rac‐3‐Benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionic acid and its organic salts: possibilities of Yang photocyclization in crystals

The analysis of the crystal structures of rac‐3‐benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionic acid, C₁₁H₁₂O₃, (I), morpholinium rac‐3‐benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionate monohydrate, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₁₁H₁₁O₃⁻·H₂O, (II), pyridinium [hydrogen bis(rac‐3‐benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionate)], C₅H₆N⁺·(H⁺·2C₁₁H₁₁O₃⁻), (III), and pyrrolidinium rac‐3‐benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionate rac‐3‐benzoyl‐2‐methylpropionic acid, C₄H₁₀N⁺·C₁₁H₁₁O₃⁻·C₁₁H₁₂O₃, (IV), has enabled us to predict and understand the behaviour of these compounds in Yang photocyclization. Molecules containing the Ar—CO—C—C—CH fragment can undergo Yang photocyclization in solvents but they can be photoinert in the crystalline state. In the case of the compounds studied here, the long distances between the O atom of the carbonyl group and the γ‐H atom, and between the C atom of the carbonyl group and the γ‐C atom preclude Yang photocyclization in the crystals. Molecules of (I) are deprotonated in a different manner depending on the kind of organic base used. In the crystal structure of (III), strong centrosymmetric O...H...O hydrogen bonds are observed.     

Selective Hydrogen Oxidation in the Presence of C3 Hydrocarbons Using Perovskite Oxygen Reservoirs

Perovskite‐type oxides, ABO₃, can be successfully applied as solid “oxygen reservoirs” in redox reactions such as selective hydrogen combustion. This reaction is part of a novel process for propane oxidative dehydrogenation, wherein the lattice oxygen of the perovskite is used to combust hydrogen selectively from the dehydrogenation mixture at 550 °C. This gives three key advantages: it shifts the dehydrogenation equilibrium to the side of the desired products, heat is generated, thus aiding the endothermic dehydrogenation, and it simplifies product separation (H₂O vs H₂). Furthermore, the process is safer since it uses the catalysts’ lattice oxygen instead of gaseous O₂. We screened fourteen perovskites for activity, selectivity and stability in selective hydrogen combustion. The catalytic properties depend strongly on the composition. Changing the B atom in a series of LaBO₃ perovskites shows that Mn and Co give a higher selectivity than Fe and Cr. Replacing some of the La atoms with Sr or Ca also affects the catalytic properties. Doping with Sr increases the selectivity of the LaFeO₃ perovskite, but yields a catalyst with low selectivity in the case of LaCrO₃. Conversely, doping LaCrO₃ with Ca increases the selectivity. The best results are achieved with Sr‐doped LaMnO₃, with selectivities of up to 93 % and activities of around 150 μmol O m^?2. This catalyst, La_0.9Sr_0.1MnO₃, shows excellent stability, even after 125 redox cycles at 550 °C (70 h on stream). Notably, the activity per unit surface area of the perovskite catalysts is higher than that of doped cerias, the current benchmark of solid oxygen reservoirs.     

Monitoring photo‐induced transformations in crystals of 2,6‐difluorocinnamic acid under ambient conditions

Several conditions need to be fulfilled for a photochemical reaction to proceed in crystals. Some of these conditions, for example, geometrical conditions, depend on the particular type of photochemical reaction, but the rest are common for all reactions. The mutual directionality of two neighbouring molecules determines the kind of product obtained. The influence of temperature on the probability of a photochemical reaction occurring varies for different types of photochemical reaction and different compounds. High pressure imposed on crystals also has a big influence on the free space and the reaction cavity. The wavelength of the applied UV light is another factor which can initiate a reaction and sometimes determine the structure of a product. It is possible, to a certain degree, to control the packing of molecules in stacks by using fluoro substituents on benzene rings. The crystal and molecular structure of 2,6‐difluorocinnamic acid [systematic name: 3‐(2,6‐difluorophenyl)prop‐2‐enoic acid], C₉H₆F₂O₂, (I), was determined and analysed in terms of a photochemical [2 + 2] dimerization. The molecules are arranged in stacks along the a axis and the values of the intermolecular geometrical parameters indicate that they may undergo this photochemical reaction. The reaction was carried out in situ and the changes of the unit‐cell parameters during crystal irradiation by a UV beam were monitored. The values of the unit‐cell parameters change in a different manner, viz. cell length a after an initial increase starts to decrease, b after a decrease starts to increase, c increases and the unit‐cell volume V after a certain increase starts to decrease. The structure of a partially reacted crystal, i.e. containing both the reactant and the product, namely 2,6‐difluorocinnamic acid–3,4‐bis(2,6‐difluorophenyl)cyclobutane‐1,2‐dicarboxylic acid (0.858/0.071), 0.858C₉H₆F₂O₂·0.071C₁₈H₁₂F₄O₄, obtained in situ, is also presented. The powder of compound (I) was irradiated with UV light and afterwards crystallized [as 3,4‐bis(2,6‐difluorophenyl)cyclobutane‐1,2‐dicarboxylic acid toluene hemisolvate, C₁₈H₁₂F₄O₄·0.5C₇H₈] in a space group different from that of the crystal containing the in‐situ dimer.     

Natural‐Antioxidant‐Inspired Benzo[b]selenophenes: Synthesis,Redox Properties,and Antiproliferative Activity

The cyclization of arylalkynes under selenobromination conditions, combined with an acid‐induced 3,2‐aryl shift, was elaborated as a general synthetic pathway for the preparation of polyhydroxy‐2‐ and ‐3‐arylbenzo[b]selenophenes from the same starting materials. The redox properties, free‐radical‐scavenging ability, and cytotoxicity against malignant cell lines (MCF‐7, MDA‐MB‐231, HepG2, and 4T1) of the synthesized compounds were explored, and the obtained results were used to consider the structure–activity relationships (SARs) in these compounds. Consequently, the structural features that were responsible for the highly potent peroxyl‐radical‐scavenging activity were established.     

Adipic and malonic acid aqueous solutions: surface tensions and saturation vapor pressures

The surface tension of adipic aqueous solutions was measured as a function of temperature (T=278-313 K) and adipic acid mole fraction (X=0.000-0.003) using the Wilhelmy plate method. A parametrization fitted to these data is presented. The evaporation rates of binary water-malonic and water-adipic acid droplets were measured with a TDMA technique at different temperatures (T=293-300 K) and relative humidities (58-80%), and the saturation vapor pressures of subcooled liquid malonic and adipic acids were derived from the data using a binary evaporation model. The temperature dependence of the vapor pressures was obtained as least-squares fits to the derived vapor pressures: ln(Psat,l) (Pa)=220.2389-22634.96/T (K)-26.66767 ln T (K) for malonic acid and ln(Psat,l) (Pa)=140.6704-18230.97/T (K)-15.48011 ln T (K) for adipic acid.     

Green Silver and Gold Nanoparticles: Biological Synthesis Approaches and Potentials for Biomedical Applications

The nanomaterial industry generates gigantic quantities of metal-based nanomaterials for various technological and biomedical applications; however, concomitantly, it places a massive burden on the environment by utilizing toxic chemicals for the production process and leaving hazardous waste materials behind. Moreover, the employed, often unpleasant chemicals can affect the biocompatibility of the generated particles and severely restrict their application possibilities. On these grounds, green synthetic approaches have emerged, offering eco-friendly, sustainable, nature-derived alternative production methods, thus attenuating the ecological footprint of the nanomaterial industry. In the last decade, a plethora of biological materials has been tested to probe their suitability for nanomaterial synthesis. Although most of these approaches were successful, a large body of evidence indicates that the green material or entity used for the production would substantially define the physical and chemical properties and as a consequence, the biological activities of the obtained nanomaterials. The present review provides a comprehensive collection of the most recent green methodologies, surveys the major nanoparticle characterization techniques and screens the effects triggered by the obtained nanomaterials in various living systems to give an impression on the biomedical potential of green synthesized silver and gold nanoparticles.     

Evaluation of the Synthetic Potential of an AHBA Knockout Mutant of the Rifamycin Producer Amycolatopsis mediterranei

Supplementing an AHBA(?) mutant strain of Amycolatopsis mediterranei, the rifamycin producer, with a series of benzoic acid derivatives yielded new tetraketides containing different phenyl groups. These mutasynthetic studies revealed unique reductive properties of A. mediterranei towards nitro‐ and azidoarenes, leading to the corresponding anilines. In selected cases, the yields of mutaproducts (fermentation products isolated after feeding bacteria with chemically prepared analogs of natural building blocks) obtained are in a range (up to 118 mg L^?1) that renders them useful as chiral building blocks for further synthetic endeavors. The configuration of the stereogenic centers at C6 and C7 was determined to be 6R,7S for one representative tetraketide. Importantly, processing beyond the tetraketide stage is not always blocked when the formation of the bicyclic naphthalene precursor cannot occur. This was proven by formation of a bromo undecaketide, an observation that has implications regarding the evolutionary development of rifamycin biosynthesis.     

Application of a ligand-based theoretical approach to derive conversion paths and ligand conformations in CYP11B2-mediated aldosterone formation

The biosynthesis of the mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone involves a multistep hydroxylation of 11-deoxycorticosterone at the 11- and 18-positions, resulting in the formation of corticosterone and 18-hydroxycorticosterone, the final precursor of aldosterone. Two members of the cytochrome P450 11B family, CYP11B1 and CYP11B2, are known to catalyze these 11- and 18-hydroxylations, however, only CYP11B2 can oxidize 18-hydroxycorticosterone to aldosterone. It is unknown what sequence of hydroxylations leads to the formation of 18-hydroxycorticosterone. In this study we have investigated which of the possible conversion paths towards formation of 18-hydroxycorticosterone and aldosterone are most likely from the ligand perspective. Therefore, we combined quantum mechanical investigations on the steroid conformations of 11-deoxycorticosterone and its ensuing reaction intermediates with Fukui indices calculations to predict the reactivity of their carbon atoms for an attack by the iron-oxygen species. Both F(-) and F(0) were calculated to account for different mechanisms of substrate conversion. We show which particular initial conformations of 11-deoxycorticosterone and which conversion paths are likely to result in the successful synthesis of aldosterone, and thereby may be representative for the mechanism of aldosterone biosynthesis by CYP11B2. Moreover, we found that the most likely path for aldosterone synthesis coincides with the substrate conformation proposed in an earlier publication. To summarize, we show that on a theoretical and strictly ligand-directed basis only a limited number of reaction paths in the conversion of 11-deoxycorticosterone to aldosterone is possible. Despite its theoretical nature, this knowledge may help to understand the catalytic function of CYP11B1 and CYP11B2.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering with silver nanostructures generated in situ in a sporopollenin biopolymer matrix

Silver nanoparticles were generated based on citrate reduction in the ultrastructure of the sporopollenin biopolymer of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (ragweed) and Secale cereale (rye). The nanoparticles enable the acquisition of SERS spectra and thereby a vibrational characterization of the local molecular structure of sporopollenin.