Engineering void space in organic van der Waals crystals: calixarenes lead the way

Seemingly non-porous organic solids have the ability for guest transport and have also been shown to absorb gases, including hydrogen, methane and acetylene, to varied extents. These materials also show potential for gas separation technology, display remarkable water transport through hydrophobic crystals, and clearly show that molecules within crystals are capable of cooperating with guests as they move through non-porous environments. This work is presented within a broader topic which also encompasses crystal engineering and (microporous) metal-organic frameworks (MOF's).     

Nanoparticles of hydrophobically modified dextrans as potential drug carrier systems

Nanoparticles combining a hydrophobically modified dextran core and a polysaccharide surface coverage were elaborated. Their suitability for applications like drug delivery was evaluated. The selected polysaccharide, dextran, was chemically modified by the covalent attachment of hydrocarbon groups (aliphatic or aromatic) via the formation of ether links. According to the extent of modification, either water-soluble or water-insoluble dextran derivatives were obtained. The latter exhibited solubility in organic solvents like tetrahydrofuran or dichloromethane saturated with water. Water-soluble dextran derivatives were used as polymeric surfactants for the control of nanoparticles surface characteristics. Nanoparticles were prepared either by o/w emulsion or solvent-diffusion methods. The size and surface properties of dextran nanoparticles were correlated to processing conditions. The stability of colloidal suspensions was examined as a function of ionic strength and related to the particle surface characteristics. The redispersability of freeze-dried suspensions without the addition of cryoprotectant was demonstrated. Finally, the degradability of modified dextrans was compared to that of starting dextran, after enzymatic hydrolysis in the presence of dextranase.     

Synthetic ligands discovered by in vitro selection

The recognition and catalytic properties of biopolymers derive from an elegant evolutionary mechanism, whereby the genetic material encoding molecules with superior functional attributes survives a selective pressure and is propagated to subsequent generations. This process is routinely mimicked in vitro to generate nucleic-acid or peptide ligands and catalysts. Recent advances in DNA-programmed organic synthesis have raised the possibility that evolutionary strategies could also be used for small-molecule discovery, but the idea remains unproven. Here, using DNA-programmed combinatorial chemistry, a collection of 100 million distinct compounds is synthesized and subjected to selection for binding to the N-terminal SH3 domain of the proto-oncogene Crk. Over six generations, the molecular population converges to a small number of novel SH3 domain ligands. Remarkably, the hits bind with affinities similar to those of peptide SH3 ligands isolated from phage libraries of comparable complexity. The evolutionary approach has the potential to drastically simplify and accelerate small-molecule discovery.     

Frustrated Radical Pairs: Insights from EPR Spectroscopy

Progress in frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) chemistry has revealed the importance of the main group elements in catalysis, opening new avenues in synthetic chemistry. Recently, new reactivities of frustrated Lewis pairs have been uncovered that disclose that certain combinations of Lewis acids and bases undergo single‐electron transfer (SET) processes. Here an electron can be transferred from the Lewis basic donor to a Lewis acidic acceptor to generate a reactive frustrated radical pair (FRP). This minireview aims to showcase the recent advancements in this emerging field covering the synthesis and reactivities of frustrated radical pairs, with extensive highlights of the results from Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to explain the nature and stability of the different radical species observed.     

Improved and expanded one-pot,two-component Boulton-Katritzky syntheses of N–N bond containing bicyclic heterocycles

Improved and expanded one-pot, two-component syntheses of bicyclic heterocycles containing a 3-N-acyl-3-amino-1,2-pyrazole motif from N′-hydroxy-carboxyamidines and acylbenzotriazoles have been developed. Importantly, this sequence obviates the need for hydrazine or N-aminating reagents to synthesize the key nitrogen–nitrogen (N–N) bond of these heterocycles, which is formed via Boulton-Katritzky rearrangement. A diverse array of pharmaceutically relevant N–N containing heterocycles has been prepared with this methodology using readily available reagents without the need for special equipment or conditions.     

Two-dimensional Fourier transform spectroscopy in the pump-probe geometry

Two-dimensional (2D) Fourier transform (FT) infrared spectroscopy is performed by using a collinear pulse-pair pump and probe geometry with conventional optics. Simultaneous collection of the third-order response and pulse-pair timing permit automated phasing and rapid acquisition of 2D absorptive spectra. To demonstrate the ability of this method to capture molecular dynamics, couplings and structure found in the conventional boxcar 2D FT spectroscopy, a series of 2D spectra of a metal carbonyl, and a beta-sheet protein are acquired.