Stereoselective preparation of a cyclopentane-based NK1 receptor antagonist bearing an unsymmetrically substituted sec-sec ether

A highly efficient synthesis of the potent and selective NK-1 receptor antagonist 1 is described. The key transformation involved the etherification reaction between cyclopentanol 12 and chiral imidate 30 which was catalyzed by HBF4 to initially give ether 14 as a 17:1 mixture of diastereomers and in 75% combined yield. The diastereoselectivity was upgraded to 109:1 by crystallization of the triethylamine solvate 44 which was isolated in 54% yield from 12. Mechanistic studies confirmed that the etherification reaction proceeds through an unprecedented S(N)2 reaction pathway under typical S(N)1 reaction conditions.     

PEO‐Covered Nanoparticles by Emulsion Inversion Point (EIP) Method

This study reports the first PEO‐coated polymer nanoparticles synthesis by miniemulsion polymerization of nano‐emulsions prepared by the low‐energy emulsification method called EIP. The surfactant used was Brij 98, a PEO based non ionic commercial surfactant. The partial phase diagram of the system water/Brij 98/styrene was first determined. The Emulsion Inversion Point technique was then used on the water/Brij 98/styrene system to the formation of styrene‐in‐water nano‐emulsions. After miniemulsion polymerization, particle sizes as low as 36 nm were obtained. To the best of our knowledge, this method had not been used for polymerizable system up to now.

     

Search for EPR markers of the history and origin of the insoluble organic matter in extraterrestrial and terrestrial rocks

The insoluble organic matter (IOM) of three carbonaceous meteorites (Orgueil, Murchison and Tagish Lake meteorites) and three samples of cherts (microcrystalline SiO2 rock) containing microfossils with age ranging between 45 million years and 3.5 billion years is studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The age of the meteorites is that of the solar system (4.6 billion years). The purpose of this work was to determine the EPR parameters, which allow us to discriminate between biogenic and extra terrestrial origin for the organic matter. Such indicators should be relevant for the controversy regarding the biogenicity of the organic matter in the oldest cheroot (3.5 billion years) and in Martian meteorites containing microbe-like microstructures. The organic matter of meteorites contains a high concentration of diradicaloid moieties characterised by a diamagnetic ground state S = 0 and a thermally accessible triplet state S = 1. The three meteorites exhibit the same singlet-triplet gap (ST gap) DeltaE approximately 0.1 eV. To the best of our knowledge, such diradicaloids are unknown in insoluble organic matter of terrestrial origin. We have also shown that the EPR linewidth of insoluble organic matter in cherts and coals decrease logarithmically with the age of the organic matter. We conclude from this result that the organic matter in the oldest cherts (3.5 billion years) has the same age as their SiO2 matrix, and is not due to a latter contamination by bacteria, as was recently found in meteoritic samples.     

Synchrotron FTIR microscopy of Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers and polyelectrolyte multilayers at the solid-solid interface

Synchrotron FTIR microscopy has been used to probe the structure of model boundary lubricant layers confined at the solid-solid interface. The combination of high brightness of the IR source and a novel contact geometry that uses a hemispherical internal reflection element as the means for light delivery has enabled the detection of <2.5 nm thin monolayer lubricant layers in the solid-solid contact, in addition to allowing for spectral acquisition from specific regions of the contact. Spectra of hydration water from within a confined polyelectrolyte multilayer film have also been acquired, highlighting the altered hydrogen bonding environment within the polymer layer.     

Energetic and spectral properties of triple photon downconversion in a phase-matched KTiOPO4 crystal

We measured the spectrum and energy of infrared triple photons generated in a phase-matched KTiOPO4 crystal pumped by picosecond beams at 532 and 1662 nm. The experimental data are in good agreement with our model, taking into account the spectral linewidths of the incident beams as well as a parasitic Kerr effect.     

Synthesis of microsphere-loaded porous polymers by combining emulsion and dispersion polymerisations in supercritical carbon dioxide

Highly porous materials were produced by acrylamide polymerisation templated by supercritical CO(2)-in-water emulsions using new fluorinated glycosurfactants. Properties of the resulting polymer scaffolds were tuned by performing dispersion polymerisations within their cavities filled with supercritical CO(2).     

A water soluble Cu(I)-NHC for CuAAC ligation of unprotected peptides under open air conditions

A reducing agent-free version of CuAAC able to operate under open air conditions is reported. A readily-synthesizable, hydrophilic and highly stable Cu(I)-NHC allows the clean ligations of unprotected peptides comprising sensitive side chains, at millimolar concentrations.     

Iron-iron oxide core-shell nanoparticles are active and magnetically recyclable olefin and alkyne hydrogenation catalysts in protic and aqueous media

We report for the first time the use of iron-iron oxide core-shell nanoparticles for the hydrogenation of olefins and alkynes under mild conditions in ethanol and in an aqueous medium. This catalyst proves robust towards the presence of oxidants, such as oxygen and water, is magnetically recoverable and shows selectivity towards the less activated double bonds.     

Statistical mixture design selective extraction of compounds with antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content from Trichilia catigua

Statistical design mixtures of water, methanol, acetone and ethanol were used to extract material from Trichilia catigua (Meliaceae) barks to study the effects of different solvents and their mixtures on its yield, total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. The experimental results and their response surface models showed that quaternary mixtures with approximately equal proportions of all four solvents provided the highest yields, total polyphenol contents and antioxidant activities of the crude extracts followed by ternary design mixtures. Principal component and hierarchical clustering analysis of the HPLC–DAD spectra of the chromatographic peaks of 1:1:1:1 water–methanol–acetone–ethanol mixture extracts indicate the presence of cinchonains, gallic acid derivatives, natural polyphenols, flavanoids, catechins, and epicatechins.     

Oxidative Addition of Haloheteroarenes to Palladium(0): Concerted versus SNAr‐Type Mechanism

The kinetics of the oxidative additions of haloheteroarenes HetX (X=I, Br, Cl) to [Pd⁰(PPh₃)₂] (generated from [Pd⁰(PPh₃)₄]) have been investigated in THF and DMF and the rate constants have been determined. In contrast to the generally accepted concerted mechanism, Hammett plots obtained for substituted 2‐halopyridines and solvent effects reveal a reaction mechanism dependent on the halide X of HetX: an unprecedented S_NAr‐type mechanism for X=Br or Cl and a classical concerted mechanism for X=I. These results are supported by DFT studies.