The First Mitsunobu Protocol for Efficient Synthesis of α-Acyloxyphosphonates Using 4,4′-Azopyridine

Abstract

This is the first report on applying the Mitsunobu protocol for the synthesis of various α-acyloxyphosphonates using 4,4′-azopyridine and PPh₃ with diverse aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acids. Under these conditions, diethyl azodicarboxylate (DEAD) as the traditional reagent for Mitsunobu reaction is not efficient. The insoluble pyridine hydrazine byproduct can be simply isolated and recycled to its azopyridine by an oxidation reaction and reused again.

[Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements for the following free supplemental resource: Characterization data of compounds 3a–3z2 and NMR spectra.]

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT      

A green and efficient procedure for one-pot synthesis of xanthenes and acridines using silica boron–sulfuric acid nanoparticles (SBSANs) as a solid Lewis-protic acid

Silica boron–sulfuric acid nanoparticles (SBSANs) as a solid Lewis-protic acid have been found to be an efficient heterogeneous catalyst in the synthesis of xanthene and acridine derivatives. The SBSAN-catalyzed reaction between carbonyl compound (aldehyde/ketone/ethyl orthoformate) and 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione (dimedone) for synthesis of xanthene derivatives is performed under mild conditions with the excellent isolated yield. Also, we can apply a broad scope of carbonyl compounds and amines for efficient synthesis of various acridine derivatives in the presence of SBSAN catalyst. In these multicomponent approaches the SBSAN catalyst can be reused for several times without any treatment in its catalytic activity.     

New 5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde S-ethylisothiosemicarbazone and its mixed-ligand Cu(II) complex with imidazole: synthesis, characterization and DFT calculation

A new Schiff base ligand of 5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde S-ethyl-isothiosemicarbazone (H₂L) was synthesized and its mixed-ligand Cu(II) complex was also prepared by reaction of Cu(NO₃)₂·3H₂O with H₂L and imidazole. Their structures were fully characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, molar conductivity and UV-Vis methods. The analytical data suggest that the metal, H₂L and imidazole ratios in the Schiff base complex are 1:1:1. Single crystal diffraction was also used to better understand the molecular structure of the Cu(II) complex. The results of physico-chemical analyses of the Schiff base complex reveal the coordination geometry around the central atom is square planar. The H₂L ligand (NNO donor) is coordinated to the metal center as a tridentate bionegatively agent. Another position of the square planar geometry is occupied by the imidazole ligand. Furthermore, computational studies of the new complex were performed by carrying out DFT calculations. Geometry optimization and natural band analysis of the complex is discussed in further detail.      

Aluminum Chloride (Alcl3) Promotes Selective Oxidative Deprotection of Benzylic Trimethylsilyl and Tert- Butyldimethylsilyl Ethers to the Corresponding Carbonyl Compounds with Manganese Dioxide (Mno2)

Various types of trimethylsilyl and tert-butyldimethylsilyl ethers of primary and secondary benzylic alcohols could be selectively converted to their corresponding carbonyl compounds with MnO₂ in the presence of AlCl₃ in good to excellent yields.     

New polypyrrole–carbon nanotubes–silicon dioxide solid‐phase microextraction fiber for the preconcentration and determination of benzene,toluene, ethylbenzene,and o‐xylene using gas liquid chromatography

For the first time, a polypyrrole–carbon nanotubes–silicon dioxide composite film coated on a steel wire was prepared by an electrochemical method. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that this composite film was even and porous. The prepared fiber was used as an absorbent for the headspace solid‐phase microextraction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o‐xylene, followed by gas chromatographic analysis. This method presented an excellent performance, which was much better than that of a polypyrrole–carbon nanotube fiber. It was found that under the optimized conditions, the linear ranges were 0.01–200 ng/mL with correlation coefficients >0.9953, the detection limits were 0.005–0.020 ng/mL, the relative standard deviations were 3.9–6.4% for five successive measurements with a single fiber, and the reproducibility was 5.5–8.5% (n = 3). Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to real water samples, and the relative recoveries obtained for the spiked water samples were from 91.0 to 106.7%.     

Ornamental Plant Efficiency for Heavy Metals Phytoextraction from Contaminated Soils Amended with Organic Materials

Accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) by ornamental plants (OPs) from contaminated agriculture soils is a unique technique that can efficiently reduce the metal load in the food chain. Amaranthus tricolor L. has attractive characteristics acquiring a higher growth rate and large biomass when grown at heavy metal contaminated soils. Site-specific detailed information is not available on the use of A. tricolor plant in metal phytoremediation from the polluted sites. The study aimed to enhance the uptake of HMs (Pb, Zn, and Cu) via amending poultry litter extract (PLE), vinasse sugarcane (VSC), and humic acid (HA) as natural mobilized organic materials compared to ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), as a common mobilized chemical agent by A. tricolor plant. The studied soils collected from Helwan, El-Gabal El-Asfar (Cairo Governorate), Arab El-Madabeg (Assiut Governorate), Egypt, and study have been conducted under pot condition. Our results revealed all organic materials in all studied soils, except EDTA in EL-Gabal El-Asfar soil, significantly increased the dry weight of the A. tricolor plant compared to the control treatment. The uptake of Pb and Zn significantly (p > 0.05) increased due to applying all organic materials to the studied soils. HA application caused the highest uptake as shown in Pb concentration by more than 5 times in Helwan soil and EDTA by 65% in El-Gabal El-Asfar soil while VSC increased it by 110% in El-Madabeg soil. Also, an increase in Zn concentration due to EDTA application was 58, 42, and 56% for Helwan, El-Gabal El-Asfar, and El-Madabeg soil, respectively. In all studied soils, the application of organic materials increased the remediation factor (RF) than the control. El-Madabeg soil treated with vinasse sugarcane gave the highest RF values; 6.40, 3.26, and 4.02% for Pb, Zn, and Cu, respectively, than the control. Thus, we identified A. tricolor as a successful ornamental candidate that, along with organic mobilization amendments, most efficiently develop soil health, reduce metal toxicity, and recommend remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils. Additionally, long-term application of organic mobilization amendments and continued growth of A. tricolor under field conditions could be recommended for future directions to confirm the results.     

Recent Advancements on Immunomodulatory Mechanisms of Resveratrol in Tumor Microenvironment

Immunomodulation of the tumor microenvironment is emerging as an important area of research for the treatment of cancer patients. Several synthetic and natural agents are being investigated for their ability to enhance the immunogenic responses of immune cells present in the tumor microenvironment to impede tumor cell growth and dissemination. Among them, resveratrol, a stilbenoid found in red grapes and many other natural sources, has been studied extensively. Importantly, resveratrol has been shown to possess activity against various human diseases, including cancer. Mechanistically, resveratrol has been shown to regulate an array of signaling pathways and processes involving oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and several anticancer effects. Furthermore, recent research suggests that resveratrol can regulate various cellular signaling events including immune cell regulation, cytokines/chemokines secretion, and the expression of several other immune-related genes. In this review, we have summarized recent findings on resveratrol’s effects on immune regulatory cells and associated signaling in various cancer types. Numerous immunomodulatory effects of resveratrol suggest it may be useful in combination with other cancer therapies including immunotherapy for effective cancer management.     

CORSICA: correction of structured noise in fMRI by automatic identification of ICA components

When applied to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, spatial independent component analysis (sICA), a data-driven technique that addresses the blind source separation problem, seems able to extract components specifically related to physiological noise and brain movements. These components should be removed from the data to achieve structured noise reduction and improve any subsequent detection and analysis of signal fluctuations related to neural activity. We propose a new automatic method called CORSICA (CORrection of Structured noise using spatial Independent Component Analysis) to identify the components related to physiological noise, using prior information on the spatial localization of the main physiological fluctuations in fMRI data. As opposed to existing spectral priors, which may be subject to aliasing effects for long-TR data sets (typically acquired with TR >1 s), such spatial priors can be applied to fMRI data, regardless of the TR of the acquisitions. By comparing the proposed automatic selection to a manual selection performed visually by a human operator, we first show that CORSICA is able to identify the noise-related components for long-TR data with a high sensitivity and a specificity of 1. On short-TR data sets, we validate that the proposed method of noise reduction allows a substantial improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio evaluated at the cardiac and respiratory frequencies, even in the gray matter, while preserving the main fluctuations related to neural activity.     

Alizarin-modified sulfonate carbon nanoparticles in vanadium sensing

The adsorption processes of alizarin onto hydrophilic carbon nanoparticles (Emperor 2000?) are investigated. The significant increase in voltammetric responses for pre-adsorbed alizarin compared with those for solution confirms high affinity of alizarin to carbon nanoparticles (possibly due to π–π stacking interaction between aromatic rings of alizarin and surface-sulfonated carbon nanoparticles). To obtain the optimum of adsorption conditions, the effects of pH, agitation rate, and adsorption time are investigated. Under square wave voltammetry conditions, the peak current for the reduction of alizarin shows a linear relationship with concentration in the range from 2.0 to 10.0 nM. The limit of detection is estimated 5.8?×?10^?9 mol L^?1. Next, alizarin is applied as a receptor for sensing of trace vanadium in acetate buffer pH 5. Linear calibration curves are obtained for vanadium in the range of 1.0?×?10^?6 to 1.0?×?10^?4 mol L^?1 and the limit of detection is estimated 9.6?×?10^?8 mol L^?1. Determination of vanadium in real samples such as sea and tap water is demonstrated.     

Discrete Hf18 Metal-oxo Cluster as a Heterogeneous Nanozyme for Site-Specific Proteolysis

The selective hydrolysis of proteins by non-enzymatic catalysis is difficult to achieve, yet it is crucial for applications in biotechnology and proteomics. Herein, we report that discrete hafnium metal-oxo cluster [Hf₁₈O₁₀(OH)₂₆(SO₄)₁₃⋅(H₂O)₃₃] ( Hf₁₈ ), which is centred by the same hexamer motif found in many MOFs, acts as a heterogeneous catalyst for the efficient hydrolysis of horse heart myoglobin (HHM) in low buffer concentrations. Among 154 amino acids present in the sequence of HHM, strictly selective cleavage at only 6 solvent accessible aspartate residues was observed. Mechanistic experiments suggest that the hydrolytic activity is likely derived from the actuation of Hf^IV Lewis acidic sites and the Brønsted acidic surface of Hf₁₈ . X-ray scattering and ESI-MS revealed that Hf₁₈ is completely insoluble in these conditions, confirming the HHM hydrolysis is caused by a heterogeneous reaction of the solid Hf₁₈ cluster, and not from smaller, soluble Hf species that could leach into solution.