Structural characterization and Curie temperature determination of a sodium strontium niobate ferroelectric nanostructured powder

The Curie temperature and its correlation with the magnitude of the displacement of the niobium atom from the center of [NbO₆] octahedra in NaSr₂Nb₅O₁₅ nanostructured powder were investigated. A single powder was prepared by high-energy ball milling. A powder with an average crystallite size of 37 nm was prepared by calcining the precursor at 1423 K. The refinement of the structural parameters was carried out by the Rietveld method. NaSr₂Nb₅O₁₅ exhibits tetragonal symmetry with the tungsten bronze structure (a=b=12.3495 (6) Å, c=3.8911 (2) Å, V=593.432 (5) Å³, and Z=2). The site occupancy of the Na⁺ and Sr²⁺ cations and the interatomic distances between the niobium and oxygen atoms were derived. The [NbO₆] octahedron undergoes both rotation and tilting depending on the crystallographic site. The Curie temperature of the powder was derived using both the impedance and infrared spectroscopy methods.     

Atrane complexes chemistry as a tool for obtaining trimodal UVM-7-like porous silica

Abstract

The use of atrane complexes as hydrolytic precursors enables the homogeneous incorporation of manganese (25 ≤ Si/Mn ≤ 48) throughout the porous walls of the nanoparticles of a surfactant-templated bimodal mesoporous silica (UVM-7). The subsequent leaching of the manganese nanodomains allows adding controlled microporosity to the host silica framework. The resulting final silica material presents three pore systems structured at different length scales: interparticle textural-type macroporosity (ca. 43.2 nm), ordered intraparticle mesoporosity (ca. 2.63 nm; after template removal), and well-dispersed microporosity (< 2 nm; as consequence of the lixiviation of the Mn-rich domains). The good dispersion of the guest element (Mn) in the silica intermediate provided by the atrane route is responsible for the disordered but regular microporosity achieved.     

Real‐Time In Vivo Detection of Cellular Senescence through the Controlled Release of the NIR Fluorescent Dye Nile Blue

In vivo detection of cellular senescence is accomplished by using mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with the NIR‐FDA approved Nile blue (NB) dye and capped with a galactohexasaccharide ( S3 ). NB emission at 672 nm is highly quenched inside S3 , yet a remarkable emission enhancement is observed upon cap hydrolysis in the presence of β‐galactosidase and dye release. The efficacy of the probe to detect cellular senescence is tested in vitro in melanoma SK‐Mel‐103 and breast cancer 4T1 cells and in vivo in palbociclib‐treated BALB/cByJ mice bearing breast cancer tumor.     

Site-selective aqueous C–H acylation of tyrosine-containing oligopeptides with aldehydes

The development of useful synthetic tools to label amino acids within a peptide framework for the ultimate modification of proteins in a late-stage fashion is a challenging task of utmost importance within chemical biology. Herein, we report the first Pd-catalyzed C–H acylation of a collection of Tyr-containing peptides with aldehydes. This water-compatible tagging technique is distinguished by its site-specificity, scalability and full tolerance of sensitive functional groups. Remarkably, it provides straightforward access to a high number of oligopeptides with altered side-chain topology including mimetics of endomorphin-2 and neuromedin N, thus illustrating its promising perspectives toward the diversification of structurally complex peptides and chemical ligation.

A novel Pd-catalyzed C–H acylation reaction with readily available aldehydes under an aqueous environment towards the assembly of non-protegenic acylated Tyr-containing oligopeptides is presented.     

A volatolomic approach using cerumen as biofluid to diagnose bovine intoxication by Stryphnodendron rotundifolium

An innovative volatolomic approach employs the detection of biomarkers present in cerumen (earwax) to identify cattle intoxication by Stryphnodendron rotundifolium Mart., Fabaceae (popularly known as barbatimão). S. rotundifolium is a poisonous plant with the toxic compound undefined and widely distributed throughout the Brazilian territory. Cerumen samples from cattle of two local Brazilian breeds (‘Curraleiro Pé-Duro’ and ‘Pantaneiro’) were collected during an experimental intoxication protocol and analyzed using headspace (HS)/GC–MS followed by multivariate analysis (genetic algorithm for a partial least squares, cluster analysis, and classification and regression trees). A total of 106 volatile organic metabolites were identified in the cerumen samples of bovines. The intoxication by S. rotundifolium influenced the cerumen volatolomic profile of the bovines throughout the intoxication protocol. In this way, it was possible to detect biomarkers for cattle intoxication. Among the biomarkers, 2-octyldecanol and 9-tetradecen-1-ol were able to discriminate all samples between intoxicated and nonintoxicated bovines. The cattle intoxication diagnosis by S. rotundifolium was accomplished by applying the cerumen analysis using HS/GC–MS, in an easy, accurate, and noninvasive way. Thus, the proposed bioanalytical chromatography protocol is a useful tool in veterinary applications to determine this kind of intoxication.     

Combined cysteine and homocysteine quantitation in plasma by trap and release membrane introduction mass spectrometry

Recently, a new and efficient method for total homocysteine (tHcy) quantitation in plasma using trap and release membrane introduction mass spectrometry (T&R-MIMS) with a versatile removable direct introduction membrane probe (DIMP) was described [R. Haddad, M. A. Mendes, N. F. Hoehr and M. N. Eberlin, Analyst, 2001, 126, 1212]. Herein we report on the use of the DIMP-T&R-MIMS technique for total cysteine (tCys) quantitation; hence combined tCys and tHcy quantitation in plasma or serum can be achieved. The method employs Cys and Hcy derivatization with ethyl chloroformate (after disulfide bond reduction with dithiothreitol and protein precipitation with trichloroacetic acid), preconcentration in a capillary silicone membrane, and their thermal desorption to the gas phase inside the ion source region of a mass spectrometer, at a point exactly between the two ionization filaments. Thermal desorption uses the uniform heat radiation provided by the two ionization filaments. The analytes are then ionized by electron ionization and both Cys and Hcy are quantitated by mass spectrometry using selected ion monitoring. For tCys quantitation, good linearity and reproducibility was observed for concentrations ranging from 5 to 350 microM, recovery was near 95%, and the limit of detection (LOD) was of 2 microM. This LOD is well below the mean Cys concentration in plasma, and serum samples from a large group of healthy people showed a mean tCys concentration of 132 +/- 45 microM.     

Assembling a Phthalocyanine and Perylenediimide Donor–Acceptor Hybrid through a Platinum(II) Diacetylide Linker

In a novel electron‐donor–acceptor conjugate, phthalocyanine (Pc) and perylenediimide (PDI) are connected through a trans‐platinum(II) diacetylide linker to yield Pc‐Pt‐PDI 1 . In the ground state, the presence of Pt^II disrupts the electronic communication between the two electroactive components, as revealed by UV/Vis spectroscopy and electrochemical studies. The photophysical behavior of 1 is compared with that of the corresponding Pc‐PDI electron‐donor–acceptor conjugate 2 in terms of charge separation and charge recombination. The insertion of Pt^II between Pc and PDI impacts the results in a longer‐lived Pc ^{. +}/PDI ^{. ?} radical ion‐pair state. In addition, the intermediately formed Pc triplet excited state is formed with higher quantum yields in 1 than in 2 .     

A Convenient Method to Obtain 4,5-Dihydro-1H-Methylpyrazoles by A Ring Transformation Reaction

A convenient method for the synthesis of alkyl[aryl]-substituted 5-hydroxy-5-trifluoromethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-1-methylpyrazole (2) from a new ring transformation reaction of alkyl[aryl]-substituted-5-hydroxy-5-trifluoromethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-1-pyrazolethiocarboxyamide (1) with methylhydrazine in THF, and the thermal dehydration of 2, are reported.     

Thermal behaviour of carbon clusters and small fullerenes

The structural and thermal properties of small carbon clusters (C _N , N = 13, 20, and 32) are investigated by constant energy Molecular Dynamics simulations over a wide range of temperatures, i.e., from T = 0K to above the melting point of graphitic carbon. The Tersoff interatomic potential [6] is used to mimic the covalent bond between the carbon atoms in the cluster. We find that small carbon clusters start to fragment or to evaporate atoms or C₂ or C₃ units before fully developing a liquidlike phase. As a consequence, some relevant isomers (such as rings, bowls, hollow cages) are thermally isolated from each other i.e., there are no thermally activated isomerization transitions between them. Possible implications of our results on the growth mechanism of fullerenes are discussed.     

Enantioselective multicomponent synthesis of fused 6-5 bicyclic 2-butenolides by a cascade heterobicyclisation process

The successive coupling of an alkoxy(aryl/heteroaryl)carbene complex of chromium with either a ketone or an imide lithium enolate and then a 3-substituted (H, TMS, PhCH(2), PhCH(2)CH(2), Me) propargylic organomagnesium reagent has afforded novel hydroxy-substituted bicyclic [4.3.0]-γ-alkylidene-2-butenolides with three modular points that has allowed the efficient introduction of molecular complexity, including a homopropargylic alcohol core. The selective formation of these five- or six-component heterobicyclisation products is the result of the regioselective integration of the Grignard reagent as a propargyl fragment followed by a cascade CO/alkyne/CO insertion, ketene trapping and elimination sequence. By using lithium enolates of chiral N-acetyl-2-oxazolidinones and the corresponding propargylic organocerium reagents, both enantiomers of these bicyclic heterocycles were efficiently prepared with very high enantiomeric purity. Architecturally, these fused bicyclic butenolides are characterised by a highly unsaturated and oxygenated core and they exhibit strong blue fluorescence in solution.