Highly convergent one-pot four-component regioselective synthesis of 4H-benzo[f]chromenes via annulation of β-oxodithioesters

Highly efficient regioselective protocol for the synthesis of hitherto unreported 4H-benzo[f]chromenes has been developed by one-pot four-component coupling of aromatic aldehydes, β-naphthol, β-oxodithioesters, and primary alcohols in the presence of InCl₃. This transformation presumably proceeds via domino Knoevenagel condensation/Michael addition/intramolecular cyclodehydration/transesterification sequence creating four new bonds and one stereocenter in a single operation. Further, alcohol plays dual role as a reactant as well as reaction medium.     

Heterodimerization of olefins. 1. Hydrovinylation reactions of olefins that are amenable to asymmetric catalysis

Through a systematic examination of ligand and counterion effects, new protocols for a nearly quantitative and highly selective codimerization of ethylene and various functionalized vinylarenes have been discovered. In a typical reaction, 4-bromostyrene and ethylene undergo codimerization in the presence of 0.0035 equiv each of [(allyl)NiBr]2, triphenylphosphine, and AgOTf in CH2Cl2 at -56 degrees C to give 3-(4-bromophenyl)-1-butene in >98% yield and selectivity. Corresponding reactions with [(allyl)PdX]2 are much less efficient and less selective and may require further optimization before a viable system can be identified. Another useful protocol that gives comparable yield and selectivity involves the use of a single-component catalyst prepared from allyl 2-diphenylphosphinobenzoate, Ni(COD)2, and (C6F5)3B. Recognition of a synergistic relationship between a chiral hemilabile ligand (for example, (R)-2-methoxy-2'-diphenylphosphino-1,1'-binaphthyl, MOP) and a highly dissociated counteranion (BARF or SbF6) in an enantioselective version of the Ni-catalyzed reaction raises the prospects of developing a practical route for the synthesis of 3-arylbutenes. Several pharmaceutically relevant compounds, including widely used 2-arylpropionic acids, can be synthesized from these key intermediates. This reaction appears to be quite general. Synthesis of several new 2-diphenylphosphino-1,1-binaphthyl derivatives, prepared to probe the effect of hemilabile coordination on the efficiency and selectivity of the reaction, are also described.     

A turn on ESIPT probe for rapid and ratiometric fluorogenic detection of homocysteine and cysteine in water with live cell-imaging

5(Benzothiazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyisophthalaldehyde (BHI), an intense ESIPT containing molecule in mixed media loses its properties due to resonance-assisted H-bond (RAHB) in absolute water. Due to resonance-assisted H-bond the o-aldehyde is more reactive than the other one. With addition of cysteine/homocysteine into this solution the o-aldehyde group gets transformed into thiazolidine/thiazine ring, respectively, and the phenolic proton becomes free enough for transfer to nitrogen of the benzothiazole ring in excited state, that is, the ESIPT of BHI is turned on. Thus we can detect cysteine/homocysteine in water as well as in live cells.     

Ethynylation of Cysteine Residues: From Peptides to Proteins in Vitro and in Living Cells

Current approaches to introduce terminal alkynes for bioorthogonal reactions into biomolecules still present limitations in terms of either reactivity, selectivity, or adduct stability. We present a method for the ethynylation of cysteine residues based on the use of ethynylbenziodoxolone (EBX) reagents. The acetylene group is directly introduced onto the thiol group of cysteine and can be used for copper‐catalyzed alkyne‐azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) without further processing. Labeling proceeded with reaction rates comparable to or higher than the most often used iodoacetamide on peptides or maleimide on the antibody trastuzumab, and high cysteine selectivity was observed. The reagents were also used in living cells for cysteine proteomic profiling and displayed improved coverage of the cysteinome compared to previously reported iodoacetamide or hypervalent iodine reagents. Fine‐tuning of the EBX reagents allows optimization of their reactivity and physical properties.     

An Ultra-Microporous Metal–Organic Framework with Exceptional Xe Capacity

Molecular confinement plays a significant effect on trapped gas and solvent molecules. A fundamental understanding of gas adsorption within the porous confinement provides information necessary to design a material with improved selectivity. In this regard, metal–organic framework (MOF) adsorbents are ideal candidate materials to study confinement effects for weakly interacting gas molecules, such as noble gases. Among the noble gases, xenon (Xe) has practical applications in the medical, automotive and aerospace industries. In this Communication, we report an ultra-microporous nickel-isonicotinate MOF with exceptional Xe uptake and selectivity compared to all benchmark MOF and porous organic cage materials. The selectivity arises because of the near perfect fit of the atomic Xe inside the porous confinement. Notably, at low partial pressure, the Ni–MOF interacts very strongly with Xe compared to the closely related Krypton gas (Kr) and more polarizable CO₂. Further ¹²⁹Xe NMR suggests a broad isotropic chemical shift due to the reduced motion as a result of confinement.     

Chemical promenades: Exploring potential-energy surfaces with immersive virtual reality

The virtual-reality framework AVATAR (Advanced Virtual Approach to Topological Analysis of Reactivity) for the immersive exploration of potential-energy landscapes is presented. AVATAR is based on modern consumer-grade virtual-reality technology and builds on two key concepts: (a) the reduction of the dimensionality of the potential-energy surface to two process-tailored, physically meaningful generalized coordinates, and (b) the analogy between the evolution of a chemical process and a pathway through valleys (potential wells) and mountain passes (saddle points) of the associated potential energy landscape. Examples including the discovery of competitive reaction paths in simple A + BC collisional systems and the interconversion between conformers in ring-puckering motions of flexible rings highlight the innovation potential that augmented and virtual reality convey for teaching, training, and supporting research in chemistry.     

Selective colorimetric sensing of mercury(II) using turn off-turn on mechanism from riboflavin stabilized silver nanoparticles in aqueous medium

A simple Hg(2+) sensor has been developed using the vitamin B2 (riboflavin) stabilized Ag nanoparticle via a "turn off"-"turn on" mechanism; both the colour and photoluminescence properties of the riboflavin solution are used as sensitizing tools showing a sensitivity up to 5 nM Hg(2+) concentration.     

A novel class of organo- (hydro-) gelators based on ascorbic acid

A library of novel, lipid-modified derivatives of ascorbic acid was shown to exhibit highly attractive properties as surfactants, emulsifiers, oil soluble antioxidants, and highly effective gelators in organic solvents and especially water. In these systems, intermolecular hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces act synergistically to induce gelation as confirmed by spectroscopic studies. The morphology of the formed gel has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy.     

Effect of complementary small molecules on the properties of bicomponent hydrogel of riboflavin

Three new bicomponent hydrogels of riboflavin (R) with salicylic acid (S), dihydroxybenzoic acid (B) and acetoguanamine (D) in 1:1 molar ratio have been reported. FTIR and UV-vis spectra suggest formation of H-bonded complexes in 1:1 molar ratio of the components. The network consists of tape, bar and helical tubes for RB11, RS11 and RD11 systems, respectively. Reversible first order phase transition and invariant storage modulus (G') with angular frequency (ω) characterise the systems as forming thermoreversible hydrogels. The RD11 gel has the highest gel melting temperature and highest critical strain compared to other gels. WAXS study indicates different crystal structures for different gels. NMR spectra reveals higher shielding of protons in RD11 gel suggesting better π-stacking compared to RS11 and RB11 gels. RD11 gel shows two-fold enhancement of photoluminescence (PL) intensity with a substantial red shift of emission peak but RB11 and RS11 gels show PL-quenching. The gels exhibit a small decrease in lifetime and the PL property is very much temperature and pH dependent. So the complementary molecules have a pronounced effect on morphology, structure, stability and optical property of riboflavin gels.