key reductive elimination step, which is driven by an original transmetallation between palladium(II)-halides complexes.     

Chemical Fingerprinting and Quantification of Biomarker Wedelolactone in Different Sources of “Bhringaraja” by High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography and Method Validation

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - Two different botanical sources, Eclipta alba and Wedelia calen-dulacea are used as “Bhringaraja” in the Ayurvedic...     

Profiling the reactivity of cyclic C-nucleophiles towards electrophilic sulfur in cysteine sulfenic acid

Oxidation of a protein cysteine thiol to sulfenic acid, termed S-sulfenylation, is a reversible post-translational modification that plays a crucial role in regulating protein function and is correlated with disease states. The majority of reaction-based small molecule and immunochemical probes used for detecting sulfenic acids are based on the 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione (dimedone) scaffold, which is selective, but suffers from low reactivity. In addition, mechanistic details and features that diminish or enhance nucleophile reactivity remain largely unknown. A significant hurdle to resolving the aforementioned issues has been the chemically unstable nature of small-molecule sulfenic acid models. Herein, we report a facile mass spectrometry-based assay and repurposed dipeptide-based model to screen a library of cyclic C-nucleophiles for reactivity with sulfenic acid under aqueous conditions. Observed rate constants for ∼100 cyclic C-nucleophiles were obtained and, from this collection, we have identified novel compounds with more than 200-fold enhanced reactivity, as compared to dimedone. The increase in reactivity and retention of selectivity of these C-nucleophiles were validated in secondary assays, including a protein model for sulfenic acid. Together, this work represents a significant step toward developing new chemical reporters for detecting protein S-sulfenylation with superior kinetic resolution. The enhanced rates and varied composition of the C-nucleophiles should enable more comprehensive analyses of the sulfenome and serve as the foundation for reversible or irreversible nucleophilic covalent inhibitors that target oxidized cysteine residues in therapeutically important proteins.     

New planar trans-copper(II) β-dithioester chelate complexes: synthesis,characterization, anticancer activity and DNA-binding/cleavage studies

New planar trans-copper(II) β-dithioester complexes, [Cu(L)₂] (L = methyl-3-hydroxy-(3-pyridyl)-2-propenedithioate (L1 in 1), methyl-3-hydroxy-(2-naphthyl)-2-propenedithioate (L2 in 2), methyl-3-hydroxy-3-(p-methoxyphenyl)-2-propenedithioate (L3 in 3), methyl-3-hydroxy-3-(p-fluorophenyl)-2-propenedithioate (L4 in 4), and methyl-3-hydroxy-3-(p-bromophenyl)-2-propenedithioate (L5 in 5)), have been synthesized and characterized by elemental (C, H, N and S) analysis, ESI-MS, IR, and UV-vis spectra. The structures of HL3 and its corresponding complex 3 have been determined by X-ray crystallography. Electrochemical behavior of all complexes has been studied by cyclic voltammetry. All five planar complexes show efficient DNA-binding and DNA (PBR322)-cleavage in a concentration-dependent manner (1 > 3 > 5 > 2 > 4). Cleavage efficiency is enhanced in the presence of H₂O₂ as well as ascorbic acid. However, the order of increased efficiency of Cu(II) chelates differs in the presence of H₂O₂ as 4 > 1 > 2 > 3 > 5. Among these complexes, the pyridyl- and methoxy-functionalized 1 and 3 have shown higher self-activating capability in DNA-cleavage. All complexes show significant variation in IC₅₀ on MCF-7 cell line. Additionally, treatment with the complexes gradually increases apoptotic cell death in dose-dependent manner in RAW 264.7 cell line. These findings highlight potential cancer protective nature of these complexes.     

Highly porous disk-like shape of Co<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> as an anode material for lithium ion batteries

A novel disk-like shape of Co₃O₄ with high porosity was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal approach followed by calcination at 485 °C for 2 h. In order to further confirm the crystal structure, morphology, particle size, surface area, and porosity of the sample, a series of corresponding characterization techniques were used. The disk-like shape of Co₃O₄ as an anode delivered excellent rate capability such as 510.5 mAh g^?1 at 4.0 C, which is much higher than the theoretical capacity of commercial graphite anode (372 mAh g^?1). However, the electrode could not recover the high capacity during the long-term cycling at various higher current rates due to the deformation of the structure as confirmed by the ex situ studies. It is believed that the obtained remarkable structural feature with numerous void pores within the structure may be helpful for short-term cycling due to the large contact areas between the electrode and the electrolyte and a shorter diffusion length for lithium ion insertion but unable to act as a buffer to relax the volume expansion/contraction and alleviate the structural damage of the electrode during long-term cycling.     

Selective colorimetric sensing of cysteine in aqueous solutions using silver nanoparticles in the presence of Cr³+

We here in report an extensive study on the development of a highly facile, selective and sensitive colorimetric probe for cysteine detection using silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The efficacy of the process relies upon the surface plasmon resonance properties of Ag NPs and the interaction of Ag-cysteine complex with chromium ions (Cr³⁺) in a ratio of 2:1. In the presence of Cr³⁺, cysteine was able to induce the aggregation of Ag NPs thereby resulting in a change in yellow colour of the Ag colloid to purple. The reported probe has a limit of detection down to 1 nM which is to the best of our knowledge the lowest ever reported for the colorimetric detection of cysteine. Furthermore, a remarkable feature of this method is that it involves a simple technique exhibiting high selectivity to cysteine over other tested amino acids.     

Synthesis of novel molecular probes inspired by harringtonolide

A novel harringtonolide-inspired scaffold containing a cycloheptatriene ring and two fused cyclopentane rings has been synthesised from simple starting materials. The scaffold, containing a similar substitution pattern and relative stereochemistry to the complex diterpenoid, has been enumerated into a small library of derivatives. One of these library members has been converted into a sub-library of substituted triazoles using copper-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (click) chemistry. The scaffold may be useful in drug discovery or in the preparation of additional molecular probes for chemical biology.