Synthesis of amorpha-4,11-diene from dihydroartemisinic acid

Amorphadiene is a natural product involved in the biosynthesis of the antimalarial drug artemisinin. A convenient four-step synthesis of amorphadiene, starting from commercially available dihydroartemisinic acid, is reported. The targeted molecule is isolated with an overall yield of 85% on a multi-gram scale in four steps with only one chromatography.     

Synthesis and characterization of new thiazolidinones containing coumarin moieties and their antibacterial and antioxidant activities

New coumarin derivatives, namely (2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy)-N-(4-oxo-2-phenylthiazolidin-3-yl)acetamide, N-(2-(3-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy)acetamide, 2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy)-N-(4-oxo-2-(2,3,4trimethoxyphenyl)thiazolidin-3-yl)acetamide and N-(2-(4-bromophenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yloxy)acetamide) were synthesized starting from 4-methyl-7-hydroxycoumarin. The structures of the obtained compounds were confirmed by analytical IR and NMR spectra to elucidate the different positions of protons and carbons and as well as theoretical studies (DFT/B3LYP). The new compounds were screened for antibacterial activity. Most of them are more active against E. coli S. aureus and B. subtilis than standard references.     

Towards near-infrared photosensitisation: a photosensitising hydrophilic non-peripherally octasulfanyl-substituted Zn phthalocyanine

A Zn(II) phthalocyanine substituted with eight hydroxylated sulfanyl moieties in non-peripheral positions was designed to exhibit properties desired for photodynamic therapy: hydrophilicity, isomeric purity and near-infrared absorption in addition to high singlet oxygen generation. Photophysical and photochemical studies proved to be promising.     

Acetaldehyde on Pt(111) and Pt/Sn(111): a DFT study of the adsorption structures and of the vibrational spectra

The relative stability of the eta1mu1 (atop) and eta2mu2 (di-sigma) geometries of acetaldehyde are compared on Pt(111) and on two PtSn alloys ((2 x 2) and (square root(3) x square root(3))R30 degrees) by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. At low coverage on Pt (1/9 ML), the two forms are equivalent in energy, with eta1mu1 being slightly more stable. At high coverage (1/4 and 1/3 ML), eta2mu2 is less competitive and acetaldehyde is adsorbed through the aldehydic hydrogen. The evolution of the adsorption energy with the coverage and the apparition of the structure adsorbed through the aldehydic hydrogen are explained by the existence of attractive dipole-dipole interactions. On PtSn, only the eta1mu1 geometry is stable with an adsorption energy equal to that on Pt, in agreement with temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) experiments. The calculated vibrational spectra allow us to conclude that the experimental spectrum corresponds to a mixture of eta1mu1 (majority) and eta2mu2 (minority) structures on Pt and to only eta1mu1 on PtSn. The various interactions and the relative stability of the species on Pt and PtSn are explained by the density of states (DOS) curves.     

A low-cost environmentally friendly approach to isolate lignin containing micro and nanofibrillated cellulose from Eucalyptus globulus bark by steam explosion

Cellulose - Micro- and Nano-Fibrillated Cellulose (MNFC) have gained increasing attention due to their remarkable properties, but their production usually requires an intensive multi-step process....     

Beyond 90-km Reach of a 16 × 2.5 Gb/s C/L-band Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing Metropolitan Network Based on Self-Seeded Reflective Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers

Abstract

This article reports the operation of a cost-effective, colorless, dense wavelength-division multiplexing metropolitan network based on self-seeded reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers. All reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers used in the experiments are packaged in commercial small form-factor pluggable modules. The proposal architecture is simple and symmetric thanks to utilization of two cyclic array waveguide gratings. Downstream link functions in the C-band wavelength range and the upstream link functions in the L-band wavelength range. By using erbium-doped fiber amplifiers to extend the reach, an error-free transmission over 90 km for 16 channels at 2.5 Gb/s was experimentally demonstrated for both directions, and an optical budget over 35 dB was obtained.     

An algorithmic construction of group automorphisms and the quantum Yang-Baxter equation

The structure group G of a non-degenerate symmetric set (X,S) is a Bieberbach and a Garside group. We describe a combinatorial method to compute explicitly a group of automorphisms of G and show this group admits a subgroup that preserves the Garside structure. In some special cases, we could also prove the group of automorphisms found is an outer automorphism group.     

Homogenization of random semilinear PDEs

We prove a homogenization result for system of semilinear parabolic PDEs of the type

The semiotic and conceptual genesis of angle

ZDM – Mathematics Education - In the present study, we try to understand how students at the end of primary school conceive of angle: Is an angle a magnitude for them or a geometric figure,...     

A single step synthesis of 6-aminophenanthridines from anilines and 2-chlorobenzonitriles

Biologically active 6-aminophenanthridines were prepared in a single step procedure: Metal amides in liquid ammonia promoted the condensation of anilines with 2-chloro-benzonitriles. 6-Aminophenanthridines were isolated in moderate yield.