Asymmetric construction of quaternary carbon stereocenters: high stereoselection in Mukaiyama aldol reactions of 2-siloxyindoles with chiral aldehydes

[reaction: see text] A new synthesis of enantiopure 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles by stereoselective Mukaiyama aldol reaction of 3-substituted 2-siloxyindoles and chiral, enantiopure aldehydes having nitrogen or oxygen substituents at the alpha carbon is described. When the C3 substituent of the prochiral nucleophile is aryl or heteroaryl, stereoselectivity is high (10-80:1).     

Ab initio surface phase diagram of the {104} calcite surface

Electronic structure calculations, performed at the density functional theory level, were employed to study the surface termination of the {104} calcite surface in contact with a gaseous phase containing water and carbon dioxide. A surface phase diagram was generated to investigate the change in surface termination as a function of temperature, pressure, and gas-phase composition. This diagram revealed that a nonstoichiometric termination could occur in atmospheric conditions at high relative humidity, hence suggesting that nonstoichiometric surfaces can play a major role in the chemistry of calcite surfaces.     

Synthesis, Structure and Selective Upper Rim Functionalization of Long Chained Alkoxythiacalix[4]arenes

The synthesis and X-ray structure investigation of the cone shaped monodecyloxythiacalix[4]arene, as well as the introduction of the reactive bromide or chloromethyl groups on it’s upper rim are described. Preparation of the amphiphilic derivative of thiacalixarene bearing three hydrophilic diethoxyphosphoryl groups at the upper rim and lipophilic decyloxy group at the lower rim is presented.     

Role of self‐assembly conditions and amphiphilic balance on nanoparticle formation of PEG‐PDLLA copolymers in aqueous environments

The production of well‐defined and reproducible polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), in terms of size and stability in biological environments, is undoubtedly a fundamental challenge in the formulation of novel and more effective nanomedicines. The adoption of PEGylated lactide (LA) block copolymers as biodegradable and biocompatible nanocarriers at different clinical stages has rendered these materials an attractive polymeric platform to be exploited and their formulation is further understood. In the present work, we synthesized a library of linear polyethylene glycol‐poly(D,L‐lactide) block copolymers with different lengths of LA (15, 25, 50, and 100 LA units) via simple and metal‐free ring‐opening polymerization, in order to alter the amphiphilic balance of the different macromolecules. The produced polymers were formulated into NPs while varying a series of key parameters in the solvent displacement process, including solvent:nonsolvent ratios and the nature of the two media, and the effect on size and stability was assessed. In addition, stability to protein–NPs interaction and aggregation was studied, highlighting the different NP final properties according to the nature of the amphiphilic balance and nanoformulation conditions. Therefore, we have illustrated a systematic and methodological process to optimize a series of NPs parameters balancing particle size, size distribution, surface charge, and stability to guide future works in the nanoformulation field. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 1801–1810     

Getting Ring‐Closing Metathesis off the Bench: Reaction‐Reactor Matching Transforms Metathesis Efficiency in the Assembly of Large Rings

Reported is the first study of the influence of reactor configuration on the efficiency of a challenging ring‐closing metathesis (RCM) reaction. With the intention of increasing the generality of RCM scaleup and reducing its dependence on substrate modification, macrocyclization of an unmodified, low effective‐molarity diene was explored using different reactor types, in conjunction with a commercial, homogeneous Grubbs catalyst. Optimized performance is compared for a conventional batch reactor (BR), a continuous plug‐flow reactor (PFR), and a continuous stirred‐tank reactor (CSTR). In the PFR, maximum conversion is achieved most rapidly, but product yields and selectivity are adversely affected by co‐entrapment of ethylene with the catalyst, substrate, and product in the traveling “plug”. Use of the CSTR, in which ethylene is efficiently swept out, affords an order‐of‐magnitude increase in total turnover numbers, and reduces the required catalyst loadings by 25× relative to the BR (to 0.2 mol %), while improving RCM yields and selectivity to quantitative levels. Continuous‐flow methodologies that support liberation of the ethylene co‐product thus show great promise for industrial uptake of RCM.