A fluorimetric assay for cortisol

A simple, rapid and sensitive fluorimetric assay for the quantitative determination of cortisol is reported. The assay is based on the formation of a fluorescent dye when cortisol is incubated with a mixture of sulfuric acid and acetic acid. The fluorescence spectrum recorded for the resulting dye shows a maximum extinction at 475 nm and a maximum emission at 525 nm. The solvent 2-methyl-4-pentanone was used for extraction and was found to act as a fluorescence amplifier. A limit of detection of 2.7 μM was achieved, making it possible to forego solvent evaporation. The assay suffers minor interference from 11-deoxycortisol which exhibits low fluorescence at λ _ex: 460 nm; λ _em: 505 nm. Typical standard deviations were below 4%. We validated the assay using a biotransformation with recombinant Schizosaccharomyces pombe which regioselectively hydroxylates 11-deoxycortisol to cortisol. The method described herein is suitable for preliminary screening of microorganisms capable of steroid hydroxylation.     

The preparation of 7-substituted norbornadiene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydrides and an experimental and theoretical study of their reactivity

Four new substituted methano-bridged or heteroatom-bridged norbornadienomaleic anhydrides have been prepared and converted to sesquinorbornadiene anhydrides by reaction with cyclic 1,3-dienes. The versatility of parity reversal, in conjunction with N-substituent steric effects, has been used to produce all three possible stereoisomers of the N,O-sesquinorbornadiene anhydrides in separate, stereoselective cycloadditions. The anhydrides have been synthesized by cyclization of their diacids (in situ production) or by flash vacuum pyrolysis of their furan adducts (yielding crystalline products); further fragmentation occurs at these or higher temperatures to produce five-membered carbocyclic or heterocyclic anhydrides. Activation energies have been evaluated for the fragmentation and cycloaddition processes using DFT calculations (B3LYP/6-31G∗) and these calculations correctly predict, which reaction can be intercepted at the norbornadienomaleic anhydride stage and preferred stereochemistry of cycloadducts.     

Bisbakuchiols A and B, novel dimeric meroterpenoids from Psoralea corylifolia

Two novel dimeric meroterpenoids, bisbakuchiols A and B, along with (S)-bakuchiol were isolated from the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia L. (Fabaceae). Bisbakuchiols A and B contain an unprecedented dimeric meroterpenoid skeleton in which two meroterpenes are linked through a dioxane bridge. All compounds were evaluated for their potential to inhibit hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) activation induced by hypoxia in a HIF-1-mediated reporter gene assay in AGS human gastric cancer cells. (S)-Bakuchiol inhibited hypoxic activation of HIF-1 with an IC₅₀ value of 6.1 μM.     

New intra-intermolecular criss-cross cycloaddition of unsymmetrical allenylazines with alkynes leading to three fused five-membered heterocycles

This report describes a new type of intra-intermolecular criss-cross cycloadditions. Thermal reactions of unsymmetrical allenylazines in the presence of alkynes led to three fused five-membered heterocycles in some cases. In the case of unsymmetrical substituted alkynes, a regioselectivity was observed. The molecular structures of all products are discussed. One X-ray crystal structure is also reported.     

(XN)4R4簇合物的结构与化学键

用密度泛函理论,在B3LYP/6-311G水平上,对(XN)4R4 (X=C,Si,Ge;R=H,CH3,NH2,OH)及合成的先驱化合物(XN)2R2进行几何构型、电子结构、振动频率和化学反应焓变等进行了研究.结果表明,(RCN)4比(CNR)4更稳定.所有簇合物的零点能EZP值,R=H时最小,R=CH3时最大,R配位原子依次为C、N和O时,EZP值逐渐减小.     

新型蒈酸基双酰肼化合物的合成及其生物活性

先将3-蒈烯分子中的碳碳双键氧化开环制得蒈酮酸，再将羰基还原成亚甲基得到蒈酸，酰氯化后与系列酰肼发生N-酰化反应合成了14个新型蒈酸基双酰肼化合物(5a～5n)，其结构经UV-Vis、¹H NMR、¹³C NMR、 FT-IR和MS(ESI)表征，并测试了目标化合物的抑菌和除草活性。结果显示：在用药量为50 μg·mL^-1时，目标化合物对花生褐斑病菌、小麦赤霉病菌、黄瓜枯萎病菌、苹果轮纹病菌、番茄早疫病菌、玉米小斑病菌、西瓜炭疽病菌以及水稻纹枯病菌等8种植物病原菌具有一定的抑制活性，其中化合物蒈酸基α-噻吩甲酰肼5f（R=α-thiophene）对苹果轮纹病菌的抑制率达85.0%，优于阳性对照百菌清。在用药量为100 μg·mL^-1时，化合物蒈酸基3′,4′-二甲氧基苯甲酰肼5j(R=3′,4′-OMe-Ph)、蒈酸基-m-甲氧基苯甲酰肼5d(R=m-OMe-Ph)、蒈酸基-m-甲基苯甲酰肼5b(R=m-Me-Ph)和蒈酸基苯甲酰肼5a(R=Ph)对油菜胚根生长的抑制率分别为88.5%、 86.1%、 85.1%和82.6%（均为A级活性水平），优于阳性对照丙炔氟草胺。     

Hydrogenation and double bond isomerization of hexenes over EUROPT-1

Hexenes give large amounts of hexane and isomeric hexenes over EUROPT-1. A constant hydrocarbon coverage can be assumed in the steady-state period of the reaction; the direction of reactions of these surface species depends on the hydrogen excess and also on the structure of starting hydrocarbon.

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EUROPT-1 , . , . , .

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Based on the diploma work of Mr. M. Räth and Ms. B. Brose.     

离子液体介导CO2化学转化研究进展

The efficient utilization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a C1 feedstock is of great significance for green and sustainable development. Therefore, the efficient chemical conversion of CO₂ into value-added products has recently attracted a lot of research attention in recent years. The transformation of CO₂ generally requires high-energy substrates, specific catalysts, and harsh reaction conditions due to its high thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness. Consequently, several efforts have been dedicated toward the development of high-performance catalysts and new reaction routes for CO₂ conversion over the last few decades. To date, many routes of convert CO₂ into value-added chemicals have been proposed, together with the development of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts. Among the advanced catalysts reported to date, ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely investigated and show great potential for the efficient, selective, and economical conversion of CO₂ into highly valuable products under mild conditions, even under ambient conditions. Some task-specific ILs have been designed with unique functional groups (e.g., —OH, —SO₃H, —NH₂, —COOH, and —C≡N), which can act as the solvent, absorbent, activating agent, catalyst, or cocatalyst to realize the transformation of CO₂ under metal-free and mild conditions. In addition, a variety of catalytic systems composed of ILs and metal catalysts have also been reported for the transformation of CO₂, in which the combination of the IL and metal catalyst is responsible for CO₂ conversion with high efficiency. In this review article, we summarize the recent advances in IL-mediated CO₂ transformation into chemicals prepared via C—O, C—N, C—S, C—H, and C—C bond forming processes. ILs that can chemically capture CO₂ with high capacity are first introduced, which can activate CO₂ via the formation of IL-based carbonates or carbamates, thus realizing the transformation of CO₂ under metal-free and mild conditions. Recent progress in IL-mediated CO₂ transformations to form carbonates and various kinds of N- and S-containing compounds (e.g., oxazolidinones, ureas, benzimidazolones, formamides, methylamines, benzothiazoles, and other chemicals) as well as CO₂ hydrogenation to give formic acid, methane, acetic acid, low-carbon alcohols, and hydrocarbons has been summarized in this review with a focus on the reaction routes, catalytic systems, and reaction mechanism. In these reactions, ILs can simultaneously activate the substrate via strong H-bonding in addition to activating CO₂, and the cooperative effects among the ionic and molecular species and metal catalysts accomplish the reactions of CO₂ with various kinds of substrates to afford a wide range of value-added chemicals. Finally, the shortcomings and perspectives of ILs are discussed. In short, IL-mediated CO₂ transformations provide green and effective routes for the synthesis of high-value chemicals, which may have great potential for a wide range of applications.     

Effects of double substitution on the thermodynamic stabilities of nitrogen radicals

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SXI route to mesostructured materials from Fau and Beta zeolite precursors: A comparative study of their assembly behaviors in extremely acidic media

Mesoporous molecular sieves were synthesized from Beta and Fau zeolite precursors through S⁺X⁻I⁺ route under extremely acidic conditions in parallel (designated as M_Beta and M_Fau, respectively). The textural properties of M_Fau were different from its M_Beta counterpart but resembled normal MCM-41 silica from TEOS. Al content in M_Beta was almost equivalent to that in the initial Beta zeolite precursors, whereas only trace Al species was present in M_Fau from elemental analysis results. The hydrothermal stability of M_Beta after post-synthesis ammonia treatment was considerably improved compared with normal MCM-41 aluminosilicates, whereas the M_Fau after the same procedure was as unstable as normal MCM-41 silica. Thus, the assembly behaviors of Beta and Fau zeolite precursors were comparatively studied based on these results. The microstructure of Fau zeolite precursors were degraded by the extremely acidic condition, and Al species was dissolved into the synthesis mixture. However, Beta zeolite precursors survived the chemical attack of extremely acidic media and were incorporated into mesostructured framework as primary building units.